Halo 3 or Orange Box

[Metalhead Steve]

At least you tried. I'll inform you a bit. Half-Life 2 isn't told through cinematics, but by people you talk to along the way. They tell you whats happening with other characters and you see what is going on and thats how you get the story. You don't have to stay and listen to characters talk if you don't want because every decision is your own.

Half-Life is a straight FPS. There aren't any RPG elements within it, it is an action/puzzle game. The physics play a big role in this game. Physics are used when killing enemies and doing puzzles. Alot of the puzzles in HL2 are physics based opening the game up to a massive amount of possibilities.

The graphics engine is from 2004 and it is what games look like now. Next generation hardware has been utilized since the beginning, and games are just catching up to its graphical quality. The idea that everything is interactive only contributes to the graphical factor. I don't know how much is pre-rendered in Halo 3 but in HL2 everything is rendered in real time.

I just thought I would correct you on a few misconceptions. I really reccomend you try it if you like shooters because it will be one of your favorites. Same with Counterstrike.