Half-Life 2 (2004) (VG)

User Rating:

9.7/10   

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)

Directed by
David Speyrer

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Marc Laidlaw		writer

Produced by
Gabe Newell	....	producer

Original Music by
Kelly Bailey

Art Department
Dhabih Eng	....	lead artist

Animation Department
Miles Estes	....	animator

Casting Department
Teri Fiddleman	....	casting voice
Shana Landsburg	....	casting voice

Production Companies

• Valve

Distributors

• Sierra Studios (worldwide)

Other Companies

• ATI Technologies Inc.  special thanks
• Dell Computers  special thanks
• L.A. Studios, The  voice recording
• Pure Voice  voice recording
• Softimage  special thanks

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:

Many gamers were frustrated when they learned that they would have to activate the title through Valve's "Steam" game distribution system (by registering an account and entering the game's CD key) before they could play, as an anti-piracy measure. When game was released, there were so many attempts to sign on to accomplish this process that the system slowed down dramatically, occasionally resulting in lengthy delays before the game could be played.

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)

Best game ever-period

This game sucks you in and doesn't let go. Every detail has been attended too. See those barrels, that look like they can be moved? Guess what-THEY CAN BE!

The physics engine is nothing short of brilliant. Everything acts as you would expect in the real world.

The facial animations are great, as are the amazing textures (you'll wonder around with your flash light every time you find a new texture to explore).

The game play is fast and fun, but still has puzzles like the original.

I don't know what game these cranks are talking about, but from what I understand they do not know enough to get rid of graphic card specific problems and thus didn't like the game. The problem is their rig, drivers, or setting, not HL2. Plus, HL2 doesn't even have that high a system requirements. It runs better than doom 3 but looks far better.

verdict: **** (four stars out of four)