Why Is Half-Life A MASTERPIECE?!

"Go to buyraycon.com/actman for 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon."
Half-Life 1 is considered to be one of, if not, the GREATEST GAME EVER MADE! But how did it achieve such a legacy? Why did Valve become a household name after it's release? And 23 years later is Half-Life still A MASTERPIECE?!
SUPPORT the Channel ► / theactman
This video partly Edited by Elzie ➤ / elzieedits
___TIME STAMPS___
Introduction - 0:00
Raycon - 3:47
Lineage of Shooters - 5:20
Scripted Sequences - 14:11
Horror & Sandbox - 20:44
Gameplay, Puzzles, & Platforming - 24:52
Plot Overview - 29:07
Conclusion - 36:56
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[@TheActMan]

"Go to buyraycon.com/actman for 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon." Damn, I actually look pretty good with a goatee. I'm shocked!

[@TK-317]

No, i will not.

[@russian_knight]

Of course sir

[@FranklinThe1]

Nah

[@Bsjs7uu]

Jesus that opening 🤣

[@assasinsking5535]

You should try cry of fear

[@theonlyzanny]

bro please drop the crowbar we can talk about this

[@SpartanSouls256]

Freeman sends his regards.

[@toxicb33tle36]

All hail the legendary Zanman

[@jayblack5942]

The OG kingdom hearts fan. Slayer of weeaboos. I greet thee.

[@absurddive]

*even angrier crowbar noises*

[@gonkdroidgaming6984]

hey Zancan

[@aka.smillz]

All im saying is that we've never seen Gordan Freeman and Act Man in the same room

[@detritus3676]

Ayo wait u onto something

[@zerostarlight1751]

But where is Gman? is this his doing by any chance?

[@Gyrfalcon312]

Valve, take note of the top comment here.

[@atomiclemonicstream3931]

Neither do act man and Ross or Wayne

[@readmore372]

I did, and they were kissing

[@trumanb4758]

I'm replaying HF1 again right now and it has lost none of it's impact or addictiveness. 25 years later and it's as difficult to tear myself away from now as it was in '98. Truly a masterpiece.

[@Heihachi_Joestar]

I finished it today, amazing game

[@user-rm7dy7yp5d]

Ah yes half file

[@PurooRoy]

Must have been more difficult back then, since you couldn't look up walkthrough videos online.

[@trumanb4758]

@@PurooRoy We didn't have videos but we did have text only walkthroughs. Also, there might have been a book you could buy (imagine that!). I know lots of games did that bitd.

[@SMCca]

One thing not mentioned in this video but I found so impactful in the game (just finished playing thru it) was the sparing use of soundtrack/music in it. There's something incredibly impactful about spending the first significant chunk of the game in silence, then reaching the surface you hear the ambient electric guitar riff and holy hot damn does it hit hard.

[@indeimaus]

It's honestly impressive you got the real doctor freeman to appear in your video

[@endoftheroad6513]

You 2 guys need to colab more. Love your vids bud.

[@Hyperio606]

great.

[@vellinghem2187]

No way....ITS YOU!

[@Sarohkaith]

hey whats up cute lesbian

[@GamerBoy870]

Please do Collabs With The Act Man

[@Midnighthalo]

I bet that if Act Man were to ask Gabe to release Half-Life 3, he would have to comply. I mean, Gabe can't say no to the personification of Gordon Freeman in flesh, can't he?

[@SillierExtra]

,

[@Elsa-rq2ty]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3e5XqKtnZaYjZo...

[@christiananddanyell]

Doubt it. Gordon Freeman doesnt talk though XD

[@Descro382]

@@christiananddanyell his crowbar can do the talking

[@WKGaming-cr1fh]

If you comment on all of act mans videos, how come you’re not subscribed to him yet

[@Varil92]

You didn’t mention one of the most impressive things of this game: the groundbreaking AI, which still to this day is arguably the best ever made in an FPS.

[@zilliq]

It was incredible at the time to see the military soldiers tactically run and hide behind boxes to throw grenades

[@H.Cat725]

@@zilliq and putting grenades at his feet and dying thanks to them We'll forgive them because in the ps2 version they can kick the grenades back to you

[@SlaughterDog]

Even valve admitted that in some ways the HL1 AI was better than the HL2 AI

[@AndersonMallonyMALLONY-EricCF]

Search for the AI behavior of the monsters in this game and you'll be truly impressed.

[@sdsdfdu4437]

Half Life 1 had some revolutionary AI at the time, but arguably the best AI now goes to FEAR.

[@evillink1]

Half life 1 and 2 are so different, yet they both share an overall vibe that other games have tried and failed miserably to replicate. But half life 1 had a certain purity to the concept. It's hard to describe.

[@russianoverkill3715]

Half-life 2 is just a glorified tech demo with bad gameplay, low enemy variety and misuse of physics

[@skraxel]

@@russianoverkill3715 this has to be ragebait

[@PurooRoy]

@@russianoverkill3715 you're probably just dying over and over again, so you came here to take your frustration out.

[@hihowrya370]

Imagine spending your life to graduate from MIT, earning a phd title, become a physicist and end up becoming an alien slaying war-hero.

[@Desepted]

gordon has more phds in fighting than he does in science

[@recien2254]

Usually how it goes tbh

[@patchwurk6652]

@@jimmiekarlsson4458 Lol, you kidding? I'd be pissed that I wasted all that money on a Doctorate only for society to immediately implode and render it worthless.

