Black Mesa: Definitive Edition - 15a - Xen [Hard]

[@Sexy_Nutella]

There really is nothing quite like seeing Black Mesa's rendition of Xen as Gordon steps out of the cave. If the game is a re-imagining of Half-Life rather than a remake, then this statement truly shines through in these last four chapters set on the borderworld. The complete overhaul of the level layout from a single-map teleporter island to a six-map cosmic adventure through a research base, swamps and rivers. The inclusion of ecosystems that display interactions between the various different creatures. The new soundtrack with soaring vocals (Entangled, the track that plays in the swamp, is a personal favourite of mine). And of course, the ominous and looming tower in the distance as soon as Gordon arrives, signaling the end objective, and drawing closer and closer with every new map. I've always treated the Xen portion of Black Mesa as an episodic expansion, as the gameplay, tone and narrative is quite varied when compared to the Earthbound chapter. As well, Gordon's journey to kill the big baby-headed mastermind is much longer, so that Xen feels more like the final act of the story, rather than a quick detour into some floating alien islands that HL1 portrayed in my opinion. I do like how the devs included connective tissue to the Earthbound segments by adding in the map with the forward research base - the added bits of lore and logistics of how Black Mesa functioned on Xen prior to the Resonance Cascade is really cool. Of course, Xen's dramatic departure from the vision in HL1, as well as its length, isn't for everyone. However, both of these factors worked for me personally. I would have been disappointed if the devs did not come up with their own ideas of how to portray Xen, given the liberties taken in the previous chapters already. What they've achieved in terms of storytelling and pacing here justified the length, given that the entire chapter is essentially one long exploration level, with very few difficult combat encounters if at all. With something new at every turn, I found that every map is fun to go through. Lastly, I have to bring up the sheer insanity of the devs to get the Source Engine to look THIS GOOD. The immersion that these graphical updates bring is spectacular, and the work the devs had to do to make Xen really come alive is nothing short of amazing. That third map with the swamp always makes me wonder how they managed to cram so much detail in the foliage and density of the space without a single loadpoint, and really made me feel like I was deep in an alien jungle.

[@ahmetali53_53]

Which beta do you use in black mesa?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@ahmetali53_53 This is the most recent build on the main branch so it's not a beta version at all.

[@ahmetali53_53]

@@Sexy_Nutella public-beta - I am using this branch for our public beta but the game has no music and speech effects

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@ahmetali53_53 if you opt out of the beta and let it patch the game to the definitive edition version, that might help. Otherwise maybe your mods are conflicting with something in the game.

[@ahmetali53_53]

@@Sexy_Nutella Thank you for your answers, I'll try to fix it

[@Kj16V]

I like the way your Gordon Freeman only kills the Xenians he has too. Wherever he can, he sneaks past the inhabitants and leaves them be. The Freeman excels in all things.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I'm glad you noticed! Definitely a deliberate choice on my part. Freeman is a scientist first and foremost, not a killer.

[@justusP9101]

​@@Sexy_Nutella On their way of murdering hundreds of HECU soldiers and vortigaunts

[@diceLibrarian]

​@@Sexy_Nutellaayy

[@CynicalWarlock]

@@Sexy_Nutella I always imagined Freeman being equal parts scared and fascinated by the aliens. Also, I'm sick of all the sociopathic playthroughs; they lose their humor, once everyone starts doing em.

[@usamazahid3882]

@@CynicalWarlock Like BigMacDavis to some extent?

[@Gamer-ln4yx]

Black Mesa really outdid themselves with Xen, it looks so awesome!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It's incredible! I totally agree

[@m16-a2]

2:45 headcrab goes to Brazil 10:40 dead headcrab goes to Brazil too 18:34 Bullsquid gets denied access to Brazil 23:00 Houndeye goes to Brazil 33:56 Headcrab goes to Brazil as well 38:57: Bullsquid gets K.Oed by a Brazilian Houndeye 41:02 Two Houndeyes go to Brazil

[@KyJIaK71rus]

LMAO, nice one dude :D

[@Sexy_Nutella]

5:28 Houndeye goes to Brazil ;) Also I know you were looking forward to seeing headcrabs going to Brazil so a lot of these were intentional for you :P

[@m16-a2]

@@Sexy_Nutella lol thanks

[@sagnost]

Wow, didn't know Brazil has it's territories at the bottom of Xen

[@milkshakeouo6586]

ah i see, everyone died in Xen goes to Brazil

[@lyokianhitchhiker]

A bit of trivia: a lot of the stuff used to expand upon Xen here is based on concept sketches from Valve for axed locations.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That's neat! Are there certain examples of this (maybe the leaves that open up)?

[@lyokianhitchhiker]

@@Sexy_Nutella The leaves are original, but stuff like the swamps, the abandoned labs, & the new bits of the factory are based on sketches.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@lyokianhitchhiker Oh wow. That is super cool. I understand Valve couldn't deliver Xen to the standard they wanted. I can only imagine how it would've turned out if they had more time.

[@Lemistio123]

Man, I will never have enough of Black Mesa version of Xen

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It's really exciting to explore Xen in this game :)

[@Obi_Wan_Kenobi_027]

*Comes another* I feel that the Nihilanth isn’t referring to another human arriving in Xen. But rather another threat to it. The creature has been hunted to almost extinction. He means another threat has arrived. It knows HE is here. The one and only Freeman.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I definitely did take it to mean another human, given that all that has come through the portal from Black Mesa has perished, but I like your interpretation too :)

[@kabeam5643]

the nihilanth thought gordon was another part of the relay team, so it likely brushed gordon off as one, and didnt care.

