When most gamers think ofValve, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Steam, the biggest PC game vendor on the planet. The next leap would bethe amazing games made by Valve, likeHalf-Life 2. Sadly, these days, Valve doesn’t seem all that interested in making games anymore, but it has made other important contributions to the industry.
In 2004, Valve released a 3D game engine calledSource. Initially, this engine was mainly associated with Valve games, but over the years, other developers adopted it. Source is relatively easy to use and modify, offering developers a lot of freedom in making their games and making those games great for modding.Countess games have been developed on Source and its successor, Source 2,ranging from fun little fan games to major AAA releases.
Apex Legendsis a free-to-play first-person Battle Royale set in the same universe as Respawn’s epicTitanfall 2. It’s one ofthe best EA gamesin recent years and has remained one of the top multiplayer shooters since it was released back in 2019. Its highlights are its fast-paced, frenetic gunplay, a keen sense of character, and a high skill ceiling. It’s an all-around great Battle Royale.
Which begs the question: Why the low ranking? The answer is that there are tons of Source games, so coming in at 10th isn’t all that low. However, for players not interested in Battle Royale games or who aren’t die-hard fans of Respawn, the fact is, there’s not that much reason to look upApex Legends. It’s an excellent game, but it’s also a live-service free-to-play Battle Royale, warts and all.
The early 2010s saw the release of many promising MOBAs, but only two have stood the test of time:League of Legends,and Valve’s ownDOTA 2. Which game is better is a matter of opinion and a fair amount of debate.DOTA 2has remained at the peak of its niche genre because Valve has been willing to stick with it, regularly overhauling the game.
Ten years after its release,DOTA 2remains one ofthe best live-service gamesaround. Its player base is still hundreds of thousands strong, and major eSports events are still centered around it. The only reason the game gets a low ranking is that it’s a MOBA. Fans of the genre adore it. Those who aren’t fans are left scratching their heads as to whyDOTA 2is still so popular.
Team Fortress 2has been around for a very long time. While it may not be as popular as it once was, it still has an insanely devoted community that will do anything to keep the game alive. At its peak, it was one of the best hero shooters around and received constant season updates that kept the game feeling fresh.
Unfortunately, those days are largely behind us, and content droughts and major hacking problems have spoiled the appeal of the game. Despite these flaws, its epic gameplay still shines through, and it’s still one of the best-balanced hero shooters of all time and one of the few games with afun-to-play healer class.Today, playingTeam Fortress 2makes one nostalgic for a time before live-service games, when competitive shooters were much simpler, and arguably more fun.
Source is mainly associated with first-person games, butVampire: The Masqueradeshows just how versatile the engine can be.Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines(yes, it’s a mouthful) is a cult classic RPG created by one of the creative leads of the originalFalloutgames.
Many of the people who worked on this game later founded Obsidian and created games likeFallout: New VegasandThe Outer Worlds. That’s one heck of a pedigree. The game isfull of brilliant charactersand features the kind of decision-heavy, choice-laden gameplay RPG fans would expect from the creators of the aforementioned games. Sadly, unlike the likes ofFallout: New Vegas, this game hasn’t aged all that well. The gameplay is rough around the edges, the bugs are pretty bad, and worst of all, trying to get it to run on a modern system requires installing third-party mods.
It’s next to impossible to talk aboutThe Stanley Parable, why it’s so great, and what makes it special without spoiling the experience completely. As yet another walking sim, it might not sound particularly interesting, but rest assured, it’s one ofthe best indie first-person adventure gamesever made.
It’s a very meta, mind-bending, and fourth-wall-breaking experience that is unlike anything most gamers will have ever played. The game plays around with ideas like player agency, what it means to play a game, and questions what we expect a game to be. That might sound a little pretentious, but the game’s bizarre sense of humor makes sure there’s never a dull moment (unless it’s intentional).The Stanley Parablegets a mid-ranking because it’s certainly not for everyone, and some will find its meta style off-putting as much as others adore it.
