For those who weren't around to experience it for the first time, 1998's Half-Life was something of a game changer when it came to the first-person genre. With it being one of the best FPS games of the 1990s, it not only pushed the genre into new territories, but it also skyrocketed its developer, Valve, into overnight success. At this point, it's pretty much been accepted by the fan base that the series is dead in the water, with still no sign of a third installment. However, there's no harm in going back to mod the original, as these people did.
Taking 13 years to develop, a group of modders calling themselves Hazard Team have put out a brand-new add-on for the 24-year-old game. Called "Field Intensity," it tells the story of Half-Life, but from the perspective of the soldiers who raid the facility. In total, the mod is said to have between five and ten hours worth of gameplay, spread across 34 maps.
If the premise sounds familiar to those who recall the original, it's because it takes place roughly around the time of the Half-Life DLC Opposing Force which tasks players with taking on the role of Adrian Shephard as the marines move in to cover up the Black Mesa disaster and capture Gordon Freeman. However, where Field Intensity differs is that it apparently fills in some gaps in this story. According to a report from PC Gamer, Hazard Team's mod occurs sometime between when Shepherd falls unconscious and when the events of the main story begin.
It's fascinating that people are still bringing new content to the beloved FPS. It shows just how much it's stood the test of time, and how much fans are committed to keeping the memory alive. There's even a mod coming out which implements ray-tracing in Half-Life, essentially giving it a bit of a lighting makeover to make it look better as, if truth be known, the original has now aged somewhat.
While a Half-Life 3 is almost certainly not happening, which is unfortunate in itself, the first two games are classics with great gameplay and interesting narratives. The original may be almost a quarter of a century old at this point, but evidently, there is still a dedicated modding community that is pumping out new content. It's amazing that Hazard Team has spent the past 13 years working on the mod, and it's apparently really good.
Half-Life was released in 1998 for PC, with ports to PS2, OS X and Linux.