About Half-Life® 2

Half-Life 2 builds on the shock its 1998 predecessor sent through the industry, a game whose blend of pounding action and immersive storytelling earned more than 50 game-of-the-year awards and the title of Best PC Game Ever from PC Gamer. The sequel takes that suspense, challenge, and visceral energy and layers on startling new realism and responsiveness, opening the door to a world where the player's presence shapes everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviours and even emotions of friends and enemies.

You once again take up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who now finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being stripped to the bone, its resources drained and its population dwindling. Thrust into the role of the reluctant saviour, Freeman must set right the catastrophe he unleashed back at Black Mesa, with many of the people he cares about counting on him.

The game's intense, real-time action is powered by Source, Valve's proprietary engine, which enables a sophisticated facial animation system that gives human characters 40 distinct facial muscles to convey the full range of emotion. As an action FPS on PC, Half-Life 2 pairs cutting-edge technology with a gripping, responsive world.