Half-Life
When I first saw Half-Life, I have to admit, I was a little optimistic. I mean, a thinking shooter? A good, thinking shooter? No way... But then I actually started to play the game. I played Half-Life for 13 hours straight. That's right, 13 hours. And trust me, the only reason I stopped was because I had to pee...
Get out of Black Mesa Alive!
The game starts off in a rather interesting manner. You are on what looks like a tram, and you are going through the Black Mesa Research Facility. Once your ride stops, you are let off into the complex, and eventually wind up in a testing room with two scientists. Once they start their experiment (they are experimenting on you) something goes horribly wrong, and you see visions of aliens and creatures. You then get back to reality and discover reality is not that real at all. The scientists are dead, and so is almost everybody in the complex. The place is infested with mutant creatures, and it is up to you to get out alive. I'm not going to tell you anymore, because its good to find out by yourself. But enough said: the plot rocks.
Monsters that are Fun to Kill
The monsters you kill in the game are totally cool. Some make weird noises, and others just throw slime infested balls at you. I liked a level when I was wading through a water way, and I was suddenly sucked up into the air by a mutant stuck on the ceiling with a really long tongue. After a few bits of bashing with my crowbar, however, this problem was solved. In every level you will meet new creatures, but most of them will repeat. You won't get tired of them.
Using NPCs to Your Advantage
There are a ton of NPCs spread out around the facility, so you will be able to get help when you need it.
You can ask a scientist to help you open a door to a restricted area, or you can get a security guard to help you kill some mutants for some great CO-OP play. A lot of scientists get afraid at the opening of fire, so they are often hard to follow into combat. You must kill your enemies first to make the path clear for them, then they will help you through your quest. Guards on the other hand, will walk right into combat with you; and even help you kill some of those annoying little jumping things.
Getting the Right Weapons at the Right Time
The weapons in the game are great. You start out with a crowbar that you ransacked from a dead guard. You then move on to a pistol, a machine gun, and then more interesting guns like a crossbow, RPG, gauss gun, an MP5, the trip mine, and gun turrets. The game gives you the right weapons at the right time, so you won't feel like you are getting everything at once or getting nothing when you need it. Starting out with the crowbar is extremely cool, because it makes you feel like you are using your available resources just to survive.
Technical Aspects are Fine
The AI of your enemies and friendlies is great. They will respond to all of your actions, and creatures will plan smart attacks on you. The graphics in the game are nice, but not the best I have seen. All the maps are detailed and provide a ton of things to look at. The sound in the game is also very good, adding a nice sense to the atmosphere.
Multiplayer Nothing Special
Multiplayer in the game is nice, but it is very empty. The single player version really is the bulk of the game, and multiplayer could have been improved to make it more innovating like the single player part.
Overall
Overall, Half-Life definitely gave me a solid 13 hour gaming experience, and I am going to be spending a lot more time with it.