We covered the improvements to the game (which used the 2007 Source SDK) and found that it was an amazing game for the price (Free). In fact we felt it would have been a great game for even the standard pricing of the time. ($20-40 for independent games). Now Black Mesa Source has upped their ante and are releasing it through Steam’s Early Access for $19.99. You can still get the original just as we reviewed it, but the new version is also meant to allow them (Black Mesa Source) to finally complete what they started, the final showdown on the Xen home world.

The early access game has the same number of levels that the mod had, but it also does not require everything that you needed before. In the first release you had to grab the Source 2007 SDK to get things to run and it also only ran well with Steam Installed and running in the back ground. We did see a “no steam” version once, but it was buggy and crashed often. Black Mesa Source also says that the new Early Access release is an improved version over the original although they did not explain in detail what that means. They do plan on finishing the final chapters and improving on the confrontation as well as the overall ending of the game. What this means exactly we will all have to wait on. For now we plan on grabbing this version of the game and putting it side by side with the original “legacy Mod” to see what has and has not changed.

Either way it gives us the chance to relive the first episode in the life and troubles of Dr. Gordon Freeman and for $20 I would say it is well worth it.
You can check out the Black Mesa Source Site here to get all of your updated Half Life love.