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Half-Life 2 turns 21 today.
- Thread starter GrayChild
- Start date
The Cockatrice
I'm retarded?
Hawk The Slayer
Member
I got into Half Life pretty late like during the early 2000s so I thought 21 years would be for the first one but it's actually for Half Life 2 so yeah it's been way too long. Should have gotten Half Life 3 around a decade ago.
Half Life 1 is one of my favorite games of all times with great replay value and some custom campaigns and stories. Always enjoyed the first more than part 2. And really hope some of the cool stuff from part 1 and it's Opposing Force expansion makes it to Half Life 3 somehow.
Half Life 1 is one of my favorite games of all times with great replay value and some custom campaigns and stories. Always enjoyed the first more than part 2. And really hope some of the cool stuff from part 1 and it's Opposing Force expansion makes it to Half Life 3 somehow.
Buggy Loop
Gold Member
I prefer meaningful reasons to make sequels than just milking a cow like the COD series did
Whenever Half Life 3 drops, likely it will change the way games are made for the future.
Laptop1991
Member
Great game, i remember it well, Happy 21st.
Horseganador
Member
Legendary game, I replay it from time to time.
Grildon Tundy
Member
Played it on a Pentium 4 without a dedicated GPU. Low res, low fps, but I didn't know any better. Played around with the console commands & key bindings to adjust the physics on the fly, like having slo-mo ragdoll physics. Good times. I recall quick-saving/quick-loading the part in the drainage canal where the combine officers(?) are up top and drop in with the wooden bridge that blows up and all the exploding barrels over and over.
Senua
Member
Yes, episode 2 is so damn good
Grildon Tundy
Member
The VR mods for Half Life 2 & Eps 1/2 are legit, and reminded me of what it was like to play HL2 back on release. Super polished and up there with Half Life Alyx and Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners 1 as my favorite VR experiences.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Thanks for the "you're this old now" reminder.
MiguelItUp
Member
Happy birthday Ravenholm and Father Grigori. 
Grildon Tundy
Member
This guy got Half Life 2 running on 8MB of VRAM (with custom "optimizations"). It's timestamped to the City 17 intro:
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Happy birthday Ravenholm and Father Grigori.
Legendary level of the game. Probably my favourite.
Except the fast, screaming head-crab zombies. Fuck them.
GamesDontSuck
Member
Cant belive its been 21 years.
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MiguelItUp
Member
I'll always remember grabbing the buzzsaws from the wall with the gravity gun and using them against the zombies. The shit they did with physics back then was so mind blowing, lol.
LavitzSlambert
Member
I remember seeing the initial previews of this, and playing the Ravenholm demo at 20fps on low settings and thinking a more impressive game could never be made.
willothedog
Member
21, 2+1=3, Half Life 3 is a dead cert.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
That was level where you first get the gravity gun. The whole area is designed for you to use the grav gun only, picking up buzzsaw blades, barrels, tables, fan blades etc.
Masterful game design.
If HL3 is real, I can't wait to see what they do to top HL2.
LQX
Member
The reveal, the leaks. Everything added to one of the best experiences and time I have ever had in gaming. I even bought that worthless collectors edition. HL2 still impresses me to this day. I want to play it again but holding out to see if it gets another visual upgrade.
Also, crazy to think that in 2025 a game like HL2 might be considered "Woke" just because of Alex, but even back then some tried to mod her into Adriana Lima.
Also, crazy to think that in 2025 a game like HL2 might be considered "Woke" just because of Alex, but even back then some tried to mod her into Adriana Lima.
kittoo
Cretinously credulous
Man the memories. Had just started college and had just gotten into gaming. This and Doom 3 were my jam. Played on shitty laptop with like 10FPS and it still felt super amazing. Mustve played it like 10 times over the years. My favorite game of all time. Time sure flies.
JimmyRustler
Member
Man, now I do feel old.
Remember putting together my first custom rig for the big 3 PC blockbuster of the early 00s - Far Cry, Doom 3 and HL2. Half Life was a bit funny for me. Bought the CE with the first one which I didn't know at that time. Play HL Source first, loved it. Then played HL2 a was super disappointed. Just never clicked with me.
Remember putting together my first custom rig for the big 3 PC blockbuster of the early 00s - Far Cry, Doom 3 and HL2. Half Life was a bit funny for me. Bought the CE with the first one which I didn't know at that time. Play HL Source first, loved it. Then played HL2 a was super disappointed. Just never clicked with me.
Magic Carpet
Gold Member
I remember downloading the leaked level with the boat on the water. It was the first time I got to see a game with good physics. Seeing the boat move around in the water.
Before that it was all about the noodle arm in Trespasser dino game.
Bought the giant boxed edition that included a T-shirt that I still have in the closet. Box is on a shelf in storage somewhere, I can't remember what else was in that big box.
Before that it was all about the noodle arm in Trespasser dino game.
Bought the giant boxed edition that included a T-shirt that I still have in the closet. Box is on a shelf in storage somewhere, I can't remember what else was in that big box.
KenaiPhoenix
Member
One of the best FPS ever made
I still have my CDs
I still have my CDs
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
Probably the game I replayed the most in my life including the episodes. It just never feels old, gameplay is fluid. I remember buying it for $50, having a shitty graphics card and having to download like 2GB preload on Steam which I waited for like hours and hours to finish. I also saw Raising the Bar book but I didnt have money to buy both. Now its a rarity and expensive. They said they are gonna republish it but its been a year since that announcement and still nothing. Oh and I made a shrine for it with 2 scented candles before I installed the game. Unfortunately the photo was uploaded on photobucket and they nuked everyones files when they went subscription service.
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kutthoat5150
Member
Got my first gaming PC with a ATI 9800 XT just to play this. Don't think I've ever been or will ever be that excited for a game before watching the first HL2 tech demos. BF3 and Crysis came close but HL2 just felt like a huge step up at the time from what we had on PC.
Pasta la Vista
Member
One of the goats, I used to actually play the mp a lot.
Moses85
Member
ZehDon
Member
The jump from Half-life 1 to Half-Life 2 was pretty massive. It's really hard to explain it to those who weren't there to see it. Sure, Valve moved away from the emergent AI of the first game, and stepped into the overly scripted "cinematic gameplay" that's gripped the industry ever since, but it took over for a reason - it produces some incredible gaming moments when done correctly. It's a great game.
