$20 Game of the Week: Gary’s Mod (PC)

You know what the coolest thing is about Half Life 2 (and by extension other Source powered games)? It’s physics system. As fun as it is throwing glass bottles at combine soldiers, how cool would it be if we could just play around with it without having to worry about some goal or plot? That’s what Garry’s Mod is. It’s a standalone title that requires at least one Source game (Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, etc) to play. You basically have two guns: The Physics Gun, which allows you to pick up and move objects, and the Tool gun, which is used for various tasks, such as combining objects. Players can import objects from other source games, and can even download community made props from the web. Multiplayer play is also possible, as players can team up to build contraptions. A recent update allows players to download community-created objects in game via the Toybox. Players can even modify game scripts using the LUA programming language. Garry’s mod is a cool way to show off the capabilities of the Source engine, and it’s a fun distraction for gamers. If you have HL2, Portal, Team Fortress 2, or Left 4 Dead, check it out.