Half-Life 2

 PC
User Score
9.2

Universal acclaim- based on 12734 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11,541 out of 12734
  2. Mixed: 635 out of 12734
  3. Negative: 558 out of 12734
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  1. Lovelo123
    Oct 25, 2013
    10
    This is one of my favourite games! Great story, awesome gameplay... It´s just awesome! If you haven´t played this yet, you have missed a lot! SCORE: 10/10!
  2. TWolfenstein
    Nov 8, 2013
    10
    Supernatural, I have no other adjective to rate this game, sensational story, great gameplay, one of the greatest inspirations in current games and father of great games like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress
  3. CustardPot
    Nov 9, 2013
    5
    This is a game I bought because of the hype and the awards it got but then did not see what was so good about it, the game had a massive world and brilliant graphics that still stand today, but it does not change my opinion that it slowly got repetitive and boring and did not have a clear path or story. It was ok, but not amazing by any standard.
  4. Burning-X
    Nov 10, 2013
    10
    If I could describe this game in one word, there would be no words to even begin to give a definition of this game, because it took every aspect of what a good game should be and sprinkled just enough of each to make it such a Masterpiece of games, but there was one downside... AI, Valve hasn't really grasped the good AI programming they need to give this game 100/100, Although; it won'tIf I could describe this game in one word, there would be no words to even begin to give a definition of this game, because it took every aspect of what a good game should be and sprinkled just enough of each to make it such a Masterpiece of games, but there was one downside... AI, Valve hasn't really grasped the good AI programming they need to give this game 100/100, Although; it won't effect my score since it was just so damn Great.… Expand
  5. wegie125
    Oct 17, 2014
    10
    I now understand why people want half life 3. If you haven't played this game you really need to because it goes on sale so much on steam and it usually comes with a bundle for episode 1, 2, and lost coast.
  6. psylife
    Apr 4, 2016
    6
    This is a unique blend of platforming, puzzling, driving and shooting . The game is fast paced, tense and ultra-responsive. The game makes ample use of physics and it is still fun to interact with them to this day . There are some genuinely fun sections and the overall design of the levels feels fresh, playful, and rarely repetitive Ironically, the main reason for which this game isThis is a unique blend of platforming, puzzling, driving and shooting . The game is fast paced, tense and ultra-responsive. The game makes ample use of physics and it is still fun to interact with them to this day . There are some genuinely fun sections and the overall design of the levels feels fresh, playful, and rarely repetitive Ironically, the main reason for which this game is regarded as one of the best FPS of all time, is precisely because shooting is far from being the only scope of the game. That said, the game suffers from some serious pacing issues, where certain sections are dragged way too long to the point of annoyance. This game could have easily been 30% shorter and that would have made it that much more enjoyable. The visuals are clean and easy on the eyes yet the overall audio-visual experience is quite dull; Half-life 2 is just not a very pretty game, it has never been. Pair that with a lackluster story, and few annoying design choices, and you end up with an experience that despite being remarkable in more than a few ways is hard to qualify as anything more than "pretty good". So here you have it, Half-Life 2 is a pretty good game that is commendable in many respects and despite not being deprived of charm, ultimately fails to inspire.… Expand
  7. Epicfury
    Sep 27, 2014
    10
    The ultra responsive Source engine coupled with a great story and excellent graphics for its time. It's nothing short of a revolution. No wonder why it has universal acclaim.
  8. randj1012
    Oct 18, 2014
    10
    It is a valve game what do you expect? tight graphics for its age (I thought it was made in 2012 they were so good) it also has a great physics engine which is still better than any physics engine made to this day. awesome story, awesome characters, awesome voice acting and awesome secrets. I just urge them to make half life3
  9. graliv
    Sep 29, 2014
    10
    Where to start half life is just an amazing ride, the game mechanics are near seamless along with a plot-line that not only keeps you guessing, but has love, anger, envy, revenge, dependence and ultimately you know your saving the planet. Loved it. Completed it. Played it again and again.

