Half-Life 2: Game of the Year Edition PC Game

Gordon begins his quest in City 17 and, with the help of Eli and Alyx Vance, begins to unravel the mysteries behind the rapid changes on Earth. Freeman also encounters gigantic spiderlike monstrosities that tower over buildings, impale humans on sharp spindly legs, and emit devastating blasts from their bodies "striders."

All the voice actors from HalfLife have returned to voice their characters in HalfLife 2. The physics engine has been updated to include all objects within the game world; players will be able to shoot chairs to pieces, manipulate futuristic "gravity" guns, and interact with objects in complicated ways. Several vehicles are available during certain levels, and environments include City 17, some suburbs, a dry ocean bed, an icebreaking ship, and a jail. An included editing application allows the creation of mods, maps, and levels.

Editor's Note: Although HalfLife 2 is primarily a singleplayer game, a connection to the Internet is required to play it. Users must set up an online "Steam" account, hosted by developer Valve, in order to unlock the game content they install from the disk(s). ~ Mark Hoogland, All Game Guide