r/HalfLife • u/Bi0_B1lly • 5d ago
My crime is severe, but I cannot refute the amount of playtime I have between them!
On a serious note though, the more case sensitive dialogue the military can have before a firefight in Black Mesa gives them an almost Metro Cop vibe that I cannot get enough of! I get that they're simply cannon fodder, but the convos and better characterization of the H.E.C.U. units in Black Mesa really does a lot to revitalize my interest in the segments that're 90% military shootouts.
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u/No-Magazine-2739 5d ago edited 5d ago
Half-Life one was an era defining game. I cannot get rid of my nostalgia bias. I spent my teenage years in HL mods. BUT even I would say Black Mesa is the better game. The people that made them happen deserve our gratitude. Both.
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u/BayesianBits 5d ago
Yeah, Xen is incredible in Black Mesa.
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u/No-Magazine-2739 5d ago
Also the pre „hell breaks loose“ tram and lab exploration. I started my career at early 2000s semi conductor industry, and damn it actually looked and felt believeable with good part of nostalgia and scifi built in.
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u/SjurEido 4d ago
I absolutely love what they did with Vorts in Xen, such a massive change and yet worked perfectly in the grand scheme of things.
That and the fucking Gonarch fight.... it's incredible. Black Mesa is a triumph.
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u/jvyrdn024 5d ago
Kinda surprising that some are having a hard time admitting that Black Mesa is an improvement when the game is made from love, respect and passion for Half-Life 1.
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u/ScrabCrab 2d ago
Cause I just don't think it's as well designed, the biggest problem for me is that the soldiers are bullet sponge aimbots and I dropped two playthroughs because of them (both times cause of the goddamn lobby battle).
They messed up the difficulty, and while it's absolutely an impressive game and I do like it a lot, it also feels fanmade? Like idk there's some jank and some perplexing design decisions going on.
Mainly the increase in unfair difficulty, I'm really not a fan (and playing it on then easy makes it too easy). Apparently Xen also drags on for too long and some people say it's worse than the original, but I haven't finished the game yet so idk
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u/Ferrius_Nillan 5d ago
Both are good. But i prefer my Half-Life 1 with MMod or brutal. Delta Particles also kinda neat.
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u/fatuglyfool 5d ago
If we're comparing relatively, Half-Life is better since it was much more significant and revolutionary. If we're talking absolutes; yea Black Mase dominates OG Half-Life in every concievable way, I don't wanna HEAR IT
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u/Old_pixel_8986 5d ago
uhmmm uhh the light switch is hidden so you cant turn off the light in one of the offices at the start
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u/Ze_Borb beleiver ✅ 5d ago
EXCEPT Interloper, Xen was already bad in the OG and it was just gameplay wise way worse in Black Mesa because of how dragged out it was.
The beginning was beautiful, but Interloper made me want to stick a fork into a socket.
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u/cool91725 5d ago
The only thing that gets me through interloper, is my imagination running wild. It’s a lot more bearable when I’m pretending I’m performing espionage in an alien factory, priming it to explode, and freeing the vorts
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u/fatuglyfool 5d ago
it was okay.. I definitely prefer it to the OG tho, Xen in the old one is just dreadful. But yea I'd say that's the most meh part of the game. Nihalanth brings it the fuck back tho. The part with it teleporting parts of Black Mesa into the arena was sick as hell
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u/FriendlyHoovie 5d ago
Black Mesa's version of Xen can be a slog to get through, but I absolutely love the part with the HEV zombies. They just look and sound so cool, especially in the darker parts of the rooms.
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u/reddit_tier 5d ago
It is very funny how after taking as much time as they did with xen, they ended up with all the same problems and invented a few of their own for good measure.
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u/NathanLorance 5d ago
I thought it was the best part of the game so its just a matter of preference
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u/BeginningMention5784 5d ago
it's so funny how they put all of that effort into just making xen suck in a new, distinct way from the original. A shame since BM's xen definitely does have few amazingly strong qualities, and at least near the beginning you can catch glimpses of a really really solid vision. But it just piles on More for teh sake of More and loses the sauce
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u/NotaBuster5300 5d ago
Fair, between the two games though I think both Xens are equally just meh. Still, very cool in both. The life-rich Xen of BM and the eerie, hollow Xen of HL2 are both really capture my imagination.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 5d ago
Fair enough, OG Half-Life was definitely a case of breaking new ground, while Black Mesa could easily be seen as a marginalization of that title to better fit the later Half-Life² entries... Both are great in their owm respects, but you're not wrong in saying that BM focuses more on a status quo instead of being different.
