I’m not young. But 25 years after the hype, I am finally getting around to playing half life (1)! Stupidly missed the free action, but paid a few eurocents for it. They’re totally worth it! Awesome game, holds up very very well after two and a half decades!
Indeed, the story was part of it, but the level design and the AI scripting was also a big deal in 1998. So much of today’s single-player FPS experience can be traced back to Half-Life.