5. Playing with Physics
For many years, gamers had mealy dreamt of being able to throw a toilet at enemies, and Half Life 2 made that dream a reality. Thanks to the revolutionary source engine, games were finally able to emulate the physics of real life, with objects having a genuine heft and realistic weight. Half Life 2s stroke of genius was to actually form complex puzzles with its engine, not only providing a new level of realism but actually forcing the player to think about how to overcome an obstacle by using physics. Things start simple enough, with Gordon having to pick up boxes to jump up to ledges and reach higher ground. As you progress through the game, the environmental puzzles become more and more confusing, with Gordon having to use a washing machine to lower a stuck elevator, or creating makeshift ramps using cinder blocks and heavy barrels. Since Half Life 2 weve seen many games trying to imitate Valves unique mix of shooting and puzzle solving, but none have managed to do it so well. Without Half Life 2s advances in using engine physics to create intriguing and cerebral puzzles we certainly wouldnt have seen Valve go even further with the acclaimed Portal series.