100 Half-Life 1 Mods: page 5

Night at the Office

Night at the Office takes place at the Parcel Packages corporate building, where our hero got employed recently (play Hazard Course for introduction!). One late afternoon, when the building is almost empty, well-organized assailants break into the premises, and begin their ascent to the top of the skyscraper, taking hostages during the way. The story is full of clichés, and it somehow resembles the movie Die Hard, but I kind of liked it. You uncover it through conversations with NPCs and by eavesdropping on attackers. Too bad that the recorded speech is not of better quality ...

The game is limited to the tower, which has sixteen floors, all connected to the central staircase. You can almost freely move between the floors, as you are only limited by obstacles, locked doors and, of course, armed opponents. Therefore the game is exceptionally non-linear, but this also can cause numerous scripting bugs, so save often. The floors have different purposes, but they could be easily cut in half, as there is simply too much empty space in them. The simplicity of the maps is improved by the good choice of textures, however, the game does not impress visually. Puzzles consist of searching for access cards, some vent crawling and breaking items, but that is basically it.

The attackers consist exclusively of opponents with machine guns, which are not very well placed, but they patrol the floors. Since your health is non-renewable, you will sometimes need to sneak past patrols, at least until you get the first weapon - the axe. With it, you can sneak up on one of your opponents and get the valuable machine gun. You can still pick up a shotgun and a pistol later, but to be honest, they're pretty much superfluous. None of the weapons has a crosshair (use patch in mod folder if you wan't it), and when changing the clip, you will discard any remaining bullets that are still in it, so be careful. Interestingly, killed opponents drop a random amount of ammo. Due to the absence of health kits, it doesn't really matter at which difficulty you are playing, as you will be regularly reloading anyway. I needed about 1 hour to complete the mod.

Fate Reversal

Fate Reversal takes place some time after you (Gordon Freeman) managed to stop the invasion from Xen. When G-Man offered you the choice between certain death and further co-operation, you have chosen the latter. Just before you went into stasis, the process was interrupted and you got teleported to Black Mesa. At first, it seems like you do not have a clear goal, but in later stages the game quite skillfully connects to the other parts of the Half-Life series. The pretty interesting story is uncovered via progression, clever scripted events and also video sequences.

Levels are divided into several different thematic sections. You will be roaming through Black Mesa labs and warehouses, sewage and city streets, and you will also visit more exotic locations, which I will not reveal, because it might spoil your experience. I liked most of the maps very much, because they contain interesting details, have nice lighting and are also architecturally good. New textures and models contribute to a good visual impression, and I also liked how time of day changes during gameplay. The paths forward are mostly opened by activating triggers that are located in side paths, or with access cards. In multiple cases you can also return to the previous section by removing the one way blockade. It's a pity that the author did not integrate more complex puzzles in the game ...

As far as battles are concerned, the beginning is quite rough, because you have only the crowbar to fight against Vortigaunts, and soon after the pistol becomes your only defense against Alien Controllers and soldiers. The initial diversity of opponents is maintained through the entire gaming experience, as you will fight against virtually all creatures from Xen and also the soldier threat, which is backed up by helicopters and aircraft with reinforcements. The action is quite good due to enemy positioning and abundance, with scripted events and battles between different factions further increasing it. The difficulty curve remains quite constant, and although it massively drops near the end, it is quickly corrected. The weapons are limited to those of the original, but it is commendable that some are reskinned. The bullets and the health / batteries amounts are enough to play on Hard, and on this difficulty I finished the game in about 1 hour.

Absolute Redemption

Absolute Redemption takes place after the events of the original Half-Life story. Gordon Freeman freed three butterfly-like creatures called Telnorps, who served to protect Xen against the hostile Zan race from the Theldran galaxy. Te panicked Xen creatures asked the mysterious G-Man for help in finding the lost Telnorps. The first one is in the captivity of a cult in the Himalayas, the other in the amusement park, and the third in captivity of a passionate collector of unusual things, that will do everything to get the remaining two.

