4. Half-Life – November 1998
This is the game that started it all and one that I go back to regularly. It still feels good to run around while shotgunning zombies and gunning down soldiers. The intro tram ride is one of the most iconic video game openings ever, and at the time was wild. A shooter that didn’t start with shooting?! Sadly, unlike its sequel, Half-Life hasn’t aged as well both visually and in design. The ending levels set in Xen straight up suck. (I revisit the game a lot, but rarely beat it anymore.) I still find myself excited to play Half-Life even in 2021, which is a testament to how finely crafted most of that game is.
