I just beat Portal 2 (which is one of the better written pieces of media in general that I have consumed in the last couple years, but anyway...) and the Black Mesa gag reminded me that I have actually never played any of the Half Life games. So...the usual question: Does HL1 hold up? Also, if I was to get it, should I get the original or the Source version?

It hold up reasonably well from a gameplay perspective. Headshots are not one shot kills or anything like that but the game still contains exciting firefights and decent platforming/puzzles. If you were to get one, strongly recommend the original, the Source version may look similar but it doesn't feel the same.

Not really.

I think without any nostalgia, it doesn't really stand up. Heck, even Half Life 2 feels dated at this point.

There's probably a demo you can try.

I think without any nostalgia, it doesn't really stand up. Heck, even Half Life 2 feels dated at this point.

It hasn't really aged that well, but it is still perfectly playable.

I replayed it not that long ago and had a good time with it, though I'm not sure if it would be the same if you haven't played it before.

It depends on what kind of person you are. Some people find it very easy to revisit dated games, while others don't. It's super long and not all parts of it are great (especially towards the end) but it's still a fun game. If you're one of those people who regularly goes back to play decade+ old games without a problem, then go for it. If not, I would say read about the story, watch the end on youtube, and play Half-Life 2 instead. Having just replayed it this year I can attest to the fact that the sequel is still fantastic.

Either way, make sure you play HL2.

Edit: To your question about original or source: Source has some better lighting effects, but other than that the difference is not tremendous. The thing that I like about the original is that if you buy Blue Shift (the second expansion) you can install a model upgrade pack that makes all the character models and weapons look way better. Nowadays I think this pack is available without buying Blue Shift (not sure) - I think here.

I'd like to think so, but then again I first played it almost 10 years ago at this point. In terms of gameplay, it's fine, especially for a 13 year old game. The atmosphere is still great, and there's something to be said for its minimalist, bare-bones story-telling. If you're really interested in seeing why the original HL is considered one of the most important games of all time, then it should be more than serviceable. If you just want to experience the story, you'll still be fine but there's always the option of reading about it on a wiki and going right into HL 2, which I think has aged far better. Of course, it's not nearly as old as the original, but it still stands up.

I finished it and both expansions for the first time a year ago and enjoyed them very much, but I can easily put my mind on retro mode.

I was expecting more of the unique storytelling that's shown at the beggining and throughout HL2, but there's actually very little of it. I guess what kept me moving forward was more of a historical curiosity and to see the ties it had with HL2, which are very few.

Also, the final leven on Xen is ass.

Not particularly, I'd imagine it's pretty archaic by now. Xen felt strange and dated even then.. and I don't even want to consider how that'd feel in 2011.

I do remember playing around with the console to spawn tonnes of Opposing Force troopers to fight against; the AI routines on those guys were pretty solid. Then again... I was 12 when it came out so I could just be looking back on that whole sandbox aspect through rose-tinted glasses.

@DeeGee said:

I think without any nostalgia, it doesn't really stand up. Heck, even Half Life 2 feels dated at this point.

I agree. I never played any of them, and I tried to jump into HL2 the other day, and it looked alright, but definitely not good, even by my relatively low standards.

It probably didn't help that I was coming off a few days of BC2 and Crysis. TF2, on the other hand, looks great simply because of the cartoony art style.

HL and HL2 are very much games of their time but I have replayed those games 5+ times each and I love every bit of them, HL1 is an old game but it is still a great game plenty of puzzles that will make you scratch your head, just be prepared to backtrack a bit and get lost, it was the 90's. HL2 holds up amazingly well and Ep2 is one of the best things I have played in the past 10 years so yea get into it, just do yourself a favor and suck in the lore if you like that sort of thing, you'll get hooked.

Edit: Also the Zen level in HL1 isn't that bad if you have half a brain.

If you don't care about graphics, or some mechanics being a tad different then yes I think it does. As a poster above me said, you have to be willing to accept playing it "in retro mode" in your brain or some stuff may bother you.

The story is fun, and for the most part the game play is still great. The big appeal at the time it came out for me was the amazing AI which is still kind of in a league of its own (only close resemblance is the original F.E.A.R). In my opinion the AI still has that charm, although Half Life 2 AI seemed a tad better.

So, ya, if you dont mind old games, its definitely worth checking out. I won't lie, though, I thought the ending was the worst part of the original Half Life. Otherwise it's fine and still fun. As for source versus original- I have both. Source just up scales it and adds physics but is the same exact game. There is no real difference beyond that and even the physics from source don't add THAT much to the original game as they didn't put a lot of effort into it.

I would say wait for the Black Mesa Mod (which will be a real remake of the original Half Life using source) but i have no idea when they will release it.

I've just been recently playing the original Half Life for my first time and i think it plays alright.

It holds up well in the gameplay department in my opinion, the AI is actually still decent, the guns all feel different and satisfying, the story is really light on its feet but it moves along at a decent pace. The graphics are dated though and sections of the game drag on for what can seem like a long time. Still a good game and the Opposing Force expansion is good if you like the full game, Blue Shift is kinda crap even if its technically more important to the overall Half Life storyline.  
 
If you don't like it then just read the wiki and move on to Half Life 2 which is a better game with a better story and better everything really. The story in Half Life 1 isn't that important its only really in HL2 does it develop and go anywhere.

Half-life is notable for doing things that are now standard, like First-Person playable cutscenes, a seamless world connected rather than levels, and creating a pretty well thought out fiction. For these reasons, every modern FPS that does these things will seem infinitely better by comparison (like Bioshock, for example).

Things Half-Life has that no modern shooter should are platform puzzles, confusing level designs without the tweaked guidance we've come to expect from Valve, ammo scarcity, and jump scares. It also has some nasty enemies that are way harder than they should be (ninja ladies, I'm looking at you!), and a horrible final boss fight that is nigh impossible without knowing what to do and unnecessarily frustrating.