[@mrbigglezworth42]

@@patchwurk6652 On the upside, no one is going to be buggin you to pay back all those loans you took out for that doctorate. Downside, the post alien invasion apocalypse isn't the greatest job market for former theoretical physicists.

[@susa.k.a.pinkguy2036]

Id be pretty fucking happy in life.

[@aperture1739]

Ya know he actually kinda looks like Gordon I’ll never be able to unsee this and I’m not upset

[@koltongauthier1296]

Valve needs to make a Half Life movie with Act Man as Gordon Freeman

[@Chuked]

Older act man will look even more similar

[@PurooRoy]

I saw this video before I knew much about the Half-Life series, and when I purchased Half-Life 2, my first reaction on seeing the cover in my Steam library was "Holy shit that's The Act Man!".

[@maawous]

Fun fact, most of the tanks explode by themselves if you keep your distance and crouch just enough that they can see you. It makes them shoot too close to themselves. Funny how you remember small things like that

[@c.l.8213]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the "remake" thing called Black Mesa!

[@CavinLee]

It’s good. It’s more than a port and it’s got it’s own identity.

[@Josh.JustJosh.]

@@CavinLee You aren’t Act Man! 🫵🏻 That’s a fake mustache!

[@CavinLee]

@@Josh.JustJosh. huh?

[@Josh.JustJosh.]

@@CavinLee ☝🏻OP asked for the Act Man’s thoughts! I’m starting to think you’re just 2 kids in a trench coat! 🤨

[@CavinLee]

@@Josh.JustJosh. oh, I’m not a channel regular. I was just saying that I’ve played the game and thought it was pretty good.

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Can you explain to me why Valve never credited you as the real life inspiration for Gordon Freeman?

[@Chuked]

Can they just add black mesa to console? Its really not difficult anymore

[@lasersauceretroarchives6544]

cringe

[@bozoratio7718]

"𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚐𝚘, 𝙸 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎."

[@Chuked]

@@bozoratio7718 how do you do that? Are you on a computer?

[@eavyeavy2864]

Israel start it first by taking land majority of land from Palestine who has been there to minority that is Israrl. UN majority give weapon to them How on earth do you think Palestine start it first if not from your cow bias against Islam?

[@RBEmpathy]

What's crazy about the ending of HL1 is that the scientists never tell you that there's no way back after you kill the nihilanth - you kinda just realize after G Man grabs you that, actually, you went there on a suicide mission. The scientists used Gordon the entire time, relying on his sense of responsibility for protecting the earth to save their own ass.

[@Gryzly123]

a great theory, i've never thought about it like this before such a shame that gearbox ruined this because in both HL expansions you visit xen and are able return to earth afterwards. and even if we decide these games are not cannon, in HL2 when characters are shocked to see you they seem to ask "where have you been" rather than "how are you even here"

[@RBEmpathy]

@@Gryzly123 well, with Mark Laidlaw out of the picture, I'm sure valve is going to be developing the official canon moving forward (since he actually didn't like the idea of games necessarily having official canon), though it seems to me with the paradoxes present in HL:A that the series could turn into a multi-dimensional, multi-timeline war adventure game where things are canon or not canon depending on what narrative they happen to be going for in each game. In short, I'm worried that valve has bit off more than they can chew, and I'm still not certain that we're going to get HL3, with all the issues in continuity, canon, and story arc.

[@splat-a-tat6780]

@@Gryzly123 The theory still works actually. You could return to Earth in the expansions because the Nihlanth was still there to keep the portal to Earth open. Gordon would still be trapped in Xen without the G-Man’s interference because he was there to kill off the Nihilanth, meaning he would have been trapped no matter what afterwards. Asking “where have you been” would also technically work as an appropriate question in this context, but it’s part of a bigger criticism I have with HL2 in general where the characters don’t really act as shocked as I think they should be

[@Viviana088]

@@Gryzly123 Too be fair, the characters in HL2 mainly Eli, Kleiner and Magnusson. Don't send you off to Xen to kill the Nihilanth, nor are really apart of the events that unfold in the later stages of the game/story. Kleiner and Eli last saw Gordon going to the surface with both of them presumably escaping shortly afterwards. Magnusson most probably escaped with both of them. Barney Gtfo'd before the second day. Breen... well as the administrator of Black Mesa (who also had some contact with G-Man) probably was already off site before the events. Also, Judith never got the job and lost out to Gordon. So it's safe to say their reactions are warranted and reasonable. So the nuking of Black Mesa fits in with cannon in my opinion, other wise why would the Combine solely focus on the Borealis when Black Mesa can also be scavenged for teleportation technology that allows them to teleport locally.

[@sixgm227]

Secret plot twist: the true hero of half life is gman

[@_harveyd]

2:24 "the goat" shows a picture of half life source 💀

[@juviko]

I played it for the first time in 2022 and its now one of the best games i ever played. Cant believe how an over 20 year old games makes more fun than todays games. It surprises you behind every corner.

[@verbal_kinks0967]

Good, now Play Black mesa, a Dedicated Community Remaster/Remake of the game that can make your balls either explode in absolute shock, or give them an extra 2 ton weight addition on how Incredible it is in general.

[@PurooRoy]

I played it a month ago. Already finished 1, 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Lost Coast, Deathmatch and Deathmatch 2.

[@theprimetyme0451]

Actman is never going to leave the PUBG devs alone lmaooo

[@renegadedjinn5325]

Nope and Acting Gods bless that Acting Male

[@Ineedgames]

Well when you dump your original fanbase in favor of supporting the Chinese market without actually improving the game and ignoring feedback then I don't know what else to say about the devs.

