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Buy it for the game itself, keep it for the add ons

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

At its first release, Half Life was groundbreaking. The graphics were good, the story was excellent, and Half Life was one of the most interactive games around, with lots of moveable or breakable scenery (the vending machines even dispense cans), other characters to talk to and work with, and challenging enemies.

If you haven't played a first person shooter since Doom, you are in for a treat. Half Life is very animated -- you will fall through floors, blow bridges and get ambushed. However, Half Life's engine is slightly dated (though still pretty good), but the atmosphere more than compensates if the graphics aren't quite cutting edge.

When you finish the single player game (which takes a while) there are a wealth of "mods" available. Valve have given the gaming community broad scope to redevelop Half Life, and there are some brilliant mods around. Some are commercial (like Blue Shift), but the best ones are free. My favourite single player mod is the They Hunger series, a classic zombie thriller by Neil Manke. In fact, I enjoyed They Hunger and USS Darkstar (Manke's other single player mod) even more than the original game. I'm not allowed to post hyperlinks here but you can easily find the mods on the net.

There are plenty of online servers that you can connect to for free, to play both Half Life and its mods online. The connection is very easy and most of the work is taken care of by Half Life itself. You just need to select a good server and jump in.

In multiplayer, the standard Half Life is lacking. It is dull, old fashioned, every man for himself deathmatch. Of course, you might like that! But happily there is a wide choice in the multiplayer arena. Valve's own Team Fortress (which comes free with the game) allows you to take on different roles (engineer, sniper, medic etc) and play team games such as "capture the flag". There are some fantastic community made multiplayer mods, also available for free. My favourite is Day of Defeat, a WWII mod with everything from detailed uniforms to realistic weapons of the period. Rest assured, mods are not just cosmetic changes. You won't be playing Half Life with different skins. While the engine is the same, the graphics, sounds and gameplay are so varied as to be almost games in their own right.

My criticism of the game would be the amount of downloading you have to do. The mods vary between 30 and 100 megs. To play online (in a mod or in the original game) you have to download the latest patches from Sierra. The current version as I write this is 1.1.0.7, which has just been released. Version 1.1.0.6 was pretty good and lasted many months, so I don't expect to see more patches released any time soon. But mods tend to be released more frequently.

If you have a slow modem connection, the downloads can take a very long time. Also, when playing online you will find yourself at a disadvantage against people with fast connections. But most people still connect to the net via dialup so many will be in the same position. As to the mod downloads, some file sites will put them on a CD and mail them to you, for a fee.

[....]

Best First Person Game, I have ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I consider Unreal Tournament the best Shooter game around (due to its furious action and online gaming support) but nothing touches Half-life for a total Gaming experience.

As you play it you become totally immersed in the enviroment and story as Gordon Freeman a scientist at the Black Mesa Research facility. The Graphics, sound, interactive enviroments, story telling and blending with great action is unparalled in PC gaming software. There are plot twists and new discoveries everywhere.

This is a must have game for any gaming enthusiast... I heartily reccommend it.

Try before you buy...a demo can be found lots places, i.e. 3dgamers.com. happypuppy.com

There coming for you....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

a military death squad on the rampage, bodystealing headcrabs on the loose, a mysteriouse man watching your every move, your fellow scientis and security guards dying by the hundreds, and a massive alien invasion, this is half life. that would make a blockbuster movie and as a game its just that; a interactive movie.but it also has insanely great a.i (just wate till you meet up with the military) and ATMOSPHERE. not even alien vs predator 2 has such great atmosphere. quet simply it is the greates game i have ever played.

Classic game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The story/plot behind this game is excellent as is the gameplay. Download the demo from the manufacturer and try it out, you will be surprised, the game may be getting old but it will always be a classic in much the same way that Doom and Pac Man will always remain classics.

