Half-Life: Opposing Force

I can write dozens and dozens of paragraphs about the mods that came from the original Half-Life (and why surprisingly few came from its sequel), but the expansion packs that the game brought issue enough typing space for now. Gearbox Software, now bringing us the excellent BorderlandsBorderlands series, took over Valve's baby and expanded it with the 98' expansion, Opposing Force, and the late 01' expansion, Half-Life: Blue Shift. Valve is a company who put out a demo for Half-Life that was it's own unique standalone experience, supported mod communities, and eventually developed its own online delivery system that is single-handedly saving the PC. It should come as no surprise that the expansions of Half-Life are among the finest ever made, even if it had more to do with another developer.

Opposing Force captures everything wonderful about Half-Life -- and, no, I'm not just talking about the core mechanics and world. Unlike Blue Shift, Gearbox crafted an expansion that offered new mechanics, storytelling, and scenarios. It wasn't a completely original experience, but for an expansion pack it offered an imagination and craft rarely seen in these marketplace-afterthoughts. Opposing Force might be 10% more narrative heavy, but it changes the experience when you know you are a soldier hunting down Gordon Freeman. It's the purest form of fan service, by giving the fans what they want but from an entirely new perspective. The new weapons, enemies, and environments were a step-down in quality but were much appreciated, nonetheless. It's hard to separate this expansion from memories of Half-Life, for all the right reasons.