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RUN, THINK, SHOOT, LIVE.

Ah, Half-Life the game that started it all. Such a classic FPS which layed the foundations of many games to come (such as Counter-Strike or Day of Defeat), even getting two expansions (three if you count Decay) a groundbreaking sequel plus two episodic games (which i haven't played as of writing this review lol). We even got a VR game named Half Life: Alyx.

But, does it really hold up in 2023? The quick answer is yes, not because of it's graphics which, let's face it, haven't aged all that well, but because of it's gameplay, storytelling (although not that great in comparison to its sequel) and mechanics which we all know were brand new back in 1998. There was no game like Half-Life before, and there have been many games inspired by it since. It was a milestone of gaming.

I have replayed this game over 30 times in my whole lifetime and i still enjoy it like the first time. However, Half-Life is no perfect game, we all know that it has clear flaws during the later stages, namely Xen, Gonarch's Lair, Interloper (oh god) and the final boss Nihilanth.
To explain this point i actually bothered to rank all chapters and tell you (from my point of view) why some of them work, and why a few don't. I'm not including the Hazard Course, nor Black Mesa Inbound or Anomalous Materials as they are either not a fundamental part of the game or are more story-driven.

Top 8
1. Surface Tension
2. Forget About Freeman!
3. Questionable Ethics
4. We've got Hostiles
5. Office Complex
6. Unforeseen Consequences (Ha! foreshadowing)
7. Lambda Core
8. Power Up

Bottom 8
9. Apprehension
10. On a Rail
11. Blast Pit
12. Residue Processing
15. Nihilanth (Final Chapter)
14. Xen
15. Gonarch's Lair
16. Interloper

Surface Tension is probably the best chapter in the entire game as the entire game was building up towards that moment where you, the player (aka Gordon Freeman) is forced to take on the military alone in order to reach the Lambda Complex. It is well made from start to finish, features some of the most iconic parts of the entire game (for example the canyon), you acquire the RPG which really comes in handy to fight the helicopters alongside the Tau cannon, and ends on a high note with the military being forced to abandon Black Mesa and leave the remaining soldiers who didn't escape on their own (this is further expanded on Opposing Force). The phrase "Forget About Freeman" which names the following chapter is just iconic and sums up the current situation in Black Mesa. The Xen aliens have overrun the facility and not even the military are able to keep up. It's a really good follow-up to a perfect chapter.

Questionable Ethics is also on my top 3 because of the same buildup towards Surface Tension and the storytelling. The player discovers that the scientists have been doing research with Xen creatures long before the Incident which opens up an entirely new can of worms and brings up a lot of questions towards the real motivations behind the research of the Borderworld. You also acquire the Tau (which let's face it, it's one of our favorite guns in the entire game) and Snarks, which really come in handy to ambush and take out the grunts without using much ammo.
These are the same reasons why We've Got Hostiles (which introduces the military as a threat), Office Complex (which continues the build-up of the incident) and Unforseen Consequences (no explanation needed here) are in my top 8. Build-up, storytelling without much dialog and rich gameplay.

Lambda Core however, feels a bit slow in comparison to the previous chapters and it's kinda just there to connect all the previous chapters to the Xen ones (which are lowkey bad). The Gluon Gun is an amazing weapon, but sadly it's limited by how quickly it depletes your ammo and how late you get it, I mostly find myself using it against Alien Grunts and then Gonarch, running out of ammo in the process. Power Up also feels like a chore more than anything, although i still enjoyed it and it was frightening to see the Gargantua for the first time, this is where you know things are slowly heating up (no pun intended).

Don't get me wrong Apprehension, On a Rail and Blast Pit are in no way bad, but they are just not for my taste. Apprehension does get the ninth place because it introduces the Black Ops and it's a good continuation to On a Rail (and ofc Blast Pit and Power Up) which i don't like, nor dislike, for me it's always been kinda there, feels like a pit stop between We've Got Hostiles and Questionable Ethics more than anything, which is why i don't like Power Up that much either.

Blast Pit is a good chapter, the Tentacles are a real threat but after a few gameplays i just find myself trying to run instead of distracting them and slowly walking towards the ladders, which i feel kinda defeats the purpose of them being an obstacle, as you're meant to be stealthy in order to get past them. The chambers are really enjoyable tho, that's why i can't put it much lower than this. It's good, just not great.

