I actually enjoyed this PC game more than the original full version Half Life 2. Pros: 1.) Lots of action with Gordon and Alyx trying to get out of City 17. 2.) Great graphic and sound if you have the system to run them properly. 3.) The last 1/2 of the game is an example of FPS gaming at its best.

Hey Matt: I was running a 9800 Pro as well, with a gig or ram.  Definitely wasn't a hardware issue.  Having played PC games for quite a many years, I understand they can't get it perfect.  No one will.

I really wanted the headline of this review to read "Alyx Lives!" Half-Life 2 was one of my favorite games last year. I know there are those that say that Doom 3 was a better title, but for me, it really was Half-Life.

First Impressions My reaction is It's amazing how quickly time passes by. Just last year, I was playing the "The Game of the Year" Half-Life 2 and now I'm playing Episode 1 of same series.

Ah, Half-Life: the only game universe that nobody ever seems to have a bad word for. And it's no surprise, with better voice acting, a better plot, better graphics and game engine, and better gameplay than any other first-person shooter in the history of the world.

I don't like this whole "episodic gaming" trend that's hitting PCs everywhere thanks to our good friends at Valve, the creators of Half-Life . While I understand their justifications for releasing segments of a single game in four-hour blocks over the span of a couple of years instead of one whole...

Half-Life 2 Aftermath is the first of a series of episodic expansions for the popular and acclaimed Half-Life series. This episode takes place right after the events in HL2, and you and Alyx will flee from City 17, fighting against creatures who were previous blocked from entertaining the city The...

The ground is shaking, and a gigantic metal tower creaks above you. Sparks and fires light the shadows to reveal a mauled corpse in every corner, and debris and more bodies fall from the sky.

Fan favorite Alyx is back, and her character is the game's biggest innovation: Valve has developed her into a deftly written co-star who watches your back throughout most of the game; Players who are as smitten with Alyx as Alyx is with the protagonist will beam every time she calls out "Nice shot!

The endless load times are back; too

If you had any doubts about the merit of episodic content, Half-Life 2: Episode One should convince you otherwise.

Back in 1997 Stephen King wrote a book called "The Green Mile." He released this book as a series of six booklets, each about 90 pages long and each costing around $3. It was, IMHO, one of the best books he's ever written and harked back to the days of serialized novels, which were very common about...