My Web Shrine to Half-Life

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Half-Life is a first-person shooter game developed by Valve Corporation and published in 1998. It was inspired by other FPS's such as Doom and Quake. Half-Life's engine GoldSrc is, in fact, a modified version of the Quake engine. However, Half-Life is considered one of the most innovative games of its time because of its focus on story and realism. Where Doom and Quake were less about story and more about gunning things down (which is still incredibly entertaining), Half-Life wove the story into its gameplay. Also a deviation from other FPS's is Half-Life's player character, Doctor Gordon Freeman, a physicist and MIT graduate with a PhD. Unlike supersoldier-space-marine type protagonists, Gordon Freeman has never fired a gun before in his life.

The game opens when Doctor Freeman arrives to work one morning, at the Black Mesa Research Facility, a decommissioned Cold War missile launch site turned underground laboratory, located in the New Mexico desert. After an experiment goes horribly wrong, aliens arrive seemingly out of nowhere and wreak havoc on the facility. Gordon must escape Black Mesa or die. He has nothing but his wits, his resourcefulness, and a protective Hazardous Environment Suit (also developed by Black Mesa scientists).

Because of its intended gameplay style, Half-Life initially confused some players and still does to this day. People were used to Doom's style of running in, guns blazing. But when the player sees the world through the eyes of Gordon Freeman, a scientist rather than an action hero, they must be resourceful. This especially shines through in the game's many puzzles and its wide variety of weapons. Some weapons are stronger than others, but they all have their purpose throughout the game. You don't stop using the pistol once you pick up a shotgun. There are no cut scenes, allowing the player to infer what is going on as they traverse the many corridors and rooms of the Black Mesa Research Facility. What made the experiment go wrong? Where did the aliens come from and why are they here? What exactly was the purpose of the experiment and the larger project surrounding it? Who is the real enemy here? Some answers are revealed but they almost always lead to more questions and are rarely, if ever, clear cut.

Half Life is widely acclaimed and is considered one of the greatest games of all time. It has been praised for its immersive environment, its expert use of sound design by composer Kelly Bailey, as well as its story by writer Marc Laidlaw— a science fiction novelist. Due to its widespread popularity, Half-Life was modded by numerous fans. Some of the most notable mods are They Hunger developed by Neil Manke of Black Widow Games, and Team Fortress which Valve took under its wing and developed into the insanely popular multiplayer game, Team Fortress 2. Counter Strike also started out as a Half-Life mod.

There are numerous expansions of Half-Life, such as Half-Life: Blue Shift, Half-Life: Opposing Force, and Half-Life: Decay, developed by Gearbox. There are also numerous sequels such as Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, and the newest installment, Half-Life: Alyx, a VR game. As for my humble opinion on Half-Life 3, I think it will happen, possibly in your lifetime.

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background credit to Valve.