    Graliv
  10. Ethanace
    Oct 10, 2014
    10
    I made an account just to review this game. Half-Life 2 is the only game in the world that I can regard as perfect. It is literally impeccable. I have played a lot of games, and it is very hard to put so many good titles behind me, but until you play this game you won't feel the atmosphere and world that it draws you into. You need to experience the game and fully complete it to realiseI made an account just to review this game. Half-Life 2 is the only game in the world that I can regard as perfect. It is literally impeccable. I have played a lot of games, and it is very hard to put so many good titles behind me, but until you play this game you won't feel the atmosphere and world that it draws you into. You need to experience the game and fully complete it to realise what a wonderful journey the Half-Life series really is. The graphics are phenomenal for a game that is now ten years old; still keeping up with modern titles to this day. The storytelling is perfect, in the literal sense of the word. The gameplay is flawless, the diversity of characters, both hostile and allied is superb. The puzzles, the chill-factor, and the thing that gets me the most, the absolute and complete absorption that you'll have playing this game is something like no other. You become Gordon Freeman, you live in the world of Half-Life which has been so magnificently created you believe every minute of its being and existence. It's this reality that consumes you, and it's marvelous, incredible story. I regard this game as perfect.… Expand
  11. Definition
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    im just want to play this game again, again, and again. cause this game is **** amazing in gameplay, graphics and in weapons!!! most i like in here is a Gravity gun!!! the best guns ever!!!!
  12. Ratingss
    Feb 20, 2021
    6
    Overrated, the original game was far better. The guns are pretty bad with the exception of the pulse rifle which was cool, the gunplay is mediocre. The ravenholm level feels like a game apart, a better game.
  13. Un0va
    Jan 15, 2013
    6
    I really wanted to like this game. I really did. It's just way too gimmicky. There only a few types of enemies - Headcrabs, zombies, soldiers, and antlions are basically the only enemies you really see in the game. The vehicle levels are atrocious and it focuses far too much on gimmicks like the gravity gun (though the ending segment with the high-powered gravity gun was awesome). Overall,I really wanted to like this game. I really did. It's just way too gimmicky. There only a few types of enemies - Headcrabs, zombies, soldiers, and antlions are basically the only enemies you really see in the game. The vehicle levels are atrocious and it focuses far too much on gimmicks like the gravity gun (though the ending segment with the high-powered gravity gun was awesome). Overall, it just lacks a lot of the personality and atmosphere of the original Half-Life. If you want a great story-based FPS, go buy the original Half-Life on Steam now, and pass up this one. You won't regret it.… Expand
  14. Catlin
    Nov 10, 2011
    8
    Quite outdated now but back in its time,it was a fantastic fps,a thrilling story,great dialogue and easy to master gunplay.

    It spawned a huge following and hopefully we will get a sequel sometime in the near future.
  15. ns0l
    Aug 11, 2014
    7
    Half-Life 2 is a cool game. Tricky and exciting. I like it. The gravity gun. The big bugs. They are endless and really annoying. But once you kill their momma and take its organ they will all become your slaves. Your loyal army. I really liked that part. But I find the story uninteresting.
  16. OmarM.
    May 9, 2006
    10
    Es un juego perfecto, con gráficas increobles, la única mala noticia es que es algo corto en comparación con hl uno, veremos que continua en la historia con hl episode 1.
  17. shprea
    Jul 9, 2013
    7
    Meh, it's okay.
    Half-Life 2 does a lot of things right. It looks great, plays great, has a large interconnected world, and has a fairly interesting story with cool characters.
    Except the game feels somewhat tedious. Every level is similar to the last later on in the game. You kill the same/similar enemies over and over again. Every now and then there is a driving section to break up the    Meh, it's okay.
    Half-Life 2 does a lot of things right. It looks great, plays great, has a large interconnected world, and has a fairly interesting story with cool characters.
    Except the game feels somewhat tedious. Every level is similar to the last later on in the game. You kill the same/similar enemies over and over again. Every now and then there is a driving section to break up the tedium, but those suck.

