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Half-Life: Blue Shift

EMAIL PRINT pc

8.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 19 critic reviews
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Based on 323 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sierra Studios

Developer: Gearbox Software

Genre(s): Action

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: June 12, 2001

Summary

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.")

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Half-Life Half-Life 2 Half-Life: Counter-Strike

Cheat Codes & Hints: Adrenaline Vault Cheat Code Central Game Revolution GamePro GameSpot GameSpot Guide IGN PC Gameworld

Also On The Web: Official Website Planet Half-Life

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...

GameZone

Bottom Line is, although it is flawed this game still kicks major ass with steel tipped boot.

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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.

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2404.org

The Music that runs off the Blue-Shift CD. It kicks in at the worst times, and resembles circus music.

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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.

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Happy Puppy

Just know that you're in for a short ride that will leave you yearning for a full-fledged sequel.

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FiringSquad

Too short to justify its current MSRP.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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GameSpy

If you don't own "Opposing Force," get it. If you do, then don't expect a repeat performance.

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GamerWeb PC

Short but sweet.

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Electric Playground

Beyond the HD pack, nothing has been done to evolve the game as a whole.

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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.

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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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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.

Yahoo! Games

As it stands, it's almost in the realm of the type of content you expect to freely download.

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Maxim Online

Stevie Wonder could breeze through this first-person shooter in under five hours.

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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.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 323 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

T. Det. gave it a7:
Half-Life: Blue Shift does kick ass, but besides the High Def. Pack and you getting to play a Barney, this game is way too short and is a weak edition to the franchise. I beat the entire game in 1 hour! If your a Half-Life fan like me, you will be pretty disappointed when you get down to it. In the beginning, you are just trying to get out of Black Mesa, and about 1/2 way through, you get into the important plot, but it all ends right after it. Bottom line, it is a very weak expansion to the franchise, and it is way too expensive considering how short it is.

Sumone!!! gave it a0:
NO, no, no! This is all wrong! Half-life was a great game I loved it! Then, here come Opposing force! It was great. I loved killing enemies as the marines! It great to play the bad guys sometimes. Then, OH MY GOD! I bought Half-life: Blue Shift and was expecting great things! I played it straight till I beat the game. The bad part was...it took me only 40 minutes. In less then 1 hour I have played the worst game in the half life series. It was just a attempt to make more money of the original half life series. I hope they learn from this.

Zyler gave it a10:
Half-Life: Blueshift was, and still is, a marvelous edition to the franchise. Many may call this game weak and disappointing, but this game provided just the experience needed to complete the story. This classic First Person Shooter, as in the original Half-Life, has challenging AI and great playable levels. I do admit that many parts to this expansion can leave you helpless as you try for extensive amounts of time trying to figure out how to progress throughout the story, but hard puzzles and mysteries are exactly what I expect from the Half-Life series. Showing the game from just a common point of view, rather than a god-like superhero like Gordon Freeman, adds to the overall intensity that the Half-Life series. Even with minor flaws and a depressingly short storyline, this expansion proved to be a worthy edition to the Half-Life franchise.

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.

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Half-Life: Blue Shift

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