Recent reviews by Stop It

The right man in the wrong place, can make all the difference, ence, ence, in the world.

Yes, my first memory of HL2, the glorious golden age decrypting the game at launch aside, was the infamous stutter bug. A game so far ahead of it's time that it required an SSD before we knew what one was. The incredibly modular, and streaming based engine that is Source assumed people's computers could keep up with the demand of each sequence and the opening scene put that into sharp focus. Most people had the CPU, RAM and GPU to play HL2 but their HDDs were fragmented and slow, making for a preview of the "Stutter struggle" all too common today.

However, get past that and you get to an experience like little else at the time. While the monster closets of Doom 3 and the lush landscape of Far Cry dominated the talk of the year about the progress in graphical fidelity, Half Life 2 had an understated, industrial look that belied a living world full of detail and mystery.

Lots had changed since Gordon Freeman activated the portal to another world in the events of Half Life, and now the Combine have conquered humanity, leaving Dr Breen as the "Administrator" of City 17, a identikit commune used by the Combine to ringfence populations while preparing them for processing, taking the "best" for their own ends and the rest left to it, or worse.

When you awaken, you see the GMAN explain absolutely nothing as usual, and you find yourself in the middle of the resistance effort, seen as the hero you didn't know you were but one that everyone needs you to be. Thus begins a journey that sees you through polluted rivers, to destroyed towns scarred with the aftermath of warfare using the headcrabs against humanity, to a harsh prison camp and finally to Breen's fortified compound where you face the person who sold you, and humanity down the path to destruction.

From the moment you hear "Pick up that can" It is clear the game taken a path not trodden by many games before. The focus on physics, from the trivial acts of picking up a can and throwing it in the bin, to placing breeze blocks to act as a counterweight on a see-saw all the way to using the Gravity Gun to decimate hordes of zombies in Ravenholm, this was a shooter with a mission to introduce you to gameplay which at the time, was still classed as ground-breaking.

Even 20 years on, the legacy of physics based gameplay are felt through the industry with progression made via PhysX and others (The Euphoria physics engine comes to mind in particular) taking the mantle and helping craft experiences we take for granted today.

A game that can be best described as a set of experiences, with solo sequences, horror type gameplay in Ravenholm, vehicle sections and AI co-op in multiple forms (Alyx and the Antlions as standouts), Half Life 2 set the stage for the expansions Episode 1 and 2, as well as the VR Alyx experience, and set Valve on a course that defined not only a company, but an entire gaming platform and the PC gaming industry itself.

Half Life 2 still works incredibly well on modern systems, with Steam Deck support, Ultrawide support and a UI overhaul to boot, it is a game that still deserves a spin in 2024, just like it did on release 20 years ago on the 16th November 2004. Happy birthday HL2, you're now more than old enough for that beer Barney owes you.

Geometry Wars meets Audiosurf meets a Japanese bullet hell shooter.

The simple, yet magnificent visuals of Beat Hazard are stepped up a gear in Ultra, and the co-op means that playing against your music becomes a shared experience.

Highly recommended if you like twin stick shooters.