A battle you can't win...
When Half-Life came out in 1998, it changed the entire First Person Shooter genre. The amazing story telling, lots of great scripted events, and just very fun shooting and puzzle elements made Half-Life stand out from the rest, and carve out a new direction for FPSs. So how does Half-Life hold up with genre expectations in 2009? Great.
You control Gordon Freeman, a freshly graduated theoretical physicist. The game begins with a tram session that everyone who has played Half-Life remembers. The tram ride takes Gordon through the Black Mesa Research Facility, and his stop is at the Anomalous Materials Lab. Soon after, you get your H.E.V suit, which acts as Gordon's, “second skin.†Gordon's task for the day is to help out some more senior scientists with an experiment involving a mysterious crystal. His job is to push the cart with the crystal into the analysis beam. The crystal opens a portal between Earth and the alien world known as Xen. Bad guys come out of the portal, and it's now your job to save the Black Mesa Research Facility, and anyone else along the way.
The story is presented in what some might call the definition of FPS. The game is ENTIRELY in first person. There is not one moment where you are not in the body of the character throughout the game. This makes for a very unique experience, and I have not come across any like this since. Half-Life is a very well paced game, always making smooth transitions from shooting to platforming, puzzle, and story elements.
Shooting feels like any other FPS shooter should; fun and satisfying. This game was made before regenerating health was all the rage, so when you clear out a room full of dudes and end up with like ten health points left, you feel like you accomplished something. All the fire fights take place between you and a small group of enemies, so it never feels like you are overwhelmed. There are times when you will walk beside a larger battle happening, between like ten marines and a few of the really big aliens. They're fun to watch, but you're going to want to run away, since once they're finished with themselves, they'll aim for you.
Platforming and puzzles are also regular guests to the experience. You will on many occasions need to make tight jumps (if you miss, thank god for quick save). These parts don't really subtract from the experience, since their placement is actually thought out and not just, “HEY, CHECK OUT WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE ENGINE. GRAVITY!†For instance, in the beginning chapters of the game, there is a part where the bridge is blown out. So what are you to do? Well, there are some pipes on the wall. Probably should use those to get to the other side. The non-platforming puzzles are okay too. What stands in the way of them being great is the pathfinding of NPCs. They will kind of run behind you, but you will really need to hold their hand if they are to get to their objective of opening a door through retinal scan or pass key.
The game looked up to snuff with the other games coming out to 1998; if not better. Half-Life used Valve's first proprietary engine, Gold Src, which was a heavily modded Quake 2 engine. The background textures look appropriately bland; you are running around in a laboratory after all. When you enter Xen, the engine's lighting effects really shine (GET IT?). There are a lot more colors present in Xen, because which human wants purple lights?
The animation of what Gordon holds is really great; he'll be reloading and adjusting his grip really smoothly. The enemies and NPCs don't really move that great. All the scientists walk like they got a tiny stick up their ass (not a pole like in Driver 2). Also, when you throw a grenade or shoot a rocket to kill some stuff, for some reason, the stuff you just killed slowly fades out. I'm quite sure they could've done a blood splatter or something instead of the fading out.
The sound in the game is really great also. All the characters in the game have voice overs, but it seems like there is literally two people who are doing the voice overs, and every second person sounds the same. The marines will chatter between themselves, and also inform each other whenever there's movement. The vortigaunts will grunt and snort, and the sound of them charging up their attack is rather good. The music doesn't play all the time, but when it does, it's great. The soundtrack consists of ambient music that cues up at parts where you are exploring, and there is a faster, more electronica inspired half to the soundtrack that plays when you are fighting something important.
Half-Life came out in 1998, and it is still one of the most played games (along with its many mods) on the internet. Even though the game's story has no real significant connection with Half-Life 2, it will never be forgotten. From the tram ride, to the meeting with the G-Man, Half-Life is a great game that should not be missed by anyone who has access to a mouse and keyboard.