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Successful experiment

Don't worry, I'm not going completely crazy and introducing you to a game that's over 25 years old today. Instead, I would like to present a mod from 2020 that is based on the first Half-Life: Black Mesa. However, this is no longer just a modification, but a fan remake of the classic shooter that has been officially approved for sale by Valve. So you don't need the original crowbar from 1998, but you will have to put 20 euros on the table for it (depending on the sales situation). But it's worth it!

I probably don't need to say much about the story of what many have hailed as the best game of all time, as it can be reduced to the familiar sequences: An experiment in a secret research facility goes wrong, aliens attack, the military fights back and we have to survive the mess somehow. However, unlike today, we are not a marine or a member of the special forces, but one of the scientists.

On the one hand, our survival is made easier by the Hazardous Environment Suit, or HEV for short. On the other hand, the shooting skills of the protagonist Gordon Freeman help us. Because even though the bespectacled bearded man is usually wearing lab coats, he has no problem smashing the bodies of humans and mutants with the infamous crowbar.

So the story doesn't win any innovation awards, but it was quite unusual for the time, skillfully told and convincingly staged. Of course, we shouldn't expect a cutscene thunderstorm like in CoD , but we're also talking about a game that was one of the first 3D shooters to combine well-known shooter gameplay with a deeper narrative.

So are we simply being presented with the old Half-Life in a new guise? In a way, yes, because basically (with the exception of the final act in the alien world of Xen) the remake follows the course of the original. So if you've already played the classic, you won't see anything fundamentally new. But you don't have to look closely to notice the differences:

Black Mesa is a fan remake into which a lot of time, love and above all creativity has been poured. Even if it feels like the old Half-Life , it is fundamentally different in many ways and simply better. This starts with the much prettier graphics, which still look outdated by today's standards, but a direct comparison reveals the quantum leap that the developers at Crowbar Collective have made.

The introduction of reflections and the new real-time shadows in particular add to the atmosphere of the game, but the adjustments to the sound design also make Black Mesa feel more like a sequel to Half-Life 2 - of course, both are powered by the Source engine. Due to the new technical foundation, physics puzzles are now possible that historically only appeared in the sequel. This doesn't turn Black Mesa into a puzzle game, but we do have to search for the right solution a few times.

We will also see the (pleasently short) loading screen more often, because although the remake plays more modern than Half-Life , it is still an old-school shooter that gets by with health points, merciless hitboxes and no cover system. Some passages can only be solved using the trial-and-error principle, but fair checkpoints and free saving prevent the potential for frustration. And if in doubt, you can simply run through many sections anyway - just like in the old days.

Summary

And that brings me to the end, completely without complaining and without explaining every detail such as the new weapons, dubbing or the new soundtrack. Because I don't have to say much to praise the improved version of a milestone. Black Mesa is well-rounded, fun and blows the dust off one of the most important titles in gaming history. The changes and adjustments fit in wonderfully, nothing seems contrived or out of place. On the contrary, the original Half-Life seems like an alpha version in comparison, like the unfinished prototype. Shooter fans can't go wrong here, and anyone who liked Half-Life will love Black Mesa.