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:

Some of the gas pumps are Swedish. Instead of "total sale" it says "summa" and there is the Swedish currency "krona". "Volume" is "volym" and it's measured in liters in stead of gallons.

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:

Featured in Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards (2003) (TV)

Sequel to the 2nd most important FPS of all time...

The most important, of course, being Doom I. But while ID has stagnated by creating the same game over and over with new window dressing (Doom, Doom II, Quake I, QII, QIII, Wolfenstein, Doom III... all the same game!), Valve has advanced the genre in ways that really matter. The first Half Life was limited by Valve having the resources only to modify the current Quake II engine technology. However, they outdid all others in that class through remarkable game-play and storytelling. Wonderful immersive ideas, tempered with a disciplined approach to avoid allowing the game to get too unbalanced (the jumping puzzles in Xen wasn't THAT hard!). Half Life 2, however, has it's own Source Engine, enhanced by Havok (object physics) technology. There are other games which utilize Havok to success (psi ops and Max Payne 2 come to mind), but Valve has taken the technology for a never-before-seen spin. The gravity gun... my god the gravity gun. It's hard to describe the indescribable joy of wielding such a wonderful toy. You would really have to play it for yourself to understand. So do yourself a favor. I love the Half Life games even though I'm not even into Counterstrike or Team Fortress. It's the storytelling, the creativity of the puzzles and going toe to toe with the AI soldiers that gets me. And don't believe the hype, the story is very understated and good. Unlike some games where you get 20 sides of the story and know what's going on even if your character doesn't, HL2 lives up to the FIRST PERSON Shooter ideal. You know what your character, Gordon Freeman, knows. So, you will not understand the whole story of the combine by the end of HL2. I guess the story would have gotten more acclaim if they gave away everything at once from all perspectives (hey, why not have clips of evil guys talking and laughing maniacally?) just like Empire Strikes Back would have been better if it ended with a genetic parental test instead of leaving everyone hanging. <---Yes, that is sarcasm.

In closing, don't believe the B.S. about the game crashing. If you have a stable system, it will run 10 times better than that crappy Doom III. Unlike Doom III, HL2 was actually finished when they said it was. Enjoy this wonderful game for yourself... again and again. There is something for everyone here: exceptional graphics, fun game-play, and a showcase of the best game-play engine currently in existence.