- "Good morning and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System."

Half-Life.

Just the mere mention of its name is enough to give you chills.

Many consider it the greatest FPS of all time.

Valve's founding FPS is such a masterpiece that we still feel its aura today.

Named "Game of the Year" by more than 50 magazines, it is a cult title.

This game is so legendary that it has served as an illustrious model for its competitors.

It even made the terms "Doom-Like" and "Quake-Like" obsolete because it was so revolutionary.

Without forgetting that this is the beginning of Valve's success story.

Here is a review from a very big fan, having finished the game dozens of times on several platforms.

But is it even possible to do a purely objective review for Half-Life?

- "They're waiting for you, Gordon. In the test chamber."

Gordon Freeman is a scientist with a degree in theoretical physics from M.I.T., specializing in the research of “Anomalous Materials”.

He is employed at the prestigious Black Mesa scientific complex, located in New Mexico, USA.

Freeman is talented and well-liked by his colleagues.

It is quite natural that he is entrusted with an experiment of capital importance: the analysis of a crystal of extra-terrestrial origin.

Unfortunately, contact of the sample with the anti-mass spectrometer has "Unforeseen Consequences".

This leads to a "Resonance Cascade" of phenomenal power, partially destroying the research center.

Worse still, it opened an interdimensional breach through which warlike aliens emerge...

The army was called to the rescue, but was ordered to kill all the witnesses...

Gordon must then fight his way to save his colleagues and escape this hell.

- "You aren't scared, are you?"

One of the great strengths of Half-Life is its storytelling.

You play as Gordon Freeman and see everything through his eyes.

No cutscene or dialogue intersperses the scientist's adventures.

Everything is done so that you identify as best as possible with the character, a hero in spite of himself.

There is no menu telling you what to do or where to go.

You just have to trust your instincts and your colleagues.

You don't take orders from anyone, but get valuable advice.

The staging of the game is realistic and well made.

There's a great feeling of progress, as weapons are found and new threats are encountered.

- "Run. Think. Shoot. Live."

Half-Life is the ultimate evolution of the 90s FPS.

It's no longer just a question of taking down enemies in a row or finding an item to progress.

Puzzles push you to interact with the world to progress.

For example, you have to operate levers to open doors, turn valves to deploy a bridge,
push heavy objects to climb on them, destroy anything obstructing a machine,
trap in an elevator to explode what is on the floor above,
not to mention the hardcore platforming moments.

There are even vehicle sequences, with a tram "On a Rail", whose speed you can even modulate.

A whole bunch of objects are interactive, like health, armor or drink dispensers, army radios, and even a microwave...

The gunfights are breathtaking, the AI ​​is very clever.

Some sequences are spectacular, such as launching a rocket into space, or a dizzying fight on the edge of a cliff.

- "Oh my God...we're doomed!"

Black Mesa is invaded by all kinds of creatures from Xen.

The soldiers shoots on sight at everything that moves, the aliens as well as the employees of the Research Center.

The Half-Life bestiary is rich and varied, each of the NPCs or creatures, allies and enemies alike, has its own behavior and animations.

The scientists are your friends and colleagues, they only want the best for you.
All dressed in white coats, they are easily recognizable.
In addition to giving you advices, they open certain locked doors, and heal you if you're wounded.

Security guards, also known as "Barney", are valuable allies.
They all have a handgun and a bulletproof vest.
Their help on the ground is invaluable, and easily kills aliens like Headcrabs or Vortigaunts.
However, their combat ability is more limited against H.E.C.U Soldiers or Alien Grunts.

The creatures of Xen are very different from each other but they all have one thing in common:
They're after you. Here is a short description of all these alien monsters.

Headcrabs are, as their name suggests, crab-like critters.
Don't be fooled by their small size.
These parasites jump on humans' heads, transforming them into zombies.
These little monsters are emblematic of the series.

Zombies are scientists unfortunately parasitized by a Headcrab.
The latter attach themselves to the head of their host, and take control of it.
Weird mutations then occur, such as the abdomen which opens and acts as a mouth.
It's a slow enemy, but quite strong.

Vortigaunts (or Alien Slaves) are humanoid, bipedal enemies.
They are recognizable by their large bulging red eye and their third ventral arm.
These monsters are intelligent and attack both alone and in groups.
They attack at close range using their claws,
and launch a beam of electricity at medium and long distances.
Although reckless, they do not hesitate to retreat if they are injured.
By the way, never put your back on them...

Houndeyes are small tripod creatures.
Their name indicates their physical appearance: they look like dogs with a large compound eye.
They often move in packs, and have a characteristic bark-like call.
Their attack is a kind of shock wave all around them.
They're and act as cannon fodder.
Be careful of damage if there are many Houndeyes.