    This game is really overrated. I've played much better FPS games than Half-Life 2; games that were far less tedious and less boring. It's a good game, just not that great.    … Expand
  18. fireskull98
    Apr 4, 2013
    10
    Half life 2 is the greatest game of all time, end of story. No game can compare with this. If you haven't played this game, you are missing out on life.
  19. Sweix
    Aug 10, 2022
    10
    I can't really say anything that hasn't already been said. This game is great, period. I would consider it art that should be preserved through the centuries.
  20. hansen1981
    Sep 14, 2013
    2
    Long empty rooms. Long empty landscapes. Easy tasks. Uninteresting story. Plastic heroes. Lack of narrative. Only Oh! Doctor Freeman! Ah! Doctor Freeman! Wow! This is you Doctor Freeman?
    Blah! Boring game. Cure for insomnia. I dont recommend this game.
  21. TheMitherer
    Oct 21, 2011
    5
    I had fun for about 3 hours, soldiered on for about another 3 and then lost interest completely. A game more bereft of personality I have yet to play. I can't say that I saw much evidence of a story or any story telling for that matter - just a continuous chase with a few guns and vehicles thrown in. Oh yes, a couple of humans too who did nothing except break up the monotony of shootingI had fun for about 3 hours, soldiered on for about another 3 and then lost interest completely. A game more bereft of personality I have yet to play. I can't say that I saw much evidence of a story or any story telling for that matter - just a continuous chase with a few guns and vehicles thrown in. Oh yes, a couple of humans too who did nothing except break up the monotony of shooting stuff every once in a while. It has some good moments no doubt but very quickly I neither cared about what I was doing or why I was doing it. A faceless, straitjacketed and shallow game is the only way I can describe it.… Expand
  22. KulakxRatings
    Nov 26, 2010
    6
    Its a fun game, but it is nothing like Half life 1, the first half life game was probably the best game of its genre, but half life 2 is just a generic fps. It has realy stellar graphics and engine. It has decent acting, but its story falls flat on just shooting combine and running away from combine, but the gameplay was realy well made, i want to give this game a lower rating but theyIts a fun game, but it is nothing like Half life 1, the first half life game was probably the best game of its genre, but half life 2 is just a generic fps. It has realy stellar graphics and engine. It has decent acting, but its story falls flat on just shooting combine and running away from combine, but the gameplay was realy well made, i want to give this game a lower rating but they just nailed it off to be a regular game, it is nothing special.… Expand
  23. infinitePUGZ
    Dec 4, 2014
    3
    This game is way overrated, there are so many better games out there. People always praise it for its story and rich dialogue, but unlike Portal (which had me excited to progress through the story and listen to ALL of its witty, funny and overall extremely well acted characters) Half Life 2 was less than mediocre. Good dialogue was few and far between, with most of the speech just beingThis game is way overrated, there are so many better games out there. People always praise it for its story and rich dialogue, but unlike Portal (which had me excited to progress through the story and listen to ALL of its witty, funny and overall extremely well acted characters) Half Life 2 was less than mediocre. Good dialogue was few and far between, with most of the speech just being "look its Gordon Freeman!" or "are you Gordon Freeman?!".... its disappointing to say the least. I'm not counting the graphics because my pc isn't great and the game probably looks amazing on ultra settings but I wouldn't know.

    Secondly, the story isn't at all innovative or different, I couldn't care for the characters or the world. I wasn't interested enough to who, what, where, why, when or how for any of the story's components - it's nothing new.

    However much anyone says about the gravity gun, to me it will always be a glorified hand - it picks things up and throws them. Apart form that the combat is just like a typical fps although they did a good job with the weapons.

