User Score
9.2

Universal acclaim- based on 12734 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Jul 30, 2022
    10
    Total masterpiece, one of the most revolutionary games ever, totally marked the rest of FPS of the decade. There is quite a bit of HL2 in every modern shooter
  2. Aug 8, 2022
    10
    A masterpiece in all of the meanings of this word. You wouldn't believe how many boundaries the game broke when it came out, not only in its genre, but in the game industry as a whole. There's a reason why, as of writing this review, it has a "Must-play" badge on the website. If you told me, back in the day, that the second Half-Life would be even cooler than the first one, which I wasA masterpiece in all of the meanings of this word. You wouldn't believe how many boundaries the game broke when it came out, not only in its genre, but in the game industry as a whole. There's a reason why, as of writing this review, it has a "Must-play" badge on the website. If you told me, back in the day, that the second Half-Life would be even cooler than the first one, which I was already quite the fan of, I'd be pleasantly surprised. I'd even go as far as to say that the Half-Life universe as a whole changed my personality in some ways. So give it a try if you weren't able to in its peek popularity. Expand
  3. Aug 9, 2022
    9
    Amazing game that shaped the entirety of my imagination, and moulded and influenced my entertainment interests for years.
  4. Aug 14, 2022
    10
    This game is the best of all time, my favorite out of the COUNTLESS I mean COUNTLESS Games I've played and even that is an understatement I love this game so much. I have beaten it about 40 times and have over 300 hours on it. Here's a shortened list of reasons why I love it 1. Story: The story in this game is so extensive, deep, and interesting Its great 2. Gameplay: This game is a comboThis game is the best of all time, my favorite out of the COUNTLESS I mean COUNTLESS Games I've played and even that is an understatement I love this game so much. I have beaten it about 40 times and have over 300 hours on it. Here's a shortened list of reasons why I love it 1. Story: The story in this game is so extensive, deep, and interesting Its great 2. Gameplay: This game is a combo of Satisfying, and Fun Gameplay. This Game has stood up for so many years if I could rate it 20/10 I would Expand
  5. Aug 17, 2022
    10
    The best sequel, among other universes and continuations of original stories. Thanks to this game, even more mods and other games have appeared.
    It's still nice to make mods and multiplayer maps for this game.
  6. Aug 25, 2022
    8
    Very good game sticking back to its origins, superb gameplay. Characters and story also next level.
  7. Aug 26, 2022
    10
    The epitome of narrative FPS. It is a masterpiece of the century. The most commendable part of Half-Life 2 is that it's play-only, with no cutscenes.
  8. Aug 27, 2022
    10
    This one game already deserves a 10 without me explaining why. But I am going to anyway. About 4 years ago, I finally got the chance to play Half-Life 2 after being introduced to every other major game/franchise made by Valve when I started my Steam account and the game is really good. After I played through the game, I started noticing how a lot of games take influence from not onlyThis one game already deserves a 10 without me explaining why. But I am going to anyway. About 4 years ago, I finally got the chance to play Half-Life 2 after being introduced to every other major game/franchise made by Valve when I started my Steam account and the game is really good. After I played through the game, I started noticing how a lot of games take influence from not only Half-Life 2 but the game engine made for it, the Source engine. Legit, almost every single thing in modern gaming can be traced back to this game and it's influence it made back when it was released (okay, maybe not the microtransactions but everything else, yeah). I recently played through the game again and I felt the same enjoyment I felt 4 years ago. Sometimes I didn't even need to actually play the game to feel enjoyment, I could just stand around doing nothing and still feel a sense of happiness. Overall, I think this game has withstood the test of time and will continue for years to come. The game does have some issues but for a 1st attempt at a sandbox action game like this, I appreciate what the game sets out to accomplish. In terms of the DLC (or Expansions if you wanna call it that), I think they are good as well. I just wish they didn't cancel the expanded storyline they had setup. Deathmatch and Lost Coast were a bit fun to explore but nothing else to really say. Once you play 5 minutes of both, you'll know everything these two side games have to offer. And I actually went back to play the original Half-Life and that too has some good things going for it (but to be honest I prefer Black Mesa, the unofficial remake of Half-Life but you can still buy it on Steam for $19.99). So yeah, play Half-Life 2 when you get a chance as it will not only serve as a welcome introduction into Steam but also a lot of video games. Anyways, thanks for reading. Peace out. Expand
  9. Sep 4, 2022
    10
    Просто моё почтение 2004 год был хм 17 лет назад, как по мне хорошая графика даже сейчас!, сюжет (ну тут без возражений думаю) Было приятно переиграть вспомнить, осмыслить то что не понимал будучи ребенком (рейвенхольм как был неприятным и пугающем местом так и прошел проверку временем ( как и игра кстати) так таким и остался)
