almost 25 years after its release, and with no nostalgia toward it whatsoever, my first playthrough of this game hit me like a truck. some of the best pacing in the entire interactive medium, wonderfully confusing and mysterious plot, and a thorough intensity that never lets up. for me, half life beats doom 1 by a considerable margin as my favorite old school fps. most people try to hype up how innovative or ahead of its time this title is, but on its own, without the greater context of how it shaped the industry, half life is a fucking adrenaline rush that few games can replicate.