Reviews - HLWATCHER

Boy!!! oh boy!! This mod is fantastic. Is a 10 out of 10! From my POV it has all the elements I just love in a mod, a completely new story plot that takes advantage of the great Half-Life Universe, realistic weaponry, and realistic combat missions. Also, the narrative is a total blast with a simple goal: infiltrate the altern anarchist resistance and "make amends" with Rokie his rebel-charismatic leader... And in the journey to fulfill your mission you, as a gamer, will have plenty of time to reflect if you want to endorse the mainstream Lambda resistance or just use your freedom to endorse the anarchists. It is simple but delightfully done! Combat, for example, is always intense and realistic, the maps ooze quality and almost feel like an official valve product, the interaction between characters is fantastic, and the story-tell is brilliantly developed inside the mod, and I insist, that possibly aside from Half-Life 1 & 2 games, I have never felt this "engage" for any story in any game before, not even in other FPS such as Crysis... So yeah I love Swelter, indeed I liked it so much that I just replay some parts of the mod for the sake of getting the whole achievements completed. In conclusion, I'd love to see another mod from the SNDE Team, as it would be fantastic to at least have a HL2 mod trilogy, you know, the first being Snowdrop Escape (another fantastic mod brother); then the second being this one Swelter, and I don't know possibly a third one could be Snowdrop 2 that has chances to become another fantastic mod. I just can say "Long live to Swelter and their team" for mods like this I still play Half-Life after 20-something years of its release!

Overall, Snowdrop Escape is a great mod. Sure it is. It has lots of things I like in an HL2 mod: 1) a creative story inside the Half-Life Universe; 2) new cool weapons with cool iron sights; 3) plenty of nice combat and realistic mission scenarios; and 4) beautiful maps inspired by realistic environments.

All those things I just said are neat in this mod and make it a great one. I just would love these guys, I mean, the developers would develop a "Paranoia Mod" sequel for the Source Engine, as that would be just fantastic! About this, I mention, This mod just made me remember the Paranoia 1 & 2 HL1 Total conversions, so as I played it I couldn't stop thinking, "Wow, these guys should work or collaborate with the Paranoia modders to do a Paranoia Source mod, as that would be fantastic." I know probably this Paranoia mod mental relation I did could be kind of stupid but I had to tell it.

Now, I know this mod can be frustrating for some people who just don't like puzzles, but believe me, with a little patience You can perfectly solve them. Nevertheless, I recognize this aspect of the mod, I mean the hard number puzzles, can be a total turndown for the playability as yeah, I agree that in the first 2 chapters, the puzzles can break the gameplay immersion especially when we want cool combat.

Once you get over the first 3 chapters the 3 rest chapters, I mean 4 to 6 are more enjoyable as they center on realistic combat and despite puzzles aren't just missed in these 3 final chapters, they are more linked to the environment of the mod and you can easily solve them.

Also, I have to comment on that part where you find the underground temple and kind of travel to a weird alternate dimension, was nice, but I don't know if that affects the ending of the mod. I guess was a nice plot but it didn't affect the sudden escape and the predictable ending.

Also sometimes the PDA notes were annoying to read in the middle of the journey, and having to read the thoughts of our protagonist was kind of weird, and sometimes the notes were also a handful of cringe. So yeah that was another feature I didn't like in this mod.

In conclusion, I have to say Snowdrop Escape was truly a memorable mod, despite its normal flaws, and just gave me great entertainment time. So yeah on the MOD DB review scale, this would be a solid 9 and, on the "RTSL dot com" review scale this could be a perfect Personal Favorite in my opinion.

