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Half-Life 2 (2004)

Valve

Android · Linux · Mac · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 3 · Xbox · Xbox 360

4.43 from 7563 ratings · #37 top rated on Grouvee

17520 members have it in their collection · 345 playing now · 4875 backlogged · 1381 wish listed

How long? Main story 15h · with extras 48h · 100% 28h (from 95 logged playthroughs)

1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. NOW. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.

Details

Developers
Valve
Publishers
Electronic Arts, NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios, Sierra Entertainment, Valve
Genres
Shooter
Themes
Action, Horror, Science fiction
Franchises
Half-Life
Series
Half-Life
Event
Xbox E3 2005 Press Conference
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • Nov 16, 2004 (Full Release) (North_America) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Nov 16, 2004 (Full Release) (Europe) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Nov 15, 2005 (Full Release) (North_America) Xbox
  • Nov 18, 2005 (Full Release) (Europe) Xbox
  • Dec 02, 2005 (Full Release) (Japan) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Oct 09, 2007 (Full Release) (Asia) Xbox 360
  • Oct 10, 2007 (Full Release) (North_America) Xbox 360
  • Oct 19, 2007 (Full Release) (Europe) Xbox 360
  • Oct 25, 2007 (Full Release) (Australia) Xbox 360
  • Dec 11, 2007 (Full Release) (Asia) PlayStation 3
  • Dec 11, 2007 (Full Release) (North_America) PlayStation 3
  • Dec 14, 2007 (Full Release) (Europe) PlayStation 3
  • Dec 20, 2007 (Full Release) (Australia) PlayStation 3
  • May 22, 2008 (Full Release) (Japan) Xbox 360
  • May 26, 2010 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Mac
  • May 09, 2013 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Linux
  • May 12, 2014 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Android

Related

Bundled in

Editions

Standalone expansions

Updates

Ports

Featured in lists

Gamestar Magazine's 300 best PC games of all time by Human_Traffic · 300 games · 5
Game of the Year: 1985-2025 by anarchistica · 40 games · 3
/myFAV.GAMES/ by Enrico · 38 games · 2
My Absolute Favorite Video Games by universe1701 · 31 games · 1
Finalizados o jugados suficiente para convalidar by gorka182 · 138 games · 1
watched by maksunchik · 86 games · 0

Rating distribution

5 stars
4476
4 stars
2103
3 stars
782
2 stars
173
1 star
29

Community All Reviews Statuses

Gunkaloo

Review Gunkaloo 4/5 · Feb 22, 2024

I still hate the head crabs in the "monster closets"

Just finished Half life 2. Boy that ended quickly. Pretty easy ending. Once you were in the citidel nothing was tough. I think I'd give it a 8.5/10, which is what I have the first one at. Pretty much a straight-up shooter, with really good graphics and an ok storyline. Did I miss something on the storyline? I expected a …

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Just finished Half life 2. Boy that ended quickly. Pretty easy ending. Once you were in the citidel nothing was tough. I think I'd give it a 8.5/10, which is what I have the first one at. Pretty much a straight-up shooter, with really good graphics and an ok storyline. Did I miss something on the storyline? I expected a lot more. Frankly, I just kept killing until I won. What happened? I think the combine showed up. (who are they? aliens?) Breen worked with them to prevent death. Then he became their puppet? Then Mr. Smith at the end says. You are up for more. Other than the boat and buggy rides the rest was just a shooter. I like the gravity gun, but it was not very useful against most enemies. The thing you were shooting was in the way. I like the sniper arrow but was always afraid I would be out of ammo. It was nice that it killed everyone instantly. Thus I was down to the pulse rifle or the shotgun depending on the outdoor vs. indoor situation. Don't get me wrong, I liked the game. Worth the $23 , but not $55 or all the hype. I still hate the head crabs in the "monster closets"

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Strawhat

Review Strawhat 5/5 · Oct 23, 2023

9.5/10 - Exceptional

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STORY-DRIVEN FPS - Gordon Freeman is brought out from stasis and wakes up in dystopian City 17, where the oppressive Combine rules. It's up to Freeman to once again liberate humanity from alien oppression.

