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Why is Half-Life so iconic?

5 min read
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Gordon Freeman

I was but a young lad, just 10 years old, when Half-Life was released. I honestly don’t remember how I found out about the game, or how it ended up on my PC. I do remember one thing distinctly at least, it was the most impressive game I had ever played. As a kid, meeting those headcrabs for the first time with nothing more than a crowbar was beyond terrifying. Black Mesa was just begging to be explored though, and I pushed on. What is it about the game that makes it so special? This documentary attempts to explain the Gordon Freeman phenomenon.

It’s 17 minutes long, but well worth the watch if you have the time. It does talk about the series as a whole, but focuses on the original game mostly (via Polygon)

The video briefly explains the FPS scene of the 90s. Doom came out in 1993, and it got some things very right. Countless other games attempted to replicate what it had. Only some succeeded. A few years later, PC visuals got some improvements, and Quake was released in 1996.

Fun fact (which I never knew), Gabe Newell was a former Microsoft employee. He founded Valve along with co-worker Mike Harringon in 1996. There first project was to take inspiration from Doom and Quake, as well as some influence from games like Resident Evil and films like Alien. Half-Life was first shown off in 1997 at E3, and was planned to be released later that year. Thanks to what the documentary refers to as ‘Valve Time’, it was delayed and only released late in 1998.

The obvious difference to the games that inspired it is that 27 year old Gordon Freeman is presented as an ordinary man who is just late for a normal day at work. He is a silent protagonist, and in my opinion, one of the few who got it very right, even by modern day standards. You never really get to see Gordon’s face, and the only proper visual you have is thanks to the box art, main menu, and the loading screens.

For me, it felt like I myself was in that awesome HEV suit, yet I knew I was some hero with the name Freeman. The character design is something I feel that most gamers could connect with. Just check out those nerdy glasses!

Gordon

If you don’t know the story behind Black Mesa, it’s essentially an experiment gone horribly wrong, inviting all sorts of alien faces to the compound. Gordon not only has to face the various extra-terrestrial threats, but also the armed crew sent to silence any surviving civilians. As mentioned already, the headcrabs terrified me. There was much, much worse though.

There are no cut scenes whatsoever. Instead, the game kicks off with the iconic (and lengthy) tram ride, hinting at the dangers that lay ahead. This is part of the reason why the narrative is so compelling when compared to other titles in that era. There are in-game events and subtle actions or reactions that truly immersed the player. Remember that poor scientist standing on the damaged bridge? The documentary shows it. I remember how horrified I was when I ran out to help him, only to watch him fall to his death.

The weaponry itself was special too. There were the usual suspects you’d expect; a handgun, submachine gun, rocket launcher, and so on, but also a whole lot of other toys to play with. The documentary explains that one of the possible reasons the crowbar is so memorable is because Half-Life really waited quite a while before it gave it to you. When it did, it became necessary for destroying obstacles, as well as killing enemies. Heck, I have a friend who was so in love with the curved red weapon that he finished the entire game with it and nothing more.

crowbar

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a shameless Half-Life (and by extension, Valve) fanboy. The documentary goes into more detail, explaining how Half-Life 2 still met expectations (for most anyways) and why we may not see Half-Life 3 ever (hint: Valve make enough money from hats and cosmetics, as well as own one of the most awesome digital distribution platforms on the planet).

Unfortunately, I can’t detail every aspect of the documentary, so I’d suggest bookmarking and watching at some stage whether you’ve played any of the games or not. I’d like to think that the original will still stand strong today, but I know gamers tastes have changed/evolved, so they might find it disappointing. That being said, I would highly recommend checking out Black Mesa on Steam. It is a complete remake of the original using the source engine, and it does a pretty damn good job of capturing the soul of Black Mesa.

As much as I want Half-Life 3, deep down I know it will never live up to the hype I, or the world for that matter, have built up. That shouldn’t stop me from believing that it will be something special should it be released, right?

Are you a Half-Life fan? What is your favourite memory from the original game? I just love that it completely immersed me and told a story unlike anything I had seen before in that era of gaming. That and G-Man… what the heck was he up to?

