Half Life fans, the wait is over!
Black Mesa is a free mod that has recently came out for Half Life 2 on September 14, 2012.
The mod has been in development since 2004 and I’ve been waiting for this since I first heard about it around 7-8 years ago. The mod is the whole of Half Life 1 remade in the source engine including new models, animations and textures.
The mod ran into some issues on release day, due to download lag and high website traffic. However, once the download was complete, you can just install the download like any other mod.
Black Mesa was also recently greenlit on Steam, bringing this great game to new audiences.
I’ve played through Half Life 1 multiple times and It’s one of my favorite games, so Black Mesa is a welcome sight.
One of the first things you will notice is the massive graphical improvement from Half Life 1 to Black Mesa. Some parts of the original game have been changed though. For example, you get the crowbar later on in Black Mesa then you do in Half Life 1. The soundtrack for the game has also been completely redone for the mod. There are parts in the game where the music really pumps you up.
You can also download the soundtrack from their website for free or for a donation to give support. For long-time Half Life fans or event those new to the Half Life universe, this mod is definitely worth a look at and it has been worth the wait.
Overall, I’m giving this mod a 5/5 and if you own any of the Source games like Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2 or Counter-Strike, you only need to download the game from their site www.blackmesasource.com.
