Group Description
Half-Life is a series of games developed by
Valve, which share a common setting and recurrent gameplay elements. The main installments are predominantly linear, story-driven first-person shooters with light puzzle-solving elements, connected by an overarching storyline and a common protagonist, the scientist Gordon Freeman.
Portal games, originating in 2007, are set in the same universe and share a few gameplay elements with the main
Half-Life games, though they form a separate storyline and are mostly dedicated to puzzle-solving.
Story
The overarching story of
Half-Life begins in the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico, where a failed experiment leads to the opening of an inter-dimensional portal, causing alien beings from the world Xen to invade Earth. Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist, escapes from the facility and attempts to stop the alien invasion, eliminating their leader. However, he is confronted by a mysterious person known as the G-man, who puts him into stasis. Nearly twenty years later, Freeman finds himself in City 17, a dystopian society governed by the Combine, a group of humans and aliens who have meanwhile used the dimensional rift to conquer the Earth. Freeman and his friends begin a struggle against Combine, still unaware of the G-man's true intentions.
Gameplay
Half-Life games are for the most part composed of straightforward first-person shooter gameplay. However, some of the tasks in the games require specific actions, sometimes resulting in moderate platform exercises (jumping) and mild puzzle-solving activities. The games include many scripted events and action-oriented set pieces, complementing their linear nature. The first
Half-Life (1998) was also notable for popularizing seamless cutscenes, during which the player's control of the main character was retained.
Awards
- PC Powerplay (Germany)
- Issue 06/2005 - #9 Likeable Secondary Character (for Barney)
Game Title | Year | Platform | Publisher | User Score |
Aperture Desk Job | 2022 | Linux, Windows | Valve Corporation | ... |
Evil Genius 2: World Domination - Portal Pack | 2021 | Windows | Rebellion Developments Ltd. | ... |
Half-Life: Alyx | 2020 | Windows | Valve Corporation | 4.52 |
Aperture Hand Lab | 2019 | Windows | Valve Corporation | ... |
Bridge Constructor: Portal | 2017 | Android, iPad, iPhone, Linux, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Windows Apps, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One | Headup Games GmbH & Co. KG | ... |
Portal 2 | 2011 | Linux, Macintosh, PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 | Valve Corporation | 4.16 |
Portal 2: Sixense MotionPack | 2011 | PlayStation 3, Windows | Sixense Entertainment | ... |
Source Multiplayer Pack | 2010 | Macintosh, Windows | Valve Corporation | ... |
Half-Life: Complete | 2008 | Windows | Valve Corporation | ... |
Half-Life 2: Complete | 2008 | Windows | Valve Corporation | 5.00 |
Valve Complete Pack | 2008 | Windows | Valve Corporation | ... |
Portal: Still Alive | 2008 | Xbox 360 | Valve Corporation | 2.53 |
Half-Life 2: Episode Pack | 2008 | Windows | Valve Corporation | 4.80 |
Portal | 2007 | Android, Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Valve Corporation | 4.17 |
The Orange Box | 2007 | PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 | Electronic Arts, Inc. | 4.20 |
Half-Life 2: Episode Two | 2007 | Android, Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Buka Entertainment | 4.34 |
Half-Life 2: Holiday 2006 Collection | 2006 | Windows | Electronic Arts, Inc. | 4.71 |
Half-Life 2: Episode One | 2006 | Android, Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Valve Corporation | 4.14 |
Half-Life 2: Survivor | 2006 | Arcade | Taito Corporation | ... |
Half-Life 2: Game of the Year Edition | 2005 | Windows | Electronic Arts, Inc. | 4.67 |
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast | 2005 | Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Valve Corporation | 3.96 |
Half-Life: Source | 2005 | Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Valve Corporation | 4.37 |
Half-Life 1: Anthology | 2005 | Windows | Electronic Arts, Inc. | 5.00 |
Half-Life: Deathmatch - Source | 2005 | Windows | Valve Corporation | ... |
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch | 2004 | Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Valve Corporation | 3.72 |
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Selected Screenshots
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