Any fan of the Half-Life series and is “in the know” of its modding community will undoubtedly recognise the name Black Mesa Source. That’s because it’s the coveted fan mod for Half-Life 2 which could be considered an “HD remake” of the original Half-Life running on Valve’s versatile Source engine. Those who have been following the mod will also know that it’s been in development for a very long time, with minute details trickling from the modders once, maybe twice a year (if we’re super lucky).
But something’s different. Heading to the mod’s official website displays a countdown timer. And following the folded corner at the top-right of the window, leads to a mocked-up letter from Black Mesa addressed to Gordon Freeman welcoming him to the team and wishing him well on his first day at the research facility. An excerpt reads:
Dear Dr. Freeeman:
We apologize for the delay in our correspondence.
This letter shall confirm a recent telephone conversation in which you were offered, and did accept, a position at the Black Mesa Research Facility. As discussed, you shall begin at Level 3 Research Associate status, assigned to the Anomalous Materials Laboratory. Our research team will be expecting your arrival in approximately TWO WEEKS.
That sure sounds like a release date to me, and as it stands right now the timer has just over 12 days to go, pointing to September 14th. Looks like we’ll have to wait until then to get our fill, but in the meantime I’ll be investing in some new pants to explode various bodily fluids into.
Are you one of the many fans who’ve been looking to jump into this classic remake? Go nuts in the comments below or speculate like hell in our forums.