Half-Life: Blue Shift

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 739 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 508 out of 739
  2. Mixed: 186 out of 739
  3. Negative: 45 out of 739
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Archangel2001
    Aug 17, 2023
    8
    Barney Calhoun is definitely not an unimportant character within the Half-Life-Universe but I don't really think he needed his own game in the series. The game is still fun but it doesn't feel that relevant to the story of Half-Life. It is still good though. Thank you Gearbox!
  2. mawwex
    Jul 19, 2023
    9
    Playing as barney is really fun and gives his character a lot of flair and a status similar to Gordons in HL2
  3. SomeoneYouKnew
    Jun 24, 2023
    10
    (spoilers to Half-life 1) Honestly, the game isn't worth the 5$ it sells for on steam. The game is only 4 hours and I finished it in a weekend afternoon. Some puzzles were somewhat confusing but overall the game was pretty easy. However I think that it works out in the end.
    Half-life specifically had Gordon Freeman as the main character because he was much more relatable then someone like    (spoilers to Half-life 1) Honestly, the game isn't worth the 5$ it sells for on steam. The game is only 4 hours and I finished it in a weekend afternoon. Some puzzles were somewhat confusing but overall the game was pretty easy. However I think that it works out in the end.
    Half-life specifically had Gordon Freeman as the main character because he was much more relatable then someone like the doom guy, but the further we go through the main story the less relatable he becomes, after all he's the main character. On another hand Calhoun is a blue collar worker with an undecided major that doesn't get to fight the thing holding up portals between realms. Calhoun is your average joe that doesn't get to do much stuff, the game doesn't even have all of the weapons from the original game available to the player. In the end he's just a security guard.
    Now I know that the game was probably made like this due to it just being a cash grab after the success of the opposing force but I did enjoy playing Blue-shift however if there is any way to get it for a lower price I would strongly advice to do that instead of paying the 5$.    … Expand
  4. DonldTrump_45Th
    Jan 26, 2023
    8
    Hello, this is a default review because i'm forced to use 75 characters. I'll edit this review in the future talking about the game, don't worry ;)

    My final rate is: 8
  5. Targaryen006
    Jan 21, 2023
    8
    RETRO
    Good Things(+)
    -gameplay
    -main story

    İt Could Be Better
    -chapters
    -puzzles

    Bad things(-)
    -none

    on record:4h
  6. LT_Gruber
    Jan 19, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great but very short expansion for Half-Life.

    I loved the second expansion, Half-Life: Blue Shift for the Half-Life series. It puts the player, once again, in a new perspective of the story, this time as a security guard at the Black Mesa facility. It got enhanced graphics, another piece of the plot and a fresh new experience.

    In this game, you play as the Barney Calhoun, a security guard for the Black Mesa facility. You ride the train to work, just like Gordon Freeman in the original game, and are sent to inspect a broken elevator with the mechanics. When inspecting, the elevator goes haywire and plummets to the bottom of the complex, with you inside it.

    You try to find your way back to the surface and suddenly hear the HECU forces attacking the facility. When arriving to the classification yard, you meet Dr. Rosenberg and his colleagues, who want to escape the facility using new teleporter technology. They sent you to a location from where you must find a pinpoint research device thingy so a teleport outside the Black Mesa facility can be made possible.

    You are searching for power cells to power up the teleporter device, while fighting Xen aliens and HECU forces. You make it back to Rosenberg and his buddies and they teleport themselves to safety. Just when Barney wants to enter the teleporter himself, the door is breached and HECU is entering the room, firing immediately on you. The teleporter explodes and you enter a state of “Harmonic reflux” in which you get sent all over the place, including the Xen world, Black Mesa locations and, the location where you see Gordon Freeman getting captured by HECU. Eventually, the teleporter gets stable again and you are teleported to the location of the escaped scientists. You than enter a SUV and call it a day.

    For some reason, Valve decided to enhance the graphics in this expansion. It looks beautiful and almost look like a HD remake of the original game. The weapon detail, the facial features of NPC’s, it is all really good. The animations and effects are also spot on. That came out of the blue (pun intended).

    Sound and control wise, the game still uses the same scheme from the original Half-Life game. In terms of weapons, it is just a small selection of weapons used in the original Half-Life game. All the fancy weapons from Half-Life: Opposing Force are not present sadly.

    The only downside to Half-Life: Blue Shift is, like mentioned before, its length. This game can be completed in less than four hours. It really felt like just another two levels. It is a shame really, considering the beautiful new look of the game. This expansion does also not add anything in terms of multiplayer.

    Even so, Half-Life Blue shift is still a great expansion and gives you a nice little story from yet another perspective.

    Definitely recommend it.    … Expand
  7. gracjanski
    Dec 2, 2022
    9
    a bit short, you will not need more than 4 hours. But the idea of playing a security guard was great.
  8. VyseHD
    Nov 28, 2022
    8
    hat mir gut gefallen, war ein sehr kurzes spiel aber ich fands echt geil, außerdem mein erster einstieg ins half life frachise
  9. Goiti_2002
    Nov 3, 2022
    8
    He tenido algún problema con el ratón al principio del juego, y el personaje en determinados momentos de la historia se quedaba atascado por culpa de algún bug. Pero por lo demás el juego es muy entretenido, corto y esta chula la perspectiva de la historia del half life.
  10. TimEngineer
    Feb 26, 2022
    10
    Играл в саму халф лайф и во все дополнения. Мне всё понравилось в Blue Shift было интереснее всего играть, когда я только познакомился с халф лайф моя первая часть была 2, и мне было непонятно кто такой Барни Калхуман. Вообщем мне понравилось. Недостатков в графике нет. как для начала 2000ныхИграл в саму халф лайф и во все дополнения. Мне всё понравилось в Blue Shift было интереснее всего играть, когда я только познакомился с халф лайф моя первая часть была 2, и мне было непонятно кто такой Барни Калхуман. Вообщем мне понравилось. Недостатков в графике нет. как для начала 2000ных
  11. petrkozak13
    Dec 12, 2021
    8
    A bit of a letdown in comparison to Opposing Force but still a great addition to the Half-Life universe.
  12. somerandomguyhx
    Aug 1, 2021
    8
    gotta be onest its very good but you shold just buy half life 1 or opposing force because this is basicly just a map pack
  13. AlexandrRosca
    Apr 16, 2021
    9
    Half-Life: Blue Shift | 2001 | VR | Played for: 5h

    Played for the first time in 2021 (two decades late to party) and did so in VR on Oculus Quest 2. It's hard to judge graphics and sound after all these years, but the level design and overall story connection is well thought out. Absolutely recommended for any HL fans who would like some extra information on the Black Mesa incident.    Half-Life: Blue Shift | 2001 | VR | Played for: 5h

    Played for the first time in 2021 (two decades late to party) and did so in VR on Oculus Quest 2.
    It's hard to judge graphics and sound after all these years, but the level design and overall story connection is well thought out.
    Absolutely recommended for any HL fans who would like some extra information on the Black Mesa incident.

    Overall the VR experience is really good and weapons aiming works really well.

