Black Mesa Soundtrack: Genius Joel Nielsen
Black Mesa – Best remake From the current time.
Okay, not that I have something to compare with. Of the remakes, I went through only remakes Resident Evil (but everything) and Black Mezu. But in my eyes – she is the best.
In general, an interesting thing. It is believed that fashion for steep and high -quality remakes set Capcom. I even remember this hype and excitement around the output of the remake of the second thread, and, believe me, the excitement was fully justified. I myself received a bunch of positive emotions when passing re2r.
And since then the industry has been focused on remakes caps. Studios no, no, but they mow towards the remoteis of the resident, if they decide to make their remakes.
But in my opinion, the residents were just successfully hip. But they were not the first to.
The first truly high-quality and impressive remake was the remake of the first Half-Life, that is, Black Mesa.
And I was with this game From its beginning. My then laptop calmly pulled her, and I went on a release. And subsequently I installed it many times again and passed again.
I found all her updates, saw how the graphics are changing, I saw how new pieces of levels were added to it, I remember the old menu, I remember another marking on the boxes. Yes, I even remember that there was no Crowbar Collective. Initially, the outfits called themselves Black Mesa Team.
But the game was incomplete. In 2012, only 14 chapters came out. The game ended on Freeman’s jump into the portal leading to the world of Xen. And I was waiting for Xen, I was waiting for the end of the game.
When Crowbar Collective rolled out the Black Mesa Xen trailer in 2019, my emotions … Well, let’s say, if now Eidos Montreal has rolled out the trailer for the new Deus Ex, I would have the same emotions as from viewing the Black Mesa Xen trailer Xen. Loofing.
I went through the demo. I went through Xen as soon as he went out in Steam. I received an incredible dose of impressions, and I sat down to write a view of Ksen.
And … everything was stalled. The script seemed strange and unprincipled to me, because in fact he was a description of my passage.
The script went to the trash, followed to the basket, because they took up too much space (and I bought the screws in my laptop only last year).
And I realized that I released Black Mesu from myself, especially at that time Deus exes and other Immersive Sims firmly occupied my head. But I have never let go of one thing from myself. This Soundtrack Black Meza.
Hi, dear reader, with you zombies, and today we are analyzing The work of composer Joel Nielsen.
A pair of moments as usual before we start.
This is not my first blog about music, and not even the second. The fourth, or something … and therefore permanent readers are aware that I describe purely my personal impressions, emotions, feelings, associations, thoughts and memories, which caused me this or that track.
I also try to pay attention to how the track is recorded and what tools are used, but first of all it is a subjective look, and you may have other impressions of listening.
Soundtrack Black Meza is a special case. Here it will not be possible to just describe every track in the game. Here the case is very similar to the topics of the bossfiites in Metal Gear Riding. The soundtrack not only sets the atmosphere and mood, it also Describes the situation, in which we found ourselves, and sometimes – controls the actions of the player. I’m not joking, in the game, there are moments where exactly the music makes you do certain things. Therefore, I consider it my duty to tell About your experience When passing a particular segment on which music played, and also, given my love for Black Mez, to express all sorts of observations and thoughts regarding these moments.
And of course, all sorts of jokes-converts will also be. Half is a franchise full of memes and rofls, despite the fact that her tone is quite serious.
We will discuss exactly Full long tracks. The fact is that the game also has short-me-me-melodia for 30 seconds, which are simply designed to emphasize this or that moment in the game. For the most part, these shorties do not interest us, although I will designate the most memorable ones. But we analyze exactly here are the tracks that go more than one minute.
Tracks Very much attached to the events of the game, because in fact I will have to briefly retell these same events. Otherwise, because the tracks in this game cannot be pulled out of context. They go hand in hand with the plot of the game.
And finally, the last moment. Game Changed from 2012 to 2024th year. The developers constantly updated textures, changed lighting, added new pieces of levels, expanded levels, changed the ways of Freeman’s hit in a particular location section. I will periodically note some changes in the game. This is absolutely not necessary to do in the framework of a given topic, but I cannot help but pay attention to how much the game has changed about the versions of 2012 of the 2015th years. The game all this time grew and developed, changing for the better, and I want to note it.
