Back then we all said "This game is incredible so just imagine how mind blowing games will be in 20 years time". 20 years later, it's still the best FPS ever made.
@@coolmacatrain9434 Alyx should be not a VR exclusivity and the game offers nothing original tbh . As the visuals from the same era is meh bleh way too futuristic . The game was made too fast without real backlash .
Nah. HL2 was a massive let down from the original and even from the gearbox expansions. It was technically cool, but the tedious cut scenes, pointless filler car and boat sequences, stupidly overpowered gravity gun and general lack of any difficulty made it just not a very good as a game.
People say stupid things like that. But if "everything changed after HL2" with the impltication that it was caused by HL2; then HL2 is responsible for the 20 year drought of good AAA games since 2004. That's not a title of honour; that's a massive self-own. Personally I blame the influx of huge numbers of new gamers and massive increase in team sizes ca 2000. This meant games that used by made by nerds, for nerds, were now made by huge, professional teams with a CEO and investors; games became polished turds aiming at the lowest common denominator. Then came toxic monetization schemes.
@@notsecure There were interaction based shooters before Alyx in VR, some do even crazier things with movement and combat it's just one of the only really good AAA ones on the platform. Also years later most people still don't have VR so the shooters made today are either retro inspired indie games or multiplayer games designed for microtransactions. There's new retro inspired fps popping up seemingly every week, even AA are interested with games like Boltgun, so for this genre I might be inclined to say something like 20XX: Everything changed after GZDoom.
1992: Everything changed after Wolfenstein 3D. 1993: Everything completely changed after Doom. 1994: Some more changes with System Shock 1. 1995: Then everything went into overdrive after Quake 1 1996: A game on PS1- a certain Tomb Raider, influenced all 3D games on all platforms from then on- especially with production quality, character animation, story, musical score, FMV, level design, and sound design, atmosphere, but no-one wanted to admit it. 1997: Quake 2 made it all reach fever pitch with it's game engine, incredible lighting, and tight level design- and also finally spawned the modern online gaming era- reigning supreme (with Unreal Tourney and continuing with Q3 later on) for 8 years in that area. 1998: Then came HL and things changed a lot... 1998/1999: Then Unreal and Tournament changed the game and online gaming yet even more... 1999-2003: Then 4 more years of groundbreaking changes came with some other titles- Max Payne being arguably the greatest game-changer among them(in development since 1994), followed by FarCry 1, HL2, Doom 3, Halo in 2004 - all ushering in massive changes... 2007: Everything changed after Crysis. 2024: (Kids who weren't there): HL changed everything!
So many old games are awesome. I also got completely blown away from Far Cry 1. I really got the Half-Life feeling from that one. I played both at same time so it was easy to compare.
If you liked HL2 so much, I HIGHLY recommend getting a Meta Quest 2 or 3 and just experiencing Alyx. It is such a natural progression of the HL2 vision and it's so intensely immersive. Big recommend
I keep trying alyx and I keep getting stuck on every single level. No matter what, at some point on every level I just hit a part where I cannot progress, and I cannot go backwards. It's a meh game
@@TheScrubmuffin69being bad at a game doesn’t make the game bad, it makes you have to get better at playing it. I managed to play through the entire game without losing the way I was supposed to go more than like 2 times, and that’s on me.
The original Half Life, HL2, Ep1 & 2 have always been my ‘the favourite’ games of all time. I still remember those ‘wow’ moments when I played HL1. It motivated me to enter the world of 3d video game art and I did try making some mods with the source engine. Later I switched my career into video game art and currently works at Tencent Games. I worked at Ubisoft for almost 12 years. Played many games during the last 20 years or so and still my favourite is and will always be Half Life. It’s just amazing
HL2 still craps on majority of current AAA games. It's sad the devs haven't learned anything from Valve, instead they push out bloated, unpolished open world games.
Wait until the RTX update when that comes out, it looks insane. HL2 is legitimately one of the greatest games of all time. One of the few genre defining moments was their first physics showcase video all those years ago. I remember being blown away by it.
If you want something to hold you over in the meantime, I'd suggest you look at Half-Life 2: MMod. It's not for everyone but it's certainly worth a look imo.
I remember playing half life 1 for the first time, I was so immersed in the game and its mechanics when I finished it after few days of straight playing, while walking in the streets I genuinely thought I could bunny jump around... like my brain was almost replacing real life physics with game physics.. I'm a bit autistic and I get hyperfocused on games and stuff sometimes but half life was really some immersion I never experienced before or after that
I gave up gaming after HL because no other game came close. I completely missed out on HL2 till Covid came around. Sitting around watching a play through I jumped and said "I know these characters" I was hooked and played it through. I never knew playing it that I was in for the cliff hanger we are still all hanging on to....
METRO SERIES feels like that took. Played Metro 2034 redux right after covid and realised they "predict covid" was mind boggling. Its was there since ps3 i think or ps4 from the beggining .
My biggest memory of first playing, is the sheer horror in Ravenholm, the atmosphere of that place I had a really tough time forcing myself to overcome. That place got be good..
even todays standards they ignored the physics puzzle type of style like Half Life 2, Valve really respect players intelligence to use a physics to complete the puzzle.
I have just finished playing HL2 for the first time in 16 years. Honestly i have no idea how they did it so well. This game is perfect in so many levels. Outstanding achievement in gaming industry.
Skill and passion. Applies to most of the evergreen mega classics of the pre-Wii era. Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, GTA, Zelda, FEAR, Far Cry, System Shock, Deus Ex... all magnificent IPs that got infinite praise and came out within months from each other.
Out of a lot of horror games I've played *which isn't a lot but I digress* this has to be the most terrifying/creepy games I have ever played, not because you get jumpscared, or theres a lot of out right horror aspects to the game, which there is, but not as much as you would think when I say the game is terrifying, no what makes this game so terrifying is just knowing you are being watch at all times, the game gives a sense of loneliness and isolation, that every so often gets broken when you see Gman just watching you, and every time you go right up to where he's watching, he's just gone, that right there is horrifying in its own right, knowing you ses someone and them just being gone in the blink of an eye, to me games with moments like these if handled correctly can become truly creepy, its kinda why I still haven't finished HL2 since I'm still a bit unnerved
definitely agree with this, real horror gets under your skin. Stuff like dead space, until dawn, outlast etc relied too heavily on elements beyond atmosphere. All great games btw just not scary at all once you've had you're first jump scare. I remember shitting myself hearing a headcrab in a vent that i couldn't locate for ages, proper put me on edge.
I'd recommend playing in VR since it's a change in prospective and it's a lot faster in reloading and shooting depending on if you got swift hands and a trigger finger.
I played it for the first time in 2022 and its my all time favorite game now. They nailed it. And im so happy i played it for the first time as an adult so i had a chance to fully appreciate it.
The reason it has aged so well, is because it really is the Mario of FPS. It's a perfect sandwich of puzzle/shooting/story. That's the model. It's kinda weird no one has been able to copy it. In a way Crysis 1 came the closests. Maybe Max Payne as well. Both no where near HL2. But those comes to mind. HL2 is way more boiled down to the essence of what makes a good game. Life, what is fun. Can't wait for the RTX remix
Thank you for the video. I am currently running through the Half-Life franchise (Half-Life, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, even Portal 1 and 2 plus Black Mesa) and recording every minute of it to always remember. I am preparing myself for whatever will happen in November on the 20th Anniversary of HL2 (RTX Remix? Remastered Collection? whatever Valve has planned?). Still have to play Half-Life Alyx and Decay. Alyx I've actually played with the WIP no-vr mod because I couldn't wait to experience the atmosphere of the Half-Life universe again. These games were such a massive part of my childhood and is my favorite gaming franchise to date. Half-Life 2 (and the episodes) is one of the few games I actually stop and just stare at the scenery and listen to the sounds and ambience of the world. I love the fact that Half-Life games never rush you and gives you time to take a break and take in every detail in the world. Cheers
and so much people still have not experienced Alyx which is the most amazing thing I have played in games ever since. seeing the robots, the train, the flashlight scene in VR in that game is something will change your expectations from games forever
If VR headsets require stereoscopic vision, then I will never be playing with one. Can't imagine I'd ever play with one even besides that. It will likely always be a fringe gimmick.
In november 2004 I was given the game as a birthday present (CD version) and I had to take my central unit to my friend’s flat as he already had an internet at the time and activate the game lol. It was totally worth of the effort - Half Life 2 blew my mind 🤯 I still love the franchise up to this day. And I also can’t wait to play RTX Remix version 💪
Played it first in 2005 when I was 10, but only the beginning, never got out of city 17. Was not that good at games and my english proficiency was not that high at the time so I could not really understand what characters were saying. I still remember the feeling I had when walking around after the train station seeing the citadel and strider and so on, it was eerie and just blew my mind. Played it through for the first time in 2007 and I still remember it like it was yesterday. One of my favorite games of all time.
