Take notes, Hunt Down the Freeman and Fromsoftware: THIS is how you make a fucking fan game, and this is how you make a fucking remake.
As somebody who hasn't played the original Half-Life: holy fucking shit. What a fantastic game. Bravo, Crowbar Collective. Bravo.
Before I lavish this project with praise, some negatives: enemy AI is aggressive but not that smart. I was so lost on Residue Processing that I could've sworn I beat it by accident. Interloper drags in the middle and you can get stuck in geometry the Nihilanth summons during his fight.
Other than that this game is a joyride from start to finish. It's always moving you into another action setpiece and another location, each level plays with a new concept or introduces a new weapon. they mask the regressive AI by making them aggressive, having soldiers shoot while walking, throw grenades a your location, and at the very least have them move around. The level design for the most part is engaging and enemies are always placed well, it can be easy to get lost as to where you need to go but you'll figure out a visual language with the level design and notice patterns in the platforming puzzles. There are a ton of ways to approach shootouts as well, especially by Surface Tension. The environmental storytelling is great, having the game show you a story instead of telling you one. There is so much atmosphere and rich detail found just by looking around. On the surface it's a game where you shoot aliens and soldiers, but beneath the surface there are secrets to uncover about questionable ethics, an overwhelming threat, and a looming, unseen presence that even overshadows the final climactic fight. The visials are stunning and while some textures certainly are dated the lighting and art direction more than make sup for it. The soundtrack is filled with adrenaline-pumping guitar riffs and mystery and even some melancholy. All of this would make for a fine game on it's own.
And then Xen happens.
I already said that Interloper gets repetitive, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I had legitimate chills when I first looked out upon the Nihilanth tower from that distance, seeing the manta rays fly by as those beautiful vocals kicked in. I legitimately had to stop and stare at how God damn gorgeous and colorful it was. As someone who hasn't played the original Half-Life, I was breathless. I cannot IMAGINE what half-life veterans felt when they finally got to witness this. It transitions from otherworldly floating islands to damp caves t research outposts to a lush forest to an Alien nest (I will be telling my grandkids about that fucking Gonarch fight) to a Vortigaunt village to a factory to finally a gigantic floating Sauron's tower. Crowbar initiative has breathed so much realism into these levels and it makes it overall feel like a lived-in and something everyone should experience.
Black Mesa is a rare fan project and remake that was not only able to meet Valve-level quality with the game but were able to exceed them in some areas. This game is first and foremost a fan project, fueled by love and passion for one of the most iconic games of all time. There are tons of homages and references to the original game. Quitting out will have unique text prompts quoting certain lines. The voice acting was lovingly recreated to expand and improve upon the original goofy dialogue while also maintaining it's silly roots. The G-man in particular was handled with so much respect by the voice actor, to the point that they even use the same VA for the Barneys for the G-man, same as Shapiro did in the original game. In the credits, they thank their friends, family, and loyal fans who have stuck with them as well as paying tribute to those who were lost along the way. I cannot congratulate the devs enough over at Crowbar, HUGE props for even releasing this shit.
Buy this game, Xen alone makes it worth every Fucking dollar. Support fan projects like this that were meticulously crafted from the ground up. Let Valve know we want more Half-Life games.
As somebody who hasn't played the original Half-Life: holy fucking shit. What a fantastic game. Bravo, Crowbar Collective. Bravo.
Before I lavish this project with praise, some negatives: enemy AI is aggressive but not that smart. I was so lost on Residue Processing that I could've sworn I beat it by accident. Interloper drags in the middle and you can get stuck in geometry the Nihilanth summons during his fight.
Other than that this game is a joyride from start to finish. It's always moving you into another action setpiece and another location, each level plays with a new concept or introduces a new weapon. they mask the regressive AI by making them aggressive, having soldiers shoot while walking, throw grenades a your location, and at the very least have them move around. The level design for the most part is engaging and enemies are always placed well, it can be easy to get lost as to where you need to go but you'll figure out a visual language with the level design and notice patterns in the platforming puzzles. There are a ton of ways to approach shootouts as well, especially by Surface Tension. The environmental storytelling is great, having the game show you a story instead of telling you one. There is so much atmosphere and rich detail found just by looking around. On the surface it's a game where you shoot aliens and soldiers, but beneath the surface there are secrets to uncover about questionable ethics, an overwhelming threat, and a looming, unseen presence that even overshadows the final climactic fight. The visials are stunning and while some textures certainly are dated the lighting and art direction more than make sup for it. The soundtrack is filled with adrenaline-pumping guitar riffs and mystery and even some melancholy. All of this would make for a fine game on it's own.
And then Xen happens.
I already said that Interloper gets repetitive, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I had legitimate chills when I first looked out upon the Nihilanth tower from that distance, seeing the manta rays fly by as those beautiful vocals kicked in. I legitimately had to stop and stare at how God damn gorgeous and colorful it was. As someone who hasn't played the original Half-Life, I was breathless. I cannot IMAGINE what half-life veterans felt when they finally got to witness this. It transitions from otherworldly floating islands to damp caves t research outposts to a lush forest to an Alien nest (I will be telling my grandkids about that fucking Gonarch fight) to a Vortigaunt village to a factory to finally a gigantic floating Sauron's tower. Crowbar initiative has breathed so much realism into these levels and it makes it overall feel like a lived-in and something everyone should experience.
Black Mesa is a rare fan project and remake that was not only able to meet Valve-level quality with the game but were able to exceed them in some areas. This game is first and foremost a fan project, fueled by love and passion for one of the most iconic games of all time. There are tons of homages and references to the original game. Quitting out will have unique text prompts quoting certain lines. The voice acting was lovingly recreated to expand and improve upon the original goofy dialogue while also maintaining it's silly roots. The G-man in particular was handled with so much respect by the voice actor, to the point that they even use the same VA for the Barneys for the G-man, same as Shapiro did in the original game. In the credits, they thank their friends, family, and loyal fans who have stuck with them as well as paying tribute to those who were lost along the way. I cannot congratulate the devs enough over at Crowbar, HUGE props for even releasing this shit.
Buy this game, Xen alone makes it worth every Fucking dollar. Support fan projects like this that were meticulously crafted from the ground up. Let Valve know we want more Half-Life games.