Thanks for tuning in everyone! For those interested in seeing a few more side-by-side images I captured, check out the article on my site (website is still a work in progress). www.930gaming.com/post/black-mesa-vs-half-life Also - looks like the caption name overlapped with the image towards the end, so it shows the patreon link twice - not intentional. If you'd like to support me and my channel, please consider becoming a patreon at the link below! www.patreon.com/Nick930
Valve: Let the others make a masterpiece out of our previous games, and earn money from them. Sega: Let's hire these people to make a good game that we publish. Nintendo: *takes down all the fan remakes*
Nintendo has a far greater reputation, and they're completely within legal realms doing what they're doing. While it's not cool, they're trying to protect all of their stuff. Also, Japanese companies have different values and don't understand other cultures super well. And while Sega technically is Japanese, they aren't really anymore.
"Bennett, have you seen Freeman? He's supposed to be in the test chamber half an hour ago" "Yea he's in the hall next to the locker room door" "What the hell is he doing there?" "Uh, you know, he's.. shooting at a wall with his weapons" "Huh, classic Freeman."
@@jesusvivancozambrano7832 He wasn't working on that side of the facility, let alone the same building. His actual job doesn't involve weapons much, if at all, let alone experimental ones. Seems pretty unqualified to me.
@@danielgomez7236 No he doesn't, it is explained when you get to the lambda complex the Gordon isn't supposed to know about the teleportation labs, and already knows more than he is supposed to; like when he went through the biodome in questionable ethics. His job is to run tests on materials to ascertain what they are, not develop technology of any kind.
To anyone wanting to get into Half Life for the first time Black Mesa is actually very, very good for those that just want a solid, more modern take of the events that preceded Half Life 2. Crowbar Collective even makes some of Valve's retconning come to life (for example, Eli and Isaac right after the resonance cascade). Valve's original is still amazing because of how they were able to create a game with that big of a scope in the late 90s. So if you wish to see Valve's industry changing technologically impressive masterpiece in all its 90s glory, go for it.
and the price is fair as well, I got a little over thirty hours worth of gameplay, so it's $0.50 an hour, definitely a great time investment for the fun I had with it.
Not to mention that they've updated the game to include the retcons that were made in HL2 and its episodes. For instance, the original game has a random scientist tell you to go to the surface, then in HL2 Eli Vance says "Last time I saw you, I told you to go to the surface". In Black Mesa, Eli (and Kleiner) make appearances exactly where Eli said they would-and with new, younger-looking models to boot!
I love the way they've done this. Basically remade it with modern technology with just a few tweaks to gameplay. Not trying to change or improve it, but lovingly updating it like a mechanic restoring a classic car.
@@staryoshi06 And they did a great job with both. =) I kinda hated the original On a Rail chapter anyway. This new one was fun, I even reloaded few fights just to do them again.
@@staryoshi06 Tho tbh both On a Rail and Xen needed inprovements. OaR was boring af and also very repetitive, while Xen was just a mess. Glad they changed them.
Sorry, but what? This is one of the best and most faithful remakes ever, right alongside Resident Evil 2. They actually did improve on quite a lot and this video mention some of that, so I think you should actually watch the video you're commenting on.
@@sambe99 first off play it. It was made by fans. They added to the original with extra little areas and more expanded maps. They updated the graphics. Best to play and make your own opinion
@@but_iWantedTo_speakGerman neither is your life, at least alot of ppl love this masterful remaster and will continue to look back fondly even after your gone
It's not just the characters, weapons, and objects that have taken advantage of the improved source engine. Xen is now finally what it should have been in HL1, but couldn't be due to engine limitations. The developers have both beautifully and hauntingly captured the nature of Xen in ways only the imagination could back in 1998. It's kind of funny how that levels which were never even in HL1 have surely become a fan favorite of the series, no doubt for the fact that they feel the most "Half Life" out of the whole game. There needs to be more hype about this to get the attention of players who aren't fully aware that Black Mesa doesn't have to be played for the nostalgia (I myself played HL2 and all its mods long before I played HL1), but more so for the fact that it's a NEW and authentic Half Life title.
I mighta just been on my phone (legitimately don't remember), but I thought it was actually shorter. Maybe the distance is longer, but the train is faster? Or maybe it just doesn't load as much and thus takes less time to watch.
@@sleepyblockanimations1482 That's Questionable Ethics 2 on the BM soundtrack. Admittedly it's a bit too far from Nuclear mission jam for me but its still decent.
I was 10 years old, when I first played the original Half-Life in the year 2000. The memories I have with this game are forever merged with the memories of my childhood and that is the probable reason why I cry when playing Black Mesa. It's either the nostalgia or the fact, that this remake is such a masterpiece that I am speechless. Xen is something else, when I was fighting Gonarch and the music from the trailer kicked in... damn, what a moment it was. Last time I felt something like this was at the end of Mass Effect 1... More than a game.
We started in 2004/2005 with Black Mesa, can you imagine that?. I had to leave the project after about a year due some Unforeseen Consequences of school life :P I am proud of what the team managed to do with it after all these years!
I would give 10/10 as well the first time I played it. But the more I played the more bug I notice. Probably just nitpicking. But i'd love to see them polished a little bit for the official release
I would like to point out that Crowbar Collective also made the HECU Marines far more like actual Marines (and sound like actual people, too). For example, they replaced the M2 Bradley IFV with a LAV-25 and put vehicles like Humvees around in areas that you run into the HECU.
yeah, although i did like the hecu radio talk in original hl1, made them sound inhuman, but that doesn't mean i don't appreciate black mesa marines as well, such a good remake.
