@hazlin long story short. i played hl2 right after hl1 basically. it felt way more like a generic action game, whereas half life 1 had this atmospheric sci-fi horror thing going on that i really enjoyed. it also goes way harder on the realistic graphics and i think that these days, it's actually to its detriment. i don't think HL2 has aged nearly as well.

this sounds really weird, but i consider FEAR to be a perfect spiritual successor to half life. HL2 feels like an entirely different game. FEAR's still got the atmosphere i liked so much in HL1 and it even ends with a science facility exploding! it builds on the enemy AI and the gunplay in meaningful ways. it's a lot more action packed but it doesn't feel hammy like HL2 does.

when half life 2 came out, i'm sure it was revolutionary. it feels more like a 2008 game than a 2004 game, for better or for worse. for someone who didn't play it back then and didn't play it until like 2021 or something, it really did absolutely nothing for me. i hated the vehicle sections, and there was way more dead air that was either going from point A to point B with maybe a dumb puzzle in between or lots of dialogue.

i respect half life 2, especially for its impact and the source engine itself, but i just did not like the game.