Half-Life 2 is the sequel to one of the most influential action games of all time, the original Half-Life, which was released in 1998. Because it really is that god-damned brilliant. But they finally did it, after six long years, and while this might seem a predictable time to start spouting how god-damned brilliant this game really is, the excitment is fully justifiable. I'm sure everyone and their dog, at some point or another, wondered if Half-Life 2 was ever going to reach the light of day, or join Duke Nukem Forever as what may never be. Has there ever been a more torturous and cursed development process for a video game, than that of Half-Life 2? It boggles the mind as to how the guys and gals over at Valve Software managed to keep going, even after source code leaks, international embarrassment at the hands of September 30th 2003, year long delays etc.

Three words to sum up the game: Immersive Obtuse Varied Official Release Date: 16th November 2004