Half-Life and Portal Games Ranked
I combined both franchises into one list since both take place in the same universe/world. I included the fan-game Black Mesa and didn't include the multiplayer games and demos. I have yet to play the virtual reality mods for the Half-Life games, I'm especially looking forward to experiencing the Xen chapters of Black Mesa in VR, that will surely be truly breathtaking and unforgettable!
The Half-Life series has some of the best first-person-shooter games ever made and the Portal series some of the best puzzle games, especially Half-Life 1, 2 and Alyx as well as Portal 1 and 2 are all considered to be big classical video games. Half-Life 2 is very often even considered to be the best FPS game ever made and Portal 2 the best puzzle game.
The Half-Life series is surely the most influential series in the FPS genre and objectively perhaps the best FPS series since it revolutionized this genre three times already and is likely doing it for the fourth time with Half-Life 3. Half-Life 3 is perhaps the most awaited and joked about sequel in gaming history, so the developers in Valve have an extremely difficult task to achieve with that game and will most likely only release that sequel when it's nearly perfect in their eyes. I personally think that Half-Life 3 will go to the next level and make the conflict a universal one, because the first game was a local and the second a global conflict, so this next step would make sense in my opinion and would be possible with the ending of Half-Life: Alyx. I think you will teleport to different worlds with the help of the Borealis and fight the Combines in multiple worlds with their unique laws and characteristics where they're using, copying and modifying the most dominant species and best technologies that evolved there and combining them with other highly advanced species and technologies, so this game has the potential to be even better than Half-Life 2. I'll expect that game sometime in the 2030s because of the extremely high expectations, but I'm pretty sure that it's only a matter of time until that game comes out because Half-Life: Alyx has pretty much confirmed that sequel with its post-credit scene, so I'm already hyped at this point! What I'm also hyped about is a true fan-made game about Marc Laidlaw's "Epistle 3", which should have been the story of the initial Half-Life 2: Episode Three but got scrapped. The most promising game in development in that regard is Project Borealis, but unfortunately the developers haven't communicated about their project for a very long time, I just hope that it won't get canceled and that they are just in a "frozen" state like Black Mesa was for multiple times, Project Borealis wouldn't however take nearly as long as Black Mesa did to get released since the game length will be about half as long as that one. There are also other mods in development which want to tell the story of "Epistle 3" like Infinite Finality which is much less ambitious as Project Borealis and wants to recreate the graphics of the Half-Life 2 episodes of the 2000s by reusing much of the contents of those episodes as if it would have come out shortly after Episode Two as it was initially planned by Valve, so I have much hope that at least one great "Epistle 3" mod will eventually come out. Operation: Black Mesa, Black Mesa: Blue Shift and Half-Life 2: Classic are other projects I'm currently waiting for.
Youtube videos that explain the problems with Half-Life 3:
The Issue With Half-Life 3 ∙ by Major_Trenton - I think that Half-Life 3 will use the most advanced AI to revolutionize the FPS genre for the 4. time.
Interview with Valve (Half-Life series, Source 2, the future) ∙ Because of this interview, I think that Half-Life 3 will be played with a "Brain Computer Interface"...
HALF-LIFE 3 (Honest Game Trailers)
Epistle [SFM]
My huge emotional reaction to the ending of Half-Life: Alyx
Top 5 Reasons why I love the Half-Life series:
1. You are in control of your character for the entire game without any cuts happening and know as much as your character does which creates a really immersive atmosphere.
2. The games constantly try to put in new environments, enemies, guns, puzzles, mechanics and other elements into the gameplay so that it never becomes boring.
3. The story is told through the environment and character interactions and not through narrations so the storytelling is much more complex compared to many other games.
4. The games are oftentimes groundbreaking because they did something new and took full advantage of these original elements so other games could learn from them.
5. Your character doesn't talk so you can identify with your character by imagining yourself in his position and define your character and his motivations for yourself.
