Half-Life²

Valve, 2004
PC/Xbox/Xbox360/PS3
Level of Difficulty: 4

ESRB Rating: M

1UPs: If you didn't know anything about the first Half-Life, you're going to be okay. The second game does a decent job of telling you everything you need to know. Gameplay is solid, with nice puzzles added into it (you don't normally see as rich of a puzzle in a First-Person Shooter) to make the game unique. The experience of Gordon Freeman's world is what will pull you in here. You get scared at what feels like the "right" moments, you have weapons ranging from normal to extra-terrestrial, and there's just enough challenge to keep you interested.

Goombas: There could be a bit more balance with the A.I. enemies. Although you can see implications of organization in what you're told are dominant enemy soldiers, they'll sometimes just charge right at you. This is harder when you first start out, but as you get more powerful weapons, things just don't seem fair. Also, at times when main characters are addressing you, you sometimes have no clue where they're coming from because you're so engrossed in the action. A little direction and focus on specific parts of the story seem necessary.

Rent or Buy: Buy
Price: $20 (The Orange Box)