Wow I can't believe the Half-Life 2 hate. I guess some people can only play run-in-gun shooters. omgwtfbbq I'm starting to doubt you ever played Half-Life 2. There was NEVER a group of badguys on a wooden ledge hanging over a cliff. Ever. I don't know what game you played, but the game I played had lots of creative puzzles and traps that could only be solved through ingenuity. Rarely was a puzzle repeated, although I admit by Episode 2's conclusion most of them had been used more than once.
Half-Life 2 isn't just great for it's graphics or physics, it's great for its design. It has creative level design and artwork. It's environments were diverse. Ranging from futuristic spires, to early 20th century villages filled with traps and puzzles, and even to sunny beaches. All of them were unique, and the level design was never repetitive. The plot was great, especially for a video game, and was very well paced, and it was absolutely a blast to play. Especially with the gravity gun.
