Conventional ammunition also becomes harder to obtain, but crystals throughout Xen will recharge the energy weapons, making them a more practical choice. The game accomplishes this partially through a growing presence of tougher, more resistant enemies, particularly the controllers. Here, the player is encouraged to use their energy weapons over more conventional ones, like the MP5 and the pistol. This becomes most notable during the Xen portion of the game. For example, Gordon can control antlions in the Sandtraps/Nova Prospekt section, or make use of Combine mines in Anticitizen One/Follow Freeman. The game even removes Gordon's weapons in the final level, forcing him to rely exclusively on the gravity gun.īlack Mesa is not as overt, but it does occasionally require Gordon to rely on different tactics. Some levels give the player unique items to use. The level set in Ravenholm encourages the player to conserve ammunition. While Half-Life 2 is often classified as a shooter, it emphasized that Gordon couldn't solve every problem with a gun. Many players even feel that the game has improved on its predecessor. It was not until 2019 that the game was finally completed and released in its entirety. Some of Half-Life's fan games don't always work. However, Black Mesa showed how a group of dedicated fans could make something worthy of the original developers. It only received a commercial release in 2012, in beta form and missing the final act.
RELATED: 8 Game Sequels That Were Canceled For Strange Reasonsīlack Mesa proved more ambitious than expected, taking nearly two decades longer to make than the game it was based on. This was the start of the project that became Black Mesa. This, combined with Valve unsuccessfully trying to port Half-Life to its source engine, sparked interest in the idea of revisiting the original game. A group of fans formed the development studio that became Crowbar Collective, which aimed to remake the original Half-Life in a manner more reminiscent of its improved sequel. In 1998, Valve released a science fiction video game called Half-Life, which became a huge hit and a major influence on later first-person shooters. By the release of Half-Life 2, however, the original Half-Life was starting to show its age.