Get the original. Black Mesa improves the graphics somewhat but strips out a lot of content and adds a number of annoying bugs and control issues.

I have the whole anthology (I really got Half-Life Complete). I read the expansions were stand-alones so I could still play those after I played the first in source.

If all I'm getting are ladders, ragdoll and water with source, then I think I'll go with the original. Source sounds like it has nice stuff in it, it just doesn't have cohesion. And cohesion is important.

Thanks again for all your help.

One of the stand out things regarding the original Half-Life is it's ability to hold up despite faster and bigger FPS games constantly flooding the market. Nice thing for me because I can't play most of the new stuff and it's nice to have this gem around that even most hardgore gamers will admit still plays and looks relativly great. And as mentioned before the expansions make for nice stand alone, if not shorter, plays.


Post Edit: Shit, just typing this I'm hooked again! Better find my disc and reinstall it. Back on the tram. Do not attempt to leave the tram untill it has come to a complete stop. Here I go...

Pick the original over Black Mesa any time. While an admirable effort, it's still inferior to the lovingly crafted and polished experience that is the original Half-Life.

I replayed them both recently to make sure I wasn't talking out of my ass, so I'm super sure. :)

Just beware of that "tenticle room". No matter how many times I play it I always get caught with my pants down (insert dirty joke here) and that little shit (well big shit) rarely if ever pays attention to my grenades!

original ofc

black mesa have some cuts

Yeah, I think that makes the source version actually look uglier than the original...

Don't worry it's the internet, lots of people get caught with their pants down when it comes to tentacles.

Yeah baby! Yeah!

Original as well. I started playing Black Mesa and while it's well done, I certainly don't remember the original having such shoddy jumping mechanics. Crouch jumping is not only annoying in Black Mesa, often times it doesn't want to work if I don't jump in exactly the right place.

I'd say Black Mesa. HL is fantastic, but personally I don't feel it's aged so well.

There is a problem with the jumping in Black Mesa, but you can fix that by simply editing one of the cfg files. Then suddenly it's a much better game all round. As for it being cut down a bit, 'well thank grud for that' is all I can say. HL1 had more bloat than a blue whale and actually got a bit dull in places, despite being mostly fantastic. Black Mesa is leaner and meaner.

True, but it quite simply misses the ending. Yeah, it's not exactly the best bit of the game, still, Black Mesa just kind of ... Ends abruptly without the entire last part. If it were finished, I'd actually recommend it as well.

Black Mesa might not be 100% true to the original, but it is 100% true to the ending of HL2.

Oh, come on! You deliberately left that wide open for a HL2 EP3 reference, didn't you? :P

Eh... Not exactly, Black Mesa is missing the entire Xen bit. Aren't you talking about HL: Source here?

No, I was talking about HL2 still not having the concluding EP3. Which is approximate to Black Mesa not having Zen.