    В завершении думаю и в 2030 будут играть и превозносить шедевр
    Просто моё почтение 2004 год был хм 17 лет назад, как по мне хорошая графика даже сейчас!, сюжет (ну тут без возражений думаю) Было приятно переиграть вспомнить, осмыслить то что не понимал будучи ребенком (рейвенхольм как был неприятным и пугающем местом так и прошел проверку временем ( как и игра кстати) так таким и остался)
    В завершении думаю и в 2030 будут играть и превозносить шедевр на века так сказать!
    А где халва 3? Да и не виар а на PC, и чтоб запомнился еще на 50 лет? Valve? Терпим и ждем!
    Expand
  10. Sep 8, 2022
    9
    Эту игру знают все и у нее все в порядке со всем)
  11. Sep 11, 2022
    10
    The best FPS game in the world, the physics engine, the AI, the action of the game, even the simple puzzles make this game unique in every field. It is a game that can be played even after years.
  12. Sep 19, 2022
    10
    The physics, musics, graohics, ambience, story and characters... man there is nothing bad in this game and sector breaking fps story game
  13. Sep 24, 2022
    10
    This is the best game I've ever played. This game really fits in the Source Engine. Half-Life 2 has a great story. This game has a lot of great mods too such as Entropy Zero 2.
  14. Sep 25, 2022
    9
    If only all single player shooters could be this great. HL2 is the shining gold example of storytelling and game play all fused into the perfect package.
  15. Oct 7, 2022
    10
    I met the game as a student, then I had a weak PC and I missed all the new items that came out for obvious reasons. Well, one day a friend calls me and says "Man, I started playing Half Life 2 yesterday, it was just something to play I assure you you won’t regret it” then I already knew about this game, but my hands didn’t reach to play because of sessions, lessons and so on. But still II met the game as a student, then I had a weak PC and I missed all the new items that came out for obvious reasons. Well, one day a friend calls me and says "Man, I started playing Half Life 2 yesterday, it was just something to play I assure you you won’t regret it” then I already knew about this game, but my hands didn’t reach to play because of sessions, lessons and so on. But still I found time to play it and what do you think is right I was delighted. First of all, the facial animation of the facial expressions of the character is well done in the game, how they move their bodies during the dialogue, how they are sad, happy, experiencing it all done at a good level even after 18 years it looks great. Also, what I really liked was the atmosphere, all these abandoned houses, mines, cities, it all looks very scary. It is especially well shown in the city of Ravenholm, where only zombies and Father Grigory remained from the townspeople. In general, these are all the pluses that are right for me I liked it, yes, I didn’t tell about the plot and weapons for the reason that, firstly, go through the game yourself, and secondly, I have nothing to say about weapons, it’s just good, no more, no less, let’s say the base. In general, I advise everyone to play this game as you like and download it wherever you want, you will not regret it. All the best :) Expand
  16. Oct 7, 2022
    10
    Genre-defining game. The greatest mix of story telling, shooter and exploring. Great physics and AI, graphics for the 2004 was extremely stunning and looking normal even now. Soundtrack is greatly complements the gameplay. Fantastic video game, thank u Valve.
  17. Oct 15, 2022
    10
    Great game. Very long story. Some of the puzzles can be a bit tedious, like the cinder block seesaw, but this can easily be overlooked with how awesome the story and overall shooting throughout the game.
  18. Oct 16, 2022
    10
    its like half life 1 but more, more of everything, the impact and influence of this game is too big, the number of things it influenced and created in itself make this saga in general the grandfather of all of pc gaming
  19. Nov 19, 2022
    10
    This physics based wonder is a great squeal to the 1998 original, and it's expansions. it's story isn't anything to special, but it keeps the great game-play, and with some new stuff added by the, at the time brand new Source Engine. it's combat has it's faults, mostly with the hit scanning combine, but overall this game lives up to the original FPS masterpiece, and still holds up today in 2022.
  20. Nov 17, 2022
    10
    The. Best. FPS. Ever.
    Go to the Steam Store and buy it, immediately! This is masterpiece and it's cheap!
  21. Nov 20, 2022
    10
    Лучшая игра всех времен
    Я только что переиграл Half-Life 2 еще раз около месяца назад. Даже в 2022 году, спустя 16 лет после первого релиза, мне все еще напоминают, почему Half-Life 2 является одним из величайших шутеров от первого лица всех времен. Не самый лучший, но определенно один из них.
    Лучшая игра всех времен
    Я только что переиграл Half-Life 2 еще раз около месяца назад. Даже в 2022 году, спустя 16 лет после первого релиза, мне все еще напоминают, почему Half-Life 2 является одним из величайших шутеров от первого лица всех времен. Не самый лучший, но определенно один из них.
  22. Nov 21, 2022
    10
    One of the best fps games I had ever played like even after more that 15 years it still holds up very well. The gameplay, the puzzles, the story, the characters everything is so god damn good. It still holds up very well to this day. Worth your while if you haven't played it still
  23. Nov 27, 2022
    10
    (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
    ┻━┻ ︵ ヽ(°□°ヽ)