    Finally, the gameplay isn't too great: linear level design, empty landscapes, dull environments. I just wanted this game to be over, I didn't enjoy playing it. If you want a gaming masterpiece, check out Portal and Portal 2.    … Expand
  24. lawrenceUK
    Nov 18, 2012
    5
    Why does everyone love this game? It is quite boring, the story doesn't develop well enough and the gameplay itself is nothing special. Nothing stands out at me as being amazing. It's not a bad game but it's nothing special either. I am huge fan of valve in general though.
  25. CriticoDubioso
    Feb 5, 2015
    5
    Its engine capability is outstanding at the time of release. However, looking at this "best FPS" again today, only a mediocre and repetitive rail shooter with most of the same weapons in its predecessor and poor story telling is found.

    So, its experience is just "meh" now.
  26. DeusXCom
    Aug 5, 2014
    7
    I liked it, Half-Life 2 is a good atmospheric FPS, but is it something more, something breathtaking that should blow everyone's mind as everyone in this world seems to think? Hell no, I feel absolutely the same way about Half-Life 2 as I did with the first Half-Life, it's good, yes, but that's it, for some reason both Half-Lifes are extremely, but I mean EXTREMELY over-hyped and overrated.I liked it, Half-Life 2 is a good atmospheric FPS, but is it something more, something breathtaking that should blow everyone's mind as everyone in this world seems to think? Hell no, I feel absolutely the same way about Half-Life 2 as I did with the first Half-Life, it's good, yes, but that's it, for some reason both Half-Lifes are extremely, but I mean EXTREMELY over-hyped and overrated. It's a really good FPS, don't look for anything much more here. 7/10… Expand
  27. ArrowToTheHead
    Jan 13, 2014
    7
    breaking it down:
    hl2 is a brilliant masterpiece, or to be precisely: the engine is the best since...well hl1 i guess.
    the new, sharp looking graphics and awesome, never seen before physics, were state of the art back then and have brought us many, MANY great looking games. apart from this half life 2 is a dumbed down ripoff of the first game, the story is poor/hollywoodstyle with    breaking it down:
    hl2 is a brilliant masterpiece, or to be precisely: the engine is the best since...well hl1 i guess.
    the new, sharp looking graphics and awesome, never seen before physics, were state of the art back then and have brought us many, MANY great looking games.

    apart from this half life 2 is a dumbed down ripoff of the first game, the story is poor/hollywoodstyle with little surprises.
    even worse: the intend of the devs to make it EPISODE 1(to sell more eps after the first) is a good indicator for how they write storys...they didnt!
    as an fps it was slower, the enemies where not as "smart" and, apart from the hand-holding(the robot/girl), the unlimited grav gun really messed it up for me(get a chunk of trash/barrel/whatever and shoot at enemy-->instakill), leaving you with enough ammo at any given time.

    i wont even start about steam.

    try black mesa, the hl1 mod for hl2 engine and see for yourself.

    BUT if you are not such an old ***** as myself, and dont know about the glorious times of fps games,
    when enemys tried to actually kill you, instead of running for cover, it sure looks like a well made game.

    i think it doesnt deserve 9,2 user and 96 meta score, and thats just my personal op.

