Half-Life: Blue Shift

The Good
Blue Shift is an example of what happens when you learn from your previous mistakes. There are some cute references to the original Half-Life and a question or two answered; there are puzzles that make sense and aren't out of place in the story; it has a satisfying ending with genuine moments of suspense and tension. Best of all, there is only ONE jumping puzzle. Thank God Almighty! Only one jumping puzzle!

The HD pack that upgrades player/weapon models and textures is also a nice touch.

The Bad
It's incredibly short! Revewers were saying that it takes about 6 hours to complete, but that's being generous. I personally completed it in 4 hours (with liberal use of quicksave), but I'm a Half-Life veteran and I knew the general guidelines of what to expect.

The HD pack is a nice touch, but isn't all THAT great. An additional annoyance with the Half-Life engine is that it seems unable (or unwilling) to support resolutions above 1280x960, something that you'd think Valve or somebody would have addressed by now.

Finally, there aren't any Blue Shift-specific multiplayer games or mods, just some additional levels. They're good levels, but I would've liked to see some more weapons or tasks or something.

The Bottom Line
Gearbox got it right this time around, albeit quickly. If you don't mind $30 for 4 hours of gameplay, then go for it.