Down time: Half Life 2

 

Long-time members of the blawgosphere may recall me previously talking about my penchant for the fantastic first person shooter, Half Life – over which I became totally obsessed and very nearly lost my mind in the summer of 2001.

Skip forwards nearly 10 years and I’ve finally, finally managed to get around to playing the equally fantastic sequel, Half Life 2. I don’t get much time for gaming but I have the odd flurry of activity amusing myself with aging racing titles. Half Life 2 was released in 2004 and I remember gearing up to play it back then. Alas it never happened but I guess it’s better late than never.

In short, Half Life 2 is fantastic and I’m itching to begin Half Life 2 Episode 1 - (I snagged a bargain on Amazon and bought the Orange Box). Even my GF’s had a go at shooting the hell out of the Combine’s Civil Protection dudes and the Overwatch, not to mention a shedload of zombies!! I’ve virtually finished it for the second time, playing during odd moments at weekends. I’ve definitely found HL2 much less claustrophobic and oppressive than being stuck in Black Mesa in the original Half Life. The bottom line: HL2 is an incredibly immersive and stimulating game.

And talking of stimulation, isn’t Alyx Vance quite the gun-wielding, fiery hussy, flirting with Gordon at every opportunity, even while her father was in mortal danger. Some girls are just like that I guess.