2004 truly was an amazing year for shooters. Half Life 2, Halo 2, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes all releasing in the same year. We will never have one like this again.
I was already in my mid 20s when Half Life 1 came out and I remember being blown away by the fact that it didn't have pre-rendered cinematics which most games had at the time. That game and Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 were the first games I can recall that attempted to tell this complex story via the engine graphics but HL took it step further and never took away control from the player.
I remembered playing this for the first time. I was already living on my own and even had the gamer's/player's guide. I had such a blast with this game. Just bought it again recently and am going through the campaign. Can't wait for We Don't Go to Ravenholm
I recently played HL2 again after beating the game long ago. It is definitely one of the few games that is still good long afterwards - Decent story, and once the action starts it really doesn't stop - not easy, but not so hard you want to throw things - just pure fun.
man i watched your videos of backlog after many years having a backlog this is one of the games i return every two years and finish till the end, or the other episodes. cant fathom how much joy hl2 bringed me all this time, and cant believe next keyboard/mouse hl is in the works... insane
I was planning on doing this very soon on my channel! But I'm kinda waiting for the anniversary before doing anything because Valve might have something coming then(there are updates being made if you look at the version history). And your story is very similar to mine! I played HL2 when I was like 9 in 2005 or 10 in 2006 when visiting my godparents and I didn't get far(also tried HL1 there and dang it was scary!). Then I watched it on RUclips years later and finally got Orange Box on a whim for my 360 (with Metro 2033) in like 2011 or 2012 and still remember the feeling when getting teleported outside the lab and many other moments like that (Ravenholm), such a great game!
I just completed Half Life 2 for the first time ever. Man! I was originally skeptical on whether I should play it, as I’m not really into puzzle solving games. Yet, most of my favourite games are narrative-driven shooters (Halo, Gears, Cyberpunk etc). After multiple people suggested that I should play HL2, I finally did. I don’t often glaze, but it was perfect! The unique, sand box driven gameplay remained fresh and fun throughout the whole game. The narrative sunk its teeth deep into me, for better or for worse (that ending though). And the themes and set pieces tickled my itch for dystopia. Every game has its flaws, yet HL2 might be the first game I’ve ever played that I’d consider giving a 10/10. It’s something that every gamer should experience at least once in their life. The only truly bad thing I can say about Half Life is the unshakable blue ball spell that lord Gaben casts on anyone unlucky enough to consume his material.
My best friend back in the day was the biggest halo fan like ever when I told him there is one game that could even beat Halo he laught at me 1 year later the orangebox came to xbox I believe and he bought it and later came to me and told me how blown away he was after playing half life 2
Yes! Exactly, you still can experience both episodies of HL2 and the expansions of the first game HL. Opposing Force and Blue Shift. The Black Mesa Remake also have a version for Blue Shift for now is on sale on Steam :)
I was 16 when it came out, 2004 was such an important year for games and for me..... I smoked and drank and had my first sexual girlfriend, it was the year I became an "adult". On top of that it was one of the biggest most innovative years in gaming history and I'll never forget it, I'm so glad I came of age that year.
Completely agree with you. I remember playing HL1, buying the box version from Best Buy, which I still have. Been a HL fan ever since. Finished Alyx with Quest2 last year and it was AMAZING. It is the next step in the HL universe and worth it. Highly recommend. Very good replay-ability. The immersion is unrivaled and I consider it the best VR game available today.
I still remember the teaser videos from before the release of HL2... the "docks", the "G-man face demo" and a bit of ravenholm gameplay with the part where Gordon blocks the stairway with junk and using other physical objects to his advantage... to watch those truly gave me a feeling of amazement at the time. It was absolutely mind blowing stuff... and the atmosphere was just spot on.
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with everything you say about this fantastic franchise. I remember buying the original HL (yes I'm that old!) in 1998 and being blown away by literally everything therein. HL2 was a brilliant experience too, as were the episodes. I recently heard that HL3 is a distinct possibility and I can't wait for its release. Please make more vids on this awesome game!
What makes half life 2 so nostalgia for me and keep going to that game every year is because. When it came out i whas 13/14 and whas on high school my best time of my life when i just had alot of real life friends who played hl2 deathmatch.css.world of warcraft. And when we were outside just smoke some joints and hang around when we go home we started playing these games together. Even call of duty 1 united offensive and doom 3. Oh man what a time
I remember my friend got this in 2003 as a developer copy. We were in awe for weeks playing all the levels, it wasn’t a fully put together product but all the assets were there. We couldn’t get enough, people that didn’t get to experience it during that time don’t realize how much of a leap graphics and play ability wise this game was
Great vid. Playing HL2 (Update) now for the first time and loving it. Just had to increase FOV greater than 85 degrees so I wouldn't get nauseous, especially the vehicle bits. Even playing this after Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War, I can still totally appreciate the graphics and audio immersion they created.
Whenever I hear a combine passing, I still hear Half-Life 2, and its been so long that I've played it ! I think a big thing they nailed in both H-L and H-L2 are the sound effects, I swear there is no other game that has such recognizable sound effects as the H-L series. The pacing is also something many games that came after H-L2 didn't reallly hit for me. I'm an Unreal Tournament pace of guy and I feel nothing after H-L2 filled the void it left on that front. I think I'm going to be in company of HL2 in the Christmas period, I feel that's the perfect time for nostalgia !
Ah...good ol' times. I remember getting Steam specifically because of Half Life 2 and it felt like a new era of PC gaming had begun. It was all so...integrated and polished and HL2 just absolutely blew my mind wide open. Don''t think I finished it on the first run, either. Ravenholm scared the crap outta me. Like you, I've been replaying it recently with MMOD, but I have to say, the allure of the vanilla game is still there and very real!
I played HL2 back in 2008 when I ordered it through Game Fly (remember Game Fly?!?!). At the time it wasn't really my kind of game. At the time I was heavily into NCAA Football on Xbox, Call of Duty, and a couple others. But I decided to try this one. At first I was slow to warm to it but I will never forget having a weekday off, playing it around 10am. I was so into the game and had the blinds closed to keep the AC air in and cool the room. It was late June. I was completely immersed in the game I lost track of time until all of a sudden the loud crack of thunder from a building storm distracted me! It had been more than three hours and I hadn't stopped playing. That is a record for me. Anyway I don't recall how far I got into it. Some of the water scenes in the boat in your video are familiar. I bought a copy of it last week and started from the beginning. This time I own the game so I can take all the time I want. I just hope the freaky things which gave me goosebumps from fright last time aren't as bad! 🤣
My story is similar to yours. I played it on my dads dell pc in 2004 when I was in 8th grade. Played it all the way thru. It’s been my comfort game and I do a playthru almost every year even though I mainly play pvp games in my spare time. Still holding out hope for HL3
Yooo, Very nice video i agree 100% Im 29 and today i finished Half life 2 for the first time i Never palyed it before, nor had a clue what it will be like i just knew it was a shooter, and i knew the picture with rhe The Crowbar i saw some videos on youtube with half life audio dubed on it lately what made remember that this game exist I loved them, The sound design and the creative way of making scifi noises got it me into it then i listend to the soundfiles only, that i downloaded before and THEN i played it Very strange way i know But any way.. THIS WAY WAS A REALLY NICE EXPERIENCE! Its just an experience from start to finish you get sucked into this world, its not cheesy at all and very dark and entertaining, but its not too dark and has a lot of humor in it im not a big gaming nerd, i just play once every 4 months or so and when i play shooters at the moment its only something like worms armageddon ;) BUT I was sooo Hooked on this game, i played it through in a few days, its just so exciting and well written WOW Man i dont know where to start! the Part with the Magnet crane for example was AWESOME! The part where you can controll the giant critters you where hating before cause you touched sand too often! XD AWSSOME i didnt expect anything of these things, its like a nice movie you play and It's so refreshing when a game doenst hold your hand as you said, and you have to find out everything by yourself i also like that it only costs under 10 bucks!
