Xen

It took 10 years after I finished Black Mesa in 2012 for me to finally go through the recently completed Xen, and although I was initially very impressed with the Xen opener level, that quickly turned into a dreariness and dread I had never experienced while playing Half-Life before, even with Valve's original Xen in 1998.

The levels Gonarch's Lair and Interloper, although highly detailed and loaded with lore goodies for the Vortigaunts building them up for Half-Life 2, are absolutely detestable. Far too long. FAR TOO LONG. Way too many cable/plug puzzles. Way too many conveyor belts. Way too many stupid Controller aliens. Way too many forcefields. Way too many jumping pads and jumping puzzles. Just die already.

I posted this on Steam as well, but I am urging the Black Mesa team to incorporate a SKIP feature which allows Gordon to pass from the Lambda Reactor Complex Xen portal straight to Nihilanth which is completely optional, but is there. I have absolutely ZERO motivation to ever play through Xen again, and it makes me sad because I definitely will play through Valve's version of Xen again (and that was the one I used to hate, and now I realize how much better it absolutely is).

I absolutely hate Black Mesa Xen. It started off cool and wondrous, and interesting, finding out what happened to the BMRF Research teams and Hazard Suit team, only for it to devolve into something worse than original Xen. It just sucks, and what I hate most is that it took nearly a decade for the team to complete it. Xen was supposed to be made more fun, not more detestable.

It is absolutely exhausting and I will never play it again. Die in a fire: Gonarch's Lair. Die in a fire: Interloper.

Black Mesa - 9/10
Xen Opening Level - 8/10
Gonarch's Lair - 1/10
Interloper - 1/10
Nihilanth - 7/10