Half Life: Black Mesa full game released (including Xen)

[Lord Percy]

So I just finished playing through HL2 and decided to casually google "Half Life 3" to see what's going on with it these days.

Obviously didn't find HL3 , but it turns out the not-so-new remake of HL1, 'Black Mesa', was released again this weekend, but this time it's complete, with the final Xen levels done too, and looking quite fantastic as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7vDsarvyoc

[Easy-X]

Thanks for the tip-off. Bought this last night and the nostalgia is strong
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[Easy-X]

Just finished this. Feck! £15?! Best value for money in a game since I bought Doom
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[Lord Percy]

Just bought it myself and shall be starting soon

At first I wasn't sure if it'd work on my laptop. Then I remembered it's based on the Source engine, which is almost 15 years old (still looks bloody good to me though!) and HL2 works easily for me so obviously this will as well.

[Lord Percy]

So I'm about an hour into it.

Obviously still the best game ever (because Half Life), but the new music they've put onto certain parts is properly ruining it for me.

Also it doesn't have quite the same atmosphere as what one would expect from the Source Engine. I think because they've added mist effects all over the place, which I guess is a good thing but... I was hoping to basically be playing HL1 but with HL2 graphics.

I'll probably get used to it soon enough. Not even past the first chapter yet

[Lord Percy]

Am now approaching the Lambda Complex and have completely forgotten about my previous complaints.

Excellent, excellent game.

Also the Source engine was made in 2004. How it still holds up to this day is beyond me. Moore's Law has something to do with this, I guess.

Excellent game anyway. Interesting to note however that HL1 and HL2 are actually very different stories. HL1 feels like it's set in the 90s, or 1999 to be precise, when the game was made, whereas HL2 seems to have fast-forwarded to some unknown decade in the near future. Great games anyway, but this is one particular failing that has just occurred to me.

[Lord Percy]

Finished the game yesterday.

The Xen part is phenomenal, just amazing. It's a whole new game, like you get to the end of the first bit of HL1, then play an entire new full game after it, in this new Xen world which is based on the original Xen but is a whole new thing at the same time. And it's just amazing, breathtaking, it gave me the same sense of awe as when I first watched Avatar. Totally immersive, vibrant and realistic alien world. Just fantastic.

[Ribenapigeon]