@@Giblet12 no, they just put the model on top of a combine soldier in the original game, the HECU were prepared for a camper and someone who just rushes in guns blazing, but their weakness was they can't shoot when fleeing, which means snarks and grenades are their weakness, and each time you encounter a section with them, you better have a plan to kill them rather than: walk in, press right click with shotgun, walk out
@@jockeyfield1954 HECU been Combine Soldier that was at the start nowdays they are more or less rewritten yes there is still combine soldier AI code left buts it greatly changed. that said I do miss the fact that HECU soldiers dont have the old HL1 one word/prase word building. would I like if they went whit only that?... no I rather that both was used. like a solder could ether use the HL1 way or the new way and you sign that to the solder at spawn and it would use that only. also one thing I sort of miss whit the old HECU is that yes they are/was called marines but I think its mention in some old design documents that they was more of a Independent special force div that recruited soldiers from all branches and gobbled what ever eq they felt needed. so it Ranger battalion would rock up whit Bradley, the air cav had chopers, the navy had what the navy had. Paratroppers would use something else and so on.
At 9:00 - 10:39 Scientists in the kitchen had much worse worries than Dr. Magnusson's spoiled microwave casserole. Now Gordon is testing all the weapons in the hallway beside them.
The gauss gun is actually supposed to penetrate through walls, you can see that when a security guard and scientist try the weapon out before you acquiring it
If you look at the code, it traces a line through walls, and then it creates areal damage like an explosion behind the wall. The damage is much greater if the wall is thin. You don't need to aim directly at the enemy behind the wall; it is enough that you just aim in vaguely the right place.
I love the first look inspection animations, ever since I've seen it in Doom, I just love when other games use it. Its literally nothing, and only happens once in the game, but its so satisfying.
I've played through Black Mesa more than once, not including Xen, I'm saving that for when it's post Beta. I personally feel Black Mesa is a masterpiece in of itself. I highly recommend Black Mesa to anyone who enjoys immersive FPS play or anyone who is a fan of the Half Life series.
I just picked it up on sale and completely agree with you. This is literally one of maybe even is the best remake/remaster of a video game I have ever seen. It fixes some really annoying problems in the original, updates the look and engine to something more modern, runs super smoothly, and literally fixes Xen which was one of the most mediocre part of the original. The team did an amazing job here even if it took a long time I'd say it was 105% worth it
I have a little idea, if I may: For the sound design segment, you could have the videos side by side (like in the other segments) and then play one after the other. If the left video is playing, the right could be paused - and vice versa. Much more efficient, don't you think?
I remember being on the Black Mesa forums in 2012 when they delayed the release just weeks before it was supposed to launch. I still haven't touched it because I want the game to be finished when I do play it.
The empty bullet/shell casing sound effect added a layer of aural realism in the original. But a great job overall by Crowbar Collective and a big thanks to them for introducing today's teens and tweens to this great game, as we once were!
This video reminded me that Half Life 2 Episode 2 was probably the first game I played where flashlights created shadows and the like. BM does a good job updating so much!
I've played hundreds of games in my lifetime of being a gamer. This takes my number two spot after the witcher 3. Amazing and breathtaking. So present during my first playthough.
just wanted to take this chance of being early and thank you for your work...you doing a great job and your videos are really helpful, entertaining AND fun...keep up 👌
Black Mesa is a game crafted by Half-Life fans through and through, everything they've done thus far simply adds to the experience with very little if anything lost in the process.
That's actually a gun observation and not a reload. You can't reload the Tau Cannon and the Gluon Gun as they automatically get the ammo inside when you pick them up.
Glad to hear you’re able to start doing this full time. I only recently found your channel and I’m continually impressed by your content. I didn’t even realise this wasn’t a full time thing. Keep up the good work.
black mesa is one of my favourite games of all time, the way that it still keeps that retro game feel but with gorgeous graphics, i played through it once already but am in the middle of another playthrough as i wanted to experience xen as if it was always a part of the game. i gotta say xen is beautiful, and creepy. it perfectly captures the essence of "something went seriously wrong here but we were way too late to stop it". what a game
Congrats on the switch! I'm honestly looking forward to more content, I love your videos. What're the odds of you making a more in-depth comparison of Black Mesa's level design? It's been so long since I've played HL that I don't remember how it goes and I'm hearing a lot about CC changed the level design, but no one's saying how exactly.
The level design is mostly identical, though there are quite a few new areas added in, and changes to weapon locations. I might add a new in depth segment, but for now my focus is on producing more varied direct comparisons and higher quality reviews/documentaries
You forgot to mention that with the recreation of Xen in Black Mesa, the entire game now mirrors a similar structure to Half Life 2 which I think was completely purposeful. This frames the 2 games together perfectly and adds to the mysterious themes of Gordon being a puppet in a world where he doesn't seem to have any control as he deals with forces he can never truly understand. An excellent recreation, one of the best games I've played.
Great video! Small thing, in HL1 you actually need to set your FOV to around 110 to get the actual equivalent to 90 as it was in 4:3, some kind of issue they didn't fix when making the game 16:9. It cuts off a bunch of the weapons models without that, can't see Gordon's hand on the pistol and stuff like that.
@@BigHailFan How so? BM follows the anemic sound design of HL2. The sounds are "technically" better but the guns sound like peashooters and many essential sounds were missing last time I tried the remake. When you fall into the water in HL1 the ichtyosaur will come at you with that "GHGHRHHRHR" sound which used to scare the crap out of me, in BM he's just quiet. I'm generally not very impressed with BM, it adds too many unwelcome changes to the gameplay and misunderstands what made the original so much fun.
The only thing with black Mesa is how the quality of the graphics varies HEAVILY with places like Xen looking great but earlier sections looking pretty meh. I hope they go back and polish the old areas up a bit before the final release.
