Valve Corporation's award-winning first person shooter "Half Life" changed the world of gaming forever when it was released in 1998.
Not only did it offer a new and interesting story of intrigue that brought players back to explore Black Mesa's facilities, but it also offered a new platform to play and tell stories on. However, the game now looks really old after 17 years of technological aging.
That's why a number of fans are trying to rebuild the game in a much younger graphic engine that holds up to the test of time. The redesigned game, retitled as "Black Mesa", takes every fight, level and weapon from the original game and recreates them with the Half-Life 2 graphics engine.
The Steam description of the game reads as follows:
"Gordon Freeman and his unforgettable journey through the Black Mesa Research Facility have been lovingly re-created to capture the full spirit of the original game, without 1998's graphical limitations. This is Half-Life the way it was meant to be played!"
But why are they charging $20 for early access to the game on Valve's gaming platform Steam?
"Our ambitions go beyond the original Xen chapters found in Half-Life," the developers said. "We have a standard of quality that we have to achieve. Early Access allows us to commit resources to bring you the remaining chapters with the quality that you expect."
The developers added that they've finished 85 percent of the design. "Black Mesa" also comes with a redesigned multiplayer mode, as well as custom modding tools and full integration with Steam's social functions.
Players can purchase Early Access to "Black Mesa" on Steam for $20 here, though they can also acquire a much older version of the game without the bells and whistles for free.
