Half-Life - Blue Shift (PC)

I would not normally have bought Half-Life: Blue Shift so early after it's release, but Electronics Boutique sent me a voucher so what choice did I have but to spend it? I had read a review of the game before I purchased it, and it remarked at how short it was. But the box also promised to update my current version of Half-Life, so I thought it would be worthwhile. It is difficult to get a decent game for £15, and this was also a standalone game, not an update. The game is not a classic in its own right. I did become stuck on some of the early sections, but once I found my way past these it was a fairly straightforward exercise. The entire game ...

Plenty of people have slagged off Half-Life:Blue Shift,calling it a commercial rip-off and cash-in. These people might be right, the RRP£ is a bit high when you find out how short this add-on really is, but I find it enjoyable and interesting. I also bought it second hand for £8 so I didn't feel "ripped-off". Blue Shift was originally an extra level for the PC->Dreamcast conversion. I bought a Dreamcast to play Half-Life, as I couldn't see myself spending £1000 on a PC. As time passed, the Dreamcast version slipped further into development hell. Eventually, it was canned which is a real shame as gold discs about floating about the development ...

Blue Shift was conceived as a free bonus for the Dreamcast version of Half-Life. The fact that it is has a price tag at all is a slap in the face. Half-Life is now a couple of years old, already has a add-on pack in the form of Opposing Force, hundreds of add-on maps and modifications downloadable from the internet (Counterstrike for example). Pretty much every potential player will already own the original – or a variant such as Games of The year edition, so why isn’t this a free download as well, or a coupon send off for registered users? Story wise it’s Black Mesa again – a return to the Black Mesa labs, alien invasions, sinister ...