Half-Life

 PC
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 5680 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,113 out of 5680
  2. Mixed: 349 out of 5680
  3. Negative: 218 out of 5680
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  1. Kirase
    Jan 1, 2012
    10
    The overall package with its brilliant singleplayer, multiplayer and modability were much more than any other game could deliver back in 98. Every aspect of this game was as good as it gets, only unreal managed to have slightly better graphics and music back then. While its basicly technically superior competitor unreal focussed more on mulitplayer games in future, half-life managed toThe overall package with its brilliant singleplayer, multiplayer and modability were much more than any other game could deliver back in 98. Every aspect of this game was as good as it gets, only unreal managed to have slightly better graphics and music back then. While its basicly technically superior competitor unreal focussed more on mulitplayer games in future, half-life managed to succesfully create a new singleplayer univere and keeps it alive till today. This was the start of a flawless series that still keeps million of people hooked.… Expand
  2. Siim112
    Dec 1, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is very good, Graphic is best, the old game of taking. Valve makes good games. It's probably one of the best games I've ever played despite it coming out so long ago. Sorry for my bad english.… Expand
  3. Mouse
    Jan 4, 2012
    9
    PC gamer? You need to play this. Take all the great things that Valve does, like great map design, mood, satire, dark humor, fun humor, emotional pull, good dialog, driving gameplay, award-worthy story telling, guns guns guns, and physics!, and then go back to the roots. Here you are, now go kill some aliens with your PhD, crowbar and shotgun, because you're GORDON FREEMAN.
  4. namDa65
    Jan 17, 2012
    10
    This game is KING . I spent a good chunk of time playing half life, but most of the time was spent playing all of its mods. CS, DOD, Ricochet,Brainbread, HOSTILE INTENT(favourite, wish it wasn't dead) , the trenches, the specialists, natural selection, action half-life, syndicate, afraid of monsters, the trap, sven co-op, and more. Played so many mods , and many of those mods are more funThis game is KING . I spent a good chunk of time playing half life, but most of the time was spent playing all of its mods. CS, DOD, Ricochet,Brainbread, HOSTILE INTENT(favourite, wish it wasn't dead) , the trenches, the specialists, natural selection, action half-life, syndicate, afraid of monsters, the trap, sven co-op, and more. Played so many mods , and many of those mods are more fun than games out today.… Expand
  5. 1AddictedPlayer
    Mar 11, 2012
    9
    For 1998 this is a very good game with great graphics. (For the date.) What I can't stand is the voice acting, which kills me, but yet again it's a VERY old game and this is what old games were like. It deserves a such high score because Valve was a success with this series, and has always been a success. Remember, for the old date of this game, it's a good game. Everyone who is ratingFor 1998 this is a very good game with great graphics. (For the date.) What I can't stand is the voice acting, which kills me, but yet again it's a VERY old game and this is what old games were like. It deserves a such high score because Valve was a success with this series, and has always been a success. Remember, for the old date of this game, it's a good game. Everyone who is rating this down due to it's graphics or sound by a lot, is obviously not a old school gamer and use to good graphics.
    Great game.    … Expand
  6. buddyconnor331
    Jan 23, 2012
    9
    Half Life is an amazing game that has very few flaws. The games mapping is very good and almost every level looks unique and different. Id give that a 9.5. The Graphics for the time were amazing, now days they aren't very special but i'd give them a 10 out of 10 like they were given back in 1998. The sound is really good for the most part, there are a few lines of dialogue from people thatHalf Life is an amazing game that has very few flaws. The games mapping is very good and almost every level looks unique and different. Id give that a 9.5. The Graphics for the time were amazing, now days they aren't very special but i'd give them a 10 out of 10 like they were given back in 1998. The sound is really good for the most part, there are a few lines of dialogue from people that sound to fake, but as for alien howls and guns going off there great. 9.5 out of 10. As for the game play its very good for the most part. The wide variety of enemies from small little headcrabs to soldiers working as a team are great, a few boss fights and platforming sections later in the game bring this score down to a 9.7 out of 10. The final part for my review is the story and what a story it has. While i wont go to deep into a detail about it, here is a small rundown aliens are attacking earth and you need to escape the base black mesa. The best part of this game is its told entirely from the players point of view and there is not a single cut scene in the whole game.… Expand
  7. mcclano
    May 24, 2012
    9
    I downloaded the demo when this first came out with no real expectations and it was one of a kind and insanely good! It looked and played excellent on my 133mhz 16meg ram and 2 meg graphics card computer... The best thing about Half Life was it's unique atmosphere which every element of the game contributed to.
  8. luminites
    Jul 24, 2013
    10
    I first bought this game because I heard so many good things about it that I HAD to see it for myself. The first thing that hit me (playing it in 2013) was the graphics (produced 1998). I laughed a bit at the graphics at the beginning, but I don't think I thought about them again after the 10 minute mark. At all. I became so immersed in the story that I didn't have any spare thoughts toI first bought this game because I heard so many good things about it that I HAD to see it for myself. The first thing that hit me (playing it in 2013) was the graphics (produced 1998). I laughed a bit at the graphics at the beginning, but I don't think I thought about them again after the 10 minute mark. At all. I became so immersed in the story that I didn't have any spare thoughts to give. I launched it expecting to play an hour, but was surprised when 3 o'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten anything! The very next day, I started it up telling myself I wouldn't let that happen again. The story kept my full attention and I had to be called for dinner. At that moment I realized, after making me do nothing but game on that one game all day, two days in a row(which I try never to let happen), that Half Life was exactly what everyone told me it would be. After thinking about it for a bit, I have decided that it is one of the best single-player games I have ever played, if not for but everything other than the graphics (which doesn't even matter, after one stops obsessing over them and remember exactly when it was made).

