yea nitro, lots of content back then and also I love how games back then didn't hold your hand quite so much.
You were always, from start to finish, seeing things from Freeman's eyes and no other perspective.
They trusted you to pick up on some mystery (G-Man) without whacking you over the head with it...
they trusted you to figure out some puzzles which, though usually pretty tame, were sometimes not 100% intuitive. No objectives flashing on the screen, no big golden arrow pointing you in the direction of your next objective... no inventory screen or cinematics or huge exposition etc etc...
it's fitting that Half-Life was populated by so many scientists, it felt like it was made by them too. It felt understated, intellectual, stream-lined. When you'd hear scientists talking it resonated like REAL academics and intellectuals actually speak. Even in Black Mesa. Even moreso in Black Mesa.
Just a fantastic game, and a snapshot of a fantastic period in gaming.