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is s awesome

[@absurddive]

And neither are we as a gaming community PUBG could've been amazing and ground breaking, but they done goofed and now are just a shell of what they could've been.

[@Ar1AnX1x]

they made an a$$ of themselves, it was the most pathetic thing when they sued fortnite, how can you be that salty and pathetic?

[@danbent9559]

Ok act man, now do 'Why was the orange box a masterpiece?'

[@TheActMan]

OOF that's a tall order, captain

[@danbent9559]

@@TheActMan Well it's a masterpiece sooooooo

[@mr.lordstarscream1570]

@@TheActMan wondering the safe shallows remind you of something Act man would do why *SUBNAUTICA IS TERRIFYING BUT BUGGGY*

[@wesleyfravel5149]

@@TheActMan just do each game in small parts to make a normal video, with possibly returning to each game on its own.

[@OneSaltyBruh]

Nah do videos on the individual games, they all deserve a separate video

[@Familia_nepal_nepal_do_mal12]

I non ironically got a master degree in Nuclear Physics because of this game (doing Doctorate RN, hope I finnish it before HL 3)

[@lonewolf-0459]

I appreciate that titanfall 2 was there along the goats. Even though it's multiplayer has been ruined by a hacker entirely it's still fun to play the single player campaign I just wish when you got the other titan loadouts you kept them permanently even when returning to a previous level.

[@macros1852]

Like Team fortress 2

[@vreikezen8268]

@@macros1852There are too much similarities, Titan Fall 2 even uses a Modified source engine.

[@blehbleheh]

I remember playing this game as a 13 year old, thinking "Gordon's 27? Man he's old!" Now I'm 27 and shit my pants imagining being in his situation. That, or I just lie to myself and think he's like 49 or something.

[@warchild4974]

Wow, I never fully took-in how old Gordan is when the incident at Black Mesa happens. Don't know who's first day was worst, Leon S. Kennedy's or Gordan Freeman!?

[@pawanpoojary7463]

@@warchild4974 it wasnt Gordon's first day, few scientists and guards already knew him before the incident.

[@warchild4974]

@@pawanpoojary7463 well to be fair, some of them may have gone to the same university that Gordon did. Either-way even if it wasn't his official first day, it wasn't a great start to his day at all

[@ishid_anfarded_king]

@@warchild4974 appparantly he was working as an intern/probably still studying while being at black mesa, thats why scientists know him before his first day of oficially working

[@warchild4974]

@@ishid_anfarded_king yeah that's how I take it, I was stating that for us (as the player) it's his first day on the job and all hell breaks loose

[@H3Vtux]

You've pretty much never mentioned half life before and I've been wondering for years if you had even played it. Psyched to see this!

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is so awesome

[@AxxLAfriku]

Let me get this straight: You comment something that is unrelated to the fact that I have two DANGEROUSLY DASHING girlfriends? Considering that I am the unprettiest KZbinr ever, having two hot girlfriends is really incredible. Yet you did not mention that at all. I am quite disappointed, dear bas

[@H3Vtux]

@@AxxLAfriku That's some interesting channel content you've got there....

[@AxxLAfriku]

@@H3Vtux Bow down

[@Martin-ys4sr]

@@AxxLAfriku Oh you're that channel that nobody gives a shit about and I already forgot by the time you read this

[@celestialcolosseum]

All of the platforming issues are because of not crouch jumping, it's a signature movement style of valve games. In cs 1.6, css, csgo, hl1, hl2 etc. there are multiple games that utilize this system. If you crouch you get a little bit extra jump length to reach further platforms.

[@ZaCloud-Animations___she-her]

Yeah. He didn't mention the optional tutorial, so he likely didn't know about it.

[@GholaTleilaxu]

The most important shooter (FPS) ever made is Wolfenstein 3D. If you haven't played that game in the 90's as a kid you can't possibly know. The engineers in my father's firm had two games installed on their PC: Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty and Wolfenstein 3D. Their boss, a physicist, had Warcraft I: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness on his PC.

[@SNOWSOS]

I love that I can name all the game OSTs you use in your videos

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is s awesome

[@akmalrafiaa4772]

Now i feel like im not gamer enough that i can only recognize some of them :/

[@neilios08]

Music at 7:21 please??

[@lukkkasz323]

@@neilios08 CSGO theme

[@neilios08]

@@lukkkasz323 thank you!

[@kdtrey5764]

Up Next: “Why is Half Life 2 A MASTERPIECE?”

[@starstorm5338]

In a couple decades: "Why is Half Life 3 A MASTERPIECE?!"

[@Zephyr-lp2mi]

@@starstorm5338 centuries*

[@glctcthnkr8059]

I actually like HL1 better tbh

[@THEATOMBOMB035]

Better title. "Was Half-Life 2 better then Half-Life?"

[@theannoyedlink5153]

@@glctcthnkr8059 still, Half Life 2 is just... A masterpiece, no words other than that, I honestly think Half Life 2 is the best fps ever made, but regardless of that it does absolutely deserve a masterpiece video tbh

[@neilmcdougall4927]

One of the most memorable aspects of this game I have is that the journey has no stops (which were always occurring in previous FPSs at the time) - except for that point you get knocked out and wake up

[@user-ig5gq6wv8m]

Isaac Clarce from Dead Space is pretty similar to Gordon actually, and I really enjoy how DS refined this formula, Isaac is a nerd too, he is just a engineer who goes to U.S.G.Ishimura to see his gf, and gets terrorised to the point he gets deadly halusinations, just like a normal person would. The ge has ONE cutscene and does gorgeous!

