Released in 2004, Half-Life 2 ushered PC games into a new generation. It brought with it the highly flexible Source Engine (a game engine so versatile that highly modified versions of it are still used for modern AAA games like Titanfall), and necessitated PC users to install Steam (at the time a highly controversial move that helped launch the platform into ubiquity). The shooter focused on the adventures of scientist-turned-hero Gordan Freeman and his attempts to stay alive in a strange future in which humanity has been conquered by an alien race known as the Combine. 

Rise and shine, listeners. Rise and... shine... and let us know if you think Half-Life 2 remains one of the best games period well over a decade after release.

Outro music: Half-Life 2 'I Tried' by Redg (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02931)

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