I beat Half-Life earlier this year (2023), and I wasn’t very impressed. Fast forward to November 18th 2023, and Valve had prepared an anniversary celebration for the much beloved classic – a somewhat beefy update that restores some of the original content and even graphics. And I already felt compelled to replay the game, despite not liking it that much. This update is one reason, the second is that the game just FEELS nostalgic. I did not grow up with this game or much of the 90s stuff in general, but these low-poly computer graphics are oozing with retro charm. And the last reason I wanted to replay the game is because I want to check the maligned Half-Life: Source and make comparisons (and maybe Black Mesa when I get to that one). So, after playing this game a second time, did my opinion change? Did this game redeem itself and suddenly become a masterpiece that everyone claims it to be? Did the trial and error elements vanish, et cetera?
I’ll start by talking about Half-Life: Uplink, a demo of the game, originally released a few months after the original game, and became a part of the 25th anniversary update. I think this demo is on par with the original game. Which is to say, just ok. It’s also frustrating, and has cheap stuff. Like the rocket launcher that I didn’t see through the cracks, because I was focused on enemy dudes to the right. I also felt that the healing supplies were scarce – the original is generally decent at supplying you with health/energy, but I felt I was low on health in this campaign for the majority of it. Or maybe I just suck, shrug. Apparently this demo is actually cut content given second life, which is cool, though I dunno what’s up with that ending. And the demo has received second life itself, thanks Valve. I can recommend checking it out ONLY if you’re starving of more official Half-Life and haven’t played this back in the day and if you’re a big fan of the main game. I find it neat, but a bit frustrating, though not as trial-and-error heavy.
Now, let’s get to the main game proper. I didn’t write much in my original review, but now I’m prepared to defend myself (from no one). I still think the game is kind of average, despite its influence and advancements. First, I was still consistently frustrated with the game’s cheap bullshit. An early example I can list is headcrabs in the vents. Sure, you can use a flashlight, but it’s not dynamic like modern games, it’s basically a flat surface that slightly illuminates the area it is projected, not a forward beam that eliminates the surroundings. Even then, these suckers can be well hidden, resulting in unfair damage. Maybe its supposed to be scary, but just like with Alien: Resurrection, I find these more annoying that scary or fun. If the game cheats, I kind of cheated too – I spotted a couple of headcrabs ahead of me, thanks to the game’s autoaim. In fact, I can list a few more examples of trial and error and unfair moments. Prepare yourself, I have a number of these to show. Here’s one moment, how are you supposed to fall down and not take damage? There is a tiny ledge, but you’ll have to nudge yourself, otherwise you’ll launch yourself with the game’s physics. And even then, when you land there, you'll still take fall damage. And sure, there is a health charger, but you may have exhausted it already if you took damage prior. This doesn’t feel well thought out, what if you’re already low on health?
Here’s one instance of trial and error. The pipe here will collapse, which makes you fall down. Sure, it’s kind of obvious that something here is fishy, there’s a dead end and the pipe is colored differently, but you’re still expected to react FAST that you have to fall onto a table with medkits to take less fall damage. Here’s another cheap moment. Look, a medkit! You just NEED it, you’re dying! Get fucked, because there’s a sniper that’ll shoot you, and it’s not even obvious. I try to be attentive to my surroundings, and I’m sure there are less attentive players. If only there was some indication that you would get hit… like a laser pointer or something. Hmm… like in Half-Life 2... Anyway, here’s ANOTHER ONE! There’s a health charger ahead! Sike, an enemy spawns behind, which can spit acid at you. While it’s relatively easy to avoid, it can catch a new player off guard, and not what I would consider a fair enemy placement. In fact, there are a few more moments like this where an enemy just spawns behind you. If you think I’m done, not at all. Another example, a much needed pickup, except there’s a turret ready to gun you down. It doesn’t even make noise, because it's not active until you enter in (no laser tripwires or anything of the sort btw). If you happen to go from the left side of the tank, maybe you’ll notice it, if not, you’re in for a nasty surprise.
