100 Half-Life 1 Mods: page 3

Life's End

In Life's End, you play a scientist named Luther Johnson, who works in the mathematics department of Black Mesa. You arrive for work a few minutes before the alien invasion, but unfortunately, you are late again. Your superior, Dr. Omstein, is fed up with your incompetence and fires you at the spot. But at that moment everything goes wrong ... The story takes place in parallel with the original incident, but in another part of the laboratory complex. I liked both, the dialogues between you and other characters, and notes, which give you some insights into past and present happenings in Black Mesa.

The map architecture is not bad, but it is commendable that it keeps improving considerably during your journey to the end. There is also a lot of non-linearity. I loved the flooded parts of the maps and the parts with lava / radioactive materials, and the fantastic map with the Xen laboratory hybrid. During gameplay you will also sometimes hallucinate due to different chemicals, and the maps reflect this. Although the idea is interesting, it just didn't work for me - the same goes for some other mini-games. I was also disappointed with the weird ending and with some maps that simply did not fit into the package because of the poor quality. The way forward is very often prevented with mechanical and electronic locks, for which you have to find keys or keycards. These items can be sometimes found in very unusual places, but players who love exploring, will have no problems finding them. Much more work will have to be put into finding some very well hidden paths forward. One of the common puzzles is also to search for giant batteries, which you can then use to start certain machines.

The set of enemies is very varied and includes both soldiers and almost all Xen creatures. The fights with the opponents are very good, not only because of their good positioning, but also because of their numbers. Sometimes the factions are slaughtering each other, which gives you the opportunity to skillfully avoid confrontation, and carry out your task without fighting. The action level increases very well with your advancement towards the end, but it has some problematic moments. Due to specific animations of some models, it is advisable to turn off HD Pack, but if you don't mind a few graphic inconveniences, you will be able to finish the game with it turned on. Despite many surprises, there are enough health packs and ammunition to get your through the game on Medium difficulty without significant problems.

The visuals of the game are solid, and sometimes very appealing. I was impressed the most by many good scripted events and by demonstration of the destruction caused by the Black Mesa incident. Certain moments will also be memorable because of well chosen background music. There is also some humor in the game. I needed about 3 hours to complete the game. Playing mostly went smoothly; I just had to turn on the Software video mode in the le24 map because the game kept freezing in the OpenGL rendering mode.

The Challenger Deep 2

The Challenger Deep 2 is an improved version of the Half-Life mod with the same name, which had quite a few problems. You play Gordon Freeman, who was enlisted to perform some experiments in a gigantic secret underwater complex somewhere near Japan. While performing one of the experiments, a critical error occurred in which the aliens from Xen were able to teleport into the complex, and the accompanying explosion damaged the shell, so water began pouring in. Your task is to escape the complex before it completely floods, but this will certainly not be easy. You discover the story during the gameplay, and you can get some additional information from computer terminals.

The underwater location promises freshness and a different approach from the one we are used to in conventional modifications, and indeed, the game does not disappoint. The whole game takes place in laboratories and other rooms within the complex, which are often gigantic. Their size is not only two-dimensional, but they also extend in heights which are populated by platforms and passages that connect different parts. The setup of these elements and inclusion of the long jump module allows for a non-linear approach to solving problems, which is additionally strengthened by various passes which connect parts of the maps. It is only a shame that the maps lack clear markings, so it can happen that you will get lost - I did get lost multiple times :$. Flooded parts of the stages significantly enrich the game. In these parts you will not only have to be on the lookout for oxygen tanks, but you will also be hunted by monsters. There are also some secrets (try to find all the packages ;), but beware, you can also get stuck, so save often!

The range of enemies is very diverse, and includes practically all enemies from the original (soldiers and monsters from Xen). Their positions take advantage of the map sizes and the available space, so the fights are turbulent and full of action. For additional tension, enemies will sometimes appear from the portals or they will be cleverly positioned in secret areas and attack you from the behind. On several occasions you will also witness fighting between different factions that can be very epic. In fights, you will use human weapons from the original, with more than enough ammunition available. There's also a lot of first aid packages and batteries, so I recommend that you play on Hard.

