Simply...amazing

[t0v3]

The title sums up pretty much what I think so far. Honestly I can't praise Valve enough, they have done an incredible job, and this has been more than worth the wait. The action feels so fresh compared with every other fps. The guns sound great, an the gameplay just feels so smooth and realistic. The beggining really done a good job of leading you into the action, although I won't say anything about the story, i'm enjoying it. The pysics really blew me away, I just loved it when a combine walked out onto a little bridge and I shot it down from under him. Some of the shootouts are stunning, unloading a machine gun clip into a few combines while bullets fly from all directions and planks an crates get smashed to pieces. The A.I is fairly impressive also (i'm playing on hard) i've read from others that the combines just run right at you, but i've seen them run behind cover countless times, an they always hide when they reload. The robotic sawblade enemy things are so cool, beating them down with the crowbar is great fun. Even the slightest detail like the bubbles in the water when you shoot makes it so much more belivable. The music that comes on when action gets intense fits in very well, an its very cool when you're hiding behind crates and boxs just to have them destroyed by the enemy, then having to run an find more cover. The combine throwing flaming barrels down at you is a nice touch, its all really engrossing and i'm loving it. I won't even mention the jetski part....an so many other parts which have left my jaw wide open (no notthing to do with alyx). Kudos to Valve, job well done. I honestly don't have a bad word to say about it so far. Well, time to go cause some more mayhem...hope you're all enjoying it as much as i am.

I'll be sending Gabe an email aswell to thank him.