Half-Life, released by the Valve in 1998, was instantly hailed as the best first-person shooter since Doom and was met with rave reviews. Looking back on the game now, it isn't hard to see what all the fuss is about. After all, Half-Life lifted the bar in a genre that was otherwise set in its ways; in its attempts to focus equally on both immersion and gameplay, Half-Life put you in the role of one Dr. Gordon Freeman, who is caught up in an experiment gone wrong that renders his place of work - an underground laboratory - as a breeding ground for alien invaders who come to Earth through an inter-dimensional rift. The game memorably opened with Freeman on a train to work; it was at this point that players first came into contact with the Half-Life's defining feature: there are no cuts scenes. The game is played entirely from Gordon's perspective. This, along with the smart A.I., saw Half-Life paving the way for the future of gaming.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