For comparison “how it was” and “how it became” I will use the screenshots from the old Black Mez passage I found on YouTube (if specifically: from the The Gideon Games channel). I promise that I will not make such comparisons often, so as not to get out of the theme of the video.
Video version, as always, somewhere here:
Do you need to say, Who This soundtrack made? The name of the blog says of course, but just in case I will clarify.
The soundtrack was completely written by a little -known composer Joel Nilesen. In general, Black Mesa glorified him.
Wikipedia says that he graduated from the conservatory and played in the rock band, which is quite felt, since there is a large number of guitar, bass, drums in the Black Mesa soundtrack in the soundtrack. Joel is very fond of drums, I will periodically draw your attention to the eardrum.
Nielsen also like synthesizers, he loves to add a piano, and a violin, a flute, and female vocals in the unit with Xen. I will also pay attention to this.
In general, Nielsen did not limit himself in any way, he used any tools if they were appropriate, and did the right thing. He almost always fell into a point by one or another track. Although it would seem that there are tracks that, in general, should not fit under the situation, but nevertheless they fit perfectly.
Nielsen’s work is very different from the work of Kelly Bailey, the composer Half-Life. Nielsen did not set the task of being at least somewhat like Bailey, Joel wrote the soundtrack in his style, how he saw him, how convenient he was how he felt these moments in the game.
Well? New game?
AND The first track won us immediately at the very beginning of the game. And he is called … so literally another moment, I swear, this is the last.
Tracks in the first 14 chapters of Nilsen called by the name of the chapters. In Ksen, he already began to call tracks specific names, since 8 years have passed between the main game and Xen, and Nielsen, in principle, changed his approach to writing the sound during this time.
As a rule, one chapter in Black Mez (before Xen) is a couple of tracks. Except for the chapter “surface tension”, but in principle it is very long. Therefore, if there are more than one tracks, then they will be called numbers: Surface Tension 1, Surface Tension 2, Surface Tension 4, and so on.
So, the game begins, and the first track named as the first chapter begins and the first track begins. Inbound. Or in Russian “Arrival”.
Gordon Freeman, a researcher at the Black Mesa huge complex, goes to work in a trolley. The complex is truly huge, life, work, research, experiments are in full swing in it. But the music that plays against the backdrop of our whole trip does not portend anything good. Passing Slice Embiming with a Slow Industrial Rhythm. Nielsen did not pull for a long time and immediately picked up the guitar. The author pulls one string, the second, fourth and shuts up as if he thought about something, and with him the rhythm of the deaf strikes of the drums stops. And then continues, adding a couple more notes, and the drums resume their rhythm with it. And stops again.
The track is divided into parts “on https://www.trsports.co.uk/ loading” during a trip on a trolley. So here is the video in which all three parts are connected.
This is how it sounds in the game itself:
In general, people agree that this melody comes Sensation of an impending disaster, the feeling that something bad is about to happen. And so it is, the melody pumps anxiety and tension, and I think that Nielsen achieved this.
However, I have never associated this melody with anything bad. I always felt this track like Something related to the Black Mesa complex itself. Mysterious, industrial, massive, and I go straight deep into this makhina under a slow rhythm.
By the way, yes, for some reason this constant rhythm is always associated with my steps with this robot spider below. He is not in the game itself. But he was in Opposing Force.
In general, Inboud never introduced me. This is a place where it all starts, where Gordon Freeman will become a legend. This music only emphasizes the solemnity of this moment.
The next chapter: “Anomalous materials” (Anomalous Materials). Only one track will play in it. Just one minute. But at what point he will play, oooooh.
Scientists in Black Mez than just not doing. Development of new technologies, including portals, military developments, weapons.
One of the important breakthroughs was the opening of the alien world Ken. Scientists Black Mesa explore this border world, going there through portals. But Xen is a dangerous environment, so scientists are required to wear a special protection there – Hev coum.
This costume protects the user from any dangerous environmental influences: fire, cold, radiation, electricity.
But hostile creatures live in Ksen, which means hev is still combat suit. Armor, sight, cartridge indicator, tracking user health status.
Hev who doesn’t wear. A person must at least be able to shoot and have good physical training. And our hero is just from such scientists.
However, Gordon is not sent to Xen. This time you need to conduct an experiment with a new sample in a test chamber. For this, you also need a HEV coach. So now we will see a great moment, besides unique. Only in Black Meze we will see Launch of the suit. Ladies and gentlemen, we will listen to this track completely with the sounds of the cost of the costume.
Under the melody, very close in sound to the Half-Life soundtrack, we see the activation of costume systems. This track is very inspiring, And the synths in it seem to make us understand that we have just received a very advanced technology for use. And, of course, an excellent eardrum with the active use of plates, most likely, most of the blows in Hat.
Short, but incredibly characteristic track. Under it, even the reinstall of Windows will look epic.
By the way, about Windows. Let’s figure out obvious jokes about this costume.
The costume works on Windows.
What do you don’t like? Gaben, by the way, worked in Microsoft, what else should a HEV coast work? Although given that he had dumped from the shirts, and later worked with Linux … No, you know, it’s good that the costume works on Windows, and not on Linux.
HEV has a communication system.
Only the lazy did not joke about it. But Gordon knows how to talk. This is we players, we do not hear him to plunge more surrounded, and it works.
The costume has helmet. Without a helmet, a suit would lose meaning.
The suit wished We are a very safe day.
Well, this joke does not get back. The costume was supposed to wish us a pleasant doomsday.
And finally, the last Internet pricon: the fact that in fact there is a built-in suit MP3 player, which loses to Gordon these soundtracks. You know what? Actually, this theory fits perfectly into the canon.
By the way, this dude can be poked, and he will tell us more about the previous costume model in which there was no waste removal system, so Gordon was still lucky.
Suit for us, go to a test chamber.
It seems that the experiment did not go according to plan. A new chapter began with a truly terrible name – “Unforeseen consequences” (UnForeseen Consequenses), and these words in the Half-Life series will also hear.
The track begins to play, which was absolutely not here before, it was inserted relatively recently. It is called resonance (yes, it has a specific name, since it was written at the same time when the soundtrack was written to Xen, and in Ksena the tracks have specific names). He is nothing more than a kind Remix of the track ascension, which sounds closer to the very end of the game.
Despite the fact that the track is repeated by the motives of the Ascension track, it is essentially A completely independent melody. The melody was slow, because of which she acquired a sad mood. You can even say – doomed. This track perfectly emphasizes the whole pain of the situation that has just happened. I really want to, looking at this devastation, to say: what we have done? And the same question is asked by Eli, which only confirms the correct message of the track.
The original Ascension, of course, has a completely different mood, but you still need to get to the track.
Well, cascading resonance happened, Freeman survived, the doctor Kleiner fell in love with the reason for the existence of two chapters in Half-Life 2, and Gordon is sent to the surface of the complex to cause help.
Its path runs through a bunch of ventilation, office premises and a couple of short tracks that we will not be particularly touched, because they are really very short. Until he finally reaches the office complex. Actually, the following chapter is called – “Office Complex” (Office Complex).
And before we discuss the track of this chapter, let’s think about something. Half-Life franchise has always been half a zhesh Horror. Sometimes not even half a -sewer, but a full -fledged horror.
The second Half-Life created terrible atmosphere of enslaved Earth, depressed locations, terrible experiments of the Alliance, as well as the Source engine itself, which is rightfully recognized as a limous engine. Yes, in general, in Half-Life 2 there is a full-fledged Horror-Location, and it does not need a presentation.
But the first part is not behind. More precisely, the remake does not lag behind.
Disaster that happened in Black Meze, had severe consequences. This is not just “aliens came”. This is “aliens came and let’s brutally kill everyone”.
Plus, yourself The complex cracked at the seams. Gordon will constantly stumble upon the corpses of scientists who were killed either by monsters from Ksen, or the complex itself. The fallen elevator, the collapsed ceiling, fire, electricity, lasers-all this has got out of control.
Also, in Black Mez, light was chopped off in most rooms.
And where no matter how in the offices the horror-music of the music was to play. Alarming piano straight from the horror movie, replacing bass guitar against the background of a viscous emboss. I guarantee that in any horror movie this track is suitable.
Well, you don’t need to call help anymore. On the radio, we hear local news, which confirm that the government has learned about the disaster in the Black Mez.
The military was sent to the complex. It would seem: with the goal of killing monsters. who poured from Xen to Earth. Well, how would yes …, but only military profits to clean the complex totally. They kill and scientists too. Moreover, the military themselves do not know who gave such an order.
But nevertheless, from now on we have twice as many problems. Gordon has to shoot back from the military, and from their turrets.
Chapter “We have an enemy” (We’ve Got Hostiles) has only one track, but it is special. It is this track that controls not only the mood of the player, but also his actions.
I remember what I started to do when I first heard this track.
So, we go into the elevator, go upstairs, and then music begins to play.
I swear as soon as the track started playing, I right away began to recharge all the guns, what do I have. Because I immediately realized that as soon as the elevator crawls to the top and opens, I would wait for me there.
Moreover, the track is clearly not just playing, he accelerates, as if hinting to you that the batch will begin now.
The elevator doors open, and to the desperate sounds of sirens and shots, under a continuous bass party covered with sharp blows into plates, we run out to the real battle. Everyone shoots, bombing anxiety does not shut up, and the track drives us under a hail of bullets in a bomb shelter in the middle of the map.
By the way, it was here that I found that the developers finally repaired Bug with music. The fact is that earlier when rebooting the Siva on the site where the music played, the game faded away the track to the beginning, and it was lost again. Now, thank God, the tracks are tied to the saves and by the beginning they are no longer unit during the reboot.
From this moment on Freiman’s path lies in the Lambda complex. It is there that scientists are waiting for him, to whom he should help stop cascading resonance, due to which the creatures are teleported to the ground.
On the way Freiman is a monster who is stuck in the name of the next chapter – “Reactive mine” (Blast Pit).
The beginning of this chapter is marked by a slight short track, which has some fabulous mood.
Nielsen will still return to this magical mood of music in a full -fledged track in the 15th chapter.
But before we move on to the monster directly sitting directly in the reactive mine, I want to express the respect for the development for this notion With radiation. When Gordon is approaching radiation, the screen is covered with a visual noise. Very creative.
By the way, where does so much radioactive waste come from in the meze? This is a whole lake, where so much?
And why some scientists are next to radiation, and they are normal? And why some scientists are next to radiation, and they are normal?
So, monster. Kill him is not a problem. Press the button first on the second floor, then on the first, then we return to the mine, and the track begins to play.
Honestly, it had to be put on the launch of the reactive engine in order to see the death of these alien tentacles under the epic heroic track. But okay, they did how to do it. Under this track, we run to the engine starting remote control. It begins with a beautiful piano, denoting that you coped and that you have to press one button to win. And abruptly switches to a magnificent guitar party.
If this track was called, then it would be called “Hero”.
In general, according to my sensations, somewhere from this track begins corporate party Nielsen’s style. In the game, more and more complex guitar and intricate drums will appear, interspersed with a beautiful game on the piano and synthesizer. Yes, this was already felt in the track “We have an enemy”, but in the reactive mine it is a definitely musical style of Joel Nielsen.
The monster is dead, and our path to the Lambda complex runs through the railway tracks under the complex. Well, do not walk all the time. However, we had little one unbearable monster, the next one was immediately drawn.
That’s why I love Half-Life so for Visibility.
We go out into the corridor leading to the site, and a drama unfolds from the corridor in front of our eyes. Huge monster with whom the special forces fight. And we see that their bullets do not cause a monstrous harm, but he kills instantly from his flamethrowers.
Total: we clearly know that the monster is so easy not to kill, and it is very dangerous. And we received this information without entering this battle ourselves.
This chapter has quite a few changes regarding versions of 2012-2015. Firstly, it was dark on the locations, and initially it was not dark here.
