During my last weekly session of Half-Life: Blueshift, the level I worked on was a one of the more frustrating ones I've encountered in any of the Half-Life games I've replayed so far. It was the level where I was transported to Xen and had to navigate my way through a series of caves and tunnels. It took me awhile before I finally found the correct path and made my way through the level. The level ended with me back in the Black Mesa Research Facility with the scientists who are working together to try and teleport out of the facility. With that in mind, I was pretty excited to see what was going to happen this week.
Chapter 6: Power Struggle
After discovering the teleporter had used its entire supply of batteries to transport Calhoun to Xen, Calhoun is again forced to go down to a power facility level and find the batteries and recharge them. Calhoun fights through a team of HECU marines and aliens before he reaches the power generators.
SOURCE: Half-Life Wiki
The good news about this level was there aren't a lot of bad guys to fight. A few, but not a lot. At first you run into a lot of the marines who are there to eliminate you. I sort of thought I was stuck - couldn't figure out which way to go. And then I noticed a blowtorch cutting through one of the doors. Could it be Adrian Shepard and his team? I waited and waited...and then the door fell open. And the marines started shooting at me. I noticed an explosive barrel conveniently located near the door. If it was Adrian Shepard, he's in a bunch of tiny little pieces now (but I know it wasn't him).
Besides the marines there were a few vortigaunts, several head crabs, and a handful of other strange alien creatures. I had plenty of revolver ammo, which was my preferred weapon this level since it will dispatch most bad guys with a single shot. It's a fairly powerful weapon.
The best part of this level were the puzzles. There were a couple of them. One was actually fairly simple even though I didn't get it right away. There was a door rigged with explosives but a break in the wire. So clearly activating the lever to ignite the explosives wasn't going to work. But, there was a metal barrel located close by. Hmm, I wonder if I move the barrel where it's touching both sides of the wire and then press the lever, would lit blow the door open? And the answer is yes...yes it would.
The other puzzle involved a nuclear waste collection bilge I had to figure out how to get across. Because trying to "quickly" swim across resulted in near instant death. Well, I found a drain valve and realized I could drain the bilge, align some barrels to use as a makeshift bridge, and then let bilge fill up with waste again. It worked!
Having finished this level, there are only two more levels to go...so I guess I'm about to finish up Blue Shift. It's been a blast so far and I'm sure it will end the same way.
As always, I've taken a number of pictures to illustrate my latest Blue Shift experience.
(The power struggle begins.)
(I think someone has been trying to hot wire this door lock.)
(Shepard, is that you?)
(Need more power.)
(I don't think that's a pretty water wall. What is that blue stuff?)
(Drinks are on me.)
(This guy doesn't even see me. He never knew what hit him.)
(I think I saw this on Bugs Bunny once.)
(That door is rigged with all kinds of explosives.)
(A metal barrel should conduct electricity and allow me to use the detonator.)
(El Dorado! It worked!)
(Ah, more blue stuff. Apparently it's some kind of coolant. And very toxic.)
(I lined up all those barrels to make a bridge.)
(Could that be? It is...It's a power cell.)
(Just let me quick charge it. I need one of these for my phone.)
(And send it back to the scientists up stairs.)
(Mission accomplished. Next up - A Leap of Faith.)
Well, I'll be back next week with the next to the last chapter. I'm ready. Should be a good chapter.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Cheers.