It's interesting that even in about 2001, time of the Dreamcast and PS2, has work done by a team roughly 15 to 24 names in the credits. While Valve at the time likely had far more employees than Gearbox, it's still magnitudes of different scale when fast-forwarding to the closures, layoffs around Free Radical or Rainbow Studios. There is a video circulating on Youtube from the last days of when the former (+ Neversoft?) were closing their doors. Check it out if the time is able.
The game? Oh yeah it's okay.

Short, unsatisfying and with a dud of an ending, Blue Shift is a bare minimum expansion released by Gearbox three years after the original Half-Life and two years after the vastly, vastly superior Opposing Force.

Compared to its precedessors, Blue Shift's only redeeming factors are passingly amusing moments in which you see events from the base game from a different perspective (famously Barney struggling with the door at the tram ride) and the introduction of the HD models, which a lot of fans don't even like.

Half the weapons are missing and half of the ones that are there barely have any ammo to actually use them. Half the enemy roster is missing and all you encounter are headcrabs, hounds, bullsquids and an endless mudslide of damage sponge marines, which are just as frustratingly awful to fight as they've ever been.

Not a very good add-on at all. Thanks Randy.

Blue Shift, the second expansion for Half Life, is an amazing journey, which provides a short, but really good escape story from the perspective of an another character, namely, Barney Calhoun.

No new additions sadly, but the pace is great, the characters are fun and the whole package is just really neat. I did not wanted to comment much on the original game, but I want to talk about Blue Shift a bit.

After playing the original, the two expansions are a must play, but what makes this one so special to me, is that it does not change that much from a gameplay perspective, but rather, the experience itself changes, because the main goal is vastly different from Gordon's journey. While Barney's weapon arsenal and is pretty much the same, and he does not encounter new aliens, the way scientists talk with him, and how his adventure makes you feel like you are experiencing the story from a different perspective. This alone is beyond what I would expect from any game's expansion.

Yes, I know that from a gameplay perspective it is a disappointing, because of the first expansion, but come on. Give this one a new try, and escape Black Mesa with the science team!

I want to like Blue Shift more than I do, but it's honestly just eh. The puzzles are pretty stupid, especially in Power Struggle. The ending chapter is so, so very boring. And overall the game is quite short, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but Opposing Force having a longer campaign that is also more fun is definitely a mark against Blue Shift. I want to like this game, and I guess I would say I do, but I don't think it's particularly good or fun especially when compared to Opposing Force and obviously Half Life.

A completely average Half-Life episode that shines when trusting the player with quick combat ramping, but falls short by clogging the end of the experience with escort segments, fetch quests, and otherwise menial actions.

There's interesting critique in the way that Barney Calhoun is treated as both a janitor and a nuisance by his peers, but those themes are better addressed in games with less avoidant labor politics (see Dead Space). It's a fine way to spend 2-3 hours, but it was the weakest of the Half-Life 1 entries in my book.

The second expansion to Half-Life.

This time we control Barney Calhount, a guard from the deepest parts of Black Mesa. Mission is the same as Half-Life, which is to escape the facility.

Now, this game isn't as flashy or distinct as Opposing Forces. What do I mean with this? It's more standart Half-Life, not much weapons added or changed. In fact, I think this expansion is more centered around puzzles and a bit less on combat.

The ending, if you have played both Half-Life and Opposing Forces will give you a more clear perspective on a certain character related to the goverment. It's a good detail.

The last of the Half-Life 1 trilogy...

Half-Life: Blue Shift is the second and last (if you exclude Decay) expansion to Half-Life 1, this game focuses on the story of Barney Calhoun also known as that one guy from Half-Life 2.
Blue Shift is a lot shorter than the main game and Opposing Force, it adds nothing new to the game other than its own campaign, and it's nothing to be gawking at... It plays like you'd expect, it's more Half-Life, but compared to the main game it's a lot more boring, there's a bunch of pushing puzzles, some escort missions, and a lot of waiting around for cutscenes.

Overall a pretty boring expansion which isn't bad, it's just underwhelming and I feel like they could've done something much better.