Half Life 2 (2004)

There's little bad to be said about this title, which has kept gamers yearning for the next installment for over a decade. It's easily one of the best games ever created, and that owed to its story just as much as it's incredible combination of atmosphere, gunplay, and audio. Similarly to the first title, the story follows theoretical scientist Gordon Freeman, but this time the location is entirely different. Rather than the streets of modern America, you'll find yourself in City 17, a dystopia home to the alien Combine forces. With the world taken over, it's up to you to figure out how to save the human race and it return it to its former glory. The story sounds simple enough, but there's far more nuance than a short paragraph can explain. The say Valve combines simplicity with its own style is nothing short of masterful, giving a true atmosphere of eastern Europe through various service announcements and overheard conversations. That dialogue is well voice acted, well written, and gives ample room for the player to think and discover conclusions on their own. There are no cutscenes, no branching narratives, just a linear, expertly polished tale with plenty of hidden depth.