If what you're looking for is more Half-Life--and you don't think you can wait on Valve to satisfy--then MINERVA gives you a bit of what you want. As much high praise as this game has received, though, I feel obligated to make a few criticisms.

The first is obvious: this is MORE Half-Life. Nothing here hasn't been done already, or better. It has a few problems of its own, though. Some encounters seemed almost designed to annoy. In several places the direction the player should take is not at all obvious. Of course, MINVERVA (the character) is always there to berate you for not seeing what should be, but isn't, clear. Speaking of which, what's worse than poorly-written monologue? Why, poorly-written monologue that's supposed to sound clever but comes off as ham-fisted.

Of course, these criticisms somewhat overlook the fact that, in the end, this is a mod. And as mods go, it's pretty good. It's also free. So if you've already finished Half-Life 2, might as well give it a whirl.

A well done & free four-chapter campaign/mod developed from 2005-2007 which utilizes Half Life 2 resources. The difficulty is very high (even on Normal) but can be excused with an abundance of ammo and no quicksave penalty. While this island seems small on the outside: you are left to "infiltrate and observe" at your own pace. Storyline is presented well although predictable. Several multiple-path scenarios, some decent puzzle solving, lots of high tension encounters, and plenty of baddies keep things interesting.

My only complaint is that most baddies take more than a clip to kill while all weapons have poor accuracy. Rushing & spraying most enemies can get frustrating. Perfect length for a campaign, which was about 5.5 hours while taking my time. Music is done well and used to bring tension.

Wow! This was very good! If only all mods for HL2 were this good. You guys rocked this.

They was all "plz, u no trespass lolk?"
But I'm all cool and junk and go where I want.

download it - play it - love it !

Free if you have Half Life: Episode One. I completed it in about 4 hours last night on Hard so it's not a very time consuming game either. Was very entertaining, very difficult at times which I think is positive. Actionpacked to the max, always a firefight behind every corner. The map was amazing, a bit like The Silent Cartographer from Halo: Combat Evolved. Music in true Half Life-style, pumping beats to get your heart rate up. Puzzles and combat as in Half Life although more combat oriented, set in the same universe.

Spawn system/level design is one of the best I've seen. There's a set number of enemies per "event" (like opening a door, there's a lot of these), meaning you can clear it out entirely and feel somewhat safe. But the "events" put spawns far away at times, making the enemies then run towards the sound of fire but only arrive after most things are dead, surprising you without feeling random and making the experience harder and more lifelike at the same time. Never coming at you alone, always from several angles. At times scaring me to screams, panicing against what seemed like impossible odds in the moment. Fast paced, fluid, brutal. Excellent.

If you have Episode One and like combat more than running around looking at the view then you should play it. That's not to say it's not a beautiful game, it's probably the best looking game in the entire franchise... and it's a mod.