Keep reading the links. There's a lot of character backstory that isn't featured in the Half-Life 2 abstract (it's why I gave the extra links).

The 7 hour war is relevant. Dr Breen negotiated the "peace" between humans and the Combine and arranged the enslavement of humans in effective concentration camps. It's also how he got into his position and he views it as him "saving" humanity.

Eli approached the Vortigants further cementing the strength of the rebels and their ability to evacuate people from City 17 (the route Gordon takes to get to Black Mesa East).

And I said before, using your logic, every video game story is bad (although I tend to use the word generic over bad), in which case decent storylines in Mass Effect, Half-Life 2 and KoToR are also bad/generic. I'm saying your logic, is errr... not logical, lol. I've even demonstrated how your logic would work applied to a game whose story you praise in Mass Effect. The stuff to do with the Reapers and Saren are irrelevant as the choices don't actually impact the grand scheme of things. Saren still dies, the Reapers still invade. It's just you prefer the storytelling techniques in Mass Effect over Half-Life 2.

I also still can't figure out how you go from normally clothed woman who shows natural emotions and develops feelings of friendship to a main character is nerd fantasy fap material. There's a gap of logic in the middle there or you find things to fap to very easily Now look at ME where half the female characters wear little to no clothes and you can essentially sleep with half your crew (especially Tali in ME2 who wants you no matter how much of a bastard you are to her!). Alyx is also pretty integral to the overall story (not just 2 but to the whole series) as the G-man saved her from Black Mesa (not actually in HL1, probably revealed in either 2 or one of the episodes) and manipulates her in Ep 2. Half-Life 3 will likely reveal how/why.

I don't praise HL2 because it's cool (it's a fairly geeky game afterall... that's really not cool ). I praise it because when I played it at release, it was one of the most immersive, polished and innovative games at the time.

Where is this character backstory explained by the way? If it's not in the game of HL2, it doesn't count...Why is the 7 hour war relevant? They still have complete control over the earth whether it took 7 minutes/hours/weeks/years...Two sentences to explain Breen. See the lacking story there?

How is say, Mass Effect bad? Or FFX? Or FFVII? Or Metro 2033? Or Dawn of War (most of them)? How does Kotor have a bad story? What about SotC? No storyline, but fantastic immersion...You simply ignored the majority of Mass Effect and then seemed to suggest that was relevant in some way. 

What you are failing to understand is I'm not ignoring anything about Half Life 2. I'm telling you exactly as it is - as most of the game is irrelevant travelling from points around the world with no story to go with it, this "fantastic" storyline is only about a paragraph long. 

Okay so whether you should keep or kill the Geth has nothing to do with the Reapers. Okay, your argument just lost all credibility and you are now clutching at straws. 

Life tip: If you don't speak, you aren't going to make friends, let alone have a woman develop a crush on you (even if only implied). I've said this numerous times and you've ignored it every time.

I never said ME was good because you could sleep with crew members. If you don't want to, you don't have to, but yes it is a pretty poor choice on Bioware's part to include that. 

If you think HL2 has a good story, then you must think most games have a fantastic story as HL2 has a very thin story. Just compare it to the average RPG...
Do you think Halo: CE has just as good a story as HL2? Elaborate your answer plz

I thought the thread would be about the celebration of this game winning the award. The one thing i always miscalculate is that everything has to turn into utter shit. No one can be happy in others victory and let the fans enjoy the moment. Even the people who consider VGA's the most disposable crap come and criticize them for doing so and so. Than the criticism towards the games that win or don't win.

All in all reading these and other forums on the internet give me the illusion of never ending negativity about everything oozing out of gamer's trigger fingers. Just a few more posts to go guys. Carry on. Almost breaking the 20 page barrier.

Agreed, it seems gamers hate way more things about gaming than they love about gaming.

Read my previous posts. The answers to all your questions are there. You choose to ignore my answers or disregard them in favour of your own view instead of actually debating the points. I've used your logic in describing HL2s story and shown its illogical to apply it to any game (or most movies and books actually). Two sentences to describe Breen? Go back to the links; there's an entire article.

I'm going to ask you a question now though (slightly off topic): Which games (in particular those before HL2) have actually dealt with female characters in a way that couldn't be construed as sexist, or playing on "nerd" fantasy? Which have done it in a less sexist way than HL2?

2 more points:

1. I don't remember the Halo story because the whole thing was forgettable for me (preferred Halo 2 but never completed it so can't comment on that either). I'm not going to go into a thread about Halo or start saying the story is bad when I don't have a very informed opinion on the topic.

2. Play Mass Effect 3. Keep or kill the Geth? Nope, doesn't matter at all! You don't have a very informed opinion on the Mass Effect universe either then

Added a spoiler tag - Kantor

Both were great, but if I had to choose, it's probably be Half-Life 2: Episode 2... that ending!

Although I usually place HL2 + Eps 1&2 together.

Up the number of posts per page, I'm still on Pg 4

And obviously gamers get depressed when not playing, hence the negativity. Which reminds me, I've got ACIII to play!

Using the links YOU provided I showed how most of the chapters (all but 3 or 4) in Half Life 2 are devoid of any story...You are now just ignoring that point/haven't addressed it whatsoever. How can a game that has such a good storyline have 70% of  it being nothing to do with the story?

Halo deals with women maturely. The female character was just AI. You also haven't commented on the fact that a woman isn't going to fall for a mute after 10 minutes. 

I'm not going to play ME3 because from what I have heard, the storyline is pissed away with it, and that was one of the best things about it. 

You showed material from one of the many articles I linked you. There's a lot more there that you choose to ignore. I've already answered all your questions (including the one about Alyx), whether you choose to accept or disregard them is up to you.

Re-wording the same questions is pretty pointless when the answers are above you.

And Halo deals with women by having the only significant female character as just an AI? Ok, lol. If that's a mature take on a female character then OK. If only all women could be AIs then the world would be a better place! I'm just going to assume you worded that horribly ("the female character was just an AI") rather then having a very strange take on what constitutes a mature female character. The way you worded it could quite easily be construed as sexist, lol.

It's odd how you let others make your mind up for you on ME3. The vast majority of the game is handled in the same manner as ME1 & 2 in terms of story. Only the ending caused controversy and the new one is much better for explanations without changing anything major.

When you come across a difficult question in an exam do you just reply "Yesh man I've already answered this, go see my other paper"?

Please answer specifically what I have asked you. You may say that Gordon not speaking is to help the game be immersive, but then shouldn't the people also act as if you are not speaking instead of creating a pathetic romance? A woman will not fall for a mute in the space of 15 minutes.  Having something as rediuclous as that should break immserion, not aid it. You have avoided answering that directly. 

Looking at just Half Life 2, nothing more, nothing less, ~70% is completely devoid of storyline. That's from the link you gave that gives a breakdown of the game. You can't just say "nah man there's like more to it because I say so" - that shit doesn't fly. You can remove a large majority of the game and you won't be missing out on the storyline, or were the links your provided incorrect? 

Having the main female lead an AI in Halo: CE when you are a Rambo character is far more mature then shoe-horning in a pathetic romance that is completely out of place. The fact she is an AI make no difference. Just an AI as in not some romantic partner. Sexist? How PC are you?!

What are you on about letting "others make my mind up for myself"?? I asked what the game is like, they explain, I then conclude the story is atrocious and therefore will give it a pass...I'm sorry that I have friends whose opinions I value...I even had the alternate ending explained and it's still crap. There should be a "Congratulations, the galaxy is dead" ending. In fact a happy ending should be near impossible, if not just flat out impossible, to achieve, but I digress.