If you count Xen, you will fight in the game through four differently built areas and all of them are of exceptional quality. The maps are perfectly joined to form a homogenous area. They are greatly detailed and contain quite a few jumping challenges and scripted events. I really liked the non-linear design, which gives an exceptional sense of freedom, but it could confuse some players. You will occasionally have to return to the previous section, but it may contain a surprise which wasn't there before :).

As far as the enemies are concerned, there are no big changes and they are grouped by thematic sections. In the Himalayas, you will fight soldiers and ninjas, in the circus/Xen aliens, and in the warehouse the personal army of the collector. The game does not treat you as a beginner when starting, but throws you directly into the crossfire. Weapons are standard, there is enough ammo and medkits. The fights can be quite demanding, especially in sections where the map is divided into several heights or in the places where the teleporters are placed.

Visually the mod doesn't deviate significantly from the original, but there are some reskinned models available, and the gameplay is enriched by scripted sequences. There is also some really great custom speech present, and background music is also included in suitable places. To complete the game on Medium I needed about 2 hours, and I must mention here that I was greatly disappointed by the ending.

Escape 2

Escape 2 continues where the predecessor stopped. When you killed the final boss, you were teleported to the unknown. It was unfortunately not your freedom, as you landed deep in Black Mesa again. Unlike the predecessor, this mod doesn't seem to contain any story at all and friendly NPCs are also missing, your task is simply to reach the end. Again, your path will be blocked by numerous opponents who are very well positioned and will provide for the fiercest fights. The first part is again dedicated to Xen monsters, the most common being diverse zombies, Headcrabs and Vortigaunts. The last two types are often teleported to your surroundings at certain events (way too often), so always have a full clip ready :). In the later stages, the soldiers with machinegun support get involved, and near the end you also get to fight special forces and tanks. Factions constantly fight each other, which can be used to save on health (again, you do not have H.E.V.) and bullets. Both of these resources are hardly sufficient on Medium difficulty. The weapon set is fairly limited, and if you want to have the crowbar, you must install the provided patch!

The map design has improved considerably compared to the predecessor - both in terms of architecture, as well as the use of textures and layout of elements. The only level which stands out negatively is a completely dark section in which you must find the way forward while shooting your way through dozens of zombies. Sections are often open, so you can reach the goal by another way. The scripted events that transform the maps have become rarer and increase in numbers just towards the end; however, the amount of visual effects has undergone a significant upgrade, but, unfortunately, this is sometimes results in stuttering. Most of the puzzles from the first game have been cut, as the game practically does not contain them. It is true that you need to find a card or two and go back, press a few buttons, ride a train, and do some tricky jumps, but this is a bit too modest, considering the overall quality of the maps.

I spent about 1 hour to finish the game. Be sure to set the keys before playing!

Project Quantum Leap

Project Quantum Leap is a map compilation of 15 different authors who linked 20 levels to make a mod. There is no common story linking the maps, and at first glance it also seems that there is also no common theme connecting them. The result is rather chaotic.

Transitions between maps are very wild, not only due to the change of theme, but also in terms of quality fluctuations. Three maps (Radix, Blow up and Someplace Else) stand out for very good design, appropriately balanced action, scripted events and interesting gameplay, a pinch of the maps is somewhere between average and good, and the rest is really bad. Lack of details and sense of aesthetics, disproportionate size of elements, poor transitions, frustrating jumping challenges and exaggeration with the number of enemies are just some of the shortcomings of the vast majority of levels.

The set of opponents depends on the author, but the Xen monsters are quite rare. Most of the time you will be attacked by soldiers in all variations, and they will be backed up by machine guns, helicopters, and tanks. Weapon selection is very limited, but ammo is plentiful. The difficulty is quite variable, but on the Easy difficulty there are enough healing packages and batteries to make it to the end in 3 hours and a half of gameplay. With the exception of new textures, there are no visual changes, most maps are fairly unattractive. Occasionally the background music will also be turned on.

