Black Mesa

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1219 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,071 out of 1219
  2. Mixed: 101 out of 1219
  3. Negative: 47 out of 1219

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  1. Mikimax
    Sep 30, 2012
    10
    This game is fantastic. Perfect remake made by gamers for gamers with passion and devotion to the finest details. I could not have asked for more then this.

    THANK YOU!
  2. KangarooKurt
    Jan 6, 2022
    10
    Hard to even contemplate how much work went into this game, based on all the detail and long, long gameplay. What an absolute treat to play this if you liked or loved Halflife!
  3. NorBdelta
    Sep 18, 2012
    10
    Ok where to start. Black Mesa is a complete remake of Half-life. Now to sum it up would be "a masterpiece".The graphics have been totally revamped, characters (scientists, guards, etc.) have totally remade models and are now different from one another not the same guard over and over, the textures and other props have been replaced with higher quality ones. Some levels are slightlyOk where to start. Black Mesa is a complete remake of Half-life. Now to sum it up would be "a masterpiece".The graphics have been totally revamped, characters (scientists, guards, etc.) have totally remade models and are now different from one another not the same guard over and over, the textures and other props have been replaced with higher quality ones. Some levels are slightly different but I found them very fluid and I believe they were worked to make the story more cohesive. Enemies are more intelligent and look amazing. Guns totally remade. This game is certainly on par with the original quality of story wise. The quality of work is of the highest I have seen in a mod and it is a "Valve" level of quality product. I find little else to say as this mod is so amazing I am lost for words trying to explain how highly I respect this remake and the dev team behind it was done such an amazing job.… Expand
  4. LD9000
    Nov 26, 2012
    10
    A perfect remake. Action packed survival, and I really enjoyed how the secrets of black mesa are brought to life with voice acting and in-game whiteboards. Playing this game after so many years, some of the levels seem small, especially if you know what's coming. Other than that, a fantastic remake, and it's free!
  5. Lordeldar
    Sep 29, 2012
    10
    When I first heard about Black Mesa, I was excited. When it came out, I was not disappointed at all. A few moments of the game have been changed from the original. And almost all the time, it has improved on the original. In Half Life, I found On A Rail really annoying. Black Mesa completely redid the chapter and it was a major improvement. That's basically how I would sum up Black Mesa, aWhen I first heard about Black Mesa, I was excited. When it came out, I was not disappointed at all. A few moments of the game have been changed from the original. And almost all the time, it has improved on the original. In Half Life, I found On A Rail really annoying. Black Mesa completely redid the chapter and it was a major improvement. That's basically how I would sum up Black Mesa, a major improvement on Half Life. It brings Half Life up to, and possibly beyond, the quality levels of Half Life 2. Definitely worth the long wait. Can't wait to see the Xen chapters… Expand
  6. PoWn3d_0704
    Oct 24, 2012
    10
    Waited a long time for this mod, and it exceeded all my expectations.

    I feel like many of the people who give this mod bad ratings don't know anything about the Half-Life series. And that is fine, same as the people throwing tens around (Guilty) are neck deep in nostalgia. The movement (saw some complaints) is true to the Original Half-Life. Fast paced and really good for the style    Waited a long time for this mod, and it exceeded all my expectations.

    I feel like many of the people who give this mod bad ratings don't know anything about the Half-Life series. And that is fine, same as the people throwing tens around (Guilty) are neck deep in nostalgia.

    The movement (saw some complaints) is true to the Original Half-Life. Fast paced and really good for the style of play. Takes a second to get used to, if you never have played Half-Life or quake or anything before. Trust me, that movement is the reason the Multiplayer is going to be so good.

    As for FPS dips, it happens only on AMD based systems. My upgrade from an AMD 1090t to an Intel 3570k stopped all of those issues. Just something you'll have to wait for a patch to be fixed.