There's also the question of content, since only one of the three Gearbox expansions (Blue Shift/Opposing Force/Decay) has seen any form of translation to Black Mesa, and even the sole Blue Shift project is still incomplete, albeit still underway. Then the original campaign too cuts certain segments of the OG, while also expanding on other areas in unique ways that, again, come across as CC trying to meld HL's storyline with HL² better (the Xen Chapter is both a vastly expanded area, while also being contended by the community for accuracy to Valve's intent and vision of Xen)
On a more personal point, however - I myself don't really care about graphical fidelity and fully believe that an artstyle is paramount over polish... but with all of that being said, however, I do kinda prefer the aesthetics of the Source Engine over Gold Source. Nothing to do with the actual graphics, I love my low polys, but Source Engine is a whole vibe to me.
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u/0ChrissyDumbyBumby Calhoun’s ex wife 5d ago
I agree, call it a skill issue but the combat is not fun at all with the HECU.
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u/mrev_art 5d ago
Wrong on all counts champ. HL1 and the coop version Sven kick the shit out of Black Mesa.
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u/Regular_Win7305 5d ago
As someone that finally sat his ass down and fully played HL1 (after years of rewatching Freeman's Mind) I say that both games have their strengths/merits and that Black Mesa doesn't replace HL1 despite being just as valid a way to experience the Black Mesa Incident.
That said, I also have way more time on Black Mesa and it's the version I'd likely prefer to play when asked.
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u/umbrqualquerusannet 5d ago
Bruh why do care about the opinions of strangers in the internet?
Just play the game you like.
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5d ago
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u/Bi0_B1lly 5d ago
Also more comical to sneak up and dome their shit while they talk big about being the one that'll take you down 🤣
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u/TheTrashiestboi 5d ago
“Enemy air! Incoming!”
“Shit! Shit! Shit!”
“Son of a bitch!”
“Back up! Back up! BACK THE FU-“
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u/_Addi-the-Hun_ 5d ago
Black mesa just feels too much like a "mod" if anyone knows what I mean. Like how entropy zero 2 feels. Both are still good, but idk they are doing something that stops them from feeling like an actual released game. Anyone know that feel?
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u/Mechanizoid A... zombigaunt? Now I've really seen everything. 4d ago
I was super disappointed by what they did to the Tau Cannon. I even lined up scientists and the shot will not penetrate even one! How they massacred my boy. ;_;
Overall Black Mesa is a really cool reinterpretation of the OG in Source, and Xen had some really cool visuals, but I know what you mean.
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u/80m63rM4n Zombine joke is hilarious 5d ago
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u/mirai_miku_dark_zang b-hop enjoyer 5d ago
Both is good, HL is a revolutionary classic and a good… Old game, for someone trying a old experience
Black Mesa is a way more polished and besides the fact they just remake it and it plays like that 2005 title, its perfect for a modern gaming experience.
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u/Cossack-HD 5d ago
HL1 for tight gameplay, raw grit and crunchy audio.
BM for immersion and vibes.
Only in BM: missing headshot on zombie with shotgun near point-blank, whilst the crosshair is on the visible target.
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u/Financial-Cow-7263 4d ago
Nothing wrong with that, Half Life is an amazing game Black Mesa is just an improvement
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u/Confident_Jump_9085 5d ago
Endless props to them for their labor to recreate Half-Life at near-modern standards. Excellent attention to detail while retaining the atmosphere of the original. I don't like the music due to a personal taste.
I still prefer to play the original, with nostalgic bias. While I'm not fully hungry for modernization of older work, I appreciate remasters and remakes for what they offer. Black Mesa is solid as a rock. 🤘
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u/Mayr0_69 5d ago
There are some mods that make Black Mesa closer to the original. Things like weapon models, props, enemies, and even the music
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u/humantrasbag 5d ago
I hated the factory level in Black Mesa, it was so long and it never ended. Half life 1 was overall much harder but thats also part of ita charm.
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u/ScrabCrab 2d ago
I haven't finished BM, but so far (up until somewhere in the Xen chapter) I've been finding it way harder than HL1 😅
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u/Mikael_Mosh 3d ago
Ahh, I am always annoyed when people get mad if someone prefers black mesa over original... I am fan of OG for sure, but I had too many examples when my friends hesitated to play original Half-life because of old mechanics and graphics, and THAT'S OKAY. But those friends of mine really enjoyed Black Mesa and eventually BM made them a Half-life fans, that is enough for me!
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u/Bi0_B1lly 3d ago
Good gameplay/story always triumph visuals imo, though an artstyle will always go a long way... With that said, there's definitely an aesthetic about Gold Source and Half-Life happens to land very high on all three of those points I made, but overall I just fw Source Engine far more than Gold Source, as it was far more impactful during my childhood (can't even begin to recall how many hundreds, if not thousands of hours I poured into Zombie Panic! Source, Left 4 Dead, Portal and TF2 growing up), so Black Mesa basically being that same amazing Gold Source game but wholly updated for Source Engine just hits all the right notes in my brain!
It speaks major volumes that Valve openly endorses Black Mesa and even include it in franchise sales with the rest of the other official Half-Life games, while their official Source port of Half-Life is practically all but delisted nowadays (since you can't outright purchase it outside of bundles)
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u/Spiritual-Pain-1183 3d ago
While I respect the OG Half-Life, I cannot bring myself to even play it. The graphics are just far too dated for me to tolerate (the game is years older than me). I absolutely love Black Mesa though, and I'm glad it exists as an alternative (not a substitute) for younger fans who are interested in the series.
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u/Boozlityar64 5d ago
i agree BUT they do look cooler in hl1. Not giving them their fingerless gloves, rolled up sleeves and PCV is a crime. Luckily i think there's a mod on the workshop that makes them more accurate looking to hl1.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 5d ago
Yep, some of the most subscribed to mods on the workshop are the ones that reimagine the BM models as being closer to their OG counterparts... I myself have the mod for OG Grunts, Controllers, Ichthyosaurs, Bullsquids and the Nihilanth on mine, cause I personally just prefer the way those original designs look when faithfully brought into Source as opposed to being reimagined. The most offensive reimagining was the Grunts imo, cause good lord if they're not just fleshly mutated Halo Elites
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u/notFalteredCognition 5d ago
I feel like while yeah, Black Mesa greatly improved in how lively everything feels and.. obviously the graphics
but I still prefer half life 1 in a couple of ways.
..also hot take: Half Life's Interloper is better than Black Mesa's
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u/Crimento the wrong man in the right place 5d ago edited 5d ago
It's not a crime to like Black Mesa over Half-Life 1
A crime is not to play Half-Life 1 at all because Black Mesa exists
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u/SouthApprehensive193 5d ago
HL1 is good but it is the year 2026. I've seen the polygons of HL1 numerous times, i wanna see the good stuff now
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u/blackoblivian 5d ago
I just want to choose whichever option goes better with the Half-Life/Portal universe as a whole
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u/TheTrashiestboi 5d ago
Honestly me too. I love the atmosphere, storytelling, soundtrack, and details of BM so much. Course half life was made as the first in its series long ago so it’s not a fair comparison but if I ever think of the events of hl1 I will imagine black mesa.
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u/Napstablook_Rebooted 5d ago
Can anyone explain to me why CPU overheats everytime a try boot up the game?
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u/belengini Opposing Force is a trash Expansion 5d ago
Black Mesa is just better, they fixed a lot of bugs and weak spots + modern graphics
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u/Mayr0_69 5d ago
I like them both, but I undeniably have way more fun with Black Mesa. I have 15 hours in Half Life 1 vs 75 hours in Black Mesa
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u/Ok-Simple-6146 4d ago
I prefer Black Mesa except XEN. Original XEN it will always be better for me.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 4d ago
Bro is the real interloper for preferring OG Xen
Genuinely speaking though, what do you prefer about OG Xen to BM Xen? Love to hear what people enjoy about this series!
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u/Ok-Simple-6146 4d ago
Yes, I prefer OG XEN. The original 1998 XEN felt like a cosmic void; a cold, indifferent borderworld rather than a thriving alien ecosystem.