GMAN

Last Updated: October 21, 2014

47 Comments

  1. The other other bad STD? 🙂

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      October 21, 2014 at 14:08

      Yup, headcrabs.

      Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 21, 2014 at 14:06

    My favourite HL memory is planting trip mines at the bottom of air shafts in MP & listening to my friend scream in rage as he headed inevitably towards explosive death.

    Reply

    • Lord Chaos

      October 21, 2014 at 14:06

      Or on spawn points.

      Reply

      • eXodus

        October 21, 2014 at 14:07

        Evil bastards

        Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    October 21, 2014 at 14:09

    Headcrabs… the other OTHER bad STD. Valve and salve. That rhymes.
    *Tin foil hats engaged

    Reply

    • eXodus

      October 21, 2014 at 14:10

      LOL

      Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 21, 2014 at 14:11

      Don’t share tinfoil hats.

      Reply

    • Kensei Seraph - Staff

      October 21, 2014 at 14:14

      2 words rhyme and can be linked to headcrabs.
      HL2 confirmed?

      Reply

      • Lord Chaos

        October 21, 2014 at 14:15

        This is valve, not EA, so no remastered edition.

        *Edit: or at least if there is a remastered, it won’t be at full price.

        Reply

      • Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)

        October 21, 2014 at 14:16

        Yep, in May 2003 I think. 😉

        Reply

  4. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 21, 2014 at 14:10

    I think what makes many of us love HL is that it’s the game that really kick started story-heavy immersive FPS games. Before it they were just basically… go kill bad guys or monsters.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief 0

      October 21, 2014 at 14:21

      Indeed, well said Trev

      Reply

    • Dutch Matrix

      October 21, 2014 at 15:51

      And that is why I kind of hate HL. It was a great game for it’s time, but it was one of the few that got the balance between story and game right. Nowadays, FPS games are no longer the fun, imaginative romps that games like Quake 1 and Quake 2 were.
      Nowadays, all yoy hear about is the story. It was such a great story and wow etc and so forth. I am one for great story, but I miss the “shoot everything in sight” games a hell of a lot….

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        October 21, 2014 at 15:53

        Well you do get those – Painkiller springs to mind, that was pretty good, haven’t played any of the sequels. The ROTT & Shadow Warrior remakes also fill that void.

        Reply

        • Dutch Matrix

          October 21, 2014 at 16:02

          Painkiller is OLD! 🙂 But still, GL Quake…

          Reply

        • WhiteRock

          October 22, 2014 at 15:58

          Also to a lesser extent Far Cry 3 and Blood Dragon.

          Reply

    • WhiteRock

      October 22, 2014 at 15:57

      Why does it feel like we went back to “go kill bad guys and monsters” in so many new games?

      Reply

  5. Hammersteyn

    October 21, 2014 at 14:10

    The story was very addictive. But as a fps it felt leaps and bounds ahead of it’s time.

    Reply

  6. Kensei Seraph - Staff

    October 21, 2014 at 14:13

    I never got past the first few headcrabs in HL1, those things scared me way more than I was willing to put up with.
    Thus my fanboyism comes from HL2.

    The advantage of this is that my hype for HL3 is [slightly] lower than it is for others.

    Reply

  7. Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)

    October 21, 2014 at 14:15

    Rocket Crowbar mod, played on Turkeyburgers map. That’s all I’m saying. 😉

    Reply

  8. Admiral Chief 0

    October 21, 2014 at 14:21

    Awesome article!

    Reply

  9. eXodus

    October 21, 2014 at 14:23

    Loved the puzzles. Always felt like a boss completing them

    Reply

  10. Admiral Chief 0

    October 21, 2014 at 14:23

    Black Mesa, man, you HAVE to play that if you even consider yourself a small HL fan

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      October 21, 2014 at 14:26

      LIES there is no such thing as a small HL fan

      Reply

      • eXodus

        October 21, 2014 at 14:26

        Agreed

        Reply

  11. Reducto

    October 21, 2014 at 14:27

    I loved Half-Life 1. Variety of enemies, great atmosphere, great everything. I know I’m probably going to get lynched for saying this, but I found Half-Life 2 dull and disappointing in comparison.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      October 21, 2014 at 14:30

      The gravity gun and the vehicles sections was a pretty nice touch, we also got to hear more from the G-man. Plus it looked so much more prettier than the first. I just know that most people will probably diss HL3 when it launches. The hype is just to much

      Reply

    • Rags

      October 21, 2014 at 15:15

      I am starting to yawn just thinking about HL2.