[@thefounder5395]

Half-Life 1 is a certified hood classic.

[@TheActMan]

CLASSIC

[@mr.lordstarscream1570]

@@TheActMan wondering the safe shallows remind you of something Act man would do why *SUBNAUTICA IS TERRIFYING BUT BUGGGY*

[@glctcthnkr8059]

@@mr.lordstarscream1570 subnautica is dope af

[@mts9266]

@@mr.lordstarscream1570 new ncr ranger huh?

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is so awesome

[@thevfxwizard7758]

The aesthetic of Half Life 1 is surreal. It's like being dropped inside a dream.

[@Nattraks]

A cream dream

[@BeastMode-kg7sc]

Lol wake up on a bus with a crow bar fighting soldiers to fighting zombies to then meeting a girl & her robot 😂 definitely the definition of a dream🤣

[@lerebox]

@@BeastMode-kg7sc and also lets not forget the part where you kill thousands of marines and music is just playing in the background

[@sookie5469]

@@BeastMode-kg7sc aesthetic let that word sink in Crow bar isn’t an aesthetic nor are the aliens

[@betorockmetal]

...a dream of crowbars.

[@ilvanezzo]

I bought Half Life in 1999 but my PC could not handle it (I had a humble 486DX4 at the time) so I gifted it to my cousin who was moving away. I finally played it for the first time in 2012. I got to the Zen portion at the end and only then realized I also had the Source version in my Steam library. I was playing the OG version this whole time. And it still was a blast in 2012!

[@StillIntoBeetles]

Yo, two years in the future from this video and the 25th anniversary came with an update to Half-Life, it fixed some of the bugs and it’s a bit harder to get stuck on geometry now. That’s all I got to say, this game is still my favorite and it deserves every title it has

[@USAirsoft]

Funny enough, I only discovered Half Life because of Freeman’s Mind and Kitty0706

[@faketoddhoward7280]

You missed out

[@oldaccount1542]

I miss Kitty0706 man. We all do miss him.

[@mirabile1221]

wow

[@DelinquentChibi]

R.I.P Kitty0706. My introduction to Half-Life was the second game. I only relatively recently played the original, having played Black Mesa first, as well.

[@CyanTeamProductions]

RIP

[@adamcomerford8502]

9:07 "Wait, how did they get into those offices? I don't see any doors." _Aperture has joined the chat_

[@Dualis58]

They are indeed in the same universe.

[@Hyperio606]

monster inc. 3

[@TheRguru1]

now you're thinking with portals

[@Markus-8Muireg]

31:14 My favoutite thing about half life is that this part in the german version, which turns the soldiers into the unused robot soldiers, implies that the alien invasion apocalypse preventet the sentient mashines wipe out humanity apocalypse. I'm sure the whole censoring of violence in video games in Germany at the time was all part of Valves masterplan.

[@mrun-gamer9008]

I played Half-Life for the first time when it was free and I gotta say, I was amazed what was created in 1998. But most importantly, I was just halfway through the game and I just realised something. I was progressing through the story even though they never told me what to do or showed me any directions, I just somehow knew what to do. Somehow a game from 1998 can have better gameplay story telling then most modern games with objectives or arrows.

[@onsterz5686]

Here so early that the Combine hasn’t invaded earth

[@TheActMan]

give it 7 hours

[@mr.lordstarscream1570]

@@TheActMan wondering the safe shallows remind you of something Act man would do why *SUBNAUTICA IS TERRIFYING BUT BUGGGY*

[@niccifemboy]

Dont be a anti citizen

[@coltforceplayz5285]

@@TheActMan *Valve theme plays*

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is so awesome

[@HummusThunder]

twitter saw this cosplay first

[@Elsa-rq2ty]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3e5XqKtnZaYjZo...

[@markwick2783]

Yessir

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is so awesome

[@sasaki8765]

@@whiterunguard6415 Skyrim is a tragic failure compared to it's predecessors, and I'd be shocked if Actman himself wasn't aware of this. Oh, except commercially. They marketed it very well.

[@JollyWailmer]

@@whiterunguard6415 Skyrim wasn’t awesome so why would he make that video,

[@jinjowatts]

I just played and beat this game for the first time a few days ago. I'd always heard of it being this great game, but I had no idea exactly what I getting into. It is by far one of the best games I've ever played and the historical context of it makes it all the more sweet. Wow. Just so much fun from start to finish. It's a game that respects your intelligence and always keeps it fresh.

[@ARStudios2000]

I played it for the first time last month, and I absolutely agree. I was coming to it after playing quite an amount of emulated games on PS2. Half Life blew me away for how well crafted it was, to the point that I found it vastly superior to a lot of the PS2 ones (especially in the puzzles department). All around a must recommend for everyone to try at least once

[@july9566]

I played this game almost 16 years ago , it was so cool when you go to the other dimension momentarily … epic stuff

[@Mirasshtar]

Love these reviews of old games by the old timers that played them growing up. You and guys like Civvie do these oldies real justice. Each in totally different ways that I'll watch two reviews on the same game cause I love the different takes on it. Nostalgia hits hard watching guys like you. Is a nice relief from the mad world around us.

[@playerplus5917]

It’s been 7 months. I want a "Why is Half Life 2 A MASTERPIECE?!"

[@playerplus5917]

@@abc-ug5ym If Half-Life is a video game, then what’s Half-Life 2?

[@playerplus5917]

@@abc-ug5ym Did you even watch the review and what made this method so good? What the fuck are you even talking about???

