Half-Life 2

Wow, this one is hard to review given it's been--what--16 years since I played it?

I think I got into this game at the recommendation of Ross. And really that's what got me into Counter-Strike Source which was a love affair forever. And that game was a essentially a mod for this one (technically a separate game built in the same engine). I mean plus you have TF2 and Surfing in CSS and Garry's Mod... so many things this spawned.

I think what blew me away about this game was physics and the graphics. When you're told to pick up at that can at the beginning by the Columbine guard and you have can physically do it is amazing. It's crazy to look back that so many games starting aping the physics-in-videogames thing because of Half Life 2.

And of course the graphics. The Source engine was a big deal in 2004. I don't even think I had a computer that could really run it. I think this was around the time where I built my first gaming PC so that I could run it. Lord, I have no idea what card I even had back then. I want to say like 6800 GT or something like that.

On top of that you had a really cool story and atmosphere. The kind of 1984 vibe. The science. Ravenholme-- ooo Ravenholme. All the screams of the headcrab victims.

The shooting was alright in all honesty. But it worked.

Oh man, and we can't forget that this was the game that launched Steam. It's hard to believe that selling games completely digitally was unheard of. Gabe Newell created the path that almost everyone follows today. And Half-Life 2 was the gateway. Amazing.

All of these things really defined a fantastic game that stands the test of time.