I remember in the early 2000s getting what I think was called the Platinum Collection after having played HL1 at friends house at 8 years old. I remember we would play each half of the keyboard and were mindblown by whatever this game was of his brothers. Opposing Force BLEW my mind and ever since then I was sure this was the best game ever made. Until I saw Half Life 2 announced… and oh my god. The physics in the game and storytelling was and is unsurpassed!!! Who would have the most critical gun in the game would have been the gravity gun?! Sometimes I meet people that have never heard of it and I get to introduce them to the series excitedly. Man… idk how this vid popped on my feed but thanks for the nostalgia. Also if I remember correctly when I got the PC box set, back THEN HL1 had won over fifty game of the year awards. I can’t even imagine what the actual number ever finally was. Do yourself a favor if you stumbled upon this video and go buy the games and experience it for yourself!!! The only game that has come close to HL’s story telling is its distant universal cousin Portal.
With just over 300 hour in HL2 on Steam alone and all the achievements bar "Find all the Cache's" I am looking forward to the RTX for sure. About time I dipped back in. I just finished Black Mesa Blue Shift this week. Downloaded it after all these years and enjoyed it although it's only half the game. It was good to go back to that universe. I love it.
I was around 11 when I played Half Life 2 after being introduced to their assets through Gmod videos. Playing it was unreal man. No game has ever come close to replicating the feel, mystique and eerie wonder that Half Life 2 did. Even though they reworked a lot of it (it was supposed to be much darker) it just became one of those "lightning in a bottle" projects. Half Life Alyx is amazing and I really recommend playing that. I did through an oculus quest 2 on my pc and it's quite an experience unlike any other. Thanks for reminding me why HL2 is the GOAT. Looking forward to the RTX version as well. Hopefully it will translate into Gmod. My videos need a visual upgrade after all these years, lol.
I love HL1 for its story and immersion. Then for the follow ups in the same story with Opposing Force and Blue Shift. If you're going to replay it, I'd strongly recommend the fan remake Black Mesa! It is amazing in 2024! ❤
I bought a PSVR2 headset thanks to its recent price cut, and the first thing I played was HL Alyx on my PC thanks to also owning a 2080, thus not needing the adapter. The second thing I played was HL2 VR, since its free as I own the original. Going through City 17 again, even with the visual downgrade coming off of Alyx... It's still magical in many ways, and if I didn't know anything, I'd believe HL2 was a native VR game. Now if RTX can work with the VR mod, that would improve the VR fidelity issue. After I'm done with the Half-Life series in VR though, I might try out Doom 3.
I didn't play Half-Life at all until I was 23 years old.. Growing up I was primarily a console player but always saw Half-Life on shows on G4 or Freemans Mind on RUclips and wanted to try it so bad. Finally in 2019 I built my first computer and played the entire series and it blew my mind. Half-Life 1, 2 and its episodes, Black Mesa and Alyx are all top notch gaming experiences everyone should play if possible, they harvest aged a day outside of raw graphical prowess
I remember loading up the 5 cds. Then figured out the steam internet page. After that first hour or so of playing and being blown away I knew that this game would be known as one of the best. Thanks for the video. It brought back some great memories.
2004 seeing this and the hype surrounding it and having to deal with steam was both mind blowing and amazing and the end of golden era fps games. Seeing the release of hl:dm a little later and the original engine with real prop physics was unreal and put any northwood pentium 4 and geforce 4 through its paces and changed how games was made forever, just like the original half-life
I always love this stile of storytelling from a FPS perspective kinda like what they did with Cyberpunk you really dont get cutscenes but a more immersive story that gives you a more personal experience
Played HL1 and HL2 at launch. Amazing experiences, the immersive story telling was really groundbreaking at the time HL1 was released (everyone was busy doing Doom-clones). HL1 break the mold in that regard. HL2 was the Empire Strikes Back to the HL1 Star Wars. Everything that was awesome about the first, amped to 11, and expanded on the sequel. The atmosphere in HL2 is one of the best in any game I've played (and I've played a lot of games, back from the ZX Spectrum days up until today). It's very different from any other game world that we've had, and it is the kind of world where I would love to see a movie, or a TV series, tbh. The fact that I still have HL2 installed on my computer and still have a go at it from time to time is a testament on the longevity and how really good it looks and plays in 2024.
I player Half Life 2, not in 2004, but around 08-09. On my families old black brick of a desktop PC. It is one of if not my all time favorite game that I have ever played, and it shall remain so. #1 What was the story like for me: A grand and imersive adventure, that got me hooked instantly. Where the game, enemies, environments, and sounds just gave you great feedback and immersion in ways that I haven't experience before. Plus great puzzles that I still have only seen in Valve games. I don't really know what else say honestly. #2: Along with absolutely loving the game, I'll try to explain why I love the game so much, that involves combining many things together: Having and setting a great and grand sci-fi apocalyptic universe AND story where the game takes place. Great storytelling and immersion with great environments and sounds. Unique, cool, scary, and intimidating enemies and evironments. Great combat + horror elements. A great physics engine never before seen that you can use in many ways for combat + puzzles. Plus all the intersting lore that does and could go along with it. All of this combines (pun intended :) into a unique story and setting never before experienced in a video game, with great player immersion leaving you wanting more. I personaly just always found the story and universe the game is set in so intersting and compelling. This game has left a lasting impression on me, turning me into a staunch Half Life & Valve fan, and to this day..... I am still waiting for Half Life 3..........
I replayed HL2 and the episodes a year or two ago because I'd had such a great time with black mesa and realized I'd only beaten it once when the orange box came out, and "holds up" doesn't really describe it, you forget you're not playing something much newer until you see a low poly model at a bad angle or encounter some mechanic that was being experimented with then but didn't ultimately take off like commanding squadmates and think oh right, this is 20 years old. Some of the tech like texture switching when objects burn and the facial animation still looks impressive today. Good singleplayer FPS games are still being made now like Atomic Heart, which has a similar shooter-puzzler-story approach, but that era was special, maybe the sweet spot for tech being capable but not facillitating as much consumer hostile behavior
Half Life 2 + both episodes are my best gaming experience I ever had. It's my most favourite game... I play it each year several times since bought orange box in 2007. I explore every corner, study (probably) every texture, I know spawn position for every enemy, and yet still it's great experience to finish another playthrough. One of the things I like, is calm sections, where are no enemies, just you in the world, where I can listen ambient sounds and enjoy atmosphere of a Combine controled world. One of my favourite parts is sandtraps level where you must avoid steping on the sand, or when you leave Ravenholm mine, and get outside to some small ¨train stop¨ (don't know how to call it better in english), I found myself in place like these to just stand there for 10-15 minutes, and just listen the sounds and dive in to the world... No other game was able to do this. Bioshock infinite, or Dishonored series came close, but HL2 will allways stay number one.. Forever
Have you found the infinite Combine spawn outside the barn near the Train Bridge? Once you've opened the Bridge, stay on the first side, & run over some combines on the tracks going back into the tunnel. They respawn at the barn and get stuck there, stacked on top of each other. As many as you want! They can be released by shooting a couple - the rest pour out of the corner. I hadlve over 500 combine soldiers running around there. It's an unintentional glitch, allowing unlimited play on the best section of the best game to have ever graced the screen
I recently got hold of a cheep second hand Oculus Rift S, and started playing HL2 VR mod. I have to say that it makes the game an entirely different experience. The 5 year old Rift S is easily up to displaying the graphics, and it makes the whole game ridiculously immersive (To the extent that traveling through Ravenholm actually get's your pulse racing pretty hard at some points). If you can find one going cheep out there I thoroughly recommend getting one.
You’re right, Half Life 2 is perfect…a masterpiece. I bought it day one back in 2004 and had dialup so it took forever to download the rest of the game (after installing off of multiple discs) from Steam. The physics are special…how you can just grab and throw objects around to make a path or makeshift cover. Fun fights. Good AI. Pretty graphics. I later moved on to console gaming and hadn’t done PC gaming in years. I grabbed a gaming PC just to play this again. Aged like fine wine.
Black Mesa is worth, AMAZING game, As I plaid HL1, HL2, EP1, EP2, 1000+ hours in multiplayer, including cs 1.6 and source. Black mesa was a fantastic way to re-live the experience. Try it, try it ALL. Peak FPS gaming.