Half-Life is a game no gamer should be without!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Dear Gaming Public,
Half-life is more then a game it's a legend. You can't chat with FPS players over the net for 5 minutes without hearing the name mentioned.
There are quite a few games that come to mind that have [stinky] single players and a good multiplayer. Half-life is like that. Personally I think that the single player campaigns are just gory and tasteless. It's just a huge blood feast and is really just... stupid. I get no satisfaction whatever from blowing the head off a giant [crud] or an alien with a laser pistol. People I've talked to say that later, when the solders start using strategy and teaming up, is when it gets fun. To be truthful I must admit that I haven't finished the single player. That's not to say I haven't put in some quality gaming hours, so be warned, don't try the single player unless your willing to muck through the first few hours of tasteless, boring, and altogether pointless violence. If you're interested in the single player moad I suggest the new James Bond game, 007 Nightfire, I've head great things about it.
What's fun about Half Life, and the reason I gave it 5 stars is the multiplayer. Even though it's a couple of years old, there is still no game that even begins to rival it, except perhaps Halo for xbox. Everything is just great about over the net play with this game. From the weapons to the levels to the different moads to play (like death match and capture the flag for example.)
The other cool think about over the net plat is the ability to create your own maps. What I find the most satisfying in this game is playing in my own creations. You can add hills, bunkers, tripwires, or anything else to fit your playing style.
This game is the best of the best. No one can truthfully call them self's a FPS gamer without spending 100+ hours playing this game. I urge anyone with a net connection to buy this game. It will undoubtedly be the best buy of your life considering the endless hours of enjoyment it will give you. Just be careful to finish your essays first, or after a 24 hour gaming section you'll get an F. I very much hope that any players of Bond or Quake arena will take the next step towards the fulfillment of gaming experience.
So I conclude, GET THIS GAME, it is the bomb of all FPS's. I am very surprised that it has only won 40 or so awards.
William Hartsuck

The Best First Person Shooter Ever Made

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Most of us have played or at least played First Person Shooters. FPS is becoming the standard format for action games these days, and it is understandably difficult for game designers to keep them fresh and interesting.
I don't give a lot of 5-star ratings, but I honestly believe that Half-Life is the best computer game I have ever played. Half-Life is an excellent game all around. Excellent graphics, pretty good sound, an incredible story-line, and a ton of intellectual stimulation.
THERE ARE PUZZLES to solve in Half-Life. Some of these are challenging, all of them are fun. The combat is exciting, and the AI is frightening. You will be attacked in groups. The enemy will cooperate with each other. Some will shoot and try to pin you down. Some will throw grenades when you are behind cover. They will surround and flank you. Half-Life has raised the standards for AI in computer gaming.
As for system requirements, Half-Life is a game that any computer can handle, it runs fine on a 400 MHz Pentium 1.
Perhaps the best part about Half-Life is the multiplayer compatibility. There are many other games that are based off the Half-Life Engine that are incredible to play online. Team Fortress for the more chaotic lemming-style play (run around and kill it if it moves) or Counter-Strike for the more strategic, team oriented player.
This is the only game I've ever seen with no cons. Buy this game for a kid of any age or an adult. (It also has a handy parental violence control, though it's really not necessary -- this is not a graphic game.)

Gordon Freeman is the Terminator

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Pro's: Awsome Graphics, phenomonal multiplayer, good music, scary as hell when ur playing it alone in the dark. Good expansion packs.
Con's: If you don't have a 3d accelerator card dont' get this game cause u'll ruin it.
I'd rather play this than unreal tournament or unreal2k3.

One of the Greatest Games of All Time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Half-Life is an extrodinary game. The graphics are so-so, but you can upgrade them if you get Half-Life: Blue Shift (I recommend that as well) and then they'll be quite a bit better. Anyways, the gameplay makes up for the graphics by far. The game puts you as Gordon Freeman, a young scientist testing a teleportation machine. That's when things go terribly wrong; the machine malfunctions and countless hordes of hostile aliens are sent to the Black Mesa underground lab. Eventually things get even more chaotic when the military gets involved. Now you must escape from the huge labrotory and get to the surface in one piece. The game has action, danger, and a hell of a lot of aliens. If you're a parent looking at this I don't suggest getting the game for your little 8 year-old. The game is very violent and there is no penalty for killing anyone, even your allies. There's lots of blood and gore, but no language or sexual content. Half-Life is awesome, get it, you won't be disapointed.

