


The great new graphics engine is not only limited to outlandish, scary creatures, it also makes the tactical scenarios VERY realistic. If you remember the original "zombie" in Half-Life 1, this should look a little familiar to you. The bad guys/monsters do not look boring in HL2, they look and move like the real deal. Its not just the raw engine/quality of graphics that is great in HL2, its the design and creativity that went into making them. The character models are truly amazing, and the background environments are pretty good looking also. Simply put, the graphics in HL2 are breathtaking. Water effects too are something else, and are a real treat, reflecting everything happening in the game would. Let me put it like this, Doom 3s lighting can seem like someone has inserted a laser light show onto Mars making it almost too spectacular, where as HL2s lighting is just "accepted" by the eye as lights reflect, and create shadows with precision, streaming through windows with an unnerving realism. While maybe not as visually spectacular as Doom 3, HL2s lighting seems a lot more "natural". The source engine provides a gritty realism that surpasses (marginally) even Doom 3s "Super-real" prowess.

New arsenal, special weapon functions ( silencers, addons, fire modes ).Touched up weapon models, animated weapon screens and creature eyes.Built in basic chapter selection system.Minor AI tweaks, more reactive and responsive AI, nearly every character blinks.

