Half-Life at 20: why it is the most important shooter ever made

From its opening scenes, Valve’s pioneering sci-fi horror game reinvented storytelling and universe building – what made it such a terrifying success?Most action video games begin with an explosion. Half-Life begins with a commute. A monorail carriage slowly transports everyman scientist Gordon Freeman to his new job at a remote science facility, Black Mesa. In the background, a computerised female voice issues safety information, while through the windows we see tableaux of life at