      Reply

      • Captain JJ in the shadow

        October 21, 2014 at 15:17

        I’m on my 5th playthrough now. Yawn away.

        Reply

        • Rags

          October 21, 2014 at 15:32

          🙂

          Reply

        • B3ware_za

          October 22, 2014 at 12:34

          I play Half Life series from start to finish each year. Discovering new thing each time.

          Reply

          • Benjyx

            October 22, 2014 at 14:46

            Glad to know I’m not the only one who does that…

  12. Captain JJ in the shadow

    October 21, 2014 at 14:30

    I think Half Life may not have been the first to do one specific thing, but it was the first to do an entire combination of them.

    You became Gordon Freeman, you interacted with characters that were so human. You weren’t just sitting on the sidelines clicking away.

    Reply

  13. Hammersteyn

    October 21, 2014 at 14:32

    Another nice hing it had was all the levels seemed connected, yes there were loading screens but it never took you away from the level. Bit it felt like the game ran straight from point A to B.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ in the shadow

      October 21, 2014 at 14:35

      Absolutely. Busy replaying Half Life 2 at the moment actually

      Reply

  14. Viking Of Divinity

    October 21, 2014 at 14:40

    …I wonder if the new consoles could run HL2 at 1080p, 60 fps…..

    Reply

  15. Captain JJ in the shadow

    October 21, 2014 at 14:43

    Half Life and Half Life 2 was also the good times when you could buy expansions that actually added large parts of that completely enhanced the game and added to the story.
    Not just cosmetics and weapons.
    I remember playing through Half-Life 1, Opposing Force and Blue Shift. Worth every single second.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief 0

      October 21, 2014 at 14:44

      Agreed. When I got OpFor, dude, I geeked out and played 7 sorts of snot out of that game!

      Reply

  16. WitWolfy

    October 21, 2014 at 15:31

    I remember thinking that time that Half Life is very ambitious for making that awesome rail train intro. Like they were showing you just how big this game really is.

    Reply

  17. Lupus

    October 21, 2014 at 15:44

    Strangely enough it was actually the expansion Opposing forces I have a memory off and that’s the scene where you are flying in on the VTOLS. Also I was working part time as a student and one Saturday my buddy was like after work we must go hit this club and I was like nah I’ve got to uhmm study… Meanwhile Half Life 🙂

    Reply

  18. xMATTx

    October 21, 2014 at 16:20

    TIN FOIL HAT TIME: The G-Man is Gordon Freeman from the future :O

    Reply

    • loftie

      October 21, 2014 at 16:30

      mind blown!

      Reply

  19. CypherGate

    October 21, 2014 at 17:18

    Im most probably going to get some hate somewhere on this but I thought Half Life was…. ok. I somehow didnt find it as amazing as everyone else who been clamouring for HL3.

    Reply

  20. B3ware_za

    October 22, 2014 at 12:31

    My memory about HL1 (when looking past Gordon Freeman) is how all those scientist dies.

    Probably the thing I like the most is how the story flows. You never really know what is going to happen next. The characters you meet in the game are also very iconic, as you see them in next instalment and also meet new character along the way.

    You also had different view-points in HL1, like in Blue-Shift you play as the security and how the story revolves as things happen from their point-of-view.

    What makes HL and Gordon Freeman so iconic is the universe it plays in, the story and the character you come across. Without them Half Life would not have been where it is today.

    Yeah Gabe worked for Microsoft and he is one of the millionaires that MS created. Gabe tries to push Linux (kind of tells a story)

    Reply

  21. WhiteRock

    October 22, 2014 at 15:58

    Aaahhh I love the game – recently replayed Half-Life from 1, to its expansions, through 2, to its expansions and then finally Black Mesa…but has the Xen section of Black Mesa been released / completed yet?

    Reply

    • hairyknees

      November 6, 2014 at 09:32

      I don’t think so 🙁

      Reply

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