 |
|
||||
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
How Metascores Are Calculated
|
By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors -- even the emotions -- of both friends and enemies. The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people -- people he cares about -- are counting on him.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 100
GameSpy
Some may find the story too obtuse, while others might take the route of PC graphical snobbery, but rest assured that there is no other like Half-Life 2 for the Xbox, which has now become my all-time favorite title for the system, and a massively strong contender for the Xbox game of the year.
 100
Maxim Online
Same invigorating missions, same tight controls, same relentless action, and same trigger-happy scientist in a one-man war against our alien overlords.
100
Gamestyle
Real 'bullet-time' isn't ballet; it's no-holds carnage that ends with a radio-transmitted flatline. It's one man making a difference; it's one game making a noise. Half-Life 2 is all that - and more.
100
AceGamez
The most immersing and compelling game I've ever played.
98
Gamezilla!
If you are passionate about your games then you cannot afford to miss what is arguably one of the three best Xbox titles ever made. Get it now.
97
Gamer's Hell
Half-Life 2 has impeccable style, an unrivalled elegance, and a frighteningly realistic aesthetic that no other game can even attempt to rival.
96
BonusStage
If you’ve got an Xbox and want a superb gaming experience that will have you glued to your seat, sweaty palms and all for a solid 15-20 hours, absolutely buy Half-Life 2, no questions asked.
96
GameZone
It controls like a sportscar, it plays like a dream.
95
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
The graphics, albeit at a lower resolution (and with the occasional low frame rate) than the PC version, still make City 17 feel like a real place - not just a collection of videogame levels. [GamesMaster]
95
Stuff
The game is surprisingly rock-solid on the Xbox. The controls are on point. The game is full of well-crafted fight-or-flight moments. It's without a doubt one of the finest first-person shooters ever made.
95
Game Over Online
Everything, from the brutal police state of the city, to the rundown tenements, to the ugly toxic sludge, to the gleaming sci-fi labs, looks beautiful. The textures are rich and sharp, bricks actually look like bricks and wood looks like wood.
95
Team Xbox
I can easily say that I had just as much fun playing through the game on the Xbox as I first did on the PC, and probably even more so due to my personal preference of the controller over the keyboard.
94
IGN
The story itself is worth of great praise, but the way it's implemented into the gameplay, along with the amazingly fresh missions that all blend into one another, make this easily one of the best games on Xbox this year, if not the best.
94
Worth Playing
Even when compared to the available titles in the X360 library, HL2 blows most of them out of the water, thanks to its story, presentation and overall enjoyable cinematic quality.
92
Xbox World Australia
A 15-20 hour masterpiece that, once finished, will have you turning around and starting right back at the start again!
92
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Going from mouse and keyboard to gamepad is always a hairy transition, but developer Valve did it perfectly--HL2 controls extremely well with the Xbox pad.
91
Into Liquid Sky
The story and scenario presentation is more than enough to keep you playing through Half-life 2.
90
Boomtown
Valve has worked wonders translating this game over to Xbox. For Xbox owners who've not tackled the PC original, this is a must-buy game.
90
Play Magazine
The world is compelling in its visual completeness, serving up an inescapable web of despair, loneliness and isolation. [Jan 2006, p.38]
90
Games Radar
Long story short, Half-Life 2 is a must-buy, and our strongest choice for that one, last Xbox game to pick up before switching over to Xbox 360.
90
PALGN
One of the finest games of this generation and one of the best single player FPS’s ever created.
90
Loaded Inc
The omission of a multi-player option is also baffling when you consider that Counter-Strike: Source was bundled free with last years PC version. These minor gripes, however, do little to detract from the sheer joy you will experience in playing the game.
90
Eurogamer
As a single-player experience, even in its slightly compromised state, it's easily one of the most intensely enjoyable console shooters there's ever been.
90
Yahoo! Games
For console-only gamers, Valve's masterpiece is the definition of innovation and an unequivocal must-buy.
90
GamePro
Aside from a few tiny changes, Half-Life 2 on the Xbox is the PC game, right down to the last spattered droplets of alien blood. Half-Life 2's graphics set new standards for the Xbox, blowing right past heavyweights like "Doom 3" and "Halo 2."
90
Computer and Video Games
You'll be hard pressed to find a more intelligent, involving and entertaining game on Xbox today - it even gives "Halo" a run for its money. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
90
Cheat Code Central
The character models are excellent with amazing facial expressions that include "tells." You can't always be sure that what people are saying to you because there is a level of body language that can be interpreted.
89
Pelit (Finland)
One of the best games for Xbox: good missions, excellent story and puzzles. The biggest and perhaps the only problem is the inconsistent framerate. [Jan 2006]
85
Official Xbox Magazine
For a lack of extras and generally lower quality visuals, anyone who played Half-Life 2 on the PC won't have any need to pick this up. [Holiday 2005, p.88]
84
Gamer 2.0
Fortunately, the game looks fantastic, better than most everything else on consoles, but the framerate takes some serious toles during some of the more graphically intense moments in the game and it almost makes it unbearable to play at some points. But other than that, the game looks, sounds, and plays amazingly.
83
GameSpot
A bit underwhelming. Yes, it's a fairly solid translation of one of the better first-person shooters of recent years, but it also lacks the extensive multiplayer and mod-making features of its PC cousin.
82
My Gamer
The voice over work is absolutely tremendous.
80
Xequted
We can't recommend Half-Life 2 if you already own it on PC because nothing has been added to warrant it buying it.
80
GamerFeed
The gunplay and unique physics have been perfectly recreated and the game is still one of the best that you'll play, but the inferior hardware means that none of it looks nearly as good as it does on the PC, and some unsightly frame rate hiccups mar the ocular experience.
73
Game Informer
The inconsistent framerate and lack of visual splendor are compromises we all expected with this conversion, but the load times are insufferable. [Dec 2005, p.182]
William T. gave it an8: Marc D. gave it a9: Joe M. gave it an8: Garrett D. gave it a10: Nathan W. gave it a10: Ethan L. gave it a10: [Anonymous] gave it a10: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