[@honkworld9405]

@@kabeam5643 The Nihilanth has been teleporting troops to Freeman's location trying to stop him for the latter half of the game, specially in Lambda Core. It knows.

[@teobaldolendario8880]

@honkworld945 yea because at this point Freeman proved that he's capable of getting there, unlike the other humans sent to Xen. In their meeting Nihilanth even literally says his name as if Gordon had become his archenemy at that point XD

[@luckylarry71]

I'm really glad that the devs took at least _some_ inspiration from the Blue Shift's concept of the forward observation settlements for science teams and expanded on it to such a great level, without overdoing it. There's bits of comical relief with some of the memos scattered around, a truly brilliant horror aspect of the zombies in HEV suits with those distorded voices coming out of the suit, some useful data on the whiteboards too; all condensed within a small segment, that doesn't make you feel like you're back in the facility, but evidently BM made it's footprint on this world. The level design is nothing short of absolute banger, with maybe my usuall same critism that I had for most segments back on earth being that the player just never really feels low on ammo. Looking forward to the boss fight =)

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, I do think ammo is oftentimes too plentiful. I think Blast Pit is really the only chapter in the game where ammo is a bit more scarce, which really helped sell the survival horror portion of the game. I understand why there would be plentiful ammo here (supply caches) but do wish it was a bit more challenging to get it

[@Infamous_Val_05]

i really like the hla-style of xen... but this is stunning, it looks amazing... the sky, the crystals, the alien vegetation... everything just looks so good. also the protozoa look so beautiful, it's a shame they appeared so briefly in hl1

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, I loved how you could see the "organs" of the Protozoans. Unfortunately they always floated towards me out of curiosity and I accidentally killed a few :(

[@finscontingencyplan7005]

I realised recently that Gordon Freeman would have known that, in all likelihood, he would die on Xen. The initial lookout over the border world with the soundtrack playing is particularly moving when you think about Freeman making peace with that idea as he embarks on his journey.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That's a great point that I never thought about, but now that you've mentioned it the journey through Xen hits so differently, as do the conversations with the Lambda team back in the previous chapter - despite all the peptalk the scientists give about how Freeman will be revered as a hero when he returns, they never mentioned HOW they will bring him back. That makes sense now - they just wanted to comfort him before his journey.

[@finscontingencyplan7005]

@@Sexy_Nutella this is part of why I love Black Mesa’s expansion on Xen. The notes that the science team leaves on the supply pods are particularly moving to me with this context. “Facta non verba. Godspeed, Freeman.” brought a tear to my eye when I first read it.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@finscontingencyplan7005 Yeah, the notes are a great touch. A science team potentially a millennia of light years away is sending Freeman encouragement the only way they can.

[@finscontingencyplan7005]

@@Sexy_Nutella There's a comment on Reddit about this that speculates the science team are watching Freeman through a camera on his suit as the facility decays around him, sitting white-knuckled round a monitor watching him escape death again and again, and celebrating as they see him slowly gain the upper hand.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@finscontingencyplan7005 I love that theory, as well as the probably fact that most if not all of the team died in the Lambda Complex as they were still sending supply pods to Freeman when he was fighting Nihilanth at the end. Really puts into perspective how much of a team effort this victory (if we can call it that) was, as much as Freeman himself was the one who carried out the mission.

[@KaiaBrodbecker]

I installed Black Mesa again a week ago, and today I finally reached Xen. Experiencing this for yourself is absolutely mind-blowing. So good.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yup, emerging out of the cave to that Tower vista is incredible

[@zomg1337h4x]

I feel like you're giving Freeman a lot more character in this play through and if so, I appreciate it.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I'm glad you noticed. I definitely did try to do just that, and really embody what I think is Freeman's personality in this playthrough.

[@metatrontf]

Half-Life's story is one of the most fascinating I've had the pleasure to play (multiple times), and I'm so happy I've seen this remake go through the changes that make it what it is now. I've played it since I was sixteen and I'm twenty four now. I never thought I'd see the day to play Xen, I'm just so glad I did. Crowbar Collective are on another level. Xen is better than everything I imagined.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Same here :) it's an important part of my childhood, though I played HL2 before HL1. Ravenholm scared the crap out of me back then.

[@sdjnwhyNZ]

I haven't purchased this game. Just watching this walkthrough EVERY DAY is fascinating enough.

[@metatrontf]

@@sdjnwhyNZ Oh, wow! You really should buy the game. It'd support the amazing devs. It's also something else experiencing it on your own.

[@lyokianhitchhiker]

I feel like to Gordon, the HEV zombies weren’t just zombies but reminders that he was no less susceptible to becoming 1 himself.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Agreed, I'd imagine he had a bunch of dark thoughts go through his head when he first saw one.

[@lyokianhitchhiker]

@@Sexy_Nutella the devs are basically saying "see this? This could’ve been you". The fact that they bit through the helmet definitely drives that home.

[@Mossrag]

I've really been looking forward to this one, props to you for showcasing Xen's beauty better than I ever did on my first playthrough.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

No probs, that was one of my main objectives. Nailing the beauty of that opening Manta flyby was critical, as was a lot of other locations- that's why I oftentimes tried to "frame" some of those vistas as if it's a screenshot in the video hahaha

[@MaximG.]

