I was reminded of this phrase recently and I wanted to discover more what exactly it means. I can only assume it's a story-driven but gameplay-focused linear first person shooter. A few that come to mind would be FEAR and Doom 3, and I think it ties in a few ways that are more than superficial. So it doesn't mean CoD-clone, it doesn't mean a sandbox shooter like Far Cry, it's not an immersive sim, and it doesn't mean '90s style Doom clone.

First is a lack of redundant weapon types. Every weapon fills a role of sorts and is distinct on its own merits, not twenty machine guns with minor stat changes. Second is enemy variety that is not dude-shooting-you-with-gun. FEAR barely escapes this with robots and some melee enemies. Third is that the story has minimal control of the gameplay. The game still has to have an ever-present narrative that heavily guides the experience but doesn't take control away from the player.

What games can you think of that fulfill that "Half-Life" feeling? Doesn't have to be exact, just in the ballpark. SiN would be a pretty good example even though it came out first.

Random quip: While HL definitely brought something new to the table, I always thought the whole series overrated. *shrug*

Interesting. I would say the Bungie era Halo games also fall into this category to some extent. Especially Halo 3: ODST.

One game I can think of right now is Area 51.

I cannot help seconding this enough.


The influence that Half Life had on FPSs and games in general, however, was profound in less obvious ways than Doom was. I would say that a Half Life Clone sounds more like a way people tried to draw attention to the fact they liked Half Life. That said, my guess is going to be that a Half Life clone probably is a narrative driven FPS (although I cannot figure how that relates to Half Life 1) with a sci-fi setting where conspiracies are probably be involved (think FEAR and Red Faction 1). That would be my guess.

Pretty much Prey (the old one) and Unreal 2. Maybe also Quake 4, I don't remind it really good, just played it once. Red Faction would also fit in the criteria. All were in the same class as Half-Life imo, at least went to the same school ;)

OP forgot one point which is important to Half-Life and "Clones": the scripted events! I love and hate them.

I'd say there are too many games trying to replicate some aspect of Half-Life, but only a few do so tastefully.

Chronicles of Riddick nails the aspect of starting in a safe environment and then escalating things, starting out with melee combat and then eventually having shootouts. It even strips you of your weapons at some point. A better game than Doom 3 if you ask me, even visually.

I'd highly disagree with FEAR, the focus of the game is pure combat expression. The problem with defining a 'Half-life like' is you're forced to use the outline of why Half-Life is such a big deal with its unbroken narrative. By that logic anything that is an FPS that never pulls you out to give you story bits could be thrown into that quarter. So for example, STALKER.

The closest I can think of a title being like Half-life (and fully on purpose) is Industria. Most games just walk the road Half-life built, but in their own shoes

Playing HL1 after hearing constant praise about it for years, left me with a distinct "MEH" feeling. I mean, I enjoyed it, but definitely seems a bit overhyped.

As for FEAR, I could only enjoy it without the slomo. Simply unbound the button. Trivially easy otherwise. Makes for some great tense moments when you don't have that "Get outta jail free card'". The slomo is fancy looking, but detracts from the gameplay I feel. Compared to the previous Dooms, Doom 3 was an ancient epic.

With HL clone in my understanding they refer to games that are on rails, linmear or heavily scripted and feature pshysics-based puzzles like Singularity.
But HL1 and HL2 are two very different games: the first way more influential and innovative than HL2: NPC could be used to gain access to inaccessible areas and to be healed, there was a heavy focus on physics and puzzle solving.

HL2 is more linear, on rails and heavily scripted and improves on physics-based puzzle solving, adds vehicles sessions, antlions and has a story that tries to tie things together and kind of establish some lore.

In the end when they refer to a game as an "HL clone" my mind goes immediately to HL2 rather than the first one.

I never heard "Half-Life clone" term and this thread seems to prove there really isn't such thing. HL was influential or revolutionary by technical standards (graphics, physics, AI) and the way story is served but these things are too vague and applicable to too many genres to call something a clone. I guess any linear FPS that tells story seamlessly through gameplay instead of briefings or cut-scenes could be a "clone" in this case.

That's the thing... you had to play it back then to fully appreciate how original and groundbreaking it was for the fps genre. The tram sequence alone was an excellent way of having a suspenseful cinematic start.

Don't remember the names at the moment but there are a couple of games that I don't see hype for, but again, I was too late to fully enjoy and appreciate them. There's just too many games out there and our taste tends to change/dull with time.

EDIT: Perhaps Black Mesa is better? I think most here would agree that the original haven't exactly aged well...

And speaking of both: Black Mesa: The 16 Year Project to Remake Half-Life | Noclip Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_TcAxAKCAI

...

I think it is hard to define a HL clone because it didn't really add any specific new functions or gameplay, it just what had been done before much better in a slicker package. And in that way, it's hard to see it's benefits from a modern perspective.