The appearance of the game stands out mainly because of giant maps with quite a few details, which, unfortunately, overload the engine and occasionally cause annoying stuttering. Some parts of levels also use a sophisticated choice of colors and / or background music that is activated when fighting. I needed about 2 hours and a half to complete the modification.

Focalpoint

Focalpoint takes place several hours after Adrian Shephard and his squad crashed in an unknown location. The army headquarters quickly assembled a rescue team to search for survivors, and at the same time find out why the Osprey crashed. Unfortunately, the plan fails when alien vessels emerge from nowhere, destroy your plane and kill your squad. The story was very interesting to me, and it is told through scripted events and conversations with NPCs.

The map design is great and really deserves praise. Not only because of the excellent and varied architecture, which is full of details and cleverly placed elements, but also because of the connections between the maps. During the game you will encounter many divergences that either represent alternative paths to the goal, or are parts of the paths that will be unlocked later. Backtracking is not problematic by itself, but it is ruined in this mod by the excessive use of lifts. The latter are extremely buggy in the original and nothing improved in this mod. I got crushed and glued to the ground several times during the play-through, and had severe problems with doors not opening. I was thus stuck multiple times and couldn't proceed without using the noclip cheat. The puzzles are very interesting and include searching for objects, cards and keys, as well as jumping challenges, searching for hidden paths forward and pressing buttons. The distance between them can be massive, so prepare for long walks.

The choice of enemies in Focalpoint, reflects the fact that you are a soldier. You will be attacked by a limited set of creatures from Xen, and here and there you will have to fight against aliens from the Race X and security guards. The fights are (somewhat surprisingly) a big weak point of this modification. The enemies are set too far apart, which in some cases is clumsily replaced by their abundance. The main problem is also an extremely limited arsenal, which, in addition to the knife, contains only a gun, a revolver, a machine gun and a shotgun, and the amounts of bullets for them are barely enough on Medium difficulty. Since the same holds for medkits and batteries, I spent most of my playthrough without the shield and with a life below 50.

The game inherits the looks from the Half-Life expansion called Opposing Force, which is different enough from the original to offer a fresh experience. The maps are very aesthetic and contain a number of advanced effects, which is unfortunately bad news for the owners of slower computers, as the game can stutter. A great feature of the modification are the extraordinary scripted events which greatly add to the overall atmosphere. You will need about 3 hours to complete the mod, and you will need Opposing Force installed to run it.

Paranoia

Paranoia is a total conversion for Half-Life, in which you play a major of the Russian special forces - Spetsnatz. The story begins with the terrorists attack on the industrial complex Udarnik, located somewhere in Siberia. Together with your comrades, you get the task of eliminating terrorists and protecting civilians. Once inside the Udarnik complex, it is revealed that the real goal of the attackers was something else - the KROT bunkers which are surrounded with a dark past. The story was pretty interesting to me and will remind many of the excellent S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SoC. You reveal the story during playing, and additional information can be read from notes.

The gameplay happens mostly within old Soviet warehouses and bunkers, which are full of tunnels and corridors. Maps are architecturally exceptional, with great detail, sophisticated illumination and extremely sharp textures. Occasionally they are so good that they almost catch up to similar themed older AAA games. It's a shame only that some parts of the sections repeat, so I frequently asked myself during the play: "Um, didn't I see that already?" Progress through the stages is mostly linear, here and there are some side routes or secrets. There are barely any puzzles.

During the first part of the game you will be attacked by terrorists, which are mostly very well positioned. They often hide behind cover, but if you do the same, they quickly toss a grenade at your position. In the second part, the game concentrates on all kinds of mutants, but since they mostly have only melee attacks, they are not really a big threat. There are almost no situations in which you would be greatly endangered, because the number of opponents is very modest. I was very happy to see that you are often accompanied by two NPC comrades, which cover your back and open doors for you.

