Sorry, I can't compare lip-syncing techniques as intelligently as the rest of you, nor can I discuss the better engine with which to render the most-realistically textured nipples. But all I know, as a gamer, no game ever impressed me with the graphics, textures, animations, art, and overall
immersion as Half-Life 2 did. Maybe it didn't have the most advanced of everything, maybe it did. Who cares? For me, it was the complialtion of all the state of the art techniques that made the world feel amazingly alive. I derive fun out of immersion, a sense of 'place' in a gameworld, and a proper story with an interesting set of challenges. For me, HL2 had all of this in spades.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Mahatma Gandhi