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Game of the Year 2004 This is undoubtedly the finest game of 2004, and certainly one of the top 5 of all time. Everything is just so... perfect. From the driving storyline (not corny or overdone like other games) to the actual gameplay to the sound and graphics, there simply is nothing that is in its league. Your jaw will drop in the first 10 minutes and stay there until you finish the game (don't worry, there's not going to be another Blue Shift: HL2 is VERY long). You're getting your money's worth this time. The weapons are cool, especially a neat device called the Gravity Gun, which allows you to pick up nearly any object (environment interaction in HL2 is outstanding) and hurl it at oncoming enemies. Other than that, the weapons are not terribly different from the original Half Life, ranging from your trusty crowbar to a powerful assault rifle to the RPG. The only gripe I would have about this game is that you have to have a VERY powerful computer in order to run this game efficiently. As it shows enormous detail and has excellent graphics, your video card and everything else might not be able to handle it. I fortunately have a powerful computer, but not everybody does, so make sure you know your computer's capabilities before buying this game. It takes up a lot of memory, so make sure your hard drive will support it. All in all, Half Life 2 is a truly revolutionary game that pulls no punches and continues to wow me, even though I've beaten it. It's worth every penny of the $40 you can shell out for it.