Half Life Blue Shift, the beloved expansion pack for Valve’s seminal FPS game, released following Opposing Force, is returning in a full remake, modelled after Black Mesa. It’s the ideal distraction for Portal, Half-Life 2, and Steam fans as we continue pondering whatever happened to Half-Life 3.
Black Mesa Blue Shift is a rebuild of the Barney Calhoun-based add-on game designed to look and play like the 2012 remake of the FPS original. Three chapters have been released already, but a huge update coming December 10 will bring the next level, Captive Freight, as well as bug fixes and gameplay and visual improvements.
Black Mesa Blue Shift revives what is arguably the best Half-Life expansion to date, dropping you in the boots of lab security guard Barney as he tries to survive the resonance cascade event parallel to Gordon Freeman. Originally developed by Gearbox, later of Borderlands, Battleborn, and Duke Nukem Forever fame, Blue Shift launched all the way back in 2001, and remains one of the best old games you can still play today.
Nevertheless, that original GoldSource engine is starting to look a bit creaky, and the full remake brings a very-welcome dose of smoothness and modernity to the classic shooter. Half-Life Alyx just got a whole-new campaign, courtesy of fans, and a visual overhaul of the first Half-Life, that retains its core visuals but with lots of HD improvements, released last month. It’s a great time for Half-Life fans, proving that the love for Valve’s greatest series is still alive and well. You can try Black Mesa Blue Shift via Steam Workshop. Meanwhile, Portal writer Erik Wolpaw says there are plenty of ideas brewing for a Portal 3.
Try some of the other best horror games if blasting aliens in Black Mesa has always been your kind of thing. More of an Alyx fan? The best VR games might be your style, or maybe some of the best zombie games, since we all love a good headcrab.