[@justvibingthroughlife917]

@@abc-ug5ym why cant you just have a normal debate about HL2 rather than resorting to insults.

[@justvibingthroughlife917]

@@abc-ug5ym yeah I wasn't referring to any of that. You said in your last reply "because in your 30s u'll be so fat from screen and mcdonalds I won't even care to reply". So why can't you just debate rather than resulting to childish insults. Also, your grammar and spelling are terrible, i think you should consider reading a novel rather than talking about them on the Internet.

[@justvibingthroughlife917]

@@abc-ug5ym more childish insults?

[@TPBXDRicky420]

I remember I would watch my dad play this game. I was young and too scared to play by myself at the time. There is the part near the beginning of the game where you have to jump on the ladder that hangs in the elevator shaft. My dad couldn't get the jump right so I offered and did it first try! Good little bonding moment I wont forget haha.

[@FrogLover-nh3mu]

I wasn't expecting a wholesome comment like this

[@swarmyboyo]

that’s a very touching story Dr. Butt Hartmann!

[@v33nod3]

That's amazing. Funny enough, I had the exact same experience on the hanging crates section with my older cousins. They said they had been trying to get past that part for 2 days. I got through it on my first try.

[@applehazeva2739]

Something like this with brother :D

[@EpicGhostShadow]

Wholesome

[@Govik420]

Crouch jumping is key in the HL Series/Engines. It is taught to you in the hazard course for that reason. That part on the slippery walkways is far easier when you crouch jump.

[@trevorcoyle517]

"Get a load of this guy, doesn't even know about crouch jumping! He didn't play the training course."

[@LukeR1M]

Now we need ''Why is F.E.A.R a masterpiece?''. Another FPS that was truly ahead of it's time with incredibly advanced AI and stunning sound design. Still an absolutely incredible game to this day.

[@TheVanillatech]

FEAR was a brilliant technical showpiece. If it hadn't been for the corporate takeover of the gaming industry about the same time FEAR was being developed, the talent on that team could have brought us some seriously amazing things! The two expansions were what was to be expected back then - decent length campaigns and worth the £12 or so. It was also great of them to release the multiplayer for free. But the consoles becoming the focus of the industry after the vampires took hold and removed power from the creative people in favour of their accountant departments, killed the franchise and turned it into generic trash. I still remember my first playthrough of FEAR with a lowly Radeon 9500 Pro and Athlon 64. The game ran pretty bad, and still I couldn't stop playing till I finished it. The following week I bought a 6800GT, more than doubling my framerate, and played through it again multiple times.

[@LukeR1M]

@@TheVanillatech I agree with you completely. It's really a shame what happened to the FEAR series after the first one. FEAR and the expansions are still incredible to this day and are doing some things better than most of the shooters currently. The whole AI was revolutionary at the time where enemies communicated between each other and tried to flank the player as best they could and when their numbers went low, they would try to retreat and cover fire for each other. And the sound design is the best I've heard, like shells dropping on the floor and the sound echoing in the room. On top of that it struck the perfect balance between the fps and horror, where the horror part highly benefited from before mentioned incredible sound design. It's in my top 5 best games.

[@TheVanillatech]

@@LukeR1M It's a shame what happened to the gaming industry in general BUT that is what happens, whenever an industry becomes profitable, the vampires swoop down and gobble it up. Unfortunately, with creative industries like music and video games, that spells more profit for the 1% but a huge drop in quality of entertainment for the consumers. There is still kickstarter. And a handful of holdouts - it was amazingly refreshing to see what MachineGames did for Wolfenstein and I still firmly believe in Blizzard being able to bring out amazing titles. But from 1992-2004, what a sick time for gaming. Literally every year, the boundaries pushed. Genres being born. Totally original masterpieces coming out of nowhere. And now today - Call Of Duty 27, Tomb Raider 19 and FarCry 144. Almost every game being made for consoles first, with their underwhelming hardware and casual player demographic, then drop ported to PC. No new genre busting titles. No groundbreaking original titles. FEAR was made for PC gamers, for PC hardware, and by talented guys who were fully in control of their own business. As you say, it's astonishing how even today, it hasn't been surpassed in some respects. But now almost every FPS is made with the 8-way directional gamepad as its target control system. You can't HAVE super intelligent an dangerous AI, cos the console players would perma die. Unless you include auto-aim assist, and make the protagonist a bullet sponge with regenerating health. Then you might have just made another COD or Fry Cry or Tombraider! XD

[@d.o.a7552]

Now let's crowdfund a short movie with actman as a silent Gordan Freeman

[@rileyrosswalker]

"They're waiting for you Gordon - in the test chamberrrrrrr."

[@ringpop6482]

Feed my my coooiiiiiinnsss... Mr. Freemaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn--

[@moosedog___6372]

6:30 funny thing is you can link overwatch to half life by linking it to tf2 where tfc was first an official mod for half life (if I’m not spreading misinformation) and the original team fortress was a mod for quake

[@KiraAcoh]

I've always seen Valve as a company that doesn't do a lot in terms of game releases compared to other companies, but when they do it makes an undeniable impact on the genre they release.

[@n00blord14]

We are concerned that Act Man’s videos are replicating the experience for which the most legendary content creators in existence are known for.

[@BlaZe-pl4ym]

It’s a sad reality that we’ll never get a “Why is Half-Life 3 A MASTERPIECE?”

[@TheActMan]

We might get "Why Was Half-Life 3 SO DELAYED?!"

