Half-Life: Blue Shift Review (Dr Coomer)
As the so-called black sheep of the Half-Life family, Blue Shift is pretty much the far less-favoured of Gearbox Software's two (technically three) Half-Life expansions. In fact, people can be quite brutal with this game. I think what they're forgetting is that this shouldn't be seen as some big innovative experience like Opposing Force was, it's just more of that great game-play we know and love from the first Half-Life. Do I think Blue Shift has its flaws, is perhaps a little uninspired, too short? Yeah, sure I do. Do I think it's bad and a waste of money? Absolutely not!
Once again we assume the role of someone who isn't Gordon Freeman, and I do think it's pretty neat playing as a Black Mesa security guard. And as you probably already know, this same guy appears as a non-playable character in Half-Life 2, which was created entirely by Valve with no involvement from Gearbox, so that's cool. The big issue with Blue Shift is that it doesn't really tread on any new ground, but once again, I hold the belief that this doesn't have to be a bad thing. And let me tell you, the enemy variety is really well-balanced in this game (well, except for the ridiculous abundance of headcrabs) and I much prefer the bullsquids or the houndeyes to Race X any day.
Contrary to what some may say, there IS some good level design in this, especially during the Power Struggle chapter and even the Xen sequence. The chapter in Xen, by the way, is actually arguably better than anything Valve ever came up with. Try comparing it to Gonarch's Lair or Interloper. The game doesn't end with a boss fight, but if you honestly just appreciate some good plot and good interaction with characters, this shouldn't bother you. What I'm really trying to say is that if you're a true Half-Life fan, you really shouldn't be too disappointed with this expansion - and I'm sure anyone can appreciate the really good attention to detail as well, even if the game is pretty short.
The biggest issues for me lie with the arsenal. It's like they were too afraid to give you a good variety of weapons, so they just threw together the essentials: sub-machine gun, shotgun, two pistols, crowbar, explosives. You can however find some snarks in a secret area in Xen, which is a really cool Easter egg worth looking into. Despite the limited gun-play, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to give you a ton of weapons for such a short game anyway, and I find it actually keeps things more interesting since you're using less brain power trying to decide on the most suitable weapon. And let's not forget Opposing Force DROWNS you with guns and it can be overwhelming.
I think what I'm beginning to realise is that Blue Shift feels a lot more reeled in and relaxed when compared to its counterpart, and this should come as no surprise when you learn that Blue Shift was very nearly a Sega Dreamcast exclusive. Thankfully, that port of Half-Life never happened, which would have really complicated things with the already exclusive-to-PS2 expansion, Half-Life: Decay. Yes, the one Half-Life game that you tragically can't get on Steam, which also happens to be the only Half-Life co-op game. It is fun, but this review is about Blue Shift, so let's not get sidetracked. The moral of what I've said about these ports and exclusives is that even if you don't love Blue Shift like it's the second coming of Christ, it's still there to be enjoyed regardless, and isn't locked behind having to buy an old console or having to be emulated. Ignore what the others say, go into Blue Shift with an open, forgiving mind and you'll have a good time.