We’ve Got Hostiles
The
first chapter in Half-Life/Black Mesa that is a quote from one of the NPCs,
“We’ve Got Hostiles” is a chapter that allows the player to realize just how
big this mess really is.
The chapter opens beautifully in both Half-Life and Black Mesa with a scientist
banging on the glass of a security office just before the guard is pulled into
air vent. The distraught scientist then runs directly into a laser trip mine…
wait a second, why are there laser trip mines setup around this area?... As directed by the last NPC you met in Office
Complex, you’re instructed to “keep going until you get to the surface”. But
the elevator doesn’t get you to the surface. It gets you to an industrial-ish
manufacturing area with conveyor belts, multiple storage and warehouse areas with forklifts, loading docks and freight elevators. I can imagine the Black
Mesa team put considerable thought into how they wanted this chapter to look.
The original version does not give much insight into the kind of level Valve
was shooting for. What could possibly be ABOVE an Office Complex in a research
facility?
“We’ve
Got Hostiles” isn’t a practically great chapter both in either Half-Life or
Black Mesa but the draw of the level is seeing the shocking turn of events
where Marines are dispatched into the Black Mesa Research facility to
essentially contain the alien invasion and wipe out any surviving scientists. It’s
the first chapter that Gordon gets the machine gun, shotgun and it’s also one
of the shortest clocking in at just over 10 minutes. Remember, my recorded play
through on youtube is trying to simulate a movie-like reaction. It’s not a long
playthrough, it’s not really a walkthrough and it’s certainly not a guide. I’m
just playing it as I would expect Gordon Freeman to react during the events
that take place.
One of
the Marines calls out “Squad! We’ve got Freeman!” which is interesting because
that radio transmission occurs before I hear “We’ve got Hostiles”/”We’ve got heavy fire here”. Have the Marines known about [Gordon] this entire time?
One of
the things I like most about “We’ve got Hostiles” is the tension. Gordon
finally gets to ride two giant freight elevators a considerable distance up.
That’s progress on reaching the surface and a change of pace from constantly
heading down to escape the Black Mesa complex. Right when blue sky is seen for
the first time in the game, that glimmer of hopes of possibly surviving quickly dissolves
when Gordon sees dozens of Marines on the surface all prepared to wipe him out.
Gordon is forced back underground into a bunker after Marines release artillery
fire. Gordon gets so close… only to end right back where he started. Literally.
But
there’s a bright side; “We’ve got Hostiles” ends with an NPC giving Gordon
another mission. He must travel to the Lambda Complex on the other side of the
base- The side of the base that Gordon does not have clearance for. Apparently
there are scientists in this complex that know quite a bit about resonance
cascades and even know a way to fix this. But how can that be? Isn’t the Black
Mesa Research Facility the only facility conducting these kinds of experiments?
So we get a bit of foreshadowing with the mention of the Lambda Complex as well
as trying to find the Decommissioned Rail System and getting through the Rocket
Test labs. Gordon is in for fun times ahead.
Air vents in Chapter 5: 2 (dropping in after the Air assault) (shortcut to security office)
Total
Air Vents after the resonance cascade: 3 + 5 + 2 = 11 Vents
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