Mom's Minute

Scene from Black Mesa

On this day to volunteer and to provide service, it is fitting to recognize a volunteer video game group working to develop a game.  That video game is Black Mesa.

This game is being crafted by a group composed completely of volunteers.  If you have played this game, you may be able to sense the amount of work and creativity that went into reimaging the original game, Half-Life, to a game that has more detail, yet sticks with the source material.

Black Mesa 

In this game, there are characters and enemies that you encounter that are from Half-Life.  However, the developers have gone a step further and provided more modernized gameplay as well as shorter sections to reduce repetitions. Additionally,  during gameplay, you will spend less time crawling around in vents.  The chapter set in the alien world is missing, and may be added later.  The volunteer development group working on this video game is called the Black Mesa Modification Team.

Black Mesa

Unfortunately, this game has been in development by the team for some time now -- currently more than eight years.  The revamping of the original 14 year old title, Half-Life, does not appear to be an overnight feat. In fact,  due to its extended development time, some gamers are comparing this game to Duke Nukem Forever.

The initial release of the game occurred on September 14, 2012, which consisted of chapters from Half-Life except for those set in the alien nation. It is playable on the PC and is available as a free download from Steam.

A specific date for the final version of the game was unavailable at press time. Hopefully the all volunteer development team will release a final version soon.