First, some background: I first became aware of PC gaming in 2012 (15yrs after HL1, 7yrs after HL2). I played both games back-to-back and then later replayed both separately.

There’s so much to be said about these two games, but I’ll sum up my feelings in a few bullet points:

  • HL1 is more thematically unified. It plays true to its Sci-Fi & Die Hard roots up to the point of campiness, but that fits rather well for a game whose protagonist is effectively a nerdy Doom Marine – more a force-of-nature embodiment of survival than traditional hero.
  • HL2, on the other hand, feels weighed-down by this legacy. It wants to tell a serious story about a charismatic freedom-fighter. That’s an aesthetic which clashes terribly with HL1’s mute, stoic survivalist.
  • HL1 has a better core gameplay loop. It plays to its strengths: gunplay & level exploration. Exposition & puzzling are almost always delivered through these mediums wherever possible. Those few chapters which depart from this philosophy (On a Rail, Xen) are the weakest in the whole game as a result.
  • HL2, by contrast, seems almost insecure. It only trusts the player to stick with the core gameplay-loop for a few chapters at most before pivoting into yet another gimmick – almost all of which (barring the gravity gun sequence) feel painfully drawn out:
    • Water Hazard: Boating
    • Highway 17: Driving
    • Sandtraps: Physics “Puzzling” + “Platforming”
    • Nova Prospekt: Wave-Based Point Defense

What do you guys think? There’s a lot worth unpacking here which I couldn’t quite articulate. What are your takeaways?

    • chaorace@lemmy.sdf.orgOPEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      Definitely give it a shot sometime next time a Steam sale comes around (it almost always goes on steep discount). It holds up remarkably well and has a very accessible time-to-beat (12hrs).

        • Hot Saucerman@lemmy.mlEnglish
          1·
          2 years ago

          Having played both, Black Mesa for an easily more modern and more cohesively told story with actual re-occuring characters. Original Half-Life for the sheer chaos and being able to kill characters in a game-breaking way.

        • chaorace@lemmy.sdf.orgOPEnglish
          1·
          2 years ago

          I think both are worth playing, but I’d say that it’s a better experience to play the original HL1 first. Black Mesa doesn’t obsolete the original at all IMO – they have very different level designs and aesthetics.