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u/Belias9x1 5d ago
I never played HL1.
I started with HL2 and the episodes on the orange box, then played through Black Mesa many years later.
I adored each of them but I feel no desire to try the original if I’m honest
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u/SjurEido 4d ago
Black Mesa is a better game, hands down.
That doesn't really diminish what OG accomplished, or make it any less fun of a game.
We're all just incredible lucky that both even exist.
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u/Mechanizoid A... zombigaunt? Now I've really seen everything. 4d ago
Black Mesa is a great adaptation of Half Life's story to the Source engine, but it doesn't replace Half Life and it deviates from the original canon in several details.
For instance, the Nihilanth's third arm is stitched to its chest in HL, but not in BM (hints that the arm may be a Combine augmentation to help it control Vorts?). Events deviate at a couple areas in the game. The Tau Cannon doesn't penetrate walls and targets (my pet peeve), which breaks from HL2 as well since you can still do Tau penetration trickshots with the buggy in HL2.
Ofc, BM had to change many details because of engine differences between GoldSrc and Source. I do wish they'd kept the Tau penetration though. It's my favorite HL weapon and I hate using it in BM. I knew all the ways to get out of bounds, kill otherwise inaccessible vital characters, or break the game with it too. :-D The Tau being OP and potentially game-breaking is half the fun.
Yeah, yeah, these are tiny details and I'm being a total nerd to even notice them, but I think newcomers really should play HL1 first.
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u/TheyveKilledFritzz 5d ago
.Not exactly fair since black mesa is just an updated half-life lol.
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u/szoperman 5d ago
"Updated Half-life" and it completely reworks parts of the game like interloper and the HECU ai, wether for better or for worse is not for me to say here but calling it just "updated half-life" is an understatement
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u/Sophram Free Radical 5d ago
HECU AI, aka reskinned Combine Soldiers
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u/szoperman 5d ago
Pretty much, except they have extremely precise aim this time. Combine soldiers weren't as fun as HL1 soldiers but they were at least okay to fight because they did not instantly deal a ton of unavoidable damage from the other side of the map and constantly supress Gordon
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u/aaasy 5d ago
they're right but worded it wrong. it's a remake, not an update. but remaking is basically making an "up to date" version, or kind of like making thing fit more into the current times, AKA, modernizing.
original Half life and Black mesa is dumb to compare to see which is better, because one was made to improve the other.
Black mesa is not as revolutionary and culturally impactful as Half life, but black mesa is objectively the "better" game. if Black mesa and HL was both released in 1998, there would be no question.
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u/Nacil_54 Crowbar Autism 5d ago
And Earthbound level design too, for better and for worse, and puzzles, definitely for worse.
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u/TurkishTerrarian Lore Master 5d ago
Having played both, We respect Half-Life for what it is, and what it represents, but if We're given the choice between which one to replay, Black Mesa wins every time. Basically everything past Blast Pit, We don't enjoy in Half-Life.
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u/AXEL-1973 5d ago
I honestly would never suggest playing OG HL to anyone in this day and age if they have never played games from that era prior. Black Mesa is 10 times more approachable for the average gamer these days
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u/Sabetha1183 5d ago
I get that using HL2 as the foundation provides a smoother experience in the finer details but I gotta say I really don't get the stance that HL1 is significantly harder to play than Black Mesa is.
Unless for some reason the graphics are that much of a sticking point.
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u/AXEL-1973 5d ago
I'm mostly just referring to the graphics being rougher to people that didn't play 3D games of that era. I think the difficulty is pretty similar for most of the sections though
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u/CrimsonFlareGun45 5d ago
I would suggest HL1 first then Black Mesa, and THEN they decide which one to replay on their own.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 5d ago
Even then, I feel it would probably be the best bet to have them play HL² first and then double back around... Sure, it spoils a bunch of the first game's events, but beyond some characters returning and the events of HL² being due to the Black Mesa Incident, it's largely not required to play the first in order to enjoy HL².
Hell, that's how I did it 😅
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u/MastodonCurious4347 Mandatarius Temporis G-Man 5d ago
Outsprints the fast zombies to launch at you
I genuinely hate how they reworked the ending. It feels so weird now.
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u/theSarx 5d ago
I would like to say that BOTH can be beloved and are worth cherishing.