Livestream 1/27/2022 – Gunman Chronicles

Half-Life shook the gaming world when it came out when it wove in enviromental storytelling, actually having a story worth talking about, and letting you see it from the perspective of the hero. Gordon Freeman’s adventure trying to escape the Black Mesa facility is forever burned into the brains of the people that experienced it.

Once Half-Life was a success the modders started bending and flexing the scripting engine that underpins the game to create narrative driven games telling their stories in ways that weren’t really possible before. At least in any realistic way and not just a text blurb explaining the story. One such mod that rose to fame was Gunman Chronicles which changed up virtually the entire game. This grew and grew to the point it was a full stand alone experience which was eventually sold in retail with a box and everything.

Playing the game now it is very clear this is a) a game based on the Half-Life engine and b) originally a mod. While it’s absolutely impressive some things shine through like reused character models and voice acting that can come across as interesting. Nevertheless the scope and polish this mod turned game has is really surprising and really amazing when you think about it. Very fun to play although it does lean into the scripted events a tad much… gun variety is something else though with many options and modifications available. Check out the replay of the stream below.