Half-Life 2 is a piece of gaming history, much like its predecessor. When it arrived on the scene in 2004, it pushed PC gaming--and first-person shooters, in general--forward by leaps and bounds. It told a story with characters that were endearing through moments of action, horror, poignant exploration, and clever puzzle-solving. The game never takes the player out of the world--cutscenes don't exist in this series. Everything is viewed through your eyes in real time. Gordon Freeman is not a character; Gordon Freeman is the player.

This feature, among others, keeps the player grounded in the world of Half-Life. This makes the battles more real, the exploration more intriguing and poetic as the human stories around you are told by the people and the environments you encounter. Visually, the game is stylistic yet grounded in reality. It is science-fiction, after all. The facial animations are one of the shining moments of the game, despite other technical aspects showing their age. The sounds make you feel like you're in this defeated but hopeful world. The controls are fluid and intuitive.

All in all, the game is still fun to play after ten years, still looks and sounds good, and still has a few features that pull ahead of some contemporary games. Old fans feel right at home with Half-Life 2, new fans will find something interesting to dive into. I recommend new fans try to play in the frame of mind of PC gaming circa 2004, but even without a bit of mental time-travel, the game holds up well enough. Love it or hate it, PC gamers owe it to themselves to experience this milestone in history.