Here, you’re climbing through a vent again. Pretty common occurrence, except this time you’re ambushed by these annoying little creatures. They’re fast, they’re small and they aren’t that weak in terms of damage output. Have fun wrestling with these bastards. Or how about this one? Except, you’re greeted with a soldier that throws in an explosive. You’re supposed to not just back out, but CROUCH in the water to avoid damage… which doesn’t make that much sense, why can’t you just stay in water? Here’s a seemingly normal cracked wall texture. Except it isn’t, as you get a brick rain, which doesn’t damage that much, but still a bad surprise. How are you supposed to get past this tripmine? a grenade is a valid solution, but since you're on a conveyor belt that pushes you forward, it can be hard to go back for safety. Be warned, there are mines! INVISIBLE mines. Well, ok, they’re not invisible, they’re actually buried, but still, you’re expected to use your ammo to blow them up in advance. Oh, and there’s a sniper that can catch you off guard. There are a few of these throughout the game. I heard that this game has great pacing, then why does it have this pace-breaking crap? Here’s an area that frustrated the HELL out of me when I first played this game. I think you can rocket strike this guy, but it’s way easier to run here, blow up the way forward and get the hell out of here. I’m not entirely sure I did it correct, as I jumped from this area, at the same time I don’t care, as long as I escaped that hell hole. Lastly, this thing with teleports is probably the apex of trial-and-error design. A few of these lead to good stuff, but others can lead you to cheap death or simply reset your progress. How generous.
Talking about pacing, there are a few moments that feel like a waste of time. For instance, this moment. A pipe on the right will break if you stand on it, so you’ll have to climb back up and jump from the left pipe to the part of the right one. Why not just have the pipe already broken or something? I don’t think many players would complain. Also, why these water(?) pools in Xen are SO slow at health recovery? Or these capsules? Although, they feel inconsistent, I found one that alternated between healing one and two points. On the positive, the minimal story-telling means that you can indeed run past majority of the game – there are scientists and guards that give you tips on how to proceed, but if you know the game well enough, you aren’t stopped to listen or watch people do stuff. Something that Half-Life 2 doesn’t quite retain, though I don’t think that’s necessarily a downgrade.
I could go on with examples of not-so-good design, but I hope you get my point. You have to realize that the game may not be very kind to the first time players… or even second time ones, in my case. But… I’m not even done yet, because trial and error level design is just a part of the game’s problems. The next one I want to bring up is the game’s physics. Gordon is awfully slippery! Which Is not a good thing when the game has a healthy dose of platforming. Even making small jumps on boxes, like in that trash compactor area where you have to climb up and escape can be made tedious, thanks to the soap/oil/what have you spilled everywhere. It’s like you aren’t stopped by objects, but glide along, making you fall down. Useful in some cases, but not others. The air control is also not good. For instance, if you go onto bouncy pads/fans that move you up, you’ll preserve your forward momentum. Unfortunately, you CANNOT accelerate in air, only decelerate. This can make the task of getting on higher platforms tedious if you aren’t at the right angle and with the right speed. I thought I had a better grasp of ladders in this game, but no. They’re just as janky as ever. In that one section with insta-kill tentacle-like creatures that react to noise, I was trying to crouch and climb up onto a ladder, but it flat out didn’t work. I looked up the ladder and pressed forward, and the game wouldn’t budge. The ladder still produced noise, which meant I would die soon after. How does this even happen?? I could still climb them from top platforms to bottom when crouched, so I have no idea what’s up with that. Launching off the ladders in ways that result in your death is not uncommon. Jumping off will always propel you forward from where the ladder is facing. Climb all the way up, and you’ll likely launch in the air, combined with slip will probably make you fall to your doom. Also, assassins are probably the most incomprehensible enemies I’ve ever seen. I though on this second playthrough, I would try to use trip mines to counter their quick/stealthy approach, but that didn’t work all that well. They’re just so freaking annoying! Also, when I first played this game, I had no clue how to defeat the final boss and had to look it up. It wasn’t clear if you’re even supposed to damage the boss directly, there are crystals that you can destroy, but that’s about it.
