Half-Life 2 (2004) (VG)

User Rating:

9.7/10   

Director:

David Speyrer

Writer:

Marc Laidlaw (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Play as Gordon Freeman in a fight for revolution in fascist and Orwellian City 17.

Plot Keywords:

Alternative Reality | Teleportation | Fugitive | Chase | First Person Shooter

Awards:

12 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert Guillaume	...	Dr. Eli Vance (voice)
Robert Culp	...	Dr. Wallace Breen (voice)
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Vortigaunt (voice)
Michelle Forbes	...	Dr. Judith Mossman (voice)
Merle Dandridge	...	Alyx Vance (voice)
Michael Shapiro	...	G-Man / Barney Calhoun (voice)
Harry S. Robins	...	Dr. Isaac Kleiner (voice)
Jim French	...	Father Grigori (voice)
John Patrick Lowrie	...	Citizens / Misc. characters (voice)
Mary Kae Irvin	...	Citizens / Misc. characters (voice)
Ellen McLain	...	Overwatch (voice)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Ireland:15 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 | USA:M | Sweden:15 (re-rating) | Sweden:18 (original rating)

Company:

Valve

Trivia:

When you first meet Barney, he says, "Now, about that beer I owe you". This is a reference to the original Half-Life. Before the disaster, each of the characters had a set of "I'm busy" lines to brush you off if you tried to talk to them. One of Barney's was "Hey, catch me later and I'll buy you a beer."

Quotes:

[first lines]
G-Man: Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No-one is more deserving of a rest. And all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until... well, let's just say your hour has come again. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#32.16)" (2004)

Best PC Game Ever (or at least one of the best)

First off, let me clear up a few things. Ignore "A poor game and STEAM is crapware." That person clearly doesn't know what they're talking about. Yes, your forced to install STEAM. But the program is on the CD/DVD (depending how you got it). Second, the graphical problems they're having are a problem with THEIR compputer. Either Matrix29 has a poor video card or outdated drivers. I have a poor FX5200, and I've had no graphical problems. It runs great. Of course, I have it on low settings, but still it runs great. Finally, STEAM (From Valve, not Sierra) is a good program.

Anyway... I'll just talk about my experiences, not anything about the story. Half-Life 2 runs great on lower end systems. I'm getting at least 25 - 30 fps(frames per second). This shows how Valve wanted great graphics and technology while having a large amount of gamers being allowed to play. And the water...well, it's the best looking water EVER. Good A.I. Take note that on easier settings, the A.I. wont be as good. The story is great. It really doesn't require you to have played the original Half-Life to understand the story.

So, in closing, this is a must own for any PC gamer. Just for the fun physics, or tossing stuff and getting your a** beat by metro cops in the train station.