Recent reviews by tjosiahk

I have kept half an eye on the development of Black Mesa for many years, but did not want to dive in until the gameplay was complete. Now that it is, I just played the whole game through from the start.

The original Half Life I played back when it first came out. Between that, Thief, and Deus Ex were my favourite PC game experiences from that period. Sadly the march of time has taken it's toll. Trying to replay Half Life now is still fun, but the limitations are so clear and obvious that for me it breaks immersion.

Because of the technical aspects playing Half Life now is not like it was playing when it was released.

Playing Black Mesa, however, FEELS EXACTLY like playing Half Life used to, even though many parts of it have actually been tweaked or entirely re-imagined.

Incredible achievement. It's all wonderful, but I especially enjoyed the sheer level of detail (stopping to read all the signs is worth the effort). The Xen visuals and gameplay in particular just work so much better and give a genuine sense of awe as you traverse the landscape. I was never a big fan of the final battle in Half Life, but I was happy to discover that has been given a complete reworking.

There is nothing I would change about Black Mesa. I love it and would strongly recommend it.

Monkey Island. Grim Fandango. It's not them. It's the child of the same creative minds, however, and very much from the same shelf. What's not to love?

I was a massive fan of the original, and it's DLC. This updated and entirely rebuilt from scratch version successfully manages to retain all the 'feel' and playability, but bringing a range of new aspects. If you ever played and enjoyed The Bindin of Isaac I can say confidently and with no hesitation: buy this. You will not be disappointed. If the whole Binding of Isaac experience is new to you then you have a world of discovery ahead of you :-)