This is a review/critique of Black Mesa: Source (a free fan-made remake of Half-Life), co-written by Mimaz (co-host of the Steamchat Podcast) and Vic (previous lead editor of LambdaGeneration).

Black Mesa is a difficult game to judge.

Gearbox’s infamous cancelled Dreamcast console port of Half-Life 1 (although it was also developed by Captivation Digital Labs) has been shrouded in mystery for many. Troubled by delays, it was originally slated for release in summer of 2000, then fall of 2000, then late 2000, then pushed back to early 2001 and eventually, mid-2001, then finally put out of its misery in a controversial cancellation. The ill-fated port was hilariously close to release – Prima strategy guides and other promotional materials were made available (and can still be found on online auction sites for various prices), and a near-complete beta build was leaked to the Internet. Concurrently, it seems that the only way to experience the port is to download this leaked build.

But, no longer! Dedicated modders have just released a mod port of the Dreamcast version for Half-Life 1, which means that right now, you can experience the unreleased Dreamcast port for yourself! Read on for more info on the release.

Learn how to install the Source SDK correctly and how to use Valve’s Hammer Editor.

Back on June 27, Phillip Marlowe wrote an article thanking William McMahon for all his work on Podcast 17 and in the Half-Life community. He spoke of his dedication and love for the game and the people who play it , and it was an extremely thoughtful thing for Phillip to do.

Phillip runs his own website, PlanetPhillip, where he reviews mods and maps for the Half-Life and Portal games along with providing download mirrors and forums. He doesn’t plaster his sites with ads nor demand attention to himself, something that we here at Lambda Generation love to do.

The original Half-Life’s hype train first started rolling when an early demo of the first few chapters of the game, known as “Half-Life: Day One”, only meant for distribution with graphics cards, was leaked to the internet.

Immediately, gamers got fired up, and eventually, the game was released in November 1998.

However, there is another demo, an official one this time, not too many people remember. Released after the official game, Half-Life: Uplink is an underrated demo featuring some great levels that didn’t make it in the final game.