Well pretty much all of the pre-xen area's were made over the course of years as a free to download fan project before Valve gave them their blessing and the funding to create the Xen they technologically couldn't at the time. Personally I'm ok with the way it is right now, the graphics are more then serviceable and miles above HL1, and the earth levels exude with the feeling of lovingly created recreation without expecting a penny from it. There's a point where graphically enhancements can totally ruin/change the original feeling of a level, I'd mention Halo's remastered version of it's 6th mission, "343 Guilty Spark" as an example, the original was way more atmospheric even if the remake had way higher resolution textures with extra polygons and updated lighting tech. They could maybe brush up some of the odd textures that look kinda out of place, but I hope they don't do any major overhaul of the Earth levels beyond what Black Mesa already changed.
Real talk, I think the OG half life sounds are better, albeit more compressed, obviously The Black Mesa sounds are kinda tinny, like all the bass was removed or something, especially with the shotgun it's like they neutered it, poor thing :(
8:17 I'm sure this weapon is still waiting for a upgrade in Black Mesa, as right now it has worse special effects than the original Half Life.... I'm sure the particles are going to be added (and they are gonna look incredible), the gun will shine when shooting, and the beam is going to emit light - that's my theory
In terms of sound design, the original wins for many reasons but the screams of the scientists and reactions are some of my favorite voice acting in any game. Very funny but unique, too.
The work of the the crowbar team is just amazing and I think if I say that the original his better than blackmesa or vice versa his a very limited reflexion because I think it is 2 differents experiences (black mesa is not just a simple remaster but a true remake). I play to half life for the nostalgia and I play black mesa to rediscover half life
even tho the gun sounds in black mesa are more realistic and higher quality, i would still prefer them sticking with the original as it something that really brings the atmosphere of half life imo
The old graphics make me nostalgic too, but your eyes get an upgrade while your ears do not? I like how respectful the new sounds are to the old ones. They didn't just try to replace them, like the graphics, there is a lot of love in the new audio.
The old sound effects wouldn't fit the atmosphere due to the high compression of the original audio and I doubt Valve would hand out the originals in high res, if they even have them.
Incredible update. I went back to play Half Life after having been introduced to the Half Life series with Half Life 2. I would have much preferred to have played the Black Mesa version :D
half life source was a direct port of half life to the source engine, it had absolutely no modifications for all the bugs, definitely not new and improved.
@@adrianshephard9194 I think he means that the quality is so high, as well as it being such a long section of the game that it could almost be standalone. I certainly believe that after completing Black Mesa's Xen!
would be interesting to see if they end up porting the game over to source 2 in the future since valve had a internal tool to convert source games to work with source 2, it would allow crowbar collective to add improvements in the future like a full PBR system, and better water effects and lighting.
If you run Half-Life in software mode you'll get a couple more features that were unimplemented in other graphic modes: - Droplet simulation on liquid surfaces - Randomized textures, which eliminated the very apparent texture tiling effect that has now reappeared in all subsequent games (even up to HL2Ep2) Also, the sound design of all the real weapons in Black Mesa has completely mismatched reverb. They sound like they're recorded in an outdoor firing range, while the majority of the levels in the game are either indoors or very close to buildings which have very characteristic reverbs. By the way, don't try to gather all the BM scientists in one place. You'll find that they are _all_ the same height and all have long ass arms and *ucked up hands, completely negating the expanded head variety.
5:45 There is a reason the original game looks like this, the Steam version comes with a bunch of settings all messed up and HD Models on which werent made for the original Half life but actually for the PS2 Port, if you use the original game's settings( HD Models turned off , brightness 0.5 and gamma 1.5) the game will look exactly how it should and it was in the Disk release.
I played these games games on pc and half life green and half life blue on uncles pc when i was young and now im 15 . And i played half life 2 its the best seria of half life games . 7:44 cool part of game .
I agree on everything except for the sound design. The weapons are all muffled to keep up with modern sensibilities with the most egregious being the explosion sound effect. They had the massively improved "pop" sound that both echoes across the map and sounds like an actual grenade/explosive canister from Halflife 2; yet still opted to use the movie rumbling explosion stock sound that was very likely taken from a gasoline explosion from further away. It sounds fine if you're detonating gasoline barrels, but sounds absolutely wrong for grenades and ammo caches (boxes).
I honestly think the biggest gameplay difference is how much better the enemy AI has become, they will flank you and advance when you stop firing. All in all I believe valve would have made it like Black Mesa, if they had the technology to do so... it's Half Life, just better with a more modern feel and progression flow. I appreciate they kept the directions to a minimum, so it's up to the player to figure out a path - which is possible due to the amazing level design. I'd recommend anyone who intends to buy Half Life: Alyx, to complete this remake first - it's a new refresher, or a good first time experience. (Keep in mind that it's still not fully out, but the whole campaign can be played in the public beta - as he states in the video)
I decided for myself that it makes no sense to play the original game when there is a black mesa. I don’t remember the original when it went through, the black mesa is already 5-6 times.
@@mrDartWaider1985 The original one is better though in terms of design. Black Mesa might have nice graphics, but it also has many flaws in terms of gameplay design in almost every chapter. Also Black Mesa was made for Half-Life 1 fans, not new players and i can explain why if only anyone's interested.
Thanks for tuning in everyone! For those interested in seeing a few more side-by-side images I captured, check out the article on my site (website is still a work in progress).
www.930gaming.com/post/black-mesa-vs-half-life
Also - looks like the caption name overlapped with the image towards the end, so it shows the patreon link twice - not intentional. If you'd like to support me and my channel, please consider becoming a patreon at the link below!
www.patreon.com/Nick930
Glad you're able to do this full time man! Your uploads are all quality stuff.
Np
If I could sub more than once I would
@@Dad-py7gd I clicked 4 times 😎 u can 2
History of TWISTED METAL!!!!!!
the Gauss Cannon in black Mesa has the doom door sound... and now that i've rewatched this video, it *LOOKS* like doom.