It's interesting how Black Mesa went with a lush and beautiful aesthetics for Xen, and HL:Alyx went for the "gross" instead, at least with the stuff in the Quarantine zone.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I would say that Black Mesa's Xen does tie in a bit with HL: Alyx's in the sense that they kept a lot of the spores and flora all over the place. I agree that HL:A portrayed a more "icky" Xen though. Either way playing BM before transitioning into HL:A and getting to that Xen infested Hotel was a nice surprise for me, especially when I saw the classic Xen fungus :)

[@vadimsharanda1052]

Maybe because only the nastiest species managed to thrive on "combined" Earth?

[@trainenthusiast5199]

​@@vadimsharanda1052maybe lmao

[@BitrateBilly]

it makes sense tbh, xen fauna is an invasive species to earth, its reactions to the new world around it likely would make it look far grosser, whereas in its natural habitat it looks beautiful and right at home, its like taking harmless bacteria from earth to space, it begins to evolve and mutate rapidly due to the difference in environment, i do hope that if a new HL game comes out and takes us back to xen, it looks more akin to black mesa's take on the dimension.

[@thenihilanth3382]

I came from Soup Emporium and man, you deserve more subs, you are really good at this game, it's a pleasure to watch.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Thanks for the comment! I'm not really spectacular at the game, I go through each map (sometimes down to the encounters) multiple times until I get a recording that I'm satisfied with haha! All to make a hopefully seamless and smooth gameplay showcase.

[@thenihilanth3382]

@@Sexy_Nutella your dedication is really appreciated, I'm a big fan of the Half Life universe but you take even more time than me to make the gameplay feel almost perfect.

[@thenihilanth3382]

You earned a New sub, I'll wait paciently for Nihilanth

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@thenihilanth3382 Thank you for the patience and support :)

[@Leitis_Fella]

Lol I love the exaggerated hopping animation of the armored Houndeyes.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It's lowkey kind of adorable! haha

[@Leitis_Fella]

@@Sexy_Nutella The problem is, Houndeyes are adorable because they were supposed to be friendly to the player, but playtesters murdered them so they got turned into enemies.

[@major778]

1:00 may favorite moment

[@Гоги-з8б]

me too

[@Sexy_Nutella]

One of mine as well ;)

[@BlackLion-nb8fm]

As I expected, this was VERY Epic! Seeing the details of the whiteboards on the survey labs planning everything (From the survey teams exploring and studying Xen before and after the disaster, to the science team organizing the supplies they have currently on the labs, although they perished, and that is kinda sad! Because... Not to be able of re-organizing a survivor squad was something a miss for me, they could've been a lot of help for us in the paths, unlike in Black Mesa where you could bring some guards and scientist by your side) And another thing about them... How did they even die? They do not tell us at least some details of how could that happened, mostly because of the suits, which are relatively unscathed (Although I could guess it... Like the scientist who died in the healing pool maybe got poisoned by an overdose of the substance... Or maybe he was allergic to it.)

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, I agree, the details of how the science team functioned before the RC was really cool to observe. I too wonder how they died. Perhaps they were all just stranded after the RC and couldn't get the portal to work? Although one of the scientists in Lambda Core did mention that the survey teams eventually started being captured by the Xenian forces, so perhaps it's been a while since the last team teleported to Xen

[@DoctuhD]

I'd never noticed that all the scientists in these levels have their names on their suits, that's a nice detail. I'm guessing they used developer names just like Half Life did with the scientists' lockers. edit: ah, I see you mentioned that in the description. Nice catch!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah it's really cool! I believe the names also coincide with the ones on the whiteboards in the base so there's a fair bit of lore as well

[@ralphrestubog5519]

Bad news. Dr Horn died.

[@vadimsharanda1052]

5:08 - now how did he manage to get himself killed? It's like losing during tutorial mission or... I don't know, being somehow killed on the "main menu" screen. Invisible alien sniper? Nihilanth frying his brain directly? Suicide?

[@holycheburek6298]

A sudden heart attack, maybe?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It is definitely an odd place for him to die haha.

[@therebellion96]

It's kind of impressive that Crowbar Collective turned the Xen chapter, from what used to be a 3 to 5 minute platformer level, to an expansive biome exploration.

[@Mintor94]

I really liked this chapter and I kinda wished most of Xen was like this. Who needs all this crazy fighting sequences in Interoper while you can enjoy landscapes and wildlife of Xen and observe it's unique ecosystem? I really wanted to explore more Xen wildness during my first playthrough.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I feel ya, though I think they paced out this first chapter well - any longer and I think it might have overstayed its welcome for most players. The 6 maps here do a good job covering a lot of the diverse environments/biomes on Xen :)

[@zoneanomaly4780]

Maybe those headcrab zombies wouldn't have existed if Black Mesa had bothered to put helmets on their HEV suits

[@Sexy_Nutella]

To be fair, if you shoot the headcrab off you can see that they just bit through the top of the helmet. Which also begs the question, why are the helmets so flimsy?

[@anueutsuho7425]

@@Sexy_Nutella and how is Gordon not headcrabbed? They just nip him a little.

[@trainenthusiast5199]

​@Sexy_Nutella maybe their beaks are *that* strong. In Xen, you never know...

[@likopinina6803]

Good to know that the secret passage right at the beginning is a thing. I thought it looked like a path on my first visit to Xen but when I tried to jump there, I immediately fell to my demise xd gotta try it out some other time. I love how the scientists call Gonarch "Big Momma" and lay out a step by step plan to kill her for the player, so considerate "dispatched with a headshot" is my new fav phrase hhhhhhhfghfghs

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Haha, I too fell several times trying to get through that secret path. The Long Jump Module can be a bit finicky sometimes.