    Overall, this mod is FREE, looks amazing, and brings back that good old Half-Life nostalgia. What isn't to love?    … Expand
  7. Rice303
    Nov 6, 2012
    10
    An amazing game that gives half-life fans more to get excited over it's funny how it's been over ten years since the original has been released yet the gameplay still remains nearly completely unchanged and it still manages to be fun and fluid, there are some aspects of the game that could have been improved, but as a fan project it's a solid ten, I doubt i'd ever be able to make anythingAn amazing game that gives half-life fans more to get excited over it's funny how it's been over ten years since the original has been released yet the gameplay still remains nearly completely unchanged and it still manages to be fun and fluid, there are some aspects of the game that could have been improved, but as a fan project it's a solid ten, I doubt i'd ever be able to make anything like this even with my passion in gaming… Expand
  8. oso
    Oct 1, 2012
    10
    Incredible Remake! Can't believe this is for free, i'd even pay a Full Price for this Masterpiece. There is absolutely nothing they could have done better. By far the best fps i've played in a dam' long time.
  9. silentshade
    Oct 8, 2012
    10
    If a mod actually receives reviews from critics then you know its going to be good. This mod truly brings Half life 1 back in the best way possible.
    Best mod ever!
    Period.
  10. bazkie
    Sep 24, 2012
    10
    black mesa is probably the best halflife 1 remake possible. there's clearly been a lot of attention to details, and the atmosphere is very similar to the original - in my eyes an important trait for a remake of any game. i was expecting much from black mesa, after all these years of waiting, but it delivered, at least for me!
  11. RobiePax
    Sep 22, 2012
    10
    Truly amazing re-work. It turned out to be a lot better than I expected to. I'm also glad that Valve approved Greenlight for this mod, we need more worthy mods on Steam than crap like Revelations 2012 which is an Alpha stage non-free mod...
  12. Kanazawa
    Dec 31, 2012
    10
    Good god what an incredible game. It was also VERY time consuming spanning about 10 hours long it felt endless yet still enjoyable. It was bland and boring at the start with an extremely creepy atmosphere and gradually switches genres completely becoming something else. Yes that may be describing Half Life, but this redo of the game was incredible. I was stunned at the graphics comparisonGood god what an incredible game. It was also VERY time consuming spanning about 10 hours long it felt endless yet still enjoyable. It was bland and boring at the start with an extremely creepy atmosphere and gradually switches genres completely becoming something else. Yes that may be describing Half Life, but this redo of the game was incredible. I was stunned at the graphics comparison to the previous and it blows it out of the water. I usually have trouble playing dated games, and this really helped out.… Expand
  13. t0bssu
    Jan 8, 2013
    10
    Best mod ever made. It's not just a mod. It's a different game. I recommend playing HL1 first because this one does not tell the story as good as the first one did. Nostalgia is so big part of this game.
  14. camycamera
    Oct 26, 2012
    10
    the one of the greatest remakes of one of the greatest games of all time. This is Half-Life, but better. If you have never played Half-Life and wonder what all the fuss was all about, this is a great opportunity to try it out.... for free!
  15. sLm
    Sep 29, 2012
    10
    I can't tell fairly enough how awesome is this game, and I say game not mod, because this game surpass its original by lightyears. Perfect. .
  16. XhAPPYSLApX
    Mar 11, 2014
    10
    Simply one of the best tributes to anything ever... This is the Half Life: Source we should have gotten. Great graphics for a 10 year old engine, fantastic gameplay, great story. And just near perfect all round in my opinion, I hope Valve hires these people to make Half Life 3, that is how good they did in my opinion.
