When I look back at Half-Life 2's grandiose scale, it was in retrospect very much just the developers arrogantly showing off the technology without really considering pacing or atmosphere. When you take the amazing engine of that game and apply it to the simplicity and more well-rounded story of Half-Life 1... well, you'd get Half-Life Source, a remaster that absolutely no-one liked to a point where I didn't bother to play it. But if you actually put in the effort to entirely redo the set pieces, sound effects, combat, character models, visual effects, add in a kick-ass soundtrack, remove the annoying jumpscares, and ENTIRELY redesign the final act to something that's actually fun to play through, you get what I consider the quintessential Half-Life product.

Trust me, I'm the first to dismiss remakes but I am fully on-board for this one because let's face it, it's not like an amateur project that's not technically developed by Valve themselves with its own distinct title is going to replace the original the same way Capcom treats the Resident Evil remakes. Half-Life is still being sold on Steam, untouched by the passage of time, giving players the option to play either version as different packages. With all that, I have every right to confidently call this my favorite HL game of all time.