EzraPound said:
So we all know Valve are great. But what's the greatest game they've developed thus far, in your opinion?
In my books, that title just has to go to HL2. The original Portal was superb, but it was not quite a full game. Yeah, I know at least a dozen people that went all weepy woopy teared-up and all, but that's just a structural escapist flaw. Still, Portal was more than a nice-to-have, outstanding, amazing, unique - all of that, but still: A "mini", an independent-style surprise, a physics-engine hack and a wonderful trip, but not a full game.
Portal 2 is more of the same and then some, on a full-game scale. I'll never look at potatoes or lemons the way I did before Portal 2 came out. Another wonderful, great title. But, still: nothing has amazed me more than HL2 so far.
Counterstrike was another unique experience back in the day, and it was the basis for an awful lot of LAN-party trips and clan-based online and IRL friendmaking - that was just another first. A lot of folks only "accidentally" got to play HL because of the Counterstrike mod.
I expect to be blown away by HL3. But that still doesn't seem to happen anytime soon.