20 Years of Half-Life 2: 5 Ways How It Changed the Gaming Industry Forever
Half-Life 2's appearance has changed the landscape of the FPS gaming genre so much in 2004 that even the latest games sometimes follow.
- Half-Life 2 was released in 2004, but it is still one of the best FPS games ever released.
- Valve has taken things to a new height of perfection with this game.
- At this point, even new games take inspiration from Half-Life 2 to become better.
It’s been two decades since Half-Life 2 made its appearance in the gaming industry. Valve’s Half-Life first-person shooter gaming series was introduced in back in 1998 with the first sequel arriving six years later and creating history in the genre of FPS games.
Often players deduce that sequels are not as good as their base games, but proving them wrong, some sequels like Half-Life 2 have shown that they not only have the power to surpass the base game, but they could also survive the time trial and get praise even after twenty years since release.
There were multiple aspects in Half-Life 2 that, if one considers standing in 2004, would seem impossible. However, Valve made them possible, which in return made the game an unforgettable one.
1. Half-Life 2’s Semi-Open World Design
Half-Life 2 was released in 2004. Therefore, you can easily think that the open-world concept was not entirely formed at that point. Even then, Valve made a dystopian world controlled by alien forces where the protagonist of the game needs to survive and explore to reach the climax. The graphics of the game were unbelievably well-made if we compare them with the 2004 standard.
However, the most exciting part is not the graphics of the game, but the world design of Half-Life 2. The in-game world of the game was designed carefully, and once players made their way through the early section of the game, they encountered a bigger, semi-open world where exploration blended perfectly with intense combat.
2. The Storytelling Method of this Sequel was Unbeatable
Up to the early 20s, there was a popular concept that sequels ruin the storyline. However, a few sequels have proved how wrong this concept was, and Half-Life 2 is among them. If we go a little deeper, we will find multiple examples where the story of the base game reached a new height in the sequel, but none have beaten what the Half-Life sequel did decades ago.
The subtle storytelling method of the game did well in Half-Life 2. If you have played the game, you are aware that this game has no cutscene. Generally, games present players with cinematic scenes to tell them all the required information, especially the backgrounds of events. In Half-Life 2, there was only a newspaper to give you some information about the war and nothing else at all.
3. Realistic Presentation of Atmosphere
The environment of the game has made it a lot different than other games of the same time. The game portrays a dystopian, war-torn world; therefore, the atmosphere that Valve created in Half-Life’s sequel can’t be more suitable than it was. The in-game design of post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe with a gloomy atmosphere all over has created a signature style for future games to design a grim atmosphere.
The destroyed post-Soviet City 17, The looming condition of Citadel provided players with a constant reminder of the alien invasion. The depressing aura continued throughout the game, and it opened a new path for future games.
4. The Introduction of the Gravity Gun Concept
The trend of using physics-enabled objects is in full swing. If you have played the renowned latest games, you must remember seeing Dead Space’s Handheld Graviton Accelerator and BioShock’s telekinesis Plasmid. This concept is something that Half-Life 2 introduced decades ago in its gameplay.
If you have completed the journey, you must remember the zombie-filled town of Ravenholm. Players generally avoid the town because they don’t understand how to handle the zombies there. However, that’s when the Gravity Gun concept came into existence. There players should play using environmental objects and not guns. From there, the concept of Gravity Gun first came to mind.
5. The Level Design of the Game is Something Remarkable
The game we are talking about was made twenty years ago, but the level design it introduced at that point created a revolution in FPS level design, and the influence can be seen in the latest games as well. Valve’s thought of designing each level of the game was executed incredibly. Throughout every level, players witness a grand combination of fighting and puzzle-solving. However, no two levels of the game work similarly.
The game has multiple areas to explore, but there’s hardly any chance of you getting lost. The level designer has carefully placed objects and colors as clues to lead players to the next area of the game without getting anywhere else.
These are some of the most remarkable parts of Half-Life 2 that, even after two decades, inspire FPS games to become better.
