The game that made Valve skyrocket in sales, and popularity, and thats a good thing too because this game is great. The game is one of the best games i've EVER PLAYED. What's so good about it? EVERYTHING. The story, the graphics, the atmosphere, the controls, and (my favorite) the guns. The Story. You start out with G-Man, your boss so to say, and you walk through security in city 17 until rescued by a friend Barney. There he introduces another character Docter Kleiner, a scientist working on headcrabs. Once barney gets interrupted you are chased by Civil Protection and are saved by Alyx, the daughter of one of kleiner's good friends, Eli.Once you get to Kleiner's lab you figure out you are being teleported to Eli's lab, but Kleiner's pet, Lamar, interrupts your teleportation and makes you go on a crazy journey to get to Eli's on foot. I think i should stop here (for spoilers). Overall story gets a 9/10. The Graphics. WAY better than Half-Life 1... but some people don't like how it looks now because it doesnt look good today. Back then it was great graphics. So i give it an 8/10. The Atmosphere. Valve is good at making games ,like The Half-Life series, feel like an actual alien invasion. give or take a couple of times. Atmosphere gets a 8/10. The Controls. No matter if you are using your keyboard and mouse or a Xbox 360 controller, the way the buttons are put in the right way don't sore your fingers from pushing them so much, and I just like using WASD other than the arrow keys. Controls get an 9/10. Now, finally, The Guns. Wow. Just. Wow. A crowbar, a pistol, a .357 magnum, a gravitygun, a SMG, a combine gun that i forget the name of, a shotgun, a crossbow, grenades, AND A ROCKET LAUNCHER!!! Valve knows how to give their customers what they want. Guns get a 9.5/10. Overall i give Half-Life 2 a 9/10. The Story,The Graphics, The Atmosphere, The Controls, and The Guns, are what makes this game great. Anyway, Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this :D
Later Days!