Half Life

Since its release in 1998 this game engine has been used for online gaming more than any other. Counter Strike was born from it, creating a very popular game, even the number of cheats cannot reduce its numbers. The game appears rather dated today but when it was first released it received critical acclaim, and so was followed a year later by the expansion pack, Opposing Force, where you played as a marine. Due to the great popularity of Counter Strike as a downloadable add on its development team were asked to join valve. In 2001 Blue Shift was released but disappointed many as did counter strike: condition zero released in 2004. Half Life 2 was released at the end of 2004 after being delayed for a long time, partly due to some code being stolen and released on the net. After its release it got incredible reviews from almost every quarter, often better than those of the original game, breaking the usual trend of games in series getting worse as they progress.

Offical Description

If you thought all action games were the same, think again. Half Life's intricate environmental challenges, rich story-line, and frighteningly intelligent adversaries add up to a new kind of challenge - one that demands you use your weapons and your wits. Monsters don't walk blindly into your gunfire - they are cunning as hell and they want to live as badly as you do. Friendly characters aren't cannon fodder - they're critical to your success. Add 16-bit colour, machines you control, realistic 3D sound effects and you've got a game that is so alive, so intelligent , so real you'll swear it has a pulse.