I now can happily say this version is good again, and worth the buy. See update directly below as to why. (Keeping old review text for historic reasons :o )

***Update: Audio issues are fixed, to a point. Sound quality is back to being same as old CD sound quality. They have fixed bugs which made some weapons not have reload sounds, they now do. They also have made the texture scaling work better, so textures, most noticable on walls with text, and on computer panels, electrical panels etc look a LOT sharper with easily noticeable detail.. no longer a blurry mess now.

STILL MISSING SURROUND SOUND BUT I'll take these improvements, as it makes the game better.. Old mod for surround sound currently doesn't work anymore since the update that fixed the things listed above.

Love the game, but I do not reccomend this or source version. Source has bugs and lighting issues, while this has horrible audio issues that they refuse to fix. And.. they caused the audio issues in the first place.


I own the old GOTY Half-Life disc and reinstalled after thinking 'I do not remember the sounds and voices being this terrible". I tested this way.

The game itself is very good, sure all have heard and know, but I am only writing this to point out the very, VERY evident sound problems in this version since Valve removed EAX and A3D audio options/software.

Without these in game for sound, everything sounds lower quality and 'tinny'. Reverb is very bad when compared to old disc versions of game and also it isn't as accurate at decipering left and right audio channels and kind of just.. mixes them. It works, kind of, but not as accurate as the retail disc versions (or pre 2013 steam updates).

Gunshots, voices, steps echoing in halls, vents, corridors etc all sound more natural in old... along with ambience. Current steam version it sounds very forced and harsh. Like it was just amplified for the sake of being amplified which in turn makes it sound distorted as well. Which I'm sure is due to them removing some of the ways the audio worked in the first place (Valve removing EAX and A3D audio options which were included on retail disc)


TL:DR Sound is VERY low quality when compared to old versions (disc and pre 2013 update that removed EAX and A3D audio options). Play old versions if you can by all means, it'll play and sound a lot better.


Valve.. please add back EAX and A3D audio options.

It is extremely dissapointing to have to go back and play from my old disc instead of my steam copies because, the people who made the game, botched the audio so bad that it actually hurts my ears a bit.


Please valve :)


Thank you for finally fixing some of these issues, Valve.

I now can happily say this version is good again, and worth the buy. See update directly below as to why. (Keeping old review text for historic reasons :o ) ***Update: Audio issues are fixed, to a point. Sound quality is back to being same as old CD sound quality. They have fixed bugs which made some weapons not have reload sounds, they now do. They also have made the texture scaling work better, so textures, most noticable on walls with text, and on computer panels, electrical panels etc look a LOT sharper with easily noticeable detail.. no longer a blurry mess now. STILL MISSING SURROUND SOUND BUT I'll take these improvements, as it makes the game better.. Old mod for surround sound currently doesn't work anymore since the update that fixed the things listed above. Love the game, but I do not reccomend this or source version. Source has bugs and lighting issues, while this has horrible audio issues that they refuse to fix. And.. they caused the audio issues in the first place. I own the old GOTY Half-Life disc and reinstalled after thinking 'I do not remember the sounds and voices being this terrible". I tested this way. The game itself is very good, sure all have heard and know, but I am only writing this to point out the very, VERY evident sound problems in this version since Valve removed EAX and A3D audio options/software. Without these in game for sound, everything sounds lower quality and 'tinny'. Reverb is very bad when compared to old disc versions of game and also it isn't as accurate at decipering left and right audio channels and kind of just.. mixes them. It works, kind of, but not as accurate as the retail disc versions (or pre 2013 steam updates). Gunshots, voices, steps echoing in halls, vents, corridors etc all sound more natural in old... along with ambience. Current steam version it sounds very forced and harsh. Like it was just amplified for the sake of being amplified which in turn makes it sound distorted as well. Which I'm sure is due to them removing some of the ways the audio worked in the first place (Valve removing EAX and A3D audio options which were included on retail disc) TL:DR Sound is VERY low quality when compared to old versions (disc and pre 2013 update that removed EAX and A3D audio options). Play old versions if you can by all means, it'll play and sound a lot better. Valve.. please add back EAX and A3D audio options. It is extremely dissapointing to have to go back and play from my old disc instead of my steam copies because, the people who made the game, botched the audio so bad that it actually hurts my ears a bit. Please valve :) Thank you for finally fixing some of these issues, Valve.