Half-Life
Plot
Most of the game is set in a remote desert area of New Mexico in the Black Mesa Research Facility, a fictional complex that bears many similarities to both the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Area 51, at some point during the 2000s.
The game's protagonist is the theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman, who holds a Ph.D. from MIT. Freeman becomes one of the survivors of an experiment at Black Mesa that goes horribly wrong, when an unexpected "resonance cascade"—a fictitious phenomenon—rips dimensional seams, devastating the facility.
Aliens from another dimension known as Xen subsequently enter the facility through these dimensional seams (an event known as the "Black Mesa incident").
Info
Developer(s)-Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)-Sierra Entertainment
Distributor(s)-Sierra Entertainment (retail), Steam (online)
Writer(s)-Marc Laidlaw
Composer(s)-Kelly Bailey
Engine-GoldSrc
Platform(s)- Windows, PlayStation 2, OS X, Linux
Release date(s)-November 8, 1998
On its release, the game received universal acclaim, with critics praising the seamlessly flowing narrative, presentation and realistic gameplay, and it won over fifty PC Game of the Year awards. Its gameplay influenced the design of first-person shooters for years after its release, and it is widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time.
IGN ranked Half-Life as the number one greatest first-person shooter of all time, stating that "When you look at the history of first-person shooters, it all breaks down pretty cleanly into pre-Half-Life and post-Half-Life eras. Half-Life had sold eight million copies by 16 November 2004, and 9.3 million copies by December 2008.
By 14 July 2007, the Half-Life franchise as a whole had sold over 20 million units. Half-Life was followed by the 2004 sequel Half-Life 2, which also received universal critical acclaim.
Screenshots/Art
Trailers
Half Life 1 Original 1997 trailer
Half Life Trailer by James Benson
G4techTV Icons: Half-Life
Half-Life: Preliminary Findings (Making Of)
Soundtrack
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Plot
Opposing Force opens with Shephard riding on a V-22 Osprey with his squad. His squad discuss their deployment, somewhat irritated that they have not been told what they are being deployed for.
However, as they are nearing their Landing Zone at Black Mesa, airborne alien creatures attack the Osprey formation, causing Shephard's Osprey to crash land. Shephard regains consciousness in a Black Mesa medical bay, tended to by the science team, learning that the Marines are being steadily beaten by the alien forces from Xen and orders have come through to pull out.
Consequently, Shephard departs to reach an extraction point and escape the facility. However, Shephard is prevented from reaching the extraction point by the enigmatic G-Man, forcing the evacuation craft to leave without him.
Info
Developer(s)-Gearbox Software, Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)-Sierra Entertainment
Distributor(s)-Sierra Entertainment (retail), Steam (online)
Writer(s)-Stephen Bahl, Rob Heironimus, Kristy Junio, Randy Pitchford
Composer(s)-Ben Houge
Engine-GoldSrc
Platform(s)- Windows, OS X, Linux
Release date(s)-November 19, 1999
Opposing Force was received well by critics, many describing it as the new benchmark title for expansion packs, in a similar fashion to how Half-Life revolutionized the first-person shooter genre. Other reviewers, however, thought that the game still had many of the negative aspects of other expansion packs, although it was still regarded as an exceptional add-on.
Screenshots/Art
Trailers
Half Life : Opposing Force (Trailer)
PC Longplay Half-Life: Opposing Force (part 1 of 2)
Soundtrack
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Plot
Blue Shift begins in a similar manner to Half-Life, as Barney Calhoun rides a train through the Black Mesa facility to reach his place of work. After reporting for duty, Calhoun is instructed to assist in maintenance on a malfunctioning elevator.
As Calhoun finishes repairs, however, Freeman's experiment takes place and results in a "resonance cascade", causing massive damage to the facility and teleporting alien creatures into the base. The elevator is badly damaged and fails, sending Calhoun plummeting into the depths of Black Mesa.
Info
Developer(s)-Gearbox Software, Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)-Sierra Entertainment
Distributor(s)-Sierra Entertainment (retail), Steam (online)
Writer(s)-Rob Heironimus, David Mertz, Randy Pitchford
Engine-GoldSrc
Platform(s)- Windows, OS X, Linux
Release date(s)-June 12, 2001
As with Gearbox's previous expansion pack Opposing Force, Blue Shift returns to the setting and events of the original game, but portrays the story through the eyes of another person. The protagonist in Blue Shift is a security guard, Barney Calhoun, employed by the Black Mesa Research Facility. After a scientific mishap causes Black Mesa to be invaded by aliens, Calhoun must fight his way to safety.
The game received mostly positive reception. Many reviewers were critical of the short length of the game and the lack of new content, although the inclusion of a High Definition pack that upgraded the models and textures in both Blue Shift and the preceding Half-Life games was praised.
Screenshots/Art
Trailers
Let's Play Half-Life: Blue Shift - Part 1
Half Life Blue Shift Trailer
Soundtrack
Half-Life 2
Plot
Half-Life 2 presents a dystopian alternate history of Earth, where the resources of the planet, including the human race itself, are being harvested by an oppressive multidimensional empire, known as the Combine. The game is set around the fictitious City 17, roughly 20 years after the events of its predecessor Half-Life.
During Half-Life, the scientists, including Gordon Freeman, at the Black Mesa Research Facility, accidentally caused an inter-dimensional instability known as a resonance cascade and later as the "Black Mesa Incident", when an experiment on an alien crystal sample went wrong. Alien creatures, such as the Vortigaunts and headcrabs, from the borderworld of Xen, flooded into the facility. Gordon fought his way through them and the government cover-up response combat units, making it to the Facility's Lambda Complex.
