Games

Half-Life

Valve

1998•Shooter•PEGI 16•About 12 hours

Taste attributes: actionadventuredisasterhorrorscience fictionthrillerwarhistoricalmonster/alien/supernaturalfastunsavouryheavyimaginarysimplelinearbig & variedall consuming questfighting evilfish out of water/culture clashhuman spirit/resilience/survivalinjustice/tragedy/vengeancerescue/escape/jeopardysocial commentarysolving the riddle/not as it seemsunderdog triumphs

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeOtherworldly and wide-ranging: a morally murky shooter, fast rather than slow-burning. Best if you like spectacle over intimacy.

Pace: very fast · Originality: balanced · Tone: very dark · Weight: heavy · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: linear · Look: balanced · Scale: big and varied · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

IGDB rating

84 / 100

2,956 ratings

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Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

Half-Life is a 1998 first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Studios for Windows. It was Valve's debut product and the first game in the Half-Life series. The player assumes the role of Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who must escape from the Black Mesa Research Facility after it is overrun by aliens following a disastrous scientific experiment. Its gameplay consists of diverse combat, exploration and puzzles.

Summary: IGDB

Story

Dr. Gordon Freeman arrives late for work at 8:47 am in the Black Mesa Research Facility, using the advanced Black Mesa tram system that leads through the facility. He arrives at the Anomalous Materials Lab, his work place, and he is informed by the security officer that the scientists have a special experiment today, so he goes to the locker room and puts on the hazard suit. He goes to the lab's lower levels, and arrives at the Anti-Mass Chamber, where he is instructed that the specimen to be used that day is the rarest and also the most unstable specimen. He is tasked with pushing the...

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionAdventureDisasterHorrorScience fictionThrillerWarHistoricalMonster/alien/supernaturalAll consuming questFighting evilFish out of water/culture clashHuman spirit/resilience/survivalInjustice/tragedy/vengeanceRescue/escape/jeopardySocial commentarySolving the riddle/not as it seemsUnderdog triumphs

Keywords

AliensAssassinBloodyGravityDeathMilitaryRun and gunMultiple endings

Where to play

Steam

Details

Developer: Valve
Publishers: Valve, Sierra Entertainment
Released: 19 November 1998
Series: Half-Life
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Perspective: First person
Time to beat: 7h rushed, 12h normally, 19h complete
Age rating: PEGI 16
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.