Residue Processing however is where i find myself speedrunning the game in order to get to Questionable Ethics as soon as posible. Again, it feels like a roadblock which serves no purpose other than doing a bunch of platforming and recovering a few of your previous weapons.

Xen is where i really start having problems with this game and, more often than not, i end my playthrough after this one. It's way too short, offers little to no challenge after three chapters which were quite intense and action-packed (Surface Tension, Forget About Freeman and Lambda Core). This just doesn't work as a chapter, tho i understand that Valve had little to no time after redoing the game almost from the ground up, so i can kinda forgive them.

But then Gonarch's Lair is just annoying to deal with, you basically end up wasting almost all of your ammo on one stage while trying to avoid the white liquid (please, tell me it's not what i think it is), and being hit by the near-invisible baby headcrabs, then restock on ammo and repeat. Interloper is even worse, feels repetitive, you end up bleeding health and ammo which really makes you feel burned out when you finally reach Nihilanth. I think it's main problem it's how it was designed rather than the concept itself. I like the fact that Vorts are literal slaves to the Nihilanth and how it's expanded upon in Half-Life 2, but i can't bear how the factory part was made. I really want to like it but i just can't.

The Nihilanth battle is the one part of Xen i "kinda like", but being teleported every time... just no. Those chambers feel like an eternity to travel through and they really take you away from the boss fight. I like how it was made in the Black Mesa remake, that's how this battle was really supposed to be.

And then, there was the G-Man, also the end of this review. What can i say, the game have parts where it really shines, others that are just slightly above average, and Xen is just mediocre. If the final chapters were good i would probably give the game a 10/10, but sorry, i just can't, not even blindfolded by nostalgia. Still, this game is a timeless classic that anyone should play. One of my favorite games of all time, without a doubt.
9.5/10

