I suppose the first question everyone is asking themselcves is 'why review the demo for a game (addon) that's already been released? Good point. I thought about it, and the main reason I chose to wqrite this review is because Gearbox have released two version of the demo - one that requires you already own HalfLife, and one that doesn't.


I only bought Halflife myself about two weeks ago, although I have completed the game by playing it at cybercafe's. Not everyone has HalfLife though. It may be the most played online game on the planet (all variants combined), but the opportinuty to play Opposing Force without owning the game may convince many people who've never played HalfLife to spend the time downloading the full version, just to see what it's like.

For those of you unfamiliar with Opposing Force, it's essentially HalfLife from the other side. This time out you play a member of the military, and since you'r eplaying from a different viewpoint, the way you interact is different as well.


The demo contains the introduction sequence from botocamp, which is very reminiscent of the start of Full Metal Jacket - a deliberate act I'm sure. From there, you're thrown into the begining of the game.

HalfLife has always excelled in the area of atmosphere, and the developers at Gearbox have continued this. You are treated to an introductory sequence that sees you flying in on one of the military helicopters, passing at least one area familiar from the original game, before being shot down. You then see a couple of short sequences, before 'waking up' inside the complex.
Slime bad

From here it's a prety straighforward task. The levels included are linear, and give a good indication of they game as a whole. Your first task is to find some armour, then a weapon. Once that's done, make your way through the complex. Simple really.

HalfLife has always been a game that is not about levels or stages, but rather continuously flowing areas. This makes creating a demo somewhat difficult. What gearbox have done is string together 4 different parts of the game, allowing you to see how the games as a whole will run, and introducing some of the new techniques they have developed - such as the interaction with other soliders, and, right at the end, one of their new mosnters. You only get a glimpse - so I took a screenshot for you.
Uh huh. And how do I kill this?

All in all, the Opposing Force demo is a lot of fun. I won't bother scoring it, as the full release has already been reviewed and rated. But if you have some spare bandwidth and have not yet tried out HalfLife - give this a go.