Despite the updated look of the game (shadows, lighting, etc) being its main point of intrigue, my principal interest was the community commentary - and while I'm only partway in, it's already quite enjoyable to explore and listen to. The various commentators read their parts well, with subtitles to go along with them, placed along the levels to bring insight and information to things you'll either remember from your previous playthroughs of the game or things you never noticed before. If you're interested in the Half-Life lore or the development of the game, I'd recommend this Update just for the commentary alone. The updated engine tweaks like lighting, fog, and bugfixes are a great cherry on the top too. Plus it's free - all you need to have is Half-Life 2 on your account, and if you don't, you're probably not going to be interested in this Update anyway.

Despite the updated look of the game (shadows, lighting, etc) being its main point of intrigue, my principal interest was the community commentary - and while I'm only partway in, it's already quite enjoyable to explore and listen to. The various commentators read their parts well, with subtitles to go along with them, placed along the levels to bring insight and information to things you'll either remember from your previous playthroughs of the game or things you never noticed before. If you're interested in the Half-Life lore or the development of the game, I'd recommend this Update just for the commentary alone. The updated engine tweaks like lighting, fog, and bugfixes are a great cherry on the top too. Plus it's free - all you need to have is Half-Life 2 on your account, and if you don't, you're probably not going to be interested in this Update anyway.