The other Half of Half-Life

Publisher/Developer: Gearbox Software
Opposing Force Official Page: http://www.sierrastudios.com/games/opposingforce/

More Half-Life?

Can there be too much of a good thing? Valve's Half-Life showed us new, ingenious ways to command and interact with an FPS game, and in the process created one of the most compelling single-player games ever, and laid down the foundation to one of the most popular multiplayer platforms to date. Of course, once the genie was out of the bottle, it was time to capitalize on the phenom!

A fellow marine, at last!

After much fighting, I get here

Enter GearBox Software, comprised of an experienced team of game developers from the lately-deceased Rebel Boat Rocker. Gearbox was charged with a difficult task - create a Half-Life add-on that not only lives up to the revolutionary standards set by the parent game, but also creates new puzzles, environments, and challenges that offer thrill-seekers a reason to continue into the world of Half-Life.

The result of that quest is Opposing Force, the first official add-on to Half-Life. Rather than an original game based on the same technology as Half-Life, OpFor was created as an extension to Half-Life itself, telling the story from a different point of view with new characters, enemies, and in-game surprises. In the original Half-Life, you played Gordon Freeman, hapless scientist, battling for his life against alien invaders and military troops. This time around, you step into the shoes of one of those army grunts who made it their mission in life to make life hell for you. If you were frustrated by the teamwork and cunning of Half-Life's soldiers, here's your chance to see it from the other side!

Without even starting the game, it looks like Gearbox has already begun to inject twists and turns into the familiar universe of the game. However, does this make for an experience that lives up to, or even surpasses that of the original game? Read on to see!

All sorts of nasty deaths

Hey, you get to play with guns