Best Half-Life Games

As scientist Gordon Freeman, you play.Half-Life 2You find yourself after the Black Mesa Incident. You fight horrific creatures to free humanity from the Combine. You meet allies like Alyx Vance. Everyone you meet is amazed you survived.

You have weapons to fight aliens and subhumans. The Gravity Gun, a popular weapon, lets you grab supplies just out of reach.

Half-Life 2Half-Life 2 stays one of the most acclaimed video games. It won at least 35 Game of the Year awards. Nearly every major game reviewer gave it at least a 90% score out of 100. Many gamers consider it one of the best games ever made.

The very firstHalf-LifeYou play as Dr. Gordon Freeman, a recent MIT graduate and Black Mesa employee. An experiment goes wrong, causing dimensional seams to destroy the facility. You must exit the alien-filled building while creatures from another world enter your world.

Several components boost the gaming experience. One mechanic stops the player from seeing or hearing Dr. Freeman. Also, [missing information follows].Half-LifeHalf-Life levels use smaller sections to avoid long loading interruptions.

The game received major success.IGN mentionedthe game is "a tour de force in game design, the definitive single-player game in a first-person shooter."

Episode TwoEpisode Two is the second part of the story started byHalf-Life 2It continues where Episode One left off. Alyx and Gordon begin leaving City 17. A portal storm appears over the ruined Citadel. It opens a path into a mine shaft for you to follow.Episode OneWhen Alyx and Gordon leave City 17, a portal storm appears over the collapsed Citadel ruins. It opens a path into a mine shaft for you to follow.

Most gameplay stays the same. You face two new enemies: the Combine Hunter synth and the Antlion Worker. Both show a new, smart A.I. You must use different combat styles to defeat each one as they appear.

This game may be shorter, but it works well as a follow-up forHalf-Lifefans.IGN statedthe game was "worth the wait." It is a shame the game was canceled.Episode ThreeEpisode Three was canceled.

Opposing Force changes things by making you Corporal Adrian Shephard instead of Gordon Freeman. You go back to the Black Mesa Research Facility for a secret mission, but things quickly go wrong. You soon fight government agents and Xen aliens.Opposing Force mixes things up by casting you as Corporal Adrian Shephard instead of Gordon Freeman. You go back to the Black Mesa Research Facility for a secret mission, but things quickly go wrong. You soon fight government agents and Xen aliens.

The game stands apart from others in the series. It is the onlyHalf-Lifewhere you use night vision instead of a flashlight. It is also the only game in the franchise to give you a rope-climbing mechanic.

Trivia: The game stops if you try to enter Freeman's Xen portal. The game accuses you of rewriting history, giving you this message: "Evaluation terminated: Subject attempted to create a temporal paradox."

The sequel toPortalexpands the universe and adds complex puzzles. You use portals to solve them. Bonus gameplay elements appear. Master the Thermal Discouragement Beam, Aerial Faith Plate, and Mobility Gels to solve everything.

You must complete nine chapters. You start by waking up as Chell and testing chambers. Others wake up too. You fight GLaDOS, who throws everything at you to kill you.

Portal 2IGN gave Portal 2 universal praise. IGN called it a "Portal 2 is a mind-bending marvel." and praised how it gave players an unforgettable experience. Single-player and multiplayer modes show why fans still like the game.

PortalPortal is a first-person shooter and puzzle game. As Chell, you get audio messages from GLaDOS about test chamber experiments. You enter chambers, solve puzzles to survive.

Use the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device to move between rooms. This device creates inter-spatial portals across flat planes. Finish the game to unlock Advanced and Challenge modes. Advanced mode lets you replay the hardest levels, making them even tougher. Challenge mode forces you to beat your best times quickly.

Reviewers at the time loved the game's originality. They also praised the dark humor, especially how GLaDOS is both terrifying and funny.

The first expansion pack forHalf-Life 2The episode lets players see more of this strange world. The episode begins after the events ofHalf-Life 2. The focus shifts to Alyx Vance. You find yourself in the ruined area of City 17.

This game offers upgrades over the original. The Source engine is more complex, allowing better facial animations and dynamic range rendering. The game released withHalf-Life Deathmatch: Source, which also functions as the game's multiplayer.

The game was first planned to be calledHalf-Life 2: Aftermath.The company changed the name toEpisode Onethey planned a trilogy. Unfortunately,Episode ThreeEpisode Three never came out.

Blue ShiftThis is the second expansion pack for.Half-LifeThis expansion puts you back at Black Mesa Research Facility. You play as security guard Barney Calhoun. Your goal: escape the alien invasion the military covers up.

This game adds new areas and levels Black Mesa players did not see. It offers no new enemies or weapons. The campaign is shorter than other expansion packs likeOpposing Force.

Fans can finally experience the world ofHalf-Lifein virtual reality withHalf-Life: AlyxThis game happens five years before the events ofHalf-Life 2You play as 19-year-old Alyx Vance. You travel through the Quarantine Zone outside City 17. Your adventure reveals secrets about the Combine superweapon, "The Vault."

You have weapons from gravity gloves to Xen grenades. Taking out enemies with a vodka bottle is fun because you must move your hands like you have the bottle.

The game earned high praise for its photorealistic environments and superb gameplay. Many noted the game feels like a horror title due to its slow pace and how it makes you explore dark areas.

Similar to otherHalf-LifeThese expansion packs let you go through Black Mesa's turmoil again, but from a new view. You play two characters: Colette Green and Gina Cross.

DecayDecay separates itself from other titles by using separate missions instead of one story. The game was built for co-op; two people can play as Green and Cross at once.

The game stands out because it remains the onlyHalf-Lifegame without an official PC release.

Half-Life 2: DeathmatchThis is a multiplayer first-person shooter. You team up with others to fight for dominance. Defeat all players to earn points. Lose a life, respawn with 100 health but lose all ammo and weapons.

DeathmatchDeathmatch adds fan-favorite weapons from earlier games, like a fragmentation grenade and submachine gun. You can also play Team Deathmatch. The rules are similar, except you are on a team. Work with teammates to beat opponents; the team with the highest score wins.