Black Mesa 2020

Is it still worth playing?

A fan-made remake of 1998's Half-Life, released in full in 2020, in which the physicist Gordon Freeman fights his way out of the Black Mesa Research Facility during an alien invasion. It was rebuilt on the Source engine, the one behind Half-Life 2, with every level recreated, a longer game overall, and new textures, models and voices. The design stays close to the original. You collect weapons, watch your ammunition, and recharge your health and your hazard suit's shield at wall stations. The physics come from Half-Life 2, so many puzzles are new, the enemies are smarter, and some fights take place in spaces redesigned to give you more options. The biggest change is the last part of the game, set on the alien border world of Xen, which was reworked from the ground up. Played now, it keeps Half-Life's mix of shooting and puzzles on a newer engine, with physics that the original never had.