The atmosphere the game creates is testament to the Valve of old that made great single-player experiences.ĭuring livestreams the game would repeatedly make me squeal with surprise and fear when enemies jumped out at me. The dark sections were probably some of the most tense I’ve played in any game, as sometimes you would see nothing but dead bodies leaving your mind to wander, sometimes zombies and so on.

The varied locations, ranging from an open-world style game where you’re driving a buggy and you’re able to get out and look around at any point, to dark and gloomy caves filled with creepy crawlies where light plays an important role in the immersion. Half-Life 2 has such varied gameplay and some really fun enemies, it’s quite surprising given how old the game is. I can see where so many games, even games still coming out, take some inspiration from. The amount of effort that was actually put into this game is mind blowing when it opens up some more. Once you get past that - wow, the game truly does start to come together. While it was fun for sure, the start felt like it lacked a bigger push. The first hour or two didn’t really hook me in. What an incredible all-around experience Half-Life 2 truly is. If you haven’t seen it already and fancy a laugh, check out the video Samsai stuck together showing off some of my fails during the livestreams. It's also perfection on Linux, I didn't encounter a single issue during my entire play-through which is incredible. It makes an old game look sharper, shinier and just better overall. I felt that was the best way to experience an older title with maximum possible enjoyment.

It’s the exact same game in terms of story, but with improved visuals and some bug fixes.

I played through using the Half-Life 2: Update standalone mod which arrived on Steam last year. Still, I wanted to see what all the fuss is about and why people want Half-Life 3 so badly, so I powered through the entirety of Half-Life 2 during a few livestreams. Although, let’s be fair, it’s only been ~3 years since it released on Linux and I have had a lot of other games to keep up with. Yes, ~13 years after release I have finally finished it. With all the games we have on Linux now, let’s not forget some of the defining classics like Half-Life 2 which I have finally finished.

Half life 2 turret