Minerva… where shall I start? Honestly, some of you might remember that I wrote a retrospective of this one a while back. I am half tempted to simply put a link and say “go read” but that would be highly unprofessional (not to mention quite lazy) so instead I’m going to have a second go at telling you why you should play this mod.
Minerva is possibly one of the most critically acclaimed mods for Half-Life 2. It tells the story of an unknown person (I assume he was part of the combine’s oppressive regime) who follows orders from an unknown entity (the titular Minerva, the identity of whom is an equal if not greater mystery) and goes down into a Combine base which is set on an island somewhere… To be honest the story has so many unknowns, many of which are simply not explained, that if the writing were anything short of perfect it would not be making this list. Luckily for the world it’s the writing of the characters and even the personality of the island itself which has made this shine out like a beacon.
There is no spoken dialogue in this game, the only thing you’ve to read will be the transmissions that come from your… ally? Overlord? Enemy? the ever enigmatic Minerva. She not only makes you her servant, barking orders from the outset and demanding that you follow them, but she will gleefully tell you as such. To her you are nothing but a tool, and boy does she want you to know that. The lack of voice acting is a blessed relief because there is no human voice that could do these commands justice – they are just a degree too cold, too impersonal and too harsh.
It must also be noted that the gameplay is exceptional. For me, it blows everything Valve ever made out of the water. Half-Life (both 1 & 2) set the bar high, but Minerva somersaults it. Using space in a logical fashion, making levels feel as though they might exist rather than fitting them to a premade plan, leaves the game feeling surprisingly tight. The oft used quote is that space is being recycled, but it’s more than that, space is simply extant: the objectives that you pursue take place in a logical world, and the path you take is the result of the space you are given, rather than the inverse being true.
Why is it on our list?
Because it is the perfect single player Half-Life 2 experience. So good, in fact, that Valve hired designer Adam Foster to work on Episode 3.
http://www.hylobatidae.org/minerva/
Easy to install?
Bloody simple. Seriously, if you can’t install this then the puzzles in the game will get you. Oh yeah, forgot to mention: the puzzles in this mod are brilliant.
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Recently replayed this for the umpteenth time. As the above says, it’s the emotive punch that not only makes this worth playing, but also the surprise of that being the case. Not sure if I agree with it being better than Valve in terms of gameplay, though. There’s a few parts towards the end where the way forward is not very clear – and not in a headscratchingly satisfying way either.
Saying that, it’s probably the best single player mod for any shooter, ever. Hyperbole indeed.
One of the cool things about Minerva is that he designed the levels *before* the rest of the mod – to give it a more lifelike feel. Which is why it can be a bit suspect at times.
Got stuck. Gave up. That was a long time ago though. Has really put me off ever trying it again aswell.
Gonzo, where did you get stuck?
http://www.moddb.com/mods/minerva/images/depth-charge#imagebox
I think maybe around there. It was in a combine area. Got to what seemed to be a dead-end. I will give it a go again and get back to you when I get stuck again.
Oh I wanted to say I didn’t give up easily. I did keep at it for quite a while. I remember not knowing where to go quite a few times, found all the back tracking a bit confusing.
Mild spoiler warning – if it’s the same place I almost got stuck, take a hard look at the ceiling where the elevator used to be and keep an eye out for sparks you can shoot at, if you’ve gotten that far. I wandered around for quite a while, but then there was a fairly subtle hint, then a not at all subtle hint, and I finally got it.