(HL1 Part 1) This is a passion project by a group of community members called the Crowbar Collective. This game is a re-make/reimagining of Half-Life, a trailblazer in it's day of gaming, an OG if you will. If you like cinematics in video games, you have this game to thank. If you don't, this game did it the best, in my opinion. Enjoy.

(HL 1 Part 2) This game revolutionized gameplay by simply having a guy going through a day of work (I mean, he's a Ph.D doctor, but he is literally just a guy). No game before this one had done something so... mundane. I promise you this will pick up and warm up, so enjoy the laid back attitude while it lasts.

(HL1 Part 3) Gordon is equipped with the HEV. Sometimes it's called a suit, when people say the suit here, they mean the HEV. Gordon isn't a superhero, he's just a fairly average guy with advanced technology. The HEV is like power armor or like the power loader from the first Alien film, I suppose. Most art and pictures from the game will show just the armor without a helmet for the dramatics or the emotion of it, but during the entirety of the game moving forward, Gordon will be in head to toe sealed armor, like an armored haz-mat suit, keep that in mind.

(HL1 Part 4) So, the descriptions of these videos are going to become psychic simply because there needs to be names for things to be able to talk or write about them. The small cat-like, brown alien things that have mouths where there stomachs should be are called "Head Crabs." When a head crab attaches to a host's head they become "zombies." Simple enough of a concept here. {Editors' Note: Kurohyou keeps crashing and XCOM is just recording audio and a black screen again. Until I figure out what to do with those 2 series, there will be Black Mesa.}

(HL1 Part 5) Thanks for the help, but toss me a 2A. I'm in a hurry here.

(HL1 Part 7) This is turning into a bad day, right here. Oh, and "Spitting Dogs" are those things that spit green stuff at you. This facility is becoming a zoo.

(HL1 Part 8) Now is not the time to be a coward and wait to be rescued. While you're waiting, the least you can do is build something. Build a barricade or a fire or a spear or a trap, something. It's called time management, never relax. Those brownish-gray aliens that stand upright and shoot lightning are called "Vortigaunts." By the way, I won't say a word if anyone thinks of these interdimensional creatures as demons, because they kinda are.

(HL1 Part 9) Finally, a worthwhile companion. No bullshit, just hands you a shotgun and gets to work, I like that. {Editors' Note: I know there is quite a hard cut in this video, that was me. I'm putting up a Kurohyou or XCOM video either today or tomorrow so help me God. I didn't forget about those 2 series.}

(HL1 Part 10) I'm not really in the habit of using the tactical retreat as a battle maneuver. This should probably be something I add to my repertoire because, no offense, but trusting your life to these security guards and scientists is not a long-term solution.

(HL1 Part 11) This place is falling apart. Just how far down are we in here?

(HL1 Part 12) What the hell is going on? I thought the military was showing up to escort us out?

(HL 1 Part 13) These military guys are not here to help us, that much is clear. They are openly killing innocents and then turning on me. Gordon doesn't have any military training (and neither do I obviously), but what Gordon does have is cardio, armor, and balls. Let's see if that will be enough.

(HL1 Part 14) Gordon is a scientist and is going to fight like a scientist. Advanced battlefield tactics are not on the roster: deception, aggression, gambits, gambles, traps, and mental overstimulation are the tools used to win fights for a theoretical physicist. {Editors' Note: This military unit is called the HECU. These guys are the hazardous environment combat unit, whatever that is. They are referred to as marines, but I believe this unit are just feds. Also, I didn't mean to die over and over here, the idea of not going into battle like a soldier or a fighter hadn't occurred to me yet. On the bright side, we get to hear the song with the badass bassline a lot.}

(HL1 Part 15) You appear to have an alien tentacle monster in your rocket launch test chamber.... OK, I see the solution.

(HL1 Part 16) Question: how are these scientists standing this close to radioactive pools of.... radiation and not dying? Gordon has the radiation-proof HEV suit on, so that makes sense. These scientists' third dick is going to be glowing in the dark by sundown.

(HL1 Part 17) Time to get tight and get moving.

(HL1 Part 18) The flame-throwing gargantuan alien demon thing is directly in the way. Everyone knows, the quickest path to, is through.

(HL1 Part 19) The scientific term for the tactic showcased in this section is referred to as "the drive by."

(HL1 Part 20) Sending this rocket into orbit is apparently really important to making all of this right. So that's what I'll do. Just gotta peel all the HECU troops off of the launch pad, first.

