Natural Selection is not a purchasable game from a retail store, but a modification for one.  Yet, the game is made with such professional-quality that it has made me a believer in the modification (mod) community and has me eagerly anticipating the sequel for the game, which is in the works. A modification for the original Half-Life engine, Natural Selection is a remarkably balanced, quality game which introduced innovative gameplay mechanics that are have yet to receive mainstream attention.

Natural Selection is about the eternal struggle between human frontiersmen and aliens.  Players control both sides in this multiplayer only, team-vs-team game.  With two different gameplay styles to choose from, Natural Selection stays fresh, even after you have memorized all the levels.

The game’s first and most innovative gameplay mode is its namesake, Natural Selection.  The opposing sides are given two different starting locations, and from there, fight it out until the entire opposing team is defeated.  However, the gameplay does not follow typical deathmatch style mechanics.  Instead, the Marines designate one player be the Commander, who assumes a top-down view of the battlefield.  The Commander then builds buildings onto the map, much like a Command and Conquer style RTS.   From ammo packs to sonar detectors, the Marines are responsible for building up their base and attacking the aliens, in hopes of defeating all of their hives.

The aliens also have some moves up their sleeve.  Skulks, human-controlled creatures that can cloak, walk on walls, and move silently, are the most basic creatures aliens can play as. They can also upgrade to new creatures, each with their own set of abilities and ways of killing Marines. Upgrading comes at a price of resources, which are also scattered throughout any given map.

Each team must defend their home base, find and defend resources, and go on the attack, all in a real-time, first-person perspective.  Experiencing these innovative additions to the Half-life engine is really something, and the mechanics quickly erase any disappointment from lack of bump-mapping on every texture.

The second gameplay mode, more recently added, is combat.  Combat pits the two teams against each other, like in the Natural Selection mode, but winning is more based on kills over strategy.  For every kill, experience is gained for players and they individually upgrade themselves to fight the opposing team.  The commander roles for both teams are eliminated, and the bases cannot be moved or rebuilt.  It’s a great mode to ease players into the thick of Natural Selection.

Although the game is not that old, it is an important modification that expanded what FPS games can do.  The game is incredibly well balanced, and the maps are well designed to add to the atmosphere of the game, as well as the fictional world that has been created for it.

Since the game is free (if you already own Half-life), there is no reason not to download it.  It’s worth every minute of your time, especially if you enjoy sci-fi genre shooters.  The mechanics, once they are mastered, give players a unique experience that one cannot find anywhere else.  However, there is one protip I must give:  Have a microphone handy, but don’t spend too much time chatting into it.