[@connorgolsong290]

Fun fact: Valve referred to the Gonarch as "Big Momma" in Half Life's files. So this is more of a reference than anything else.

[@AndersonMallony-EricCF]

18:30 love the atmospheric OST

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Same here. My favourite Xen track!

[@erikpng]

One thing I never really said: You're miles better than Bolloxed. Bolloxed kinda just doesn't give a damn about the games and rushes through them. You on the other hand take it fairly seriously.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

On the other hand I also don't produce content regularly and have to adhere to any certain upload schedule, whereas I think he does. So I have a bunch more time to really dig into each level here.

[@pizzazzindoofus]

I'm subscribed to both and I agree with you. Sure if I'm gonna play the actual games and need a guide then I'd need a quick runthrough just like how Bolloxed does it, but that's not really what the HL games are for. They're more enjoyable with blind exploration (even replays). What makes Nutella's playthroughs stand out vs. the former (and in fact, vs. most others who have posted HL playthroughs) is how he humanizes our science boi and therefore creates a wholly different game experience. Gordon is a nerd in survival mode first who would rather let aliens go to Brazil if possible first and a hot damn badass killer second. Also Nutella, pls get yourself monetized. I'd watch ads for you, and I sure as hell am not the only one.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@pizzazzindoofus Thanks for the kind words! I do understand that my upload style is not really suitable for getting videos out quickly, but you hit the nail on the head on my desire to portray Gordon as a scientist foremost and intergalactic alien slayer second. This channel is something of a hobby for me, so I doubt I'd ever monetize - having people comment on how they love what I've done is good enough :)

[@pizzazzindoofus]

@@Sexy_Nutella More like hit the VALVE on the head. :^ We wouldn't want your upload pacing any other way, though, because each video's worth the wait :D

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@pizzazzindoofus I appreciate it, hopefully I can keep this up :)

[@Crydove18]

18:40 xen jungle, yes!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Loved the track that plays there

[@hhe-BLU]

No!

[@hhe-BLU]

:v

[@Crydove18]

@@hhe-BLU xen is most beautiful place bro, so yeah i like it

[@grygoo2680]

The sound design of this chapter is unreal. Every location is an ocean of soundscapes. The animal yet unfamiliar sounds of the jungles. The Echoing water and aquatic life in the caves. The electronic beeps and humming machinery of the Black Mesa base site. The similar electronic sounds of alien teleporter are distinctively otherworldly. And the sounds the HEV suits on the zombies make are nothing short of terrifying and sad.

[@KyJIaK71rus]

More to Trivia: *0:50 - you gave a good analogy by comparing Nihilanth's Tower to the Citadel from HL2. However, many players unfamiliar with HL1 considered this tower as a homage to Doom 2016. Also, the analogy with HL2 is guessed in the 'Interloper' chapter, where you get charged Tau Cannon and Gluon Gun in comparison with the Dark Energy-powered Gravity Gun; *2:01 - not all survey team members have name tags on their suits - zombified members doesn't have them, but through the course of the Xen chapters we can see only named intact corpses and all of them are listed at whiteboard at 12:33 (more about whiteboards will be tell later). Quote from developer Stormseeker (Chris Horn, level designer): "HEV suits without name tags are the generic ones used by scientists in the field who normally do not have permanent assignments to working on sample collection, those with nametags are the personal tailored suits to specific team members, who may or may not need to use the generic back up suits in case of damage or compromise. The ABRF has a couple of dedicated teams, and a specific lab dedicated to xenos within site A1, its facsimile area was the CES Chamber (which was the prototype for the Biodomes complex) run by Dr Nielsen. " (taken from my spoke with him discord.com/channels/592595839600558080/593973429405745152/807699437476249600 ) Also all this dead survey members named after the developers. More about H.E.V. design: empty H.E.V. which was used by Gordon in 'Anomalous Materials' chapter and which also stored in Xen lab (11:33) has different design compare to those used by dead survey team members and zombified members, because they are using old design from the original 2012 free Black Mesa mod. Stormseeker also said about that: "[It is] iterations of design, but not enough to consider a different classification - variants of Mk 4 bscly; technically the empty HEV is closest to the original iirc; the mk 5 having less rigid armour and more composite fiber design" (taken from my spoke with him discord.com/channels/592595839600558080/593973429405745152/807738822636208128 ); *3:31 - here you can see Boids clipping through the player character cuz they moving in line by the scripted path as it can be watched at 3:41. In Half-Life Boids have their own AI which allowed Boids to avoid the player character, but it was scrapped alongside with Boids from the original game, but it was returned in Half-Life: Blue Shift. For more details about Boids you can watch MarphitimusBlackimus ' video about it ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5SzfXacZZqJqKs ); *4:05 - human skulls never spawning from Barnacles through all Xen chapters, which is logically, because there almost no people except BM survey team members; *5:26 - this small island is the reference to 2nd and 3rd small islands in the beginning of 'Xen' chapter from Half-Life ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYXMhmCkr6h7i9E and kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYXMhmCkr6h7i9E ); *8:01 - in one russian Half-Life community there was a joke that said 'if Blue Xen crystals are used for H.E.V. Chargers and Batteries, then Health Chargers and Medkits are using a water from Xen Healing pool' :D ; *11:15 - when you press 'use' on the mat Gordon actually wipe his feet as whiteboard nearby instructs visitors. Doing so will unlock the achievement 'Following the Rules'; *13:11 - this is rare mentioned, but classic scientist zombie and its torso variant has difference: torso variant has name badge but full variant doesn't, however back in time prior to original 2012 mod release there was a few renders of classic full zombie where badge appeared (links for this renders: static.wikia.nocookie.net/half-life/images/5/5b/BMS_Zombie_beauty.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090515160043&path-prefix=en ; static.wikia.nocookie.net/half-life/images/f/f8/ZSci_Face.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100103010553&path-prefix=en ; static.wikia.nocookie.net/half-life/images/e/e3/ZSci_T.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100103010553&path-prefix=en ) *27:07 - by noclipping through this wall and flying a bit above brings you to some kind of hidden lunar module ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYSmZJ17gNWJh80 ); *Whiteboards in this chapter gives more clues for Pizza ARG: -12:33 - as you can see at this whiteboard Dr.Horn is crossed from list, other names were mention in Discord ARG thread as people who eat Dr.Horn's pizza; also in required items list there're crossed big numbers of pizzas, left by Dr.Horn; -13:18 - Dr.Horn's contact number is present on this whiteboard; -14:13 - Dr.Horn warns Dr.Stone to leave his pizza alone; -14:15 - Dr.Horn asks Dr.Nielsen to pickup pizza in cafe (this is a clue for 'Pepperoni Precipitation' achievement). P.s.: I have a question - will you show Dr.Horn's secret cave in 'Gonarch's Lair'?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I probably will show Dr. Horn's lair but we'll see. I want to find a way to make it seem natural because going to the ledge right after defeating the Gonarch in the first fight kills the mood that the game is trying to go for. I might go down the tunnel until the title comes up then backtrack to reveal the secret.