Portrait of Freeman

In Portrait of Freeman, you play Gordon Freeman, who is sent by G-Man to the mysterious Area 51 to help Dr. Albert. At Freeman's arrival, there is an incident in which Area 51 gets invaded by the aliens. This will make it much more difficult for you to reach the goal. Although the story is minimalist, I thought the ideas presented were quite interesting. It should however have been much more detailed to really count.

I really liked the map design, because the maps are architecturally good and contain many details. Levels are well-connected to one another, while the side paths with loot increase the sense of non-linearity. Paths forward are often perfectly hidden and, in combination with very interesting puzzles, force you to really think about the situation. There are several jumping challenges, and there is also an abundance of deadly traps, so save regularly. It is only a shame that some traps can not be avoided without dying ...

In addition to the already varied selection of aliens from Xen, you will be attacked by slow and ineffective zombies, security guards, soldiers, machineguns and helicopters. Interestingly, there are two factions of soldiers who fight each other. Red are your opponents, while those with classical colors are your allies. Positioning of opponents is very good, unfortunately, there are also a lot of rude sneaky surprises. Thus, a bunch of enemies will often be teleported at your position, and will kill you in an instant or at least heavily damage you. Instead of this, I would much rather see the enemies to be more densely populated so the level of action would be more constant. Ammo and health / batteries are slightly too abundant for Medium difficulty, but due to brutal surprises I would recommend Hard only to the most experienced players.

The visuals of the modification are pretty good. New and sharp textures are used in many places, and I really liked some of the light sources and the reflective surfaces. HUD also received an overhaul. There are also intermediate video sequences that take control of your camera, and often the background music turns on. I spent around 1 hour and 45 minutes of gameplay to complete the mod.

Conundrum 2

Conundrum 2 takes place in a mysterious complex that has appeared thirty miles south of Black Mesa. The researchers discovered a secret dimensional room in it, which has locked itself before it could be explored. You play dr. Gina Cross, who was chosen to get to the room and solve the puzzles that are locking it. Even though the story is weak, the events make a much bigger sense than in the predecessor.

The map design has received significant improvements, because a lot of maps are architecturally more complex and contain more details. I especially liked those that contain modern architecture, because a lot of effort was put in them. The puzzles remained diverse and were pretty interesting to me. In addition to jumping challenges, pushing objects, avoiding traps and finding hidden paths, you will walk over invisible bridges, navigate a maze with a fixed camera, and have to do jumps on the terrain, which changes constantly. Most of the predecessor's problems have been eliminated, but there are still places where you take fall damage, and (fortunately rare) illogical triggers. To help overcome obstacles, the game offers tips that, in my personal opinion, are placed on too easy puzzles, but are absent on the harder ones.

Battles are rather rare and limited to Xenian opponents. Since there is enough ammo for human weapons, and there is also ample supply of medkits and batteries, I recommend playing on Hard. As far as appearance is concerned, it would be difficult to say that the game stands out from the average, although some surfaces are covered by nice and sharp textures. The exceptions that stand out are maps with modern architecture, where destruction is extremely well presented. I needed about 1 hour and a half to complete the mod, and I needed substantially less help than in predecessor.

Hardman - in the City

Hardman - in the City takes place in an unknown city, whose streets are full of drug addicts, police officers and armed members of a criminal organization. Gameplay takes place on the streets and inside buildings, with both types having extremely simple geometry, a lot of flat surfaces, and a small number of elements. I also disliked many invisible walls, which could be solved much better by using barricades. The impression is slightly corrected by use of fairly high-res textures, which could often be placed with better precision. The beginning is relatively linear, but eventually the number of side paths increases, and there are also some secrets. The traversal through the maps is pretty varied, as you will be crawling through the sewage and vents, riding with lifts and trains, breaking barriers, overcoming obstacles, pressing buttons, etc. In any case, it's much better than the author previous creation: Pimp My Car.

