Recently, I’ve been trying to set the world to rights by shooting things. Lots of things. This world would be the one of Half Life 2

I never played the original Half Life beyond a brief five minute stint, something which I now regret as the sequel has become one of my top games to date. And I’m not alone in this - it seems to be one of those games that everyone talks about, whether it be down to the enemy design or one of the many excellent setpieces. Besides, where else can you have a character called Hedy Lamarr that turns out to be a parasitic crab?

There is only one other game I can think of that’s similar to Half Life 2 - BioShock. Both are sequels to some of the most lauded games ever made, Half Life and System Shock; both have a deeper story than most first person shooters, starting off with things going a wee bit wrong after some messing about with science; most importantly, for me, both have characters that players can connect with

But Half Life 2 is the better game. Why? Because of the ridiculously well-considered achievements and the gravity gun! You might think they’re shallow reasons to choose it; all I’ll say is you should visit Ravenholm.