[Review] All the Half-Life games are free to play for the next two months

[Mohamed Nasser]

(Pocket-lint) - In order to celebrate the upcoming launch of Half-Life: Alyx, Valve is making all the original Half-Life games free to play for the next two months.

The company is clearly trying to build the excitement for the new game, even if it isn't technically Half-Life 3 but rather a VR outing that will require a decent gaming PC and virtual reality headset to play. 

Nevertheless, if you've never played the Half-Life games and want to know what all the fuss is about or need a refresher, now is the time to dive in.

 

Each game is available to download and play individually on Steam, including:

1:Half-Life

2:Half-Life2

3:Half-Life 2: Episode One

4:Half-Life 2: Episode Two

5:Half-Life: Opposing Force

6:Half-Life: Blue Shift

7:Team Fortress Classic

 

The games might look fairly dated by today's standards, but that's not surprising considering the first Half-Life launched way back in 1998. They are utter classics though, so it's certainly worth giving them a go if you haven't before. 

Half-Life: Alyx is set before the events of Half-Life 2 and shares some of the same characters and background story, so Valve says playing or revisiting the old games is the best way to get ready for the new one. 

We'd also recommend giving (Black Mesa) a go too while you're at it. This is a fan-made re-creation and re-imaging that was released in 2015 to much praise.