Half-Life: Blue Shift

That's really the question that comes up in regards to this, if one should bother with it. For anyone not aware, this is an expansion pack for Half-Life, one that came after Opposing Force(and this brings new things to the multi-player of that, new content, including maps... and this doesn't feature any MP, only the single-player campaign, and it does not allow for mod use, for that matter). This has ups and downs. It is a stand-alone, meaning you don't need any other product to try it, although one has to wonder if that really helps it... why would anyone want this without the others? On its own, it's not much of anything. Have you ever had an experience where you read an excellent, classic novel, loved it, then later found notes from the author of something that could be a chapter in it, or something to support the reading, that, while genuinely a complete story with a start and finish, doesn't work at all by itself? Well, regardless, this is the VG version of that. The plot is good, develops nicely and is told in the same successful way. Instead of cut-scenes, you overhear conversations, are talked directly to, and witness occurrences, with you choosing with reasonable freedom where to look and to stand as it happens, and being responsible for peering in the right direction at the time it happens, if you don't want to miss the nice visuals. This puts you in the last possible perspective on what happened, apart from the aliens(which may be doomed as a concept, I suppose... oh well... fan fiction?), a security guard. This raises the credibility of the universe, and makes it less superficial than it admittedly, by comparison(keeping in mind that, at the time, what they did, in this area, as with several other things, was new and fresh and has changed the way it was done), by allowing you to view scientists casually dressed, and them, as well as your colleagues, off duty, relaxing(hey, they take breaks at their job, too). It even opens outside the facility, showing you one entrance to it, albeit you are still on the well-known tram. It ends quite different from the previous ones, and it pulls this off well. Thus, traveling down new roads, whilst delivering what we're used to... again... becomes a theme this time around. Complain about it not having grown all that much away from the previous ones if you must, but that doesn't change the fact that the game-play is still fun and satisfying, and that something prolonging the stay in this world for many is very welcome. The puzzles are a mixed bag. This is in the greatest hurry to get going of them(and was putting a pistol in your hands, in spite of it making decent sense, necessary?), and it is unevenly paced at points, as a result of trying to slow down and challenge your task-solving skills some. The AI is rather varied, but at its best, the enemies team up against you, and use tactics in their efforts to kill you. There is no new training, they just changed the Hazard Course(trimming away). The levels are relatively well-done, and in general design isn't half bad. It seems like they knew and accepted their limitations(...well, there must have been some), and didn't try to do more than they could. There are no Boss fights in this. This does, however, arguably awkwardly shoe-horn in stuff to meet the expectations that players surely(OK, I won't call you Shirley) by this time anticipated of something related to HL. There are three difficulties, and this is harder than the earlier ones. The foes can be tougher, and several seem to have better reaction times. There are no new weapons, and not all of the original ones - and don't even think about any from OF - (or, for that matter, creatures or other opponents) return. This does perhaps, to an extent, grant you less ammo than the first two, potentially making things more exciting. Something else interesting, this actually has an NPC who remains in it, and is a big part of it. If you have heard mere rumors, let me assure you... yes... this is outright *criminally* short. You can probably be through it in about 3 hours. That's less than a third of either of the Max Paynes(yes, he does have numerous pains... in the entire duration of the 2001 release, he never got over the smell of New York, judging from his facial expression). Since they are, at least, reasonably enjoyable, the issue becomes the price. This should not retail for the same as a full title. It's an add-on. Now, probably the aspect of this that really makes the sale: The High Definition Pack. It applies to all of these(well, I wouldn't know about Decay, never tried it), and it upgrades the graphics, as far as physical models and skins go, meaning, bodies and guns. The latter also changes what a couple of them are, I can confirm that the Glock is now a Beretta(sweet!) and the Heckler & Koch MP5 is now an M4(also awesome), and I cannot bring myself to say anything negative about either, which is not to say that they weren't cool, before, too. The sound effects may have been altered for some of them, but I'm not certain. They are good, as is the audio in general, with well-done voice acting and well-composed score. There are bugs in this, though they fixed notable ones of the preceding ones, and the stability is clearly improved. If there is language in this, it's rare. The violence is still plentiful, and this contains a fair amount of strong gore. So is this something you should get? You tell me, I've tried to make this review an aid in figuring that out, it's up to the individual. I recommend this to those who wish to get all of the experience, surrounding the Black Mesa Incident. 7/10

In this game you play as Barney Calhoun as a security guard in the Black Mesa facility during the Black Mesa Incident. Remember your ride in the train in the first game? It turns out the character of Barney is the same guy who was hammering on a door on a platform in the tunnel. The hazard course is pretty much identical to the one in the first game. So i wont elaborate.

The actual game, gameplay and graphics is pretty much identical to the first Half-Life game and the other expansion pack Opposing Force. Which (of course) is a very good thing. The game ties up a few loose ends from the first game and it's quite clever how they both tie in to each other. On top of that this game features a few new monsters and a couple of new cool guns. As always in all the Half-Life games there are puzzles to solve here. Some of them are quite hard but that's what walkthroughs are for! So if you were in to Half-Life then get this game! And don't forget to pick up Opposing Force to!

7/10

I think this is the worst Half-Life game in the series, but it doesn't mean it's bad: I like the helpful characters and the fact, that Barney Calhoun isn't the hero like Gordon Freeman and Adrian Shepard. There's no G-Man, but he doesn't have to appear at all, but there are crossovers with Gordon Freeman. So the characters are a bit better than in "Opposing Force" I think.

I'm quite disappointed with the level design: There are lots of long corridors with little variety in enemies and surroundings. There are less weapons and no new enemies. It's also a short game (maybe even shorter than "Episode One"?)

7/10

Half-Life was brilliant. It revolutionized the first person shooter, provided hours of entertainment, introduced us to a world of weapons and bizarre creatures, and most importantly- it (unlike most video games) stayed with its plot throughout the game. Then Opposing Force came along- a mission pack that was a game in and of itself, the player now switching sides and playing through the Military- the enemy in the original Half-Life. Although less plot-driven than the original (its cheif weakness) it still managed to create a very good gaming atmosphere, even if it didn't quite match up with the first. Then Blue Shift came along. I (although a huge fan of the first two) was apprehensive; I felt Sierra was trying to capitalize upon the success of the first two and, running out of ideas, was stretching things thin by having the player play as a security guard...Barney Calhoun. I was mistaken- The game is faithful to the first (with none of the weapons from OP4, but most from the original) and adds in some new things....people, locations, plotlines. It was most enjoyable to navigate Barney Calhoun through the waterworks and train depots of the Black Mesa compound, and the ending was significantly different than that of the first two.......I was very impressed by its simplicity and practicality. Although rather short, with no new weapons or aliens, I highly recommend this Mission pack- do the Half-Life devotee or someone new to this family of games

Blue Shift is an addon pack for the original Half Life where you play as Barney Calhoun, the security guard, instead of Gordon freeman. There isn't much new content in here except a new gun which is actually less powerful than the one it replaces. Level Design is of the standard of the original levels but not in the league of opposing force levels. Blue Shift has also been made very difficult and is much more difficult to play than other Half Life levels. This is more to due gameplay imbalance rather than actual difficulty. This addon also includes a high resolution pack which increases the detail and polygon count on models in the Half Life game and that probably adds to its sale value.