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Halo 2, eat your heart out.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: November 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First a note, I got the Gold edition (via Steam), if you have the bandwidth to burn, do yourself a favor and get the gold version, that way if you have Steam problems, you'll likely have them before paying.

But on to the game, first the bad: Slow load times compared to Half Life 1, occasional physics glitching (getting crushed against a wall and killed by a plank thats sitting on the floor when a scripted NPC walks over it for example), single players a bit short, and of course, the 1% of people who have Steam glitches.

That said, this is the best fps currently on the market, the story is good, once again the sound and atmosphere are stunning and the graphics are dazzling in the gritty/adrenaline overload way we've come to expect from Valve.

HL2 makes good use of the Havok physics engine, with an amazing variety of frangible objects and terrain features, some pretty good object manipulation (especially after you get the grav gun), smooth vehicle control and response, oh, and near the end of the game, juggling bodies. There are parts of the game where you could spend hours playing with the some sandbox setups after you have eliminated the enemies, expect to see a lot of interesting mods.

If you have the system to handle it, do yourself a favor and get this game.

Great single player game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: November 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game 4 days after it's release, and it seems I avoided the frustration of Valve's clogged authentification server. I installed the game from 5 CDs, then it sent me online, and registered/unlocked fine within 20 min or so. I think the reviews with complaints about the online registration not working are no longer applicable now that the mad rush from the people who wanted to get their hands on the game at 12 midnight the day it was released is over.

The game has been a blast to play. It kept everything good from the original title and has made many improvements as well. The main additions to the game I've really enjoyed include some very fun vehicles and a couple of very enjoyable weapons. The graphics are great along with the sound and sutle background music.

The physics engine in this game really is amazing. There is so much you can interact with in the game enviornment... it's the best physics interaction I've seen in any game up to this point.

If you enjoyed playing the original Half Life, you WILL really enjoy playing this sequal.

The only downside to this game is you HAVE to have an internet connection available to activate it after you install it. That seems a little invasive and annoying to me. After you get it authenticated you can play it offline as much as you want. Just remember, every time you ever have to re-install this game in the future, you will have to connect to the internet to activate it again before you can play it offline.

Best I've played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: August 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've played many FPS/RPG PC games over the years. This one is truly the best and most complete game I've played. If you have the computing power, the graphics are stunning. The story line is complelling and the AI isn't a pushover. The online registration with Steam has recieved much bad press and deservedly so, but once past that, you'll love the game.

Incredi-magic!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 15
Date: June 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The other day i ate 47 fire-hot buffalo wings in a row and then i started to trip. When i awoke i was in the future. February 2004. Half-Life 2 finally was released after being delayed over and over again. Anyway, i popped it in, installed the 1st patch (released 4 days after release) over steam, and then played multiplayer. It was really fun. I hope you all order this product because it will change your life. Also, think about upgrading your computer before now and then. =)

All Steam authentication issues aside, it's a great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: December 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I can't think of a PC game in recent history that was more anticipated then the sequel to Valve's blockbuster, Half-Life. Early reports indicated that this game would indeed change many aspects of the gaming community such as physics and character models. When it was released in November my excitment was only matched by my disbelief that it had actually come out, mostly due to the fact the game had been delayed on again off again for nearly 5 years. So, was it worth the wait, worth the tedious Steam installation and frustration? Yes.

Let's start with the storyline, which is second to none, and due to my hatred of spoilers I'm only going to give you the basics. You return from your odd state of limbo to find yourself (Gordan Freeman) in a scary, totaltarian controlled city known as City 17 run by a group called the Combine. What ensues is your involvement in a resistance movement, which will take you everywhere from the city streets to desert wastelands. The characters you meet are simply incredible, each one has their own deep personality with voice acting that could just as well be featured in a motion picture. You'll feel a certain attachment to protect those who fight with you, and a loathing for your enemy who are as vile as they are mysterious.

Enemy AI is a little bit dissapointing from what was promised to us by Valve. While they aren't stupid by a longshot, AI from other recently released PC games can match and even surpass it. For instance, taking something like a small soup can and holding it in front of your face to use as "cover" will cause nearly all enemies in the area to cease fire and attempt to flank. Even more ridiculous are their predictable combat methods which are as follows: take cover, throw a grenade, charge in, repeat. By the end of the game I could have taken combine forces on with my eyes closed and speakers on full blast. However, they will still challenge you, kill you and frustrate you, don't count them out, just don't expect true artifical intelligence.

A majority of the game you are on foot, however 2 levels allow you to pilot both a hovercraft like boat and an off road dune buggy, adding an incredible element of fun and variation. Your arsenal will allow you to call on everything from standard pistols to the jaw dropping gravity gun, which allows you to pick up and throw objects such as chairs, cans, metal shelves and more as if they were mere pieces of paper.

The games graphics are gorgeous, beautiful, jaw dropping, the list goes on and on. Without a doubt they are the best graphics so far for any game ever released, to say they have set a new standard would be an understatement. Characters express emotions through facial features, enemy vehicles are detailed down to the last decal, even the infamous G-man's pores can be made out in the opening scene of the game.