(HL1 Part 21) Not really sure what the point of that rocket launch was, but it's done. The satellite is in space, I guess, so now we gotta meet up with the Black Mesa Lambda team so they can fix this shit.

(HL2 Part 22) These alien demons are getting crafty now. I swear those Vortigaunts are teleporting in behind me after I walk past them in the hallways to ambush me, as in that plan and timing is intentional...

(HL1 Part 23) American Black Ops soldiers are now here. Perhaps to mop up the remaining science team and security guards running Black Mesa. I think we are in the middle of a cover up. Also, I really wanted to hear what that guy had to say.

(HL1 Part 24) Ah, the trash compactor, a classic. Also, I sure hope I'm going the right way.

(HL Part 25) So, the scientists at Black Mesa already knew about these demon aliens? And were running tests on them already? The sonic dogs were in pet carriers, the "bullsquid" (stupid name lol) are in cages, and alien soldiers, which are new to me, are in glass containers. What the hell is going on?

(HL1 Part 26) Almost out of the lab. Probably going to be on plethora of dudes waiting for us out there, too. Bring on the onslaught.

(HL1 Part 27) Beautiful New Mexico morning, and now the HECU are throwing just squads of guys at me. Constant motion, armor pickups, and prayer are the only things keeping me alive during these firefights. I'm kind of a terrible shot so it really is the movement and low crouch saving me, not my incredible marksmanship. Also, why is that G-Man still around?

(HL 1 Part 28) I didn't think about the surface being blocked off with more shitheads than the Black Mesa facility... Well, here we are anyway. I have plenty of ammo to slice through the HECU ranks with, thankfully. {Editors' Note: Jesus wanted me to put this same part up twice, no idea why.}

(HL 1 Part 29) That was pretty quick for the HECU to set all this military stuff up. It's only been maybe a day, probably less. Not gonna lie this is slowing me down, but it won't stop me.

(HL Part 30) The quicker I'm off of this rock face the better. I don't like heights.

(HL1 Part 31) This is getting intense. I accidently learned a powerful new combat technique in that mechanic's garage. In wrestling, this would be called a drop step, but I will name this new technique "The Powerslide" and you are going to see a lot more of it. I swear, it accelerates movement speed and makes the hitbox of Gordon smaller so yeah, win-win.

(HL1 Part 32) My man! Coming through with the goods. Also, those alien soldier grunts that use the bee gun (hive hand) are not exactly easy to deal with, so the more ammo I have on me, the better.

(HL1 Part 33) Alien demons versus the HECU versus the Black Mesa staff, that's a pretty good matchup. Not sure what those Black Ops soldiers are doing here just yet, but that will more than likely be revealed in time.

(HL1 Part 34) Those things that look like flying sting rays don't fuck around. Good news is, I'm getting better at warfare from having survived this long, bad news I'm getting better at warfare from having survived this long.

(HL1 Part 35) Forget about Freeman, just get the hell out of there.

(HL1 Part 36) I swear these alien demons are being teleported in by someone. Not only are they seeming to appear where I am in droves, they are seeming to appear where I am in intelligent formations. These Grunts and Vortigaunts are teleporting in my way, blocking my path, and behind me in corridors and after I walk past. Something is up.

(HL1 Part 37) This took an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out. I'm not a navigator and a little under the weather, so this was brutal and will be touched on in the final review of this title.

(HL1 Part 38) Shit is getting weird now. Getting zapped from one place to another in an instant is pretty cool, but probably not great for my health or sanity. {Editors' Note: Merry Christmas!}

(HL1 Part 39) I appreciate the words of encouragement and all the gifts. Now I got to do some crazy shit, excuse me.

(HL1 Part 40) I'm not sure what's going on here, but someone knows something they aren't talking about. How do the scientists at Black Mesa already know about the borderworld Xen? Why are the inhabitants of the borderworld pouring into our world? There are humans that have been to Xen already, that are working on scientific experiments and whatnot, why? Too many questions, not enough answers for Gordon.

(HL1 Part 41) I just remembered while recording this that some of this alien flora (plant-life) was in the Black Mesa facility along with some snarks and headcrabs and other fauna. These scientists are fucking around with things they have no inkling of understanding fully and it might cost all of humanity.

(HL1 Part 42) I've heard of hostile wildlife, but this is ridiculous.

(HL1 Part 43) Look, I had a long day and I don't want to hear it. I figured it out after I locked myself out.

(HL1 Part 44) Well then, this might cause a bit of a problem.