    ┻━┻ ︵ \( °□° )/ ︵ ┻━┻

    ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)

    (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ ┻━┻

    ┬──┬ ¯_(ツ)

    ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ノ︵ ┻━┻

    ┻━┻ ︵ ¯(ツ)/¯ ︵ ┻━┻

    (╯°Д°)╯︵ /(.□ . )

    ʕノ•ᴥ•ʔノ ︵ ┻━┻
  24. Feb 4, 2023
    0
    FPS É UMA MERDA, SHOOTER É UMA MERDA, PRIMEIRA PESSOA É UMA MERDA, SÓ TEM FPS/SHOOTER/PRIMEIRA PESSOA NESSA MERDA
  25. Sep 7, 2023
    10
    Simply the best game I have ever played. The world and atmosphere that Valve as created here is unbelievably unique and remarkably timeless - even today, nearly 2 decades after its release.

    The ripple effects that this game has had on the gaming industry as a whole cannot be understated. Everything from its physics systems, cinematic in-game storytelling, grand-scale set-pieces,
    Simply the best game I have ever played. The world and atmosphere that Valve as created here is unbelievably unique and remarkably timeless - even today, nearly 2 decades after its release.

    The ripple effects that this game has had on the gaming industry as a whole cannot be understated. Everything from its physics systems, cinematic in-game storytelling, grand-scale set-pieces, gunplay, etc. have been copied throughout the years - but never surpassed.

    An absolute masterpiece.
    Expand
  26. Tommy
    Jun 9, 2006
    10
    Just the best first person shooter ever created! It got graphics, action, killing and a really good engine!! Worth every penny!
  27. MitchO.
    Aug 8, 2006
    10
    This game roxorz my boxorz... to say the least. I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game and took breaks frequently to get food and beverage and say to myself, "This game is incredible." Can't wait to play Lost Coast and Episode One.
  28. EthanL.
    Sep 7, 2006
    10
    Best FPS I have ever played without a doubt. No one pay attention to the poor reviews that involve people hating Steam. They say it requires such a high end pc, but mine is definately not that and I can run Steam with ease. I guess they must have aweful computers. The only downside is for gamers who don't have internet (which is about 1 out of 1242567 gamers) since you can only run Best FPS I have ever played without a doubt. No one pay attention to the poor reviews that involve people hating Steam. They say it requires such a high end pc, but mine is definately not that and I can run Steam with ease. I guess they must have aweful computers. The only downside is for gamers who don't have internet (which is about 1 out of 1242567 gamers) since you can only run Steam with internet. Some reviews also complain about bugs, and I have encountered absolutely no bugs that were so bad they ruined the experience, and again, my computer is still nothing special. The multilpayer is awesome with HL2: DM and Counter-Strike and the few mods that are out (and the endless list of mods yet to come). The story is actually quite good (if you can figure out the things that were left out) and the ending, although many might disagree, I think is good. Or at least decent. It ended pretty abrubtly which was disapointing but was made up for from a mysterious speech by the G-Man. The ending, for sure, also falls under the catagory of suspenseful. The somewhat dissapoiting ending is made up for in Half-life 2: Episode 1 though, which you must buy after beating this game. In the end this game is great for any FPS fan and the sequals will probably just get better. Expand
  29. ReisenbichlerE.
    Jan 20, 2007
    8
    This could be one of the greatest Egoshooters ever created, but Valve had the great Idea to punish the gamers (= buyers) with Steam. The Installation took me AGES and I dont get why I couldnt play a singleplayershooter without internetconnection. If it wasnt Half Life 2, I would NEVER pay for a Game that uses Steam and I will not do it again. Why Steam? For gods sake, someone explain this to me!
  30. TeodorIkonomov
    Jun 10, 2007
    10
    The Best Game Ever
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. 100
    Nothing less than a revolution in the gaming industry that will keep gamers busy for years to come, just as the original did.
  2. 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.
  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]