And for the love of god, don't play Half-Life Source like, ever. Play Black Mesa instead.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⣤⣤⣴⣦⣤⣤⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠿⠿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⡿⠛⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣶⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⣴⣿⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⣶⣶⣶⣶⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣿⣿⣦⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⠛⢻⣿⣿⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀ ⠀⢸⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⡇⠀ ⠀⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⠀ ⠀⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⡟⢹⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣹⣿⣿⠀ ⠀⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⠏⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⡿⠀ ⠀⢸⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣿⡿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣿⣷⣤⣤⡆⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⠇⠀ ⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⣄⠀⠀⠾⠿⠿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⡿⠿⠛⠀⣰⣿⣿⡟⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠻⣿⣿⣧⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⠏⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣿⣿⣷⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣴⣾⣿⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ RUN, THINK, SHOOT, LIVE. Ah, Half-Life the game that started it all. Such a classic FPS which layed the foundations of many games to come (such as Counter-Strike or Day of Defeat), even getting two expansions (three if you count Decay) a groundbreaking sequel plus two episodic games (which i haven't played as of writing this review lol). We even got a VR game named Half Life: Alyx. But, does it really hold up in 2023? The quick answer is yes, not because of it's graphics which, let's face it, haven't aged all that well, but because of it's gameplay, storytelling (although not that great in comparison to its sequel) and mechanics which we all know were brand new back in 1998. There was no game like Half-Life before, and there have been many games inspired by it since. It was a milestone of gaming. I have replayed this game over 30 times in my whole lifetime and i still enjoy it like the first time. However, Half-Life is no perfect game, we all know that it has clear flaws during the later stages, namely Xen, Gonarch's Lair, Interloper (oh god) and the final boss Nihilanth. To explain this point i actually bothered to rank all chapters and tell you (from my point of view) why some of them work, and why a few don't. I'm not including the Hazard Course, nor Black Mesa Inbound or Anomalous Materials as they are either not a fundamental part of the game or are more story-driven. Top 8 1. Surface Tension 2. Forget About Freeman! 3. Questionable Ethics 4. We've got Hostiles 5. Office Complex 6. Unforeseen Consequences (Ha! foreshadowing) 7. Lambda Core 8. Power Up Bottom 8 9. Apprehension 10. On a Rail 11. Blast Pit 12. Residue Processing 15. Nihilanth (Final Chapter) 14. Xen 15. Gonarch's Lair 16. Interloper Surface Tension is probably the best chapter in the entire game as the entire game was building up towards that moment where you, the player (aka Gordon Freeman) is forced to take on the military alone in order to reach the Lambda Complex. It is well made from start to finish, features some of the most iconic parts of the entire game (for example the canyon), you acquire the RPG which really comes in handy to fight the helicopters alongside the Tau cannon, and ends on a high note with the military being forced to abandon Black Mesa and leave the remaining soldiers who didn't escape on their own (this is further expanded on Opposing Force). The phrase "Forget About Freeman" which names the following chapter is just iconic and sums up the current situation in Black Mesa. The Xen aliens have overrun the facility and not even the military are able to keep up. It's a really good follow-up to a perfect chapter. Questionable Ethics is also on my top 3 because of the same buildup towards Surface Tension and the storytelling. The player discovers that the scientists have been doing research with Xen creatures long before the Incident which opens up an entirely new can of worms and brings up a lot of questions towards the real motivations behind the research of the Borderworld. You also acquire the Tau (which let's face it, it's one of our favorite guns in the entire game) and Snarks, which really come in handy to ambush and take out the grunts without using much ammo. These are the same reasons why We've Got Hostiles (which introduces the military as a threat), Office Complex (which continues the build-up of the incident) and Unforseen Consequences (no explanation needed here) are in my top 8. Build-up, storytelling without much dialog and rich gameplay. Lambda Core however, feels a bit slow in comparison to the previous chapters and it's kinda just there to connect all the previous chapters to the Xen ones (which are lowkey bad). The Gluon Gun is an amazing weapon, but sadly it's limited by how quickly it depletes your ammo and how late you get it, I mostly find myself using it against Alien Grunts and then Gonarch, running out of ammo in the process. Power Up also feels like a chore more than anything, although i still enjoyed it and it was frightening to see the Gargantua for the first time, this is where you know things are slowly heating up (no pun intended). Don't get me wrong Apprehension, On a Rail and Blast Pit are in no way bad, but they are just not for my taste. Apprehension does get the ninth place because it introduces the Black Ops and it's a good continuation to On a Rail (and ofc Blast Pit and Power Up) which i don't like, nor dislike, for me it's always been kinda there, feels like a pit stop between We've Got Hostiles and Questionable Ethics more than anything, which is why i don't like Power Up that much either. Blast Pit is a good chapter, the Tentacles are a real threat but after a few gameplays i just find myself trying to run instead of distracting them and slowly walking towards the ladders, which i feel kinda defeats the purpose of them being an obstacle, as you're meant to be stealthy in order to get past them. The chambers are really enjoyable tho, that's why i can't put it much lower than this. It's good, just not great. Residue Processing however is where i find myself speedrunning the game in order to get to Questionable Ethics as soon as posible. Again, it feels like a roadblock which serves no purpose other than doing a bunch of platforming and recovering a few of your previous weapons. Xen is where i really start having problems with this game and, more often than not, i end my playthrough after this one. It's way too short, offers little to no challenge after three chapters which were quite intense and action-packed (Surface Tension, Forget About Freeman and Lambda Core). This just doesn't work as a chapter, tho i understand that Valve had little to no time after redoing the game almost from the ground up, so i can kinda forgive them. But then Gonarch's Lair is just annoying to deal with, you basically end up wasting almost all of your ammo on one stage while trying to avoid the white liquid (please, tell me it's not what i think it is), and being hit by the near-invisible baby headcrabs, then restock on ammo and repeat. Interloper is even worse, feels repetitive, you end up bleeding health and ammo which really makes you feel burned out when you finally reach Nihilanth. I think it's main problem it's how it was designed rather than the concept itself. I like the fact that Vorts are literal slaves to the Nihilanth and how it's expanded upon in Half-Life 2, but i can't bear how the factory part was made. I really want to like it but i just can't. The Nihilanth battle is the one part of Xen i "kinda like", but being teleported every time... just no. Those chambers feel like an eternity to travel through and they really take you away from the boss fight. I like how it was made in the Black Mesa remake, that's how this battle was really supposed to be. And then, there was the G-Man, also the end of this review. What can i say, the game have parts where it really shines, others that are just slightly above average, and Xen is just mediocre. If the final chapters were good i would probably give the game a 10/10, but sorry, i just can't, not even blindfolded by nostalgia. Still, this game is a timeless classic that anyone should play. One of my favorite games of all time, without a doubt. 9.5/10 And for the love of god, don't play Half-Life Source like, ever. Play Black Mesa instead.