Top 25 Soundtracks from the Half-Life and Portal games in my opinion:
1. Black Mesa - Ascension (game version)
2. Half-Life 2 ("Epistle 3 Soundtrack") - Triage At Dawn (You Made It Remix by Vandoorea)
3. Black Mesa - Internal Conflict
4. Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Sector Sweep
5. Half-Life - Nuclear Mission Jam
6. Black Mesa - End Credits Part 2
7. Half-Life 2: Episode One - Guard Down
8. Half-Life 2 - Apprehension And Evasion
9. Black Mesa - Critical Mass
10. Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Dark Interval (end credits version)
11. Portal - Still Alive
12. Portal 2 - 9999999
13. Half-Life - Adrenaline Horror (in the first Half-Life trailer, the part at 0:50 is very famous)
14. Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Last Legs
15. Black Mesa - Limitless Potential
16. Black Mesa - Transcendent
17. Half-Life 2 - Triage At Dawn
18. Portal - 4000 Degrees Kelvin
19. Portal 2 - Cara Mia Addio
20. Half-Life - Space Ocean
21. Half-Life - Steam In The Pipes
22. Black Mesa - Theme
23. Half-Life - Hazardous Environments
24. Half-Life - Drums And Riffs
25. Half-Life - Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar
Honorable mentions:
Half-Life - Short OSTs (especially Threatening Short / Xen Relay & Apprehensive Short)
Half-Life - Hard Technology Rock
Half-Life 2 - Requiem for Ravenholm
Half-Life 2 - Lab Practicum
Half-Life 2: Episode One - Infraradiant
Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Extinction Event Horizon
Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Eon Trap
Black Mesa - Inbound Part 1-3
Portal - Procedural Jiggle Bone
Rexaura - One
Half-Life and Portal games ranked by campaign length on a first playthrough:
A very long game:
1. Black Mesa
Long games:
2. Half-Life 2
3. Half-Life
4. Half-Life: Alyx
Normal-length games:
5. Portal 2
6. Half-Life 2: Episode Two
7. Half-Life: Opposing Force
Short games:
8. Portal
9. Half-Life 2: Episode One
10. Half-Life: Blue Shift
On the subsequent playthroughs Portal would be at number 10 and Portal 2 at 7.
The best mods based on the "core games" in my opinion:
For Half-Life: Cry of Fear
For Half-Life 2: Black Mesa
For Portal: Rexaura
For Portal 2: Portal Reloaded
Why Half-Life 1 and 2 are so great beside the FPS-changing elements (on Youtube):
Why Half-Life 1 Is So Unforgiving
Half-Life 2's Invisible Tutorial
Half-Life 2 Makes me Proud to be a Human
Ravenholm Is Half-Life 2's Best Chapter... I Think...
Why I LOVE Half-Life 2's Highway 17
The most polarizing chapters, levels and mods in the main Half-Life games explained on Youtube (I like all chapters because the environment make them a bit more challenging, but I can understand why some people might not like these chapters):
Why Do Players Dislike On a Rail? (Half-Life)
Why Do Players Dislike Xen? (Half-Life)
Why Do Players Dislike Water Hazard? (Half-Life 2)
Half-Life's Worst Level | Cascade ∙ A map I actually don't like except for the cave
Cinematic Mod 2013 - Half-Life 2's Worst Mod...? ∙ A mod I actually hate because it destroys the bleak atmosphere
The Half-Life series has some of the best first-person-shooter games ever made and the Portal series some of the best puzzle games, especially Half-Life 1, 2 and Alyx as well as Portal 1 and 2 are all considered to be big classical video games. Half-Life 2 is very often even considered to be the best FPS game ever made and Portal 2 the best puzzle game.