    Story: 9/10
    Gameplay: 9/10
    Graphics/Physics: 8/10
    Music/Sound: 9,5/10
    Overall: 8,8/10    … Expand
  14. GODvaria
    Feb 1, 2021
    8
    Ну если касательно сюжета,то слабо в отличии от оригинала и Opossing Force.Геймплей дефолтный.
  15. Arbores
    Jan 26, 2021
    10
    Oynanış: 40/40
    Hikaye: 30/30
    Grafikler: 20/20
    Sesler ve Müzikler: 10/10
    Sonuç: 100/100
  16. eva3si0n
    Jan 16, 2021
    9
    Half-Life: Blue Shift is the shortest game in the series and does not have any gameplay changes relative to the original. But here there is a completed plot and it does not break off like a cliffhanger. And also only 1 meeting with G-Man, apparently to him in general, a joke at Barney. Half-Life: Blue Shift may seem the most boring and unnecessary part, but it is very important. It is sheHalf-Life: Blue Shift is the shortest game in the series and does not have any gameplay changes relative to the original. But here there is a completed plot and it does not break off like a cliffhanger. And also only 1 meeting with G-Man, apparently to him in general, a joke at Barney. Half-Life: Blue Shift may seem the most boring and unnecessary part, but it is very important. It is she who connects the first and second parts. It takes place in one breath in 2 hours, allowing you to enjoy the already outdated but still excellent gameplay of the original.… Expand
  17. mr-NachoMen
    Jan 23, 2020
    8
    Half-Life: Blue Shift is an stand alone expansion for the original game, even that it didn't do any major improvement aside from the more detailed character models, it manage to be better than the original game.
    In this short campaign... an it is very short... with a length of 2 hrs max, we play as a blue shift security guard as he fights his way through black mesa to escape.
    Somehow    Half-Life: Blue Shift is an stand alone expansion for the original game, even that it didn't do any major improvement aside from the more detailed character models, it manage to be better than the original game.
    In this short campaign... an it is very short... with a length of 2 hrs max, we play as a blue shift security guard as he fights his way through black mesa to escape.
    Somehow this game is a little less a pain in the ass like the original game, and the difficulty is a little bit more balance, making encounters less painful. Death is inevitable, but fells less frustrating. Even that most of the time you will be in sewers and closed areas, the level design stills pretty solid with amazing lighting and shadowing, unfortunately... the game is pretty dark, you will be walking in pitch darkness most of the time this due that most of the environments takes places in air docks and sewers and the flash light is not that great. Platformed sections are still pretty bad and annoying, but at least those are not that often.
    Combat feels more fluent than in the first game... and... well... i feel blue shift more "lineal" in it's design but... well... it was a good experience. I was a little skeptical about playing this one, because i didn't like that much Half-Life 1, but... i did like this entry, now, i just have to find out how opposing forces works and then how Half-Life 2 works.    … Expand
  18. gold
    Sep 21, 2019
    9
    Идеальное дополнение из-за длины и лёгкой сложности. А в общем без изменений: графика, интересность сюжета.
  19. NightElves
    Mar 3, 2019
    8
    Another masterpiece and second expansion to Half-Life, very short but still good. You are now Barney Calhoun, a security guard. In Half-Life you see him knocking on the door with a flashlight in the other hand, I think. I believe you see him in the beginning of the train part
  20. Panica3643D
    Jun 16, 2018
    8
    Неплохая игра о тех же событиях, но от лица другого персонажа. Жаль, что такая короткая.
  21. LasPlays
    Mar 1, 2018
    8
    La verdad que no hay mucho que decir sobre esta exp del Half life, pero se podría decir que esta muy bien echa yo me la pase muy bien es igual que el original pero cambiado y un poco mas mejorado, me gusto mucho tener la oportunidad de jugar esta joya.
  22. iddqd4
    Jan 23, 2018
    8
    Возвращение в Черную Мезу, только под углом другого персонажа. Достаточно качественная добавка.
  23. AstiX
    Sep 3, 2017
    10
    Heaps of fun! It's a bit short, but the length suits its storyline. It's simple in a clever way and feels much more action-packed and fast-paced than the previous Half-Lifes. The plot takes a more realistic approach and we get some nice perspective on how the scientists handled themselves after the accident.
  24. Captain_Chaos
    Dec 7, 2016
    8
    Though I prefer Opposing Force overall, Blue Shift was nonetheless a fun addon that delivered the same quality gameplay as the rest of the Half-Life series. Everyone loves Barney, right? I mean, I like him.
  25. npc_barney
    Oct 18, 2016
    10
    I think Blue Shift is better than Opposing Force. Yes, I'm serious. OK, first of all, Blue Shift has a much better level design than Opposing Force and Half-Life 1. The facility feels actually alive this time, you know, basketball courts, laundry rooms with arcade machines, cafeterias... Also, Blue Shift feels more like "Half-Life" than Opposing Force. Opposing Force feels like an anotherI think Blue Shift is better than Opposing Force. Yes, I'm serious. OK, first of all, Blue Shift has a much better level design than Opposing Force and Half-Life 1. The facility feels actually alive this time, you know, basketball courts, laundry rooms with arcade machines, cafeterias... Also, Blue Shift feels more like "Half-Life" than Opposing Force. Opposing Force feels like an another military shooter like Call of Duty or Battlefield. Blue Shift's protagonist, Barney Calhoun, is better than Opposing Force's protagonist, Adrian Shephard, because Barney was just an ordinary security guard whose been trying to escape from the facility as soon is he can, after the incident, of course. But Adrian is a trained H.E.C.U. Marine whose been sent to the Black Mesa for a military coverup. Blue Shift's ending was very different compared to the other Half-Life games, while the Opposing Force's ending was almost exactly same as Half-Life 1's ending. Sure, Blue Shift was short, and there wasn't a "final boss", and it didn't add some new cool stuff like new weapons, enemies etc. like Opposing Force did. I mean, both of them are awesome, but I personally enjoyed Blue Shift more than Opposing Force.… Expand
  26. Zebunker
    Jul 14, 2015
    8
    Being a cop always seems like a fallback job. Sure, you wanted to be a doctor but studying really is not your thing. After you got out of the military your thirst for killing innocent people has no place in the modern workplace. How do you write that on a resume anyways? Come to Black Mesa, you can kill stuff and we won’t ask too many questions.

