Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this may be a well-produced adult game, but it's not for kids under any circumstances -- hence the OFF rating. This story turns on the struggle between an alien-installed fascist government and a group of scrappy scientists trying to liberate the human race. It's non-stop gore and violence. From the first scenes, it graphically depicts the oppressive regime and drips with dark dread -- innocent travelers are brutalized by faceless police, citizens cower as their neighbor's homes are searched, and remnants of happier times -- such as a teddy bear abandoned near a swing set -- litter the environment. Bottom line -- It's simply too graphic, too intense, and too scary for kids.
Families can talk about why this story of human suppression by alien forces is compelling. Is human suppression (albeit not by alien forces)a theme that reverberates throughout history? Does violence against aliens play differently than violence against humans?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Aaron Lazenby
Six years have passed since the release of the original Half-Life, a game that set a new standard for interactivity, story, and character development in the first-person shooter genre. The intervening years have done a lot to build the mystique and demand for the sequel.
But when HALF-LIFE 2 finally hit stores in November 2004 -- a year after its original release date -- fans of the series got a more violent, creepier, and gorier experience. They also got one of the most unbelievably realistic games every created.
Half-Life 2 again finds heroic scientist Gordon Freeman battling interdimentional aliens, accidentally brought to Earth through an experiment Freeman and his colleagues were working on at the Black Mesa research facility, the setting for the original Half-Life. But this time, the aliens have found a way to take over the world and have installed Freeman's old boss as the leader of a brutal fascist government designed to suppress human resistance to the alien invasion. Mysteriously transported to City 17, headquarters for this government, Freeman finds himself swept up in a resistance movement headed by fellow scientists and sympathetic aliens. And as he leads successful attacks against brutal government troops and ghastly human/alien hybrids, the humans in City 17 begin to hope for a different future -- and look to Freeman as the hero who will bring it to them.
First-person shooters are violent by design and have a reputation for showing no restraint when it comes to bloodshed. Half-Life 2 is no different. But two things set it apart from the pack. First, the game features regular breaks in the action to allow for exposition and puzzles that require players to use their brainpowers instead of their trigger fingers. Second, the game's tone is darker than many of its counterparts and is executed so well that the impact of the battles is intense and visceral. It's not uncommon to jump out of your seat when an adversary reveals itself, and some of the game imagery is so disturbing (think mutilated bodies, immolation, and torture) that it lingers long after you shut off your computer.
That lasting impression is largely due to Half-Life 2's impressive presentation. Graphics are truly mind-boggling, giving equal attention to expansive alien vistas and the subtle textures of peeling wallpaper. The surprisingly realistic physics ensures that objects bounce, roll, swing, and float just as they would in real life. Sound effects are amazing, offering unnerving clues to the nature and location of hidden threats, while the soundtrack plays music that is pitch perfect for enhancing the mood.
However, the very things that make Half-Life 2 remarkable are the same things that make it impossible to recommend to kids. It's a game that will conjure up feelings of anxiety and dread. It's simply too graphic, too intense and too scary for anyone under 17.
Rate It!
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ViolenceGun fights, gore, and frenzied attacks by ferocious aliens and brutal soldiers account for much of the game play. Some of the imagery is extremely disturbing. |
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LanguageAn obscenity sprinkled here and there, but nothing gratuitous. |
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Social BehaviorYou are on a mission to liberate the human race from an oppressive alien regime. Too bad it's coated in blood. |
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Educational ValueNothing you would want your kids to learn. |
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