I firmly believe that video game remakes are not just incredibly cool, but absolutely necessary. In an industry that is so focused on propelling itself towards the future, even some of the most legendary games of all time can find themselves without a modern audience.
You and I may not like it, but the original Half-Life has felt a bit creaky and old for a long time. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, it just means that shooters have evolved significantly, and even the Half-Life franchise itself has eclipsed that old game.
Which is why I think Black Mesa, the incredibly impressive fan-made remake from 2012, is a must-play for anyone who has ever remotely had an interest in Half-Life. Here’s why you should check it out.
8 It Shows Valve You Care About Half-Life
Support The Cause
Valve may not care about Half-Life, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show them that we do. Black Mesa was initially released as a free mod in 2012, but Valve later hired the developers and released it commercially in 2020.
So, at the very least, it proved that there is still a commercial audience for Half-Life. Despite all that, the last Half-Life-related thing that Valve released was a VR game in 2020.
It was a game that I quite liked, but it wasn’t really the conclusion to Half-Life 2 we had been waiting for after all these years. It’s certain that Valve monitors these things, so installing Black Mesa could be one way to help make Half-Life 3 a reality.
7 It Faithfully Recreates A Bygone Era Of FPS Gaming
Y2K-Era Shooters Just Hit Different
I do lovea good retro shooter, but the way Half-Life was able to introduce a narrative within those traditional gameplay concepts is still remarkable.
It has the heart of a boomer shooter, but the tongue of a storyteller. Y2K-era shooters like this have somewhat gone out of fashion, so I love how Black Mesa was able to recapture that magic.
If you have ever considered yourself a fan of FPS games from the late 1990s and early 2000s, or just want a microcosm of what shooters were like back then, Black Mesa is a great place to start.
6 Fan-Made Projects Are Cool
Hire This Man!
No matter where you stand on video game remakes, it’s hard to argue that fan passion isn’t amazing. When someone becomes a huge fan of something, it’s reasonable to express it in a variety of ways.
Fan games are something special, as projects like Another Metroid 2 Remake and Pokémon Uranium have proven. And for me, Black Mesa is absolutely the greatest fan game of all time.
If it helps to encourage you, Valve saw so much potential in the project that they gave the developers full acces to the Source engine and a commercial release.
5 It Has Excellent Music
A Sonic Spectacle
Capturing the sound and spirit of another composer’s work is a tough gig, but that clearly didn’t bother composer Joel Nielsen, who perfectly recreated the eerie ambiance of Half-Life.
I love the moody, almost melancholy drones and strings that evoke the classic game. There’s also some excellent new material, which adds some much-needed emotional resonance to the game’s atmosphere.
This type of video game music is in short supply these days, as most games focus on traditional orchestral music, so this industrial soundscape is a true delight.
4 There Are No Half-Life Projects On The Horizon
Valve Still Can’t Count To Three Apparently
Despite the rumors and whispers, Half-Life 3 does not appear to be coming anytime soon. It’s a bit sad considering I and millions of others have been waiting nearly two decades now for a conclusion to Half-Life 2.
Which is where Black Mesa comes in handy, as you can play the entire saga in a fully consistent manner. The leap from HL1 to 2 won’t feel as jarring, which is nothing but a good thing.
I do believe that Half-Life 3 will come one day, but until then, Black Mesa is the perfect stopgap to keep you busy.
3 It’s Just Plain Better Than The Original
Wake Up, Mr. Freeman
The original Half-Life is a masterclass in video game design, and I believe it to be in the top 3 of the greatest shooters of all time. It’s not just hype, it’s genuinely that good.
But I can’t help but find Black Mesa to be infinitely superior, as it has all the retro title’s strengths, but none of its weaknesses. It fixes and addresses every issue the original had.
Now, I’m not here to tell you that the original Half-Life is bad now, and you should delete it forever. That would be silly. But I firmly believe that Black Mesa is a far more engaging, well-designed experience.
2 Xen Is Finally A Thing
The Controversial Finale Has Been Restored
It’s not entirely unfair to say the finale of the original Half-Life was a bit disappointing, as Gordon Freeman’s trip to Xen wasn’t exactly the climax everyone wanted.
I didn’t really mind it myself, even though I could barely beat it as a teenager. So I found myself a bit disappointed when the original version of Black Mesa launched without it.
It took three years after the initial release, but the Xen chapters were finally added to Black Mesa in a huge 2019 update. Thankfully, the team greatly improved them from the original, both visually and mechanically.
1 The Game Genuinely Rocks
Black Mesa Is A Must-Play
At the end of the day, all we really want are fun, compelling games with good stories. I believe Black Mesa delivers on all those aspects and more.
I remember everyone waiting with bated breath for the mod to go live, each of us waiting on our own specific mod site to download it. Everyone who had followed the game, myself included, was consumed with hype and anticipation. It was worth the wait.
Black Mesa is just a genuinely great first-person shooter, full stop. If you need any reason to download this game, just boil it down to the essentials, which is that it’s a fantastic game worth putting time into.
Black Mesa
Systems
- Released
- March 6, 2020
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Crowbar Collective
- Publisher(s)
- Crowbar Collective
- Engine
- Source
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
- PC Release Date
- March 6, 2020
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Developer
- Crowbar Collective
- Publisher
- black mesa modification team
- How Long To Beat
- 15 hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
