Category: Half-Life

Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Software, the company’s debut product and the first in the Half-Life series. First released by Sierra Studios on November 19, 1998, the game was also released for the PlayStation 2 on November 14, 2001.[2] In Half-Life, players assume the role of Dr Gordon Freeman, a recently graduated theoretical physicist who must fight his way out of a secret underground research facility, whose research and experiments into teleportation technology have gone disastrously wrong.

Valve, set up by former Microsoft employees, had difficulty finding a publisher for the game, with many believing that it was "too ambitious" a project. Sierra On-Line eventually signed the game after expressing interest in making a 3D action game. The game had its first major public appearance at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Designed for Windows, the game uses a heavily modified version of the Quake engine called GoldSrc.[1][3]

On its release, critics hailed its overall presentation and numerous scripted sequences, and it won over 50 PC Game of the Year awards.[4][5] Its gameplay influenced first-person shooters for years to come, and it has since been regarded as one of the greatest games of all time.[6] As of November 16, 2004, Half-Life has sold eight million copies.[7] As of July 14, 2006, the Half-Life franchise has sold over 20 million units.[8] Half-Life was followed by the 2004 sequel Half-Life 2, which also received critical acclaim. Half-Life, its cultural impact, community mods and sequels has spawned a large fanbase and cult following, especially in PC gaming.