Recent reviews by Integrity Gamer

The game that not only re-revolutionized the FPS genre, but simultaneously launched PC gaming's first digital storefront - the Valve Money Printing Machine we know today as STEAM.

Everybody's seen the headlines and praise surrounding HL2: "Winner of over 50 GOTY Awards" "Game of the Decade" "Best PC Game Ever", and nominated for countless other awards. Half-Life 2's development was long, overbudget, and even had a very public leak via hackers. Ultimately, HL2 not only exceeded fan's expectations but even eclipsed what the original game accomplished. Since it's release 20 years ago, HL2's innovations remain so influential that there's scarcely been an FPS released since that hasn't taken something from this genre-defining behemoth.

Having preordered HL2 at an EB Games and played it at launch 20 years ago, it was a revelation; A game featuring a gripping narrative, accompanied by mesmerizing visuals, stunning environments, along with a dynamic and atmospheric soundtrack, offering the perfect backdrop for HL2's visceral combat, wide variety of enemies, puzzle solving, immersive physics, and level exploration.

From the memorable opening sequence featuring the return of the series' enigmatic, G-Man delivering a now iconic speech in his cryptic cadence "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mister Freeman. Wake up and... smell the ashes..." to the feverish crescendo of the game's finale, you feel as though you've lived through a memorable, Homer-esque epic. HL2 does so much and does it so well; from driving sequences, to physics puzzles, and at a pace that perfectly oscillates between quiet moments of scenic travel and exploration to unrelenting and frenetic, high-paced combat. There's never a moment where I felt disconnected from the experience.

Recently, I've purchased a new 1TB OLED Steam deck and dock from Valve, and I honestly can't remember the last time I was this excited over a hardware purchase. Consequently, I've been going through my Steam Library and installing a lot of my old favorites from gaming's yesteryear. One such title being Half-Life 2. I've started a new playthrough (my most recent since 2018) and ironically on the 20th Anniversary of the game's launch. I'm currently 5.5 hours in and I feel more appreciative of this game and the time in which it is was created - long before gaming devolved into endless remakes, reboots, and becoming simple vessels for recurring revenue streams. Before microtransactions, battle passes, and cut content was sold as on disc DLC. Back before Q&A teams were made up of anonymous, unpaid internet beta testers. When Developers and Publishers couldn't afford to release a title in Alpha and fix it with "guidance from the community", post launch. When games were more than a series of systems designed to keep you playing because you were addicted and not because you were genuinely having fun and enjoying the experience. When the dopamine release felt genuine and not like the result of an obvious Pavlonian-esque manipulation. When gaming was wonder and escapism and not a state-funded tool for ideological indoctrination, social engineering, pandering and political activism. I miss those days.

In closing, after 20 years, HL2 has aged remarkably well. The game's dedicated community ensure that it's a title which is sure to live on and enjoyed by countless others in the future. Vavle's recent weighty 20th Anniversary update featuring bux fixes, enhancements including 3.5 hours of developer commentary and a unification of HL2 and it's two subsequent episodes. Half-Life 2 is still arguably not only the Best FPS of All-Time, but one of the Greatest Video Games of All-time, irrespective of genre. I feel confident in saying that I'll be replaying Half-Life 2 periodically until my dying day.

Anybody who considers themselves a "gamer" or "gaming journalist" should not go without playing through this masterpiece at least once.