ISBN0761543643

When i got the book i wasnt expecting such a huge book. Anyway the book was great and it has alot of pictures and concept arts and cut monsters and scenes ! All in high quality gloss paper. This although doesnt give a very detailed descriptions about the engine and contains almost no pictures of the valve team who i wanted to see very much. I recommend this if you played HL2 and loved it and wants more insight of the game (not the engine but art)

I guess I was looking for more of the details behind the making of Half-life 2, not just tons of concept art. The artwork is very nicely presented in rich glossy color, but the behind the scenes content isn't there. If you want a better book for looking behind the scenes of a computer game, get the Doom 3 Making Of book instead.

As the review below states this book isn't a behind-the-scenes book or a chronicle of the development of the game nor is it a book discussing the technological merits of Half Life 2 or the Source Engine. Although, it does contain elements of all of the afformentioned parts, it is in the end an art book, but a great one at that with great color, a sturdy build, and a clean uncluttered design.

As a fan of the game myself, I enjoyed seeing all the places and ideas that never made it into the game and the evolution and design of those that did. One area, I feel the book ought to and should have delved into more, was the development and evolution of the plot itself which except in reference to other points was never brought up significantly.

Fans of the Half Life franchise and people interested in the creative development of games will find this book of interest. Others may want to pass on it.

This book reveals what goes on behind-the-scenes at Valve and how the PC / Console game - Half-Life and Half-Life 2 has developed over time.
I am huge Half-Life fan and this book shows how much work and thought goes into producing a genre-defining / award-winning game. One of the highlights for me in the book was how they created the faces of the characters in the game. A wonderful book with a lot of interesting facts. It is also a large book which shows off the artwork to great effect. I am really pleased I bought it and would recommend it to any fan of the game.

This book doesn't really talk much about anything on Source or the people creating the game. It focuses mainly on the process of how different elements in the game came out. With lots of concept and rendered art, it's good to have it around for inspiration or just plain viewing. The book also gives some information on Half-Life 1 and Mods, though these sections still give lots of cool pictures and very little text in comparison.