The game can be occasionally janky. In this case, I’m referring to bugs. The collision can be a bit wonky and you may find yourself turned to paste when you probably shouldn’t be. I also found a couple instances of floating enemies, though these are more amusing than harmful. The only notable bug I encountered in this playthrough is this door. For some reason, the blockade isn’t even In its position. So when I open the door, I get smashed by the object that lifts itself to block the door. Amazing. I didn’t mention this in my old review, but I encountered one softlock, or at least I think it was. See, there’s a coolant system place, and you’re supposed to activate the two coolant systems, and then enter the Aux. Tank and turn on two valves. Well, I didn’t really do it in order, as I entered the tank first, tried to turn on valves, then I went back and activated things that should make the water raise after I turned the valves. Unfortunately, the valves broke after, I tried to turning and re-turning them again, and that didn’t really work. I think what you’re supposed to do, and I discovered it this time is you’re supposed to turn valve 1, THEN valve 2, otherwise it doesn’t work… for some reason (this did not happen in Half-Life: Source, turning them out of order works correctly there).
Graphically, the game actually looks quite nice for 1998. I turned off the texture smoothing, this option was added by the 25th anniversary update, and enabled old models. The texture smoothing being off makes the game look less like an N64-like. I think this is the closest I can get to the original look of the game within the Steam re-release of the game. There are a few objects that can look a bit basic, but for the most part, I like the old aesthetic. The sound consists mainly of ambiance, the music tracks only play at certain points and don’t loop. I think overall, the music does sound good when it plays.
To answer my initial question, no, my opinion hasn’t changed very much, I still don’t think Half-Life is a masterpiece, or a particularly great game. The trial and error and annoying design elements turn this into a frustrating experience. The physics make platforming and general traversal needlessly tedious. The innovations it brought back in 1998 don’t make up for the lack of fun or polish. I still think Half-Life 2 is a WAY more enjoyable experience that I would want to revisit, not because of “nostalgia” or out of obligation, but because that game is genuinely really fun. This game on the other hand feels more like something that you should check out of curiosity or novelty – something to play for historic purposes, trying to understand its importance in gaming history. That being said though, even though I didn’t like this game, I would still recommend checking it out. You may like this game, and find it to hold up just fine, or you’ll find it to be a dated mess. There's clearly a lot of value to this game if it's so beloved. At the end of the day, Half-Life still remains one of THE games of all time.
I’ll start by talking about Half-Life: Uplink, a demo of the game, originally released a few months after the original game, and became a part of the 25th anniversary update. I think this demo is on par with the original game. Which is to say, just ok. It’s also frustrating, and has cheap stuff. Like the rocket launcher that I didn’t see through the cracks, because I was focused on enemy dudes to the right. I also felt that the healing supplies were scarce – the original is generally decent at supplying you with health/energy, but I felt I was low on health in this campaign for the majority of it. Or maybe I just suck, shrug. Apparently this demo is actually cut content given second life, which is cool, though I dunno what’s up with that ending. And the demo has received second life itself, thanks Valve. I can recommend checking it out ONLY if you’re starving of more official Half-Life and haven’t played this back in the day and if you’re a big fan of the main game. I find it neat, but a bit frustrating, though not as trial-and-error heavy.
Now, let’s get to the main game proper. I didn’t write much in my original review, but now I’m prepared to defend myself (from no one). I still think the game is kind of average, despite its influence and advancements. First, I was still consistently frustrated with the game’s cheap bullshit. An early example I can list is headcrabs in the vents. Sure, you can use a flashlight, but it’s not dynamic like modern games, it’s basically a flat surface that slightly illuminates the area it is projected, not a forward beam that eliminates the surroundings. Even then, these suckers can be well hidden, resulting in unfair damage. Maybe its supposed to be scary, but just like with Alien: Resurrection, I find these more annoying that scary or fun. If the game cheats, I kind of cheated too – I spotted a couple of headcrabs ahead of me, thanks to the game’s autoaim. In fact, I can list a few more examples of trial and error and unfair moments. Prepare yourself, I have a number of these to show. Here’s one moment, how are you supposed to fall down and not take damage? There is a tiny ledge, but you’ll have to nudge yourself, otherwise you’ll launch yourself with the game’s physics. And even then, when you land there, you'll still take fall damage. And sure, there is a health charger, but you may have exhausted it already if you took damage prior. This doesn’t feel well thought out, what if you’re already low on health?
Here’s one instance of trial and error. The pipe here will collapse, which makes you fall down. Sure, it’s kind of obvious that something here is fishy, there’s a dead end and the pipe is colored differently, but you’re still expected to react FAST that you have to fall onto a table with medkits to take less fall damage. Here’s another cheap moment. Look, a medkit! You just NEED it, you’re dying! Get fucked, because there’s a sniper that’ll shoot you, and it’s not even obvious. I try to be attentive to my surroundings, and I’m sure there are less attentive players. If only there was some indication that you would get hit… like a laser pointer or something. Hmm… like in Half-Life 2... Anyway, here’s ANOTHER ONE! There’s a health charger ahead! Sike, an enemy spawns behind, which can spit acid at you. While it’s relatively easy to avoid, it can catch a new player off guard, and not what I would consider a fair enemy placement. In fact, there are a few more moments like this where an enemy just spawns behind you. If you think I’m done, not at all. Another example, a much needed pickup, except there’s a turret ready to gun you down. It doesn’t even make noise, because it's not active until you enter in (no laser tripwires or anything of the sort btw). If you happen to go from the left side of the tank, maybe you’ll notice it, if not, you’re in for a nasty surprise.
Here, you’re climbing through a vent again. Pretty common occurrence, except this time you’re ambushed by these annoying little creatures. They’re fast, they’re small and they aren’t that weak in terms of damage output. Have fun wrestling with these bastards. Or how about this one? Except, you’re greeted with a soldier that throws in an explosive. You’re supposed to not just back out, but CROUCH in the water to avoid damage… which doesn’t make that much sense, why can’t you just stay in water? Here’s a seemingly normal cracked wall texture. Except it isn’t, as you get a brick rain, which doesn’t damage that much, but still a bad surprise. How are you supposed to get past this tripmine? a grenade is a valid solution, but since you're on a conveyor belt that pushes you forward, it can be hard to go back for safety. Be warned, there are mines! INVISIBLE mines. Well, ok, they’re not invisible, they’re actually buried, but still, you’re expected to use your ammo to blow them up in advance. Oh, and there’s a sniper that can catch you off guard. There are a few of these throughout the game. I heard that this game has great pacing, then why does it have this pace-breaking crap? Here’s an area that frustrated the HELL out of me when I first played this game. I think you can rocket strike this guy, but it’s way easier to run here, blow up the way forward and get the hell out of here. I’m not entirely sure I did it correct, as I jumped from this area, at the same time I don’t care, as long as I escaped that hell hole. Lastly, this thing with teleports is probably the apex of trial-and-error design. A few of these lead to good stuff, but others can lead you to cheap death or simply reset your progress. How generous.
Talking about pacing, there are a few moments that feel like a waste of time. For instance, this moment. A pipe on the right will break if you stand on it, so you’ll have to climb back up and jump from the left pipe to the part of the right one. Why not just have the pipe already broken or something? I don’t think many players would complain. Also, why these water(?) pools in Xen are SO slow at health recovery? Or these capsules? Although, they feel inconsistent, I found one that alternated between healing one and two points. On the positive, the minimal story-telling means that you can indeed run past majority of the game – there are scientists and guards that give you tips on how to proceed, but if you know the game well enough, you aren’t stopped to listen or watch people do stuff. Something that Half-Life 2 doesn’t quite retain, though I don’t think that’s necessarily a downgrade.
