20 Years Ago, Modern Gaming Began With ‘Halo 2’ and ‘Half-Life 2’

Is that Jason Concepcion’s music?! Jason joins Ben to discuss the recent nominations for Game of the Year at the Game Awards (5:00) and then celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the most momentous months in gaming history, November 2004 (17:40). Specifically, they reminisce about and analyze the legacies of two classic first-person shooters—Halo 2 and Half-Life 2—highlighting how they were made, how they improved upon their predecessors, and how they broke creative and technological boundaries in ways that changed gaming forever.

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guest: Jason Concepcion
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal