So far I’ve made it past the first few soldiers in the game and I must say, this mod shows some clear devotion by the development team.There are some departures from the original game, though some of them are quite entertaining. I particularly liked the flare section at the beginning that leads up to you getting your crowbar.
The game opens up the exact same way, barring a few (very) minor details during the opening sequence. The only major change I noticed was the orientation of the security desk at the front of your lab, but it certainly looks more modern, if that is what the team was shooting for. The updated graphics definitely make the game look less stale, but since the engine dates back to 2007, and so does the beginning of this mod, the graphics are a little above par compared to Half Life 2 and its Episodes. One thing I noticed that was a significant improvement on the original, however, was the dialog and other audio. While the various monster sounds remain the same, the mod does a lot better job with the dialog audio and I really love the music. Each piece sounds full and fits the emotion of the scene it is accompanying very well.
So far the guns fire almost exactly like they fired in Half Life 2, no surprise there. Right now I have the pistol, the SMG, and the Magnum revolver. The SMG is heavier, being military issue I suppose, so obviously it feels a lot heavier. It’s not quite the SMG from Half Life or Half Life 2, but I like it any way.
I noticed that you gain your pistol in a slightly different fashion in the mod than the original game, however. Instead of getting it from the dead security guard that you see attempting to crawl to the health dispenser, you get it from a security room that a thankful scientist unlocks for you. This requires some Houndeye killing with the crowbar, but it isn’t much of a challenge so there’s no real issue, just a deviation.
Houndeye from the original Half Life
Another deviation is that the soldiers aren’t the bulky, sharpshooting behemoths I remember them being in the original. Luckily for me, since I’m not very good at First Person Shooters anymore, this means the game is quite a bit easier. I used to get steam rolled by the soldiers, even on easy, but now I’m running through them like they aren’t even there. Take that as you will.
HECU from the original Half Life
All in all, I’d say right now that I am very impressed with the mod team. It took them a while, but they have done an excellent job so far. I will have a full review up by Monday. As the mod team would undoubtedly say, these things take time.
If you haven’t gotten the mod already, go to Black Mesa’s website and get it from a few easily accessible options. Remember, if you are torrenting the game, please seed. I would also highly recommend downloading the soundtrack, because it’s pretty good.
the entire time i’ve been playing it, it’s just been blowing my mind that it’s completely free. it looks and plays better than most shit that’s being charged $60 these days.
What blows my mind is not only that, but the developers of the original game not only didn’t shut them down, but actively encouraged them, advertised them, and will be helping distribute for them. It’s crazy. I mean, we all remember how Square reacted to that 3D remake of Chrono Trigger.
Dude, don’t even remind me ;_;
I still dream that they are working on it in their basement and will suddenly release it when it’s done. Fuck S-E.
Other then a few glitches this game is damn near perfect.
@Matt Reichardt
And don’t forget that Halo mod for C&C Generals that got shutdown.
Oh God, Bungie/Microsoft was/is (don’t keep up with them as much) so up tight about Halo. I was in a Boy Scout troop when Halo 2 was at the height of it’s popularity, and we wanted to use use some Halo graphics on our patches, but we had to go through this ridiculously long process with them and probably were only allowed to do it because we were Boy Scouts. God help anyone that doesn’t have the “good boy” stereotype trying to use their stuff.
One thing you forgot to mention is all the added character they gave the the scientists. You can even help one get some toilet paper.
I realize that everyone is free to do whatever they want in their free time, but this mod just feels like a huge waste of energy. There was no need for this, Half-Life is still playable and probably everybody who wanted to play it already did. They spent more time on it then most people spend on original creations, which, unlike this, are sadly forgotten and overlooked. It feels unfair. Black Mesa Source doesn’t add anything new to the table.
I dunno giving an old game a fresh coat of paint is always beneficial since it opens it up to a whole new audience as well as increases your personal enjoyment because you get to compare the new with the old.
That’s interesting because there’s such a different trend with films. Many people rally against remakes of old tv shows or movies, but when games get remakes they are almost universally applauded. I think its emphasis on 90s 3d games means its primarily a graphical issue. Those polygons have not aged well.
Yeah 90s 3D wasn’t exactly pretty, however there’s still games from that era who’s art-style made up for the low polygon count, Banjo-Kazooie being one such example, and I remember the remake of that game for the Xbox looking REALLY pretty.
What makes this being more popular than some original creations unfair?
Before you say, “read my comment again”. I did. And there’s no rule or law stating that one creation has to be original if it were to be popular or that copies/rehashes/refurbishes/revivals can’t be more popular than other, original things. There’s no “unfair” thing about it. People will like what they like.