(HL1 Part 45) Mobile, agile, hostile ... Well, mobile and agile, anyway.

(HL1 Part 46) Leave me alone, dude. I'm not looking for any trouble, just passing through.

(HL1 Part 47) Betcha didn't think I knew how to circle strafe, did ya? Once I figured out you HAD to use rockets, this victory became more attainable. Here's the problem, and I know this is very harsh language, this enemy is a bullet sponge. All that means is the enemy has way too much health for no reason and it becomes comical how many rockets you have to hit them with before they go down. It's boring and it takes too long, and that'll be in the review more than likely.

(HL1 Part 48) So, those "Controllers" (the floating brains) are somehow able to mind-control the Vortigaunts that are near them. I have no idea if the mind-control has something to do with those shiny purple restraints on their arms and neck or if that is something else, but the Vortigaunts seem to be more complex than I initially gave them credit for. The Vortigaunts in Black Mesa were probably just scared after being teleported into a strange place, but the Vortigaunts here in Xen seem to just be doing their thing and aren't even hostile toward Gordon, unless they are mind-controlled. Very interesting.

(HL1 Part 49) It seems all these Vortigaunts just went to work like every other day when Gordon showed up and started breaking everything. Interesting mirror effect there of what's going on at Black Mesa.

(HL1 Part 50) Not gonna lie, that was pretty annoying. We are moving forward though. First person parkour when you can't see your legs or feet is infuriating to me, I know people that enjoy it, but it's just not my thing. This game is also really floaty and slidey so there's that, too. Not ideal for first person platform hopping.

(HL1 Part 51) I would be more cautious if I had to be, but I don't have to be. My landing system prevents fall damage, the blue crystals heal my wounds and charges my suit's armor, and the landscape itself keeps my most powerful weapon loaded. This is simply a case of finding the right path to take.

(HL1 Part 52) Not a huge fan of mazes, especially not vertical mazes. If the idea here was to make Xen feel unexplored, confusing, and otherworldly then mission accomplished.

(HL1 Part 53) The last. The last, I am the last.

(HL1 Part 54) This is the entity the scientists back at Black Mesa was talking about. This is the thing has been teleporting in those creatures onto Earth somehow. Nothing personal, but I'm gonna kick your ass.

Right off the bat, Black Mesa is a great game. This is a group of amateur developers attempting to remake a game that is easily in the top 5 of all video games. Quite the task, this is similar to someone that started learning piano 6 months ago trying to write Mozart. I'd like to say all the music is phenomenal, except 1 track is not to my personal liking (I won't say which one though). The gameplay is aggressive and fast-paced, the weapons feel satisfying to kill shit with, the story is fleshed out ever so slightly more than the original Half-Life 1, and soundtrack is better than the original in my expert opinion. Here's the problem, the graphics. The graphics? How are the graphics a problem, they are so good. And that's the whole conversation right there. Are the graphics better, yes. They are more photorealistic and more appealing and interesting than the original. That being said, there are very subtle artistic techniques that go into great game design and art that equal more than the sum of its parts. One of these is lighting. "The lighting is great here!" I know, here's the thing. I played through Half-Life and Half-Life Source (same exact game in a different programming engine, essentially), and the only time I didn't know where to go or "got lost" was during the On A Rail chapter, because it's so big and expansive. Remember when Gordon had to electrocute the Goliath? That part, though, I got lost in Black Mesa several, several times. Most notably, I personally got so lost in the Lambda Complex it was infuriating, but other times were in the Black Mesa offices, the blast silo, On A Rail, the city, and Xen. That's not good and I blame the poor artistic use of the great lighting these devs have access to. Lighting can gently nudge a player into going in the right direction without saying a single word, no marker on screen telling you what to do, not even making a straight line or corridor for the player to follow along with, but simply the art of scenery and what film people call "frame composition" can lead a player toward the next part of the story. This is something Valve were already masters of when creating Half-Life, and, adversely, Crowbar Collective collectively don't quite get. They know that one can use these artistic techniques to improve a game, but not how to implement them in specific ways and at will like Valve does. Don't even get me started on the story, Valve might have something to do with that one. I can't say much there, yet. There really isn't much else to nitpick about the entirety of Black Mesa other than that. And Xen sucked, but we all knew that and I think it was supposed to suck because everything in Xen except the Nihilanth sucked in the OG Half Life 1 in 1998, as well. To conclude, I had a great time with this title. Half-Life 1 is better though, lol.