The gravity gun is the most enjoyable toy in the game. Sure, it doubles as a weapon in that you can fling any movable object at foes with a deadly effect, but its prime function is to entertain the player. The primary fire will blast any movable object away off into the distance while the secondary mode will attract any relevant object, right up onto the tip of the gun. Flinging the many barrels, chairs, tables and other bits of scenery around is a great joy. The paint cans are especially fun, as each time they are hurled at a surface they will leave a splash of white paint as evidence. You can even pick up barrels to use as mobile cover and I was most impressed that all of this movable scenery never piled up in a way that left me stuck. Often the attractive properties of the Gravity Gun can be used to fetch ammo and health from dangerous or difficult to reach places and there are a few puzzles which require its assistance to complete. It's hard to stress just how impressive to behold and important to the game's verisimilitude the physics engine is. Strip it away and 2 would be half the game it is.

There's so much more in Half-Life 2 that deserves comment, but by now you will either be itching to go and get the game for yourself or will have fallen asleep, head resting on your keyboard. So I'll be brief. The sound effects are great; with a 5.1 system you could easily be in a Hollywood film. Even without, the resonance of the sounds and the perfectly timed introduction of the spatial ensure that Half-Life is a perfectly judged sonic experience. Little details like the geysers of dust that indicate missed rounds and the level indicators on the health and energy dispensers are obvious labours of love. The sheer number of memorable set-pieces is something else to rave about. Nova Prospekt, a shootout around a lighthouse, thrilling crossing underneath a bridge and the entire Ravenholm chapter were for me the standout parts of a game chock full of standout parts. And while the game is shockingly linear and devoid of both the wide-open spaces that made Far cry so compelling and the fearful frights that made DOOM 3 so wicked there are more exceptional segments in this game then any I care to think of. So it's of minor annoyance that the loading times are long, and frequent. It's not a showstopper by any means but it could have been better. I would have liked to have a lean-round corner function. Gordon can now sprint for a short period of time, useful in some of the platform situations and very handy when you bottle it in the face of a massive onslaught. There are also a number of minor bugs still present in the code and a (very) few instances of rough edges that will have you cursing out loud. As may the delivery system. This was a massive issue when the game was first released and although it has calmed down much by now, there are still plenty of problems. Such as those experienced by your reviewer who had five different credit cards refused. Setting up a new Steam account solved this problem, somewhat oddly.

By the time the credits roll on Half-Life 2 - for me this came after almost 20 hours - the player will find they have more questions then they did at the beginning a precious few answers to anything that they experienced during the game. This leaves the way open not just for number 3 but it also allows the imagination to run riot. Still, this gamer would have preferred a more conclusive ending to all the action. Leave the story open, but give me some sort of resolution to the actual game I had been playing.

An ephemeral and controversial ending, along with the few described above, means that for me, Half-Life 2, while a compelling and highly enjoyable game, falls short of the size of impact that the first title had on the gaming world. Half-Life 2 is a highly refined title which any gamer would struggle to be disappointed with. However, it seems were unable to replicate the coup they pulled off five years ago. I'm reminded of a certain sci-fi series made by someone with the initials G.L. His newest creations have been technical marvels but they have not heralded the same paradigm shift in the way his chosen media is perceived by end users. And while the hype machine must also take some of the blame for raising impossible expectations, I feel Half-Life 2 is unlikely to have either the same revolutionary effect on game design that its predecessor did nor is it likely to be so fondly remembered by gamers five years down the line.

Again, I am not saying that Half-Life 2 is anything less than a wonderfully produced and highly enjoyable piece of entertainment. I am however, sadly, saying that Valve have been unable to repeat the scale of their previous level of achievement. So even though this review is littered with superlatives and enthusiastic gushing I still found myself slightly underwhelmed by the time it was all over. It is with a tinge of regret at opportunities unfulfilled that I look forward to getting home this evening and starting a new game of Half-Life 2. The best first-person adventure game with guns the world has yet to see.

95%

By Sam Gibson