Blue Shift Review

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I actually like Blue Shift far more than Half-Life.  Probably because it didn't overstay its welcome with five sewer levels and two hours of Xen.  Blue Shift manages to be a short but sweet game experience by taking everything that was interesting and fun about the original Half-Life and, for the most part, leaving out the things people hated.  With the exception of one of the biggest problems people had with HL1, Xen.
While nowhere near as long winded as in the original Half-Life, Blue Shift's trip to Xen at the midpoint of the game only highlights the many reasons why it was so deservedly reviled.  A sudden and complete change in how the game physics work will cause confusion in even veteran players of the franchise, and having to relearn how the jump mechanics work and what jumps you can or can't make in the always incredibly platforming heavy Xen landscapes just causes frustration.

Returning to the dilapidated laboratory of Dr. Rosenberg after completing the Xen segment of Blue Shift comes as a massive relief, but for all the wrong reasons.  There's no feeling of urgency to escape from the alien landscape of Xen to the familiar surroundings of Black Mesa out of the kind of unsettling atmosphere that Gearbox or even Valve were clearly going for.  Instead of feeling tense and alone in an intimidating alien place, players simply want to escape the frankly terrible mechanics of Xen and return to the more enjoyable puzzle solving and navigation found throughout Black Mesa.

Combat-wise, Blue Shift suffers all of the classic HL1 problems.  Damage sponge enemies feel unsatisfying and most weapons are laughably useless against the HECU Marines even on medium difficulty.  The various Xen creatures one encounters feel much more satisfying, and weapons feel like they do more reliable damage against them.  Unfortunately, the player spends most of Blue Shift fighting the HECU, which can make the game feel frustrating at points where it really shouldn't.

There are a few points where the game will spawn something behind you, but it never feels nearly as cheap as the original Half-Life's constant teleportation spam of enemies.  What does feel cheap is the placement of headcrabs.  Gearbox has only one note when it comes to headcrabs, if you see a dark hallway, expect at least two if not more headcrabs to come hurtling out of the darkness at you.  They repeat this same tired jumpscare over and over so many times that it eventually just becomes irritating.  They only break from this tactic once during the Xen segment, and that one occasion is in and of itself pretty silly.

While these problems do exist, Blue Shift is so short that they really don't harm the overall experience as much as they do the original Half-Life, which while a killer app in its day, hasn't aged well.  It's interesting to note that many things present in Blue Shift, such as an increased emphasis on environmental interaction and character, eventually became a large part of what made Half-Life 2 so well received after its debut, along with greatly improved combat and no Xen stages at all.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a highlight reel of what made Half-Life 1 so popular back in the day, it's hard to go wrong with Blue Shift.  The game, only lasts for just long enough for you to get what the classic gameplay of HL1 was all about, and doesn't overstay it's welcome like the original could.  Reluctant as I am to say this considering Gearbox's recent incredibly botched offering to/mangling of Aliens canon, I have to give Blue Shift a recommendation.

As an aside, I find it darkly hilarious that both Blue Shift and Colonial Marines feature the protagonist shooting at humans the majority of the time during a massive alien infestation of an expansive faraway facility.  Gearbox may be one note, but they are absolutely dedicated to that one note.