Half-Life 2

Half Life 2, (the sequel to the amazingly popular Half Life) is simply extraordinary. It's clear from the start that Valve have pulled out all the stops, resulting in a well polished game that's graphically spectacular. The level of detail that has gone into the NPCs (Non Playable Characters) is also impressive. When an NPC is approached and spoken to, there is warmth and feeling behind the facial expressions. A lot of effort clearly has gone into the voice aspects of the game, resulting in emotions like fear, anxiety, excitement and depression clearly coming through.

	It's time for you to once again take up your submachine gun and take out all the foes threatening humanity.

Once again, the character of Gordon Freeman is assumed by the player. Several years have passed since the Black Mesa incident that the original Half Life was centered around, and Gordon Freeman has been called into action by the enigmatic G-Man to aid in the resistance of the Combine, (an alien force that have invaded and conquered the Earth) and the puppet human administration, headed by Dr. Breen (a former colleague from Gordon's Black Mesa days). The game begins with Gordon Freeman on a train that is about to arrive in City 17. City 17 appears to have suffered the effects of neglect and is now more like a Warsaw-style ghetto, however this time around, it is all of mankind that is suffering from the oppressive administration of Dr. Breen and his sadistic security forces (which are akin to the KGB and Gestapo). Valve has done a superb job in capturing the atmosphere of this miserable and depressing city, however there isn't much time to admire the scenery as you're thrust quickly into the resistance scene.

	The graphics in Half-Life 2 are simply stunning to behold, and the level of immersion is unmatched.

In the very early stages, the game play essentially involves making your way through City 17 to meet up with other members of the resistance. From there, you're reunited with the hazard suit and your first weapon - the trusty crow bar. Other weapons are collected along the way as you progress through the game and Valve have added a few new weapons which can be acquired - such as the anti-gravity gun, which has all sorts of applications in and out of combat, and you'll spend a lot of time tinkering around with it. It's just as useful for picking up and hurling objects at an enemy as it is for solving any number of puzzles in the game. Once you've acquired the hazard suit, the game settles in to familiar territory for those who have played Half Life and other first person shooter style games, and the game becomes a continual battle against police, Combine forces and various creatures. There are no cut scenes to disrupt game play, with each level being broken up into sections. Half Life 2 uses a checkpoint style system of automatically saving the game, often before encounters with opponents. This allows the player to not worry about having to interrupt the game play to save. Should Gordon Freeman meet an untimely death, the game can be continued from the last checkpoint. Alternatively, the game can be saved manually, which subsequently interrupts game play.

	The "bug bait" is one of the three new weapons in the game, and one of the most unique, because it allows you to control ant lions.

Another aspect of the game that's worth noting is the use of vehicles that can be driven by the player. Most of these involve traveling at high speeds down a narrow road or channel, while avoiding various opponents and obstacles. The obstacles require the player to exit the vehicle and solve a puzzle in order to proceed. This can make you feel rather disjointed, as just when you're hurtling along, you may come to a screaming halt and have to figure out how to open a gate or find some way to continue traveling along at excessive speed.

The game's AI is a little disappointing. At first, opponents will duck for cover and peep out to return fire. Eventually, however, they'll decide that a charge is in order and after a few well aimed shots, your opponents will be no more. Many of the opponents don't offer much of a challenge, but there are a few more fearsome and difficult to kill opponents, such as the Ant Lions, who will chase you continuously until you've dealt with them - whilst depleting your supply of ammunition at the same time.

	Counter-Strike: Source updates the popular online game with Half-Life 2's graphics engine, making an already good game even better.

The physics engine that Valve use in the game is another component that contributes to the overall feeling of as close to reality as a game gets. When a gunship or strider is hit with an RPG, it visibly vibrates from the impact. Objects when picked up and thrown behave as you would expect - heavier objects are thrown less distance, whilst light objects fall to earth in a smooth curve. You'll soon discover that objects in the environment can be used against you - there's nothing that zombies like more than to hurl a metal barrel in your direction. However, you can use the gravity gun to hurl objects about, or even to pick things up and use them as a shield.

Valve have also included Counter-Strike: Source with Half Life 2. Counter-Strike: Source is an updated version of the original Counter-Strike, which makes a few tweaks and brings the graphics in line with Valve's new Source engine, but otherwise it keeps everything else the same. It would have been nice to see a multiplayer option of Half Life 2 which incorporated both the physics engine and the Half Life 2 weapons. This was the case in the original Half Life game.

Whilst Half Life 2 does very little that's new, Valve has produced a product that is very well polished. The combination of Half Life 2 with the online aspects of Counter-Strike: Source results in a product that is enticing to those who like first player shooter style games and those who prefer online first player shooters.