Reviews - THRRRPT

Stolen.

Review for Part One: Extended

Pros:
Mapping, lighting, and atmosphere is damn near perfect.

Seriously, the level design is frequently beautiful.

Great use of scripted sequences and dialogue, both newly-recorded and otherwise.

It's long. This isn't a map pack you're going to blaze through in forty minutes, but it doesn't drag either.

Excellent pacing. The authors really seem to get the flow of a Half-Life game. It's not just a constant combat slog.

Be sure to watch for cameos from some Opposing Force critters! That was a nice touch.

Neutral:
New weapons are an interesting addition. Most of the new skins for existing weapons are great. I get that the M4 used 9mm ammo in the original so it's understandable it does in this as just an MP5 replacement, but it still bugs me.

The M9/Beretta 92 was fun to see, though also picking up a Glock in the second half of the mod seemed superfluous. Apart from magazine capacity, both pistols seemed functionally identical in accuracy and damage, and served mostly to just screw me up when I was trying to switch to the magnum.

The mod retains the old blood-splatter effect on the viewmodels and arms. YMMV for this feature. Personally, I find it ugly, but it's by no means a dealbreaker.

Some of the plot beats didn't exactly hit right for me, specifically the Apprehension callback. I understand this was in the original Azure Sheep too, so it's understandable why it's there.

Custom voice work is serviceable, especially for VAs who aren't working in their native language. It's sometimes hard to understand, but that's what subtitles are for.

Fast Headcrabs/Zombies were a surprise. They may be noncanonical to the timeline, but I found them fun to fight anyway.

Cons:
IMO, the action soundtracks range from merely okay to actively annoying. It doesn't help that the default volume is loud enough to drown out audio cues during firefights.

I don't care what the excuse is, putting sentry turrets in locations you KNOW the player is going to need to dodge into when combat starts is a **** move, and just promotes savescumming. Headcrabs are understandable, but sentry guns are lethal.

There are too many untelegraphed instant-death points, and environmental damage areas. See above comment about savescumming.

Some of the puzzles could be made a tad more clear, but now I'm really just nitpicking.

Overall:
Complaints aside, this is by far the best custom campaign for Black Mesa currently available.

Highs

-The mapping is top-notch! This is a very good-looking mod, and the maps are satisfying to run around in.

-Great scripting. I don't want to spoil anything, but some excellent use of scripted sequences, as well as sound and music. Making Gonomes seem legitimately terrifying for the first time since 1999!

-Puzzles. Nothing unintuitive, or overly simple. Great pacing all around.

-Difficulty. A challenge without being punishing.

-Nice seeing a female protagonist in a Half-Life mod for once.

Lows

-The name is downright cringy...

-Short. Took me less than an hour.

-Some of the sequences showcase the failings of OpFor's night vision. While tense when you're fighting zombies, when faced with things that can shoot back, the limited circle of visibility just becomes an annoyance.

-Levels could do with some variation. It'd be nice to fight through areas other than storage rooms, tunnels, and garages. (They are VERY nice-looking storage rooms, tunnels, and garages though, granted.)

Overall - 9/10

It's Timeline, which is already one of the classic SP Half-Life mods. The graphical boost only makes it better.

Pros: Gameplay is awesome. Pacing is perfect, firefights never seem to be unwinnable, and mix things up enough to remain interesting. Mod is challenging without being impossible. Hunter battle was hectic and very well-done. Music and voice-acting very good.

Cons: Maps not the most visually stunning out there. Ending was kind of abrupt.

Overall: Well worth a download. 9/10