To all new players of the franchise...

I disagree with that ordering entirely. First off, the Portal games may be great but the gameplay (and story) is absolutely separate from the Half-Life series. While I'd recommend those games to anyone who can manage basic FPS gameplay and puzzles, it doesn't belong on the list. Secondly, why is this "the best" order? If it's for story, then Opposing Force and Blue Shift are actually optional. Story wise, HL leads into HL2 which leads into the Episodes. Portal is kinda to the side of that, and only a little relevant because of the reference in Episode 2. Now, if it's for gameplay reasons, I also disagree. Half Life's gameplay progresses into HL2's, yes, but HL2 is the more 'modern' game. It's easier for new players to get into and for some it's the better starting point than HL1. And if you're playing HL1 first, the leap from HL1's gameplay to HL2's is a big deal whereas playing through Opposing Force and Blue Shift right after HL can drag things out since the gameplay is in a large part very similar.

Basically, I don't think there's any one correct order to play the games in.

/r/HalfLife Thread