There, the Lambda scientists helped Gordon teleport to Xen, where Gordon destroyed a large alien entity keeping the rift open. Gordon was then suddenly extracted by the mysterious G-Man, who had been watching Gordon over the course of the game. Impressed with his ability to survive against all odds, the G-Man offered him a job before placing him into stasis, which Gordon had no option but to accept.
Info
Developer(s)-Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)-Valve Corporation, Sierra Entertainment
Distributor(s)-Valve Corporation, Vivendi Universal Games (former distributor), Electronic Arts (2005–present)
Composer(s)-Kelly Bailey
Engine-Source
Platform(s)- Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux, Shield Portable
Release date(s)-November 16, 2004
Like its predecessor, Half-Life 2 received critical acclaim.
It was praised for its advanced physics, animation, sound, AI, graphics, and narrative. The game won 39 "Game of the Year" awards and the title of "Game Of The Decade" at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards.
Over 6.5 million copies of Half-Life 2 were sold at retail by December 3, 2008, (not including the number of sales via Steam). As of February 9, 2011, Half-Life 2 had sold over 12 million copies.
Screenshots/Art
Trailers
Half Life 2 Trailer
Half-Life 2 E3 2003 Trailer (First Half-Life 2 Trailer)
Half Life 2: Gabe Newell Interview pt.1
Soundtrack
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Plot
After the explosion of the Citadel reactor from which Gordon was extracted by the G-Man and where Alyx Vance was left behind, time suddenly freezes. Several Vortigaunts appear and rescue Alyx from the blast.
After she is rescued, the Vortigaunts appear before the G-Man and stand between him and Gordon. They teleport Gordon away from the scene, much to the G-Man's displeasure.
Info
Developer(s)-Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)-Valve Corporation
Distributor(s)-Electronic Arts (retail), Steam (online)
Writer(s)-Marc Laidlaw
Composer(s)-Kelly Bailey
Engine-GoldSrc
Platform(s)- Windows, PlayStation 3 Xbox 360, OS X, Linux
Release date(s)-June 1, 2006
Valve views episodes One through Three as tantamount to a standalone release. Episode One is available as part of a bundle package known as The Orange Box, which also includes Half-Life 2, Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Episode One received a generally positive critical reaction, and the co-operative aspects of the gameplay received particular praise but its short length was criticized.
Screenshots/Art
Trailers
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One PC Games Trailer - Launch Teaser 2
Soundtrack
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Plot
Continuing the plot of Half-Life 2 and Episode One, Episode Two consists of seven chapters telling the story of Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance's journey to a large Lambda Resistance base called White Forest. The Combine's Earth occupation forces have used the destruction of the Citadel to begin opening a massive super portal which, if allowed to reach critical size, would allow the Combine to call in reinforcements from their homeworld and destroy the Resistance.
However, as explained by Dr. Kleiner's broadcast in Episode One, it has also caused a communications blackout, leaving the Combine isolated and disorganized in the meantime. In addition, Combine Advisors, some of them still unhatched from their pods, are scattered about the region after evacuating the Citadel. A crucial part of the plot is the Combine's message home, which was copied by Alyx and Gordon before making their escape, that the Combine sacrificed the Citadel to send.
It contains data on the Combine portal code, which the Resistance can use to collapse the portal before it forms completely.
Info
Developer(s)-Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)-Valve Corporation
Distributor(s)-Electronic Arts (retail), Steam (online)
Writer(s)-Marc Laidlaw
Composer(s)-Kelly Bailey
Engine-GoldSrc
Platform(s)- Windows, PlayStation 3 Xbox 360, OS X, Linux
Release date(s)-October 10, 2007
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 received critical acclaim. The game had an average score of 90.68% based on 22 reviews on the review aggregator GameRankings. On Metacritic, the game had an average score of 90 out of 100, based on 21 reviews.
Dan Adams of IGN rated the game 9.4 out of 10 and praised its improved visuals and expansive environments, but cited the short six-hour length as a drawback. He said: "Any way you look at it, Episode Two stands out, even among the Half-Life series, as something special ... a burly experience packed into roughly six hours or so that offers up all the diversity, level design, and thoughtful gameplay we've known while making sure to propel the story forward and leave us wanting more.
Bit-tech.net awarded the game a 10 out of 10 score, citing approval of how the story turns and the introduction of side stories and new characters. 1UP.com praised the game, noting that the game's "entire five-hour experience" was "vivid, emotionally engaging, and virtually unsurpassed.
PC Gamer UK also applauded Episode Two, noting it "is the most sumptuous chapter of the Half-Life saga, and by a country mile. The New York Times enjoyed the gameplay, saying, "The battles in Episode 2 of Half-Life 2 often require as much ingenuity as they do fast reflexes."
By 14 July 2007, the Half-Life franchise as a whole had sold over 20 million units. Half-Life was followed by the 2004 sequel Half-Life 2, which also received universal critical acclaim.
Screenshots/Art
Trailers
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 Trailer
Half Life 2: Episode 2 - Trailer (HD)
Soundtrack
Link(s)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_%28video_game%29#Sequels
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2
Black Mesa - made by Chono7
Black Mesa is a re-envisioning of Valve Software's classic science fiction first person shooter, Half-Life. Powered by Source Engine, You will re-visit the inaugural role of Gordon Freeman and his memorable journey through the Black Mesa Research Facility. Expect detailed environments to explore, a huge cast of characters and experimental weaponry. All-new music, voice acting, choreography and added dialogue give way to a more expansive and immersive experience than ever before.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul60ixy_40
OST main theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8fW_SeNm_8
Link:
http://www.blackmesasource.com/
