Half-Life 2 three years on.


In a couple of months time it will be 3 years since Half-Life 2 was
released. The time has passed quickly but it doesn't feel as if too
many games have been released in that period.

Looking back over those 3 years, I can't think of a single Action or
FPS game that has matched it. Come to think of it, apart from STALKER
and Dark Messiah:Might and Magic I can't think of any games in that
time that have really excited me and made me think "this is a game
I'll always remember playing".

For me, I think the best Action/FPS to come out since then is Quake 4.
I would love to include FEAR in the same category, but I just can't.
The overriding memory of that game is one of repetitive environments
that left me unable to play it for more than half an hour at a time.

So, once again, we have a game set in the Half-Life universe that, in
my opinion, is the game for all other developers to aim to beat. It is
my opinion that prior to HL2, no game was as good all round as
Half-Life.

The only games I can honestly say will stick in my memory (for the
right reasons) since HL2 was released are:

Quake 4

The Chronicles of Rid***: Escape from Butcher Bay

Dark Messiah: Might and Magic

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Prey

The Mark (forgive my sense of humour, I'm British)



There might be others that I've forgotten, but I bet you could count
them of the fingers of one hand. I've deliberately left off HL2 Ep1
because it's a mission pack rather than a full game.

So, is the Half-Life franchise just that good? Or are the rest of the
bunch just mediocre at best? What is it about Half-Life that makes it
so appealing to so very many people?

--
Rob
.