HalfLife 2 and its Episodes were groundbreaking when it first released . It pioneered realtime physics , seamless cutsceneless dialogue , facial animation , dynamic AI , and more . Believe it or not , there was a time when boxes of wood splintering apart as you shot them was a mindblowing experience . HL 2 just had countless holy fucking shit features for the time that seem trite today . Moreover , the gameplay has not aged one second . It still feels just as good to play right now as it did back then . The game ' s engine is polished to the point it may as well be a mirror , the physics are just right , the gunplay is sex , the mechanics are timeless . That said , the reason people want a sequel is for the sake of the story . The story and the characters are , despite the above praise , perhaps the strongest feature of the game . The overarching plot is engaging and absorbing , the characters are nuanced and mysterious , the worldbuilding and atmosphere is wholly unique , and worst of all HL 2 Ep . 2 ends on a colossal cliff hanger ! !! People have been wondering what comes next for years and years now . There are dozens of unanswered questions and revenge to be had against the big bads . HalfLife 2 easily rubs shoulders with greats like Ocarina of Time , Deus Ex , and Symphony of the Night . There are just some games that are something more , something sublime . HL 2 is one of them . If you ever decide to play it , you will not experience the ambrosial perfection we knew it to be years ago . Instead , you will find a finelypolished , tightly packed treat of exceedingly high quality .