The Half-Life series is surely the most influential series in the FPS genre and objectively perhaps the best FPS series since it revolutionized this genre three times already and is likely doing it for the fourth time with Half-Life 3. Half-Life 3 is perhaps the most awaited and joked about sequel in gaming history, so the developers in Valve have an extremely difficult task to achieve with that game and will most likely only release that sequel when it's nearly perfect in their eyes. I personally think that Half-Life 3 will go to the next level and make the conflict a universal one, because the first game was a local and the second a global conflict, so this next step would make sense in my opinion and would be possible with the ending of Half-Life: Alyx. I think you will teleport to different worlds with the help of the Borealis and fight the Combines in multiple worlds with their unique laws and characteristics where they're using, copying and modifying the most dominant species and best technologies that evolved there and combining them with other highly advanced species and technologies, so this game has the potential to be even better than Half-Life 2. I'll expect that game sometime in the 2030s because of the extremely high expectations, but I'm pretty sure that it's only a matter of time until that game comes out because Half-Life: Alyx has pretty much confirmed that sequel with its post-credit scene, so I'm already hyped at this point! What I'm also hyped about is a true fan-made game about Marc Laidlaw's "Epistle 3", which should have been the story of the initial Half-Life 2: Episode Three but got scrapped. The most promising game in development in that regard is Project Borealis, but unfortunately the developers haven't communicated about their project for a very long time, I just hope that it won't get canceled and that they are just in a "frozen" state like Black Mesa was for multiple times, Project Borealis wouldn't however take nearly as long as Black Mesa did to get released since the game length will be about half as long as that one. There are also other mods in development which want to tell the story of "Epistle 3" like Infinite Finality which is much less ambitious as Project Borealis and wants to recreate the graphics of the Half-Life 2 episodes of the 2000s by reusing much of the contents of those episodes as if it would have come out shortly after Episode Two as it was initially planned by Valve, so I have much hope that at least one great "Epistle 3" mod will eventually come out. Operation: Black Mesa, Black Mesa: Blue Shift and Half-Life 2: Classic are other projects I'm currently waiting for.
Youtube videos that explain the problems with Half-Life 3:
The Issue With Half-Life 3 ∙ by Major_Trenton - I think that Half-Life 3 will use the most advanced AI to revolutionize the FPS genre for the 4. time.
Interview with Valve (Half-Life series, Source 2, the future) ∙ Because of this interview, I think that Half-Life 3 will be played with a "Brain Computer Interface"...
HALF-LIFE 3 (Honest Game Trailers)
Epistle [SFM]
My huge emotional reaction to the ending of Half-Life: Alyx
Top 5 Reasons why I love the Half-Life series:
1. You are in control of your character for the entire game without any cuts happening and know as much as your character does which creates a really immersive atmosphere.
2. The games constantly try to put in new environments, enemies, guns, puzzles, mechanics and other elements into the gameplay so that it never becomes boring.
3. The story is told through the environment and character interactions and not through narrations so the storytelling is much more complex compared to many other games.
4. The games are oftentimes groundbreaking because they did something new and took full advantage of these original elements so other games could learn from them.
5. Your character doesn't talk so you can identify with your character by imagining yourself in his position and define your character and his motivations for yourself.
Top 25 Soundtracks from the Half-Life and Portal games in my opinion:
1. Black Mesa - Ascension (game version)
2. Half-Life 2 ("Epistle 3 Soundtrack") - Triage At Dawn (You Made It Remix by Vandoorea)
3. Black Mesa - Internal Conflict
4. Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Sector Sweep
5. Half-Life - Nuclear Mission Jam
6. Black Mesa - End Credits Part 2
7. Half-Life 2: Episode One - Guard Down
8. Half-Life 2 - Apprehension And Evasion
9. Black Mesa - Critical Mass
10. Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Dark Interval (end credits version)
11. Portal - Still Alive
12. Portal 2 - 9999999
13. Half-Life - Adrenaline Horror (in the first Half-Life trailer, the part at 0:50 is very famous)
14. Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Last Legs
15. Black Mesa - Limitless Potential
16. Black Mesa - Transcendent
17. Half-Life 2 - Triage At Dawn
18. Portal - 4000 Degrees Kelvin
19. Portal 2 - Cara Mia Addio
20. Half-Life - Space Ocean
21. Half-Life - Steam In The Pipes
22. Black Mesa - Theme
23. Half-Life - Hazardous Environments
24. Half-Life - Drums And Riffs
25. Half-Life - Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar
Honorable mentions:
Half-Life - Short OSTs (especially Threatening Short / Xen Relay & Apprehensive Short)
Half-Life - Hard Technology Rock
Half-Life 2 - Requiem for Ravenholm
Half-Life 2 - Lab Practicum
Half-Life 2: Episode One - Infraradiant
Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Extinction Event Horizon
Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Eon Trap
Black Mesa - Inbound Part 1-3
Portal - Procedural Jiggle Bone
Rexaura - One
Half-Life and Portal games ranked by campaign length on a first playthrough:
A very long game:
1. Black Mesa
Long games:
2. Half-Life 2
3. Half-Life
4. Half-Life: Alyx
Normal-length games:
5. Portal 2
6. Half-Life 2: Episode Two
7. Half-Life: Opposing Force
Short games:
8. Portal
9. Half-Life 2: Episode One
10. Half-Life: Blue Shift
On the subsequent playthroughs Portal would be at number 10 and Portal 2 at 7.
