Here’s a review that really grasps what’s so great about Half-Life 2. I felt the exact same way about the brilliant use of linear storytelling. I wrote in my own impressions of the game, “When you have to start running there’s always an escape route. But here’s the kicker — you don’t feel like there’s always an escape route. No, you think, “Wow, I lucked out finding that open train door.”” With smoke and mirrors they’ve set up the player for an immersive experience that will be studied for years.
It’s been a long time since I was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and carried through a game’s plot with such authority. It’s good to read a review that really gets it. Check it out.
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000380023941/
Half-Life 2 review that gets it
Linear Mode
