izigame.me

Prior to 1998, in the PC world, first person shooter games such as DOOM ruled the domain with an iron fist, legendary and infamous in its own right as it essentially was the father and creator of the genre.
However this was all to change. If Doom was the father, then Half-Life is the son.
The late 90s essentially was the "golden age" of gaming. The SNES was phasing out, the N64 was ripe and the Playstation was dominating the market. Pioneers and trailblazers such as Starcraft, Diablo and Age of Empires were being released, celebrated and played around the world, it truly was a time to be alive.
In November 1998, Valve Studios in conjunction with Sierra Studios published the game Half-Life, a game, that changed the perceptions of us Millennials from that day forth on PC games forever. This game essentially turned the tide of FPS and still reflects the fundamentals of games we play today in the modern age. A freakish evolution within the gaming industry, Half-Life itself has won of 50 game of the year awards, has been the cornerstone of mods, shown in the media, has overwhelming positive reviews from all gaming affiliated outlets and is considered the most influential and greatest game created in video game history.
One of the games creators, president and part owner of Valve and Steam Gabe Newell said "Half-Life in many ways was a reactionary response to the trivialization of the experience of the first-person genre".
Its so famous infact, that one of the most played online multiplayer games in the world "Counterstrike" is a mod of the game, including its infamous remake "Black Mesa". The game also had two spin off expansion packs called "Opposing Force" and "Blue Shift". Both these expansions intertwine and give context to other characters and factions within the story.
In this story, you are the Theoretical Physicist Gordon Freeman, who works within a fictitious site known as the the Black Mesa Research Facility located in New Mexico. This Facility is absolutely gigantic and is the crux of the game, which comprises of an in depth railway system, office complexes, laboratories and a dam to say the least. The facility shows a mundane, corporate work life but industrialized, dystopian with moving and advanced technological hardware. The Facility is imbued with cloak and shadow, being a military-scientific facility in research and secret experiments akin to the secrecy of area 51.
Without going in depth nor revealing any spoilers, during an experiment, you are faced with an alien invasion from a fictional place called "Xen". You must fight your way through the facility doing anything you can do to survive. During so you will come across friend being other scientists/security and foe, being the military, aliens and perhaps some covert ops. The game is broken up into chapters, there are no cutscenes so dialogue dictates the storyline along with scripted events. There is also no talking by the protagonist which gives an enigma like effect.
For the late 90's, the graphics were amazing, still to this day they hold up to the test of time. The environment is intuitive and interactive. including being able to be exposed to certain elements such as radiation, electricity and fire. You have at your disposal a range of weapons that come as the story progresses, but it all begins with the famous crowbar which manifests itself as a symbol. Characters can be interacted with, will help you and talk with optional dialogue punchlines. This also extends to some enemies who will give some scripted dialogue. Scripted actions will occur as you progress through the game, including interesting ways that lead to certain character deaths. Characters can also ragdoll and explode. Blood and gore was included for realism. There are also many traps in your travels and ambushes to be aware of and puzzles that need to be overcome in the face of overwhelming odds.
As you progress deep into the game, things will start to make sense about how and why, the game comes to a close as it does, but continues on through its expansions and its successor Half-Life 2.
This was one of the very first and most memorable games I played as an 8yr old. I used to be able to remember the levels so well I could probably play it blindfolded. This game truly put me in the drivers seat, that would be my inception to the love of gaming I have today and I thank the creators. No game has had an impression on me like this in 24 years.
This game 24 years later, still manages to beat the polished crap that is released today! Devs and game companies have no soul, they put in no effort, no good story line, just micro transactions, money and a quick turnover! this is why so many AAA titles today are rated so poorly. Creators cared decades ago when games required imagination, creativity, inspiration, intuition and a solid fan base because that's what mattered and equated to success. Rather than today's standards of buying a character skin for $20.
So! If you want a true authentic, untouched gaming experience, fire it the fuck up.
With my brains and your brawn well make an excellent team!