The best mods based on the "core games" in my opinion:
For Half-Life: Cry of Fear
For Half-Life 2: Black Mesa
For Portal: Rexaura
For Portal 2: Portal Reloaded
Why Half-Life 1 and 2 are so great beside the FPS-changing elements (on Youtube):
Why Half-Life 1 Is So Unforgiving
Half-Life 2's Invisible Tutorial
Half-Life 2 Makes me Proud to be a Human
Ravenholm Is Half-Life 2's Best Chapter... I Think...
Why I LOVE Half-Life 2's Highway 17
The most polarizing chapters, levels and mods in the main Half-Life games explained on Youtube (I like all chapters because the environment make them a bit more challenging, but I can understand why some people might not like these chapters):
Why Do Players Dislike On a Rail? (Half-Life)
Why Do Players Dislike Xen? (Half-Life)
Why Do Players Dislike Water Hazard? (Half-Life 2)
Half-Life's Worst Level | Cascade ∙ A map I actually don't like except for the cave
Cinematic Mod 2013 - Half-Life 2's Worst Mod...? ∙ A mod I actually hate because it destroys the bleak atmosphere
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List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
- 10 titles
- DirectorDavid SpeyrerStarsRobert GuillaumeRobert CulpLouis Gossett Jr.Dr. Freeman is taken out of stasis by his "employer" to help rid the planet of invading aliens forces known as the Combine that entered through the portals he helped create.I'd rate this game 12*
Chapters ranked:
I absolutely love these chapters:
Chapter 7: Highway 17
Chapter 6: "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..."
Chapter 12: Our Benefactors
Chapter 9: Nova Prospekt
Chapter 8: Sandtraps
Chapter 10: Anticitizen One
Chapter 11: "Follow Freeman!"
Chapter 4: Water Hazard
Chapter 13: Dark Energy
Chapter 1: Point Insertion
I really like these chapters:
Chapter 3: Route Kanal
Chapter 9a: Entanglement
I truly appreciate these chapters:
Chapter 2: "A Red Letter Day"
Chapter 5: Black Mesa East
So, I view the chapters 6-9 as clearly the game's peak in terms of quality.
Best map in each chapter:
Chapter 1: Point Insertion: Where you are outside on the streets and get to see the citadel for the first time.
Chapter 2: "A Red Letter Day": Where you get your crowbar from Barney and are running away from the Combines on the rails.
Chapter 3: Route Kanal: Where you are fighting against the first couple of zombies and get the airboat.
Chapter 4: Water Hazard: Where you destroy the helicopter and go through the dam to Black Mesa East.
Chapter 5: Black Mesa East: Where you get introduced to the Gravity Gun and play with Dog.
Chapter 6: "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...": Where you are on the graveyard with Father Grigori.
Chapter 7: Highway 17: Where you are beneath the bridge and have to be careful not to fall to your death.
Chapter 8: Sandtraps: Where you reach your end destination with your buggy and have to defend the rebel outpost with the lighthouse.
Chapter 9: Nova Prospekt: Where you fight against the first Antlion Guard in Nova Prospekt and have to pass the closed gates.
Chapter 9a: Entanglement: Where you confront Judith Mossman and have to defend your position until you can go through the portal to Kleiner's lab.
Chapter 10: Anticitizen One: Where you are in the tunnels and have to wait for a hole to get passable and traverse a toxic area with zombies.