    8/10 (back then and 7 now because ooolllddd)    … Expand
  28. ShawnD
    Dec 29, 2014
    3
    I'm giving this game a low rating because it does most of the things I hate:
    -Unskippable cut scenes.
    -Acting like I care about any of these dumb characters. -Half the game is driving. Rage pulled the same stunt in 2011 and that too was a disaster. All it does is make the game painfully slow. -Does this game even have a plot? It was so boring that I didn't care to find out. A good game    I'm giving this game a low rating because it does most of the things I hate:
    -Unskippable cut scenes.
    -Acting like I care about any of these dumb characters.
    -Half the game is driving. Rage pulled the same stunt in 2011 and that too was a disaster. All it does is make the game painfully slow.
    -Does this game even have a plot? It was so boring that I didn't care to find out. A good game tells you very little so you're left wanting to know what the story is. HL2 does the exact opposite. Unskippable cut scene after unskippable cut scene. Instead of googling to find what the story is, I'm googling to see if there is some console command to skip the stupid cut scenes. I can't believe someone at Valve actually thought it was a good idea to force players to watch the same crap every time they play the game. Start a new game - hey I wonder if that face hugger is going to screw up the teleportation this time. I'll need to watch the 5 minute cut scene to find out!
    -It seems like large segments of the game are unfinished. Half of the game is driving or walking, but there's nothing going on. There's nothing to shoot and there's nothing shooting at me. Why was this left in the game? It's like they forgot to add monsters and nobody in beta testing noticed how boring those sections of the game are.
    -Physics are completely broken. You can run 100mph in reverse just by running backward and jumping. At least bunny hopping from quake took some practice.
    -The guns seem a lot crappier than they were in HL1. The amount of ammo one can hold has also been greatly reduced.
    -HL1 was awesome because it was straight forward. It told a story without telling you anything. An experiment goes wrong, monsters appear, military try to cover the whole thing up, etc. HL2 is about.... what exactly? it's about running through water canals because a guy in a turtle neck sweater is the leader of some people who wear gas masks. This is Metal Gear Solid level of bad story telling. Snake, you have nanobots inside you because blah blah clones Big Boss blah blah The Combine blah blah turtle neck sweaters.

    You can't truly grasp how boring this game is until you watch someone do a speed run of it. Then watch someone do a speed run of Quake. Which one looks more like a game and which looks more like a tech demo?    … Expand
  29. mortabunt
    Oct 4, 2013
    1
    Half-Life 2... Often proclaimed one of the best, if not one of the greatest first person shooters, if not video games of all time. Released in 2004 to great fame and accolades, I was but then an 11 year old devotee of Sonic, Metroid, Zelda, and Star Wars. I hardly knew or cared. But as I grew older, and the internet became more prominent in my life, I began to hear of this wonderful thingHalf-Life 2... Often proclaimed one of the best, if not one of the greatest first person shooters, if not video games of all time. Released in 2004 to great fame and accolades, I was but then an 11 year old devotee of Sonic, Metroid, Zelda, and Star Wars. I hardly knew or cared. But as I grew older, and the internet became more prominent in my life, I began to hear of this wonderful thing called Half-Life 2, starring this great hero, a nuclear physicist named Gordon Freeman, who battled against the evil Combine to save humanity from its position under the jackboots of a tyrannical alien regime. When I discovered TvTropes, I got exposed to many more references to this game. I was told of the epic journey of the great hero fighting all alone against the future straight out of Nineteen Eighty-Four. I read that I was supposed to be a critical piece whose actions and choices would decide the fates of billions. I read about leading the citizens in rebellion against their alien oppressors in a climatic battle in City Seventeen. I heard about the awesome Gravity Gun. I read about the fearsome striders. I read about turning the antlions on the invaders. I read about the horror of Ravenholm. I heard about great and memorable characters, an engaging story, and so many other things which sounded like heralds of greatness.
    I first got my hands on a valve game, Left 4 Dead, in '08. And I loved it. I still do, just as I do Left 4 Dead 2. I got The Orange Box in 2010. I got it more or less for Portal. Portal, damn, that game is fantastic. As you would expect, having consecutively played three superb games from Valve, I was very much looking forward to the next game in my sights: Half-Life 2. So I selected it from the main menu of The Orange Box on my Xbox360 and began a new campaign on the medium difficulty setting. I as already an FPS veteran at the time, having played through games like Metroid Prime 1 & 2, Bioshock, Metro 2033, Goldeneye 007, the Halo series, F.E.A.R., Doom, Doom 3, and Quake 4. With everything begun, I was prepared to be blown away. I was eager for the greatest FPS ever made.

    It sucks.

