Are Half-life 2 week of Ars Technica! This Saturday, November 16, marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Half-life 2—a game of historical importance to the artistic medium and technology of computer games. Every day through the 16th we'll publish a new article looking back at the game and its impact.
It's finally time to close one of the most glaring gaps in my gaming history. Despite writing about video games for over a decade and enjoying them for even more, I've never gotten around to playing Half-life 2.
Not only have I not played it, but I've also managed to keep myself in the dark about pretty much everything related to it. I always assumed that one day I would get to play this classic, and I wanted the experience to be as close to 2004 as possible. So my only knowledge about Half-life 2 Before I started this project, 1) the game is set in the same universe as Portala game I love, 2) the silent main character is called Gordon Freeman, and he looks eerily like the silent, bespectacled young Hugh Laurie, and 3) there is something called the Gravity Gun.
That's it. I didn't even know exactly what the Gravity Gun did, just that it existed.
So it's time for me to learn what it's all about. I've cataloged my ready-made responses, as well as my more analytical thoughts about it Half-life 2both as a standalone project and as a catalyst for setting new standards in design. But if you're looking for the TL; DR whether I think the game will hold up is my answer: it depends.
Starting a classic with a bang
A red letter day indeed! Time to experience this iconic piece of video game history. I spend most of the introductory scene at the train station, soaking up the atmosphere of dystopian City 17. But after a few minutes I think I have to sneak past a guard. Because I'm a fugitive trying to escape this crazy Big Brother building, and I swear Barney told me to avoid detection. Instead, the guard immediately sees me and hits me on the head for not throwing a bottle in the trash. Not a promising start.
