Half-Life 2 is a very good game

Today I learned that I really should try to keep up with the times. Half-Life 2 came out, what, over 3 years ago, and I only got around to playing it now.

And it's the best computer game I've ever played.

Don't get me wrong, there's something special about the Grand Theft Auto series -- those are some good games -- but they're uneven. For me, the fun of those games comes from just driving around and doing stuff. The actual scripted game, in all its pseudo-non-linearity, is secondary.

But this Half-Life 2...it's completely linear, but I love that about it. It works because the whole thing is so cinematic, it's like participating in a movie. A really good movie that's full of action, suspense, surprises...it's awesome.

The level design is out of this world. I just can't believe how well designed this game is. And although it's linear in that there's only one way through, it doesn't feel that way a lot of the time because of how much is happening. Many times you want to stop and admire what's going on around you, but you can't because people are chasing you and the adrenaline's pumping and you just have to keep going.

The puzzles are also excellent. Tricky, but not frustrating. There's always enough clues to work out what needs to be done. Always enough health and ammo, but not too much that you're not constantly worried about running out. A good assortment of enemies that increase in difficulty enough that it never gets boring.

So many games just get boring out of repetition, and try to increase difficulty by making the badguys annoyingly difficult to fight or by throwing a crapload at you all at once. Half-Life 2 manages to avoid this, and that's wonderful.

The innovation of the "gravity gun" opens up a whole bunch of possibilities for puzzles and obstacles. You can pick things up at a distance with the gravity gun and bring them to you. Then you can either drop them, or hurl them away. Or you can shoot a pulse of energy against something nearby to smash it/hurl it. Simple mechanics, but man, they can be used so many creative ways.

And it plays smoothly, looks simply incredible (even with the graphics turned down on my antique machine), and the audio is terrific too. Really great voice acting, with a top notch script too. Good music. Good ambient sound.

There a vehicles too, and unlike most games of this type that have vehicles, they don't suck. They're fun, challenging but not frustrating, and add a really vibrant element to the game's story as well as the gameplay itself.

There's just nothing to complain about with this game, except that it took me over three years to play it, and after it there are two more sequel chapters to play.

People have been telling me to play this game for years; I'm glad I finally listened to them.