    I personally rate games mainly on story, gameplay, and characters, with all of these being roughly equivalent. For me to approve of a game, it has to do well enough in these three categories. However, I ultimately pass judgement based on whether or not the game was fun to me. I can forgive quite a lot of if a game is an entertaining experience. Do I think Half-Life 2 is fun? NO! I think it's awful. I had to force myself to finish this game. It failed in story, gameplay, and characters. It wasn't even something that I could enjoy taking the piss out of.
    I know, you're probably frothing with rage and confusion over why I think Half-Life 2 is an overrated piece of crap. I've heard the arguments from the fans, but I just don't see it like they do. I respect their opinions, but I disagree. Truth be told, I feel like this game was always very close to being the great experience I was told about. Of course, realistically, nothing could have lived up to the hype. Even though I habitually make a note to deliberately not buy into hype, it was impossible to go in with anything other than great expectations. I could argue that it had to end in disappointment, but I disagree. I've played other great games, like Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Far Cry 3, Metroid Prime 2, Metro: Last Light, and Portal, and felt that they deserved the praise they got. Perhaps not the extravagant fanboy praise, but plenty of praise and accolades nevertheless. Half-Life 2 got so many elements right and had a lot of good ideas, but the execution was so often feeble. If maybe just only a few elements were different, then perhaps I would be raving about how I love this game. And I think that, had I played it when it first came out, or at least within two years of its release rather than six, then I could very well have been much more favorably impressed. I could I personally actually quite like Half-Life 2: Episode 1, which was a much tighter game with a much more interesting and dynamic plotline where the player character actually seems to accomplish things.
    The story is irritatingly impenetrable while being of only vague concern, and yet still managing to hang constantly over the player while constantly keeping them in the dark.
    The gameplay is the worst part, given how it fails to make combat fun in a first person shooter while bloating the game to excessive length with vehicles and puzzles.
    The characters are mostly forgettable with a few good exceptions. Gordon Freeman is the worst possible kind of protagonist for this game. Alex Vance should have been it.
    The game is not fun except in small doses and in certain parts. Your experience may vary. I would recommend watching a walkthrough or LP rather than spend money on it.    … Expand
  30. Alpacalypse
    Mar 22, 2015
    0
    This game has aged horribly. The story is rather decent, but the gameplay is just pathetic. Shoot your peashooter weaponry at guards and zombies, and then use your gravity gun to pick up a saw and throw it at people.
    You will then take the saw with you on your entire game and use it exclusively.
    Sure, you can argue that a game that has a good story is all that matters. But, a sandwich    This game has aged horribly. The story is rather decent, but the gameplay is just pathetic. Shoot your peashooter weaponry at guards and zombies, and then use your gravity gun to pick up a saw and throw it at people.
    You will then take the saw with you on your entire game and use it exclusively.

    Sure, you can argue that a game that has a good story is all that matters. But, a sandwich with the world's best bread (the story) is still a horrible sandwich is the meat is made out of a dead dog's **** (the gameplay)

    As it stands, Half Life 2 is a prime example that gamers will reach to the bottom of their fanboy purses to make anything Valve makes overrated.

    This game would be better fitted as a book, to be honest. It tells a great story, but the gameplay is just so agonizing that I couldn't get past 40 minutes. If you want a good first person shooter, go play Far Cry or Call of Juarez: Gunslinger.
    By the way, this review is going to get a lot of flak for not worshipping a game this overrated. Just some foresight.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2004
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 81 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 81
  3. Negative: 0 out of 81
  1. CPUGamer
    100
    Nothing less than a revolution in the gaming industry that will keep gamers busy for years to come, just as the original did.
    Read full review
  2. Play.tm
    95
    An ephemeral and controversial ending, along with the few issues described above, means that for me, Half-Life 2, while a compelling and highly enjoyable game, falls short of the size of impact that the first title had on the gaming world.
    Read full review
  3. Playboy
    100
    A graphics overhaul delivers detailed facial animations and sophisticated physics that leave battle zones strewn with debris after intense shootouts with shuffling corpses, overfed curstaceans and other assorted foes. [October, p.37]
See all critic reviews »