Barnacles are passive reddish creatures.
They let their long, wired tongue hang out, hoping for prey to come into contact with it.
This creature isn't really a danger, but beware of carelessness...
A few pistol bullets or crowbar hits are enough to kill them.

Bullsquids (or Bullchickens) are fierce, oblong, bipedal, brownish monsters.
Their mouth is surrounded by red tentacles.
They are independent and attached to their territory.
Their instinctive aggressiveness pushes them to attack any living being, even their peers.
They are obsessed with food. They won't even notice your presence if they are eating.
A few shotgun blasts calm them down for good.

Tentacles are long green creatures, bearing a sort of metallic beak.
They are often in groups, and enjoy wide open spaces.
These monsters are invulnerable with traditional weaponry.
This only causes them to temporarily retreat.
The method to overcome it is not common...

The Gargantuas are colossal titans measuring several meters,
taking their name from French literature.
They are equipped with a powerful built-in flamethrower that burns everything at long range,
and have the ability to create a kind of homing shock wave by hitting the ground.
On top of all that, they are heavily armored, fast and tough.
They act as Bosses, and can destroy their environment.
Prepare an arsenal of grenades, C4 and a Rocket Launcher to destroy those abominations.

Ichthyosaurs are large and fast marine monsters, sharing their name with a prehistoric predator
They are as fierce as they look, just look at the length of their teeth and claws.
Few weapons can reach them underwater.
Prefer the crossbow to annihilate them,
otherwise the pistol will do the trick if you have enough ammunition.

The Alien Grunts are the soldiers of Xen, somehow.
Recognizable thanks to their imposing build and their robotic walk,
they are a close-range threat with their Hivehand firing homing darts.
The Revolver, Crossbow and SPAS-12 are good ways to overcome them.

The Alien Controllers look like dark alien fetuses,
with a large head disproportionate to their small body.
These flying creatures launch small electric orbs that are quite painful.
The Revolver and Gauss Gun are recommended for killing them,
since they combine power and precision.

Most aliens spawn through green portals.
While others, like Alien Grunts, are dropped onto the battlefield by ships resembling manta rays.

A Marine unit has been dispatched to the Research Center to stem the alien invasion,
and do everything to prevent the Black Mesa disaster from becoming known.
This is the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (H.E.C.U.).
These soldiers are trained, battle-hardened, intelligent and brutal.
They communicate a lot with each other,
they don't hesitate to take cover when they are injured or need to reload,
and launch MP5/M16 grenades with surgical precision.
They will give you a hard time, believe me.
The Marines are equipped with MP5/M16 and SPAS-12.
These same weapons are very effective against them, so you won't run out of ammo.

Their equipment on the field shows that they do not lack resources,
and that they are not there to joke.
They have, among other things, machine guns, heavy cannons, automatic turrets,
Apache & Osprey Helicopters, both deploy soldiers, but only the former has attack capability.
F16 fighter jets, which pursue alien ships and fire missiles.
Abrams & Bradley Armored Tanks, immobile, resistant and heavily armed vehicles.

Black Ops Assassins are special enemies: they are the only women we fight.
An Assassin is as agile as a Kunoichi, dressed all in black.
They are as fast as lightning, and can perform spectacular jumps.
They're equipped with a silent Glock, and a huge and magnificent pair of...
grenades attached to the belt.

- "I don't expect you'll have any trouble deciding what to do."

The most unique character is the G-Man.

This mysterious man with a briefcase is visible several times in the game.

Always dressed in his impeccable suit, he appears serious and mysterious.

He seems to carefully follow the journey of Gordon Freeman,
without being worried about the alien invasion or military repression.

Who is he exactly?

Who does he work for?

What are his motives?

The truth is out there...

- "Welcome to the H.E.V. Mark IV protective system, for use in hazardous environment conditions."

The H.E.V. Mark IV protective system is the orange suit worn by Gordon Freeman.
It is the main equipment of the series, indistinguishable from the scientist with the crowbar.
It bears the symbol of the series, the famous λ.
Thanks to this marvel of technology, Gordon Freeman resists radioactivity, burns, electricity, and chemicals quite well.
It absorbs a large part of the damage received.
In the event of injury, it can be recharged using H.E.V. chargers or batteries found everywhere.
The suit can be upgraded: a Long Jump Module is obtainable late in the game.
This allows Gordon to make great leaps forward, which proves very useful later.

- "Gordon doesn't need to hear all this. He's a highly trained professional."

Despite his appearance as a simple scientist, Gordon Freeman handles weapons to perfection, thanks to the time he spent in the "Hazard Course".

The weapons are very numerous and varied, classic or experimental, and even a few of alien origin...

