Tbh, that’s just the difference between someone who has nostalgia for a game and someone who doesn’t.
I played Pokemon Red as a kid. I replayed it dozens of times since and it’s always really fun. Just feels good.
I didn’t play Pokemon Gold as a kid. I tried to play it quite a few times and never got throught it. Objectively, Gold is a much better game than Red in every regard. But I don’t have nostalgia for it, so it’s just an old game with bad UX, outdated gameplay and weak graphics to me. Can’t get through it without getting bored and quitting.
HL2 was revolutionary, 22 years ago. Nowadays it’s just woefully outdated in every respect including gameplay.
As OOP says e.g. about physics: That stuff was amazing in 2004, but it really isn’t in 2026. Almost every shooter includes physics and in many cases better physics than HL2 did. In part because game designers have learned from HL2 and other games and improved upon it.
If you have nostalgia for HL2 because you played it as a kid, it’s still going to be amazing to play. If you don’t, then it won’t.
I’m with you on principle, and the airboat section sucks ass (sorry Valve).
However, the rest of the game is great, and still holds up.
Some of the complaint is “the game spends too much time jerking off its physics engine”. Yes. It does. That’s the core appeal my dude.
The way the physics interact with the level design is great, allow me to jog everyone’s memory.
Ravenholm is amazing, using the gravity gun and sawblades is great, as is the use of environmental traps. The ragdolls are hilarious.
Playing ‘the floor is lava’ with the antlions is great, and the moments where you realise you may need to touch sand for a second too long is thrilling.
Storming the prison with the pheromones is great, and having endless minions to throw at turrets satisfies my latent psychopathy.
Supercharging the gravity gun is great, and pulling those energy orbs out and richochetting them off the walls to disintegrate the combine is unique and fun.
And of course, the crème de la creme, playing basketball with Dog.
Tbh, that’s just the difference between someone who has nostalgia for a game and someone who doesn’t.
I played Pokemon Red as a kid. I replayed it dozens of times since and it’s always really fun. Just feels good.
I didn’t play Pokemon Gold as a kid. I tried to play it quite a few times and never got throught it. Objectively, Gold is a much better game than Red in every regard. But I don’t have nostalgia for it, so it’s just an old game with bad UX, outdated gameplay and weak graphics to me. Can’t get through it without getting bored and quitting.
HL2 was revolutionary, 22 years ago. Nowadays it’s just woefully outdated in every respect including gameplay.
As OOP says e.g. about physics: That stuff was amazing in 2004, but it really isn’t in 2026. Almost every shooter includes physics and in many cases better physics than HL2 did. In part because game designers have learned from HL2 and other games and improved upon it.
If you have nostalgia for HL2 because you played it as a kid, it’s still going to be amazing to play. If you don’t, then it won’t.
I’m with you on principle, and the airboat section sucks ass (sorry Valve).
However, the rest of the game is great, and still holds up.
Some of the complaint is “the game spends too much time jerking off its physics engine”. Yes. It does. That’s the core appeal my dude.
The way the physics interact with the level design is great, allow me to jog everyone’s memory.
Ravenholm is amazing, using the gravity gun and sawblades is great, as is the use of environmental traps. The ragdolls are hilarious.
Playing ‘the floor is lava’ with the antlions is great, and the moments where you realise you may need to touch sand for a second too long is thrilling.
Storming the prison with the pheromones is great, and having endless minions to throw at turrets satisfies my latent psychopathy.
Supercharging the gravity gun is great, and pulling those energy orbs out and richochetting them off the walls to disintegrate the combine is unique and fun.
And of course, the crème de la creme, playing basketball with Dog.