    One thing that I was really impressed about was the variety of weapons one found. For me, in different situations I liked to whip out Weapon X to confront Guy A and then switch to Weapon Y to finish off Alien B, or altogether stay back and pick them off with Weapon Z. I also impressed with the amount of ammo you get throughout the duration of the game. Half Life seems to give you just enough ammo for Favorite Gun X that you have to pick and choose when you want to use it while still allowing you to use it when you want without fear that you will be left defenseless. I leaves you with exactly enough to get by a point in the game to make you FEEL that you might run out.

    My favorite thing about Half Life is its adrenaline moments. This game keeps you on your feet the entire time. Aliens can teleport in at any time, you walk around a corner and you are assaulted on all sides, an unseen headcrab jumps at your face, something completely unexpected happens. You can never take any little task for granted in this game; if something happens normally a two or three times, its a prime target for some sort of unexpected jump.

    The negative reviews seem to all say the same thing: Bad graphics, how they don't understand the story, and that the character movement is difficult to manage. To enjoy the game, you have to let go of the graphics. Simple as that. If you are one of those guys that won't even touch a game that has bad graphics, you can download Source SDK Base 2007 and the free mod Black Mesa (It is basically the same story, minor changes, newer graphics, but it is not made by Valve nor does it have the end portion of the game). The story is not exactly explained to you like a storyteller is explaining it to you, but instead you have to deduce from what you are asked to do in the game and the results of those actions what exactly is happening. If you did not understand why you did a certain task, I would suggest looking up the chapter you just completed (it says whenever you save on the list of loads which chapter you are on) on the internet. I know I missed at least one thing while playing this game, and it really helps keep the game enjoyable and understandable as you progress. Now, for some reason people are complaining about how hard it is to jump across a pit of *insert miserable object here* or how they can't use ladders, falling to their death in either case. This game does have its very short and subtle moments of parkour, but it is only difficult if you make it difficult. For these moments I can only tell you to jump at the last moment or look around to see if there is another way around/another jumping point. Lastly, the WASD keys are automatically set to a "Run" or "Jog" type of action. To climb down a ladder in real life, you wouldn't RUN down the ladder, would you? There is a "Walk" key--normally bound to SHIFT, where you can approach the ladder as one would in real life; walking carefully and accessing it full on and not an angle.

