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Half-Life: Blue Shift pc Game Reviews
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Critic Score
Metascore: 71 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.8 out of 10
based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 164 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

We're back in the Black Mesa compound yet again for the second "official" expansion for 1998's groundbreaking first-person shooter "Half-Life." Take the role of security guard Barney Calhoun who, like Gordon Freeman, is given the task of wiping out every nasty extraterrestrial or misled soldier who crosses his path. (Also includes the first HL expansion pack "Opposing Force.")

PUBLISHER: Sierra Studios
DEVELOPER: Gearbox Software
GENRE(S): Action
PLAYERS: 16
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2001

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
GameZone
Bottom Line is, although it is flawed this game still kicks major ass with steel tipped boot.
Read Full Review
88
TotalGames.net
Put it this way - if this is your first go of a Half Life game, prepare to be shocked by the AI of these guys.
Read Full Review
80
2404.org
The Music that runs off the Blue-Shift CD. It kicks in at the worst times, and resembles circus music.
Read Full Review
80
Gamer's Pulse
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
80
Happy Puppy
Just know that you're in for a short ride that will leave you yearning for a full-fledged sequel.
Read Full Review
75
FiringSquad
Too short to justify its current MSRP.
Read Full Review
74
Game Over Online
The thing that ultimately forces me to give it a low rating is how damnably short it is – the game ending just as you are starting to get involved in the plot.
Read Full Review
72
Gamezilla!
Without a more engaging gameplay style or any innovation (aside from the High Definition pack), I don’t see Blue Shift as being a strong expansion.
Read Full Review
70
IGN
A lot of fun, but it was just over too quick. It's certainly worth taking a look at if you're a fan of Half-Life, but you better keep your eyes open, because if you blink you may miss it.
Read Full Review
70
GameSpot
The bad news is that Blue Shift, the actual game, doesn't amount to much on its own terms. The good news is that the revamped graphics and the inclusion of Opposing Force make the retail package a lot more worthwhile.
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70
GameSpy
If you don't own "Opposing Force," get it. If you do, then don't expect a repeat performance.
Read Full Review
70
GamerWeb PC
Short but sweet.
Read Full Review
70
Electric Playground
Beyond the HD pack, nothing has been done to evolve the game as a whole.
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68
ActionTrip
The puzzles are your standard - "push-lever-break-thing-press-button" type of brain crackers, which will be about as challenging to a HL veteran as… well okay, some of them are somewhat inventive, but on aggregate they'd only be interesting to the DC crowd I guess.
Read Full Review
67
Game Revolution
While the game looks better than "Half-Life" did before the 1.1.0.6 patch, the engine does nothing new or revolutionary and comes off as fairly dated. Don't expect any amazing solar effects or vast open areas with incredible viewing distances.
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62
GamePower
If you've never played "Half-Life" or "Opposing Force," you'll be blissfully unaware that Blue Shift has the same weapons, the same monsters, and the same basic cast of characters. But it's still a blast to play.
60
Yahoo! Games
As it stands, it's almost in the realm of the type of content you expect to freely download.
Read Full Review
60
Maxim Online
Stevie Wonder could breeze through this first-person shooter in under five hours.
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50
Adrenaline Vault
Essentially a graphics enhancement pack bundled with a short single-player campaign and a title many have already played, all for around 20 dollars after rebate.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 164 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Hugo S. gave it a9:
Nice game altought .. it's not really for the graphs or anything like this but for the storyline.. its makes a different view of Gordon Freeman's Universe.

Ben W. gave it a9:
I thought this deserved more than a 7.9 All of the half life games especially the original series are a work of art, and playing through the similar story in black mesa as different character roles really made it interesting.

Scott S. gave it a6:
You can't go wrong with half-life, yet blue shift does kinda leave you hanging with a short gameplay. But it does have its advanteges, the enhance pack and opposing force+opposing force capture the flag. who know barney calhoun, such a minor roll in half life 1, could play such a big roll in half life 2?

Kent H. gave it a5:
Unfortunetly, this games reeks of "cash-in". It's way too short, and the severe lack of diversity of weapons is highly disappointing. It did, however, provide some interesting insight into the Half - life story and showed some background of Barney Calhoun. It is merely Half - life, without the weapons, length or charms. It is, in it's own right, a decent game though.

Nick N. gave it a4:
Possibly the biggest let-down in gaming history. While it may still have some of the qualities of the original half-life, the irritating and confusing levels in this short game, along with the boring ending that isn't even really a "climax" at all, ruins Blue Shift completely. Something worth mentioning is that you have LESS weapons than in the original half-life. Not having any new weapons is already dissapointing enough, but to actually take away weapons in an expansion pack is really disappointing, especially coming from such a great company as Valve.

William K. gave it a3:
Half Life: Blueshift was just an attempt to get more money off the Half Life franchise. It's a weak attempt at creating an expansion, and it is hardly a "must have". As an FPS it's just loke good old Half Life, but storywise it is dull, boring and repeatative. In short: stay away from this game unless you're dying to get your hands on an old FPS.

Andrew B. gave it a9:
A solid shooter that runs well on older machines, Blue shift was the last gasp for my dell notebook. True it runs about the same route as half life, but that's to be expected. They are after all, variations on the same story. The difference is, in blue shift you can actually escape the insidious G-man.

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