The first thing I loved about EZ2, is that like other few mod attempts, this one has the nerve to treat a very complex setting in the HL2 story arc. And this is precisely to take “the bad cop” story to the continuing all-long-hoped story development of Half-Life, which is the Borealis scenario in an utter reference to the never released HL3. And so EZ2 magnificently does this! Is not only about boxy rushed maps, the whole maps are full of details and carefully designed, so we can see we have a great quality product here. So I am not lying if I say that the developers of EZ2 must be very proud of themselves because they just made a more than a beautiful mod, they did a fantastic mod that oozes quality.
Second, the main story of EZ2 despite it can be easily related to a very common Hollywood action police drama movie. You know, the hard guy who is in the force and is accused of something he can not remember involving a beloved one… well despite the very mainstream idea of this, in EZ2 is greatly done, and finally in this sequel of the saga it is developed right to the point in which it is the main legit motif for our staring character to have a questionable moral stand. This then is twisted in the plot in a very cool way, especially in the last scenes where You can decide your destiny, and in both alternative ends, we can see a hint, which is a big hope for me, to the sequel, I deeply from the bottom of my heart hope EZ3 is developed and released soon.
Third. Xen enemies and how EZ2 pays a beautiful tribute to the whole Half-Life saga. In this mod, we can feel we are playing in a world that is invaded by lots of xenian portals which the CMB never really managed to control at 100 percent you know. So having the chance to fight not only regular head crabs and zombies but actually fight these X-Race Spike aliens, along with bull-squid mommas and their bull-squid fierce babies, and also fight against that giant Gnome zombie is a delight for any long-time HL mod gamer like me!
Fourth, all these cool new weaponry available to fight feels like a big current of fresh air in the middle of the already same old HL2 weapons we are used to. Also, that drivable APC is a total enjoy to play in the maps designed for it.
Fifth, the battles against our enemy “The Resistance” are utterly awesome! Also, this mod makes it feel like a totally serious enemy the CMB is fighting against. In this sequel, we can see how the Resistance is definitely a great organized human effort to wipe out the CMB at any cost, and a very realistic, also political aspect of the same humans which are divided as one support the CMB as a means of survival like our main character, and the others just join the Resistance despite the big risk they run by doing it so. I guess this mod is so well done that expresses this civil war aura that started with the City 17 uprising, and we also find out that our main “bad cop” was useful to the CMB and the G-Man by quelling the rebellion attempt in City 10.
Sixth. How EZ2 mingles Aperture Science elements, we even have some awesome and beautiful Portal 1&2 tribute maps, and it mixes them with its own Half-Life story arc, I always said that if I were a game maker I’d totally try to do a mod where the CMB send a military expedition to the Aperture Science complex and pay the cost by meeting GladOS in there, so here, despite we don’t have that same idea precisely, indeed we have a military expedition to the facilities where the Borealis is, and we even capture Mossman in there! So yeah all of that is pretty epic.
Seventh, Wilson. Yes I know for some gamers, facing the idea of having to carry Wilson for more than half of the game can truly be a pain in the butt, but I just loved the idea of having to use him in my favor, opening doors and even possibly affecting the main development of the story and its ending, to me Wilson was a pretty cool asset in the game despite the inconvenience of always carrying him, maybe he can be stored as a regular weapon? Well, I don’t know if this can be done, but I guess that just alleviates that inconvenience. So I loved Wilson, but I guess in this case, is a pretty classic example of the “love it or hate it” dilemma.
Eight and finally, how the Combine horde is brutally depicted in this mod. This is what I loved the most. Because it is like breaking the 4th wall you know, we are used to playing the good guys in most Hlaf Life mods so here we can glance at how the CMB thinks in the flesh and by the eyes and senses of our main character. The ending plays with this so great and we can transform our character from a self-interested guy to a betrayed warrior who is now on his own -apparently-, so yeah I guess in EZ2 we can experience how the CMB is a Universal military machine that only expects obedience from all of the subjugated races they enslave.

Wow! What a Journey I had playing HL Delta, it was very intense from the beginning until the end, and one thing I can´t take out of my mind is that this is like the Soviet Half-Life.

First of all, it is enormous, it has lots of maps that actually make it feels like a big Half-Life game in its own right. Its core idea is well-planned and executed, and most of it is basically a copy of the same HL1 proposal.

In Delta, we basically are a tech company competitor of Black Mesa (this assuming Aperture Science is not mentioned) which is also developing portal technology for the USA.

The prior is my main criticism of the mod itself. Because we hear Russian all the time, from the beginning to the end. The intercom messages are in Russian and also the main characters also speak Russian, so why place the mod in the USA instead of Russia, or even more interesting the Soviet Union?

I think the developer feared locating its own mod in Russia as he didn't want to break with his own tribute to the HL spirit, but I am only saying this would have become this mod so much more interesting, as we have very few HL universe mods located in Russia, like Dopusk 31, The Paranoia mods 1&2 and some about Chernobyl, but that's it. I think the developer could adapt it easily if change some American weapons and place some cool Russian or Soviet textures.

Despite this criticism, The whole mod divided into its 4 chapters has great gameplay, and some cool combat and is a pretty nice experience to play, I think the Xen part is great and is maybe the better of the mod, as we can see is for good heavily inspired on the Xenian parts of Black Mesa.

The end came quite soon and those final clips are quite revealing, although I'd love to see some G-Man reference. So I assume our main character managed to escape with Dina at the end of the mayhem... Nice ending but quite plain I guess.