The guass cannon sound in Half Life is also the lightsaber sound from star wars :)
@@Nick930 noice
@@Nick930 btw, good to know ur going full time! I love ur vids! Are you gonna do dying light 1 and 2 sometime?
@@connor2015 wait, there's a second one? I didn't know that.
@@metalboozyjupiter6474 its being made
Valve: Let the others make a masterpiece out of our previous games, and earn money from them.
Sega: Let's hire these people to make a good game that we publish.
Nintendo: *takes down all the fan remakes*
This is actually very sad
@JuiceEnergy What about them beside kicking out Kojima?
Well, sega DID shut down Streets of Rage Remake tho
@@caikelm5766 They did?
Nintendo has a far greater reputation, and they're completely within legal realms doing what they're doing. While it's not cool, they're trying to protect all of their stuff. Also, Japanese companies have different values and don't understand other cultures super well. And while Sega technically is Japanese, they aren't really anymore.
"Bennett, have you seen Freeman? He's supposed to be in the test chamber half an hour ago"
"Yea he's in the hall next to the locker room door"
"What the hell is he doing there?"
"Uh, you know, he's.. shooting at a wall with his weapons"
"Huh, classic Freeman."
"Freeman you fool!"
Stop attacking, he's a friend!
i read that with voice of white haired scientist
"My god, what are you doing?"
"Now where did I leave the shutdown procedure chart?"
He sounds like he's trying not to sound like Kermit.
Jordan Peterson's secret life is this channel
Now i cant unhear this
Frankinstein272 He’s Kermit’s successful brother
i sort of hear it XD
Kermit the frog creates a gaming channel
Gordon: *Is a smart man*
Also Gordon: *Picks up random gun that just blew up a room and begins fiddling with valves and buttons*
he is smart enough to know how it works, i mean he is a physicist he knows how to explode magnuson´s microwave food, he is a genius
@@jesusvivancozambrano7832 He wasn't working on that side of the facility, let alone the same building. His actual job doesn't involve weapons much, if at all, let alone experimental ones. Seems pretty unqualified to me.
He's learninnng
Gordon is a Phd from the MIT and a Black Mesa employee, he develops alien tech and teleporting devices, he should be ok.
@@danielgomez7236 No he doesn't, it is explained when you get to the lambda complex the Gordon isn't supposed to know about the teleportation labs, and already knows more than he is supposed to; like when he went through the biodome in questionable ethics. His job is to run tests on materials to ascertain what they are, not develop technology of any kind.
To anyone wanting to get into Half Life for the first time
Black Mesa is actually very, very good for those that just want a solid, more modern take of the events that preceded Half Life 2. Crowbar Collective even makes some of Valve's retconning come to life (for example, Eli and Isaac right after the resonance cascade).
Valve's original is still amazing because of how they were able to create a game with that big of a scope in the late 90s. So if you wish to see Valve's industry changing technologically impressive masterpiece in all its 90s glory, go for it.
Black Mesa really should be played after finishing the original Half-Life.
Tbh I got the original instead of Black Mesa because I was afraid that my PC couldn't run it.
@@msketchyr you'll a
be able to appreciate Black Mesa even more then once you have the means to run it :D
and the price is fair as well, I got a little over thirty hours worth of gameplay, so it's $0.50 an hour, definitely a great time investment for the fun I had with it.
@@msketchyr L
Not to mention that they've updated the game to include the retcons that were made in HL2 and its episodes. For instance, the original game has a random scientist tell you to go to the surface, then in HL2 Eli Vance says "Last time I saw you, I told you to go to the surface". In Black Mesa, Eli (and Kleiner) make appearances exactly where Eli said they would-and with new, younger-looking models to boot!
They missed an opportunity with Magnusson and his casserole tho.
@@daladari3469
They didn't tho. You blow it up and a nearby guard says "That was you-know-who's lunch"
@@ob2kenobi388 You even get an achievement for it lol
@Tu Shan
What?
They're in Black Mesa, what are you talking about?
Dam I can't wait to play this tomorrow good catch on that 1 though I don't know if I would have it's been so long
I love the way they've done this. Basically remade it with modern technology with just a few tweaks to gameplay. Not trying to change or improve it, but lovingly updating it like a mechanic restoring a classic car.
I mean there's a bit more than a few tweaks. There's level modifications too and they entirely reworked 'On a Rail' (and of course Xen, lol).
@@staryoshi06 And they did a great job with both. =) I kinda hated the original On a Rail chapter anyway. This new one was fun, I even reloaded few fights just to do them again.
@@staryoshi06 Tho tbh both On a Rail and Xen needed inprovements. OaR was boring af and also very repetitive, while Xen was just a mess. Glad they changed them.
Sorry, but what? This is one of the best and most faithful remakes ever, right alongside Resident Evil 2. They actually did improve on quite a lot and this video mention some of that, so I think you should actually watch the video you're commenting on.
@@sujimayne That's what they said. They were commenting on how faithful the design was to the original game.
Imagine devoting almost 20 years of your life to recreate a game that’s not even yours. Dedication and love brought us this masterpiece
mad respect. the scale and scope of this fan made remaster is crazy. but its a shining example of what remakes should be
@@knivesron why did it take that much? how did they improve it?
@@sambe99 first off play it. It was made by fans. They added to the original with extra little areas and more expanded maps. They updated the graphics.
