Black Mesa is much better than Half-Life 1

[Tighty-Whitey]

I’m sure everyone already knows what Black Mesa is and in case you don’t, it’s full re-imagining of Half-Life 1 that aims to improve both visuals, gameplay, narrative and many more aspects that were lacking in the vanilla game.

Let’s start off by saying that Half-Life 1 is a very bad game, especially by today’s standards. In the industry that now has tens of thousands Triple-A titles that have already re-evaluated all elements and concepts of what a shooter is supposed to be, you have an old game from 1998 with barely anything interesting to offer. Black Mesa aims to fix that, even though it doesn’t succeed entirely.

Half-Life 1 in comparison to Black Mesa is outdated and has to be put into a trash bin, as it’s just not it anymore. Black Mesa, however, takes that old game and improves key elements to at least the standard of games from 2010. If that’s not good enough, then i suppose it’s time to move on to more modern titles, as Black Mesa is really the only thing to offer and is the only worthy take on Half-Life 1.

Black Mesa has:

1. Characters who aren’t just random generic NPCs.

2. Better graphics. Sure graphics still kinda suck, but overall it is an improvement.

3. Level design. Environments are cluttered with more objects and there is simply more to them.

4. Better lightning.

5. Better textures.

6. Better character models.

7. Better gun models.

8. Better narrative.

9. Better length. The game is longer than the vanilla.

10. Better A.I. It doesn’t explode itself or runs around mindlessly, instead, the HL2 A.I had been substantially recoded and marines pose more danger.

11. Better levels. (Except for Xen chapters)

12. Better everything apart from Xen and a bunch of other tiny moments.

As you can see Black Mesa is a better game and is a replacement to Half-Life 1.

[GodsleftAsscheek]

Originally posted by Fatih #FreePalestine:

Originally posted by White Mouse:

The classic game breaking bug of Lambda Reactor Core failing to flood if you turn the valves too quickly is still there. So I don't know about "magnificent" specifically.

I have completed this masterpiece game at least 10 times and have never encountered such an bug.

more features, more detail, more likely something will go wrong.

[OutSIdeOfTheBoX (chrisvig71)]

Originally posted by GodsleftAsscheek:

Originally posted by Fatih #FreePalestine:

Thank you.
I understood that you were also a Half-Life fan when I read just 2-3 sentences. I think all Half-Life fans in the world can feel each other even if they don't know each other. This game doesn't even need to be praised, history proves everything. Yes, the title may be a bit rude, but I should have responded to such a title like this. It deserved it.
Let's not forget the magnificent 25th anniversary update. The past came to my mind. When I first played, I was a kid. Well, it's a long story.
But no matter how long it's been, even today when I see the g-man at the beginning of the game, dozens of theories and stories continue to come to my mind.

oh no, the trolls have learned to cooperate.
but anyway, black mesa is an overall upgrade to the original half-life, it has everything half-life had with additional features and functionality. except for xen that's not at all the same.

"It has everything half life had"
It cut down on a rail that was for me the peak of the game and the most iconic chapter in a gameplay and variety and atmosphere perspective, the chapter I played the most, and black Mesa cut that out, and I hate that because black Mesa was so good, it's a game I love, and it could've been even more with on a rail, but instead he cut that down... Am I make it too much a drama? Yes, on a rail is still very good in black Mesa, but I'm pissed anyway...
Then yeah it an upgrade, but also some things change too, the atmosphere and feeling change a lot, the graphics are different so the "artistic style/feeling" Change a lot... Though black Mesa is not empty and soulless, my god no... But for me half life has a magical touch that was better, I actually used to like black Mesa more, but then I grew up and I changed perspective...

[GodsleftAsscheek]

Originally posted by chrisvig71:

Originally posted by GodsleftAsscheek:

oh no, the trolls have learned to cooperate.
but anyway, black mesa is an overall upgrade to the original half-life, it has everything half-life had with additional features and functionality. except for xen that's not at all the same.

"It has everything half life had"
It cut down on a rail that was for me the peak of the game and the most iconic chapter in a gameplay and variety and atmosphere perspective, the chapter I played the most, and black Mesa cut that out, and I hate that because black Mesa was so good, it's a game I love, and it could've been even more with on a rail, but instead he cut that down... Am I make it too much a drama? Yes, on a rail is still very good in black Mesa, but I'm pissed anyway...
Then yeah it an upgrade, but also some things change too, the atmosphere and feeling change a lot, the graphics are different so the "artistic style/feeling" Change a lot... Though black Mesa is not empty and soulless, my god no... But for me half life has a magical touch that was better, I actually used to like black Mesa more, but then I grew up and I changed perspective...

i actually downloaded a mod from the workshop that brought back on a rail before i even started playing it. i played half-life multiple times growing up and it's age shows. and i don't fall into nostalgia with what i enjoy anymore.

[OutSIdeOfTheBoX (chrisvig71)]

Originally posted by GodsleftAsscheek:

Originally posted by chrisvig71:

"It has everything half life had"
It cut down on a rail that was for me the peak of the game and the most iconic chapter in a gameplay and variety and atmosphere perspective, the chapter I played the most, and black Mesa cut that out, and I hate that because black Mesa was so good, it's a game I love, and it could've been even more with on a rail, but instead he cut that down... Am I make it too much a drama? Yes, on a rail is still very good in black Mesa, but I'm pissed anyway...
Then yeah it an upgrade, but also some things change too, the atmosphere and feeling change a lot, the graphics are different so the "artistic style/feeling" Change a lot... Though black Mesa is not empty and soulless, my god no... But for me half life has a magical touch that was better, I actually used to like black Mesa more, but then I grew up and I changed perspective...

i actually downloaded a mod from the workshop that brought back on a rail before i even started playing it. i played half-life multiple times growing up and it's age shows. and i don't fall into nostalgia with what i enjoy anymore.

yeah i wanted to try that mod but i heard it dosen't work anymore or something, but idk i just heard that... yeah i know how you feel, when something it's not fresh anymore the nostalgia kind of breaks, though i don't have like any nostalgia for half life, i played it relatively recently after a long gaming life, and it's my fav game ever now...