  17. Bax21
    Sep 23, 2012
    10
    So much waiting, and now after 8 long years im completly overwhelmed by Black Mesa. It's really stupid to call this masterpiece a "modification" for HL2. It's f***** more than that! Its deserves to be an absolutely great remake of legendary Half Life. Many thanks for creators of this new,fine version, whoever u are!
  18. wumbajomba
    Sep 22, 2012
    10
    I own the complete Half-Life series and I am a huge fan and I must say that I am impressed with what the team did with this re-make. Awesome Mod !! I would recommend this Mod to anyone. This Mod has my 10 out of 10.
  19. sherbz
    Sep 23, 2012
    10
    There are some things in life that are not really recognised for how important they really are until perhaps years after they actually happen. Black Mesa fits in to that category. For a group of fans to create something so professional, so polished, and so good is truly an extraordinary thing in itself. But the sheer scale, scope and length of time devoted to Black Mesa demonstratesThere are some things in life that are not really recognised for how important they really are until perhaps years after they actually happen. Black Mesa fits in to that category. For a group of fans to create something so professional, so polished, and so good is truly an extraordinary thing in itself. But the sheer scale, scope and length of time devoted to Black Mesa demonstrates what fans can actually achieve when they work together. The developers managed to create a game that can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the titles you go out and buy, but they did it for free, which i think is a beautiful and quite remarkable thing. Black mesa, like half life itself, is the new yard stick to compare fan created games, and will be for years to come.… Expand
  20. somethingguy912
    Sep 25, 2012
    10
    the black mesa production team has done a wonderful job of revisiting Half-Life into the Half Life 2 engine in not only the source engine but also of the time and effort they took to remodeling all the NPCs, improving the dialogue quality while providing new voice actors, and providing much more attention to detail with the environment of the black mesa research facility. I was glad thatthe black mesa production team has done a wonderful job of revisiting Half-Life into the Half Life 2 engine in not only the source engine but also of the time and effort they took to remodeling all the NPCs, improving the dialogue quality while providing new voice actors, and providing much more attention to detail with the environment of the black mesa research facility. I was glad that they did get rid of parts of the game that seemed to go on for decades (going through ventilation shafts for an eternity, that is), and they also put more complexity and more realism to the facility area, like the crate smashing room (in Half Life it almost seemed like they deliberately made it for you to jump that way). Also, I was quite surprised at how they added a new feature to the game: gore on your weapons. It's a nice emphatic touch to the ventures that Freeman must go through to reach to the Lambda core. The AI also has been improved as well, especially with the soldiers (although, sometimes the enemies will just stand there if they can't reach you from range, and this is frequent with the Slaves, e.g. vortigaunts). Also, there are some subtly hilarious parts in the game that you will encounter (like when you acquire the hive-hand, and Freeman reluctantly sticks his hand into what appears to be it's ass, or when the scientists foolishly go inside a ventilation shaft filled with monsters and the scientist who tries to get him out brakes his neck from falling from under the ladder). Everything that made the first half-life great can still be found in the effortless commitment that the black mesa production team had put into revamping the game, and seriously, all of this for free? You can't get a better deal than that! If you've been painfully impatient about the release of half life 3 (or episode 3), this game will give you the same feeling of nostalgia from both Half Life releases for a very long time!… Expand