Anyway, this is a great mod to try and enjoy some classic HL1 experience. so Play it Now!

So, as I said before I started to replay the works of this author as he recently launched his own horror indie game called "Remorse: The List". So my plan is to replay the Mistake mods, then Grey, and finally Remorse: The List.

So well, here with Mistake -1, we have a more complete mod than the original Mistake release. As I said, this one fills the gaps that were left loose in the first mod.

Overall this one feels more complete in story aspects as we find the horrid scene of central and weird infanticide in the middle of the plot.

The textures in this final release of the mod are from the other excellent Paranoia Mod, so overall it feels like a new game. Monsters also are less predictable and challenging.

In conclusion, this is a great and foremost classic HL1 horror mod, any horror lover must already have played. Is for sure a Personal Favorite.

Well, I just replayed this because I know that the developer of this mod, recently ended his own indie horror game called Remorse: The List. So let me be clear that I just find it amazing that an old mod HL1 author just follows his dreams and eventually manages to launch his own horror game it is something really great to see.

So that is why I am replaying several works in his portfolio. Because my plan was to play both mistake mods, then Grey and finally I'll buy and play Remorse: The List, so hope to complete the whole set by this Halloween eve.

Here in Mistake, I think we found a truly HL horror modification that is kind of "loyal" to the HL1 game, I mean, we have lots of assets and textures from the original HL1 game which transforms into this little but neat horror mod. So that is particularly awesome.

The plot is quite confusing, and the aim is simple, just to escape the mental hospital you are locked in... The end comes sudden but if you felt the mod was quite incomplete at least in the story part, then ply the compliment to get more context about it, which is Mistake minus 1, and there You will find a more refined mod that fills many gaps unexplained in this one.

Pretty great work restoring the Half-Life 2 Beta universe in here!

Indeed I love how both elements of the main canonic plot got mixed with the dark beta elements here presented.

Overall gives a great feeling of the journey starting on the coastline and ending up in the Combine Prison right next to the Depot.

The weapons were a total mind blast! as they're nicely incorporated and paced along with the combat. I only would definitely miss some more maps to test them more and with more enemies.

Overall I hope the authors go on with the project because is totally worth it! As I really hope to see someday the whole HL2 Beta Project in one humongous mod as the Black Mesa Project was. I know I may sound too ambitious but I guess if this developer, the one from The Dark Interval mod, and the other from Raising the Bar Redux may join forces they could easily deliver an awesome HL2 Beta mod project, that would just be mind-blowing to see!

Anyway, I strongly encourage you to play this one!

Well Boy, wow! This mod is definitely the best for HL1 and OPF thematic, I've played in 15 years...

The mod is worth every inch you move forward and discover the exciting and eerie story for yourself.

And well, we have to say it is a very long mod, easily it is longer than the original Opposing Force, and maybe it is as long as Half-Life 1. So the bunch of maps in there actually really feel like you are into the huge Black Mesa complex fighting for your life.

Maybe, the most I liked of this mod it was the whole high-quality details in the maps, and also even the custom enemies you have to battle. They are fantastic as we fight xenians as well as we fight the X-Race aliens.

The weaponry is just great, and all the basic HL1 and OPF weapons are there. About the combat, is really intense, fun, and entertaining on every map, it didn't feel predictable or boring, and also the Black Ops enemies were quite decent to fight.

The addition of the Kingpin is great detail and overall this mod feels so pure into the HL story arc that is a total delightful to play.

Also, about the Xen part, oh man, what to say about that part, it was magnificent, it really felt like that layout was how Xen should have been planned in the original HL game. There, in those levels, I felt a great sense of gameplay immersion from the beginning until the end. The whole xenian level felt heavily inspired by those amazing xenian environments we played in Black Mesa, and I guess that's a positive influence here.

Also, the end never felt rushed, and the Kevin Story Plot was totally mindblowing it was also kind of scary how he or his "spirit" just never really abandoned us.

Overall this is a fantastic mod. Here in MOD DB. com, I give it a 10 out of 10, and in the RTSL, former Planet Phillip website I totally give it a Personal Favorite rate!

So go on and enjoy it!

Well, I have to recognize I was eager to play this project, from the very moment I knew it was being done!

So it was very pleasant to finally play it. I have to confess that being a Latin American player, I was happy to finally play a mod that took place in one of our beloved countries.

The combat was very intense, especially when you reach the Richmond power plant, and overall the gameplay actions go in crescendo as long as you progress in the gameplay.

I also loved the new AR2 model, and that Combine-armored AntLion modified Momma you battle in the game. Also, the G-Man's cutscenes were a blast, to say the least...

