Kyle McColl

Wow the site seems to be pretty quiet the mo - where have all the bloggers gone? I'm missing all those great blog posts everyone posts! Hope you're all well and having a blast gaming around the world!

I thought that I'd do another Half Life mod blog, showing off some more delights that are out there for HL players to enjoy! You've gotta love the mod scene - no wonder Half Life is one of the best PC games of all time!

Absolute Redemption
I remember this was one of the first mods I ever got for the game, and I didn't understand it right off the bat. It was very cool looking but I was still a new HL player at that point and was just lost completely and gave up on it. A few years ago I finally got round to playing it again and I'm amazed at just how good the mod is.

The premise is that you're employed by the G-Man and you have to rescue Xen crystals from several locations to save the Xenians from a alien race called the Zan. There's a wide variety of locations and a good few challenges throughout, it has to be said. The opening sets the scene really well and gets you prepared for the joys ahead. A brilliant Half Life mod and is more than worth a download!

http://www.moddb.com/mods/absolute-redemption

Case Closed
While not too special by any means, I thought it was more than a fun distraction from the usual HL storyline. Playing a as a janitor in the Black Mesa Facility, you get caught up in the Resonance Cascade and have to try and escape the facility by any means necessary. It's a pretty simple game for the most part, with the odd good challenge thrown in. I especially like how several HL locales are used throughout the title as little easter eggs for HL lovers. It'll keep you busy for a few hours but don't expect the world.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/caseclosed

Heart of Evil
This mod I love and hate at the same time - it is fiendishly difficult in places and unforgiving in others. At the same time it has one of the most inspired plotlines of any Half Life mod, with just a little bit of humor thrown in. Basically this game is Apocalypse Now mixed with Half Life - the Vietnam setting and renegade general are here, along with plenty of zombies as the game progresses. Their introduction is actually memorable and scary, rivalling Half Life for great introduction of zombies.

What I will say, having completed the mod is that it has one of the most frustrating endings I've seen in a mod. I won't give it away but you'll see what I mean. Still a great mod though, download and enjoy!

http://www.moddb.com/mods/heart-of-evil

Timeline Series
Finding a trilogy of mods for any game that are as good as the original game is a rarity, but this series is close to the mark in terms of ambition and pure amount of gameplay. Playing as Freeman again, you're tasked with stopping Hitler and the Nazis from using Black Mesa's portal systems to take over the world. And that's just the first title, but they come around again throughout.

This game is so ambitious that I can't really explain it all here - there's so many locales, storyline elements and timeline zones that it wouldn't be fair to try and cram them all into one post here. Simply put, it's a little graphically daft in places but is still one of the best Half Life mods ever made - fact!

It's also very difficult as you progress so don't be surprised if you're trying to find a walkthrough as you reach the later stages! Without a doubt, if you're a Half Life owner, you must try out this mod!

http://www.moddb.com/mods/timeline-series

Night At The Office
A full conversion of Half Life, this mod takes place in a skyscraper where terrorists have decided to attack the building and rob the safe. You're trapped on one of the highest floors, and the building is unale to signal for help to the Police or other people. Your goal ultimately is to escape the building alive, while finding out exactly what the terrorists want with the company.

The new selection of weapons are basically rehashes of those in Half Life, barring the more exotic alien weaponry and Black Mesa creations. The fact you have to carry the flashlight as a weapon adds to the realism aspect of the game. There's full voice acting, new character models and a surprisingly complex game to play here. It's not as easy as it looks at first glance.

There's also three different endings, though I won't spoil those for you - have a play of the mod as discover them for yourself!

http://www.moddb.com/mods/night-at-the-office

Chemical Existence
A mod that divides opinions of Half Life players the world over, Chemical Existence was one of the first mods to come around on the scene that had a full plot that had nothing to do with Black Mesa or Gordon Freeman. Coming across as a bit neo-noir, with a lot of black shadows, the game involves the discovery of a group of people intent on polluting the Earth. At least that's what I took away from it.

It's kinda disturbing in places, and the crude graphics don't help out there. I do think this is a solid effort though and doesn't entirely deserve the criticisms levelled at it. It isn't a mod for everyone though, but with full voice acting, new weapons and some pretty scary stuff in-between, it's worth a shot!

http://www.moddb.com/mods/chemical-existence

There's plenty of other great mods out there for Half Life, but I'm afraid those will 'half' to wait until the next blog post! (Sorry for the bad pun, it started as a spelling error but I decided to keep it ^^). In the meantime, download these mods and have a blast with HL again!

On a side note, when the hell with Half Life 2: Episode 3 actually arrive - it's taking forever!! I want to play it so much! At least we've got Portal 2 to look forward to - that looks like it will be a brilliant title for us to enjoy!