You will be armed with a series of pistols and machine guns to deal with the enemies, and you can also use a knife and a shotgun for close combat. Grenades and rockets are also available if you require blowing things up. Some weapons have iron sights look which can be turned on with right click, others have binoculars attached to the same key. You use an armor with a built-in visor to protect you from headshots, but it limits the field of vision. A gas mask is also available, but you need to use it only a few times. The ammo is plentiful, and the same applies to static and transferable healing packages, so I recommend that you play on Hard.

The main trump card of Paranoia is not a remarkable look*, but a great atmosphere. While playing, you are constantly in contact with other fighters through the intercom, which is extremely well executed. Ambient music and sounds deep in the abandoned tunnels create such a tense atmosphere that they could be used in horror movies. It's a pity that the tension is almost completely wiped out with an unwise choice of combat music. The latter is perfect in itself, but it breaks the anxiety that the game can build so well. I needed about 2 hours to complete the mod.

* From the sdk folder, you will need to copy the opengl32.dll file into the Half-Life root folder. You will then need to set the file to Read-only mode, disconnect from the Internet, and restart Steam. When you want to play online, you need to delete the opengl32.dll file from the root folder, otherwise you might get a VAC Ban!

Point of View

In Point of View you are playing a Alien Slave extraterrestrial called Xonxt. The story begins at Xen with the invasion of humans, which steal a special high-tech biological weapon called Xen Techno Biologic Sphere or XTBS. It's a floating ball that has a built-in electric attack, and it's obviously quite important to Nihilanth, as Xonxt is trying to get it back no matter what. The story is quite interesting and is narrated through thought bubbles (look at the controls), which are revealed gradually when traveling through Xen and Black Mesa. It was very commendable to me that the authors tried to explain many of the aspects of the original Half-Life in the texts, and in my opinion, they did it well.

Levels are well-made and intertwined with the original game, its expansions and Azure Sheep. It is very interesting that there are various items in the maps which Xonxt cannot pick up, but it gives the illusion that they are being used by NPCs. Xonxt is not just another dumb monster on a human killing spree, because it is able to flip switches, solve puzzles, climb ladders and crawl through ventilation shafts. The enemies are diverse and include both biological and mechanical opponents. In addition to soldiers who are armed with various firearms - including deadly miniguns, your will be challenged by machine guns, tanks and helicopters. It's a shame that the difficulty fluctuates too much, I would prefer for it to gradually increase.

Your primary weapon are the claws, which of course are only useful from close range, and an electric shock that you can charge and trigger by holding right mouse button. The trigger must be performed in a timely manner, otherwise the charge is canceled. The electroshock doesn't only damage enemies (aim in the head for greater effect), but it also heals you. During play, you will be able to collect other biological weapons from the original Half-Life and Azure Sheep, which in some cases are life savers, because the electroshock is not omnipotent.

As far as the visuals is concerned, the the biggest change is the HUD without the crosshair so some training will be needed. The game also includes custom models and sounds that we already know from Azure Sheep. Occasionally music plays in the background. To finish the story, I used around 3 hours on the Medium difficulty.

Arctic Incident

Arctic Incident takes place in a research complex somewhere in the Arctic. Researchers are drilling through the caves with a laser, and during this operation they discover a number of new lifeforms that have completely adapted to the cold and are ready to defend their territory in every way possible. The survivors call military backup, but their rescuers want to exploit the discovery on their own and do not want to have any witnesses. You play one of the scientists trying escape from the chaos.

The maps represent a mixture of internal and external maps, which are very well connected in a homogeneous and very diverse experience. Laboratories and other buildings are fairly monotonous, but the game is redeemed with a fantastic snow-covered exterior, which can sometimes create a remarkable impression with the addition of well chosen colors. The levels contain quite a few side paths and secrets, and occasionally there are also alternative routes. The puzzles are pretty straightforward and consist of pressing buttons, searching for cards / keys and jumping challenges.

In addition to soldiers with machine guns, you will be attacked by Xen monsters with excellent winter skins. The author has not only changed their color, but also the accompanying effects, which now inflict cold damage. The opponents are very well positioned in tactical places, and are sometimes also backed up by machineguns, which means that you are in for some action. Although the enemies do not appear via teleportation, they will often surprise you during your return to an area. The weapons set is quite limited. You will be able to use a pickaxe, a gun, a machine gun, a crossbow, grenades and a rocket launcher, with the weapons being gradually unlocked. Amount of ammunition and health is just right for experienced players to finish the game on Hard difficulty in about 1 hour and a half of playtime.

