Far Cry 5 vs Half Life 2

Far Cry 5, 6 is coming out in October (co-op & open-world). Need for speed Heat (Gamepass, EA Play).

Doesn't sounds too bad unless it doesn't work. If steam can't verify your code you can't play..

Graphically beautiful: being in a high mountain valley in game felt like being in one in real life, they absolutely nailed the feel and look of the whole Rocky Mountain region. Weapons are excellent and modifiable with a good selection of sights, though the selection is somewhat limited- no Glock analogue. Was able to rig up an AR just like mine in real life, and shoot it on semi-auto, which is a much appreciated option for weapons use in games like this. The non-avoidable kidnappings are annoying, especially when you somehow get captured while wingsuiting 1000 feet above the ground, but they do advance the story, so whatever

When I see screenshots of it, my brain convinces itself this is what Half Life 2 looked like, since the asset design is the same, just much higher quality.

Why would I need to spend real-life money on a skin that is mostly played in single-player? I could see this being useful if you play co-op with friends for a way to show off your hard-earned cash on a skin variation but, in my opinion, it's useless.

But some genius there at Valve decided to make the most convoluted, invasive and frustrating interface ever conceived in the world of gaming!!! Can I simply click the Half Life 2 icon for the GAME I PAID FOR and play? NOOOOOOO! I have to go through some online nonsense called Steam. One day I click the icon and I have the option to play in "offline mode"; the next day I can't play because Steam won't let me. What were these people thinking!? I have uninstalled the game and have loaded up an old copy of GTA Vice City.