I completed the entire half life saga this year (except hl alyx cuz no vr and hl decay cuz no ps2) and yes, these games are just BEAUTIFUL, i love replaying them anytime i can, i personally replay them with MMod, but if i ever play the vanilla half life 2, it's as good as always, feels like a sense of fresh air playing these games now seeing how videogames are rn
Easily my favourite game of all time, and I often return for another play through. It never gets boring! Half-Life 2 turns 20 in November, and rumours suggest that Valve is cooking up something big to celebrate. (Similar to last year’s Half-Life 1 25th Anniversary celebration)
@@Ben-q6u Half-Life 2 RTX is still too early in development to be released this year (and is a separate product to Half-Life 2 itself). According to SteamDB, there appears to be update activity in Half-Life 2’s backend.
my memories of HL2 start from the Valve tech demo where they show the physics engine (jaw drops), the graphics (mind blown) then G-Man doing a series of realistic human facial expressions with a camp eyebrow raise at the end for comedic effect... it really built the excitement for the next chapter of what's still my favourite game of all time (Half Life \ Black Mesa) I played it some time in 2004 / 2005 on a Pentium 4 machine and the breakthrough for me was the physics, it made the game feel so real with the freedom to rearrange the environment how you wanted. Now I'm sitting here with a 3070 playing 25+ year old HL and HL2 mods and yet another playthrough, because you just can't beat this series for replayability :D
I highly recommend buying any kind of PcVr setup you can afford, not that you can play Alyx but you can play the Vr mod for HL2 which does hold up so well in Vr that you have to experience to actually see it thru. Now that might make you nauseous, building up that endurance while playing other Vr games like Myst or Bonelabs is worth the investment imho.
Played it right when it came out. The hype was real, with that Striderr!!! E3 movie. 2004 was such a good year: Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Unreal Tournament 2004. HL2 will always have a special place.
The sound design was most definitely one thing that made these games so good. The ending of Half Life Alyx was such an epic experience. Going back and playing these games in VR is recommended.
I really liked Half Life 2 on my first play through, but I was disappointed with the weapon sandbox and less Xetan animals. Gordon had more weapons in Half Life, and Adrian had even more in Opposing Force. I understand there’s lore reasons as why they’re less weapons. The Xetan alien weapons would be in HL2 because the Combine wiped out Xetan aliens and restricted regular weapon possession for humans. It would’ve been nice though if as Gordon was exploring the wasteland outside of City 17 there would be aliens like a Hivehand laying next to a dead Alien Grunt that was killed by a pack of Bullsquids.
Time Dr. Freeman? Is it really that time again? Time to reinstall and... smell the ashes again.... I love the Half Life series. I would have been too young to have played the first one in the day, but I remember owning Half Life 2 for PC and then later the Orange Box for my Xbox. I think what makes it special is just the insane attention to detail and world building. I think what makes it truly special is we don't really get good sci-fi stories anymore or we aren't gifted with the same insane level of quality and abundance we had in the "good old days". Honestly while this is about Half Life 2, I really love the Black Mesa fan game. Half Life 1 just has just such an interesting and ominous feel as Black Mesa erupts into chaos and then descends into this eerie emptiness. As you likely become on of the last living (at least Human) things roaming the dark and shambling halls. Knowing what happens eventually with Half Life 2, it just creates this engrossing feeling of despair and the will to try to fight against it. Maybe that's not the greatest "this game is fun pitch" but the atmosphere these games can invoke is second to none. **Also if no one has tried it yet would highly recommend Half Life Echoes. Really well done fan mod/game for Half Life 1. I would agree with the GMan review and it does feel like its own DLC pack like Blue Shift or Opposing Force.
I recently played through FEAR on PC and to me that game just hits in the same way the Half Life Games hit, which then renewed my once long love for those games . Like some of my friends are crazy about rainbow siege, but me I just want a journey to go along with my shooter
I remember playing Half Life 1 when it was new and was blown away because it was the first game to have scripting. The game told a story live while you were right in the middle of it! They all do that now but it was amazing when it was new.
I used to go over to a friends house in middle school. I grew up pretty poor so the most gaming I ever saw at the time was a hand me down 64 from a cousin. Jared was into PC gaming and had Cod4 and half-life 2 at the time. I’ll never forget the distinct feeling of bolting someone to the wall with a crossbow in the game. Insanity.
Finished HL2 today! Been at it for a few days, it was really just as good as I remember it was 20 years ago! Do not have the opportunity to play as much now as I did back then. Something about being sort of adult now, I guess.
I still go back and play this regulally. I don't know what they got "right" about the bridge section, but it triggers my Acrophobia every time. Even when I know it's coming. Everything just feels so *slick* about the game. Especially now with faster everything.
The bridge level at 2.11 instantly reminded me of climbing the towers in Far Cry and I realised then the influence of this game on everything that came after it...
honestly dark souls is my GOAT for the past 11 years but before that i was madly in love with this hot take darksouls rewrote the script on games to the point were i kind see a certain passe to it for me but still it will always be a really close game to my heart i don't think i would of ever wanted to try and make games without playing Half life 2 though when i was just 9 in 2005
I played it first at an internet café, threw keyboard and mouse out of fear in ravenholm :D such an amazing game. Story, sounds, music, characters, playability... Maps. Everything is well-crafted.
Played it when it came out... and several times in the last 20 years.. in 2024 as well.. Still blows my mind every time. It's the environments for me, the pacing and the mass scenery and gameplay dynamics change as you progress. For every chapter of the story there is a new meta to adopt, the most obvious one would be Ravenholm where you test the gravity gun. Another aspect is the perfect amount of content per the gigantic open world and the fact that you drive everywhere there are no levels. Incredible guns, all satisfying to use. SMG with Nade. Magnum, epic crossbow with massive zoom and the projectile is heavy it can pin bad guys to a wall. Then the AR-2 with the energy ball that bounces and vaporises everything in its path. Rocket launcher that lets you guide your missiles. Great characters including "dog", Eli, Breen, Mossman, Barney, Alyx. Just when you thought you've seen it all, enter the citadel which is just next level, DRENCHED in atmosphere and the game takes it slow for you letting the player completely immerse in the massive alien building. I could go on for hours about the amount of detail this game has yet somehow it's never too much. HL1 (original) is a must play also. Black Mesa is excellent, but it loses that original eerie atmosphere of HL1 even though the graphic upgrade is many levels above HL1, for me not as good as HL1.
So great to see someone sharing their passion for HL2 on this level! It's truly a unicorn that will never be replicated because everything was so new then and now so much focus is placed on aesthetics and 'plays-likes' instead of just pure innovation and fun which is what Valve delivered.
Back then we all said "This game is incredible so just imagine how mind blowing games will be in 20 years time".
20 years later, it's still the best FPS ever made.
Try Half-life:Alyx in VR via virtual desktop and a Quest 3
Why can't you play it again is my question ? Comparing to new games and their piss poor story i prefer Half-Life honestly.
@@coolmacatrain9434
Alyx should be not a VR exclusivity and the game offers nothing original tbh . As the visuals from the same era is meh bleh way too futuristic . The game was made too fast without real backlash .
Nah. HL2 was a massive let down from the original and even from the gearbox expansions. It was technically cool, but the tedious cut scenes, pointless filler car and boat sequences, stupidly overpowered gravity gun and general lack of any difficulty made it just not a very good as a game.
@@defiraphi Have you _Played_ it in VR?
1998: Everything changed after Half Life
2004: Everything changed after Half Life 2
2024: Everything changed after Half Life 2
People say stupid things like that. But if "everything changed after HL2" with the impltication that it was caused by HL2; then HL2 is responsible for the 20 year drought of good AAA games since 2004. That's not a title of honour; that's a massive self-own. Personally I blame the influx of huge numbers of new gamers and massive increase in team sizes ca 2000. This meant games that used by made by nerds, for nerds, were now made by huge, professional teams with a CEO and investors; games became polished turds aiming at the lowest common denominator. Then came toxic monetization schemes.
@@soylentgreenb Everything changed after Half Life 2*
2020: Everything changed after Half Life Alyx VR
@@notsecure There were interaction based shooters before Alyx in VR, some do even crazier things with movement and combat it's just one of the only really good AAA ones on the platform. Also years later most people still don't have VR so the shooters made today are either retro inspired indie games or multiplayer games designed for microtransactions.
There's new retro inspired fps popping up seemingly every week, even AA are interested with games like Boltgun, so for this genre I might be inclined to say something like 20XX: Everything changed after GZDoom.
1992: Everything changed after Wolfenstein 3D.
1993: Everything completely changed after Doom.
1994: Some more changes with System Shock 1.
1995: Then everything went into overdrive after Quake 1
1996: A game on PS1- a certain Tomb Raider, influenced all 3D games on all platforms from then on- especially with production quality, character animation, story, musical score, FMV, level design, and sound design, atmosphere, but no-one wanted to admit it.
1997: Quake 2 made it all reach fever pitch with it's game engine, incredible lighting, and tight level design- and also finally spawned the modern online gaming era- reigning supreme (with Unreal Tourney and continuing with Q3 later on) for 8 years in that area.
1998: Then came HL and things changed a lot...
1998/1999: Then Unreal and Tournament changed the game and online gaming yet even more...
1999-2003: Then 4 more years of groundbreaking changes came with some other titles- Max Payne being arguably the greatest game-changer among them(in development since 1994), followed by FarCry 1, HL2, Doom 3, Halo in 2004 - all ushering in massive changes...
