Before you say anything, I am perfectly aware that Half-Life is an “old” game. Don’t get me wrong, the visuals are outdated, the sound effects can come off as being tinny and frankly, Half-Life 2 sounds much more interesting. What sets Half-Life apart from the rest of today’s games and their fancy graphics is that HL comes with what matters, the gameplay. Not to say that the newer games don’t. It’s just a common knowledge that Half-Life was one of the most revolutionary games ever in the industry and while it might not be churning out any new innovations as it ages, it sure delivers the entertainment. Deathmatch was born in Doom and populated in Quake, but it was truly refined with Half-Life. The game garners much praise for its single player game, and it has arguably the best storyline ever in a first person shooter, but less is heard of its more community oriented aspect, the multiplayer. Unless of course, your name just happens to be Counter-Strike. Currently, Counter-Strike is the most popular mod ever, and also the most played. Its online statistics can wipe the floor with many of the current first person shooters that were released as full retail products. For a mod to gain so much praise and popularity is an amazing thing, even as it continues to soar to this very day. Before Half-Life 2 is released, it is important to go back to the beginning, to see what some have missed, and what others yearn for to return.

 

Steam is the revolutionary new program that allows millions of people around the world to join together on numerous servers and enjoy the Half-Life phenomenon and its many mods. Perhaps its biggest draw is that, essentially, it is free. As long as you have your original Half-Life or Platinum Edition serial number, you can access all of the mods (that were available in the retail version) without having ever installed them. This provides for fast and furious server searching and gameplay. Steam has attracted thousands of players, many for the Counter Strike: Condition Zero game, but also for the original HL and its mods. Before Half-Life 2 steals your soul and dignity, journey back to a land of excitement, and pure, un-tainted fun.

 

 

 

 

Counter Strike: Condition Zero:

 

The first game Steam offers isn’t even a mod. Well actually, it kind of is, but not really anymore. Condition Zero is the stand alone version of the immensely popular Counter Strike mod for Half-Life. This new version does not require the original HL to run and it comes complete with updated visuals (also seen in the Xbox version) and an improved interface. A deleted scenes section was added, that features some clearly unfinished work, but had some interesting concepts. It would have been nice to see the setup rise to its full potential. The meat of CZ is its multiplayer classic CT mode. You can either play the Counter-Terrorists or the Terrorists themselves. As you enter a server (this along with the original CT has the most active of all the servers) you can choose your side, class and weapons. There are many weapons to choose from and depending on the money stock your side has, you can pick up bigger and better artillery. Do not think that Counter Strike is standard fragging though. While not a totally accurate depiction, you die a lot faster without armor and head shots do make the difference. You can play on a variety of intriguing maps that each have their own vantage points that can be used to help you wipe out the opposition. Actual strategy must be imposed to complete your mission because depending on your opponent, they can kill you before you even see them. While newer games have taken a similar approach like Call of Duty’s Search and Destroy mode, Counter Strike still holds up as one of the first games to give you a deep sense of teamwork. Considering the way the HL2 version is shaping up, these servers may not be occupied for much longer. As long as there are people who respect the classics though, this game is going nowhere.

 

Score:

 

 

 

Counter-Strike – The Original Mod (1.6):

 

The biggest question regarding Condition Zero, is whether it  is actually worth spending the money on if you already have the original mod. Its pretty much a yes and no. If flashier visuals (still outdated by today’s standards) and an unfinished single player mode interest you, then you might as well go and pick it up, but for others, this mod is just as good as Condition Zero. The only problem for the 1.6 mod in the foreseeable future would be the current migration to Condition Zero having an effect on the population of the servers. Otherwise, this is no better or worse than Condition Zero, aside from some textures that may pull away from the realism factor of today’s standards.

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Day of Defeat:

 

 

Day of Defeat is a World War II themed Half-Life total conversion that allows you to choose from several player classes. Players will be given a set of mission objectives in each match and just like Counter Strike, once you get pinned down, you have to wait for the next round, so it can come down to one person if the teamwork isn’t played out properly. If this had been a few years back, I would have commended Day of Defeat for its “realistic” visuals and striking gameplay. As it stands today, its simply a good WWII themed tactical shooter. Its visuals are more interesting an varied than the original CT mod, but not up to snuff with Condition Zero. The map variety is interesting and a lot of the battles can become intense if you have the right people playing with you. Overall, it’s a great complement to Counter-Strike.