[Polat #FreePalestine]

Originally posted by GodsleftAsscheek:

Originally posted by Fatih #FreePalestine:

I have completed this masterpiece game at least 10 times and have never encountered such an bug.

more features, more detail, more likely something will go wrong.

The more (unnecessary) features, the more (unnecessary) details, the more likely something will go wrong. Yeah you right, it is "black mesa game".
If Half-Life didn't exist, the other games wouldn't exist either. Half-Life is a game that changed the course of gaming history.
If I asked you to name three characters from the Half-Life game, you wouldn't be able to remember them and wouldn't be able to answer.
You are talking about things that have nothing to do with logic and reality. Even if I spent an hour answering each of your sentences, I am 110 percent sure that you would not understand what I said. Call your daddy kid.
That's the only answer I can give you, I don't need to give you any other answer.

[GodsleftAsscheek]

Originally posted by Fatih #FreePalestine:

Originally posted by GodsleftAsscheek:

more features, more detail, more likely something will go wrong.

The more (unnecessary) features, the more (unnecessary) details, the more likely something will go wrong. Yeah you right, it is "black mesa game".
If Half-Life didn't exist, the other games wouldn't exist either. Half-Life is a game that changed the course of gaming history.
If I asked you to name three characters from the Half-Life game, you wouldn't be able to remember them and wouldn't be able to answer.
You are talking about things that have nothing to do with logic and reality. Even if I spent an hour answering each of your sentences, I am 110 percent sure that you would not understand what I said. Call your daddy kid.
That's the only answer I can give you, I don't need to give you any other answer.

sounds good to me.

[i'm a noobeo badoobeo]

tbh their both great on there own right

[ゴ『M.P. Firebrand』ゴ]

both is good

[MARINEROMARIMBERO]

yes

[Warlord4Hikage]

HL1 + Brutal HL mod = best.
Beat it

[MiseRawRble.]

Originally posted by Warlord4Hikage:

HL1 + Brutal HL mod = best.
Beat it :emofdr:

nothing helps. black mesa is still more detailed.

[OutSIdeOfTheBoX (chrisvig71)]

Originally posted by MiseRawRble.:

Originally posted by Warlord4Hikage:

HL1 + Brutal HL mod = best.
Beat it :emofdr:

nothing helps. black mesa is still more detailed.

The point is not less or more detailed, the point is if it's better or not... Details are details...

[xXMarT1naXx]

I actually disagree about the better levels. Black Mesa's pacing is all over the place with all the extra fight scenes and some of the alterations.

Half Life kinda alternates between fights, puzzles and exploration in a pretty organic way but Black Mesa kinda goes overboard with the action, especially during Questionable Ethics and Surface tension. Not only that but a lot of the fights have questionable game design.

For example the first appearance of the tank was kinda butchered. In Half Life 1, you have a pretty open setup with a lot of options to approach the soldiers but each one is deliberately set up in a way where you always get a drop on them. Each route allows you to surprise them from a different direction and even get a pretty big advantage by flanking and destroying the tank early on. And the squad isn't terribly big so the fight feels brisk.

In Black Mesa, you have a lot of random traps and each route leads to you being ambushed and immediately swarmed by tons of grunts. So it turns into a game of peekaboo where you just get pelted by gunfire and either have to peek from ladders and take potshots or run around and get constantly hit and you just can't really pull off an ambush anymore. And it drags.

Another example would be Questionable Ethics and the beginning of Surface Tension.

In Half Life, you get a bit of downtime at the end of the chapter. You escort the scientists, they open the door for you and you're left to just explore for a few minutes. Then there's the dam, you jump down to avoid the helicopter and from there on it's a bunch of platforming and action setpieces kinda alternating and carefully set up in a way that makes the chapter flow well.

In Black Mesa, you get the over the top lobby ambush, then the fight in the tunnel, then a major action setpiece at the dam, then a bit of downtime... so essentially 3 large fights in a row barely seconds from eachother and it kinda just ruins the pace. And a lot of the additions to Surface Tension are basically just more action in places it shouldn't be.

[xXMarT1naXx]

I'm not hating on Black Mesa and I can respect if you like it more than Half Life, but I honestly don't think it's a replacement for Half Life. More like a complement, a desert after the main meal.

You finish Half Life and the expansions and then check out Black Mesa and various other fan projects for a different and fresh take on the game after the original leaves you craving for more Half Life 1. It's just a different experience with it's own set of strengths and weaknesses.

[Polat #FreePalestine]

Originally posted by xXMarT1naXx:

I'm not hating on Black Mesa and I can respect if you like it more than Half Life, but I honestly don't think it's a replacement for Half Life. More like a complement, a desert after the main meal. You finish Half Life and then check out Black Mesa for a different interpretation of the story and gameplay by different developers who have different views on how a game should work.

If it weren't for the Half-Life legend, there would be no black mesa game. Also, Half-Life 5 was made by a genius man in 5 years, while Black-Mesa was made by 15 men in 15 years. Imitations cannot be better than the game they imitate, they are just a little more fancy.
Imitations and legends are not the same, they can't be.