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Half-Life

Developer: Valve Corporation Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
08 November 1998
Half-Life - cover art
Glitchwave rating
4.13 / 5.0
0.5
5.0
 
 
211 Ratings / 1 Reviews
#123 All-time
#6 for 1998
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1998 Valve Sierra  
CD-ROM
XNA
1998 Valve Sierra  
DE
Half-Life BestSeller Series
2001 Valve Sierra  
CD-ROM
3 348542 135604
Show all 7 releases
2001 Valve Gearbox  
CD-ROM
XNA 0 20626 71235 4 SLUS 20066
2001 Valve Sierra  
CD-ROM
AU NZ XEU 3 348542 136717 SLES-50504
2003 Valve  
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I liken Half-Life's place in video games to Citizen Kane's place in movie history: it's the old trendsetter that still manages to be current, long after its release. Only time will tell if Valve's debut will hold up so well five decades later, but it's safe to say that it remains immensely enjoyable and impressive over a decade later. Playing it again for the first time in years, you might be surprised to find less of a trip down memory lane and more of a return to values and concepts that even the most recent, progressive games fail to touch upon.

You measure a game like Half-Life, the first of its kind, by "oh shit!"-moments. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was full of "oh shit!" moments, while BioShock had only a few but they were potent enough to leave an impression on anyone who played it. Half-Life's credits scene on the tram, initial encounters with the marines, and various monster encounters might not have the element of surprise anymore but they still retain a level of class and polish that will always stay with the game and be its strong point. Xen and the final boss encounter stand out so much in the eyes of the game's detractors not because these sections are genuinely bad, but because they are the only part of the game that fails to meet the intro's pedigree.

Ugly Quake engine mod aside, Half-Life has a distinct world and feel that might not have the strongest visual pull but applies a presence of space on the most masterful level. The outside environments in the game are minuscule now, but retain a release and awe solely due to how well Valve makes you feel claustrophobic earlier on. All the models, guns, and environments are well constructed and have a logic to it that clicks immediately. Solving puzzles and platforming in Half-Life doesn't only work well, but adds variety and depth that no FPS displayed before it and practically none have since.

I expected to go back and forth with Half-Life, but I failed to consider how immersive and addictive this classic is -- beating it over the course of two days. Doom kept you invested because the core mechanics failed to get old -- Half-Life offers another level to the FPS: you keep playing because you need to see what comes next. Seeing a scientist operate a microwave, catching a glimpse of the G-Man, and trying out new strategies on the marines opened a new door in video games. Half-Life was the turning point when place, pace, and atmosphere dictated a successful title as much as debugging, core mechanics, and graphics. Will Half-Life blow away a newcomer, now? No. Nevertheless, it will consume them for the day or two they compulsively play through it. At the end of it, they'll wonder why polish, innovation, and originality are so rare -- and it took a 10+ year-old game to bring this issue to light in their minds.
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SUPER_Lonely_Panda 2016-04-06T01:30:43Z
2016-04-06T01:30:43Z
5.0
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Didn't really love the game while playing yet i never wanted to quit. It invoked the feeling i get from adventure games like Dark Souls and it's the only FPS that does that. The level design is amazing and games looks great, I'm not kidding it looks better than most modern games and it's not because of graphics those were obviously shit but art design and consisten tone saves it. Shooting is well fine I liked it tho on Source version it's a bit weird with SMG. Story is well almost non existent but it's mysterious enough that I wanted to see it all through. What really made the story is atmosphere and great level design and the feel of an adventure.



The biggest negative this game has is obviously it's age. I don't mean that in gameplay or graphic terms those are both great but to play this game you have 2 option:
Original option that soft locks like every 2 chapters or Source version that is just blatantly not as good as original intended to be. It's a problem with age but if the game lefts me with options of poorer game design or not being able to fucking finish the thing because of bugs, well it's a massive con. Source port just breaks some scripted interactions which undermine the games premise really and original Half Life fucks itself with softlocks.



So obviously a game that blatantly doesn't work is getting lower score than 10/10 and though the same problem could be said of Dark Souls, well Dark Souls is a better experience but it never buggers itself as much as Half Life even if second half of the game contains stinky ass levels.




So basically Half Life is a 9/10 game* if it worked properly. And I'm not saying it because of influence, I am younger than the game itself and am looking at it through modern glasses.