You will only fight soldiers in this mod, and you will be able to ask numerous street policemen to aid you in this task. Artificial intelligence can often be clumsy, and is sometimes placed away from you when you enter an area, but this only slightly reduces the general action. Soldiers mostly attack in teams, they often charge you from multiple directions, and are also well hidden many times, so prepare to be surprised. The situation gets quite intense when grenades, explosive charges and secondary shotgun shots get used, and let me tell you, the soldiers are not afraid to use these combat techniques. You weaponry is gradually unlocked, and consists of a rather limited reskinned set of weapons from the original. The goodies and ammunition are plentiful enough to play on Hard difficulty. The game ends by throwing you back to the main menu, and I needed about 45 minutes of gameplay to experience this.

Half-Life: Ultimate Attack

In Half-Life: Ultimate Attack you play as David Johnson, a corporal who was sent to Black Mesa along with his comrades with the mission to cover all traces of the incident. The story of the mod is linked to the Half-Life series timeline via the events in the Opposing Force expansion, in which the army is already leaving the complex, because they suffered heavy losses. Soon after the mod begins, you'll see that the army's decision was wise, as the complex is swarming with enemies.

Your life will not only be threatened by the Xen monsters, but also creatures from the mysterious Race X and the military forces. The set of opponents is very varied and includes almost all creatures from Xen, three monsters from Race X and, of course, soldiers. These factions are constantly fighting with each other, and these battles will be regularly joined by your allies - the special units. The high number of enemies is the main reason for pretty hard fights, but there are also a lot of ambushes and scripted surprises that keep the difficulty high. You weaponry is extremely limited, as you only have the revolver, the shotgun, the machine gun and explosives, and only in the later stages you can pick up the Shock Roach. Despite tough fights, the mod is not very generous with first aid and batteries, but the quantities should be enough to complete the game on the Medium difficulty.

Because the game happens in Black Mesa, the maps bear some resemblance with the original, but they are unique enough. The visual impression is pretty good, but it would be difficult to say that the game stands out from the average by a lot. The maps are otherwise colorful enough, well lit and have quite a lot of detail. Especially commendable is the variety of environments, as you will walk through warehouses, laboratories, tunnels, exterior and even Xen, but it's really unfortunate that your way through them is completely linear. With the exception of rare side paths with treats, you can forget about exploration. Additionally, the set of puzzles is extremely modest and consists out of button pressing and rare jumping challenges, everything else is not worth mentioning. You will need around 1 hour of play time to complete the game.

Run from Hell

Run from Hell is (very likely) a Russian modification that takes place in the Black Mesa-like complex. The game contains some kind of a background story, but since the speech is in Russian and there are no subtitles, you will probably not understand it. Nevertheless, I recommend that you do not interrupt NPCs during their talking, since the scripts can break and you will get stuck. Most maps are indoor and extremely simple, made up of flat surfaces. They have barely any details, the elements are very rare (with the exception of the huge amount of boxes), quite a few size ratios are wrong. Outside maps are rare, but I liked them a bit more, despite the unnaturally cut cliffs. Parts of the maps are connected to one another by countless doors that open with a button locally or at some remote location, and some of them are also connected with vents. Pay attention to time-limited switches, because sometimes you can also get stuck! The way forward is often obstructed by boxes that have crazy resistance to weapons and will anger players (solution: install my patch). The box smashing is especially annoying under water, as you will have to constantly go back to the surface to reload your air reserves.

On the way to the finish line you will be hindered by standard enemies from the original (Xenians and humans), who are alternating in appearance during your progress, but unfortunately, without any care for keeping the fights balanced. The difficulty curve will therefore have crazy peaks, but fortunately, there seem to be no shortages on health and ammunition, as the game supply is quite generous. You will fight against several types of Xen monsters, soldiers, female assassins, and heavy machinery that includes machine guns, a tank, and a helicopter (you do not get enough rockets to destroy it on everything above Easy ...). The positioning is definitely good and cannot be criticized, as you will encounter several demanding situations. The same goes for abundance of enemies and scripted surprises. You unlock weapons gradually, and for additional help in fights you can use Barney, who is armed with a deadly revolver. On the difficulty of Medium, I finished the game in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.