Sweet Half-Life

In Sweet Half-Life, you play Gordon McGinley, a warehouse keeper at Black Mesa. Your tasks and functions in the complex can be learned in a 10-minute Hazard Course, which already strongly suggests, that the story is interwoven with the events in the original. The latter is later confirmed during gameplay via events taking place in parallel.

The mapping has a very strong Half-Life vibe, but it's original enough and maps are also high quality. I liked the architecture and layout of the elements, also, the diverse parts were nicely integrated into the whole. Many of the puzzles were in my opinion pretty ingenious, and for some problems, you can also use an well hidden, but easier, alternative approach. Paths forward are sometimes well hidden - be on the lookout for buttons you need to shoot. Somewhere in the last third there is even a giant fork in the road that leads to two ends. Unfortunately, somewhere at this part, the modification becomes kind of weird (Xen or Space Ships) and this kills the fantastic atmosphere which has been building from the very beginning. What a pity!

The set of enemies is very varied and, in addition to almost the entire spectrum of Xen monsters, it also includes soldiers, assassins and Grey aliens from Roswell. Fights are not only difficult because of the enemy abundance or positioning, but also because of scripted surprises. But fear not, during your adventure you will often be accompanied by security guards and scientists in H.E.V. suits armed to the teeth. Your (and theirs) arsenal consists of well-known weapons, which are joined by a heavy machine gun, a quick machine gun and a plasma launcher. The bullets are abundant, so do not worry running out of ammo. The situation is more delicate with regard to medical packages and batteries, but on the Medium you really shouldn't have any major problems finishing the game.

The appearance of the game is excellent due to good architecture and colors, but it later gets pretty freaky. The new models are well integrated into the whole package, with the exception of a female scientist who simply doesn't fit in ... I loved the video and scripted sequences, which, in combination with background music, gives the mod almost a movie like touch. There is also a speech in the game, which is not well executed. You will need about 3 hours to complete the mod.

Timeline 2: Iced Earth

Timeline 2: Iced Earth is the second part of the Timeline series, in which you play Gordon Freeman, who tries to fix the broken timeline. This time, G-Man sends you to a parallel universe, in which the ice age plagues the Earth, and to make things worse, the weakened planet is under attack from the monsters from Xen. If they succeed, the captured planet could be used as a starting point for invasion on our planet.

The mapping quality did not impress me in the previous part, but this time is different, since the author has made great progress. The maps are very varied and despite simple architecture full of interesting details. Different themes are very well intertwined, and passages between external and internal maps are also appealing. Many of the puzzles are multi-layered, and sometimes you will need to find a well hidden access card or passage to continue. There are also some skill challenges, for example walking on ice shelves will require a lot of patience. I really liked various transportation methods which are used for traversing different parts of the game. There are also traps and unpleasant surprises in the game, so save regularly.

In the first part of the game, you will mostly fight against the already known monsters from Xen, which are later joined by assassins and grunts. Opponents are not only well-placed, but also many, so the battles are very intense. Particularly frustrating are parts in which teleporters supply an endless stream of enemies, and you need to figure out how to shut this down. The main problem of modification is a chronic lack of ammunition in the first part and health / batteries in the second part. I did manage finish the game on Easy difficulty after 3 hours and a half of gameplay, but it was a close one. Too bad.

The appearance of the game is fairly solid, and in some cases very good. The visuals are also improved by interesting scripted events. With the exception of new textures, there are barely any other visual changes.

Todesangst 2: Der Echte Feind

Todesangst 2: Der Echte Feind is the second modification in the Todesangst series. In the first part, a crazy scientist named Jack Newell wanted to create human-Xen hybrids and get rid of Gordon Freeman. Gordon successfully avoided this fate and dr. Newell has become a Xenantromorph monster. In part two, you discover that Dr. Newell was just a puppet for a anarchist group called Schwarzgeist. The latter is trying to fix Newell's failure by sending mercenaries to Black Mesa with a mission to regain as much of Newell's projects as possible. The story is again full of clichés, but I liked how the authors tried to explain the background of the Schwarzgeist group.