[@caulfieldsimper]

@@TheActMan hint hint

[@solidhutyr1815]

@@TheActMan How to describle the word "pain" in one sentense

[@mikeehrmantraut1899]

@@TheActMan Can we get on why the Yakuza series is a masterpiece or awesome

[@oysterscrolls]

@@TheActMan Probably because the pressure and expectations are so high that even for HL:a people were expecting a masterpiece. (Which we got imo)

[@Sabamonster]

Half-Life was Equal Parts Shooter and Equal Parts thriller, at least at the time of launch; and was an absolute mind fuck to travel through. One of the best games of all time. Also: I think it's overlooked how insightful you are sometimes. You draw parallels where a lot of others don't and you've always got something profound to formulate your views around. They are always well articulated and entertaining also. Been watching you a long ass time and I'm still always suprised; whether I'm watching a new video or an older one I happened to miss.

[@busta1218]

I haven't played Half Life yet, but throughout this video I was struck by the similarities between Half Life and Dead Space. The Silent Scientist plays the protagonist, picking up tools along the way. The scientists themselves playing a huge role in the horrors. The puzzle solving, multiple firing modes of weaponry, random enemy spawns, etc.

[@ZaCloud-Animations___she-her]

Ahh, as a big Half Life fan, now I realize why I also love Dead Space so much. And other shooters with survival-horror & puzzle elements. Thanks for connecting the dots. Those really carry Half Life's inspiration forward & bring back a lot of its vibes, whether intentional or not.

[@maskedengineer6293]

To me, I think the whole appeal of Half-Life, aside from the revolutionary storytelling and innovation on the FPS formula, is that it's the first game to NOT pit you as some kind of grizzled balls-to-the-walls action hero, and more like a random scientist who's trying to survive. Gives a whole different perspective.

[@blulu8620]

If you are good enough you can be a action hero

[@Madjo-qj2ge]

i always like the premise that you are regular civilian or non military proffession try to survive Horror Gordon Freeman: A 27 y.o Scientist Ethan Winters: Maybe an Office Worker Isaac Clarke: CEC 3rd class System Engineer

[@legojangofett1088]

Especially looking at all of the other scientists who don’t have HEV suits and knowing that if you didn’t have yours you’d be doing just as bad as them

[@austrakaiser4793]

I remember the whole appeal to me for Quake III was the girl in your pfp XD

[@maskedengineer6293]

@@austrakaiser4793 It's actually Doomguy, not Crash, but I get what you're saying ;)

[@colonelcrockett2250]

Act man literally shaved before all of the gordon freeman bits can we please give a round of applause for the dedication

[@LuccaEsteves]

0

[@H3Vtux]

I imagine he grows it back extremely fast.

[@Jaepeg]

@@H3Vtux L O L

[@ballswalls8189]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ60Xnptmd2kbtU

[@SuperWeedPower]

I found this game by mistake, back in 2009 I got my first pc and a friend installed for me a non steam version of counter strike and thats all I new about pc games, one day I had nothing better to do and I started exploring the cs folders(yeah I used to go arround exploring folders for no reason) and I found out this orange symbol that I kinda've seen before in physics class, clicked on and got hooked ever since

[@TheBrownsword]

That scene from halo 3 was the best example you could have used. I played that game once and when you started that clip I knew the scene after 0.68 seconds. The amount of time data contemplated joining the Borg in first contact.

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

This is the best cosplay of Gordon, The fact that your hair was already styled like his helped

[@SHADOW_F_A_X]

Can’t wait for “why half life 2 is a masterpiece”

[@The_House_Always_Wins]

Yes

[@BUBBA808]

“Those chickens are up to something”

[@GigglingStoners]

yaaas

[@jaimealvarado4421]

Half-Life 2 is garbage though. One of the most overrated video games of all time. Not even being a troll here. That game is disgustingly overrated. Terrible story, terrible writing, terrible characters, terrible shooting. The game was all hype. It is an objectively BAD game, and I expect Act Man here will say as much if he reviews it.

[@SHADOW_F_A_X]

@@jaimealvarado4421 that’s amazing man, like really, force your opinion on us, please.

[@Th3Espr3ss0]

I love that you put marathon on the lineage tree. Recently discovered those games and goddamn are they captivating.

[@Deqnkata]

I have spent so many hours on Half Life - epic story ! I feel what is really underestimated about it tho how awesome the multiplayer was . There is yet to be anything half as exciting as bending an RPG round in a cluster of your friends crowbaring each other to death , or silently sneaking a sniper crossbow shot in their head - glorious !

[@whitneybaxter3299]

All these years later my daughter started playing it and she loves it. It’s undeniable that a game that good can remain timeless makes it a true masterpiece.

[@NourArt02]

I started playing Half Life 1 only two weeks ago and i finished it today, and i can say that this game has zero boring moments, from start to finish it keeps gradually gettting better and better. If a 1998 game can give me this much fun time in 2022 then it definitely deserves the title of "Masterpiece".

[@brendansage6876]

Same here, just started playing recently, and its become one of my favorite games, and I was born 6 years after the game came out. Not finished quite yet, am currently on the chapter *Lambda Core*.

[@unclebob2792]

Damn does HL1 brings back memories. First played the game in 2005/2006 on a pentium 3 lol.

[@jpeg2503]

Better and better until you hit Interloper. Game's still a masterpiece though.

[@H.Cat725]

@@jpeg2503 Interloper? Is that a cut level? I never heard of him... nope... never

[@damirimamagic5064]

First played it about 4 years ago on the PC but couldn’t continue due to the door opening glitch at the beginning, now been playing it on the PS2 and I’m definitely getting into it! It’s a great game.