Half-Life kicks ass

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Half-Life is one of those games that you have to play and not read a stratedgy guide. I was reading some of the other reviews and people kept on reporting that their weren't good stratedgy guides and such. Well, here's a tip. Play the game!! You have to buy a stratedgy guide seperately and it's like that for most video games/etc.. The game has good graphics, good music, and excellent characters. The game is really realistic, one of the most realistic games out their that i've seen. On my computer it takes a while to load up but once it loads up it works pretty good. And of course you get the interloads afterwards. My advice before you get this game is check the requirements. I think the only reason some people rated this game at a low level is because 1) they didn't play it because it didn't come with a stratedgy guide, 2)they didn't look at the requirements needed before they baught the game. Their's a reason why video games require different settings for your computer. But that's beside the point. Half-Life has one of the best plots i've seen, and has a lot of action. So for those who like first person shooters, killing aliens and people, and love great graphics, this is the game for you. For those who don't like realism and don't like to play video games like these stick to your spongebob squarepants video games. Oh and for those of you who hate video games coming without a stratedgy guide here's another tip in half-life. Half-Life explains the game as you play along. Their's Hazard Courses you play to learn more about the game. You make your own controlls and etc. This is a must have for any video gamer who loves games like half-life.

With Half Life you can play COUNTERSTRIKE!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: June 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Hello! I have already left a review on this fantastic game a few weeks ago, but I have recently been exposed to TRUE gaming greatness...and you need Half Life to experience it !

For those lucky dogs who have Half Life, you can download and play "CounterStrike" through the internet! Counterstrike is a ***FREE*** modification of Half Life that is only played online. In CS, you choose to play either as a Terrorist or a Counterterrorist. All the guns are modeled after real weapons, including aspects of their aim, fire rate, sounds, and amount of damage they inflict (such guns include the Mac-10, AK-47, Sig, etc. for the Terrorists, and the Carbine, Aug, mP5K, and others for the CounterTerrorists). Both teams have acess to 2 kinds of shotguns (pump action and autorepeat), a "melee knife", 3 types of sniper rifles, 4 classes of pistols (including the Destert Eagle - my personal favorite), and a few other guns.

What makes this game so phenominal is that it uses the Half Life engine! the graphix and layout of the levels are incredible, and the player models will make your eyes bug out of your skull the first time you see them. Now, this is the fun part - how the game plays...

There are 3 types of games, all of which have a 5 minute time limit. All the games end if All of the T's or CT's are killed, exept in the "DE" levels:

CS (CounterStrike): The CT's have to infiltrate a level and rescue the Hostages from the T's by taking them to a designated "Rescue Point"

AS (Assasination): The T's have to assassinate the VIP, whom the CT's have to escort safely to an escape chopper or van (the game ends if the VIP is killed)

DE (Defuse): My personal favorite...The T's are equipped with a C-4 bomb (that can only be carried my one person at a time), which has to be planted at one of two bomb sites. The T's win if the bomb is planted and goes off, and the CT's win if they kill all of the T's or defuse the bomb once it is planted.

Words can't describe how much fun this game is. Every game is different since there are so many ways that you can play the game. Do you bum-rush the other side? Or wait for them to come to you ? How about letting them pass and take them by surprise from behind? Or maybe expose you position, then double-back to catch them off guard? The options are endless... Also, this game is semi-reality based, so you can't rush a room full of the other team and expect to survive 5 people shooting you at once. Usually, 1-5 bullets will have you "pushing up daisies"...so teamwork is key! but no fear, there is "ghost observer mode" when you are killed, so you can follow the exploits of your teammates after you are taken out, and you can "chat" with the other dead players who are also watching the game.

After you experience the glory that is known as "Half Life", download this FREE mod and say good bye to your free time. There is nothing like playing with a bunch of other people from around the world as a team to take out another team, with the both of you trying to complete your respective goals. So stop reading this and go buy Half Life already!

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