Its not entirely HL2 like because its a RPG(Role playing game)-FPS(First person shooter) crossover, but you could try Fallout 3.
Its a similarly apocalyptic setting (this time being Nuclear war rather than industrial accident/science & aliens) but is set in a VERY USA 1950's type setting/mentality which may well appeal to you, imagine that the 1950s mentality & ideology never ended until a nuclear war 90 years later (2041 to be exact)
Points to note:
- It is NOT a linear storyline like HL2, your actions have consequences that affect what you can do / who you can speak too or deal with etc.
- It takes a fair bit of time to level up & play (which over winter is ok)
- The story is very good (bear in mind there's been 2 previous games but knowledge of these is not 100% necessary to get engrossed in this games setting & story)
- The majority is "run & gun" but it depends how you play the game, with it being 50% RPG there are way to talk your way out of most situations without resorting to blowing everyone's heads off. each way has its benefits & drawbacks. It can be a 'thinking mans game' for these reasons.
- It will happily run on your new PC
- The "Broken Steel" add-on pack is recommended to complete the 'full' story of this episode of the series. (the other add-on packs are glorified side-quests and not 100% necessary)
This game was my first foray into the RPG genre and I like it, mainly due to its heavy FPS influences. So much so I bought the sequal, Fallout: New Vegas, which i'm still playing my way through.