I could go on with examples of not-so-good design, but I hope you get my point. You have to realize that the game may not be very kind to the first time players… or even second time ones, in my case. But… I’m not even done yet, because trial and error level design is just a part of the game’s problems. The next one I want to bring up is the game’s physics. Gordon is awfully slippery! Which Is not a good thing when the game has a healthy dose of platforming. Even making small jumps on boxes, like in that trash compactor area where you have to climb up and escape can be made tedious, thanks to the soap/oil/what have you spilled everywhere. It’s like you aren’t stopped by objects, but glide along, making you fall down. Useful in some cases, but not others. The air control is also not good. For instance, if you go onto bouncy pads/fans that move you up, you’ll preserve your forward momentum. Unfortunately, you CANNOT accelerate in air, only decelerate. This can make the task of getting on higher platforms tedious if you aren’t at the right angle and with the right speed. I thought I had a better grasp of ladders in this game, but no. They’re just as janky as ever. In that one section with insta-kill tentacle-like creatures that react to noise, I was trying to crouch and climb up onto a ladder, but it flat out didn’t work. I looked up the ladder and pressed forward, and the game wouldn’t budge. The ladder still produced noise, which meant I would die soon after. How does this even happen?? I could still climb them from top platforms to bottom when crouched, so I have no idea what’s up with that. Launching off the ladders in ways that result in your death is not uncommon. Jumping off will always propel you forward from where the ladder is facing. Climb all the way up, and you’ll likely launch in the air, combined with slip will probably make you fall to your doom. Also, assassins are probably the most incomprehensible enemies I’ve ever seen. I though on this second playthrough, I would try to use trip mines to counter their quick/stealthy approach, but that didn’t work all that well. They’re just so freaking annoying! Also, when I first played this game, I had no clue how to defeat the final boss and had to look it up. It wasn’t clear if you’re even supposed to damage the boss directly, there are crystals that you can destroy, but that’s about it.
The game can be occasionally janky. In this case, I’m referring to bugs. The collision can be a bit wonky and you may find yourself turned to paste when you probably shouldn’t be. I also found a couple instances of floating enemies, though these are more amusing than harmful. The only notable bug I encountered in this playthrough is this door. For some reason, the blockade isn’t even In its position. So when I open the door, I get smashed by the object that lifts itself to block the door. Amazing. I didn’t mention this in my old review, but I encountered one softlock, or at least I think it was. See, there’s a coolant system place, and you’re supposed to activate the two coolant systems, and then enter the Aux. Tank and turn on two valves. Well, I didn’t really do it in order, as I entered the tank first, tried to turn on valves, then I went back and activated things that should make the water raise after I turned the valves. Unfortunately, the valves broke after, I tried to turning and re-turning them again, and that didn’t really work. I think what you’re supposed to do, and I discovered it this time is you’re supposed to turn valve 1, THEN valve 2, otherwise it doesn’t work… for some reason (this did not happen in Half-Life: Source, turning them out of order works correctly there).
Graphically, the game actually looks quite nice for 1998. I turned off the texture smoothing, this option was added by the 25th anniversary update, and enabled old models. The texture smoothing being off makes the game look less like an N64-like. I think this is the closest I can get to the original look of the game within the Steam re-release of the game. There are a few objects that can look a bit basic, but for the most part, I like the old aesthetic. The sound consists mainly of ambiance, the music tracks only play at certain points and don’t loop. I think overall, the music does sound good when it plays.
To answer my initial question, no, my opinion hasn’t changed very much, I still don’t think Half-Life is a masterpiece, or a particularly great game. The trial and error and annoying design elements turn this into a frustrating experience. The physics make platforming and general traversal needlessly tedious. The innovations it brought back in 1998 don’t make up for the lack of fun or polish. I still think Half-Life 2 is a WAY more enjoyable experience that I would want to revisit, not because of “nostalgia” or out of obligation, but because that game is genuinely really fun. This game on the other hand feels more like something that you should check out of curiosity or novelty – something to play for historic purposes, trying to understand its importance in gaming history. That being said though, even though I didn’t like this game, I would still recommend checking it out. You may like this game, and find it to hold up just fine, or you’ll find it to be a dated mess. There's clearly a lot of value to this game if it's so beloved. At the end of the day, Half-Life still remains one of THE games of all time.