XBOX Review: Half Life 2 (2005)

If nothing else, Half Life 2 demonstrates the strength of what an exclusively single player shooter can be. It is pretty much universally acclaimed, as it should be. It is an engrossing first person sci-fi experience with a (still) advanced physics engine. It may begin a bit slowly; the long sections of dialogue are probably the worst part about this game. Luckily, they don't happen that often, but they can't be skipped. I don't find myself paying much attention to them anyway, as I couldn't make sense of it when I tried (that's what Wikipedia is for). I felt like I knew all I needed to know: there is an oppressive police state and I have a crowbar. The player is taken on quite a journey, first escaping the city through the canal system, then commandeering a hovercraft to provide transportation to a rebel base, to another secret lab where the indubitably fun gravity gun is obtained, to a zombie-infested ghost town, and so forth. Each level seems unique; no where does the game feel repetitive. I found this wide array of challenges to be ever amusing (except for perhaps a specific battle with two gun ships) and all done well (indeed, there are no annoying half-hearted attempts at adding stealth scenarios). Added to the mix are a variety of puzzles that rely on the realistic physics of the engine. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they nearly always find the right balance of not being overly obvious as well as not requiring a visit to the web to figure them out. Puzzles such as these aren't often seen in first-person shooters, but they work well here. In addition, each level seems to build on the last (both in terms of the story and the tension); you obtain distinctly new and different weapons, operate new vehicles with unique characteristics, and encounter new enemies that require special tactics to combat on your way to your final goal. This is definitely not like other FPS games where it is an exercise in entering an environment, shooting everyone, and moving to the next room. Rather, it is a steady progression towards the climax, which was really quite satisfying. If there is a major cost to having it be exclusively single player, it is the unfortunate fact that there is no co-op option. Games this good should be enjoyed together with someone else. As well, there is no multiplayer, not even offline. While some may see this as outdated, I see it as the best FPS experience I've had since the release of Timesplitters: Future Perfect. For the prices it can be had today, I won't hesitate to say that you can't afford to not give this game at least one play through.