    After addressing a good 80% of the reviews, lets take a look at the numbers now. As of today, 1826 people thoroughly enjoyed this game. 34 people were pretty OK with this game, but generally had some problems with it. 108 people (80 of which I have addressed) did not like the game at all. That leaves 28 people who just didn't like the game because they were not that into it legitimately (which I can totally accept). 28 out of 1968 people on Metacritic did not like this game for reasons that are unchangeable. If that trend continues for whoever reads this and is wondering if they should get Half Life, you have a 98.577% chance(1940 people who liked the game 1968 total people) of liking this game(rating it 5 or higher) or a 92.785% chance (1826 people 1968 total people) of enjoying this game a lot(rating it a 7 or higher). I'd say those are good odds.    … Expand
  9. Noxious
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    I'm never sure if the people who give games like this 0's are mentally handicapped or trolling. I hope it's the latter. I played half-life 2 in 2006ish. I was 15 years old. I loved Half-life 2. I'm now 22 and I just decided to buy half-life because idk, for whatever reason I just decided I had never played the first one and it was time. It was released in 1998 and I beat this game in 2I'm never sure if the people who give games like this 0's are mentally handicapped or trolling. I hope it's the latter. I played half-life 2 in 2006ish. I was 15 years old. I loved Half-life 2. I'm now 22 and I just decided to buy half-life because idk, for whatever reason I just decided I had never played the first one and it was time. It was released in 1998 and I beat this game in 2 days because it was that good. I couldn't stop playing the campaign. After 15 years of it's release, accounting for generational differences in games, it's a top 5 best game of all time.… Expand
  10. eldarkness
    Feb 27, 2013
    10
    Half life...There are so much adjetives to describe this game but it will take longer than 5000 characters because it not only got some good graphics, animation, argument (a distant feature in fps games) but its got all it can get. A perfect game that will not be forgotten....
  11. ManiGoldo
    Jan 23, 2015
    10
    this game is beautifull, one of the best games ever made great story. All is amazing 10/10 100/100 this game is for pro players (Best game ever). i love half life
  12. Skals
    Jan 8, 2013
    10
    One of the most influential games of all time, not only influencing the first-person genre, but also spawning so many great spin-offs and sequels such as Half-Life 2, Portal, L4D, Team Fortress, Counter-Strike etc.
  13. TheUnbeholden
    Apr 22, 2014
    10
    What Half-Life does well is tell a story through action
    HL has no cutscenes because cutscenes are the opposite of action, they are inaction because it takes control away from the player.
    One of the key features of a "Rail Shooter", go from point a to point b with few diversions & no backtracking. Rail Shooter as in like a train, you always keep moving. Valve knows that backtracking    What Half-Life does well is tell a story through action
    HL has no cutscenes because cutscenes are the opposite of action, they are inaction because it takes control away from the player.

    One of the key features of a "Rail Shooter", go from point a to point b with few diversions & no backtracking.
    Rail Shooter as in like a train, you always keep moving.
    Valve knows that backtracking gets frustrating faster than anything else, and is the most artificial way to enhance difficulty (hell increasing the damage the player takes is a better way if only marginally).
    Valve is also fond of vent crawling and puzzles which I've never seen much appeal in apart from the initial novelty of vent crawling.

    Apart from being very moddable and userfriendly,
    Half-Life also does something incredibly well that has helped modders improve their own skills, and thats level design. Each place in the game looks hand crafted. No copy and pasting of sections or randomization here! It also knows how to be challenging without throwing tons of enemies at you, and thats with good enemy placement as well as knowing when to give the player rewards (weapon/ammo/health placement).

    Its a game designer's poster child, thats what it is.    … Expand
  14. icepepp
    Jan 26, 2013
    10
    One of the mile stones for PC Gaming production. Was one of the best innovative game for it's time - especially for game-play IF, graphic and innovative Map design_ In 1998, was really a big jump that has setted new standards in FPS/Game making at least for subsequent 5 years!
  15. danibuttpirate
    May 1, 2013
    10
    Half-life was and still is a great PC games, although it lacks the graphics, it's still the horror experience that was promised! I enjoyed every bit of it and the chills every time I played through the dark, quite, alien infested environment that gave you surprises lurking around every corner! Now this is what I call an FPS classic!
  16. MasteRR
    May 3, 2013
    10
    Half-Life is one of the best games ever made.

    The action is set in the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility, where the player takes the role of Doctor Gordon Freeman, a Ph. D, MIT Theoretical Physics scientist. So the beginning is nothing really special, but the action itself begins only after the disaster. After being late, Gordon steps in his HEV Suit MK IV, and enters the chamber    Half-Life is one of the best games ever made.

    The action is set in the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility, where the player takes the role of Doctor Gordon Freeman, a Ph. D, MIT Theoretical Physics scientist.
    So the beginning is nothing really special, but the action itself begins only after the disaster.
    After being late, Gordon steps in his HEV Suit MK IV, and enters the chamber where they test a special crystal from a borderworld called Xen.

    During the preparations, the scientist make a mistake by settings the Anti-Mass Spectrometer at 105% causing malfunction, and after inserting the crystal in the spectrometer, everything goes wrong.
    The machine doesn't respond and in the same time numerous alien creatures enter Earth and the facility through outnumbered portals opened during the incident.

    After this Gordon must fight his way outside the facility, which is a hard job after the facility goes infested with aliens, and even more, zombies.

    After seeing the disaster, the Marines are called to ,,clean,, the mess, and destroy the facility. Until the end of the game, Gordon rapidly becomes the prime target for the marines, who now must eliminate him, considering that the mess is only his fault, and eventually temporary captures him.

    During the game, Gordon must solve puzzles, and is also helped on his way by security guards and scientist pinned down in the facility.