2007: Everything changed after Crysis.
2024: (Kids who weren't there): HL changed everything!
Played Half Life 2 for first time 3 years ago. Was easily one of best games I have played. I was completely immersed in the game. Zero complaints
You guys NEED to replay it with HL2: Update and MMod (+Ironsight).
Thank me later!
@@matthiasgrunwald895 yes! i agree
@@matthiasgrunwald895 mmod is crashing 2much and update is kinda meh
So many old games are awesome. I also got completely blown away from Far Cry 1. I really got the Half-Life feeling from that one. I played both at same time so it was easy to compare.
@@nanach6276 DOOM 3 also great
If you liked HL2 so much, I HIGHLY recommend getting a Meta Quest 2 or 3 and just experiencing Alyx. It is such a natural progression of the HL2 vision and it's so intensely immersive. Big recommend
I keep trying alyx and I keep getting stuck on every single level. No matter what, at some point on every level I just hit a part where I cannot progress, and I cannot go backwards. It's a meh game
Is HL Alyx on Quest headsets!?
@@TheScrubmuffin69calling a game meh because you can't figure it out is just stupid
@@TheScrubmuffin69being bad at a game doesn’t make the game bad, it makes you have to get better at playing it. I managed to play through the entire game without losing the way I was supposed to go more than like 2 times, and that’s on me.
@@TheScrubmuffin69 you can play without VR now, there's plenty of good mods available
The original Half Life, HL2, Ep1 & 2 have always been my ‘the favourite’ games of all time. I still remember those ‘wow’ moments when I played HL1. It motivated me to enter the world of 3d video game art and I did try making some mods with the source engine. Later I switched my career into video game art and currently works at Tencent Games. I worked at Ubisoft for almost 12 years. Played many games during the last 20 years or so and still my favourite is and will always be Half Life. It’s just amazing
HL2 still craps on majority of current AAA games. It's sad the devs haven't learned anything from Valve, instead they push out bloated, unpolished open world games.
Not just the majority, all of them. Particularly all of them from the past 5 years.
Wait until the RTX update when that comes out, it looks insane. HL2 is legitimately one of the greatest games of all time. One of the few genre defining moments was their first physics showcase video all those years ago. I remember being blown away by it.
I wish RT Remix would get some AMD patch in the future!
When will that update be available?
@HIM-on7gx probably some years at this point I would guess
@@TheLazyFinn Nvidia isn't as open as AMD so I'd be shocked if they make it open source. Bunch of corporate penny pinchers
I'm still waiting for a release date and resisting the temptation to play through HL2 for awhile now...
6:24 - Half Life: Alyx is required play in my opinion. It's absolutely mind blowing.
No
As long as it's VR only, it's a non-starter for me.
What about vr headsets, especially For starters that wants to quickly get used to it and on semiold pcs(I have gtx 1060 6gb and it is vr compatible)?
@@quademasters249 Just play with a noVR mod, checkout the GB_2 one, impressive work
Get VorpX to play all the original HL games in VR, totally worth it.
I'm waiting for the release of Half-Life2 RTX to play it again
When will that update be available?
If you want something to hold you over in the meantime, I'd suggest you look at Half-Life 2: MMod. It's not for everyone but it's certainly worth a look imo.
Hate that amd can’t play
Same
@HIM-on7gx pretty sure it's a fan project
I remember playing half life 1 for the first time, I was so immersed in the game and its mechanics when I finished it after few days of straight playing, while walking in the streets I genuinely thought I could bunny jump around... like my brain was almost replacing real life physics with game physics.. I'm a bit autistic and I get hyperfocused on games and stuff sometimes but half life was really some immersion I never experienced before or after that
Try Metro series and bioshock halo 1-3 ods
Also try residen evil 2 remake and original 4
@@saifwar7251 I will, tnx for the recs
I gave up gaming after HL because no other game came close. I completely missed out on HL2 till Covid came around. Sitting around watching a play through I jumped and said "I know these characters" I was hooked and played it through. I never knew playing it that I was in for the cliff hanger we are still all hanging on to....
play F.E.A.R trust meeeee
have you played portal series
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 of course i have ;)
try metro exodus i enjoyed that a lot and later found out a hl2 map maker was on the project and it showed
METRO SERIES feels like that took. Played Metro 2034 redux right after covid and realised they "predict covid" was mind boggling.
Its was there since ps3 i think or ps4 from the beggining .
This man is right. I played it a few months ago and I have to say that it is one of my favorite games.I was so much immersed
I wasn't. I wasn't able to do things I thought I could, they hyped it up so much.
What
@@Foebane72 care to elaborate?
This is my annual reminder to replay one of the best games ever created on this planet. Thanks, BBKDRAGOON!
I had quite a decent PC in 2004, back in the LAN days playing COD1/2, AOE, HL1, WAR3, MOH, Wolfenstein E.T etc with no internet.
oh hell yeah, same dude!
Playing it in VR is what blew my mind. Holy crap that felt like 2004 all over again.
Yeah, crap graphics compared to the superior Doom 3.
doing that now exelent
My biggest memory of first playing, is the sheer horror in Ravenholm, the atmosphere of that place I had a really tough time forcing myself to overcome. That place got be good..
They were working on an entire game based on Ravenholme, parts of it have been discovered later on. Such a shame it was cancelled, look into it!
"it has been 20 years" Man that hits so hard.... I mean I was nearly 20 when it was released and it feels like yesterday :(
I was 26 years old when it was released lol
20 years ago I thought to myself "oh boy I can't wait to play the next installment!"
even todays standards they ignored the physics puzzle type of style like Half Life 2, Valve really respect players intelligence to use a physics to complete the puzzle.
I have just finished playing HL2 for the first time in 16 years. Honestly i have no idea how they did it so well. This game is perfect in so many levels. Outstanding achievement in gaming industry.
Skill and passion. Applies to most of the evergreen mega classics of the pre-Wii era.
Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, GTA, Zelda, FEAR, Far Cry, System Shock, Deus Ex... all magnificent IPs that got infinite praise and came out within months from each other.
Out of a lot of horror games I've played *which isn't a lot but I digress* this has to be the most terrifying/creepy games I have ever played, not because you get jumpscared, or theres a lot of out right horror aspects to the game, which there is, but not as much as you would think when I say the game is terrifying, no what makes this game so terrifying is just knowing you are being watch at all times, the game gives a sense of loneliness and isolation, that every so often gets broken when you see Gman just watching you, and every time you go right up to where he's watching, he's just gone, that right there is horrifying in its own right, knowing you ses someone and them just being gone in the blink of an eye, to me games with moments like these if handled correctly can become truly creepy, its kinda why I still haven't finished HL2 since I'm still a bit unnerved
definitely agree with this, real horror gets under your skin. Stuff like dead space, until dawn, outlast etc relied too heavily on elements beyond atmosphere. All great games btw just not scary at all once you've had you're first jump scare. I remember shitting myself hearing a headcrab in a vent that i couldn't locate for ages, proper put me on edge.
I'd recommend playing in VR since it's a change in prospective and it's a lot faster in reloading and shooting depending on if you got swift hands and a trigger finger.
F.E.A.R. is the only thing that's still held up for me next to HF and HF2
I played it for the first time in 2022 and its my all time favorite game now. They nailed it. And im so happy i played it for the first time as an adult so i had a chance to fully appreciate it.
The reason it has aged so well, is because it really is the Mario of FPS. It's a perfect sandwich of puzzle/shooting/story. That's the model. It's kinda weird no one has been able to copy it. In a way Crysis 1 came the closests. Maybe Max Payne as well. Both no where near HL2. But those comes to mind. HL2 is way more boiled down to the essence of what makes a good game. Life, what is fun.
Can't wait for the RTX remix
Thank you for the video. I am currently running through the Half-Life franchise (Half-Life, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, even Portal 1 and 2 plus Black Mesa) and recording every minute of it to always remember. I am preparing myself for whatever will happen in November on the 20th Anniversary of HL2 (RTX Remix? Remastered Collection? whatever Valve has planned?). Still have to play Half-Life Alyx and Decay. Alyx I've actually played with the WIP no-vr mod because I couldn't wait to experience the atmosphere of the Half-Life universe again. These games were such a massive part of my childhood and is my favorite gaming franchise to date. Half-Life 2 (and the episodes) is one of the few games I actually stop and just stare at the scenery and listen to the sounds and ambience of the world. I love the fact that Half-Life games never rush you and gives you time to take a break and take in every detail in the world. Cheers
and so much people still have not experienced Alyx which is the most amazing thing I have played in games ever since. seeing the robots, the train, the flashlight scene in VR in that game is something will change your expectations from games forever
If VR headsets require stereoscopic vision, then I will never be playing with one. Can't imagine I'd ever play with one even besides that. It will likely always be a fringe gimmick.
