I began with Half-Life 2 with eternally playing it's demo as a child on a long since lost Steam account. NPC battles, exploration, I did a lot with the limited materials I had, and it's what got me into messing with console commands, and really cemented my adoration for Half-Life as a franchise. I've played retail a little less if memory serves me right, though mostly that is due to Half-Life 2's massive modding scene.

Half-Life 2 had a troubled development, and just like the first game had a leak of it's beta back in the day (which I adore, I'm admittedly an enthusiast for it's beta.) We got to see what it could have been, and what it became, but all the same Half-Life 2 has continued to improve on the things Half-Life 1 pioneered, or helped push along, but the thing it really pushed to the limelight was the physics capabilities of the Source Engine. This same focus is what spawned my most played game, Garry's Mod.

Half-Life 2 is a shining example of early 2000s gaming greatness that continues to strive, inspire, and help others create. The Source Engine, made for Half-Life 2, is still in use to this day, with the most recent example I know of being Apex Legends, running off a heavily modified version of the engine.

Half-Life 2 is a must for any FPS fan, new or old, curious or just passing on their way to parts unknown.

"Nothing will ever be the same." - Game Informer