Editing Half-Life (video game) (section)

=== Critical reception ===
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 96/100 (PC)<ref name="MCPC">{{Cite web |title=Half-Life for PC |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/half-life/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202142328/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/half-life |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |access-date=November 3, 2011 |publisher=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref><br />87/100 (PS2)<ref name="MCPS2">{{Cite web |title=Half-Life for PlayStation 2 |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/half-life/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203182742/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/half-life |archive-date=December 3, 2011 |access-date=November 3, 2011 |publisher=Metacritic}}</ref>
| Allgame = 5/5<ref name="Allgame">{{Cite web |last=House, Michael L. |year=2014 |title=Half-Life |url=http://allgame.com/game.php?id=14496&tab=review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114175221/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14496&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |website=[[Allgame]]}}</ref>
| CGW = 5/5<ref name="cgw" />
| GameFan = 100/100 (PC)<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Big Bubba |title=Half-Life Review |url=http://www.gamefan.com/repre.asp?g=848&t=r |url-status=dead |magazine=[[GameFan]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000618122852/http://www.gamefan.com/repre.asp?g=848&t=r |archive-date=June 18, 2000 |access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>
| GSpot = 9.4/10<ref name="Gamespotrev" />
| IGN = 9.5/10<ref name="IGNrev" />
| NGen = 5/5 (PC)<ref name="NG50" /><br />3/5 (PS2)<ref name="NGv4n12" />
}}

On the review aggregation website [[Metacritic]], ''Half-Life'' has a score of 96 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". ''[[Computer Gaming World]]''{{'}}s [[Jeff Green (writer)|Jeff Green]] said it was "not just one of the best games of the year. It's one of the best games of any year, an instant classic that is miles better than any of its immediate competition, and – in its single-player form – is the best shooter since the original ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]].''"<ref name="cgw">{{Cite magazine |last=Green |first=Jeff |date=February 1, 1999 |title=Half-Life |url=http://www.gamespot.com/action/halflif/review_cgw.html |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020209221334/http://www.gamespot.com/action/halflif/review_cgw.html |archive-date=February 9, 2002 |access-date=April 14, 2010}}</ref> ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' wrote: "It is fast paced, it is dramatic, and it brings the very idea of adventure on a PC out of the dark ages and into a 3D world. All that and not a single Orc in sight."<ref name="NG50">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1999 |title=Finals |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]] |issue=50 |pages=94–95}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' described it as "a tour de force in game design, the definitive single player game in a first-person shooter".<ref name="IGNrev" /> ''[[GameSpot]]'' said it was the "closest thing to a revolutionary step the genre has ever taken".<ref name="Gamespotrev">{{Cite web |title=Half-Life Review |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/half-life-review/1900-2537398/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031232543/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/half-life-review/1900-2537398/ |archive-date=October 31, 2013 |access-date=April 25, 2007 |website=GameSpot}}</ref>

Several reviewers cited the level of immersion and interactivity as revolutionary.<ref name="Allgame" /> ''[[AllGame]]'' said, "It isn't everyday that you come across a game that totally revolutionizes an entire genre, but Half-Life has done just that."<ref name="Allgame" /> ''Hot Games'' commented on the realism, and how the environment "all adds up to a totally immersive gaming experience that makes everything else look quite shoddy in comparison".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Half-Life review |url=http://pc.hotgames.com/games/halfli/review.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030201114816/http://pc.hotgames.com/games/halfli/review.htm |archive-date=February 1, 2003 |access-date=March 30, 2008 |publisher=Hot Games}}</ref> ''Gamers Depot'' wrote that it was the most immersive game they had played.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Half-Life review |url=http://www.gamers-depot.com/games/rev-game-half-life.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308103126/http://www.gamers-depot.com/games/rev-game-half-life.htm |archive-date=March 8, 2005 |access-date=March 30, 2008 |publisher=Gamers Depot}}</ref>

The final portion of the game, taking place in the alien world of Xen, was generally considered the weakest. Besides introducing a wholly new and alien setting, it also featured a number of low-gravity jumping puzzles. The GoldSrc engine did not provide as much precise control for the player during jumping, making these jumps difficult and often with Freeman falling into a void and the player restarting the game.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hollerman |first=Patrick |title=Reverse Design |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-0429834400 |chapter=The Platform Theme}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=November 19, 2018 |title=Half-Life's hated Xen levels look great in Black Mesa remake |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/19/18102824/half-life-mod-black-mesa-xen-trailer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223234147/https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/19/18102824/half-life-mod-black-mesa-xen-trailer |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |access-date=February 23, 2020 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref> ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]''{{'s}} Julie Muncy called the Xen sequence "an abbreviated, unpleasant stop on an alien world with bad platforming and a boss fight against what appeared, by all accounts, to be a giant floating infant".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Muncy |first=Julie |date=March 5, 2020 |title=Black Mesa, a Half-Life Fan Fantasy, Finally Comes to Life |url=https://www.wired.com/story/black-mesa-half-life/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305193127/https://www.wired.com/story/black-mesa-half-life/ |archive-date=March 5, 2020 |access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref> ''[[The Electric Playground]]'' said that ''Half-Life'' was an "immersive and engaging entertainment experience" in its first half and that it "peaked too soon".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Half-Life |url=http://www.elecplay.com/reviews_article.php?article=204 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910123915/http://www.elecplay.com/reviews_article.php?article=204 |archive-date=September 10, 2007 |access-date=March 30, 2008 |publisher=[[The Electric Playground]]}}</ref>