Best to play and make your own opinion
Your hobby is not a masterpiece
@@but_iWantedTo_speakGerman neither is your life, at least alot of ppl love this masterful remaster and will continue to look back fondly even after your gone
Gordon: *Literally shoots a rocket in a corridor*
Scientist in the room nearby: *How is the debugging procedure coming along ?*
Literally*
That’s what I love about this channel! Comparisons are the best man, keep up a good job! ))
О, здарова Артем
Опа,хоть кто то русский
Cyka
@@Кенжетайұлы котакбас
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
10:29 Door Sounds from Doom 1993 😅
That’s almost identical
This sound effect is literally everywhere, i found it in a shipbuilding game
@@leolizard3152 yeah, because they are
@@arob2552 it's a free sound effect, most games use them, only a few games use actual original sounds
actually, that sound is from sound effect library by sound ideas, doom used it, as well like other games and tv series
It's not just the characters, weapons, and objects that have taken advantage of the improved source engine. Xen is now finally what it should have been in HL1, but couldn't be due to engine limitations. The developers have both beautifully and hauntingly captured the nature of Xen in ways only the imagination could back in 1998. It's kind of funny how that levels which were never even in HL1 have surely become a fan favorite of the series, no doubt for the fact that they feel the most "Half Life" out of the whole game. There needs to be more hype about this to get the attention of players who aren't fully aware that Black Mesa doesn't have to be played for the nostalgia (I myself played HL2 and all its mods long before I played HL1), but more so for the fact that it's a NEW and authentic Half Life title.
You can work around engine limits, but not time limits. The devs at Valve have only like 2 months before launch to completely do the Xen portions.
I don’t know why people hate xen so much, sure it’s really not as good as the rest of game but people make it out to be like the antichrist.
@@kylemason2836 You just answered your own question. Because it's not as good as the rest of the game.
Engine limitations LMFAO. Halflife was state of the art graphics in 1998 Dude. Yes the new game looks far superior, but in 1998 HL1 looked beautiful.
Basically Black Mesa is Half Life 3
"The intro is longer" Alright guys see you in 2025
Or you know "host_framerate 0.1"
@@newbplaygames Isn't it host_timescale?
@@tarcisofilho4878 unfortunenantly host_timescale doesn't exist in half-life 1
Map c1a0
I mighta just been on my phone (legitimately don't remember), but I thought it was actually shorter. Maybe the distance is longer, but the train is faster? Or maybe it just doesn't load as much and thus takes less time to watch.
No mention of Joel Neilsens masterpiece sound track and also Kelly Baileys fantastic OG soundtrack?
yes!! Joel Neilsen nailed it in this game!!
He even made a cameo in the xen chapter as Dr. neilsen
@@WLTR- having the names on the lockers be the dev names isn't new. Play the original again, Newell is one of the names in the locker with HEV suit
Tau Cannon part misses that Nuclear Mission Jam soundtrack😔
@@sleepyblockanimations1482 That's Questionable Ethics 2 on the BM soundtrack. Admittedly it's a bit too far from Nuclear mission jam for me but its still decent.
"Hello, better quality Gordon!"
"Hello half life 1993 low polygon Gordon!"
"LOOK GORDON, HIGH QUALITY ROPES!"
Haha, love that Gordon went to give the Snark a belly rub
I was 10 years old, when I first played the original Half-Life in the year 2000. The memories I have with this game are forever merged with the memories of my childhood and that is the probable reason why I cry when playing Black Mesa. It's either the nostalgia or the fact, that this remake is such a masterpiece that I am speechless. Xen is something else, when I was fighting Gonarch and the music from the trailer kicked in... damn, what a moment it was. Last time I felt something like this was at the end of Mass Effect 1... More than a game.
Uhhh jii is
We started in 2004/2005 with Black Mesa, can you imagine that?. I had to leave the project after about a year due some Unforeseen Consequences of school life :P I am proud of what the team managed to do with it after all these years!
what the hell did worked with them too
nice pun you put in there
Black Mesa was a great remake of HL1, and XEN is just so awesome to play, i give the game 10/10
I would give 10/10 as well the first time I played it. But the more I played the more bug I notice. Probably just nitpicking. But i'd love to see them polished a little bit for the official release
Đức Anh Trần What do you think they’re doing?
10/10
Xen is worse in black mesa than it was in hl1. Sooooo long and boring.
ips honestly xen is probably the most boring place in half life 1 and black mesa, i didn’t enjoy it.
Doom door sfx for the laser gun lol
Ha, I was thinking the same.
laser gun? *physical pain*
@@celeb-seventeen I wonder why every coil gun in every game doesn't shoot accelerated particles, but lazurs, explain me dat one darlin'?
@@couchgamingtv9593 you took what I said backwards you called the tau canon a laser gun instead of it's name that's it lol
@@couchgamingtv9593 Yikes
I feel Black Mesa sound design is closer to HL2 than HL1.
@@silentfilms7459 But hl1 sounds are too iconic
The HD Model Of Snark In Half-Life Has Antennas.
Bruhh
*antennae
I mean cmon
Bruh
"How's the debugging procedure coming along?"
*rocket launcher firing*
that bad hunh
I would like to point out that Crowbar Collective also made the HECU Marines far more like actual Marines (and sound like actual people, too). For example, they replaced the M2 Bradley IFV with a LAV-25 and put vehicles like Humvees around in areas that you run into the HECU.
But they messed up the original ai design of the marines
MrToast 434 The AI seems fine to me
yeah, although i did like the hecu radio talk in original hl1, made them sound inhuman, but that doesn't mean i don't appreciate black mesa marines as well, such a good remake.
@@Giblet12 no, they just put the model on top of a combine soldier
in the original game, the HECU were prepared for a camper and someone who just rushes in guns blazing, but their weakness was they can't shoot when fleeing, which means snarks and grenades are their weakness, and each time you encounter a section with them, you better have a plan to kill them rather than: walk in, press right click with shotgun, walk out
@@jockeyfield1954 HECU been Combine Soldier that was at the start nowdays they are more or less rewritten yes there is still combine soldier AI code left buts it greatly changed.
that said I do miss the fact that HECU soldiers dont have the old HL1 one word/prase word building. would I like if they went whit only that?... no I rather that both was used.
like a solder could ether use the HL1 way or the new way and you sign that to the solder at spawn and it would use that only.
also one thing I sort of miss whit the old HECU is that yes they are/was called marines but I think its mention in some old design documents that they was more of a Independent special force div that recruited soldiers from all branches and gobbled what ever eq they felt needed.
so it Ranger battalion would rock up whit Bradley, the air cav had chopers, the navy had what the navy had.
