Half-Life

     Wolfenstien 3D started the first person shooter revolution. Wolfenstien 3D begot DOOM. DOOM begot Quake. And Quake begot Half-Life. Half-Life represents the top of the climax (so far) in the first person shooter genre. All the other first person shooters out there such as Quake, SiN, and Blood all have their good and bad points. Half-Life, on the other hand, is nearly perfect. Quality in each category (graphics, sound, level design, plot, gameplay) is evenly distributed. This makes it so that the graphics will not be all hyped up and the level design is poor as seen in various games. The graphics are fantastic. When you talk to a guard or scientist standing nearby, they actually move their mouth with the words. Many other games don't go into such detail. Each level is a new challenge. Many have puzzles you have to solve along the way in order to pass. It is interesting how you can play during the introduction. The ride in the tram demonstrates some of Half-Life's amazing graphics.

     By far, this game has one of the best plots I have seen. It has a unique and imaginative storyline. You are a theoretial physicist named Gordan Freeman, who is working in a top-secret government facility called the Black Mesa Facility. When an experiment goes wrong, it opens a gateway into an unknown dimension, which is inhabited by alien beings. The aliens start to appear throughout the facility, and you embark on a trek for the surface in order to call for help. All you are armored with is a Hazardous Environmental (HEV) suit, which gives or extends your abilities and protects you from environmental hazards.

     It really starts cooking when you get to the surface. The military is here! That's good right? Uhh... not exactly. They're here to wipe out the aliens alright, but they are also here to take out all survivors that may be infected by aliens as well. Now you have two opposing forces against you, both who would like to see you dead. The weapons in Half-Life are, without a doubt, some of the coolest and best there are. The AI can be freaky at times and send chills down your spine. The AI might not have the highest IQ, but at the same time are not some do-do-brains. Each aliens have unique behaviors and characteristics that make them who they are (monsters). The marines you meet at the surface are a great example of AI intelligence in Half-Life. They actually work together. They will lay down and cover each other, flank you, and use grenades to flush you out. No matter how long you play the game it will never get old (until you beat it). There will always be something new round the corner, whether bad or worse. The marines and aliens aren't always after you, though. There are points in the game where the two forces are at each other's throats and that supplies just enough distraction (for both the evil aliens and the demented marines who are out to get survivors like you) to allow you to slip past unnoticed.

     This game will give you the gaming thrill of your lifetime. It's a great game packed into roughly half a gig. If you can spare the space, this is definitely the game to get.