When comparing Half-Life 2 (2004) vs Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001), the Slant community recommends Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) for most people. In the question“What are the best PC games from 2000-2009?” Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) is ranked 8th while Half-Life 2 (2004) is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) is:
Based on the Quake engine (of which the game handles similarly) the multiplayer section of the game is where it shines through team based gameplay that focuses on different classes.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Great Sci-Fi story
Aliens, portals to other dimensions, oppressive regimes, oh my! This game brings a great flavor of dystopian sci-fi as you fight part of the rebel cause to deliver justice with your Gravity Gun to the many species afflicted by the evil Combine. Also Half Life ties in somehow with the Portal series which makes it even more awesome.
Pro Guns are varied and interesting
Almost every gun is fun to shoot and is distinct. The crossbow is super awesome for it’s power and the gravity gun offers variety in puzzles and what you can shoot with. Want to hit someone with an explosive barrel? Pick it up and throw it with the gravity gun!
Pro Amazing character animation
When Half Life 2 came out it set the bar super high for character animation that still rivals some games today.
Pro Very moddable
Entire games have been made from Half Life (such as Counter Strike) and the tradition continues with it’s sequel! In fact there’s a game essentially about making your own things made from a modded Half Life 2 and that game is called Garry’s Mod.
Pro Commentaries
Hear from the creators about the making of Half Life 2 Ep1 and 2. Everything from level design to technical details are discussed. More developers need to use this.
Pro Fantastic multiplayer
Based on the Quake engine (of which the game handles similarly) the multiplayer section of the game is where it shines through team based gameplay that focuses on different classes.