The Crowbar is the iconic tool of Half-Life.
It is very practical, especially for breaking countless wooden boxes,
open the numerous vents,
kill weak enemies like Headcrabs or Zombies,
or even make the corpses burst into pieces in a puddle of blood.

The Pistol (Glock or Beretta) is the first firearm you will find.
Featuring a small caliber but high precision,
the gun is ideal for weak or distant enemies.
It's the Barneys' weapon of choice.

The Shotgun (SPAS-12) is incredibly devastating at close range.
Its secondary firing mode allows you to fire two cartridges at the same time.
This is clearly one of the most practical weapons in the game,
allowing you to easily kill soldiers, zombies and other creatures.

The Submachine Gun or Assault Rifle (MP5 or M16) is the most versatile weapon.
Equipped with 50-round magazines and a grenade launcher, its power is is undeniable.
Its high rate of fire allows you to kill several enemies in a row without having to reload.

The Revolver is a weapon of formidable power and extraordinary precision.
One or two bullets are enough to kill most enemies.
Its ammunition is unfortunately quite rare.
Oddly enough, it is possible to zoom, but only in multiplayer.

The Crossbow is the most precise weapon in the game.
In addition to being silent, it has a scope for shooting over long distances.
It serves as a sniper rifle.
In multiplayer, the crossbow delivers explosive bolts.

The Rocket Launcher (RPG) fires the most powerful explosives in the game.
It pulverizes almost everyone and everything.
The RPG is very useful against the largest creatures.
It is also the best weapon against vehicles, especially helicopters.
Its laser guide allows rockets to be directed with great precision.
It is possible to deactivate it so that the rocket goes straight in the direction of the shot.

The Grenade is the main explosive Gordon has.
Ideal for exploding grouped or hidden enemies.

Mines are explosives to be reserved for tactical use.
They can be placed on any surface.
Once activated, they emit a laser sensor.
Anyone who crosses it will trigger the explosion and end up pulverized.
Useful for covering your rear or setting a trap for the enemy.

The C4 is a manually activated bomb.
Once deployed, the C4 only explodes when triggered via a remote control.
It's a powerful exlosive device.

Snarks are small, reddish, insectoid aliens that are voracious and explosive.
Throw them at your enemies.
They will attack their target until death ensues.
If they don't find anyone to attack, they end up exploding...

The Hivehand is the weapon of the Alien Grunts.
It's not very powerful, but has infinite homing ammo.
It is especially paratical against low-threatening enemies.

The Gauss Gun (or Tau Cannon) is a very powerful experimental weapon.
Its primary fire consists of rapid, precise beams of uranium.
Its secondary fire allows you to charge a very powerful shot in just a few seconds.
However, be careful not to leave the secondary fire engaged for too long,
otherwise you will suffer damage yourself.
This weapon is very powerful, it can destroy almost every enemies, even vehicles!

The Gluon Gun is the best weapon in the game.
This experimental weapon is of tremendous power.
It fires a powerful beam of concentrated uranium that disintegrates everything in its path.
No one resists it, not even the Gargantuas.
The only problem is that the Gauss Gun and the Gluon Gun share the same ammunition...

- "Those new suits can be tricky. Please proceed to the next area."

Hazard Course is Black Mesa's training space for H.E.V suit users.
This is the one and only tutorial present in Half-Life, made to familiarize yourself with the game's mechanics.
Helped by the hologram of Gina Cross, Gordon Freeman learns the necessary basics of survival in a hostile environment.

It starts with the basic movements: jumping, crouching, crouch-jumping, using the long jump module.
The player learns to interact with his environment:
use a ladder or an elevator, turn a valve, pull or push a box, swim...

Learning how to use the Health or H.E.V. chargers and flashlight are also included.

Gordon also undergoes weapons training.
A crowbar and an MP5 (or M16 depending on the version) are available for target training.

Working in contact with Anomalous Materials is not without danger.
Our favorite scientist can suffer damage of all types: burns, radiation, toxicity...
It's better to know the risks to better face them on the ground: what could be better than confronting them?

Gordon can count on his colleagues to progress in Black Mesa,
you have to ask the personnel to open the locked doors.

Fun fact: There is an easter egg there.
If you insistently try to go through the door without it being unlocked first,
the announcement voice will make you understand that you shall not pass,
even going so far as to show a certain annoyance.

Finally, you need to learn how to use the tram to complete the training.

- "Hey, did you hear something?"

The music and sounds in Half-Life are of high quality.
They were composed and arranged by the very talented musician Kelly Bailey.

Each important moment in the game has its own music, such as:

The tram ride at the start of the game with "Vague Voices music immediately announces the science fiction universe of the game.

Obtaining the H.E.V. Suit in the locker room with "Klaxon Beat" as background music making you think it's Gordon's workout music.

Rock and Metal music like "Hard Technology Rock" gives an epic side to the fights.