[@KyJIaK71rus]

@@Sexy_Nutella fresh news - just yesterday we've got a huge breakthrough in ARG, a new map *xen_museum* was added in public beta, it still WIP, but a few secrets have been found already - (started from discord.com/channels/592595839600558080/593973429405745152/835887508436811806 and to the end of the thread).

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@KyJIaK71rus Looks like it came out yesterday :) Excited to play through this!

[@AndersonMallony-EricCF]

Thanks for all this info youre commenting on every video, Im always reading it cus its a good complement to SexyNutella's trivia.

[@marthaacosta7739]

Remember what the scientist said that there was a beeing that kept the portals open, well its going to take more than one day to kill the nalanthan. Good luck nutella.

[@Stongg]

It's called the Nihilanth.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It's going to take quite a while to get there for sure, but I am looking forward to Nihilanth :)

[@marthaacosta7739]

@@Stongg Thanks. I havent played in some time so....

[@thealandude9146]

Everytime I see anyone playing or myself stepping out of the the cave to see that view just reminds me of the feeling of joy when I see the view for the first time when technical beta released and wow did not know that there is this many dead scientists and that they have names on the hev suit

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That opening shot of Xen is crazy good. Everything Black Mesa wanted to achieve over HL1's Xen encapsulated in one image.

[@closetdoorman]

remember when this was just jumping on a few platforms, killing a few aliens, going into a small cave, than teleporting to gonarchs lair

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yup. HL1's map is just so small in comparison. I for one liked the changes in Black Mesa.

[@mylonoceda]

22:47 water surface looks buggy, notice how the water "glows" near objects' edges (crowbar, leaves, etc.)

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Hah, I never really noticed that during gameplay.

[@Scarletdex8299]

What I noticed only recently, is how Xen system's environmental lighting is basically a "spectral dartboard" With its assumed edge being purple, jungle areas going from blue to green, further the sky goes from yellow to deep orange, and in the center - a bright red bullseye - Nihilanth's Citadel.

[@Edelhif]

Thank you! I had no Idea where to go from here 32:23 it was so simple!)

[@Sexy_Nutella]

No problem, glad I could help :)

[@maxlefou81]

I love games based on the discovery and exploration of alien worlds. This is pure art!

[@lordofthegeckos533]

All of the Xen chapters in BM are way better than the HL1 versions, but I think this chapter has the biggest "WOW" factor I've ever had from a Half-Life game with only the train bridge in Highway 17 rivalling it. I really like the weird, alien beauty of Xen itself here, and how the first map especially is non-linear enough to make it feel like open-world exploration. The ruined lab and the HEV zombies on the other hand are just horrifying and a good reminder of what the stakes are back on Earth. I really like the puzzle series around the portal at the end of the chapter. It's a really nice throwback to Direct Intervention (which happens to be my favourite chapter in Episode 1).

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, I'm sure that portal puzzle at the end was a nod to EP1 for sure. I agree on the first chapter having the biggest "wow" factor - like you said the devs did a great job making the level feel much bigger than it actually is, which is something Valve typically excels at.

[@luckylarry71]

34:21 - Look a rope! You actually used it in a large pit 😂😂😂

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Totally did not intend for that to be a Coomer reference but nice catch hahaha 👍

[@JohnnyJohnnyJohn]

According to Black Mesa devs, those exploding Houndeyes are officially called 'Hot-eyes'(twitter.com/BlackMesaDevs/status/1144047977742209024?s=20).

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Hot-Eyes is such a perfect name, I gotta start using it haha. Thanks for letting me know!

[@HobkinBoi]

I was blown away when i first got to this part. I'd never seen anything so pretty in a game before.