Chapter 11: "Follow Freeman!": Where you have to fight your way to the horse statue and have your last battles in the city before reaching the citadel.
Chapter 12: Our Benefactors: Where you are riding the pod for the second time and get to have a view of almost the entire city.
Chapter 13: Dark Energy: Where you have your last battle against Breen and get a speech from G-Man at the end.
Half-Life 2 explained on Youtube:
The Combine | Half-Life ∙ by The Templin Institute
Game Theory: Gaming's Biggest Mystery SOLVED! | Half Life G MAN Theory
Half-Life: The Lore Behind Stalkers
The best Tributes on Youtube:
Half Life 2 Trailer ∙ by Justinas Sobieski's
Half-Life 2: Godspeed You! Gordon Freeman
Half-Life 2 - Exile Vilify
Half Life 2 trailer ∙ by pokemonmaster133
The Perfect Game - A Short Half-Life 2 Tribute
I love the ambience in this game, especially the creepy atmosphere in the citadel, here are some examples on Youtube:
Citadel Pod Ride ∙ by Johnnylew
Half-Life 2: Citadel Pod Ride 2 ∙ by ToddsMod
Half-Life 2 Citadel Ambience ∙ by Ka Boom
Citadel Core Atmosphere ∙ by SheFahdschi
HL2 (ep.1) - CITADEL ALARM BEFORE SINGULARITY ∙ by Grégoire Bayeul - DirectorsAdam EngelsCarlos MonteroStarsAdam DraveanCris MertensMichael TsarouhasScientist Gordon Freeman navigates through the titular research facility in New Mexico after a botched experiment.I'd rate this game 11*
Black Mesa is a fan-made Half-Life Remake that took 16 years to finish and completely remade the last part where you are in the alien borderworld Xen. However, I'd still recommend to people that they should play the original game first, because it has a better gameplay and is a big classic, and then play Black Mesa later on to see the differences.
Chapters ranked:
I absolutely love these chapters:
Chapter 15: Xen
Chapter 12: Surface Tension
Chapter 4: Office Complex
Chapter 17: Interloper
Chapter 11: Questionable Ethics
Chapter 8: On A Rail
Chapter 16: Gonarch's Lair
Chapter 18: Nihilanth
Chapter 5: "We've Got Hostiles"
Chapter 3: Unforeseen Consequences
I really like these chapters:
Chapter 13: "Forget About Freeman!"
Chapter 9: Apprehension
Chapter 10: Residue Processing
Chapter 1: Black Mesa Inbound
I truly appreciate these chapters:
Chapter 6: Blast Pit
Chapter 7: Power Up
Chapter 2: Anomalous Materials
Chapter 14: Lambda Core
Top 10 best moments:
1. "Interloper" elevator ascension and portal to Nihilanth (ending of the chapter)
2. "Gonarch's Lair" last battle (ending of the chapter)
3. "Nihilanth" final boss fight and G-Man speech (ending of the game)
4. "Xen" first map (opening of the chapter)
5. "Surface Tension" cliffs (canyon)
6. "Surface Tension" dam (bridge)
7. "Questionable Ethics" lobby battle (ending of the chapter)
8. "Interloper" Gargantua chase (shadows of death moment)
9. "Interloper" Conveyor combat (critical mass moment)
10. "Black Mesa Inbound" whole chapter (opening of the game)
Honorable mentions:
"Anomalous Materials" resonance cascade (ending of the chapter)
"We've Got Hostiles" topside battle (surface battle)
"Blast Pit" killing the tentacles (blast fire)
"On A Rail" launching the rocket (ending of the chapter)
"Apprehension" and "Residue Processing" Black Ops assassins battle and ambush/trap (ending of "Apprehension" and opening of "Residue Processing")
"Surface Tension" laser room (trip mine room)
"Surface Tension" Gargantua chase (ending of the chapter)
"Forget About Freeman!" topside battle (surface battle)
"Lambda Core" creating the portal to Xen (ending of the chapter)
"Gonarch's Lair" first battle (opening of the chapter)
Half-Life VS Black Mesa Comparisons on Youtube:
Black Mesa vs. Half Life 1 Comparison
Black Mesa Half-Life Remake: Xen Comparison
BLACK MESA Xen: Interloper Comparison. (HALF LIFE Remake)
Trailers on Youtube:
Black Mesa Official Trailer
Black Mesa 1.0 Launch Trailer
Black Mesa: Xen Trailer - DirectorsGabe NewellRandy PitchfordStarsKathy LevinHarry S. RobinsMike ShapiroDr. Gordon Freeman must fight his way out of a secret research facility after a teleportation experiment goes disastrously wrong.I'd rate this game 11*
"On A Rail" and the Xen chapters are better in Black Mesa in my opinion, but I think that "Apprehension", "Residue Processing" and "Lambda Core" are better in Half-Life. Sometimes I appreciate the simple graphics of Half-Life where no high details were needed for an amazing experience. In some aspects I prefer this game over the remake, for example when it comes to the gameplay and game length, I just put Black Mesa above this game because of the better graphics, improved memorable moments and the remastered Xen chapters. However, I hate the fact that the developers had to censor the german version of Half-Life, I played that version first as a kid and fell in love with this game and series, but I found a few elements a little bit strange and only got to know about the changes afterwards. You can look up the changes they had to do, but nowadays it's fortunately easy to reverse them. - StarsEllen McLainStephen MerchantJ.K. SimmonsMany years after "Portal," Chell reawakens at Aperture Science and tries to stop GLaDOS once again with the help of Wheatley, who has his own plans for the historical facility.I'd rate this game 11*
Chapters ranked:
I absolutely love these chapters:
Chapter 8: The Itch
Chapter 2-4: The Cold Boot, The Return & The Surprise
Chapter 6-7: The Fall & The Reunion
Chapter 9: The Part Where He Kills You
I really like these chapters:
Chapter 5: The Escape
Chapter 1: The Courtesy Call - StarsOzioma AkaghaJames Moses BlackRhys DarbyA VR game of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Play as Alyx Vance, humanity's only chance for survival.I'd rate this game 11*
- DirectorDavid SpeyrerStarsRobert GuillaumeMerle DandridgeTony ToddGordon Freeman, along with the help of human and non-human allies, continues his fight against the ruthless alien force known as the Combine.I'd rate this game 11*
Chapters ranked:
I absolutely love these chapters:
Chapter 5: Under the Radar
Chapter 4: Riding Shotgun
Chapter 3: Freeman Pontifex
Chapter 1: To the White Forest
I really like these chapters:
Chapter 6: Our Mutual Fiend
Chapter 7: T-Minus One
Chapter 2: This Vortal Coil
So, I view the chapters 3-5 as clearly the game's peak in terms of quality. - DirectorRobin WalkerStarsRobert GuillaumeRobert CulpLouis Gossett Jr.Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance must escape City 17 following the explosion of its fusion reactor.I'd rate this game 11*
Chapters ranked:
I absolutely love these chapters:
Chapter 4: Urban Flight
Chapter 3: Lowlife
Chapter 1: Undue Alarm
I really like these chapters:
Chapter 5: Exit 17
Chapter 2: Direct Intervention
So, I view the chapters 3-4 as clearly the game's peak in terms of quality. - StarsEllen McLainMike PattonAlesia GlidewellA test subject wakes up in a scientific facility controlled by a sadistic artificial intelligence and must escape with the help of the only instrument she has--a gun that makes portals.I'd rate this game 11*
Acts ranked:
Act 2: Test chambers 13-18
Act 3: Test chamber 19
Act 1: Test chambers 0-12
I especially love the challenge modes in this game. - DirectorsRob HeironimusRandy PitchfordStarsJon St. JohnKathy LevinMike ShapiroPlay as Adrian Shephard, a HECU soldier assigned to kill the Black Mesa personnels, especially Gordon Freeman. But, the assignment may not be easy as he thought.
- DirectorsRob HeironimusRandy PitchfordStarsMike ShapiroKathy LevinJon St. JohnYou experience the Black Mesa Disaster from the point of view of a security guard.
