And while there's no sequel on the horizon, there are plenty of great titles that follow in the footsteps of this icon. Its physics system was also revolutionary when released in 2004 (giving weight to all your actions and letting you interact with much of your environment), and it has firmly stood the test of time.
You'll slowly build up an arsenal of superpowered weapons, giving you the ability to easily dispatch aggressors. The story alone is reason to play through the linear campaign, but its innovative gameplay is where Half-Life 2 truly shines. What follows is an intriguing tale that involves more than a few memorable characters and plenty of twists to keep things interesting. Gordon is this time tasked with reclaiming Earth from a hostile army of extraterrestrials, which have quickly taken control of the planet - thanks to the mistakes made in Half-Life. Gordon Freeman is once again the star of the show in the game, although the action takes place nearly two decades after the original ( Half-Life).