Paratroppers would use something else and so on.
At 9:00 - 10:39 Scientists in the kitchen had much worse worries than Dr. Magnusson's spoiled microwave casserole. Now Gordon is testing all the weapons in the hallway beside them.
pro tip, press crouch after performing a boost-jump to slide and maintain all your momentum, extremely fun in the gonarch battle
i think you need to do this to past those pistons on the waste level.
sliding is also extremely fun in xen with the long jump module!
The gauss gun is actually supposed to penetrate through walls, you can see that when a security guard and scientist try the weapon out before you acquiring it
He says that in the video
If you look at the code, it traces a line through walls, and then it creates areal damage like an explosion behind the wall. The damage is much greater if the wall is thin. You don't need to aim directly at the enemy behind the wall; it is enough that you just aim in vaguely the right place.
I would like an op4 and blue shift versions of black mesa
Check out Operation Black Mesa and Guard Duty
If you bothered to google opposing force source you would find out there is already one.
@@IskenderCaglarM41B441 thanks ill check it out
I love the first look inspection animations, ever since I've seen it in Doom, I just love when other games use it. Its literally nothing, and only happens once in the game, but its so satisfying.
I've played through Black Mesa more than once, not including Xen, I'm saving that for when it's post Beta. I personally feel Black Mesa is a masterpiece in of itself. I highly recommend Black Mesa to anyone who enjoys immersive FPS play or anyone who is a fan of the Half Life series.
I just picked it up on sale and completely agree with you. This is literally one of maybe even is the best remake/remaster of a video game I have ever seen. It fixes some really annoying problems in the original, updates the look and engine to something more modern, runs super smoothly, and literally fixes Xen which was one of the most mediocre part of the original.
The team did an amazing job here even if it took a long time I'd say it was 105% worth it
"smoother edges overall"
Yeah, try saying that to a bald guy next time.
what game has better fan remake than half life?
AM2R is an absolutely amazing fan remake of Metroid 2. I wouldn't say it's better than Black Mesa but it's definitely up there!
Tomb raider 2
resident evil remkaewas also crazy good. but black mesa is best D:
@@themuslimskeptic1111 resident evil is not a fan remake.
Sonic Mania is right up there
10:29 hey! it's the sound effect of DooM doors!
Rip. And. T E A R.
10:16 Rocket launcher fires in the hallway. Behind the wall, someone casually says "How is the debugging procedure coming along?"
I have a little idea, if I may:
For the sound design segment, you could have the videos side by side (like in the other segments) and then play one after the other. If the left video is playing, the right could be paused - and vice versa.
Much more efficient, don't you think?
gotta get the videos up to ten minutes somehow
@@RJ_Productions316 That would not change the time of the video
Sir Odinel the Fair Exactly.
Im playing Black Mesa right now, and its a really impressive remake/re-imagining while staying true to the original. The team done a great job.
I remember being on the Black Mesa forums in 2012 when they delayed the release just weeks before it was supposed to launch. I still haven't touched it because I want the game to be finished when I do play it.
Me 2, still waitin for the release 😵
It technically is finished now, Xen-Endgame is in Open Beta and can be played from start to finish
Wow, I can still remember my high school days when I used to talk to my friends about Black Mesa too.
And it is finished
The empty bullet/shell casing sound effect added a layer of aural realism in the original. But a great job overall by Crowbar Collective and a big thanks to them for introducing today's teens and tweens to this great game, as we once were!
This video reminded me that Half Life 2 Episode 2 was probably the first game I played where flashlights created shadows and the like. BM does a good job updating so much!
stairmasternem Doom 3 and F.E.A.R did it 3-4 years before.
Valve did go back to HL2 and EP1 and backported the EP2 visual improvements. Which was very cool back in the day.
I'm playng now black mesa for the first time, i'm impressed!
"I am impressssed..."
@@sleepyblockanimations1482 ok grammar fanatic
@@Maximus20778 lol i was trying to make refference to Gman speech
@@sleepyblockanimations1482 hmmm
Black Mesa is definitely an improvement over the original Half Life. But you can't deny that Half Life still has its own charm!
If it's called boring then yes sure it's a charm.
Frince Francis Idiot. HL1 is more than 20 years old, but despite that it aged relatively well.
@@gamingjunkie707 HL1 is anything but boring
@@honzabalak3462 idiot that's what I meant it's 20 years and nobody except the HL purists only want to play 20 year old game now.
I've played hundreds of games in my lifetime of being a gamer. This takes my number two spot after the witcher 3. Amazing and breathtaking. So present during my first playthough.
just wanted to take this chance of being early and thank you for your work...you doing a great job and your videos are really helpful, entertaining AND fun...keep up 👌
I love the present voice lines by Tsahouras for the HECU Marines, really brings out the humanity as well as bring tactical callouts on the table.
i cant believe it. they stole the door sound from doom to put it in the gauss cannon
The added Easter eggs that reference half life 2 are awesome, especially the Barney message
The best mod of all time about the best game of all time with the engine of the second best game of all time. Nice
It's an actual game at this point.
yea its not a mod now its practically an actual game just like cs as a half life mod
This is perfect I was just looking for a comparison and then Nick posted this
crowbar collective > EA
Really ? did EA buy Crowbar collective? or P2W like EA
But EA is not a producing company
Black Mesa is a game crafted by Half-Life fans through and through, everything they've done thus far simply adds to the experience with very little if anything lost in the process.
