Half-Life: Opposing Force Review
Played on PC
Developed by Gearbox Software
Released 19th November 1999
Before they started making their own shooter masterpieces in the form of the Borderlands franchise, or even before their first IP of 'Brothers in Arms', Gearbox Software would concern itself with porting other publishers' games and even developing their expansion packs for them, as was the case with Opposing Force. Soon after being set up, the studio announced this expansion pack as essentially their first project and what resulted was an experience that I enjoyed more than the base game.
While developing this 6-hour bonus experience, Gearbox had one main, noble idea in mind: "Our number one goal is to preserve the integrity of Half-Life and provide new experiences that expand upon the sensation of the original" - or in other words - do what every good DLC is supposed to do. However, this was kind of unheard of in the 90s as games would ship out solo and if there ever was an expansion to them, it would be minor and inoffensive in scope, so for this to be a similar size to that of full-feature game AND have a similar quality to the highly regarded Half-Life, there was no denying that the IP would unravel into something more spectacular. The studio clearly had a lot of love and respect for this small project as not only were they pulling out the big guns in developmental power by having collective experience from the development of Daikatana, Quake II, Doom and Shadow Warrior featured on this expansion pack, but they also had made sure not to "severely modify" the game's engine to prevent compromising the custom community's hard work.
Story
The story, when compared to the original, is nearly on par for varying reasons. The narrative follows Adrian (hey that's my name) Shepard as he is part of the military squad that is called in the base game to shut down the Xen invasion. The whole tale is followed from the military's point of view as they deal with escorting civilians, hunting down Freeman and surviving the Black Ops' efforts to eliminate any witnesses. While the base game had a consistent, structured flow of quality, only halted by its late-game thematic change, this expansion pack is relatively barebone basic in comparison and has pacing that grinds to a halt at the halfway point, feeling quite drawn out. However, the reason I think it's still executed so well is due to how Gearbox has successfully transferred that charm and intrigue that Valve provided a year prior. The environmental storytelling is still high-quality and the strongest component of the narrative and the new perspective on the Black Mesa incident is as refreshing as it is interesting, if not more than the original. It also further drives the enticing enigma of the G-Man.
Gameplay
The gameplay was as excellent as it was in the base game. The level design still proves to have a methodical, puzzle-like approach to it and the AI still feels revolutionary when you realise how reactive and interactive they are compared to the other mindless shooters of the 90s. While I'm not sure if this was in the base game, or if it's a new addition, it's worth noting the fantastic interactions you can have with the NPCs, such as having your fellow army soldiers follow you or have the scientists heal you.
The definitive new additions of this game are more along the lines of that of a DLC. New weapons, new enemies and new environments. As for the weapons, they felt more entertaining to use than Freeman's arsenal, with weaponry such as the sniper rifle, Barnacle Grappler, Spore Launcher and the LMG fitting perfectly into the world, working really well and overall being more reliable in their usages. The opponents you'll face during this expansion are mostly comprised of either Xen or the Black Ops forces and this somewhat minimal enemy-type variety is excused due to the game's length but also how much more spotlight they’re given to shine in. There are 4-5 new foes you'll be facing in this short journey, and while they felt native to the Half-Life world, they didn't make any bold statements in their designs, playstyles or sound effects. Another extra feature is how the flashlight is replaced by night vision goggles. At first, using it was blinding and quite jarring, but as the game progressed, it became more tolerable, giving rise to some incredible sections that felt like a horror game with how you could barely see into the darkness that contained these new enemies. Finally, the other big change I've noticed in the gameplay is how there is a lesser focus on the platforming. The base game featured many moments where you would have to calibrate your SHIFT+SPACE+CTRL jumps to make sure you wouldn't slip off the extremely greasy floors that otherwise provided faster-paced firefights. While there are still some platforming sections, they are less apparent and sparse in this edition of the Half-Life experience and I'm all for it.
Bossfights
Once again, I've decided to only count the final boss as a proper boss fight as any other major encounters that happen in this game come across more as a puzzle piece rather than a fully-fledged combat scenario with grandiose, like in other games. That being said, it, unfortunately, seems like Half-Life is going to have a tradition of mediocre final boss fights. Like in the base game, the scale of the fight is epic, and exactly like the base game, every other aspect of it was unsatisfactory: lacklustre attacks, unmemorable design, and forgettable flair.
Characters
Similarly to the base game, there isn't nearly enough of a character's presence to warrant a rating or critique. G-Man continues to be mysterious, in both an eerie and charismatic manner, and Shepard is as much of a mute protagonist as Freeman.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere finds itself being a step up from its previous endeavour. The main complaint I had with the '98 experience was how the music was this clunky combination of tracks that had very little connection to the game's vibe and mood, and offered little audible pleasantry. While Opposing Force's OST feels more stripped down of its experimentalness, the unsettling sound of ambience fused with the militaristic energy worked wonders in providing a thematically consistent musical experience. In addition, Bailey's modelling of room reverberations continues on to make the sound effects feel immersive.
The visual presentation is also as good as it was, with an intricate design of enemies and environments, and a powerful colour palette. The were a couple of Xen environments and open-field deserts that had their optical appeal lacking, due to how much they felt like a void to traverse, but it ended up creating this inadvertent effect of making them provide a type of eye candy with their destroyed, infested designs.
Story - 7.5/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Bossfights - 6/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Great
This is a short, enjoyable expansion with a better arsenal of weapons, the same ingenious environmental storytelling, the same great puzzles and a lesser focus on the frustrating platforming that plagued my experience in the base game.