Left 4 Dead 2is the kind of game that pretty much everyone who owns a gaming PC has in their Steam library. A first-person zombie shooter, it’s still one ofthe best co-op games on PC, and in all honesty, it’s likely to stay on that list for a long time.
Lots of games have tried to copyLeft 4 Dead 2’sco-op formula, but very few have succeeded. Its characters are iconic, its locations are burned into our brains, and its zombie variations have inspired just about every other game’s zombie roster. Some might argue thatLeft 4 Dead 2deserves a higher spot, but many gamers feel the zombie genre has overstayed its welcome, and not everyone has gamer friends to play with.Left 4 Dead 2is a great time with friends, not so much solo.
The originalCounter-Strikestarted life as aHalf-Lifemod. Valve was so impressed that they hired the modders behind it, acquired the rights, and turnedCounter-Strikeinto one of the biggest multiplayer franchises on the planet. The first two entries usedHalf-Life’sGoldSrc engine, but the series was quickly ported over to Source. The latest entry,Counter-Strike 2,uses the upgraded Source 2 engine.
To the uninitiated,Coutner-Strikemight not look like it’s changed much over the years, which is kind of true. Terrorist vs Counter-Terrorists is just as fun now as it was 20 years ago. However, the game has been repeatedly refined intothe eSports juggernautthat it is today. The competitive first-person shooter market has become incredibly overcrowded, butCounter-Strikeremains the genre’s purest example.
On paper, thePortalgames sound simple. Use a gun to shoot two portals, and use those portals to navigate environmental puzzles. There is no combat and outside GLaDOS (one of the best female bosses ever), no enemies to fight or avoid. How did such a simple formula become a gaming icon?
The answer lies in the game’s writing. For a start, both games are funny — like hilarious. Comedy is a hard thing to pull off in games, but Valve nailed it. Even more impressively, the games stay funny and the jokes will make players laugh not just on their first playthrough, but each subsequent playthrough as well. On top of that, both games tell compelling stories backed up by impressive environmental storytelling, animations, and top-tier voice acting. Not only are thePortalgames some of the best puzzlers ever made, but their writing makes them appeal to gamers usually uninterested in the genre.
Source is mainly associated with Valve games, but one of the engine’s best titles is an EA game made by Respawn Entertainment.Titanfall 2is one of the most beloved first-person shooters made in recent(ish) years, and a game that fans are begging for a sequel to. Why we haven’t seen a sequel yet remains a mystery, although Respawn’s current tether to constantApex Legendsupdates likely has something to do with it.
Titanfall 2has it all. The first-person gunplay is buttery smooth and has enhanced movement techniques like wall running, sliding, and boosted jumps. The player can summon a giant mech, which they can pilot at any minute and fight other mechs with. On top of all that,Titanfall 2has some of the best level designs ever, and amazing boss fights to cap them off. It’s all tied together by a great science-fiction story that tugs at the heartstrings. Until Repsawn announces a sequel there’s not much more to say,Titanfall 2is one of the best FPS games ever made, and deserves more love.
Speaking of epic games that deserve sequels, it’s probably not surprising thatHalf-Life 2is at the top of this list.Half-Life 2isn’t just the best game made on Source, it’s one of the best FPS games ever made. ItsLost Coastdemo was nothing short of revolutionary, and introduced an entire generation to the future of PC gaming, whileHalf-Life 2itself offered a gameplay experience that still hasn’t been beaten.
When it was released,Half-Life 2was a massively ambitious game. The graphics were stunning, the world design amazing, and the gameplay addictive. Unforgivably,Half-Life 2: Episode 2ended on a cliffhanger which has left fans waiting for over a decade. Whether we’ll ever get anEpisode 3,or a direct sequel toHalf-Life 2,is unknown. Outside the occasional tease, Valve seems completely uninterested in giving fans what they want. To be fair, how does a studio follow up on one of the best games ever made?
