efore The Matrix, there was another famous tale of a nihilistic, dystopian future: the world of the original Half-Life. After many years of development—including the well-known theft of the game manufacturer's code—Half-Life 2 has emerged.
In the game's opening scene, the main character—a scientist and resistance fighter named Gordon Freeman—is dropped into a burned-out shell of a city. Guards stand ready with electrified nightsticks for anyone who steps out of line. A beaming, beneficent overlord speaks from glowing billboards, welcoming new residents and explaining why the alien takeover was a good thing. Pacing in front of the train station's arrival and departure boards, a muttering citizen has been driven crazy by the pressure.
The aliens have come, and, with the help of some sympathetic humans, they've set up a containment center—your new home. Gordon doesn't speak, but he manages to meet up with his old friends and comrades anyway.
After some initial training, Gordon receives his armored suit. From then on, the game is a traditional single-player, first-person shooter. Throughout, players must keep an eye out for spray-painted signs (resembling the anarchist's A-within-a-circle) that lead Gordon through the "underground railroad" or to the next meetup point. While the gameplay strongly resembles the original Half-Life, the sequel has other new additions, including vehicles.
The game's plot is intricate and likely to be of interest to SF fans, especially to any Philip K. Dick aficionados or anyone a little less trustful of "intelligence gathering" than the rest of the general population. The theme of the game permeates every level, from the apartment buildings without doors—handy for police-state peeping—to the passing conversations of the people Gordon meets, all of whom are cowed into subservience to the state's will.
A fully immersive world
It's possible that there's never been a game as cinematic as Half-Life 2. Playing the game is like wandering through a fantastic, open-ended film. With multiple speakers, sounds come from every corner. The professor's lab lights up with instruments, and bulletin boards flash notices players are likely to see only in passing. With incredible attention to detail, the makers of Half-Life 2 have created a fully immersive world.
This leads to the only possible drawback to Half-Life 2: its utter and complete creepiness. To some, this is an obvious bonus, but in a game this sophisticated, it could lead to seriously vivid real-world nightmares. This is not a game to play in a dark room late at night by yourself, unless you want to be freaked out by every little otherwise innocent squeak and noise that comes from your hallway.
To build tension, the game makers haven't resorted to that cheesy jump-out-at-you technique so many horror game manufacturers employ. Instead, you'll wind up tense and nervous, scanning the skies for any kind of clue to tell you how to get away from the gunfire or up and over a platform—all the while avoiding aliens whose sticky goo drips down across your path. The game's pacing is flawless. Oh, and that "soccer ball" you were planning to toss to distract the tentacled fiends? That's a human head.
Half-Life 2 assumes you can take it. It's a game that compliments its audience, assuming you'll figure out how to fight your way to the next zone without much instruction. Rarely has there been a game that feels so wide open while still being somewhat linear. Wandering through an underground duct, trying to find a way out of the city, and reaching each new environment feels like a real achievement—a gold star for intelligence. It's a fantastic feeling, created by game developers who obviously enjoy the dark, anti-authoritarian world they've built.
While I haven't finished the game myself, I've been told by a friend that he could do it in 20 hours. It's not the longest-playing game, and it has little replayability, but the hours you spend will be memorable (if terrifying) ones.
—Jennifer
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