This mission pack definitely has some ups and downs...
User Rating: 7.1 | Half-Life: Blue Shift PC
Blue Shift is merely an okay shooter. It plays similarly to Half-Life and Opposing Force but not does not compare to them for several reasons. The first reason would be that the action does not aspire to be anything great, although it is still worth playing for any fan of Half-Life. The second reason would be that the game seems stripped down due to the absence of bosses or any interesting references to the first two games (or any of consequence). Opposing Force did a better job of implementing those aspects. Another reason would be that it feels much shorter than it should be (Opposing Force was considered too short by many, and Blue Shift is even shorter). Nonetheless, it is still an okay game and therefore good enough to be considered. On the other hand, one gets superb value (if you waited for the price to come down a bit). In addition to a satisfactory shooter – and an extension to the Half-Life saga – one gets the inclusion of Opposing Force and a welcomed graphics update to Half-Life and the former. It gives us another reason to go through those games yet another time. Another good point is that this is a stand-alone expansion pack meaning you don’t need the original to play it (not that anyone who buys this would not have the original, nor should anyone). So, Blue Shift shipped with a double-edged sword: the first side being a treat to those who did not buy Opposing Force, and the second being a punch in the face to those who had to buy both (even with the discount). Right now though, it’s priced extremely cheap, so it’s worth picking up if you already haven’t.
