Reviews - goxart

Slimy yet... satisfying!
This is a review from someone that never played the original (I did checked out the walkthrough on YT) so I can't go into detail how much fateful this remake is to the old HL version of the mod.
I did play Blue Shift back in the day and I think this is probably the closest to BS remake that we will get.. well unless Tripmine studios gives us the proper one in this lifetime.
So here are positives and negatives:
+ It's a pretty long part 1, 6 chapters, 22 maps and it has mostly everything you would expect from black mesa maps and even a XEN level!
+ XEN level!
+ Nice and well designed levels (with a few exceptions).
+ New weapon models with animations are mostly solid stuff.
+ Looks gorgeous at times, almost like it's done on a modern engine.
+ Great soundtrack!
+ Never crashed for me (win10)
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- Not that great pacing. The game constantly switches from action to slow pace to action and not in a good way. Some situations do drag a bit too much.
- Really really bad voice acting for additional characters ( Kate and new scientists, guards...)
Didn't understand a thing the were saying!
- (SPOILER) is this a plot hole because I didn't have any message for Freeman and yet my character did hear it, apparently?
- Some doors in game are really breaking the BM logic of opening. You could open them from the wrong side (the side with no handle\bars), so you end up clicking on every door because they might open even if the texture is for a locked door.
- Level design is some levels is a bit off. In a few instances you go one way only to discover it is a wrong way and you actually find only a medkit or some ammo but end up spending much more fighting enemies, then you have to go all the way back. In this case best to reload last save and go other way. Good thing is this is rare. Also some switches and levers are not that good placed so I ended looking for them and they were in the same room as me.
- Lack of proper puzzles. There are only 3-4 switch puzzles and you don't need a brain for it.
- Missing textures or decals, buggy doors, buggy npc placement and clipping through objects, npc shotgun holding animation is broken. This really needs a patch.
- Ends when it gets really interesting, and with a cliffhanger!

Overall, I did enjoy it and it did scratch that BM itch that we all have, now that we wait for full BM release with Xen. I do recommend but maybe wait for some patches.
Hopefully part 2 will be made in the future, to finish the story.