Xen Announcement from Black Mesa Developers
I am thinking about writing my experience with the first Half-Life game, but it would be too long, too emotional, and too subjective; so I considered not talking about it too much –but I think we share the same thoughts about it, so you can understand. It was good. It was so good that the game is still there in my Steam library.
As a mod, Black Mesa offered us a great experience; and as you all know, it is a standalone game now. “Xen” levels were absent in the first “mod” version of the game, and while becoming a standalone game, developer Crowbar Collective promised us the release of Xen levels. On this update post on Steam, developers state that they “are currently targeting a summer 2017 release” for Xen levels. Some of you may shout out “why the delay“, like me, but there are solid causes for this.
While being an all-time classic (the very best game of all times for a lot of people), Half-Life had a minor Xen issue. A lot of criticism made for these levels, for they seem to be made in a rush, and the climax came a little too soon after entering another dimension. That is why Crowbar Collective is working hard “to do Xen the justice it deserves, and have it be the definitive climax to the Half-Life 1 story.”
And how do they do that? Bigger levels, of course. Let’s examine:
