If you’ve ever wondered just how many differences exist between the (surprisingly) many different versions of Half-Life 2 there are, then a new deep dive into each one offers some interesting answers.
Youtuber Ocelot has gone through seven different versions of Half-Life 2, poring over each detail from the game’s opening to Black Mesa East. The video starts by looking at the original PC build from 2004, which isn’t the version you’ll find on Steam today. That version, released in 2024 to commemorate the game’s 20th anniversary, makes some significant visual enhancements to trick your brain into thinking Half-Life 2 has aged considerably better than you think. And while that’s still true, it’s remarkable to see how small, meaningful changes make a big impact.
Curiously, it’s also fascinating to see how much the current PC version has in common with the considerably older Xbox 360 and PS3 ports, down to peculiar bugs and visual oddities that exist across all three. Perhaps the most noticeable concerns the ominous opening with G-Man, and in particular the glow to his green eyes. This isn’t present in the original or the 20th anniversary edition, and is subjectively better in its “bugged” state in The Orange Box port.
