Half-Life 2 (2004) (VG)

Director:

David Speyrer

Writer:

Marc Laidlaw (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | 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:

In an early version of the game script, Gordon was to receive a briefing by Eli Vance via slides to fill him in on what had happened in between the large gap of time he had been gone. The slides would have featured Bullsquids chasing people from their homes and an Icthyosaur materializing in a public pool under a kid halfway through a dive. It also set up how the combine was able to gain power. It would have ended by showing Dr. Breen and the power he received. This was cut for pacing reasons.

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:

References Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

amazing

I am a huge half life fan, The game was the beginning of first person shooters. It set the standard for all fps's, everything was compared to to that game. It turn fps games into what they are today.

we have half life to thank for games being what they are today.

did half life 2 do the same thing? Half life 2 was amazing , one of the best games I ever played. Everything about the game was crafted so well and polished up to make it perfect.

GAMEPLAY 10/10 - Know questions ask half life 2 has some of the best most crafted and unique gameplay up todate. There's so many different way to approach combat situations. Most first person shooters its just run around blasting things with your gun. But in half life you can think, you can plan how your going to approach combat. You look around and use your environment and everything around you to help you fight, by setting off chain reactions or shooting the wood from underneath your enemy so they fall to the ground. Through most of the game you don't even need to shoot at your enemy. And the gravity gun just adds to the fun, putting stuff infront of doors watching the combine try and bust there way in. Picking up or moving everything around you. And on top of that just using a gun and blasting peoples heads in is unbelievably fun to.

GRAPHICS 10/10 - Now not everyone will get to see the game how its suppose to be seen. But if you do you will understand. Half life 2 probably has the best graphics seen to this day in any video game. Everything is detailed so much and so polished its amazing, from huge out door land scape's to a small beat up house everything looks amazing. The dynamic lighting adds such a element of beauty to everything giving it that final touch it need. Plus the water, I cant even begin to describe how beautiful the water looks, It reflects everything around you and does it so amazing its hard to put in words.

STORY 8/10 - I loved the story of the original half life and I loved the fact that no one really new the story even more. Half life 2 didn't really give any answers to any of the questions ask in half life 1, which is not a problem and didn't bug me at all. I actually like the overall story I just not sure I loved the way the did it. Alex character I thought was a typical tough girl thing and I was a big fan of her. I loved the part in doctor Kliners lab I thought it was amazing and so well done. I also loved the doctor Breen parts, I just would have liked it if it had been more like the first one where your really not sure whats going on or where you are. Overall I think it had a good story I just think it was missing some element that makes it half life.

OVERALL 9/10 - This game was amazing, no question about it. Definitely one of the best games of all time. It was totally original filled with fun action gameplay. Every element in the game was very well done and half life 2 was probably the first game to put all these amazing elements like physics, Good story, Good action, good graphics, in to one game and do an amazing job of it. The only real thing I didn't like was Alex typical tough girl attitude.