This time, the game does not take place only in Black Mesa laboratories, but you are sent to a Xen-like planet with the nearby research station on it, as well as to the countryside. The maps are quite diverse and mostly more detailed than in the predecessor, but I was disappointed by the dull valley on the surface of the Xen-like planet. I really liked the non-linear design, which sometimes allows you to choose which problem you will solve first or choose which route you will take to reach the destination. Often you will need to take an alternate route around the obstacle, and then you will be able to return via another path. Paths forward can be very well hidden and there are also secret parts of levels, that reveal hidden codes for the bonus level in Hazard Course.

In the modification, you will mostly fight against Schwarzgeist mercenaries, who are armed almost exclusively with shotguns and (very interesting) crossbows. In close quarters, they can be extremely deadly, too bad that they can not throw grenades. Occasionally they are located in tactical locations with machineguns, and sometimes they are supported by machines (helicopter, giant robots with lasers). The numbers of monsters are much smaller, but their diversity is commendable. In addition to zombies, you will be attacked by monsters that have been cut from the original game (Chumtoad, Flocking Floater, Mr. Friendly, etc.) and also completely new ones, such as aggressive rats. Of all the beings, I liked Chumtoad the most. It's an excellent alternative to Headcrabs, because you get temporarily poisoned by the bite. Your weapon set consists of a limited selection from the original, with the crowbar being replaced by a throwable axe. On the Medium difficulty there is more than enough ammo, and the amount of healing packages and batteries is just right.

In addition to the new models, you will notice the greatest graphic changes at the research station, as sharp textures stand out from the average. Video sequences have also been upgraded, not only in numbers, but each of the performers in them has its own speaker. Although the quality of pronunciation fluctuates both in terms of accents and volume, the authors have to be praised for their efforts. In certain parts of the maps, custom background music is also activated. To complete the mod, I spent about 2 hours and a half playing it.

Afraid of Monsters Director's Cut

In the Afraid of the Monsters Director's Cut mod, you play David Leatherhoff, who has been having nightmare troubles for some time. A solution seems to be present in form of mysterious pills, which he receives regularly from an unknown source, but they are highly addictive. David decides to visit a nearby hospital to get cured, but there the nightmare really starts. The story is quite interesting and it's commendable that the game has multiple endings.

If you ever played a game from the Silent Hill series, then you will quickly notice a number of parallels between the games. First of all, there is the similar design of stages which take place inside buildings, in the city and on the outskirts. The way forward is blocked by many doors, which are often blocked from one side, locked by keys or by a remote switch. The keys are relatively easy to find, but the last method of locking is quite annoying, since the switches are often located far away from the door, and from the video sequence, it is often not possible to remember which door was activated. Although the house levels are fairly easy to navigate because of the rectangular layout of the elements, others are not, especially in the darkness. The game is mostly annoyingly dark, and it's made worse by the flashlight that needs batteries to operate. If there were maps on the walls as in Silent Hill, the gameplay would have been much better.

The dark nature of the levels could mean that the authors could go crazy when setting up the enemies, but fortunately they got the numbers just right. Interestingly, most scares were produced by the enemies who were placed in maps with enough light ... In addition to super fast zombies, you will be attacked by other types of crooked monsters, among which the most prominent are the skulls with hands in their mouths, and some kind of giant spiders. Often their occurrence is tied to certain events, so watch your back :). Some of the enemies are partially or completely invisible, which was quite annoying. To combat them you can use several types of close range weapons, pistols, a shotgun, a machinegun/uzi or a revolver, but there are no explosives. You can only carry one weapon type at a time and the other is automatically discarded on pickup. Ammunition is ample for precise shooters (aim for the head), and there is even more to find if you are good at exploring.

Since this is a total conversion, the authors did not only change models, but also the map textures that fit very well into the theme of the game. Custom sounds and music backgrounds are also present. You will need around 4 hours to complete the mod on Easy difficulty.