Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

Headcrabs, barnacles, zombified scientists, soldiers, and a man in a hazard suit. It can only be valves infamous "Half Life".

When I first played this game on the pc I didn't have a clue what to do. I didn't even to one action sequence. But my first thought was "brilliant". After that, I never saw that game again. But when I found it for ps2 in gamestop, my first instinct was to buy it. And that's just what I did.

I never looked back from that moment because I knew that was one of the best buys I would ever make. And for good reason. Half Life involves a complex storyline which slowly reveals itself and, to be honest, I still wouldn't be able to explain it fully.

The game starts with Gordon Freeman riding a tram to the test chamber in Sector C in Black Mesa. You view the full ride in first person view, as this game is strictly a first person game.

Your first weapon is a crowbar, and is probably the most useful in the whole game. You soon acquire more weapons, all of which serve a huge purpose. Getting a head shot with the cross bow is really satisfying.

The save system is different from almost every game out there. You create the checkpoints yourself with the quick save option, and if you die you start there again. When you save the game you save it exactly where you are, which is really great.

The game is massive and will take you a while to finish, but it all feels very rewarding. The end boss was really amazing, even just to look at.

The games difficulties all vary the game quite big. On a harder difficulty, the enemies become stronger, you can take less damage, and the power ups provide smaller benefits.

This game also comes with an extra game, Half Life Decay. You play as doctors Gina Cross and Collette Green. It's really a two player game and provides more of a back-story. It isn't as good as Half Life itself, but still worth playing.

My favourite feature of Half Life on ps2 is the mouse and keyboard compatibility. If you plug them in to the USB ports on the front of your ps2 you can play the game like that. Who would have thought that would be possible? Genius.