PROS:

++ Improved gameplay. Overall gameplay felt much smoother and more satisfying than HL 1. For example, platforming, gunplay, and even weapon management.

++ Lore. The …

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enter image description here

STORY-DRIVEN FPS - Gordon Freeman is brought out from stasis and wakes up in dystopian City 17, where the oppressive Combine rules. It's up to Freeman to once again liberate humanity from alien oppression.

PROS:

++ Improved gameplay. Overall gameplay felt much smoother and more satisfying than HL 1. For example, platforming, gunplay, and even weapon management.

++ Lore. The world they've built is incredibly interesting.

++ Great atmosphere. Amazing atmosphere throughout the game, especially in Ravenholm.

++ Level diversity. Gameplay was thrilling since the game kept throwing new things into the mix, and I feel that the entire adventure was well-paced.

++ Physics. New physics system is fun to play with, especially when the Gravity Gun is acquired.

++ Aged well. Graphics aged like fine wine.

CONS:

-- Wonky AI. Friendly AI often still got in the way, blocking doors and pathways.

-- Weak characters. The world may be interesting, but I'm not incredibly attached to any of the characters. I'm not the biggest fan of silent protagonists.

-- Drawn-out vehicle sections. Both vehicle sections felt a little drawn out, specifically the driving section.

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SinAndPunish

Review SinAndPunish 5/5 · Dec 8, 2022

A timeless piece of art.

When people ask “Are Video Games Art?” My mind immediately goes to Half-Life 2. 18 years later and this game still continues to wow me with it’s still polished graphics, amazing story, gameplay, and interactivity make it a glorious piece of art. This game will never get old for me and I’m not saying what hasn’t been said already. If …

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When people ask “Are Video Games Art?” My mind immediately goes to Half-Life 2. 18 years later and this game still continues to wow me with it’s still polished graphics, amazing story, gameplay, and interactivity make it a glorious piece of art. This game will never get old for me and I’m not saying what hasn’t been said already. If you haven’t played this masterpiece, you haven’t played a true video game.

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V1CGaming

Review V1CGaming 5/5 · Jul 16, 2020

Awesome!

An all time classic. Even after playing through Half-Life 2 many times, I still get a lot of fun out of playing it. Almost everything about the game is top notch: the levels, characters, music, sound and graphical style. The game's physics were at the time unheard of and still even today are quite good in how you can use …

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An all time classic. Even after playing through Half-Life 2 many times, I still get a lot of fun out of playing it. Almost everything about the game is top notch: the levels, characters, music, sound and graphical style. The game's physics were at the time unheard of and still even today are quite good in how you can use the gravity gun to pick up and throw objects at enemies and to solve puzzles. As you play, you will see the characters develop and you will start to care about them and how they interact. The whole game being a long continuous level is also really cool as you can clearly see how the whole game links together. If I were to nitpick the game, the vehicle sections are a little too long, especially the car levels, but this is just a minor complaint really. If you haven't played this where have you been?

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LinkToTheTrees

Review LinkToTheTrees 4/5 · Mar 17, 2020

Great Involving Gameplay with an Intriguing Story.

So a lot of hype was of course built upon this game before I finally actually gave it a go. And coming out of it I can say that it definitely deserves praise, especially for the time it was released. The gameplay is very enjoyable and makes combat a blast to get through. When I found myself using the larger, …

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So a lot of hype was of course built upon this game before I finally actually gave it a go. And coming out of it I can say that it definitely deserves praise, especially for the time it was released. The gameplay is very enjoyable and makes combat a blast to get through. When I found myself using the larger, more powerful weapons it felt very empowering. And the episode with the antlions, and controlling them, was very enjoyable, and the amount of combat possibilities stops it from becoming stale. The physics, as praised amongst Half Life 2's best features, is very responsive, and gives the game a rather unique feel in certain aspects, compared to other games of the time and of now. The last two episodes were when gameplay and story came together in a brilliant way, making for a greatly engaging and empowering finale. Lastly, the atmosphere design for the different episodes was a highlight, even if sometimes the combat overshadowed this (i.e. in Ravenholm).

Overall it was a great experience which felt unique in its way enough to stand out as a highlight amongst many others.

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