Recycling in service

Blue Shift came out two years after the first expansion and, in addition to improved textures, featured a mini-short campaign in which we take on the role of security guard Barney. Although this adds a third dimension to the story of Half-Life , the changes in perspective didn't really sink in (at least for me).

The score

Musically, developer Gearbox Software took a bit of a shortcut here. Not only did they forego an original soundtrack, but they simply used the score from Opposing Force for this second addon – at least for the PC version.

Other entries in the Half-Life -series

Soundtrack

Half-Life (1998)

Game

Black Mesa (2020)

So we hear the work of Chris Jensen again. While the ambient tracks remain rather inconsequential MIDI noodling that just doesn't get me going, the action background music works quite well here too. In the more exciting moments, the score sounds like a mixture of Military meets Portal. This march-like music constantly drives us forward with the rhythm of an alarm or a beat.

It remains a classic retro shooter quality that seems quite generic but serves its purpose. So the score is not a total failure, but Blue Shift can't surpass the music of the main game with this recycling approach either.