The game that started it all? Yes.. Half Life.
Half Life 1, was released on the 19'th of November 1998... Contrary to popular belief, the game was not released in 1999. Players assume the role of Dr. Gordon Freeman, who has a phd in theoretical sciences. He is a rather highly qualified man, who just seems to push around crates of unknown materials for the Big Wigs. However this time the goodie he pushes into the testing machine is a bit more volatile than the government had suspected. All Zen breaks loose and then Dr. Freeman has to go about attempting to save the research facility from huge arms that bash things, houndeyes (almost like supersonic dogs) and even the army!
Now why is this all so amazing you might ask. Half Life was Valve Corporations debut product. It all lived and died with this one game. Luckily for Valve, Half Life was a major success and received a 96/100 from metacritic. It was so successful that Valve released a sequel and then two more episodes on top of that. However since then, they have gone quiet about any follow ups or anything relating to Half Life despite the many calls from fans to continue the franchise. I mean, how often is it that people actually ask(or beg in this regard) the company to continue making the game.
This, and just the love for the game, and possibly some extra time must have motivated the very talented group at Black Mesa to recreate Half Life 1.
It is superbly created, with the attention to detail almost becoming OCD in places. The thought that has gone behind every nook and cranny is amazing. But possibly the most amazing thing about Black Mesa is that the team did not just take Half Life and remake it map for map, but rather decided to interpret the maps in their own style, while adding a slightly different flavour to the missions. So while playing you sort of have a De Ja Vu feeling about a certain place, or perhaps shout, "Hey, I remember this!". While in other areas the map seems to have changed almost completely. It is as if the Black Mesa team have taken the original clay of the game and moulded it into a statue of liberty! A statue which now knocks on Valve Corporations door, and then leaving a note that it is their move.
Is Black Mesa the game to end all games? Probably not, but in a world of Call of Duty look a likes, and warcrafty type intrusions into the game market, it is very refreshing to be able to play a game that has been so carefully crafted and so timelessly researched.
Go ahead and spoil yourself. The game is available free here. And just follow these instructions and you will be up and running in (a day or so in South Africa due to slow internet)...
Do it! Its worth it!