The atmosphere can become disturbing and gloomy with "Sirens In The Distance",
in the "On a Rail" level.

"Hazardous Environments", the Valve Theme, which gives you chills during the fight on the edge of the cliff in "Surface Tension"...

There's a lot of sounds and they're perfectly identifiable.
All human characters are voiced, and each monster has its own sounds.
It's easy to know which enemy to face next without even seeing it.

The atmosphere of the game is brilliant.
Computer, industrial and futuristic sounds accentuate the science fiction touch of Black Mesa.
Military communications, sounds of fighter planes and gunfire reinforce the player's immersion.
The voice of the H.E.V. Suit gives valuable information on the environment,
health status or quantity of ammunition.

- "You sure we're going the right way?"

The graphics of Half-Life are sumptuous for its time, thanks to the GoldSrc engine,
which is a heavily modified version of the Quake engine.

The game became more beautiful and detailed when it was (re)released on Steam,
which was previously much more pixelated.

The settings are particularly immersive and varied.

Beyond the gloomy corridors of Black Mesa,
Gordon fights on the surface on the desert of New Mexico,
as well as in the strange world as magnificent as it is inhospitable that is Xen.

- "Didn't want to die alone anyway."

In addition to its extraordinary single-player campaign, $Half-Life has a classic multiplayer deathmatch mode.

The fights are fun, dynamic and brutal, thanks to the large quantity weapons available to players.
In addition to that, there's a plethoric choice of maps and they're different enough to renew the gaming experience:

"boot_camp" is a military training ground,

"bounce" is a map taking place in a canyon, with several jumping platforms,

“contamination” is an area containing anomalous materials

"crossfire" is a legendary map, representing a military base from which missiles are fired,

"datacore" is a scientific research laboratory,

"disposal" is an area for studying anomalous materials,

"doublecross" has bases separated by a stream of sewage,

"Frenzy" is an indoor map featuring long, narrow corridors and wider open areas,

"gasworks" is an outdoor nocturnal containers storage map,

"lambda_bunker" is a reworked multiplayer version of "c3a1",
the first map of "Forget About Freeman",

"pool_party" takes place on Xen;
and contains three "Healing Pools" at the foot of buildings embedded in the rock,

"rapidcore" is a futuristic scientific lab,

"rocket_frenzy" is a circular map, partially flooded, containing a rocket in its center,

"rustmill" is a fairly classic industrial area, with brick walls and rusty metal structures,

"snark_pit" is a small indoor map, containing mechanisms to trap opponents, including a snark pit,

"stalkyard" is filled with an unquantifiable quantity of wooden boxes, overlooked by two turrets,

"subtransit" is located in a railway area, similar to "On a Rail",

"undertow" appears to be a water treatment plant,

"xen_dm" is a multi-story Xen map with a huge tower in the center.

- "Catch me later, I'll buy you a beer."

2023 marks the 25th anniversary of Half-Life, which Valve celebrated with a content-rich update.
First of all, the main menu of the game has been replaced by that of the WON version: it is the original menu from 1998.
The original Valve intro is also restored.

It finally brings Half-Life Uplink to Steam, which we've been waiting for so long.
Half-Life Uplink is a unique Half-Life demo, released in early 1999.
This level never appeared in the original game, it was a standalone only.
Uplink is located near "Lambda Core".
Gordon's mission is to restore a radio signal,
in order to be able to communicate with the rest of the center.
Unfortunately, the area is well guarded by the H.E.C.U., even if many aliens manage to sneak in...
We see the soldiers committing their abuses:
assassinations of scientists, cremation of aliens and the demolition of the center...
This chapter has a rather uncertain ending for our friend Gordon...

Four new multiplayer maps are added: contamination, pool_party, disposal, and rocket_frenzy.
Three maps from the Half-Life: Further Data additional content CD are added: doublecross, rustmill and xen_dm.

The iconic characters from the 1997 Alpha version officially make their multiplayer debut: Ivan The Space Biker and Proto-Barney,
as well as “Too Much Coffee Man, a Skeleton and several sprays.

This update comes with various bug fixes, technical changes, and Steam Deck support.

- "Another important species revealed in action."

In addition to being an exceptional game,
Half-Life gave birth to a large number of cult multiplayer FPS franchises:

Day of Defeat, in which the Allies face the Wehrmacht in terrible fronts across Europe,

Team Fortress, team battles with a large choice of classes corresponding to each player,

Counter-Strike, in which a team of Anti-Terrorists confronts terrorists and then rescues hostages or defuses bombs.

- "I predicted all of this, you know. All of it!"

Half-Life is a remarkably effective FPS.
How can we not praise such a masterpiece?
This video game monument is timeless.
There is clearly a before and after Half-Life.
Every gamer must own it.