Released: Nov 16, 2004
Genre: First person shooter
Developer and Publisher: Valve
Platform: PC (Windows)
Interface language: Multilingual
Voice language: English, French, German, Italian, Russian and others
Multiplayer: Included (Deathmatch)
Version: build 8491853 from 11/17/2023 – with all episodes (Non-Steam)
Description: “Half-Life 2” – is a next chapter of the cult “Half-Life” story, which saw the light 6 years after the original was released. Players will again have to control the unchanging Gordon Freeman, who regains consciousness on Earth, and realizes that he is in the near future.
All power in this future belongs to an alien government calling itself the Alliance. This Alliance drove all the people on the planet into cities, forcing them to obey. Gordon has to fix this. And although his path is not short, and the goals change quite often, this only gives the game a special originality, making the plot even more interesting.
Complete Edition features
- Half-Life 2 – Base Game
- Half-Life 2 – Episode One
- Half-Life 2 – Episode Two
- Half-Life 2 – Lost Coast
- Half-Life 2 – Deathmatch
About design and gameplay
The success of this franchise began with the first part of the game. Half-Life 2 even surpasses it. We can say that the second episode is the canon of the 3D Action genre.
The development of events takes place in the Black Mesa Corporation. A huge number of opponents against a small detachment of resistance, spectacular battles, ruthless murders – this is practically the real world in which the whole story is as believable as possible.
The main advantage is dynamics. The player will not be bored even for a second: either you solve puzzles, then you try to get out of the trouble alive, then you watch the plot whirlwinds. The episodes end exactly where it gets boring. This speaks of the jewelry endurance of the playing time.
Interactivity is lame. Well, what did you want from the 2004 year game? Nowadays of course you can interact with everything, carry it with you or use it as a weapon. But back there it wasn’t even impossible to break the computer monitor in game. Is this a significant drawback? Definitely not, because the most important is the impression.
Plot was created by professionals in their field. You will not find any plagiarism in the game. There are some borrowings. Download Half-Life 2 means plunge into a completely new world with your own story.
Each time you get to the answers, they will slip through your fingers, forcing you to move forward towards research.
In general, the plot can be described as science fiction, and it won’t let you go till you complete the entire game.
Conclusion
Download Half-Life 2 with all the episodes is definitely worth it for both usual gamers and lovers of an excellent plot and dynamics. In its time, the game earned the highest praise from critics as well as the gaming community.
And if you have never completed this masterpiece, do it right now. Some exciting evenings are guaranteed!
- OS: Windows XP, 7 / 8.1 / 10
- Processor: 2 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB
- Video card: Nvidia GeForce 8, Radeon X1600, Intel HD 3000 or newer
- Free disk space: 7 GB
Enable support to keep music playing during level transitions throughout the base Half-Life 2 campaign (no convar needed). Added support for displaying an active Workshop campaign name in your Steam…
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© Valve Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries. Privacy Policy | Legal | Steam Subscriber Agreement | Refunds…
Reviews
What else can I say that hasn’t already been said about Half-Life 2? The fine folks over at Valve have succeeded in creating not only one of the most immersive experiences a game can offer, but one of the greatest games of all time. For those who aren’t even fans of the first-person shooters, I still encourage you to look into this game. Should you choose to don the HEV suit and take on the role of the crowbar-weilding, badass physicist Dr. Gordon Freeman, I can guarentee you’ll be in for the train ride of your life. I could go on and on about how stellar this game is, but your time would be better spent playing it for yourself.
Games
Half Life 2 is probably the best game I have ever played. The story was so interesting, I never got bored, The graphics in the game are truly ahead of their time and are better than most of the games nowadays.
I loved how the combat worked well with the environment, such as explosive barrels near enemies, saw blades near zombies, and also lots of unique items around could potentially be transformed into a weapon.
I enjoyed the enigmatic story; I always felt as if something important was happening that I wasn’t aware of. I always felt like I was being watched, maybe by G Man, maybe by the combine, this made the game especially eerie in most cases, bringing the game to life. The story was extremely believable, despite the aliens and zombies included in the game. I loved this game and would give it a 10/10 no questions asked.
Gamer
Six years is a long wait for a sequel, but it was well worth it. In that time, Valve created their own game engine, known as Source, and with the Gravity Gun quickly became THE game to copy. Like ClassicDOOM before it, most FPS games that came after Half-Life 2 valiantly attempted to copy the in-game physics engine that allows to to catch and repel in-game props. Many of them succeeded, but Half-Life 2 was the first to do it, and gamers know where to give credit where credit is due.
One of the first FPS games to introduce drivable vehicles, adding the Gravity Gun is just icing on this cake (that’s a metaphor, not a lie). Chock full of references and easter-eggs, Valve should be proud that their title has continued to successfully carry the FPS banner.
Carole
I just recently finished Half-Life 2, for the second time. The first was some time ago. But this time, finishing the game was different. My daughter watched me play through the game, always pointing out little things. After I completed the game, she said “Dad, I really liked watching you play Half-Life 2” And I said “I know, it was fun, but now it’s over and I will be playing something else.” She looked at me, full of innocence, and said, “Well, maybe you can get Half-Life 3, and I can watch you play it?” I looked at her, moisture rimming my eyes, and said, “I don’t think that is going to happen hun, there isn’t a Half-Life 3, and likely won’t ever be.” I will give this game a recommend, because it is amazing. But with no closure in sight, it’s a difficult decision. All I can say is:
“Wake up, Mr. Freeman”
Andrew Stephens