We're going round in circles now and you're now asking questions that I've already answered. You're obviously ignoring what I've written.

I've already explained how the physics was implemented into the gameplay. I've already explained some of the rather substantial backstory; not all the aliens are bad (the ant lions are simply wildlife, the vortigants are refugees that become allies etc.) and there are as many species as Mass Effect has (that's also ignoring the fact that ME series are RPG where story is even more important). I've already explained how HL2 has influenced video games (including CoD from 4 onwards) and even given specific examples of devs explaining how they're taking influence from HL2. I've even explained some of the more obvious details of the story that you completely missed. Makes me wonder if you actually played the game.

Please go back and read my previous posts instead of willfully ignoring them. If you're just going to ask stuff I've already answered then there's no point in answering.

@ bolded: So two things Valve decided to not include in the game mean it's not been influential? That just means they decided not to copy others (and for PC, having multiple weapons is better; makes use of multiple shortcuts). Quick access to grenades, iron sights and quick melee were all introduced before Halo and CoD btw. Both games took them from mildly successful titles and incorporated them into their game. Only regen health was new out of the stuff you listed. 

Half-Life 2 is freakin awesome. I still have to finish it.

I played HL2 from start to end. I saw the notes saying "seven hour war" etc and still the story is piss thin. I'm not going to write here how Halo has the best storyline evar when, in the grand schemes of gaming, it's merely adequate. I feel that is exactly what HL2 fans are doing - giving undue praise to the HL2 story. Adequate/good for an FPS? Sure. Good for a game? Nope. 

Okay, let's go back to the beginning as no HL2 advocate has ever given me a direct answer to the below:
What precisely makes HL2 a good story when we consider it is quite thin and cliche? Surely those features make it pretty poor on the grand scheme of game storylines?

Making the grav-gun essential for a few missions is hardly ground-breaking in terms of gameplay. Technologically, sure, but since when did we hold games in high esteem for just tech reasons?

Two things? 
1) Weapon limit from unlimited down to two.
2) Melee
3) Regen health
4) Quick access grenade.
5) Iron sights

That's five things. Five MAJOR features that drastically alter gameplay and has been in almost every FPS since Halo. What games had those features? Even TS didn't if I remember things correctly. Quake, doom, CS....Which FPS' you thinking of?

I'd say Half-Life 2's story isn't what most people would consider great, it's the storytelling that captivated a lot of people, including me. Of course, Half-Life 1 had a similar narrative style (or lack there of) and that was an even thinner story. Yet it worked brilliantly because the mystery and excellent pacing made you motivated to play it through to the end.

For me, it's not so much the story's content, but moreso the way the game presents itself to the player.

...What's the point of having first class storytelling if the story is piss-poor? That's like having a Ferrai with no fuel in it...

I really don't think the story is piss-poor, it's just not very complex. I prefer it to the convoluted JRPG storylines by far.

There is something inbetween short & cliche (HL2) and convoluted....

Come to think about it, Half-Life 2 is as silly as it gets. You are left to pick up a bland story no one bothers to tell you, the health system was outdated, the enemies are boring or repetitive and the puzzles mostly consist of placing a brick somewhere to create a leverage effect.

But... using that god-mode gravity gun at the end was satisfying. So it was to roam around the world on that airboat thing haha. Good times... Half-Life 2, despite its shortcomings, was probably the first seventh-generation game. And something of the last time PC influenced the single-player scene on any meaningful way. Myabe that's why it is considered so good? The last time the PC elite dictated what was good and what was not.

Of course, I agree. My point is not that Half-Life 2's story is amazing, because it could have been a lot better, although I'd say it's still pretty okay all things considered.

I think it nailed the presentation though, and that includes the atmosphere, narrative, pacing, level design, little details, etc. For me presentation or storytelling if you will is more important than the acual story. I can count the games with a genuinly interesting and well written story on one hand anyway, so I don't blame Valve for HL's story at all.

Half-Life has been one of the most immersive gaming franchises for me though and that's what counts in the end.

That's probably it. The ending was very satisfying but it was a long way to get to it...I guess you could say Halo was a 7th gen game but that's probably more to do with the game having not changed for almost a decade rather then anything else...