rise and shine, mr. freeman. rise and shine.

wake up and smell the ashes.

ahh man, this is the stuff. after much frustration over steam (note: you cannot dock HL2 as a game because of valve's being unprepared for massive traffic on steam), i finally got the game registered and the files unlocked. after such a big headache, can this game live up to the hype?

oh, does it ever.

i could rant for hours and i've only just begun to get into the game. worth every second of the wait. the atmosphere is incredible. as the game fired up, i was literally on the edge of my seat, leaning forward towards the monitor to get as close to the action as possible.

this game looks gorgeous, and plays fairly well on my computer, with decent settings. what stands out the most are the characters: they have the most life-like features that i've ever seen. valve used all kinds of technology to map out the muscles in the face of characters, allowing for all kinds of realistic expressions. and the lips are perfectly synched with the voices, making the game even more realistic. the voice acting itself is superb so far, a very professional job. in fact, it's down right cinematic.

the action is extremely intense, far more varied than halo 2's "go into a room, clear it out, next room, clear it out, repeat" formula. much of the action at the beginning are adrenaline-pumping chases as you flee pursuing combine forces, for awhile without even a weapon to fight back. once you are armed, things get even more action-packed, every bit of it is thrilling.

of course, the overwhelming sense of nostalgia that flowed from the beginning of the game made me love it all the more. the ominous face of the g-man, the voice of my scientist companion, the sound of a headcrab jumping, the return of the terrifying shiver i get every time i see one of those huge, horrible pirhana-like monsters in the water, and most of all, the tingle on the back of my neck when i hopped once again into HEV suit. incredible. i can't even describe it. let's just say it's taking all the self-restraint i have not to load the game back up and play it all not long. there's no way i'm going to pay attention in class tomorrow.

ladies and gentlemen, gordon freeman has returned!