10:29 when the gun starts up it sounds like opening and closing door sounds from the original doom. idk why
it is
3:09 I love how when he reloads the gun. he closes a "VALVE"
That's actually a gun observation and not a reload. You can't reload the Tau Cannon and the Gluon Gun as they automatically get the ammo inside when you pick them up.
@@MultiDexter77 thanks. I didn't know that
Wait did is a Doom sound
10:29
YES IT IS A DOOM SOUND
Stock sound effects.
The sound/animation for Black Mesa's .357 Revolver is so perfect.. I can almost smell the gun powder every time I use it in the game. I love it.
Glad to hear you’re able to start doing this full time. I only recently found your channel and I’m continually impressed by your content. I didn’t even realise this wasn’t a full time thing. Keep up the good work.
black mesa is one of my favourite games of all time, the way that it still keeps that retro game feel but with gorgeous graphics, i played through it once already but am in the middle of another playthrough as i wanted to experience xen as if it was always a part of the game. i gotta say xen is beautiful, and creepy. it perfectly captures the essence of "something went seriously wrong here but we were way too late to stop it". what a game
Congrats on the switch! I'm honestly looking forward to more content, I love your videos. What're the odds of you making a more in-depth comparison of Black Mesa's level design? It's been so long since I've played HL that I don't remember how it goes and I'm hearing a lot about CC changed the level design, but no one's saying how exactly.
The level design is mostly identical, though there are quite a few new areas added in, and changes to weapon locations.
I might add a new in depth segment, but for now my focus is on producing more varied direct comparisons and higher quality reviews/documentaries
@@Nick930 That's legit, I'm excited to see what's next!
The Gauss gun can penetrate walls!?
You forgot to mention that with the recreation of Xen in Black Mesa, the entire game now mirrors a similar structure to Half Life 2 which I think was completely purposeful. This frames the 2 games together perfectly and adds to the mysterious themes of Gordon being a puppet in a world where he doesn't seem to have any control as he deals with forces he can never truly understand. An excellent recreation, one of the best games I've played.
Great video! Small thing, in HL1 you actually need to set your FOV to around 110 to get the actual equivalent to 90 as it was in 4:3, some kind of issue they didn't fix when making the game 16:9. It cuts off a bunch of the weapons models without that, can't see Gordon's hand on the pistol and stuff like that.
gun sounds is a bit underwhelming :( especially gauss
right? all of the gun sounds in HL1 have way more punch than in BM
Sound design in BM is generally bad, where's the ichtyosaur's roar sound?
kiyoaki1985 (Is generally bad.)
Uh, as a major HL1 fan, that'a just plain false.
@@BigHailFan How so? BM follows the anemic sound design of HL2. The sounds are "technically" better but the guns sound like peashooters and many essential sounds were missing last time I tried the remake. When you fall into the water in HL1 the ichtyosaur will come at you with that "GHGHRHHRHR" sound which used to scare the crap out of me, in BM he's just quiet. I'm generally not very impressed with BM, it adds too many unwelcome changes to the gameplay and misunderstands what made the original so much fun.
@@kiyoaki1985 You are legit the only person on this pmanet who feels this way.
We have Crowbar Collective on one side and we have Grove Street games on the other. 2 different levels of dedication
The only thing with black Mesa is how the quality of the graphics varies HEAVILY with places like Xen looking great but earlier sections looking pretty meh. I hope they go back and polish the old areas up a bit before the final release.
Well pretty much all of the pre-xen area's were made over the course of years as a free to download fan project before Valve gave them their blessing and the funding to create the Xen they technologically couldn't at the time. Personally I'm ok with the way it is right now, the graphics are more then serviceable and miles above HL1, and the earth levels exude with the feeling of lovingly created recreation without expecting a penny from it. There's a point where graphically enhancements can totally ruin/change the original feeling of a level, I'd mention Halo's remastered version of it's 6th mission, "343 Guilty Spark" as an example, the original was way more atmospheric even if the remake had way higher resolution textures with extra polygons and updated lighting tech. They could maybe brush up some of the odd textures that look kinda out of place, but I hope they don't do any major overhaul of the Earth levels beyond what Black Mesa already changed.
Real talk, I think the OG half life sounds are better, albeit more compressed, obviously
The Black Mesa sounds are kinda tinny, like all the bass was removed or something, especially with the shotgun
it's like they neutered it, poor thing :(
HL1 explosion sound
It has to do with the volume being lowered not the gun sounds itself. CC did it to not annoy the player’s ear
Half Life-Childhood
Black Mesa-Childhood HD
It's like comparing to a old tasty fast food to a recreated tastier fast food
Imo whether you like it or not, Black Mesa represents a huge and significant Milestone in gaming history
8:17 I'm sure this weapon is still waiting for a upgrade in Black Mesa, as right now it has worse special effects than the original Half Life.... I'm sure the particles are going to be added (and they are gonna look incredible), the gun will shine when shooting, and the beam is going to emit light - that's my theory
In terms of sound design, the original wins for many reasons but the screams of the scientists and reactions are some of my favorite voice acting in any game. Very funny but unique, too.
10:28 - this is same sound effects has Doom 1-2 (and 2016 remake) has open and closed door. :)
The work of the the crowbar team is just amazing and I think if I say that the original his better than blackmesa or vice versa his a very limited reflexion because I think it is 2 differents experiences (black mesa is not just a simple remaster but a true remake). I play to half life for the nostalgia and I play black mesa to rediscover half life
I fucking love it when people actually talk in these comparisons without being annoying.
even tho the gun sounds in black mesa are more realistic and higher quality, i would still prefer them sticking with the original as it something that really brings the atmosphere of half life imo
The old graphics make me nostalgic too, but your eyes get an upgrade while your ears do not?
