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Half-Life proved to be an innovative shooter and it broke some new ground in the way it presented its narrative. It was followed by two expansions that center on different protagonists during the events of Half-Life. And the first is Opposing Force. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by Valve, Half-Life: Opposing Force was released for PC in November, 1999. I’ve never played the expansions so I’ve been looking forward to jumping into them. Opposing Force portrays the events of Half-Life from the perspective of one of the soldiers or Marines and it does include some new content like new weapons and enemies.
The story takes the player back to the Black Mesa Research Facility but this time in the shoes of Marine Corporal, Adrian Shephard. During the deployment to Black Mesa, Shephard’s aircraft is shot down by aliens. Adrian survives and eventually learns the Marines have been ordered to pull out. As he makes his way around the facility, he has to fend off Black Ops teams who have been deployed to contain the situation which also means eliminating the Marines and a new alien race known as Race X.
You will get a lot more out of the plot if you’ve already beaten Half-Life because the plot here is pretty straightforward and I think the concept of the events portrayed from the perspective of a different character is really what carries it. But I really love the idea of playing as one of the soldiers which are portrayed as enemies in Half-Life. The narrative is presented the same way as that of Half-Life which means you learn what’s happening by interacting with NPCs and seeing and listening to what’s going on around you. And the game never takes you out of the gameplay to convey story beats. I do think Opposing Force presents a tone and atmosphere consistent with that of Half-Life but also feels a little different thanks to the new protagonist and military backdrop. In fact, the “Training Room” has been reworked into a boot camp to support the new military theme.
Opposing Force shares all of the basic mechanics with Half-Life but there are some differences. For one thing, you can climb on and swing from ropes. However, in my experience, getting the momentum to swing can be finicky and annoying. The flashlight has been replaced by Night Vision Goggles and the H.E.V. Suit has been replaced by the Powered Combat Vest (P.C.V.) which serves the same purpose. Many of the weapons from Half-Life are present here along with new ones and very few of the new weapons feel like reskins. In my opinion, most actually feel distinct. You’ll get to mow down foes with a light machine gun and use a sniper rifle to pick off distant targets. You’ll also get your hands on some cool alien weaponry including the Barnacle Grapple. You can unleash its tongue to latch onto things including organic objects so that you’re pulled towards them, allowing you to access otherwise inaccessible areas. But my favorite new weapon is easily the Displacer Cannon which can teleport enemies away and Adrian to different locations.
One complaint I have with this expansion is that it starts out a little too slow for my liking. The campaign doesn’t take as long to beat as that of Half-Life and I would say the best parts of it are around the middle and end. Once the action really kicks in, it’s a blast. But in my opinion, the first half doesn’t have the best balance of exploration, puzzle solving, and action. I also don’t think the campaign conveys the same sense of urgency as that of Half-Life. But I think that’s partly due to the fact that Adrian is not being hunted as aggressively as Gordon. The Marines won’t attack Adrian for example. In fact, he can recruit any Marines he comes across and they will aid in him battles. Engineers can get you passed sealed doors and Medics will heal you and other injured Marines.
When it comes to the new foes, I feel the new Male Black Ops agents are more of a threat than most of the new Race X foes, and I thought the final boss definitely leans towards the easy side. At least on the Medium difficulty. Vortigores are probably the most dangerous new alien type but whenever I encountered them, I typically had plenty of ammo for the Displacer Cannon and was able to use it to dispatch them quickly. You’ll encounter Black Ops frequently in Opposing Force and some of the battles can be frustrating even with fellow Marines fighting by your side. If you’re familiar with Half-Life, you should know the Female Black Ops agents jump around a lot and can be hard to hit. But you don’t encounter them often in that campaign. They do appear here along with the new Male Black Ops agents that move quickly and quietly and don’t have a head hitbox so headshots don’t do any extra damage. That said, the enemy AI isn’t the brightest. Enemy reaction times can be questionable and it usually works out in your favor.
For the most part, I would say the level design is in line with that of Half-Life and the campaign will even take you to some familiar locations. You will travel to Xen at certain points but you don’t spend a lot of time there. If you spend any more than a few minutes there it’s because you’re trying to figure out or navigate the jumping puzzle. Most of your time is spent at Black Mesa and the levels are crafted in a way so they flow and blend together nicely, making for an immersive experience, just like in the Half-Life campaign. You will have to solve puzzles to progress and I got stuck on a few but I think veterans of Half-Life shouldn’t have too many problems figuring out how to proceed.
I would say the presentation is on par with that of Half-Life and holds up just as well. The environments are detailed, visual effects look good, and the new weapons look pretty good, too. There’s not too much I can say about the audiovisual presentation since it looks and sounds very much like Half-Life but I do think the new soundtrack features some kickass tunes. On the technical side, I did not encounter any problems.
In the end, I think Opposing Force is a pretty good expansion. It’s more Half-Life with some new stuff. I enjoyed the new content and really enjoyed that they didn’t expand upon Xen. You spend very little time there and the new environments in Black Mesa are well designed. Opposing Force is a short campaign, you can probably beat it in a single sitting, and I do think it doesn’t really get exciting until you reach the somewhere near the middle. But once it gets going, it’s a lot of fun. There are some awesome new toys to play with, exciting action-packed encounters, and fun levels to traverse, that is if you enjoy Half-Life’s brand of puzzle solving. While there are several exciting encounters, some can be frustrating but, overall, I would say the new weapons balance things out pretty well.
If you enjoyed Half-Life and are looking for more, I would definitely recommend Opposing Force. It’s a well made expansion with some cool new content to keep you engaged. You can get a copy from Steam for pretty cheap and it delivers Half-Life’s brand of action-packed fun and I think experiencing the events of Half-Life from a different perspective is interesting and refreshing. Definitely check it out.