Shifting Into High Gear
Blue-Shift is a spin-off of the original Half-Life game. It takes place in the same time period and even crosses paths with some of the events the Half-Life protagonist, Gordon Freeman, took part in. You play the role of Barney, one of the many expendable security guards that work deep below the surface in the secret Black Mesa research laboratory. All heck breaks loose and Barney tries to get everyone he can to safety. It's through Barney's efforts that major scientists like Eisner and Kliner survive to be in Half-Life 2. Thanks for nothing, Gordon. The game is a little harder than the original Half-Life, both in terms of combat and puzzle solving. The only flaw I can think of is that the engine is looking a little dated, there is no Blue Shift Source, and it's a bit short. The end comes about rather suddenly and there wasn't even any end boss fight. I was actually surprised. When all heck breaks loose and plan A doesn't work, we moved on to plan B, when that didn't work, plan C, and things just weren't going my way, I really had no expectation that the final plan would work and that the game was going to end when it did. It's a nice side story that gives a little more personality and insight to the rest of the characters in the Half-Life universe. If you're a Half-Life fan, you owe it to yourself to play Blue Shift.