I like how respectful the new sounds are to the old ones. They didn't just try to replace them, like the graphics, there is a lot of love in the new audio.
The old sound effects wouldn't fit the atmosphere due to the high compression of the original audio and I doubt Valve would hand out the originals in high res, if they even have them.
Keep in mind that BMS uses some models from HλLF-LIFE² [e.g. headcrabs are the same, and vortiguants are modified from hl2]
And the HECU uses the same code as the Combines from HL2.
@@sonicdash9652 so no grenade-spamming soldiers?
Incredible update. I went back to play Half Life after having been introduced to the Half Life series with Half Life 2. I would have much preferred to have played the Black Mesa version :D
Valve: *doesn't release sequels or at least remaster the originals
Crowbar Collective: Fine! I'll do it myself.
Did you know, Valve was the guy who support Crowbar Collective back in the year like 2005-2008.
@@mr.thanonchai8559 Mr. Valve is quite a swell fellow
I hope they add in an option that will switch the sound effects to the original just for fun
"Workshop"
The noises when freeman is inspecting the lazer gun i forgot the name of,its the door sounds in the first doom
the machine gun for half life was 50 rounds a clip, until black mesa the machine gun now has 30 rounds on the clip.
It's a submachine gun
GUN!!!!
Half-life source: i'm a new and improved version of Half-life!
Black mesa: Hold my crowbar
half life source was a direct port of half life to the source engine, it had absolutely no modifications for all the bugs, definitely not new and improved.
Hoping to see direct comparison of Half Life 2 and Half Life 3
It's in the works. Might take a lifetime, but it'll happen
@@Nick930 Good news! Theres "Project Borealis" and "Boreal Alyph" they're on development now, but its not valve tho
Can't wait until there's a direct comparison between Half-Life 2 and a Crowbar Collective remake of Half-Life 2
they could've just made the ending levels a whole new game for like 20$
why? xen was promised for free when the game was released
its wouldve been the biggest dick move
@@adrianshephard9194 I think he means that the quality is so high, as well as it being such a long section of the game that it could almost be standalone. I certainly believe that after completing Black Mesa's Xen!
How to be a scumbag
would be interesting to see if they end up porting the game over to source 2 in the future since valve had a internal tool to convert source games to work with source 2, it would allow crowbar collective to add improvements in the future like a full PBR system, and better water effects and lighting.
If you run Half-Life in software mode you'll get a couple more features that were unimplemented in other graphic modes:
- Droplet simulation on liquid surfaces
- Randomized textures, which eliminated the very apparent texture tiling effect that has now reappeared in all subsequent games (even up to HL2Ep2)
Also, the sound design of all the real weapons in Black Mesa has completely mismatched reverb. They sound like they're recorded in an outdoor firing range, while the majority of the levels in the game are either indoors or very close to buildings which have very characteristic reverbs.
By the way, don't try to gather all the BM scientists in one place. You'll find that they are _all_ the same height and all have long ass arms and *ucked up hands, completely negating the expanded head variety.
5:45 There is a reason the original game looks like this, the Steam version comes with a bunch of settings all messed up and HD Models on which werent made for the original Half life but actually for the PS2 Port, if you use the original game's settings( HD Models turned off , brightness 0.5 and gamma 1.5) the game will look exactly how it should and it was in the Disk release.
The ONLY thing I don't really like is the gauss gun! The rest is perfect to me!
the new gauss gun look great but the leaser looks weaker then the original
the model looks awesome. The only thing i don't like is the sound and the non-existing particles
7:59 You can't deny Half-Life explosion sound being way better
I notice that the flash travels along with the barrel especially for the magnum handgun. Flash doesn't do that irl. Pls fix
I played these games games on pc and half life green and half life blue on uncles pc when i was young and now im 15 . And i played half life 2 its the best seria of half life games . 7:44 cool part of game .
I agree on everything except for the sound design.
The weapons are all muffled to keep up with modern sensibilities with the most egregious being the explosion sound effect. They had the massively improved "pop" sound that both echoes across the map and sounds like an actual grenade/explosive canister from Halflife 2; yet still opted to use the movie rumbling explosion stock sound that was very likely taken from a gasoline explosion from further away. It sounds fine if you're detonating gasoline barrels, but sounds absolutely wrong for grenades and ammo caches (boxes).
Rocket launcher sound bring back memories. In crossroad fighting for the jumpack was so much fun.
I honestly think the biggest gameplay difference is how much better the enemy AI has become, they will flank you and advance when you stop firing.
All in all I believe valve would have made it like Black Mesa, if they had the technology to do so... it's Half Life, just better with a more modern feel and progression flow. I appreciate they kept the directions to a minimum, so it's up to the player to figure out a path - which is possible due to the amazing level design.
I'd recommend anyone who intends to buy Half Life: Alyx, to complete this remake first - it's a new refresher, or a good first time experience. (Keep in mind that it's still not fully out, but the whole campaign can be played in the public beta - as he states in the video)
The Gauss Cannon is actually called a Tau Cannon
Looks like newer game better then old game, obviously
I decided for myself that it makes no sense to play the original game when there is a black mesa. I don’t remember the original when it went through, the black mesa is already 5-6 times.
@@mrDartWaider1985 The original one is better though in terms of design.
Black Mesa might have nice graphics, but it also has many flaws in terms of gameplay design in almost every chapter.
Also Black Mesa was made for Half-Life 1 fans, not new players and i can explain why if only anyone's interested.
@@lukkkasz323 And the original one will run on a toaster
I still prefer old gun sound effect its still have the vibe that you know someone playing half life its classic now
*Workshop
Change the title to "Black Mesa vs Half-Life HD pack". Why didn't you compared it to the original?
Мирич He did sometimes.
the revolver in black mesa is so satisfying