Even another perspective please!! HALF-LIFE WILL NEVER END!! Okay let me calm down some. Whoo...Anyways, if you've finished "Half-Life" and "Half-Life: Opposing Forces" and still want more, then this one's for you! Half-Life: Blue Shift is another awesome installment of the "Half-Life" saga, if you will. This is another fun expansion pack that gives yet another perspective of the events at Black Mesa that fateful day. While the scientist Gordon Freeman was trying to get out, and the soldiers were trying to save themselves and taking out whatever moves, was anyone even thinking of the poor security guards? Well someone was, cause this is all about them. In this one you take on the role of a security guard trying to get through a secure door while Gordon Freeman is making his way to the test chamber. (You're the guard knocking on the door at the beginning of "Half-Life" that the train Gordon is on goes by. WACKY!) Once you get in you go on your normal morning rounds, but then everything goes NUTS! Now you have to get your butt out of there!

once again this is just an expansion pack of "Half-Life" so it has pretty much the same graphics and 3D engine. BUT, a huge one, this game does come with "graphic enhancements" for all three "Half-Life" games that you can install if you want to. I highly recommend doing this. It's AWESOME! And makes a huge difference in the game. The graphics pack installs high res textures and character models. The game will essentially look the same, but there are some added textures in the level environments. The biggest change is the character models. The enhanced graphics gives them a slight skeletal structure look. They're a little more free moving, mostly noticeable in the enemies. It does make the scientists a more realistic face and their ties are separate from their shirts, not just one texture for both anymore.

Besides the improved graphics, this one still plays just like "Half-Life". You can now get help from a few different types or security guards to help you. Nothing major different about the interaction. Even though the fat security guards are humorous. And you pretty much have the same arsenal at your disposal. But since you're a security guard, you have access in the back ways of Black Mesa. These are cool levels since you sort of follow Gordon Freeman's footsteps, but you can go through security areas and to get to different places.

Overall this is another great expansion pack with more fun levels and another perspective of the story. But it's once again pretty much the same thing. The main downside to this one is that it's pretty short. Possibly even shorter then "Half-Life: Opposing Forces". I'm not for sure, since I played them a part from each other. But I did finish this one really fast and was sort of disappointed there wasn't anymore. But even though it's short, the enhanced graphics definitely help make up for it. Plus they bring all the games alive and make them worth playing again. (As if you needed an excuse to play an awesome game again.)