[@maxielaurem]

Would be cool if you made Gordon kind of scared when he saw the HEV zombies. Since they are a portrayal of would of happened to you if a headcrab latched onto your head.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That's why I backed up a bit to try to show his hesitation :)

[@JakesFavorites]

35:33 I remember this stealth segment to be very unstable even (especially) on the 1.1 patch. Sometimes the whole thing would just explode on its own with no fault of your own. To this day I don't really want to replay it because it's hard on earphones when everything explodes.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Perhaps it's triggered by the headcrabs that spawn in that section? The explosion sounds are loud, but at least they aren't HL1 levels of ear-splitting. I always hated the Surface Tension tripmine room in HL1 for that very reason haha

[@ArmageddonChess]

18:34 beautiful soundtrack love it, so as many other tracks

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It's one of my favourites on the Xen playlist :)

[@ArmageddonChess]

@@Sexy_Nutella yep. I love entaglement, wve got hostiles, limitless potential,forget about freeman, surface tension 2, questionable ethics lobby battle, and more

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Forget about Freeman is amazing!!

[@ArmageddonChess]

@@Sexy_Nutella though certanily my least fav

[@ArmageddonChess]

@@Sexy_Nutella do you also like ascension? Its also really amazing

[@DayDay-d3v]

11:33 I would personally pretend to retcon that the HEV suits seen there are the 2012 suits that the HEV Zombies wear rather than the retail version being there. Reason is because of how the Suit is different from how the Zombies wear it.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I do miss the 2012 suit a bit, though it was a bit too bright orange for my liking haha (the sleeves anyway)

[@malceum]

"Xen" reminds me of Myst. "Interloper" reminds me of Riven. I do wonder if the Black Mesa devs were inspired by these games.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Not sure - though in terms of under influences I know the movie "Interstellar" was an inspiration for Joel Nielsen's score for some of his tracks. I'd assume "Avatar" was at least referenced a bit for the foliage-heavy sections of the maps as well but again not completely sure.

[@gregorylumentut435]

Is it just me or that scene that you only used a crowbar references the scene in HL:A that talks about Gordon's crowbar

[@Sexy_Nutella]

There could be a multitude of scenes that reference this, but I think the HL:A sequence most likely refers to when Gordon was still in the facility, as the other scientists probably saw him wielding the crowbar then

[@gregorylumentut435]

@@Sexy_Nutella no, it is when russel and alyx talk about gordon's crowbar

[@Questionable10]

Freeman finally arrives on xen, and traverses through the floating islands, a destroyed base, jungles, and rivers of xen, getting closer to reaching the nihilanth.

[@abdullahtsabita.i.8212]

11:52 Hmm, Even The Helmet HEV Can't Protect People To Get Infected By Headcrab

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, it's a similar situation with the Zombines in HL2:EP1. The headcrabs just chew right through the helmet

[@lyokianhitchhiker]

Remember what I said about a lot of the expansion for Xen being based on Valve's own ideas? If you look at the cabal sketches for Xen in Raising the Bar, you’ll see what I mean.

[@trainenthusiast5199]

8:27 perfectly cut scream

[@g11operator]

38:31 I see how that guy died

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Those trees are no joke, they blend in so well with the environment sometimes haha

[@billsaolot]

What games would you play next after you finished this series?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Haven't thought that far ahead yet. I still will mainly be producing Half-Life content.

[@alexie40stencsi5]

Those transparent creatures..are like dead shouls..maybe they are who knows😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰

[@Sexy_Nutella]

They look very peaceful!

[@alexie40stencsi5]

I'm telling you if it was no shooting no hostile creatures..there I imagine a haven..

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It is beautiful for sure but also dangerous for humans!

[@SD-R_IC-0nSimp]

When i saw Xen in Black Mesa, i was like: "Oh my god, this is beautiful" tbh the black mesa version of Xen feels more alive

[@foldervtolvr]

In reference to HLVR: AI I always called the hound eyes “Peeper Puppies” in my play through, and I named the explosive houndeyes “popper puppies” and the armored houndeyes “peeper dogs”

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Love those names! I think internally the devs called the exploding houndeyes the "Hoteyes" haha

[@BlackLion-nb8fm]

Bro, I recently tried Black Mesa again, and oh boy, I need to tell you I saw that H.E.V Suit Zombies get totally a 100% of damage reduction if the shot is given in the suit. You literally can't take them out unless you aim for the head. Even if you shot at them with the Crossbow, the tau canon or the Gluon gun, I tested it out! You can drain all your ammo of all your arsenal on those suits and the Zombie is still walking with 0 damage received. That's nuts.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, they are super tanky. Shame that their head is so easy to hit. You can literally just run up to them with a shotgun.

[@graeme2103]

I was so nervous when I first entered the lambda teleportation room. after jumping in to the portal. I was shocked by the appearance of xen. It was was one of the most gorgeous chapters in my mind. the wildlife is incredible. Basicly everything about the first xen chapter is beautiful. But I started to think that less when I reached interloper. it’s atmosphere is not the best. But this chapter is incredible. Good god crowbar collective did a good job

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I agree, Xen is amazing and that ooening flyby with the Mantas always gets me. Interloper does diminish this feeling a bit but the elevator fight makes up for it :)

[@zect556]

*”Comes...Another...”*

[@Sexy_Nutella]

"FREEEEEEEEMANNNNN!"