Love the part when you get to the like Gothic town with all the creatures and the sole survivor guy.
We don't go to Ravenholm...
In november 2004 I was given the game as a birthday present (CD version) and I had to take my central unit to my friend’s flat as he already had an internet at the time and activate the game lol. It was totally worth of the effort - Half Life 2 blew my mind 🤯 I still love the franchise up to this day. And I also can’t wait to play RTX Remix version 💪
Played it first in 2005 when I was 10, but only the beginning, never got out of city 17. Was not that good at games and my english proficiency was not that high at the time so I could not really understand what characters were saying. I still remember the feeling I had when walking around after the train station seeing the citadel and strider and so on, it was eerie and just blew my mind. Played it through for the first time in 2007 and I still remember it like it was yesterday. One of my favorite games of all time.
2004 truly was an amazing year for shooters. Half Life 2, Halo 2, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes all releasing in the same year. We will never have one like this again.
Hard to believe this masterpiece is 20 years old. I still install and play it every once in a while. It never gets old.
I was already in my mid 20s when Half Life 1 came out and I remember being blown away by the fact that it didn't have pre-rendered cinematics which most games had at the time. That game and Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 were the first games I can recall that attempted to tell this complex story via the engine graphics but HL took it step further and never took away control from the player.
I remembered playing this for the first time. I was already living on my own and even had the gamer's/player's guide. I had such a blast with this game. Just bought it again recently and am going through the campaign. Can't wait for We Don't Go to Ravenholm
I recently played HL2 again after beating the game long ago. It is definitely one of the few games that is still good long afterwards - Decent story, and once the action starts it really doesn't stop - not easy, but not so hard you want to throw things - just pure fun.
man i watched your videos of backlog after many years having a backlog this is one of the games i return every two years and finish till the end, or the other episodes. cant fathom how much joy hl2 bringed me all this time, and cant believe next keyboard/mouse hl is in the works... insane
I was planning on doing this very soon on my channel! But I'm kinda waiting for the anniversary before doing anything because Valve might have something coming then(there are updates being made if you look at the version history). And your story is very similar to mine! I played HL2 when I was like 9 in 2005 or 10 in 2006 when visiting my godparents and I didn't get far(also tried HL1 there and dang it was scary!). Then I watched it on RUclips years later and finally got Orange Box on a whim for my 360 (with Metro 2033) in like 2011 or 2012 and still remember the feeling when getting teleported outside the lab and many other moments like that (Ravenholm), such a great game!
I just completed Half Life 2 for the first time ever. Man!
I was originally skeptical on whether I should play it, as I’m not really into puzzle solving games. Yet, most of my favourite games are narrative-driven shooters (Halo, Gears, Cyberpunk etc). After multiple people suggested that I should play HL2, I finally did.
I don’t often glaze, but it was perfect! The unique, sand box driven gameplay remained fresh and fun throughout the whole game. The narrative sunk its teeth deep into me, for better or for worse (that ending though). And the themes and set pieces tickled my itch for dystopia.
Every game has its flaws, yet HL2 might be the first game I’ve ever played that I’d consider giving a 10/10. It’s something that every gamer should experience at least once in their life.
The only truly bad thing I can say about Half Life is the unshakable blue ball spell that lord Gaben casts on anyone unlucky enough to consume his material.
My best friend back in the day was the biggest halo fan like ever when I told him there is one game that could even beat Halo he laught at me 1 year later the orangebox came to xbox I believe and he bought it and later came to me and told me how blown away he was after playing half life 2
play HL1 and the expansions too! and the episodes of HL2 :)
Yes! Exactly, you still can experience both episodies of HL2 and the expansions of the first game HL. Opposing Force and Blue Shift. The Black Mesa Remake also have a version for Blue Shift for now is on sale on Steam :)
@@rojasA77 no
I was 16 when it came out, 2004 was such an important year for games and for me..... I smoked and drank and had my first sexual girlfriend, it was the year I became an "adult". On top of that it was one of the biggest most innovative years in gaming history and I'll never forget it, I'm so glad I came of age that year.
Great video ! If you want more half-life try the entropy series, it’s a fan made mod and it’s very, very good!
I remember the day when I bought the physical copy and how hyped I was to get to play it. Can't believe it's already been 20 years, I was 14 back then
Completely agree with you. I remember playing HL1, buying the box version from Best Buy, which I still have. Been a HL fan ever since. Finished Alyx with Quest2 last year and it was AMAZING. It is the next step in the HL universe and worth it. Highly recommend. Very good replay-ability. The immersion is unrivaled and I consider it the best VR game available today.
I still remember the teaser videos from before the release of HL2... the "docks", the "G-man face demo" and a bit of ravenholm gameplay with the part where Gordon blocks the stairway with junk and using other physical objects to his advantage... to watch those truly gave me a feeling of amazement at the time. It was absolutely mind blowing stuff... and the atmosphere was just spot on.
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with everything you say about this fantastic franchise. I remember buying the original HL (yes I'm that old!) in 1998 and being blown away by literally everything therein.
HL2 was a brilliant experience too, as were the episodes. I recently heard that HL3 is a distinct possibility and I can't wait for its release.
Please make more vids on this awesome game!
What makes half life 2 so nostalgia for me and keep going to that game every year is because. When it came out i whas 13/14 and whas on high school my best time of my life when i just had alot of real life friends who played hl2 deathmatch.css.world of warcraft. And when we were outside just smoke some joints and hang around when we go home we started playing these games together. Even call of duty 1 united offensive and doom 3. Oh man what a time
I remember my friend got this in 2003 as a developer copy. We were in awe for weeks playing all the levels, it wasn’t a fully put together product but all the assets were there. We couldn’t get enough, people that didn’t get to experience it during that time don’t realize how much of a leap graphics and play ability wise this game was
Great vid. Playing HL2 (Update) now for the first time and loving it. Just had to increase FOV greater than 85 degrees so I wouldn't get nauseous, especially the vehicle bits. Even playing this after Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War, I can still totally appreciate the graphics and audio immersion they created.
Whenever I hear a combine passing, I still hear Half-Life 2, and its been so long that I've played it ! I think a big thing they nailed in both H-L and H-L2 are the sound effects, I swear there is no other game that has such recognizable sound effects as the H-L series. The pacing is also something many games that came after H-L2 didn't reallly hit for me. I'm an Unreal Tournament pace of guy and I feel nothing after H-L2 filled the void it left on that front.
I think I'm going to be in company of HL2 in the Christmas period, I feel that's the perfect time for nostalgia !
Amen! Truer words have never been spoken.
HL2 has always been installed on my PC ever since it launched 20 years ago.
Half Life 2, Crysis 2, Far Cry 2 & Bioshock Infinite
My favourites FPS. I'm still playing them today.
Play Half Life Alyx, does the half life effect but to VR. Revolutionary and still now is an unparalleled VR experience.
Ah...good ol' times. I remember getting Steam specifically because of Half Life 2 and it felt like a new era of PC gaming had begun. It was all so...integrated and polished and HL2 just absolutely blew my mind wide open. Don''t think I finished it on the first run, either. Ravenholm scared the crap outta me. Like you, I've been replaying it recently with MMOD, but I have to say, the allure of the vanilla game is still there and very real!
I played HL2 back in 2008 when I ordered it through Game Fly (remember Game Fly?!?!). At the time it wasn't really my kind of game. At the time I was heavily into NCAA Football on Xbox, Call of Duty, and a couple others. But I decided to try this one. At first I was slow to warm to it but I will never forget having a weekday off, playing it around 10am. I was so into the game and had the blinds closed to keep the AC air in and cool the room. It was late June. I was completely immersed in the game I lost track of time until all of a sudden the loud crack of thunder from a building storm distracted me! It had been more than three hours and I hadn't stopped playing. That is a record for me. Anyway I don't recall how far I got into it. Some of the water scenes in the boat in your video are familiar.
I bought a copy of it last week and started from the beginning. This time I own the game so I can take all the time I want. I just hope the freaky things which gave me goosebumps from fright last time aren't as bad! 🤣
My story is similar to yours. I played it on my dads dell pc in 2004 when I was in 8th grade. Played it all the way thru. It’s been my comfort game and I do a playthru almost every year even though I mainly play pvp games in my spare time. Still holding out hope for HL3
Many game developers actually said that cutscenes ruin the game and this game shows it perfectly
I agree, such agreat game.
