videogamescritic
← all games
Half-Life: Opposing Force

Half-Life: Opposing Force

Gearbox Software · released Oct 31, 1999

ActionPC

Return to the Black Mesa Research Facility as one of the military specialists assigned to eliminate Gordon Freeman. Experience an entirely new episode of single player action. Meet fierce alien opponents, and experiment with new weaponry. Named 'Game of the Year' by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

88
VGC Score
Stablehigh confidence
n/a
At launch
95%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
83%
Player sentiment
96%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (285 positive / 14 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Story & writing8% mention it
  • Combat4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

Negative reviews don't converge on specific aspects.

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

93%

101 reviews

5-15h

96%

155 reviews

15-40h

97%

31 reviews

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)0
All-time Steam reviews95%901000
Metacritic user ratings901
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)96%9077
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.2, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 29,516 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 219 reviews sampled · 216 total reviews in window · weighted 143.7 up / 6.6 down · computed 6h ago · full methodology →

Patch history