  21. Stickheadz32
    Feb 19, 2013
    10
    I have to say right out that this is the best mod ever created. Really smooth gameplay with the Source engine, level design is really complex, enemies in the game are worth the challenge, great AI with humans, HECU soldiers and aliens. Again, there's lots of freedom you can have in the maps, even though some of them may be linear, it leaves a great space of open field, so we won't careI have to say right out that this is the best mod ever created. Really smooth gameplay with the Source engine, level design is really complex, enemies in the game are worth the challenge, great AI with humans, HECU soldiers and aliens. Again, there's lots of freedom you can have in the maps, even though some of them may be linear, it leaves a great space of open field, so we won't care about linearity at all. Amazing re-recorded monologues and dialogues and even the new ones. Everything else is also very awesome. The graphics at high and very high levels are stunningly beautiful in everything. At that preset when I turned around after fleeing from the Tentacles when I watched them, the framerate dropped down to 40 on my GTX660Ti. The soundtrack is also really good and it's a mix of atmospheric and action tracks. As i played it in almost 5-6 days and completed the game I feel satisfied and amazed about the game. It's free, it's a mod, you do need Source SDK Base 2007 to run it, but by all words, this is an immersion.… Expand
  22. Kingmannie
    Oct 2, 2012
    10
    Wow. The amount of memories that come flooding back to me was incredible. This project puts a lot of professional projects to shame. From a technical perspective the voice acting is a bit strange but the atmosphere that's obviously been a labor of love for the devs - smashes any negativity. Surprising, tense and thrilling are some of the feelings you will get if you play this for theWow. The amount of memories that come flooding back to me was incredible. This project puts a lot of professional projects to shame. From a technical perspective the voice acting is a bit strange but the atmosphere that's obviously been a labor of love for the devs - smashes any negativity. Surprising, tense and thrilling are some of the feelings you will get if you play this for the first time. A sincere feeling of nostalgia is what you will get if you played the original like me. For free this is 100% worth your time.… Expand
  23. fabbolous
    Sep 19, 2012
    10
    I've been waiting for this mod since the very beginning. Half Life is just one of the greatest PC Games ever made and walking Black Mesa again with these all new graphics it feels like coming home...well...home is nicer though :-)
    I have found no bugs so far. Everything has been rebuilt very accurately. No wonder this mod took about 8 years and it was worth every second. Hope the mod team    I've been waiting for this mod since the very beginning. Half Life is just one of the greatest PC Games ever made and walking Black Mesa again with these all new graphics it feels like coming home...well...home is nicer though :-)
    I have found no bugs so far. Everything has been rebuilt very accurately. No wonder this mod took about 8 years and it was worth every second. Hope the mod team will come up with the last part of the Half Life on Zen very soon!!    … Expand
  24. CrazyGoat
    Sep 21, 2012
    10
    Black Mesa has the polish synonymous with a Valve property, and has surpassed all expectations in light of the sheer difficulty of the project. The amount of dedication, passion, and love the developers put into this game is immediately apparent as you explore the depths of Black Mesa, and uncover the secrets of this research facility.

