A statement published earlier today by the mod's dev team, called the "Black Mesa 2009 Update", reads "Unfortunately, to our great disappointment, Black Mesa will not make a 2009 release."

So it's a lot like the 2008 update, then. And the 2007 update. Etc etc.

Shame, but for those following the project's fortunes, an expected shame. Those looking for solace may find the rest of the team's statement to be of interest:

Cynics may now rejoice, bets may be collected, and I think a mod team member has to eat his shoe, but we hope our loyal fans will forgive us and realize that the delay will translate into a better final product that's (hopefully) more easily available to everyone."

Once again we apologize for what has to be very disappointing news. We placed a 2009 deadline on ourselves to motivate us and bring this 6 year project to a close. And while we didn't quite make it, we have come very close, and you can expect a complete, polished game to hit your hard drives in the near future. We'll be sure and update if anything changes. Until then, hang tight, it's coming!

"More easily available"? Interesting wording. Wonder if Valve are, at the 11th hour, lending a helping hand, at least in terms of promotion?

Black Mesa 2009 Update [Black Mesa]

Last we heard, it was simply "2009". Which isn't very helpful. What, early 2009? The middle of 2009? Or, in a worst-case scenario, the end of 2009?

It's the worst-case scenario. In an interview with Screen Play, project leader Carlos Montero says:

I won't say anything more specific than "Late 2009". Like any developer, we want to squeeze as much awesome in as possible before we ship, but we won't withhold it any longer than absolutely necessary once it's done.

So you won't be playing it at Easter, then. Maybe Christmas! Maybe.

Your Turn: Returning to the Source - Part 2 [Screen Play]

According to official Black Mesa word, the mod no longer requires Counter-Strike: Source, as the project has moved to The Orange Box version of Valve's Source engine. Any Source-based game will let you play Black Mesa, should it ever be released.

That means the new media may show off the "advanced particle effects, jigglebones, cinematic physics, combined maps, self-shadowing bump maps, dynamic shadows, and [...] Procedural Terrain Displacement" courtesy of the new engine. If not, the new trailer promised in the days to come hopefully will. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next year!

"Halo conjures visions of radiant beauty, power and wisdom. The circle of light reflects the collider's form; it is a crowning achievement of science and engineering. It also gives more than a nod to the experiment's importance to religious debate.

Funny, for me Halo conjures images of how the world ends. Different strokes, I suppose.

Large Hadron Collider: Public chooses 'Halo' as its new name [Telegraph]

Looks like Black Mesa, the fan created Half-Life remake, isn't dead after all. In a site update posted yesterday, the team discussed the progress and the difficulties getting Black Mesa out the door.

Unfortunately, not all went well for development. Over the course of the year the team had to endure an internal alpha leak, the hacking and subsequent deletion of the entire public forum database, multiple hackings of the public forums after that, and just recently, the deletion of the public website and the team's FTP account (with over 2 gigabytes of source files on it).

Despite those setbacks, the game looks like it's coming along very well. Check out the media updates for some familiar environments and enemies with tasty new graphics.

And if you're so technicaly inclined, check out the dev team's open positions. Help get this mod out faster! I want to play this thing yesterday. Michael McWhertor

Black Mesa Media