Half-Life 2

A 2004 first-person shooter by Valve in which physicist Gordon Freeman joins a resistance against the Combine occupation of Earth. Its physics-based puzzles and continuous, story-driven environments helped shape modern shooter design.

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Source Engine: A game engine developed by Valve and first released with Counter-Strike: Source in 2004. It powers the game's physics, rendering, and character animation.
Half-Life: A 1998 first-person shooter by Valve starring physicist Gordon Freeman, whose experiment at Black Mesa triggers an alien invasion. It introduced Freeman and the continuous, story-focused approach that Half-Life 2 continued.
Gordon Freeman: A theoretical physicist and protagonist of Valve's Half-Life video game series. He is the playable character whose return sparks resistance across occupied Earth.
Steam (software): Valve's PC software client for managing, updating, and playing games distributed through Steam. Half-Life 2's required activation helped establish the client as part of PC game ownership.
Half-Life 2: Episode One: A 2006 episodic first-person shooter by Valve that continues Half-Life 2 immediately after its ending. It extends the story through the episodic release model Valve tested after the game.
Gravity Gun: A device that manipulates physical objects and, after an upgrade, launches them as projectiles. It makes environmental physics a central combat and puzzle mechanic.
Valve Corporation: An American video game company founded in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington. Valve developed and published the game.
Alyx Vance: A resistance fighter and central character in the Half-Life series, daughter of Eli Vance. She accompanies Freeman and provides a human center to the resistance story.
Digital rights management: Technologies that restrict access to or use of digital media according to licensing rules. The game's activation requirement made DRM a prominent part of its launch.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two: A 2007 first-person shooter by Valve and the second episode continuing Half-Life 2's story. Its unresolved ending left the series' central narrative unfinished.