Half-Life 2 (Xbox, 2005)

The first person shooter genre hasn't thrilled me since the original Quake. Each "new" version was a slightly slicker substitute for the original Doom. That is, until Half-Life came along.

Half-Life was the most fun I had playing a computer game since the early days of DOS games migrating to Windows. It had such a unique premise, and rarely seemed repetitive or cumbersome, or overly frustrating, like virtually every other shooter on the market. After wiping the sweat off my brow and taking several minutes to calm down after my victory over the original Half-Life, I began a search for something else, something new, something equally as enthralling and invigorating as what I had just experienced.

Little came along to fill the capacious void until I spied Half-Life 2 on the shelf of one of the local mega marts.

(Fast forward a week or so while I bought the game on eBay and anxiously waited for the thing to arrive!)

Not since Wing Commander IV (Luke freaking Skywalker versus the Kilrathi!) or Tetris during my college years has a game gotten under my skin so deeply or so completely. I spent more time in front of the TV with a controller in my hand the next week or so than I have at any time in the previous fifteen years. I dreamed Half-Life 2. I positively JONESED for Half-Life 2.

The pro's are numerous. It is NOT repetitive. You get to do many different things besides the cliche "run and shoot". Nor is it necessary to spend frustrating hours sneaking around in the shadows, holding the control stick at the most acute angle possible to get past the bad guys. The weapons are fun. What you can do with one particular weapon is exceptionally fun. (Who doesn't dream about bisecting a room full of zombie critters with a single shot?)The game is challenging, but not daunting. It is clever, scary, immensely interesting, and just darn fun!

The only negative I can come up with is that the final quarter of the game is it's weakest. It starts strong, grows to be one of the best times I've had playing a game, but then just falls off at the end. The end of the game is not at all bad, it just pales in comparison to the rest of the game.

Half-Life 2 comes in at number 3 of my all time favorite non-Zelda non-Mario games. If you're into first-person shooters at all, or have ever consider trying one, I vehemently urge you to RUN not walk and find a copy today!