Doom 3 was my preferred game over this in 2004

I fell in love with Doom 3's narrative and tech from the start, but HL2 badly disappointed me in so many ways, and I didn't like the narrative direction and emphasis on NPC tech they went with, not to mention the stupid gimmick of the physics.

It seemed to me that the writer of HL's narrative just made some bullshit up on the fly for HL2, bringing in a new alien race that was never mentioned in HL1. And to be honest, I couldn't stand Alyx. Gordon never needed a love interest or a sidekick, so why bring it in now, to try to get women interested in gaming?

I think I've always preferred the "lone warrior fights invasion in remote base" trope, and Doom 3 and the original Half-Life had that in spades.