Half-Life 2 (PC, 2004)
It’s testament to just how far ahead of their time Half-Life 2’s visuals were that, almost 20 years later, it still looks in many ways like a brand-new video game. The peerless visual design of the game—from its decaying, photorealistic streets to its unique alien architecture right down to the game’s UI—helps, but it was also a technical marvel, one of the most impressive video gaming has ever seen. The lighting, the water, the weapon effects, the whole thing. Its achievements can be found in even the most unglamorous places, like the way its lip-syncing technology was better in 2004 than that of some AAA games in 2023. — Luke Plunkett
