Time Played: 60+ Hrs (full series) pre-Steam records.

edit: 09/15/2023

HalfLife is the first game, of first a series and then an episodic saga, which took place* over a nine-year period.

When HalfLife was released in 1998, it received a MetaScore rating of 96/100. The ONLY PC game to beat it was HalfLife 2, 6 years later in 2004. When the Orange Box was released in 2007, these three Valve games sat at the top of the MetaScore table until 2015 when GTA5 was released. It shared a MetaScore rating of 96/100 with HalfLife 2.

HalfLife 2, Episode 1 released in June 2006, scoring a disappointing 87/100. The greatest gripe players had at the time was the seemingly small amount of gameplay, although the story and the areas explored were as rich as any seen before. Episode 2 was released in 10 Oct 2007 scoring better at 90/100, and only created an even stronger storyline, ending in a crescendo that had gamers salivating for the next edition.

HalfLife 2, Episode 3 (or HalfLife 3) never eventuated however. As such, HalfLife’s unfinished story line has become the greatest vapourware mystery since the dawn of gaming.

But don’t let that detract from the strongly written epic which is the HalfLife journey. Every gamer ever to have played these games will tell you the same thing. Total emersion in the story, a strongly felt connection to each of the characters and a strong disbelief of the horrors mankind could face in a confrontation with any alien species like the Combine, or more so, the vile unforgiving sense one feels for the traitorous Humans who work for them.

NOTE:
Given that the series is incomplete, this period MAY extend past two decades, the longest development time for any AAA game.


Date of Release: 24 Mar, 2020
Game Tags: VR, First Person Shooter

NOTE: This is a prequel, and in terms of game canon this title slips between H1 & H2.

Although I purchased this, a review has not been completed due to RL issues. Any contribution at this late date would be pointless, as many great reviews of this title already exist.

Would I have submitted a review I would have given it high marks.

CAUTION SteamVR or its equivalent is required for play.

MetaScore is a measure of a games success in relation to other titles and is the province of Metacritic. Visit for more information.[www.metacritic.com]