    That’s exactly what you get to in this    Being a cop always seems like a fallback job. Sure, you wanted to be a doctor but studying really is not your thing. After you got out of the military your thirst for killing innocent people has no place in the modern workplace. How do you write that on a resume anyways? Come to Black Mesa, you can kill stuff and we won’t ask too many questions.

    That’s exactly what you get to in this spin-off / sequel to the amazing Half-Life. Just how amazing Half-Life was is being lost over time but it was really the big push for modern FPS games. This spin-off is a bit more of the same that was in Half-Life. But this cop adventure preys more on nostalgia of Half-Life. It’s billed as a new adventure, when much of the game is just re-used from the original.

    You play as Barney, the loveable cop who makes an appearance later in Half-Life 2. This is his story, how he came to be. Well, not really. If you took just the action scenes from Half-Life and threw away the story and cut-scenes this is what you get. It’s a short adventure that allows you much faster to start shooting things. It’s an alternate perspective on how the start of the main games story unfolds. Seeing things from a different character and the cameos are really the highlights.

    It’s a fun romp for a few hours, but much like security guards it’s not as prestigious or exciting as the real deal. Still beats watching re-runs of Cops on late night TV. Stay safe out their gamers. And remember swatting is a serious yet hilarious crime.    … Expand
  27. debigman
    May 15, 2014
    9
    A good expansion for a good old game. This comes with the half-life complete pack, which is $10 when it goes on sale. This adds 8-10 hours to your enjoyment of half-life.
  28. tapittuco
    Nov 5, 2013
    9
    -1/10
    i expected a doughnut simulator but all i got was green-flavored aliens.
    misleading cover.

    nah, but although it was, well IS plagued with more bugs than an apartment complex in queens, it still tells an interesting story and manages to expand the half-life universe.
  29. overfiend87
    Aug 7, 2013
    8
    I love this edition as it adds more to the Half-life story on the otherside as a security guard. You might not think much, but this addition has had the same TLC as the main game itself.
  30. MasteRR
    May 3, 2013
    9
    Like the first expansion, Blue Shift told the same story from the perspective of a security guard called Barney Calhoun, who's also pinned down in the facility during the incident.

    Unfortunately, unlike Opposing Force, Blue Shift only re-tells the original story through a different perspective, featuring significantly fewer new characters, but has more location, and the Xen is    Like the first expansion, Blue Shift told the same story from the perspective of a security guard called Barney Calhoun, who's also pinned down in the facility during the incident.

    Unfortunately, unlike Opposing Force, Blue Shift only re-tells the original story through a different perspective, featuring significantly fewer new characters, but has more location, and the Xen is relatively more explored than in Opposing Force, when Shephard enters the borderworld only several times, and very short, while Barney explores more places, and eventually uses some technology put by the science team from Black Mesa there, to solve puzzles.

    Also, the game unfortunately doesn't feature more guns like Opposing Force did, and it also lacks of a multiplayer, which makes Blue Shift a bit lower in quality like the first expansion.

    But like before, neither this things make the game bad, and is still enjoyable and memorable.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Best PC Game of 2001
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Gamer's Pulse
    80
    A nice return to a classic game scenario, but is far too short and fails to bring anything new to the series. While playing Blue Shift was fun, I would compare the experience to eating Chinese food. No sooner had I finished, than I wanted more.
    Read full review
  2. Yahoo!
    60
    As it stands, it's almost in the realm of the type of content you expect to freely download.
    Read full review
  3. Happy Puppy
    80
    Just know that you're in for a short ride that will leave you yearning for a full-fledged sequel.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »