[sebasmurphy]

HL2 is probably my favorite game of all time. Also worth noting that HL1 looks dated as hell now and Its probably worth paying for and playing Black-Mesa instead. Only thing you'll miss is Xen which is a just a tiny fraction of the original campaign.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_(video_game)

[pklem]

They actually recently finished Xen! It's different from the original, but I think the overall consensus is that it's better than the original. (No more awkward fps platforming)

[nothis]

IMO vanilla Half-Life 1 is still amazing. Every gun, every enemy has a unique idea to them and requires you playing differently. HL2 kinda streamlined that aspect in favor of “cinematic” presentation which was built around a graphical wow-factor that’s hard to replicate today. HL1’s gameplay is still fresh. In fact, because it was in development for (over?!) 10 years, Black Mesa suffers from a similar “1,5-generations behind” vibe, visually.

[Aardwolf]

I loved HL2 as well, though I found the start of the game a bit linear, almost rail-shooter-ish (in fact even with actual narrow enclosed train rails, and vehicles that moved linearly). But that improved drastically mid game and beyond and in the next episodes :)

Just such a shame episode 2 ended with a cliffhanger that never got fulfilled, as almost everyone knows

[robohoe]

At this point Half Life 3 became a running joke :)

[tsanummy]

Xen is already out for Black Mesa

[RandomOpinion]

Black Mesa is beautifully done but combat is not as well balanced as the original game; there are odd spikes in difficulty at certain points that will have you cursing.

Players new to the series would be better served by playing the original Half-Life than Black Mesa.

[nineumbrellas]

Xen is out and it is fantastic. I was 13 when it was announced and it was worth the wait. Enjoy :)

[city41]

I play through HL2 and the episodes every couple of years or so. It never gets old. It truly is one of the greatest games ever made.

My handle is a reference to the HL universe :)

[unixhero]

Second