Minerva - A Half-Life 2 mod

Minerva, created by Adam Foster, who apparently has an 'over-active imagination', is without a doubt one of the best Half-Life 2 mods out there. When I started playing, I noticed that this mod was quite different to other mods I've played. The first three maps, Metastasis, are being developed. Two have been released: the first map was released on September the 2nd, 2005 and the second on March the 3rd, 2006. Each level is sculpted with a great deal of precision, making the mod a whole lot of fun.


In fact, it was these screenshots that drew my attention towards Minerva - they display a degree of perfection that I haven't seen before in a Half-Life 2 mod. The game is influenced by other releases such as Halo and System Shock in both map design and gameplay. Other than the fact that the level design is of a high quality, the plotline is also good, following as an extension to the Half-Life 2 world, where the player receives orders from an unknown third party. Perhaps the enemies are slightly harder to kill than the original Half-Life 2 ones (then again, I do have combat difficulty set to hard), but it is by no means impossible, and in fact it is more fun with this extra challenge.
It almost feels like a released game, until you notice some of the minor quirks that are surprising evident in almost all mods (that annoying HUD misalignment that means you can't make out your weapon ammo level). However, this is unlikely to be the mod's fault; more likely it is the Source engine's problem.
Nonetheless, the fact remains that it is quite a captivating game mod, and provided you have a valid copy of Half-Life 2, I think you should try it out.
Links:

• Minerva (Official)


• Minerva (Valve Developer Community)


• Minerva mod interview