Multiplayer
As it shipped, Half-Life's multiplayer game was nothing to write home about. It was specifically designed to be a single-player game, and the deathmatch options were something of an added bonus. But Valve's unbelievable openness to Mod builders meant that they didn't even have to design add-ons, the fans did it for them. WorldBuilder 2.0, the toolset used to build Half-Life, was included on the game disc, and people made good use of it. Gooseman's Counter-Strike is being played on more servers right this second than Quake III: Arena and Unreal Tournament combined. Good weapon balance and freely distributed code have made Half-Life one of the most popular multiplayer games ever.

No One Lives Forever was also designed to be a single-player game, though it does include deathmatch and team deathmatch maps with quick 'n' easy GameSpy support out of the box. You get lots of character models and some decent maps, but the wackier weapons aren't particularly well-suited to multiplayer, and there are still some balance problems (take my advice, go for the grenade launcher). Monolith announced that it would release the NOLF tools soon after the game's release, and if they're well-designed and easy to use, they may find a following; but as it stands, the odds are against it unseating Half-Life as the multiplayer game of choice.

Result: Half-Life takes this one to the hoop with authority, then makes fun of NOLF's mother ... but still, when it released it was nothing special.

And the Winner Is …
This is definitely one of the toughest picks I've ever had to call. In terms of industry impact and what it has meant to the gaming community, Half-Life is obviously a more important game. But here we're trying to compare the two games as they were originally released. Both were initially designed as single-player games, and sure, Half-Life's multiplayer Mods have become a cottage industry in their own right, but that was in large part a happy accident, not specifically planned by the game's creators.

Make no mistake, No One Lives Forever is definitely building on ground that Half-Life pioneered. And while Valve's masterpiece has certainly had a major impact on the art of making games, NOLF is just its best, brightest offspring, and nothing more. But as a game, a stand-alone experience right out of the box, No One Lives Forever is more creative in theme and execution, and just more … fun. Now before lightning strikes me dead, I'm going to step quietly away from my desk and leave the building.

Result: No One Lives Forever just barely squeaks out the win. Please, no death threats.