It's the setting and the pacing, and it never gets repetitive in any way.
Yooo, Very nice video i agree 100%
Im 29 and today i finished Half life 2 for the first time
i Never palyed it before, nor had a clue what it will be like
i just knew it was a shooter, and i knew the picture with rhe The Crowbar
i saw some videos on youtube with half life audio dubed on it lately what made remember that this game exist
I loved them, The sound design and the creative way of making scifi noises got it me into it
then i listend to the soundfiles only, that i downloaded before and THEN i played it
Very strange way i know
But any way..
THIS WAY WAS A REALLY NICE EXPERIENCE!
Its just an experience from start to finish you get sucked into this world, its not cheesy at all
and very dark and entertaining, but its not too dark and has a lot of humor in it
im not a big gaming nerd, i just play once every 4 months or so
and when i play shooters at the moment its only something like worms armageddon ;)
BUT I was sooo Hooked on this game, i played it through in a few days, its just so exciting and well written
WOW Man i dont know where to start! the Part with the Magnet crane for example was AWESOME!
The part where you can controll the giant critters you where hating before cause you touched sand too often! XD
AWSSOME i didnt expect anything of these things, its like a nice movie you play
and It's so refreshing when a game doenst hold your hand as you said, and you have to find out everything by yourself
i also like that it only costs under 10 bucks!
This along with Doom 3 (also from 2004) were life-changing experiences back then. Still lots of fun playing them today.
I remember in the early 2000s getting what I think was called the Platinum Collection after having played HL1 at friends house at 8 years old. I remember we would play each half of the keyboard and were mindblown by whatever this game was of his brothers. Opposing Force BLEW my mind and ever since then I was sure this was the best game ever made. Until I saw Half Life 2 announced… and oh my god. The physics in the game and storytelling was and is unsurpassed!!! Who would have the most critical gun in the game would have been the gravity gun?! Sometimes I meet people that have never heard of it and I get to introduce them to the series excitedly. Man… idk how this vid popped on my feed but thanks for the nostalgia. Also if I remember correctly when I got the PC box set, back THEN HL1 had won over fifty game of the year awards. I can’t even imagine what the actual number ever finally was. Do yourself a favor if you stumbled upon this video and go buy the games and experience it for yourself!!! The only game that has come close to HL’s story telling is its distant universal cousin Portal.
With just over 300 hour in HL2 on Steam alone and all the achievements bar "Find all the Cache's" I am looking forward to the RTX for sure. About time I dipped back in. I just finished Black Mesa Blue Shift this week. Downloaded it after all these years and enjoyed it although it's only half the game. It was good to go back to that universe. I love it.
I was around 11 when I played Half Life 2 after being introduced to their assets through Gmod videos. Playing it was unreal man. No game has ever come close to replicating the feel, mystique and eerie wonder that Half Life 2 did. Even though they reworked a lot of it (it was supposed to be much darker) it just became one of those "lightning in a bottle" projects. Half Life Alyx is amazing and I really recommend playing that. I did through an oculus quest 2 on my pc and it's quite an experience unlike any other. Thanks for reminding me why HL2 is the GOAT. Looking forward to the RTX version as well. Hopefully it will translate into Gmod. My videos need a visual upgrade after all these years, lol.
I love HL1 for its story and immersion. Then for the follow ups in the same story with Opposing Force and Blue Shift.
If you're going to replay it, I'd strongly recommend the fan remake Black Mesa! It is amazing in 2024! ❤
I bought a PSVR2 headset thanks to its recent price cut, and the first thing I played was HL Alyx on my PC thanks to also owning a 2080, thus not needing the adapter. The second thing I played was HL2 VR, since its free as I own the original. Going through City 17 again, even with the visual downgrade coming off of Alyx... It's still magical in many ways, and if I didn't know anything, I'd believe HL2 was a native VR game. Now if RTX can work with the VR mod, that would improve the VR fidelity issue. After I'm done with the Half-Life series in VR though, I might try out Doom 3.
I didn't play Half-Life at all until I was 23 years old.. Growing up I was primarily a console player but always saw Half-Life on shows on G4 or Freemans Mind on RUclips and wanted to try it so bad. Finally in 2019 I built my first computer and played the entire series and it blew my mind. Half-Life 1, 2 and its episodes, Black Mesa and Alyx are all top notch gaming experiences everyone should play if possible, they harvest aged a day outside of raw graphical prowess
I remember loading up the 5 cds. Then figured out the steam internet page. After that first hour or so of playing and being blown away I knew that this game would be known as one of the best. Thanks for the video. It brought back some great memories.
2004 seeing this and the hype surrounding it and having to deal with steam was both mind blowing and amazing and the end of golden era fps games. Seeing the release of hl:dm a little later and the original engine with real prop physics was unreal and put any northwood pentium 4 and geforce 4 through its paces and changed how games was made forever, just like the original half-life
I always love this stile of storytelling from a FPS perspective kinda like what they did with Cyberpunk you really dont get cutscenes but a more immersive story that gives you a more personal experience
Played HL1 and HL2 at launch. Amazing experiences, the immersive story telling was really groundbreaking at the time HL1 was released (everyone was busy doing Doom-clones). HL1 break the mold in that regard. HL2 was the Empire Strikes Back to the HL1 Star Wars. Everything that was awesome about the first, amped to 11, and expanded on the sequel. The atmosphere in HL2 is one of the best in any game I've played (and I've played a lot of games, back from the ZX Spectrum days up until today). It's very different from any other game world that we've had, and it is the kind of world where I would love to see a movie, or a TV series, tbh. The fact that I still have HL2 installed on my computer and still have a go at it from time to time is a testament on the longevity and how really good it looks and plays in 2024.
I player Half Life 2, not in 2004, but around 08-09. On my families old black brick of a desktop PC. It is one of if not my all time favorite game that I have ever played, and it shall remain so.
#1 What was the story like for me:
A grand and imersive adventure, that got me hooked instantly. Where the game, enemies, environments, and sounds just gave you great feedback and immersion in ways that I haven't experience before. Plus great puzzles that I still have only seen in Valve games. I don't really know what else say honestly.
#2: Along with absolutely loving the game, I'll try to explain why I love the game so much, that involves combining many things together:
Having and setting a great and grand sci-fi apocalyptic universe AND story where the game takes place. Great storytelling and immersion with great environments and sounds. Unique, cool, scary, and intimidating enemies and evironments. Great combat + horror elements. A great physics engine never before seen that you can use in many ways for combat + puzzles. Plus all the intersting lore that does and could go along with it.
All of this combines (pun intended :) into a unique story and setting never before experienced in a video game, with great player immersion leaving you wanting more. I personaly just always found the story and universe the game is set in so intersting and compelling. This game has left a lasting impression on me, turning me into a staunch Half Life & Valve fan, and to this day..... I am still waiting for Half Life 3..........
I play Alyx actually with my PSVR2 and its mindblowing! HL and HL2 are my alltime fav Games since the 90th
I had an absolute blast replaying HL2 + E1 & E2 with the MMOD. It really amps up the gunplay without messing with the level design.
I replayed HL2 and the episodes a year or two ago because I'd had such a great time with black mesa and realized I'd only beaten it once when the orange box came out, and "holds up" doesn't really describe it, you forget you're not playing something much newer until you see a low poly model at a bad angle or encounter some mechanic that was being experimented with then but didn't ultimately take off like commanding squadmates and think oh right, this is 20 years old. Some of the tech like texture switching when objects burn and the facial animation still looks impressive today. Good singleplayer FPS games are still being made now like Atomic Heart, which has a similar shooter-puzzler-story approach, but that era was special, maybe the sweet spot for tech being capable but not facillitating as much consumer hostile behavior
Half Life 2 + both episodes are my best gaming experience I ever had. It's my most favourite game... I play it each year several times since bought orange box in 2007. I explore every corner, study (probably) every texture, I know spawn position for every enemy, and yet still it's great experience to finish another playthrough. One of the things I like, is calm sections, where are no enemies, just you in the world, where I can listen ambient sounds and enjoy atmosphere of a Combine controled world. One of my favourite parts is sandtraps level where you must avoid steping on the sand, or when you leave Ravenholm mine, and get outside to some small ¨train stop¨ (don't know how to call it better in english), I found myself in place like these to just stand there for 10-15 minutes, and just listen the sounds and dive in to the world... No other game was able to do this. Bioshock infinite, or Dishonored series came close, but HL2 will allways stay number one.. Forever
Have you found the infinite Combine spawn outside the barn near the Train Bridge? Once you've opened the Bridge, stay on the first side, & run over some combines on the tracks going back into the tunnel. They respawn at the barn and get stuck there, stacked on top of each other. As many as you want! They can be released by shooting a couple - the rest pour out of the corner. I hadlve over 500 combine soldiers running around there. It's an unintentional glitch, allowing unlimited play on the best section of the best game to have ever graced the screen
I recently got hold of a cheep second hand Oculus Rift S, and started playing HL2 VR mod. I have to say that it makes the game an entirely different experience. The 5 year old Rift S is easily up to displaying the graphics, and it makes the whole game ridiculously immersive (To the extent that traveling through Ravenholm actually get's your pulse racing pretty hard at some points). If you can find one going cheep out there I thoroughly recommend getting one.
Still play it regularly, the music, the gameplay, the physics, the graphics. Love it!
You’re right, Half Life 2 is perfect…a masterpiece. I bought it day one back in 2004 and had dialup so it took forever to download the rest of the game (after installing off of multiple discs) from Steam. The physics are special…how you can just grab and throw objects around to make a path or makeshift cover. Fun fights. Good AI. Pretty graphics.
I later moved on to console gaming and hadn’t done PC gaming in years. I grabbed a gaming PC just to play this again. Aged like fine wine.
I'm on it yo^^ 80% in :) Then theres the expansions and then the remakes for the DLCs of the first game
Game was ahead of its time! The physics in this game at the time were amazing! This is true gaming. Miss titles like this
I just played this for the first time yesterday live on stream! Such a great game!
Black Mesa is worth, AMAZING game, As I plaid HL1, HL2, EP1, EP2, 1000+ hours in multiplayer, including cs 1.6 and source. Black mesa was a fantastic way to re-live the experience. Try it, try it ALL. Peak FPS gaming.
I completed the entire half life saga this year (except hl alyx cuz no vr and hl decay cuz no ps2) and yes, these games are just BEAUTIFUL, i love replaying them anytime i can, i personally replay them with MMod, but if i ever play the vanilla half life 2, it's as good as always, feels like a sense of fresh air playing these games now seeing how videogames are rn
Easily my favourite game of all time, and I often return for another play through. It never gets boring!
Half-Life 2 turns 20 in November, and rumours suggest that Valve is cooking up something big to celebrate. (Similar to last year’s Half-Life 1 25th Anniversary celebration)
probably half life rtx
@@Ben-q6u Half-Life 2 RTX is still too early in development to be released this year (and is a separate product to Half-Life 2 itself). According to SteamDB, there appears to be update activity in Half-Life 2’s backend.
my memories of HL2 start from the Valve tech demo where they show the physics engine (jaw drops), the graphics (mind blown) then G-Man doing a series of realistic human facial expressions with a camp eyebrow raise at the end for comedic effect... it really built the excitement for the next chapter of what's still my favourite game of all time (Half Life \ Black Mesa)
I played it some time in 2004 / 2005 on a Pentium 4 machine and the breakthrough for me was the physics, it made the game feel so real with the freedom to rearrange the environment how you wanted.
Now I'm sitting here with a 3070 playing 25+ year old HL and HL2 mods and yet another playthrough, because you just can't beat this series for replayability :D
Started doing a play through last week. Enjoying every second of it
Currently playing it for the first time since it was released 20 years ago and in gaming bliss. Its so good.
I highly recommend buying any kind of PcVr setup you can afford, not that you can play Alyx but you can play the Vr mod for HL2 which does hold up so well in Vr that you have to experience to actually see it thru. Now that might make you nauseous, building up that endurance while playing other Vr games like Myst or Bonelabs is worth the investment imho.
Played it right when it came out. The hype was real, with that Striderr!!! E3 movie. 2004 was such a good year: Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Unreal Tournament 2004. HL2 will always have a special place.
The sound design was most definitely one thing that made these games so good. The ending of Half Life Alyx was such an epic experience. Going back and playing these games in VR is recommended.
I really liked Half Life 2 on my first play through, but I was disappointed with the weapon sandbox and less Xetan animals. Gordon had more weapons in Half Life, and Adrian had even more in Opposing Force. I understand there’s lore reasons as why they’re less weapons. The Xetan alien weapons would be in HL2 because the Combine wiped out Xetan aliens and restricted regular weapon possession for humans. It would’ve been nice though if as Gordon was exploring the wasteland outside of City 17 there would be aliens like a Hivehand laying next to a dead Alien Grunt that was killed by a pack of Bullsquids.
Time Dr. Freeman? Is it really that time again? Time to reinstall and... smell the ashes again.... I love the Half Life series. I would have been too young to have played the first one in the day, but I remember owning Half Life 2 for PC and then later the Orange Box for my Xbox.
I think what makes it special is just the insane attention to detail and world building. I think what makes it truly special is we don't really get good sci-fi stories anymore or we aren't gifted with the same insane level of quality and abundance we had in the "good old days". Honestly while this is about Half Life 2, I really love the Black Mesa fan game. Half Life 1 just has just such an interesting and ominous feel as Black Mesa erupts into chaos and then descends into this eerie emptiness. As you likely become on of the last living (at least Human) things roaming the dark and shambling halls. Knowing what happens eventually with Half Life 2, it just creates this engrossing feeling of despair and the will to try to fight against it. Maybe that's not the greatest "this game is fun pitch" but the atmosphere these games can invoke is second to none.
**Also if no one has tried it yet would highly recommend Half Life Echoes. Really well done fan mod/game for Half Life 1. I would agree with the GMan review and it does feel like its own DLC pack like Blue Shift or Opposing Force.
try "Field Intensity" and "Delta Particles". They feel like AAA titles
I recently played through FEAR on PC and to me that game just hits in the same way the Half Life Games hit, which then renewed my once long love for those games . Like some of my friends are crazy about rainbow siege, but me I just want a journey to go along with my shooter
I remember playing Half Life 1 when it was new and was blown away because it was the first game to have scripting. The game told a story live while you were right in the middle of it! They all do that now but it was amazing when it was new.
I used to go over to a friends house in middle school. I grew up pretty poor so the most gaming I ever saw at the time was a hand me down 64 from a cousin.
Jared was into PC gaming and had Cod4 and half-life 2 at the time. I’ll never forget the distinct feeling of bolting someone to the wall with a crossbow in the game. Insanity.
Finished HL2 today! Been at it for a few days, it was really just as good as I remember it was 20 years ago! Do not have the opportunity to play as much now as I did back then. Something about being sort of adult now, I guess.
I still go back and play this regulally.
I don't know what they got "right" about the bridge section, but it triggers my Acrophobia every time. Even when I know it's coming.
Everything just feels so *slick* about the game. Especially now with faster everything.
The bridge level at 2.11 instantly reminded me of climbing the towers in Far Cry and I realised then the influence of this game on everything that came after it...
I'm replaying hl2 every 2-3 years or so. Always amazed at how good it is still.
honestly
dark souls is my GOAT for the past 11 years
but before that
i was madly in love with this
hot take darksouls rewrote the script on games to the point were i kind see a certain passe to it for me
but still
it will always be a really close game to my heart
i don't think i would of ever wanted to try and make games without playing Half life 2 though when i was just 9 in 2005
I played it first at an internet café, threw keyboard and mouse out of fear in ravenholm :D such an amazing game. Story, sounds, music, characters, playability... Maps. Everything is well-crafted.
Played it when it came out... and several times in the last 20 years.. in 2024 as well.. Still blows my mind every time. It's the environments for me, the pacing and the mass scenery and gameplay dynamics change as you progress. For every chapter of the story there is a new meta to adopt, the most obvious one would be Ravenholm where you test the gravity gun. Another aspect is the perfect amount of content per the gigantic open world and the fact that you drive everywhere there are no levels. Incredible guns, all satisfying to use. SMG with Nade. Magnum, epic crossbow with massive zoom and the projectile is heavy it can pin bad guys to a wall. Then the AR-2 with the energy ball that bounces and vaporises everything in its path. Rocket launcher that lets you guide your missiles.
Great characters including "dog", Eli, Breen, Mossman, Barney, Alyx. Just when you thought you've seen it all, enter the citadel which is just next level, DRENCHED in atmosphere and the game takes it slow for you letting the player completely immerse in the massive alien building. I could go on for hours about the amount of detail this game has yet somehow it's never too much.
HL1 (original) is a must play also. Black Mesa is excellent, but it loses that original eerie atmosphere of HL1 even though the graphic upgrade is many levels above HL1, for me not as good as HL1.
So great to see someone sharing their passion for HL2 on this level! It's truly a unicorn that will never be replicated because everything was so new then and now so much focus is placed on aesthetics and 'plays-likes' instead of just pure innovation and fun which is what Valve delivered.