Original Half-Life Remake Black Mesa Finally Finished After 10 Year Wait
Holy shit. Black Mesa is finally finished. I had honestly written Black Mesa off as one of those promising projects that never actually see completion. I remember playing it back in college when it was just the pre-Xen content. I was eager to see just what the talented team at Crowbar Collective LLC had in store for the floaty worlds and ballsack monsters of Xen. I’d check back every few weeks to see if there was a new update. Then every few months. Then every few years. Keep in mind, the initial release was back in 2009. It wasn’t until a few months ago in December of 2019 that we finally got our hands on Xen. Even then, I figured it would still be a few years before we saw a final product. But it’s finally happening. On March 5th, Black Mesa will finally be completed.
If you aren’t familiar, Black Mesa is a remake of the 1998 landmark shooter Half-Life. If you’re on this site and reading these words, I don’t have to explain to you what Half-Life is. Hell, I don’t even have to explain to you what Black Mesa is. Half-Life is one of the most important games in the history of gaming, in no small part for the massive mod infrastructure that would inevitably evolve into the Steam storefront almost all PC gamers use today. Black Mesa was originally a free fan mod with the goal to redo the iconic game in the then-new Source engine. It has since evolved into a full-fledged release.
In a lengthy post on Black Mesa’s Steam community page, Crowbar Collective LLC owner Adam Engels recapped his 14-year journey with Black Mesa. Starting as an artist in 2006, Adam trudged a long road to reach this happy destiny. “There are probably a fair number of people who if you asked them “Do you want to own a video game company?”, would say “Yes! Absolutely. Whatever it takes!”, but it is easy to commit to something when it is guaranteed. If instead in 2006 someone said to me “This will be difficult. You will consider quitting multiple times, and it is going to take you at least 14 years to complete.” I am not sure I would have signed up for that.” At the end of his emotional recap, he revealed the final release date: March 5th. If you’re interested in the story of Black Mesa or looking to get some insight into what it can take to make it as an indie dev, I highly recommend giving the whole post a read by clicking here.
I shouldn’t have to convince you to get Black Mesa. Its existence is a testament to just how beloved the original Half-Life still is. Not only that, but it’s worth spending your dosh on a labor of this much love. You can click here to find Black Mesa on Steam for $20.