[@zavulon422]

20:01 Little bastard break the moment :)

[@Mr._Sherwood]

They really added another tripmine puzzle, huh? Leaves me wondering who on earth set them. Surely it wasn't the HECU this time. Although the explosive fruit does make the Hivehand even more useful since its homing shots won't cause them to explode.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I believe the survey team set those charges. For what purpose, I do not know

[@varahunter68]

​@@Sexy_Nutellahmm maybe to ward off any unwanted beings

[@sash6460]

Beautiful world

[@Argosaxelcaos]

Shit, well, it's not like I needed to sleep or anything ;)

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Haha sorry to keep you!

[@epicmetod]

Man they turn Source into Unreal 4

[@cheesemons]

I wasted a lot of time in this chapter to admire crowbar collective's work.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

As you should ;)

[@omarandresorellano4142]

37:05 menos mal q los *(Houndeye)* no se despertaron! Y se escucha ese viento q me hace recordar *(HL2 Ravenholm)* La verdad q el planeta *XEN* es un lugar hermoso y grande........ Buena jugada *Sexy Nutella* como dije..........siempre sere paciente de esperar el siguiente, q tenga un buen fin de semana👍🏻.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@Jonáš Loskot why does it bother you so much that it's not English lol. A simple Google Translate is all it takes to understand. Personally I think it's cool that people are using all sorts of different languages on my videos.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Gracias, espero que también hayas tenido un buen fin de semana :) ¡Hasta la próxima!

[@rachelo_xuxu4592]

@Fjuro chill out dude

[@ferretmonger0236]

Me who Plays DRG: oh boy, it's the "Azure Weld"

[@MaZe741]

Getting some serious Myst 3: Exile vibes here

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I've heard from another user of this comparison. Never played the game but that's pretty cool

[@DenisTriton]

В этом мире нужно быть очень сильным духом, чтобы не сойти с ума...

[@metinbedir713]

Well played.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Thanks, I'm glad you think so :)

[@ayrtontortorella]

Xen... idk what to say about this chapter. I think it needs more details (in the oroginal Half-Life) and more em ¿decoration? It just feels so... blank and empty sometimes. But in Black Mesa they clearly solved this issues and looks wayy better. Thumbs up.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, there is definitely a ton more details in this chapter compared to HL1. I do know some loved how desolate and bland the Xen was in the original game, but this version worked for me because of how beautiful they made it!

[@capsuleofdoom6942]

giant manta ray

[@Sexy_Nutella]

They look great :)

[@DogukanAyan87_]

mission impossible 1 35:39

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Haha basically

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

It's beautiful... they should've sent a poet.

[@rogerderwolf6380]

Is this 1.5.2 version? The latest one?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

At the time that I uploaded this video, the game has since been updated - checking SteamDB shows that the most recent build is 7336708

[@s-man5647]

gorgeous O_O

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Right? It's beautiful (but still hostile!)

[@s-man5647]

@@Sexy_Nutella I'm honestly considering buying BM just to be able to check out Xen myself. The thought they put into it is insane. And the effort they put into animating those leaves is even moreso! Never seen such natural-looking leaves in other games.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@s-man5647 I highly recommend! It's relatively cheap right now and even more so during Steam sales, which happen quite a bit :)

[@Teatheard]

I didn’t get that animation when spawning into zen I just popped in and was able to move immediately, also I’m watching this because I’m literally stuck at a dead end because an object I need isn’t spawning in correctly and I’m not able to progress but you didn’t play through the whole thing so

[@Sexy_Nutella]

If you load into the chapter you might just spawn after the "intro" where Gordon stands back up, it's been a while so I can't remember. This chapter I split into two parts so chances are what you're looking for is in the second part.

[@Chelik567-n8v]

Один просто красивые вещи осталось только проверить как это будет выглядеть в реальной жизни

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Возможно, когда-нибудь человечество откроет для себя такое место. Такая красивая!

[@WastedPotentiaI1]

Hardest part is getting that stupid canister trough Xen

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Lol, I still haven't done that yet. Sounds like a real pain

[@WastedPotentiaI1]

@@Sexy_Nutella well its not too hard, except the jungle and the roots to the teleport island. Fuck those parts

[@eggowafers5890]

YES

[@gabrielefontana9442]

hey sexy nutella, I recently created a mod for BMS, Enemies +, it is a mod that adds more enemies to the game without making the gameplay frustrating, the big news is that I have introduced in the mod the alien grunt elite, with their respective red pods plus large in the factory in interloper

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That's awesome man. Can you link it? Or perhaps I can just search it on the Workshop.

[@vodkavecz]

First playing the new Xen was jaw dropping. What an amazing work they did here. Everything looks so cool and alien. But: The plants being just at the right location so when they open up you can progress is just too videogamey. Takes me out a bit. Also the big Houndeye is allright, but I don't see the point of the exploding ones. They just die in one shot, what's the point? But everything else is superb. I just wish at this point they'd have made the Houndeyes friendly. I don't like to kill them :( (That's how they were in the original HL, but beta testers shot them instinctively, so the friendly doggies were scrapped) About the HEV Zombies. There's this debate about how zombified people are alive, because of the HL backwards screaming when lit on fire, and stuff. And now how the HEV still tries to fix the damage done to them. What do you think about that? In my opinion, this whole 'they are still alive, wanting to die' thins is dumb. No one would survive a headcrab chewing through their skull. The body might be kept alive by the alien, but the person is already dead. A vegetable. I think the HEV sensors feel the body too, how it still moves and "lives", but totally confused as to what's happening.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I think the devs tried to make the puzzles with the plants fit in with the rest of the flora, but inherently it does come across as gamey just by the nature of the puzzles. I think they did the best they could've. As for the Houndeyes, the exploding ones are indeed easy to kill but perhaps the intent was just to show that there are many variants of Houndeyes in this big Xen ecosystem. I'm of the opinion that the users are still alive and at least somewhat aware of the Headcrab because in HL2, a lot of their screams can be reversed to reveal that they are saying "God help me" and stuff like that. I'd imagine the Headcrab doesn't chew through the brain but simply latches onto it to obtain motor control. So the host is most likely still alive in my opinion.

