The community of PC gamers and Steam fans is currently filled with hopeful anticipation of receiving news of a sequel to the beloved Half-Life series in the near future. On Reddit, they share why they love the game so much. But some people from the editorial team are also reminiscing about fond memories.
Why do players love Half-Life so much? On Reddit, an old picture of Gabe Newell from 1998 triggered a wave of nostalgia with fond memories and admiration for Valve’s shooter. The photo shows him playing Half-Life seven months before its official launch.
After the announcement of the new Steam Machine and the anniversary of the first Half-Life game, fans speculate that news about a sequel could be coming soon … and should! At least according to the wishes of many players.
On November 19, the game turned 27 years old, evoking a lot of emotions in many players, which they expressed on Reddit:
“27 years later, and it is still an absolute gem. One of the few games that I love to play every few years, and I have a fantastic time every time,” writes HoveringPorridge on Reddit. V2CucumberScam also fondly remembers his experiences in the game: “Half-Life is one of those games where you not only remember that you played it. You remember exactly the room, the PC, the sound card, and how your world suddenly felt larger. Legendary.”
The editors and authors of MeinMMO and Gamestar also recall Half-Life and explain what they love so much about the game.
Here you can see the trailer for Half-Life 2:
Half-Life was groundbreaking back then, as our editors remember
What do we say about it? Many editors and authors of MeinMMO and GameStar responded to a call and shared what they associate with Half-Life. They recognize not only the milestones that Half-Life set, but it also takes them back many years. They share what the game meant to them at that time: Within minutes, the chat filled with joyful contributions.
“I stood at Saturn right on the release of HL1 to finance the game along with a new PC that finally had enough power for it. Unfortunately, paying directly was not possible as a civilian service worker. Financing was also not possible, as I learned that day. Note: Gordon Freeman was my teacher in financial matters […] in 2025 it was time to show that to my son. We played Black Mesa together, and it was grand. Then HL2 followed. And then Alyx. Gordon now has one more fresh fan.” (Dennis Ziesecke)
“The AI of the soldiers is absolutely legendary and could compete with most other shooter NPCs even today… they sought cover, called for reinforcement, coordinated retreats, threw grenades surprisingly well, and communicated the player position in real-time by radio, which is truly amazing for 1998.” (Philipp Elsner)
“What distinguishes Half-Life is the fact that it never takes you out of the first-person perspective and fully focuses on immersion. You are truly a part of the story instead of just watching cutscenes; you can often even walk around – that was groundbreaking back then together with the many scripted sequences. Even the whole beginning with Black Mesa was innovative, such as the fact that you don’t hold a weapon in your hands until after 15 minutes.” (Peter Bathge)
“Back then, the huge tentacle boss really got to me because I found it so scary! I learned years later that you could probably also do it stealthily?! Generally, the monster design is just very cool. With the headcrabs or the creatures in the scientist’s coat or this giant weird flying baby with the enormous head! And of course, the intro with the train is legendary! How you pass through this facility for the first time and let everything affect you before you are thrown into the chaos.” (Natalie Schermann)
“I actually ordered the US import version back in 1998 after the GameStar review made me so curious about the game, even though I wasn’t really a big shooter fan. But storytelling and scripted sequences were truly mind-blowing for the time, which is why I played through it like in a trance.” (Heiko Klinge)
And our editor-in-chief Leya connects the game with her childhood:
You almost shouldn’t tell it… but I played Half-Life 1 at release when I was still a child. My older brothers made it possible on the family computer.
I still remember how cool it felt to run around with the crowbar and smash everything that looked somewhat scary. It quickly became my declared favorite weapon, which I swung passionately through the late parts of the game. I even received appreciation from my older brothers for how I fought my way through the game with the crowbar.
Half-Life 1 is a beautiful childhood memory for me of a time when we all still didn’t quite know what we were doing, but we just loved playing – even my parents. I even sat on their lap while they watched me smash monsters with the crowbar and had fun too.
Although this milestone in game development evokes nostalgic feelings for many people in the editorial team, this is not true for everyone – because for some authors and editors of MeinMMO, the game appeared at a time when they were still too young – or (as in the case of the editor of this article) didn’t exist at all yet.
In that case, a Half-Life 3 could be a nice opportunity for the younger generation to give this beloved series a chance.
The dark atmosphere from Half-Life 1 and 2 and the nasty monsters that our editor shattered with the crowbar made the world in Half-Life a pretty nasty dystopia that you definitely wouldn’t want to live in. It also made it a legitimate candidate for this list, where various apocalyptic scenarios vie for the top spot: In games, the world is constantly ending: The 5 worst apocalypses in gaming ranked
