9: Half-Life²
This is about more than a game. Half-Life² was the hour that the face of PC gaming changed forever. It was the game that Valve ever so cleverly bundled with its Steam client. For many at the time it meant having to connect their gaming rig to the internet permanently for the first time. Steam wasn’t welcomed by many people back in 2004. But it was there and there to stay.
Half-Life² itself was one of those games that had been in development for a very long time. It should prove to become one of the 00s defining moment in gaming. Applied physics engine, refined facial animation, and of course, the Source engine made it into an unmissable title. Besides those technical aspects, Half-Life² paved the way for interactive storytelling without such old fashioned devices like cutscenes, leaving the player in full control all of the time. Half-Life² at this time has become another timeless classic, a true masterpiece of the medium.