[@alexie40stencsi5]

From 19.46-20.03..haven...iven I chaos..you couldn't undestain.. I known...but for me..is haven..😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@aaronvuong4677]

Pog

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Not weirdchamp

[@FrancoAbasto]

Es como ver a Cristo

[@Sexy_Nutella]

¡Hermosos paisajes!

[@carlitos-h5i]

good

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@rhodnill5906]

❤❤❤

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Hope you enjoyed! :)

[@aareaja783]

9:23

[@a_cats]

I like BM Xen, though for some reason it doesn't feel as alien as the original

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, it's definitely more beautiful and "Pandora-like" than HL1's Xen, which felt more hostile and barren. Both have their charms though

[@voxel8960]

Xen, in my opinion, even in Black Mesa - isn't fun for *me* . I enjoy all earthbound, but Xen however.. i can't mark it. But something throws me off and i usually stop by Lambda Core.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I can understand where you're coming from. The devs definitely had a specific vision for Xen and it might not have satisfied all players. Do you think it's the length that turned you off this chapter?

[@voxel8960]

@@Sexy_Nutella Length was involved too, for sure. But i really loved the military encounters with the HECU. Xen doesn't provide such a thing, until Interloper you just fight simple alien wildlife which i'm not a fan of. Fighting soldiers, and listening in the radios in F.A.F/surface tension is more fun and intresting. Gameplay is more in my style, like all of Earthbound. Only Xen parts that can provide such a feeling were the BM laboratories in the beggining. Rest doesn't make up to it with the gameplay and the story. Sorry for my clumsy english, but it obviously isn't my first language :D

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@voxel8960 Your English is fine, I can understand you perfectly! :) I can see why you'd like the Earthbound chapters more. I do agree that the combat sequences were much more tense on those chapters. Surface Tension is still the highlight of the game for me.

[@annaw.1951]

@@Sexy_Nutella I personally always felt a sense of dread during the surface chapters. BM really sets the scene too well in my opinion. The combat is really well-done, and each encounter is a puzzle with many ways to approach it, which I like, but I kind-of have to ignore the story and dialogue to be able to enjoy it. I feel alright defending myself against the wildlife if I have to, and don't mind shooting the controllers in Interloper, but fighting the HECU always felt wrong. I feel bad fighting the ground troops when they're hunting me, because I know they're just following orders. I feel terrible obliterating a squad that's already losing a battle against the aliens, and even worse when it's one trying to evacuate. Our objectives are the same, we're supposed to be on the same team, and find myself wishing I could work with them instead of against them. In a lot of the battles we see them fighting, we could've turned the tides against the invaders, had we worked together. A good example of that is at the end of Surface Tension (I think), where we walk past a radio where we hear a squad calling for backup so they can evacuate. We then find that squad, and are more than capable of killing the aliens they're struggling against, so it's legitimately painful that we either have to watch them die, or kill them ourselves, when we could have ensured that they make it out safely. :( BM really does a good job of giving the HECU a human element, and seeing some of the soldiers question why they're being ordered to kill the scientists and voicing their disagreement with those orders makes it even harder for me to fight them. I can understand their anger against Freeman for making their mission harder, and why rumors about Freeman sabotaging the experiment started circulating among them with how ruthlessly we take down the forces sent to clean up our mess. It all feels like it could've been avoided with a quick conversation over the radio after knocking out the first few soldiers we encounter. In Xen, we're actually working with the earthbound forces to try to stop the invasion, instead of making things more difficult for them, so I feel much more at peace there. Getting to the Lambda labs, and finally Xen, always feels relieving for that reason, even if the difficulty ramps up drastically towards the end of the game.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@annaw.1951 Great summary of the thoughts on the HECU! Yeah, the voice acting really sells the fact that under different circumstances, they could have been alongside Freeman fighting against the Xenians.

[@usamazahid3882]

Poor *HEV Zombie*

[@alexie40stencsi5]

At 18.42..the same..in his ugliness..I see happiness.. see..rare biology..if those creatures should not attack..y whould move on there in bear feat😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰😰

[@tiphares2355]

i don't like that green jungle area, it doesn't feel like xen. I wish it could be cut out. The rest is top notch.

[@mauroandresorellano398]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Much appreciated!

[@mauroandresorellano398]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@mallott045]

hey sexy nutella do you have idea of your next videogame?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I have some more Half-Life related content that I'm planning to make. Other than that, not really any concrete plans to start a new series or anything just yet.

[@ArmageddonChess]

@@Sexy_Nutella half life 1 walkthrough?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

@@ArmageddonChess Most likely not. It covers the same ground as Black Mesa does narrative-wise so making a HL1 series would be redundant in my eyes. If I had a lot of time I would but I really need to be picky if I'm doing a full playthrough :)

[@ArmageddonChess]

@@Sexy_Nutella wise choice, so opposing force and or blue shift

[@agustinsoto32]

What a boring level... And how is this in ""Hard"" when you kill every enemy with a few bullets?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I recommend you playing through the game on Hard. You'll realize this is indeed on that difficulty, my guy.