| Half-life: Blue Shift |
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''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' is the second Security Guard Barney Calhoun . As Barney, the player attempts to escape the alien invasion caused by the resonance cascade and the ensuing military Cover-up . ''Blue Shift'' has now been released via Steam and anyone with ''Half-Life'', or the Silver or Gold packs of ''Half-Life 2'' may download Blue Shift for free. OVERVIEW The ''Blue Shift'' package offers the "Half-Life High-Definition Pack" as an option at the time of install. The pack includes updated 3D character, weapon and item models, often increasing the Polygon count 10-fold over the 1998 originals. The U.S. ''Blue Shift'' release includes the full version of ''Opposing Force'', but the international edition has multiplayer-only ''Opposing Force CTF''. ''Blue Shift'' started out first as a part of the ''Half-Life'' Sega Dreamcast Port . Due to Sega pulling the plug on the Dreamcast, this version was cancelled (although the Dreamcast ''Half-Life'' port has since been leaked onto the Internet , with both ''Half-Life'' and ''Blue Shift'' fully playable). Gearbox then turned the project into a standalone product; unlike ''Opposing Force'', it does not require the original ''Half-Life''. Although fans of ''Half-Life'' were eager to play more of their beloved game, many complained that ''Blue Shift'' did not measure up to the high standards set by the ''Opposing Force'' expansion. Although the game features new levels in a (relatively short) new campaign, there is no actual new content such as new weapons or enemies. The only new content is Dr. Rosenberg , a Black Mesa scientist who has his own unique character model and plays a major role in the story, and alternate scientist and security guard models wearing civilian attire. ''Blue Shift'' reviews were very poor in comparison to other games in the series. As of August 24 , 2005 , ''Blue Shift'' is now available to download via the Steam content delivery program. Anyone who owns the original ''Half-Life'', including those who bought the ''Half-Life 2'' silver or gold packages (thus, having access to the back catalogue) can download it for free. The High-Definition Pack is also available via Steam . However, the Steam port suffers from numerous issues, most probably because the GoldSrc engine used in the game has been changed, preventing ''Blue Shift'' maps from being correctly played. Additionally, the Steam port omits the fixes from the ''Blue Shift'' patch that prevent known map and model glitches. As an aside, in a break with the style of the original version, the GUI colour is the standard ''Half-Life'' orange, not ''Blue Shift'' blue. A Third-party mod, ''Blue Shift Unlocked'' , addresses these issues and can successfully patch files from either a CD or Steam version of ''Blue Shift''. PLOT Barney Calhoun, a low-ranking security guard in Black Mesa, is responsible for maintaining security in a cavernous underground sector of the facility. At the time of the resonance cascade, Calhoun is trapped in an ''), advises Calhoun that the entire facility is surrounded by Marines intent upon killing all base personnel to cover-up Black Mesa's research into extradimensional exploration. The only way to escape, Rosenberg explains, is to use an old Prototype of the Lambda Complex teleporter; if it works, they can reach an obscure entrance to Black Mesa which (hopefully) has been overlooked by the Marines. The remainder of the game takes place in an abandoned, walled-up sector of the base originally built for research of the first teleporter device. Calhoun, Rosenberg, and two other scientists (Walter Bennet and Simmons) try to restart the prototype teleporter. Calhoun is briefly teleported to a ruined human research camp on Xen to operate a Triangulation device. Upon his return, Calhoun fights off Marines and aliens while the three scientists teleport out of the facility. Calhoun experiences a brief malfunction while teleporting: he is quickly "zapped" through different locations across Black Mesa and is imbued with a green glow. Finally, he returns safely to the remote facility entrance where he and the three scientists escape in a Black Mesa SUV. At several points during ''Blue Shift'', Calhoun almost meets the protagonist of ''Half-Life'', , Calhoun also sees Freeman heading towards the H.E.V. Storage Area from the surveillance room; during the ending sequence of ''Blue Shift'', Calhoun sees Freeman being dragged by H.E.C.U. soldiers towards a trash compactor. ''Blue Shift'' is the shortest game in the ''Half-Life'' series, with all the events taking place immediately after the resonance cascade. ''Blue Shift'' is also arguably the most disturbing — as most of the events take place on the surface in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the player sees first-hand the panic of the Black Mesa personnel as they desperately try to flee the facility by any means necessary. It is interesting to note that aside from the '', ''Blue Shift'' is arguably the only HL1-based game with a "happy ending". At the end of ''Half-Life'', Gordon Freeman is Conscripted by the mysterious G-Man , and ''Opposing Force'''s Adrian Shephard is indefinitely detained by the same individual to ensure his silence. However, in ''Blue Shift'', Barney and his three scientist companions escape Black Mesa and the scrutiny of the G-Man, whose brief report suggests he deems them too insignificant to bother further monitoring or eliminating. At least two other scientists, Dr. Isaac Kleiner and Dr. Eli Vance , also escape from Black Mesa; in '' Half-Life 2 '', together with Calhoun, they form the bedrock of the resistance movement in City 17. CHAPTERS
SOUNDTRACK ''Blue Shift'' did not have its own original soundtrack as ''Opposing Force'' did. In the US release of the game, which came bundled with a full, standalone version of ''Opposing Force'', the ''Opposing Force'' music was played during the game. The European release, which only came with a stripped multiplayer-version of ''Opposing Force'', did not contain any music tracks, so nothing was played during gameplay. In the Steam version of ''Blue Shift'', the ''Half-Life'' soundtrack is played. This was most likely the original intent as this is the music that was used in its initial Dreamcast form. The ''Opposing Force'' soundtrack, listed below, is credited to Chris Jensen . EXTERNAL LINKS
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