One last thing I feel obligated to clarify, it's not 10/10 even if it worked like god intended and it's because of combat. Big thing about Half Life is that it's not meant to be played like Doom because you are not an all powerfull marine instead just a normal scientist. Now that is only half true, yes you die pretty fast if you just go running at the enemies like an idiot but you can still play it fast paced. It's more fun that way and also easier i recon, there was talk that this game is really hard but on contrary if you are even self competent at shooting you are fine. Also if they intended to make play like a scared mouse than why is ammo count so big, and why don't you have more options.

Now let me tell you something, people that parade this playstyle are big cunts who already know the game in and out but for first time players it's a tricky thing. Those massive sodding cunts encourage you to be creative but once or twice i tried that in early game i was punished for doing it. So in brief words game lets you be creative sometimes, and for first time players you won't know when plus it's more fun to run and gun like i did, yes you die sometimes but atleast you are not cowering like pussy.
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Catalog

Raising_Heart Half-Life 2024-02-29T09:53:02Z
Windows • XNA
2024-02-29T09:53:02Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
LOVE_ME_FOREVER_FOREVER Half-Life 2024-02-24T12:33:00Z
Windows • XNA
2024-02-24T12:33:00Z
5.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
mattsu Half-Life 2024-02-02T18:47:56Z
Windows • XNA
2024-02-02T18:47:56Z
B+
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
PC 1998
Permian Half-Life 2024-01-24T16:18:48Z
Windows • XNA
2024-01-24T16:18:48Z
1.5
2
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Giann96 Half-Life 2024-01-19T00:52:38Z
Windows • XNA
2024-01-19T00:52:38Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Astylar Half-Life 2024-01-18T23:33:53Z
Windows • XNA
2024-01-18T23:33:53Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
insufficient
macius Half-Life 2024-01-13T13:53:33Z
Windows • XNA
2024-01-13T13:53:33Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
mickilennial Half-Life 2024-01-04T13:56:18Z
Windows • XNA
2024-01-04T13:56:18Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Zippybing Half-Life 2023-12-31T22:42:40Z
Windows • XNA
2023-12-31T22:42:40Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
128BIT START64 555 PC_GENS FORTY
communitypeach Half-Life 2023-12-25T13:01:33Z
Windows • XNA
2023-12-25T13:01:33Z
1.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
magicshop Half-Life 2023-12-22T15:55:59Z
Windows • XNA
2023-12-22T15:55:59Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Smooth1e Half-Life 2023-12-02T06:09:26Z
Windows • XNA
2023-12-02T06:09:26Z
9.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Player modes
1-32 players
Media
1x CD-ROM
Multiplayer modes
Deathmatch / FFA
Multiplayer options
LAN, Online
Franchises
Content rating
ESRB: M
Release details
xna

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  • Previous comments (92) Loading...
  • yurelvis123 2023-11-23 20:57:03.309681+00
    forgot how good the gunplay in this is
    reply
    • yurelvis123 2023-11-23 20:59:06.965662+00
      SMG feels weak as fuck though, at least on hard mode
    • scrunky 2024-03-24 16:59:00.453935+00
      yea the smg is ass in hard. but the grenades on it are real good
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • lyndonbjohnson 2023-12-05 00:30:01.281369+00
    This is the first modern shooter
    reply
    • ... 2023-12-31 08:43:09.548159+00
      Quake 2, GoldenEye and Unreal all came out before this...
    • anderd0504 2024-02-25 20:18:09.52774+00
      This feels like a Modern shooter in a way goldeneye obviously doesn't
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Tyraffe 2023-12-12 04:41:37.276568+00
    This has aged surprisingly well for it's time
    reply
    • Stabbed 2024-01-11 09:44:19.946106+00
      the fact that HL2 exists yet i still find myself consistently coming back to this is a testament to how well it's made
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • ashbandicoot 2023-12-14 20:47:25.299437+00
    This is a game that i love but i hate playing idk how to justify it I'm just absolute garbage at this game
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • mrelectric 2023-12-22 21:58:12.766367+00
    love the guns
    reply
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  • plexure 2023-12-25 06:08:12.060795+00
    i'm glad that the recent update made deathmatch popular again
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Randomuser12345 2023-12-26 01:05:06.338364+00
    Classic game, but hard mode end up being a bit of a save scum fest given how scarce health and armour can be in places.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • youarefuckingcrazy 2024-02-02 03:38:34.404481+00
    that moment when the valve theme song kicks in during chapter 12 as you exit the pipe and look out into the endless canyon abyss below you is the peak of the entire game to me
    reply
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