During the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences|AIAS]]' [[2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]], ''Half-Life'' was awarded "Computer Entertainment Title of the Year" and "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Action Game of the Year|PC Action Game of the Year]]"; it also received nominations for "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year|Game of the Year]]" and outstanding achievement in "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction|Art/Graphics]]", "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Story|Character or Story Development]]", "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design|Interactive Design]]", and "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement|Software Engineering]]".<ref name="GOTY1999">{{Cite web |title=Second Interactive Achievement Awards - Game of the Year |url=http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_titleofyear.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991104011602/http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_titleofyear.html |archive-date=November 4, 1999 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences }}</ref><ref name="Computer1999">{{Cite web |title=Second Interactive Achievement Awards - Computer |url=http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_pc.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991104003923/http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_pc.html |archive-date=November 4, 1999 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=Interactive.org |publisher=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences}}</ref><ref name="Craft1999">{{Cite web |title=Second Interactive Achievement Awards - Craft Award |url=http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_craft.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991103220401/http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_craft.html |archive-date=November 3, 1999 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences }}</ref>

Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the PlayStation 2 version for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'', rating it three out of five, and wrote that "it may be getting old, but there's still a surprising amount of life in ''Half-Life''".<ref name="NGv4n12">{{Cite magazine |last=Lundrigan |first=Jeff |date=December 2001 |title=Finals |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]] |volume=4 |issue=12 |page=105}}</ref> The PlayStation 2 version was a nominee for ''[[EP Daily|The Electric Playground]]''{{'}}s 2001 Blister Awards for "Best Console Shooter Game", but lost to ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' for [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]].<ref name="blister2001">{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=January 25, 2002 |title=Blister Awards 2001 |url=http://www.elecplay.com/feature.html?id=8152&page=5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030713062025/http://www.elecplay.com/feature.html?id=8152&page=5 |archive-date=July 13, 2003 |website=[[EP Daily|The Electric Playground]]}}</ref>

In 1999, 2001, and 2005, ''[[PC Gamer]]'' named ''Half-Life'' the best PC game of all time.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1999 |title=The 50 Best Games Ever |magazine=PC Gamer USA |page=119 |issue=66}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 2001 |title=50 Best Games of All Time |magazine=PC Gamer USA |page=73 |issue=89}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 2005 |title=The 50 Best Games of All Time |magazine=PC Gamer USA |page=57 |volume=12 |issue=135}}</ref> In 2004, ''[[GameSpy]]'' readers voted ''Half-Life'' the best game of all time.<ref name="Gamespyrev">{{Cite web |title=Gamespy Title Fight! – Championship Final |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/titlefight/matches/0601.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523065248/http://archive.gamespy.com/titlefight/matches/0601.shtml |archive-date=May 23, 2010 |access-date=February 22, 2008 |website=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref> ''[[Gamasutra]]'' gave it their Quantum Leap Award in the FPS category in 2006.<ref name="gamasutra">{{Cite web |title=The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards: First-Person Shooters |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060901/quantum_01.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511073515/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130249/the_gamasutra_quantum_leap_awards_.php?print=1 |archive-date=May 11, 2013 |access-date=September 3, 2006 |website=Gamasutra}}</ref> [[GameSpot]] inducted ''Half-Life'' into their Greatest Games of All Time list in May 2007.<ref name="gamespotfame">{{Cite web |last=Rorie |first=Matthew |date=May 18, 2007 |title=Greatest Games of All Time: Half-Life |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/greatest-games-of-all-time-half-life/1100-6171044/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119235122/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/greatest-games-of-all-time-half-life/1100-6171044/ |archive-date=January 19, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2016 |website=GameSpot}}</ref> In 2007, ''IGN'' described ''Half-Life'' as one of the most influential video games,<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2007 |title=Top 10 Most Influential Games |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/11/igns-top-10-most-influential-games?page=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312131702/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/11/igns-top-10-most-influential-games?page=2 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |access-date=January 6, 2008 |website=IGN}}</ref> and in 2013 wrote that the history of the FPS genre "breaks down pretty cleanly into pre-''Half-Life'' and post-''Half-Life'' eras".<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2013 |title=Half-Life – #1 Top Shooters |url=http://ign.com/top/shooters/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228203738/http://www.ign.com/top/shooters/1 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |access-date=February 23, 2014 |website=IGN.com}}</ref> In 2021, the ''[[the Guardian|Guardian]]'' ranked ''Half-Life'' the third-greatest game of the 1990s, writing that it "helped write the rulebook for how games tell their stories without resorting to aping the conventions of film".<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 23, 2021 |title=The 15 greatest video games of the 1990s – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/jun/23/the-15-greatest-video-games-of-the-1990s-ranked |access-date=June 23, 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623111353/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/jun/23/the-15-greatest-video-games-of-the-1990s-ranked |url-status=live }}</ref>