Half-Life 2 vs Wolfenstein: The New Order
Half-Life 2 is an FPS horror game (2004) while Wolfenstein: The New Order is an FPS action-adventure game (2014).
Quick answer: Half-Life 2 rates higher, 9.0 to 7.9 on the GamingPickz Score, and Half-Life 2 is the cheaper at $9.99.
What each one is
Half-Life 2 is filed under FPS and Horror. In contrast, Wolfenstein: The New Order under FPS and Action-Adventure.
Reawakened from stasis in the occupied metropolis of City 17, Gordon Freeman is joined by Alyx Vance as he leads a desperate human resistance. Experience the landmark first-person shooter packed with immersive world-building, boundary-pushing physics, and exhilarating combat.
Wolfenstein®: The New Order reignites the series that created the first-person shooter genre. Wolfenstein offers a deep game narrative packed with action, adventure and first-person combat.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Michael Shapiro (2007) and Merle Dandridge (2019) provided their voices to the characters of G-Man and Alyx Vance respectively After the alien invasion at the Black Mesa Research Facility , a multidimensional alien empire known as the Combine has conquered Earth. Approximately twenty years after being placed in stasis, Gordon Freeman is inserted into a train bound for City 17 by the G-Man ( Michael Shapiro ). Helped by the undercover Resistance member… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Half-Life 2 received widespread acclaim upon release. On Metacritic , it received an aggregate score of 96 out of 100 for the PC version, based on 81 reviews, while the Xbox version received 90 out of 100 based on 35 reviews. 1UP , GameSpy , The Cincinnati Enquirer , The New York Times and VideoGamer. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting and characters The New Order is set in alternate history where Nazi Germany deploys advanced technologies to turn the tide against the Allies and ultimately win World War II , taking over most of the world. Its storyline is loosely connected to 2009's Wolfenstein and features returning characters Kreisau Circle leader Caroline Becker ( Bonita Friedericy ) and SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse ( Dwight Schultz ), the nemesis of… (Wikipedia)
Characters
The team attempted to develop characters that offer a unique experience to the game. "The overarching goal for us was about building an ensemble of genuinely interesting characters we wanted to interact with", said Matthies. They strived to connect the thoughts and actions of all characters to the human experience, allowing players to know "why a person is doing what they are doing". (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical response Reception Wolfenstein: The New Order received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic . The combat mechanics of the game received praise. Daniel Hindes of GameSpot felt that the intensity and variety of the combat in the game has granted the series "a breath of fresh air", and believes that it managed to fulfill his nostalgic expectations from the series. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Half-Life 2 | Wolfenstein: The New Order | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 9.0/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (98%, 278,618) | Very Positive (92%, 62,216) |
| Critic aggregate | 96/100 | 81/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 6.35 GB | 50 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2004 | 2014 |
| Developer | — | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Half-Life 2 vs Wolfenstein: The New Order, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Half-Life 2FPS horror gameWolfenstein: The New OrderFPS action-adventure gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Half-Life 2FPS, Action, Sci-fiWolfenstein: The New OrderFPS, Action, Alternate HistoryThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Half-Life 2 ✓Score 9.0 · 98% on Steam · 96 criticWolfenstein: The New OrderScore 7.9 · 92% on Steam · 81 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Half-Life 2278,618 reviews · 1 add-on · 6.35 GBWolfenstein: The New Order62,216 reviews · 1 add-on · 50 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Half-Life 2 ✓$9.99Wolfenstein: The New Order$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Half-Life 2VerifiedWolfenstein: The New OrderVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Half-Life 2 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueHalf-Life 2 and Wolfenstein: The New Order on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Half-Life 2 (GamingPickz Score 9.0)
- The cheaper right now: Half-Life 2 ($9.99)
- Lighter on storage: Half-Life 2 (6.35 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Half-Life 2 (278,618 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
FPSActionSci-fiSingleplayerStory RichShooterFirst-PersonAdventure
Where they differ
ClassicZombiesSilent ProtagonistPhysicsAliensHorror
Alternate HistoryGoreWorld War IIStealthWarOld School
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Half-Life 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Wolfenstein: The New Order is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Half-Life 2 | Wolfenstein: The New Order | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | DirectX 8.1 level Graphics Card (requires support for SSE) | — |
| Minimum CPU | 1.7 Ghz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 0.5 GB | — |
| Install size | 6.35 GB | 50 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Half-Life 2 · Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 9 accessibility features for Half-Life 2 and 4 for Wolfenstein: The New Order. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Half-Life 2 and Wolfenstein: The New Order in scope?
Half-Life 2 has drawn 278,618 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 6.35 GB. Wolfenstein: The New Order has drawn 62,216 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 50 GB.
Is Half-Life 2 or Wolfenstein: The New Order better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Half-Life 2 rates higher (9.0 to 7.9). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Half-Life 2 or Wolfenstein: The New Order?
Half-Life 2 is cheaper right now at $9.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Half-Life 2 or Wolfenstein: The New Order?
Half-Life 2 rates higher, 9.0 to 7.9 on the GamingPickz Score, and Half-Life 2 is the cheaper at $9.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.