That being said, I guess is the moment to relate the turndowns in this mod.

Well in my POV, I think the weakest point in the whole mod is its argumental script, I mean, the story overall, though makes an effort to be integrated into the Half-Life story arc, is so out of time that just doesn't make sense at all...

I mean, I know the G-Man is sending Gordon back in time just to alter the actual storyline in the events we saw in ep2 where Eli was brutally murdered by that Advisor. Now, I know HL-Alyx also messes with the time as it's presented as a prequel of the whole story arc... BUT HL-Alyx does it perfectly because uses Alyx and not Gordon, so it's a coherent move! Here in this mod -though I understand is not canon at all Messing with the time travel is just stupid.

To me, it would have done much more sense, If the CMB just had taken over Argentina in the mere timeline of the HL2 events, and that's it, maybe time traveling would've been used OK a little bit before Eli got killed in the Half-Life Episode 2 BUT not in the FREAKIN EIGHTIES!, and come on! here is 1987!! So the whole timeline is a mess that just doesn't make sense!

And I insist it doesn't make sense, because is just so stupid and unreal, the CMB just has a Military Dictatorship in Argentina right in the middle of the '80s!, we even see some Malvinas (or Falklands) soldiers pictures, and well we know how that ended... After that Galtieri's Regime fell, so here, a very evident CMB invasion to Argentina would've been immediately repelled with nukes by the USA. So how the CMB established a domain in Argentina with Menem (because we see him in those CMB posters) as administrator!!! when the mere cold war was happening! sorry but that argument is totally dull and so out of sense in the mere HL story arc.

I mean, a CMB invasion in Argentina would've provoked the 7 HR War sooner and not later as is implied in the silly script we see at the beginning of the game!

Now, You may say I'm dumb to take a mere fictional mod story so seriously, but to me, the HL story arc is something to take into the advantage of when You made a mod, and not the opposite as happens in here, to make out of it a no sense mess!!

I guess this story mess happened because the author was badly influenced by HL-Alyx, so maybe he wanted to emulate some story like that but the final story script for the mod ended up totally f*cked up instead! So this is a perfect example of what NOT to do when You plan the story of a Half-Life mod, PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE TIME TRAVELLING ARGUMENT AT ALL COSTS!!!.

So up to this point, I can only say the mod would've been perfect without that hideous story mess, and if would've been placed inside the present story arc AFTER the 7 HR war and not BEFORE IT!

Now, this issue it may be corrected, as it doesn't really affect the mod technically, so I sugest the author to do it if he respects the HL Story Arc!

Despite this main weakness of the mod, overall is a very enjoyable and also good quality product! I totally recommend You to play it, but if You are a Half-Life Story-Arc purist like me, then be warned! This is going to give you many rant moments when you find out WHEN the story happens.

I also recommend developers to hire or cooperate with a decent story-writer if You don't have story-telling abilities or skills, as this will make Your mod look so much more coherent and professional.

Ok, so to me this is a solid nine. Because it has things to love and other things to loath about it.

So first, things to love about this work: well, to me I just love how this whole project keeps a great fidelity to the Hl1 original Xen levels, I truly enjoy them all but Interlooper and the Nilianth Chamber. Is indeed so well recreated that most critics about the original Xen levels could be transposed here too.

Aesthetically the whole textures and environments just look amazing and the same aura of being in an outer world is just there all the time.

Now about the turndowns... I think the thing I just hated most in this mod was the ammo supply was just freakin terrible, the ammo was very, very scarce, and I don't know, but as far as I remember in HL1 Xen levels it wasn't like that at all. So having this worst ammo supply makes the gameplay hectic, cumbersome, and just very difficult, in some parts like the Interlooper where the enemies are just at very close range combat is terribly annoying, as You die many times before You can actually defeat all the Xenian Grunts, also The Controllers are a pain in the *** all the time and the scarce ammo makes the combat against those bugs even worse!

Also, the last level where You Fight the Nilhiant is just almost impossible to beat without cheating because ammo is scarce and this final boss takes just tons of ammo to beat, ammo that You don't have at the final moments of the game, I had to use the god code and that just was a total anticlimax.

In conclusion, this is a mod that You must play, and especially if you are a Half-Life purist, this is the perfect mod for You as is the one that keeps the closest resemblance to HL1 in the Black Mesa Xen levels. And well, in comparison I'd say the BM game really made a great reinterpretation of Xen but despite that, it was clear that just get rid of the original Xen layouts and for some gamers, that's just a sacrilege, so for all of them here's possibly what all of You were looking for.