For a mod that took nearly a decade to make, Black Mesa is doing extremely well. There's a good reason for the mod's success, too: it's a stunningly detailed recreation of the original Half-Life (widely considered to be one of the most influential games ever created), with an entirely reworked graphics engine. Basically, the developers have taken the fantastic Half-Life gameplay and transplanted it into a shiny new body, and players are absolutely loving it.
With the game's recent release onto Steam's 'Early Access' platform, gamers now have a better idea of what to expect from the finished version. While some are upset that a previously free-to-play mod is now $20, the switch to Steam will allow the team to continue working on the mod until it's ready for a full release.
The team's also sweetening the pot for those who want to chip in and help out: while the free version of the game is still available to download, only those who purchase the Steam version of the mod will be able to access the second half of the game when it's released.
For those unaware, Black Mesa (in its current state) is a recreation of the first half of the original Half-Life. The second half, which takes place throughout the alien world known as 'Xen' was left out of the 2012 release - the team wanted to share what it had created, and the Xen chapters made for a perfect transition point. In the 2015 Steam release, the same holds true: the latest version of Black Mesa ends as the player prepares to enter Xen.
That doesn't mean that the team is done with Black Mesa: Crowbar Collective is currently working on finishing the rest of the game - but it'll only be available to those with the latest Steam version of the game. As part of an AMA on Reddit, the team explained that switching over to a new engine for the Steam version of the game made updating previous incarnations impossible:
"In order to make Xen look the best it possibly can look, we need to upgrade the engine with new features. These new features will make it incompatible with the mod version."
It's a shame that older versions of the game won't have access to the levels, but the trade-off is worth it: the Steam version of Black Mesa is noticeably better-looking than the 2012 version, and comes with a number of major fixes and updates for the game. Overall, it's just the better version - it just wouldn't make sense to update an inferior version of the game.
Either way, it's a small price to pay: many thought that Black Mesa would never be released in the first place. With the game's release on Steam, players will finally be able to play through the entire Half-Life experience with a fresh coat of paint...what more could you ask for?
If you're interested in checking the game out, you can head over to the official Black Mesa Steam page.
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