Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2

Shooter
2004

Half-Life 2 is an upcoming Shooter game releasing on Xbox, PlayStation 3, Linux. Scheduled to launch on November 16, 2004.

Developed by Valve and published by Valve, NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios, Electronic Arts, Sierra Entertainment.

Release Date: 11/17/2004

Released
Half-Life 2 cover
trailer

Story

Gordon Freeman is brought out of stasis by the G-Man, who inserts him into a train arriving at City 17. After arriving at the station and eluding Combine forces, Gordon joins Lambda resistance members including Barney Calhoun, a former Black Mesa security guard now working undercover as a Combine CP officer, and Alyx Vance, the daughter of one of Gordon's former colleagues, Dr. Eli Vance. After a failed attempt to teleport Gordon to Black Mesa East from Dr. Kleiner's makeshift laboratory, Gordon, re-equipped with the HEV suit and a crowbar, is forced to embark on foot through the city's old canal system. After obtaining an airboat, he battles his way to Black Mesa East, several miles from the city.

Gordon is reintroduced to Eli and meets Dr. Judith Mossman. Alyx introduces Gordon to her large pet robot D0g and gives him a "Gravity Gun", a weapon which allows Gordon to pick up and move any large object with ease. Black Mesa East soon comes under Combine attack and Eli and Mossman are captured to be taken to a Combine prison, Nova Prospekt. Gordon and Alyx are forced to take separate paths to Nova Prospekt; Gordon takes a detour through the town of Ravenholm, receiving help from its last survivor, Father Grigori. After making his way through the town and a mine, Gordon makes his way to a Resistance outpost. Gordon is provided with a Dune Buggy, which he uses to travel along a crumbling coastal road to Nova Prospekt. Along the way, Gordon encounters frequent Combine patrols, and helps one of the resistance leaders, Colonel Odessa Cubbage, to defend a Resistance base from a Combine gunship.

After crossing an antlion-infested beach, Gordon enters Nova Prospekt, where he is reunited with Alyx. They manage to locate Eli, but also discover that Mossman is a Combine informant. Before they can stop her, she teleports herself and Eli back to City 17's Citadel. The Combine teleporter explodes as Gordon and Alyx use it to escape Nova Prospekt.

Upon reaching Kleiner's lab, a shaken Dr. Kleiner reveals to Gordon and Alyx that they were caught in a "slow teleport", during which a week had passed. In their absence, the Resistance, who heard about what had happened at Nova Prospekt, has mobilized against the Combine, turning City 17 into a battleground. During the fighting, Alyx is captured by the Combine and taken to the Citadel, and Gordon fights through the city with the aid of D0g and Barney to reach it. Inside the Citadel, he is caught in a Combine confiscation chamber that destroys all of his weapons except for the Gravity Gun, the energy enhancing its capabilities and allowing Gordon to escape and dispatch platoons of Combine soldiers.

Eventually, Gordon is captured riding in a Combine transport pod and is taken to Dr. Breen's office, where he and Dr. Mossman are waiting with Eli and Alyx in captivity. Dr. Breen begins to explain his plans for further conquest of the humans by the Combine, contrary to what he had told Dr. Mossman. Angered, Mossman frees Gordon, Alyx, and Eli before Breen teleports them off-world. Dr. Breen tries to escape through a portal, but Gordon pursues him and destroys the portal reactor with the super-charged Gravity Gun. Breen appears to be annihilated in the resulting explosion.

Just before Gordon and Alyx are presumably met with a similar fate, time is frozen. The G-Man reappears, praising Gordon for his actions in City 17 and the Citadel. Making vague mention of "offers for [Gordon's] services", the G-Man places him back into stasis.

Screenshots

Half-Life 2 screenshot 1
Half-Life 2 screenshot 2
Half-Life 2 screenshot 3
Half-Life 2 screenshot 4
Half-Life 2 screenshot 5

Game Information

Platforms

XboxPlayStation 3LinuxAndroidPC (Microsoft Windows)MacXbox 360

Genres

Shooter

Developer

  • Valve

Publishers

  • Valve
  • NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios
  • Electronic Arts
  • Sierra Entertainment

Age Rating

ESRB: Unknown

Player Perspective

First person

Part of

  • Half-Life franchise

Ratings & Reviews

79%
Critic Score
7 reviews
91%
User Score
2974 ratings

Features & Details

Themes & Elements

ActionScience fictionHorror

Game Modes

Single player

Key Features

alienszombiesdystopianalternate historyrun and gunrebellionsteambuilding

Game Engine

Built with Source

Release Information

Primary Release Date

November 16, 2004

✅ Already released

Platform Release Dates

Android

May 12, 2014
Worldwide

PC (Microsoft Windows)

November 16, 2004
Europe
December 2, 2005
Japan
November 16, 2004
North America

Xbox 360

October 10, 2007
North America
October 25, 2007
Australia
October 9, 2007
Asia
October 19, 2007
Europe
May 22, 2008
Japan

PlayStation 3

December 14, 2007
Europe
December 11, 2007
North America
December 11, 2007
Asia
December 20, 2007
Australia

Mac

May 26, 2010
Worldwide

Xbox

November 18, 2005
Europe
November 15, 2005
North America

Linux

May 9, 2013
Worldwide

Release Notes

  • Release dates may vary by region and platform
  • Pre-orders may be available before the official release date
  • Digital releases typically go live at 00:00 local time
  • Physical releases may arrive a few days earlier or later depending on shipping

System Requirements

Estimated system requirements for Half-Life 2 on PC

Minimum Requirements

os:Windows 10 64-bit
processor:Intel Core i5-6600K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
memory:8 GB RAM
graphics:NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti / AMD RX 570
directx:Version 11
storage:25 GB available space

Recommended Requirements

✨ Recommended
os:Windows 10/11 64-bit
processor:Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
memory:16 GB RAM
graphics:NVIDIA RTX 2070 / AMD RX 6700 XT
directx:Version 12
storage:30 GB available space (SSD recommended)

Important Notes

  • These are estimated requirements based on game analysis and industry standards
  • Official system requirements will be announced closer to release date
  • SSD storage highly recommended for reduced loading times
  • Requirements may vary for different graphics settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra)
  • VR games may have additional requirements if VR support is included

💡Performance Tips

For the best experience with Half-Life 2, consider upgrading to an SSD, ensuring your graphics drivers are up to date, and closing unnecessary background applications before playing.

Frequently Asked Questions about Half-Life 2