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Opposing Force:

 

The online multiplayer portion of this game is most similar to the original Half-Life in that the action is pretty straightforward. The biggest changes come in the team configurations and weapon selection. Those who do not appreciate the more basic weaponry of Half-Life will enjoy this expansions more high-tech approach to fragging. It features the same visual set up from Half-Life, which has aged better than most games of its age. Some will find this multiplayer mode more entertaining than Half-Life, while others may not find enough to shoot, since the server population is lower and its all split into teams. Great gameplay and fun to be had regardless.

 

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Deathmatch Classic:

 

What an interesting mod this was. Imagine the multiplayer from the original Quake, but much faster and a bit brighter. Those who play this mod will also notice it practically is Quake. All of the textures have either been recreated or presented in homage to the original shooter. Most of the time, one may spend thinking of how much better it would be simply to play Quake itself. It’s a great deathmatch mod, but frankly it just doesn’t feel like Quake. It actually feels the same as Half-Life with a gothic themed coating.

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Ricochet:

 

If you just begin playing this mod sometime in the near future, the game Tron 2.0 will probably come to mind the second you start it up. It looks more like Tron rather than its actual gameplay which is an intuitive but simple game of knocking your opponent off of small circular platforms with round discs. It doesn’t sound very interesting, and it sort of sounds like an Olympic game, but actually playing it is more fun than thinking about it. You zip from platform to platform and can only throw the disc at opponents at the same height as you, so it involves a lot of strategy to knock your opponents down. Ricochet is more of a glorified mini-game than an actual game, but then again, that’s why it’s a mod and not a full game. Fun in short bursts, or when you become frustrated with CT.

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Team Fortress Classic:

 

 

Before Counter-Strike, this game was the talk of the town. A spruced up CTF type game with player classes and various weapon sets, TFC was a very innovative multiplayer mode. While many could argue that it was simply a sugar coated deathmatch, one cannot help but admire the different ways of playing each class and using their weapons to an advantage. The servers are still pretty occupied and a whole new generation of players from Steam are beginning to revitalize the mode, so the future looks bright for it, and all the better, because its quite fun.

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Codename Gordon:

 

This little 2D side-scroller needs some mention because for those who download Steam without owning HL, they get this game for free. Codename Gordon is a side scrolling action game that has you playing Gordon Freeman in a few different locations exterminating various alien creatures. Its essentially a teaser for HL2 since a lot of the locations have been pulled from the many movie demos seen of the game in the last year. It’s not very long and its definitely not multiplayer, but while it lasts, it’s a neat little diversion. Kudos for the colorful and imaginative visuals that captured the original game and its sequel perfectly.

 

Score:

 

 

 

 

Half-Life:

 

Yea, you knew it would come down to this. What is Half-Life’s basic multiplayer mode? Pretty much that, basic. While I could sit here and talk about the outdated visuals and crappy rocket launcher, I will just cut to the chase and simply say that this is still one of the best standard multiplayer deathmatch games ever. Fast paced, fun, explosive, this is the best way to hold off until HL2 along with Counter-Strike. You die, and you come back to fight again. Reliving HL has never been so fun. The basic deathmatch mode is so good that it manages to be be better than most of the mods that have come years after it. If that isn’t an achievement, I don’t know what it.

 

 

Score:

 

 

 

Overall, Steam is an excellent matchmaking server program that allows all of the Half-Life fans to come together in one complete community. The biggest draw to the game is that for the price of one game, you can have much more than just one. This is an excellent idea for those who have fell out of favor with HL and for those who are interested in finding out for the first time. The only problem with Steam is with the system itself. In all of the servers I have played through, I have seen more than ten hackers and cheaters play through the game and openly admit it. The system is clearly not as safe as something like Punkbuster, so I hope this potentially crippling problem is gone before the release of Half-Life 2, which by the way, is also supported by Steam. If you want great multiplayer action, Steam is the new home where you can find plenty of it.

 

 

Overall Steam Score: