Half-Life 2, Ep1, Ep2 Review

Released in November 2004, Half-Life 2 was developed by Valve Corporation and follows the events of the 1998 game Half-Life. The game is a first person shooter and follows the scientist Gordon Freeman waking up after the events of Black Mesa only to find the world has been taken over by the aliens that appeared in the first game. Humans are being oppressed in small cities controlled by the empire known as the Combine. It is up to Gordon Freeman to save humanity and take down the combine.

"Welcome to city 17" form the opening words of this game which captures your imagination and continues to do so through the entire series. There were also episodes one and two that continue on from Half-Life 2 and they are just as good as Half-Life 2. In the game Gordon wears a suit called a HEV Suit. This suit acts like a shield against various elements in the game such as radioactive water and bullets etc. and can be charged using charging stations on some walls. There are also health packs to collect in order to restore your health. Ammo is in the form of crates you destroy to collect and there are quite a few different weapons available in the game. The game was made using Valves Source engine. The graphics are a bit outdated today but on the highest settings looks good. The game also works on Windows 10. 
There are many different levels in Half-Life 2. From urban centres to dark and scary abandoned towns. There are levels where you speed through canals and dodge bombs dropped by helicopters and different vehicles to control through the game. There are plenty of puzzles and they are not too hard. 
In the game you meet a bunch of interesting characters - the most important one being Alyx, the daughter of one of the scientists from the first game. Most of the game is played by yourself but there are some levels where Alyx helps you. 
One interesting weapon Gordon has is the gravity gun. This device can pick up or pull an item from a distance and throw it at an enemy.
The game is not that linear, meaning you can explore around a bit as well but not as much as an open world game.

This is a great journey from the start, through episode 1 and 2.
If I rated this game a few years ago I would give it a 9.5/10. 
Today I would give it a 9/10.