    Until the end, Gordon makes his way in a last refuge of the remaining science team, where he finds out that the rocket(that he previously launched) didn't make full effect, and the portals were still kept opened from the other side.

    As I already gave some spoilers, I won't reveal the next parts.

    The game play is just pure awesomeness.

    Gordon uses many real weapons such as mp5, 9mm Glock Pistol, Spas-12 Shotguns and others, to fight his way out the facility.

    The AI is really good, the enemies aren't blindly attacking the player and other suicidal things, and using their own tactics to stop the player.

    The game features some scripted sequences, that makes the game feel more cinematic, but not a ridiculous amount, and just where needed.

    Also the game itself is linear, so there aren't many places you can miss during the game, but there are some, and still, even so, the game feels fluent, and the story doesn't really seem to be forced.

    But even so, the game has a great replay value, and has a real memorable journey.

    The graphics aren't ground-breaking, but even nowadays looks kind of decent, but outdated compared to others.

    The game also features an both integrated, and separate multiplayer(the separate one is called Half-Life: Deathmatch), with no kind of plot, separate from the story, just in the same universe and just for fun, by being able to nuke some maps, where you must get in time inside the protected place to not get killed, but the game can also contain and be played on coop maps, in which you must complete the map's objective, solve puzzles, but also kill enemies here and there to progress.

    Also due to the very friendly engine, the game can be very easily modded, by adding new maps, re-create the original weapons, sounds and more, or even make separate mods from the original game, which led to the creation of one of the biggest modding communities, most notable mods being Sven Co-Op, Black Operations, Life's End, but many many others.

    There game also inspired a re-creation, called Black Mesa, being a total Source recreation of the original game, with same levels, but better physics, and graphics.

    So my final word for the game is that is a masterpiece, with very little flaws(this ones being only bugs and minor glitches), and deserves to be played numerous times.    … Expand
  17. Zeshiro9001
    Jun 3, 2013
    10
    Half-Life is an amazing action game, based around a simple but fun plot. You got aliens, right, but there's a little bit more to it than that. The variety of weapons, enemies, and level design is nothing short of spectacular. There's no chapter that outstays its welcome. It's a really old game now but honestly, the graphics will always be good enough to stand the test of time. You areHalf-Life is an amazing action game, based around a simple but fun plot. You got aliens, right, but there's a little bit more to it than that. The variety of weapons, enemies, and level design is nothing short of spectacular. There's no chapter that outstays its welcome. It's a really old game now but honestly, the graphics will always be good enough to stand the test of time. You are alone most of the time, and the game can be a little scary at times, I was too scared to play it when I was a kid (lol), but it shouldn't be a concern for any grownup. I will admit the last few chapters don't quite hold up to everything else beforehand, but they're still decent; and the conclusion of the game doesn't disappoint, it's quite mysterious (and a cliffhanger). The game is a 10/10 for people like me, but I don't expect everyone to feel the same way, because there's not much story, it's 99% action. Regardless, it's a must-play.… Expand
  18. POSTAL_DUDE
    Jun 7, 2013
    10
    Classic, all I can say is that Valve has brought the world something Magnificent and that sparked off later First Person Shooters such as Halo, Area 51, and even changed how Quake played. Not to mention the numerous mods such as Counter Strike, Team Fortress and Day of Defeat. The graphics were great for it's time, gameplay was fresh and orginial, and to top it all off, it was a gameClassic, all I can say is that Valve has brought the world something Magnificent and that sparked off later First Person Shooters such as Halo, Area 51, and even changed how Quake played. Not to mention the numerous mods such as Counter Strike, Team Fortress and Day of Defeat. The graphics were great for it's time, gameplay was fresh and orginial, and to top it all off, it was a game devolpers very first game. Half-Life cannot be missed by an PC Gamer and is still a must own for 2013, Please people, spend your money on the Half-Life series, support the Valve so they can give us other great titles like this.… Expand
  19. Mrfran512
    Jun 13, 2013
    10
    The best game I've played in my life, I never delve into a character much like Freeman, the story is very good and has something not very common, has no scene that can not interact with someone or something
  20. karatekitte
    Jul 3, 2013
    10
    This game is truly the pinnacle of its time. It flawlessly integrates story, combat and puzzles. I feel it hasn't aged a bit, and is still a brilliant purchase 15 years later. 10/10 would recommend.
  21. Batfan
    Jul 3, 2013
    10
    Half-Life is one of the best games ever made. Immersive and fun. Great story, cool weapons, and good voice acting. An experiment goes wrong causing aliens to wreak havoc on the Black Mesa Facility.
  22. overfiend87
    Aug 7, 2013
    10
    Had incredible fun when I finally got to place this game. First I played the PS2 version but this is FAR better. Intense story line, great controls and bosses that don't die from simply shooting them. This is a FPS where you use your brain.
  23. Urby
    Jun 5, 2014
    10
    Remember back when FPS games were like this? No iron-sights. No objective markers. No endless streams of "terrorists" running at you with their non existent AI? They were good times.