    Black Mesa transcends the level of 'modification' -    Black Mesa has the polish synonymous with a Valve property, and has surpassed all expectations in light of the sheer difficulty of the project. The amount of dedication, passion, and love the developers put into this game is immediately apparent as you explore the depths of Black Mesa, and uncover the secrets of this research facility.

    Black Mesa transcends the level of 'modification' - they didn't modify anything. They created this game (save for a few sound bites, etc) from the ground up - in an impressive feat not many could accomplish. Having played Half-Life 1, this game left me without a single gripe or complaint regarding it's faithfulness to the original. The additions (of which there are a few) utilize the source engine's physics and graphics in ways that remind you of Half-Life 2. These are not modders, they're developers - and have made a shining masterpiece which raises the bar on third-party game development in the source engine. It's faithful to the original, and yet creates this bizarre sense of deja vu with Half-Life 2 - making them feel like one contiguous game, no longer separated by 6 years or different engines. They have truly done the impossible. This is a must-play.    … Expand
  25. bethegame
    Sep 23, 2012
    10
    When I first played the Half Life games, I thought to myself, these games can't get any better than they already are. Shows you what I know. This game is perfect. No doubt about it. A ten all the way. In every aspect that Half Life was perfect in, Black Mesa perfected the perfection. The graphics are great for this game are much better than the first Half Life, (it did come out in 1998,When I first played the Half Life games, I thought to myself, these games can't get any better than they already are. Shows you what I know. This game is perfect. No doubt about it. A ten all the way. In every aspect that Half Life was perfect in, Black Mesa perfected the perfection. The graphics are great for this game are much better than the first Half Life, (it did come out in 1998, great graphics for then) the plot is almost the same so far, (some levels are different) and it is easy to tell how much these developers really love the game. They put all there passion into it. I am glad that now not every scientist is identical. I would say this game gets 98 out of 100 or above. Now, about Half Life 3...… Expand
  26. ConsumedKangi
    Sep 23, 2012
    10
    I've been looking forward to this for the whole of this year. Half life introduced me to awesome first person shooters by Valve. Then once I heard of Black Mesa I expected the best thing ever. It did not fail my expectations. Flawless design. Everything has been rebuilt very accurately with extra additions of perfection to top it off. There's been no bugs at all and I just can't seem toI've been looking forward to this for the whole of this year. Half life introduced me to awesome first person shooters by Valve. Then once I heard of Black Mesa I expected the best thing ever. It did not fail my expectations. Flawless design. Everything has been rebuilt very accurately with extra additions of perfection to top it off. There's been no bugs at all and I just can't seem to point out anything wrong. This is a mod of Gods!… Expand
  27. Xytaglyph
    Oct 29, 2012
    10
    Black Mesa is one of the best and most polished mods i have ever played in my life. The mod is a perfect replica of half-life while still adding some new and interesting things such as the npc interaction and the improved ai. This game is DEFINITELY worth playing seeing as the original is still and always will be my favorite single player game of all time. If you haven't played this iBlack Mesa is one of the best and most polished mods i have ever played in my life. The mod is a perfect replica of half-life while still adding some new and interesting things such as the npc interaction and the improved ai. This game is DEFINITELY worth playing seeing as the original is still and always will be my favorite single player game of all time. If you haven't played this i would be hesitant to call you a gamer, especially if you're my age...… Expand
  28. Wolv
    Oct 30, 2012
    10
    Like most people, I too have been waiting a long time for this mod and its amazing, enjoyable to both people who have and haven't played Half Life, the level design is fantastic, all the areas are essentially the same with some minor differences and some areas changed almost completely, its playable so far up to Lambda Core and Xen hasn't been released yet, they are working on it. TheLike most people, I too have been waiting a long time for this mod and its amazing, enjoyable to both people who have and haven't played Half Life, the level design is fantastic, all the areas are essentially the same with some minor differences and some areas changed almost completely, its playable so far up to Lambda Core and Xen hasn't been released yet, they are working on it. The soundtrack is amazing and voice acting is brilliant, some nice subtle references to half life and their own mod in the game which I found amusing, the only flaw I found was jumping which felt a little clunky but it didn't affect much, its on Source engine not GoldSrc so your gonna expect a different feel to the motion, it was the same with CS 1.6 and CS:S. The game is still as hardcore as Half Life, the marines are hard which I find good, there is a bug however with the helicopter on Surface Tension but that seems to be the only one I've found. I would recommend this mod to anyone, it feels like a commercial Valve game and plays like one and I enjoyed every single moment of it. So much work has gone into this and you can tell 10/10… Expand
  29. Vorfeed
    Nov 10, 2012
    10
    Surprisingly this project did not turn into Vaporware. This is by far the best remake of a game I've ever played, down to the very last detail of that lonely vulnerable feel you got when you first fired up Half Life years ago. I loved every minute of this FREE game that puts this year's triple A titles to shame.
  30. Cupcakeboy14
    Dec 4, 2012
    10
    Really fun playing an old classic. It is nice to have something half-life related since HL3 or HL2 ep3 is no ware to be seen. Good job at an amazing remake.
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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PC Game of 2012
30
#30 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
25
#25 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. GameGrin
    Feb 8, 2021
    70
    Black Mesa remains true to the original Half-Life with updated graphics, improved sounds and redesigned levels. However, the graphics still look old for a “modern” game and loading screens are still a pain as it freezes the game for a few seconds.
    Read full review
  2. Washington Post
    Mar 31, 2020
    80
    Those with a taste for retro-gaming or lighthearted sci-fi shooters, take note: few games with a foot in the nineties hold up this well.
    Read full review
  3. GameStar
    Mar 23, 2020
    87
    Reasonable innovations and a completely new Xen complement the authentic Half-Life atmosphere: This is what a remake should look like.
    Read full review
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