I know a lot of people will disagree with me but Half Life 2 did not live up to its precursor. This isn’t to say that HL 2 isn’t a great game. It combines all the successful elements of the original and adds some improvements of its own. However, it fails to deliver the same revolutionary gameplay that HL 1 did.
HL 2 employs all the same features as the first. The game begins with a train ride, has many of the same weapons, same enemies, same NPC interactions and same cinematic story progression. These were the highlights that made HL 1 such a success, but Valve did little in HL 2 to raise the bar.

In terms of graphics, the HL 2 engine is very photo-realistic. I played the game at 1024×768 with medium to high graphic settings. Everything in the HL 2 world was startlingly realistic. The lighting, textures, and other graphical elements were very well-developed and it is clear that the producers invested a great deal of time in perfecting the visual quality of the game. There are very few jagged edges, and everything is highly detailed. Contrary to popular belief, HL 2 doesn’t require a supercomputer to run. In fact it runs fine on lower end computers (1.5ghz, 256 memory, 64 mb graphics card) although be warned that if you plan on running the game on such a machine you will not experience the full aesthetic beauty of HL 2.

The physics engine is another notable feature in HL 2. Interaction between the player and his or her environment is one of the prime improvements of HL 2. The player can pick up practically anything in the game (a box, barrel, wooden shard, etc) and use it as a shield, a means to surmount walls, or whatever the player can think of. The introduction of the gravity-gun furthers this interaction. The gravity gun is a weapon that can be used to pick up or hurl objects (as light as wooden shards or as heavy refrigerators). For example, the player can use the gravity gun to pick up a wooden crate then launch it at an enemy. Valve designed the game so that the player will have many opportunities to employ this unique weapon.

In addition, there are also two instances when the player gets to pilot a vehicle. One vehicle is a supercharged boat with a machine gun mounted to the front. The player navigates the boat through dams, rivers, sewers, gulfs, and tunnels while being pursued by helicopters and gunships. In the second instance the player gets the opportunity to drive a high-powered buggy with a machine gun in the front.

There are also many beautifully crafted scenes in the game. For example when the resistance begins its insurrection against the Combine, the player gets to participate in the war-like environment. The battle takes place in the inner-city, where Combine snipers patiently stalk rebels from high buildings and gunships harass rebel forces while the player and allies perform micro-missions such as holding down forts, and infiltrating Combine facilities.
However, this is where the innovation ends. All other aspects of the game are essentially remixed versions of the previous game. The weapons arsenal is basically the same — crowbar, pistol, revolver, submachine gun, shotgun, crossbow, grenades, and rocket-launcher. Valve does introduce a few new weapons, but they are nothing special — an assault rifle, the gravity gun, and bug bait. The assault rifle is simply a more effective submachine gun. The bug bait allows the player to shepard giant insects. Moreover, just like the HL 1 you cannot carry many rounds of ammunition so the player is forced to be conservative with his or her shooting.

One of the most distinguishing features of HL 1 was the interaction between the player and NPCs. This interaction is also prevalent in HL 2, but with little development. You can lead a group of up to four individuals (or insects) and can command them to do simple tasks such as attack a certain enemy or hold ground. However, the NPCs (just like in the original) are not very intelligent. They have a propensity to jump out in front of enemy fire and get themselves killed. They also often get in your way and in the way of your bullets.

The artificial intelligence is another disappointment in HL 2. The enemies in the game do little more than the basic "shoot-and-move" tactic. Occasionally they will take cover behind something, or throw a grenade. But I found that even on the most difficult setting HL 2 didn’t offer me too much of a challenge in terms of AI.

Finally, the storyline (which was my favorite aspect of HL 1) was the most disappointing aspect of the sequel. HL 2 left all the questions originally posited in HL 1 unanswered. The story begins with the G-man telling you to wake up and you find yourself on a train riding to a 1984 type city named City 17. An oppressive alien force, called the Combine, has overrun earth and a Big-Brother named Dr. Breen is on the screen of every public television in the city talking about how he has brought humanity to a new level. I kept expecting to be told what happened to earth since the Black Mesa incident, how the Combine conquered Earth, and what my role is in the game. Unfortunately there is little time for such questions as you are immediately thrown into a run for your life that quickly explodes into an action-filled odyssey around the new Earth. Soon I forgot those questions and simply ran around blowing stuff up. Ultimately however I found the experience rather unrewarding because those questions I had were never answered. The ending (if you could call it that) isn’t really an end at all. The mysterious G-man only becomes more mysterious. You have no idea what the consequences of your 10 -hour adventure are. And you don’t know the fate of the comrades you acquired. In terms of storyline HL 2 feels like the middle chapter of a multi-volume game.

Overall, while HL 2 falls short of the brilliance of its predecessor it’s still a game worth buying. If you enjoyed HL 1 you definitely will want to pick up this game. And even if you didn’t enjoy the first one, or if you have never heard of Half Life, HL 2 is still a game that should be experienced.