    Half-Life was the most impressive game of it's time and really dropped you into the thick of it. Starting with the moment you step on the tram to head to your lab, to the cataclysmic events that unfold not    Remember back when FPS games were like this? No iron-sights. No objective markers. No endless streams of "terrorists" running at you with their non existent AI? They were good times.

    Half-Life was the most impressive game of it's time and really dropped you into the thick of it. Starting with the moment you step on the tram to head to your lab, to the cataclysmic events that unfold not 30 minutes later, you're there. It's not narrated to you or written on loading screens. Along the way, your colleagues guide you and keep you up to date with the current events. Black Mesa had a real sense of place that you could really sink your teeth into. To top it all off, it fully open source with the tools immediately available for you to get into the thick of it and make your own story?

    People still develop mods for this game today, 15 years later, meaning that the play time is practically limitless.

    Half-Life was and is to this day a groundbreaking game and its greatness is challenged only by it's sequel.    … Expand
  24. Lucif3r
    Feb 5, 2016
    10
    Valves Masterpiece. Instant classic.

    And game that you can actually call an quality game. It offers long playtime. Developers who commit themselves making single player first person shooter experiences, then Half Life is an prime example how its done.
  25. silversurfpunk
    Jan 21, 2014
    10
    This stands as one of my favorite games of all time. It is enthralling as well as challenging. There were a few parts that were really difficult to figure out the puzzle, but once you got it you felt instant gratification. It has a very unique way of telling a story, and if you're not careful you could miss it. Overall I will remember this game with a lot of fond memories.
  26. EdgarAllanFlo
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    This game revolutionized what a single player fps could be. It's packed from start to finish with some of the most enjoyable gameplay in the genre. A true masterpiece in the art.
  27. MisterShmi
    Apr 26, 2014
    10
    this game revolutionized and shaped so much of modern gaming its hard to fathom it. it deserves nothing lower than a perfect score. its dated and a bit derpy now, of course (it came out in 98!) so if youre playing it for the first time now, take it in context of when it was released.
  28. Subject-name
    Nov 27, 2013
    10
    I played this game nearly 15 years after it was released, and compared to today's games, it is truly a great game. Its graphics are still good, even with todays standards, and it keeps you immersed into a sci-fi world where story doesn't have to be thrown in your face for you to keep up with events. Half-Life proves that time does not decide how good a game is, but how the game withstandsI played this game nearly 15 years after it was released, and compared to today's games, it is truly a great game. Its graphics are still good, even with todays standards, and it keeps you immersed into a sci-fi world where story doesn't have to be thrown in your face for you to keep up with events. Half-Life proves that time does not decide how good a game is, but how the game withstands that time, seeing as it is a quality game even today and probably will be one of my top favourite games of all time.… Expand
  29. johnnycruz
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    A great game! Great story line, great characters, what more could you want?! The graphics are bad but remember this game is over a decade old so don't let the graphics fool you. I didn't want to try it out that much because of the graphics but when I did I was hooked.
  30. ThePuffedTufin
    Jan 31, 2014
    10
    This game is what set it all in motion for me, it changed how gaming in the FPS world is done today. I have yet to find a game that even comes close to how much fun I had with Half Life. Not only was the story line engaging and the graphics (for the time) awesome, but it opened up a whole new style of gaming with it's ability to make mods such as TFC. TFC is a completely differentThis game is what set it all in motion for me, it changed how gaming in the FPS world is done today. I have yet to find a game that even comes close to how much fun I had with Half Life. Not only was the story line engaging and the graphics (for the time) awesome, but it opened up a whole new style of gaming with it's ability to make mods such as TFC. TFC is a completely different experience by its own merit, but none of what we have today would be possible without the utter glory that is Half Life. This is a classic and a legend!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 1998
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 1998
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. All Game Guide
    100
    It isn't everyday that you come across a game that totally revolutionizes an entire genre, but Half-Life has done just that.
    Read full review
  2. My Gamer
    94
    The storyline runs in perfect harmony with the action and acts as a conduit not a stopgap, or a padding device. Each gaming element compliments the next and the entire presentation is nothing short of, well…dare we say it…revolutionary.
    Read full review
  3. PC Gamer
    97
    This is The Big One, and it's even better than we could've hoped. [Jan 1999, p.166]
See all critic reviews »