I played Half-Life (1998) for the first time in 2026 | Retrospective | Gaming Through the Years (Patreon)

I’m not even a huge fan of first-person shooters... so why did Half-Life completely win me over? In this retrospective, I break down how Valve’s design philosophy, seamless world-building, and player-driven storytelling reshaped the FPS genre, and where the cracks begin to show nearly three decades later.Time codes:0:00 - My Experience with FPS1:43 - Valve & The State of FPS in the Mid-90s3:19 - Story Through Gameplay, Not Cutscenes4:45 - Why the Story Works7:58 - Pacing via Level Design10:00 - The Invisible Guiding Hand12:36 - NPCs & Graphics14:56 - The (Few) Flaws17:09 - The Controls19:00 - Impact & Legacy (and Half-Life: Uplink)Endcard Artwork by OcaRockaRina (Twitter)Half-Life © 1998 Valve, SierraDoom, Quake, Quake II © 1993, 1996, 1997 id SoftwareDiablo © 1997 Blizzard, SierraFinal Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Parasite Eve © 1994, 1997, 1998 SquareDisruptor © 1996 Insomniac, UniversalTomb Raider © 1996 Core, EidosPokémon: Blue Version © 1996 Game Freak, NintendoGoldenEye 007 © 1997 Rare, NintendoMega Man Legends © 1997 CapcomMetal Gear Solid © 1998 Konami, Kojima ProductionsFeaturing Music by Kelly BaileyThis video exists for the sake of analysis and review and is thus protected under Fair Use.