Half-Life 2 cover art

Half-Life 2

Landmark FPS built on physics puzzles and tight gunplay.

On Steam ↗
Here's the argument for where this game sits - disagree freely.
Match your experience?
EXECUTION6 /10READS1 /10VARIANCE1 /10OPTIMIZATION3 /10

the cheat-test profile

The four axes - the argument

Each axis is rated on its own - how far one cheat would trivialize the game here. They don't trade off; low on all four means the game is an experience, not a contest.

  1. Execution

    cheat: Aimbot - perfect inputs

    6/10

    Gravity gun and shooting demand precision.

  2. Reads

    cheat: Out-predict an adaptive opponent

    1/10

    Combine AI scripted, non-adaptive.

  3. Variance

    cheat: See what's hidden / map the RNG

    1/10

    Almost no randomness.

  4. Optimization

    cheat: A perfect solver / coach

    3/10

    Linear progression with no builds.

How to read this

Each axis is named by the cheat that would break the game along it. Execution is the hands. Reads is out-thinking an adaptive opponent. Variance is hidden information & RNG. Optimization is the solvable systems layer. A game's region is the top one or two axes.

These four aren't one rating split four ways - they're independent 0-10 questions. A 9 on one axis takes nothing from the others, and a game low on all four isn't missing data: it's telling you there's no skill here to cheat.

The basis is how the majority actually plays this game - not a niche mode or a personal run. For a game with very different modes (a story campaign versus ranked multiplayer), that's the version most people mean.

Compare with

Similar games

see all →

Ranked by shared genre first, then by how closely the cheat-test profile matches - a cross-genre tag means a pick matched on skill profile alone.

BioShock Infinite cover art

BioShock Infinite

Practiced Mastery · linear FPS

E
R
V
O
BioShock Infinite
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End cover art

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Practiced Mastery · cinematic action

E
R
V
O
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Tomb Raider (2013) cover art

Tomb Raider (2013)

Practiced Mastery · action adventure

E
R
V
O
Tomb Raider (2013)
Grand Theft Auto IV cover art

Grand Theft Auto IV

Practiced Mastery · open-world crime

E
R
V
O
Grand Theft Auto IV
Wolfenstein: The New Order cover art

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Practiced Mastery · linear FPS

E
R
V
O
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Sleeping Dogs cover art

Sleeping Dogs

Practiced Mastery · open-world crime

E
R
V
O
Sleeping Dogs

Game details

Released
2004
Developer
Valve
Franchise
Half-Life
Platforms
XBOX, PS3, Linux, Android, PC, Mac, X360
Modes
Single player
IGDB critics
79/100
IGDB users
90/100
ShooterActionScience fictionHorror