[@UnchainedEruption]

If they ever make a live-action Half-Life movie, I hope they cast the Act Man as Gordon. The resemblance is striking.

[@jeffery5716]

Yes exactly

[@MattObviously]

I've watched this video at least 50 times. As a huge Half-Life fan, this is a goddamn masterpiece. Thanks for always making quality content Act Man.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

Honestly the movement is one of the things I LOVE about Half-Life and is one of the biggest reasons why I don't think Black Mesa replaces it. Along with the marines being less fun. (Black Mesa's still great but more as an extra experience not a replacement)

[@ThisBirdHasFlown]

What's so great about Half-Life's slippery movement? It feels like you're on roller skates the whole time, and there's nothing about it that has any impact on gameplay, besides making things slightly more difficult than need be. It's not even as though the huge amount of air control plays any part unless you're doing speedrunning, and it's not like Unreal for example where there's a dodge mechanic. The only other element is crouch jumping, which is almost a pointless feature.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

@@ThisBirdHasFlown Speed, there's a MASSIVE speed difference between HL1 and Black Mesa. It's has a completely different game feel that makes black mesa feel like source game, rather than a goldsource game. Also the slipperyness is just you not having played the game enough. That's not an issue, especially if you can hold a button to walk.

[@captainobvious1961]

Jarek my man hitting us with FACTS

[@joshuagraham382]

@@Jarekthegamingdragon I just turned speed on constantly and edited a few settings and it was pretty on-point to the original. I'd have to check to see which settings I changed.

[@Snufflegrunt]

You can turn always run on in Black Mesa for a similar feel

[@trafe8654]

“Act Free-Man isn’t real, he can’t hurt you” Act Free-Man:

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is so awesome

[@hounsdjentlow3074]

KZbin and quantum put cucumbers in their mouths #JusticeForActMan

[@tarrker]

20:33 - Noticed that in the cutscene with the two scientists just before the test chamber. It's because of the "HD" models that're on by default. Some of their behavior must be linked to their animation or vice versa and the newer models have janky animations. See it a lot with custom models when using mods.

[@guyguyson8578]

Plot twist: The G-man is just a more advanced Mark Zuckerburg.

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is s awesome

[@Rejukem]

@@whiterunguard6415 It almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter

[@DulksVenee]

This poor soul made it through the platforming without learning crouch jumping. Respects Act Man. And thank you for covering one of my all time favorite shooters since childhood. If you have finished Episode 2 of Half-Life 2, welcome to the pain us Half-Life fans had to deal with for over a decade.

[@CalgarGTX]

Crouch jumping is probably the first gaming skill I ever learnt, and served me well in all the HL1 engine and source engine games that followed it lol..

[@alduinfr]

@@CalgarGTX same

[@DulksVenee]

​@@CalgarGTX Indeed! It's ingrained into my fps gameplay that I do it in games where I probably don't even need to. It just happens subconsciously.

[@matteodelapaz1698]

@@CalgarGTXsame with halo

[@sherpa6071]

Another excellent video, Act Man. Well done paying homage to the greats. Happy New Year pal.

[@shellhead8859]

This game has always had a special place in my heart. I remember I would go to my buddies house every Friday night after school to spend the night and I would come over, just to play this on his very expensive PC because, at the time my dell pc that was bought on a walmart could not run this because, you needed a good graphics card to run it. We would stay up all night gaming and this was out around the same time goldeneye came out. So we would take turns and he would play goldeneye until I die in half-life and then, I would play goldeneye while he played half-life. I would help him with the puzzles he had a hard time with and he would help me with the puzzles I had trouble with. I build memories around this game and still to this day, is still my fav game of all time.

[@mattd5240]

If there ever is a half life show. Gordan needs to just menacingly stare at people while brandishing his crowbar

[@sam-sp5zk]

Freemans mind the movie confirmed

[@Scrotes]

I never realized how much Act looks like Gordon. Now I know.

[@gabrielcastro5910]

he looks exactly like this fanmade gordon model www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/fehf86/unofficial_community_made_gordon_freeman_model/

[@ataolcam311]

3:56 whoa! Even Gordon has speak!

[@shiBuyaking109]

I remember putting countless hours on PS2 replying the campaign and decay coop with my brother grinding out those challenging missions! Amazing game even on the PS2 back in the day ahh the nostalgia!

[@izzyskains]

2:40 I think an interesting point that could have followed up the typewriter is that, while people don't use a typewriter anymore, we still use the layout it had on keyboards, such as the formulas half-life used are still being used as inspiration in games today.

[@povyouretiredbutdontwannasleep]

its like a quote i remembered (i think) *"the body he burried that day, laid a foundation of what we are today"*

[@naiverphilosophy]

@@povyouretiredbutdontwannasleepViggo from John Wick

[@dsdy1205]

It goes beyond just keyboard layouts. If you open up a bare Microsoft Word page and fiddle with literally any of the formatting, there are good odds the setting you're messing with was invented and named during the typewriter era.

[@Alex-rr3nr]

Act Man could do "Why Black Mesa is a MASTERFUL Remake".

[@scaryhatguy4214]

I'm from New mexico just waiting for the combine. I guess Walt and Jesse will do for now.

[@KenChanNoodleDAI]

I had written a script as I have just recently played half life for the first time. I talked about it’s groundbreaking nature and how it changed fps games to this day. And after watching this video, I realized that I haven’t even scratched the surface and I still know nothing about how amazing this game is. I had to scrap my entire script.

[@LoneWolf-kw3ol]

"hey freeman, why are you always carrying that crowbar?" "God dammit i bought this crowbar and im going to get my money's worth!"

[@Eyes_of_Oryx]

“Jump + crouch” let’s you make those jumps. Simply jump then before landing hold crouch and you will be able to make the distance.

[@Mandibularmenace]

Valve movement shooters in a nutshell

[@UNowen255]

"It's not a bug, it's a FEATURE!" - Valve making the half life tutorial

[@edyslavico3761]

yep actman plays Call of Duty and not Counter-Strike, or else he would've known

[@charlie1234500]

@blu element1235 You don't have to explain about the individual. That is the magic of it.

[@freevbucks8019]

It's like nobody played the tutorial

[@epileptixmemerlegacy]

When he said, "As he's proven to be the deadliest nerd amongst the Dungeons and Dragons club at Black Mesa", I died of laughter.

[@sidewaysfcs0718]

9:07 New Mexico was also the main site of the Manhattan Project, in Los Alamos, where the world's first nuclear detonation also took place down south at Trinity. A nuclear explosion also takes place at Black Mesa ;)

[@crabbowiththestabbo]

“Your subjective opinions are objectively incorrect.” I’m going to be using this gem in arguments for a long time.

[@Marinealver]

You disagree with me, so I am going to call you a "Naughtsee" and win.

[@isaiahsimmons5776]

@@Marinealver nazi ur opinion unvalid

[@tear728]

This is the exact moment Gordon Freeman became Heisenberg

[@nice3333333333]

Truly a masterpiece

[@Chuked]

The moment Act Freeman became Gordonberg

[@jackpotawhiskey614]

King, this is one of your best videos. Keep at it with the awesome reviews, you're the most trusted name in gaming.

[@rm25088]

just watched this again. it made me want to start clapping my hands at the end. You absolutely nailed this one actman. Its been years since ive played it but it used to be my favorite game. I may have to buy it again.

[@Redspark77]

27 years old and already has a PhD in physics is the amazing part for me

[@dylanherman2008]

27-28 is around the expected age to finish a phd in physics. Phd programs for physics take around 5 years on average, so if you start undergrad at 18, and go straight from undergrad to phd, you'd be 27 when you finish. Most physicists skip a masters or it's included part way through the phd program

[@illyay1337]

I know people who finish PHD's around their 30s. It's a good thing he has his PhD though so he can skillfully push all those buttons and turn all those valves.

[@leojwolfhouse8746]

@@illyay1337 Looks like that MIT education really pays for itself...

[@yaboydolphin]

@@dylanherman2008 I'm turning 26 and I'm still in film school guess I'm an idiot right?

[@Wifall]

@@yaboydolphin nope, not everyone have the same opportunities.

[@Daddynapalm]

Breaking News: MySpace has recently gained 500,000 new members because of a KZbinr, ActMan

[@whiterunguard6415]

Taking an arrow to the knee is almost as painful as waiting for actman's why skyrim is so awesome

[@sixten8493]

I was first introduced to the world of Half-Life through the HL: Uplink demo on a CD-ROM that came with some PC magazine back then. I was stunned by the atmosphere, realism and freedom and spent hours goofing around with the physics, testing the boundaries of the game and killing friendlies in horrible ways. Then I showed it to my classmate who was impressed and a week later he bought Half-Life 1, which made me feel slightly jealous. Fortunately he burned a copy for me later. From that moment onwards my life and thoughts would more or less revolve around the game and it all rose to a whole new level when I found out about 'noclip' and the Worldcraft/Hammer editor 😮

[@Basschannel1]

Your videos are so friggin rewatchable.

[@ascendancy4900]

Ikr! Also really funny. You can't just not laugh when watching Act Man.

[@T-Rex_Slap]

I remember my Dad playing this game when it first came out, I’d sit beside him and watch. Then I’d run around the house with a toy golf club pretending I was Gordan Freeman and accidentally smash a fluorescent light bulb……..:those were the days lol. It definitely sparked my interest in video games and my imagination. Great video Act Man!

[@gman1857]

me toooooooooooo

[@Hammi4Real]

The first time I played this, I put the CD back in the case after done installing. So I was left with eerie silence throughout the entire game accompanied only by the sound design and the visuals. Interestingly enough, I think that made the horror aspect of this game much more real because I began having nightmares of gurgling headcrab zombies in dim lit rooms. Good times.

[@xenomorphlover]

Indeed good times....I also remember that I hated when games used to access the disc drive when you were in the middle of gaming because of the horrible drive noise destroying the immersion....the came Steam and you could experience the music without any additional noises 😅

[@halfeyrus]

Same for me, for a few years I didn't know there was music at all and I always b believed it was part of the overall sound design / concept

[@zeallust8542]

Ngl, i forgot about the ol days where the soundtrack didnt install with the game and was read off the disc.

[@divinecomedian2]

My game wouldn't load the music for reason. I tried playing recently with the music on and it just seems off. You're right, having no music makes it more immersive.

[@TraveltheRedRoad]

…HALF-LIFE HAD A SOUNDTRACK!?!

[@falloutgamer347]

We need one of these reviews for all of the half life games, even black mesa and prospekt. I hope act man does it!

[@karla.b]

Nice vid. Im a bit sad that you didn‘t talk about the music and sound design, but still very enjoyable.

[@hobowithabass4034]

This man shaved his beard to a goatee for the cosplay. I give props

[@benstorey8711]

The next video better be “WHY THE ACT MAN IS A MASTERPIECE?!”

[@MilkNSoy]

Loved the review, please do the whole series we beg you.