Strong story and emotional ending
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“The bond with Alyx Vance reaches new emotional heights, culminating in one of the most agonizing, iconic cliffhangers in gaming history.”
Steam review · 4.9 h played ↗
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Overwhelmingly PositiveOverwhelmingly Positive · 97%Valve2007FPS · Shooter · Action
The verdict
A short, polished Half-Life 2 chapter with great pacing, outdoor levels, driving and a powerful story, but it ends on an infamous unresolved cliffhanger. Skip it if unfinished stories bother you.
Great for
Half-Life fans who want the story's next chapter and enjoy varied, set-piece-driven linear shooters
Main risk
The story ends on a cliffhanger with no continuation, and Alyx, striders and the gnome achievement can frustrate
What players love
Better than Episode One
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews
“Great stuff. Better than Ep1. (And the flashlight meter is separated from the sprint/etc. meter).”
Steam review · 14.6 h played ↗
Beautiful open outdoor environments
Mentioned in ~1 in 13 positive reviews
“The outdoor levels were gorgeous. The combination of lush forests and ruined buildings is perfection.”
Steam review · 14.3 h played ↗
Varied activities: driving, antlions, final defense
Mentioned in ~1 in 15 positive reviews
“Driving the Jalopy was fun, favorate part.”
Steam review · 15.2 h played ↗
Great level design and pacing
Mentioned in ~1 in 17 positive reviews
“The pacing is great. It isn’t too slow like in Half-Life 2, or too fast like in Episode One.”
Steam review · 14.3 h played ↗
Holds up well today
Mentioned in ~1 in 19 positive reviews
“Even almost 20 years after release, it's a great pleasure to play.”
Steam review · translated · 8.1 h played ↗
What players complain about
Cliffhanger ending with no sequel
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews
“It's like a great mystery novel only to have the last page torn out.”
Steam review · 52.8 h played ↗
Repetitive, padded gameplay
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews
“a lot of them feel like they just inflate the hours of gameplay with pointless tower defence mechanics and a lot of driving around.”
Steam review · 3.7 h played ↗
Brutal strider and hunter battles
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“FIVE STRIDERS AT ONCE AND THEY WANT ME TO ♥♥♥♥ EM UP. TOO MUCH OF THEM FOR THIS SMALL MAP”
Steam review · 5.1 h played ↗
Gnome achievement frustration
Mentioned in ~1 in 13 negative reviews
“I got cheated out of the Rocket Man achievement cause the game decided to permanently lock my gnome in a room”
Steam review · 5.5 h played ↗
Delisted, merged into HL2 and lost achievements
Mentioned in ~1 in 15 negative reviews
“paid money for this then it got removed entirely and i did not get refunded the money i paid for this”
Steam review · 3.7 h played ↗
Annoying Alyx and scripted, restrictive design
Mentioned in ~1 in 21 negative reviews
“She NEVER. SHUTS. THE ♥♥♥♥. UP.”
Steam review · 2.9 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: VerifiedController support
Steam doesn’t list requirements for this game.
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