The multiplayer scene is why many people bought the original Half-Life in the first place, and this trend is continued with the second one. Half Life 2 Deathmatch, a recently released (free) add on by Valve, allows to to participate in standard free for all or team based battles on most of the games maps, fun but not in depth. For those of you who want to experience everything this game has to offer, look to the now corporate backed mod community which has spawned games such as Counter-Strike and Day Of Defeat. Using the Half-Life 2 engine these mods allow a whole new immersion in these already great games, CS Source is available for free with the purchase while DoD Source will be released at a later date requiring a purchase for those who only bought the base edition.

Does it live up to it's predecessor? Yes and then some, in fact it makes it's predecessor look like a joke in comparison. It has all the elements of a great game, and a few minor bugs and issues aside, it is near perfection. Don't miss out on this game, I say that often, but trust me...do not miss out on Half-Life 2, you'll regret it.

best game ever. period

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: April 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

there is so much praise to offer this game, that I'm not even gonna bother.

Just do yourself a favor and play one of the greatest video games ever.

OK? Thanks. And thank yourself, as well.

Great Game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: July 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Definitely a step up from the original...can't wait for the addon supposedly coming out later this year! The shirt is cool too!~

More of a good thing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: December 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Striders, mechanical monsters with tall telephone-pole legs patrol the streets, prepared to skewer insurgents. As if anyone was willing to stand up to the planet's oppressors.
Some have sold out to the off-world fascists, and clips of the frighteningly calm turncoats play throughout cities to further pacify the populace. Impulse and instinct, they insist, are a plague. The visitors, according to the old sci-fi chestnut, are our friends. A mere 10 minutes in, and the latest Half-Life sets its atmosphere with convincing, blood-curdling aplomb. More so than any other game (Halo 2 included), it puts you in the head of its hero, and gets better as you go along. You are Gordon Freeman, science geek turned savior, and you're more than happy to doff the lab coat and lodge a crowbar (or a pistol slug, or shotgun shell, or crossbow bolt--you get the picture) in whoever deserves it. But of all the tools of the E.T.-go-home trade, the gravity gun is your silver bullet. Able to lift and launch whatever you like, it turns debris into lethal weapons and the shooter status quo upside down. The way things fly, catch fire, and fall not only carries consequences that add weight to your war of the worlds, but also creates situations that reward guile, guts, and instinct. Sometimes one broken beam produces better results than a magazine of bullets when the catwalk it supports collapses and crushes your foes.
The enemy is smart too, maybe more so than in any other shooter. They'll chase you down as you dash for cover; pin you with fire, then put pressure on your flank. Their helicopters hunt you through warehouses, open up as you pass windows, and blast the roof to bits to get a bead on you. It's remarkable really. In fact, everything about Half-Life 2 is remarkable. First-rate audio effects capture the sounds of spent cartridges clanking on the floor, rifle shots reverberating off walls, and head crabs hissing in corners. Levels range from canals to cemeteries, coastal highways to crowded cities, sewage systems to state penitentiaries, science facilities to strange fortresses--each lifelike and with a feel of its own. Some place you behind the wheel in sweet, plow-suckers-into-street-pizza sections, others put you in charge of fellow freedom fighters and bloodthirsty, bear-sized bugs that eat lead for lunch and ask for seconds (think Pikmin, but with lethal aliens instead of lovable plant people). Gameplay, graphics, you name it, it's top notch. On its own, Half-Life 2 is everything you asked for. And that's only the half of it. Depending on the package you pick, you also get the original Half-Life along with cyber-café staples Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat, all redone with today's technology. Consider those expensive PC parts paid for in full.

Valve has went to the dogs

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 124
Date: October 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I would have to say that valve and the tech responsible for leaving the HL2 source code wide open to hackers has ruined this
game for everybody! and if this isn't bad enough valves new gaming engine "Steam" that is now required to play any of Sierra's gaming titles on-line, it is so full of bugs it makes game-play impossible!

I would recommend that everybody who is into on-line gaming stay clear of valves Half-Life 2 for two main reasons,

1)It's being passed around the internet into the hands of exploit authors twho ruin on-line multi-player games with writing and distributing cheats that makes game-play unfair for those who enjoy this excitement without.

2)I have tried playing Half-Life and the mods for this engine using "Steam" on two pc's 1 wih Win98se and the other machine XP Home Edition and the bugs were so bad that both of my pc's were rendered useless for up to 25 minutes after rebooting both pc's.

Save your money and invest it in other games like Medal of Honor by E.A Games you won't be sorry!

Very Weird

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 153
Date: August 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Over at Amazon.co.uk, a release date of September 3rd is still listed- why is there such a huge discrepancy between the UK and American sites? Come on Amazon, what's really going on?

As for Half Life 2 itself... well, it looks good, and the physics look impressive in the clips seen, but until it's actually played, how can anyone write a review (indeed, how can I write all this?)

I've played Doom 3, and found it to be a great, fun experience (and it's MEANT to be a simple blasting-at-bad-guys-thing, so don't complain about a lack of complexity), and I think Half Life 2 will need to meet it's hype to be as big and as enjoyable a gaming experience- it's the only game for me that can beat Doom 3.

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