Half-Life Blue Shift was developed by Gearbox Software and released in 2001.
It is the second and final expansion for Half-Life.

Originally intended as a simple little add-on for the Dreamcast version of Half-Life,
Blue Shift was ported to PC after SEGA abandoned their console.
This eventful development explains the lack of anything really new in the game compared with the first two.

Barney Calhoun leads a quiet life as a security guard at Black Mesa.
He looks after the safety of the staff, manages the surveillance cameras and does a little maintenance here and there.
One day, he's called in to try and solve a minor lift breakdown so that the scientists can use it.
Then disaster struck in the anomalous materials lab.
The elevator falls several floors and crashes dozens of meters below.
Barney escapes unharmed, but has to deal with unforeseen consequences.
The science experiment gone wrong causes an alien invasion,
and the soldiers who are supposed to kill the aliens,
also take down the Black Mesa personnel.
Dr Rosenberg and his team of scientists must be helped to repair an old teleporter,
which remains the only hope of escape from Black Mesa.

The puzzles are conventional, albeit pleasant, while the combat is very classic but effective,
since it's no different from Half-Life.
That said, it's always fun to visit previously unexplored parts of Black Mesa.

Scientists and fellow Security Guards will help Barney progress, as in previous games.
Apart from Rosenberg who is an important character, no new scientist or security guard models are introduced.

As for the bestiary, the creatures are the same as in Half-Life.
Headcrabs, Zombies, Bullsquids, Alien Controllers, Alien Grunts,
Houndeyes and Vortigaunts are once again the only alien enemies to fight.
The Race X aliens that appeared in Opposing Force are not reintroduced in Blue Shift.
Forget the Pit Drones, Shock Troopers and Voltigores,
which would have been perfectly at home in the game.
But the battle-hardened H.E.C.U. soldiers are still out to get you,
unlike the Black Ops, who are nowhere to be seen.

Calhoun isn't lucky enough to have Gordon Freeman's H.E.V. Suit,
or Adrian Shephard's P.C.V..
As a security guard, Barney is required to wear his regulation bulletproof vest and helmet.
This renders the H.E.V. terminals unusable, but that doesn't stop Barney from going to Xen!

When it comes to weapons, Blue Shift keeps things simple.
All the weaponry comes from the first Half-Life,
but biological and experimental weapons are left out.
Weapons are limited to a pistol, an M16 (or MP5), a SPAS-12,
a .357 Magnum, Grenades and C4.
Barney's only tool is the Crowbar, although Gearbox could have given him a personal melee weapon. How about a police baton, for example?

The soundtrack comes from Opposing Force, Nothing was composed for Blue Shift.

Blue Shift is famous in the Half-Life community,
for bringing the "Half-Life High Definition Pack".
This is a set of higher-quality models replacing weapons and characters from Half-Life, Opposing Force and Blue Shift.
Although it is optional and can be activated via the options menu, the HD Pack is much underappreciated.
Despite Gearbox's good will, the game still looks kinda old in 2001,
compared with games like Halo Combat Evolved or GTA III.

Half-Life Blue Shift is a relatively pleasant game to play,
but it's too short and not very innovative.
In fact, it feels like a regression compared to Half-Life and Opposing Force.
Its lack of originality is offset by some intense combat and well-thought-out puzzles,
but there's nothing really exceptional about it.
Fans of Valve's games will undoubtedly appreciate Blue Shift,
which serves as the conclusion to the GoldSrc era of Half-Life games.
To think that Half-Life 2 was still in development at the time...

Half-Life Blue Shift was developed by Gearbox Software and released in 2001. It is the second and final expansion for Half-Life. Originally intended as a simple little add-on for the Dreamcast version of Half-Life, Blue Shift was ported to PC after SEGA abandoned their console. This eventful development explains the lack of anything really new in the game compared with the first two. Barney Calhoun leads a quiet life as a security guard at Black Mesa. He looks after the safety of the staff, manages the surveillance cameras and does a little maintenance here and there. One day, he's called in to try and solve a minor lift breakdown so that the scientists can use it. Then disaster struck in the anomalous materials lab. The elevator falls several floors and crashes dozens of meters below. Barney escapes unharmed, but has to deal with unforeseen consequences. The science experiment gone wrong causes an alien invasion, and the soldiers who are supposed to kill the aliens, also take down the Black Mesa personnel. Dr Rosenberg and his team of scientists must be helped to repair an old teleporter, which remains the only hope of escape from Black Mesa. The puzzles are conventional, albeit pleasant, while the combat is very classic but effective, since it's no different from Half-Life. That said, it's always fun to visit previously unexplored parts of Black Mesa. Scientists and fellow Security Guards will help Barney progress, as in previous games. Apart from Rosenberg who is an important character, no new scientist or security guard models are introduced. As for the bestiary, the creatures are the same as in Half-Life. Headcrabs, Zombies, Bullsquids, Alien Controllers, Alien Grunts, Houndeyes and Vortigaunts are once again the only alien enemies to fight. The Race X aliens that appeared in Opposing Force are not reintroduced in Blue Shift. Forget the Pit Drones, Shock Troopers and Voltigores, which would have been perfectly at home in the game. But the battle-hardened H.E.C.U. soldiers are still out to get you, unlike the Black Ops, who are nowhere to be seen. Calhoun isn't lucky enough to have Gordon Freeman's H.E.V. Suit, or Adrian Shephard's P.C.V.. As a security guard, Barney is required to wear his regulation bulletproof vest and helmet. This renders the H.E.V. terminals unusable, but that doesn't stop Barney from going to Xen! When it comes to weapons, Blue Shift keeps things simple. All the weaponry comes from the first Half-Life, but biological and experimental weapons are left out. Weapons are limited to a pistol, an M16 (or MP5), a SPAS-12, a .357 Magnum, Grenades and C4. Barney's only tool is the Crowbar, although Gearbox could have given him a personal melee weapon. How about a police baton, for example? The soundtrack comes from Opposing Force, Nothing was composed for Blue Shift. Blue Shift is famous in the Half-Life community, for bringing the "Half-Life High Definition Pack". This is a set of higher-quality models replacing weapons and characters from Half-Life, Opposing Force and Blue Shift. Although it is optional and can be activated via the options menu, the HD Pack is much underappreciated. Despite Gearbox's good will, the game still looks kinda old in 2001, compared with games like Halo Combat Evolved or GTA III. Half-Life Blue Shift is a relatively pleasant game to play, but it's too short and not very innovative. In fact, it feels like a regression compared to Half-Life and Opposing Force. Its lack of originality is offset by some intense combat and well-thought-out puzzles, but there's nothing really exceptional about it. Fans of Valve's games will undoubtedly appreciate Blue Shift, which serves as the conclusion to the GoldSrc era of Half-Life games. To think that Half-Life 2 was still in development at the time...