[wages of sin]

I suppose we will have to agree to disagree then.

For me HF2 was/is one of the most overated games i've ever played. I owned HF2 when it was released on Xbox and never finished it. I purchased Orange Box, finished HL2 and was working on episode 2 but frankly, the game isn't standout in any fashion for me. At least not enough to really compel me to return to Black Mesa anyway. I like the fact that you get so much game for your dollar, but i'm finding little that impresses me about said game.

Granted, the production values are AAA to be sure, but I don't care about the story or the characters, especially Gordon Freeman, so playing the game became more of a "this is fun" rather than, I really care about the characters and such. For me, Halos story is leaps and bounds above what Mr.Freeman and company had to offer. Not a bad game at all, just not for me. I appreciate what it did/does well but IMO, it's overated.

Undoubtedly, people will say the same about the Halo series, and to that I say, to each his own. The Halo series does an excellent job IMO, at delivering a rich, envolving story to the player, albeit it doesn't break the mold in inventing a story, rather, thru a combination of what makes a great game great i.e., story, music, gameplay, graphics, etc., (not necessarily in that order) and makes them work almost flawlessly together.

Contrary to popular belief, one does not have to indulge themselves in the myriad of novels, comics and other literature, art and assorted Halo media to enjoy and or understand the story. The books and such, only further enhance the overall experience for those who choose to delve further into it. As far as FPS games go, few have as good a story as Halo and even fewer have characters you actually care about and a universe that seems believable. Again, to each his own, but for me very few FPS games can match the Halo series in the overall quality of said product.