Black Mesa Review
Recommended
A great remake of the original Half-Life with only small flaws.
The playthrough took me 11 hours.
I could have done without the iconic train ride in the beginning. But of course a remake can not just drop it. I recently learned why the passive train ride was novel back when Half-Life came out. Because it was the first game to have a seemingly living world without the player specifically triggering it. The train ride presents a living world. And although it is quite boring today, back then it was novel, surprising and interesting.
In classic Source Engine fashion it launched in super low resolution, 800x600 or something, and with low quality, despite my 1440p desktop resolution and no issue playing with highest graphics quality. Unfortunately 5.1 audio did not work correctly either, as it was not targeting the back speakers correctly. I definitely expected more from a game released in this day and age. The introduction to the player should be the most polished and welcoming part.
Graphics are a big jump from the original, with a great world, models, textures and effects. Sound design and the occasional music also seemed very good.
Some world and meta jokes can be found when exploring the world just a little bit. A welcome feat.
In some parts clarity was not the best. I got stuck in some parts, having to either die and reload on rushes/running/fighting, or searching back and forth until finding what was meant to be done. At times there is also no clear feedback and differentiation between when you can do stuff/damage enemies and when you can not. This is especially frustrating when you try to kill a monster for a long time, until you figure out it is invincible. This is even worse if at some point, suddenly, it is not invincible anymore. But no clear indication was given that something changed. Clearly scripted for story and player progression, but ultimately confusing and frustrating to the player.
I also found a few bugs and glitches, or levels not being completely sealed against misuse/movement. Nothing too bad though that would have impacted the gameplay or progression significantly.
Gameplay feels perfectly like half life. Fast movement, platforming, puzzles and shooting. Apart from clarity issues and the occasional platforming fiddling, superb.
Overall a great remake, and a great game. The flaws are frustrating at times, until figuring stuff out, but ultimately do not significantly take from the positive aspects of the game.
The playthrough took me 11 hours.
I could have done without the iconic train ride in the beginning. But of course a remake can not just drop it. I recently learned why the passive train ride was novel back when Half-Life came out. Because it was the first game to have a seemingly living world without the player specifically triggering it. The train ride presents a living world. And although it is quite boring today, back then it was novel, surprising and interesting.
In classic Source Engine fashion it launched in super low resolution, 800x600 or something, and with low quality, despite my 1440p desktop resolution and no issue playing with highest graphics quality. Unfortunately 5.1 audio did not work correctly either, as it was not targeting the back speakers correctly. I definitely expected more from a game released in this day and age. The introduction to the player should be the most polished and welcoming part.
Graphics are a big jump from the original, with a great world, models, textures and effects. Sound design and the occasional music also seemed very good.
Some world and meta jokes can be found when exploring the world just a little bit. A welcome feat.
In some parts clarity was not the best. I got stuck in some parts, having to either die and reload on rushes/running/fighting, or searching back and forth until finding what was meant to be done. At times there is also no clear feedback and differentiation between when you can do stuff/damage enemies and when you can not. This is especially frustrating when you try to kill a monster for a long time, until you figure out it is invincible. This is even worse if at some point, suddenly, it is not invincible anymore. But no clear indication was given that something changed. Clearly scripted for story and player progression, but ultimately confusing and frustrating to the player.
I also found a few bugs and glitches, or levels not being completely sealed against misuse/movement. Nothing too bad though that would have impacted the gameplay or progression significantly.
Gameplay feels perfectly like half life. Fast movement, platforming, puzzles and shooting. Apart from clarity issues and the occasional platforming fiddling, superb.
Overall a great remake, and a great game. The flaws are frustrating at times, until figuring stuff out, but ultimately do not significantly take from the positive aspects of the game.