First time playing Half-life what to play in correct order with existing remasters?

[M37SG]

Can someone list the correct order for this franchise with their proper remasters for story.

1. Black Mesa (Half Life 1).
2. Half-Life: Opposing Force (I'm aware there's a WIP remaster for this "Operation Black Mesa").
3. Half-Life: Blue Shift (aware of Black Mesa Blue Shift remaster but since it's not complete for all chapters I will still have to play the original correct?).
4. Half-Life 2 which now includes Episode one and two (aware of its WIP remaster "Half-Life 2 RTX").
5. Half-Life: Alyx.

Am I missing something? and is the order correct?

[Admiral]

[Master.Constructor]

I'm not an expert but that's a pretty good list. Thanks!

[angstlicht]

1) portal 1 and 2, as the half life 2 episodes establish that aperture exists in HL's plot. there's also various portal VR games and mini-game things but im pretty sure out of all of those that only Aperture Desk Job has a 'story'.

2) there's also another HL1 narrative-based gearbox expansion called half life: decay for the ps2 version of half life 1, which can be modded in and played in co-op for the original hl1.

3) there's a 'game' called half life uplink that operated as a brief hl1 demo, but it's bundled in the original hl1 now and it's functionally a missing half life level. half life 2 has an equivalent of this called lost coast, which is also now bundled into hl2's menus.

4) hazard course tutorials for blue shift, opposing force, and hl1. decay works this short piece of level geometry into the core campaign itself.

5) stuff like gunman chronicles, narbacular drop, the beta renditions of half life 1 and 2 assets that people have put up online. none are 'canon' but they're all tech showcases.

as for play-order, a generally good idea is to just go with retail release order.

[Valvatorez(Cox Cable = awful ISP]

Operation Black Mesa is dead, look up Fubar.

[M37SG]

Originally posted by Valvatorez:

Operation Black Mesa is dead, look up Fubar.

No it's not dead.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/311810/discussions/0/4518884534208313528/?ctp=3#c4632610782927915522

[angstlicht]

Originally posted by M37SG:

Originally posted by Valvatorez:

Operation Black Mesa is dead, look up Fubar.

No it's not dead.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/311810/discussions/0/4518884534208313528/?ctp=3#c4632610782927915522

if anything the fact it's taking forever to come out with people doubting it'll ever resolve is the clearest indication that it's a half life campaign

[Cat]

Operation Black Mesa is in development hell. Lead developers left. Some stupid internal fight. It's gonna take some time until someone over there picked up what was left and try to continue its development. Apparently, a dev from that studio had provided us with an update recently so there may still be hope.

[spice_]

Original Blue Shift you can complete under 3 hours easy, but the remake mod is extremely long even in it's current state (close to 8 or 9 hours).

[Sidakte]

First you play with Barney Calhoun, Blue Shift is the prequel.
Then you play as Gordon Freeman, Half-Life 1
Then you play as Adrian Shephard, Opposing Force is the sequel.
Then it's Half-Life 2 w/ episodes included and then Alyx.

(would of course include the mods but i thought i should stick to the original base game narrative, wishing for Decay to come on Steam some day).

[Aperama Entertainment]

Release order:
Half-Life / Black Mesa
Half-Life: Uplink / Black Mesa Further Data (non-canon demo chapter)
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Blue Shift / Black Mesa: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Decay
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (non-canon demo chapter)
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Portal
Portal 2
Half-Life: Alyx
Aperture Desk Job (entirely in an alternate reality, not part of main universe)

In-universe chronological order:
Half-Life
Half-Life: Decay (set during first parts of HL1)
Half-Life: Blue Shift (finishes after the events of Decay)
Half-Life: Opposing Force (set during and after HL1)
Portal
Half-Life: Alyx
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Portal 2

[M37SG]

Ok the last 2 posts here just got me confused asf.

[angstlicht]

Originally posted by M37SG:

Ok the last 2 posts here just got me confused asf.

a lot of the games are concurrent and feature in-game time skips.

https://youtu.be/uXn50yVez44

these are the half life 1 era campaigns, that came out between 1998 and 2001. they all take place more or less simultaneously but have moments where the protagonist is unconscious.

if you play them in retail release order, you really don't 'miss' anything. the recent half life alyx takes place *prior* to half life 2's base game, but for various story reasons it's pretty clear you're 'supposed' to play it after all the half life 2 games.

[Aperama Entertainment]

Originally posted by M37SG:

Ok the last 2 posts here just got me confused asf.

Originally posted by angstlicht:

Originally posted by M37SG:

Ok the last 2 posts here just got me confused asf.

a lot of the games are concurrent and feature in-game time skips.

https://youtu.be/uXn50yVez44

these are the half life 1 era campaigns, that came out between 1998 and 2001. they all take place more or less simultaneously but have moments where the protagonist is unconscious.

if you play them in retail release order, you really don't 'miss' anything. the recent half life alyx takes place *prior* to half life 2's base game, but for various story reasons it's pretty clear you're 'supposed' to play it after all the half life 2 games.

Exactly what angstlicht has said here. Personally I'd recommend release order as it makes the most sense for a first playthrough. The post I did above gives you the order the story originally came out including any relevant remasters (release order) as well as the order the story (mostly) take place in (chronological order). Up to you which order you play them in, but release is recommended for the first time.

Anything else we can clarify?

[OutSIdeOfTheBoX (chrisvig71)]

for me the correct order to play is:
1- half life 1998
2- opposing force 1999
3- blue shift 2001
4- half life 2 2004
5- half life 2 episodes
6- black mesa
7- wathever you want, blue shift remake, lost coast, decide yourself...

[Snark]

You need to play HDTF before HL Alyx.