Half-Life: WANTED!
Mod for Half-Life (1998) | Category: Total Conversion
Author: Maverick Developments | Curator: Modbadger
Mod for Half-Life (1998) | Category: Total Conversion
Author: Maverick Developments | Curator: Modbadger
Half-Life: WANTED! is a total conversion of Half-Life that immerses players in the Wild West atmosphere with duels, canyons, Mexican bandits, wild animals, as well as dusty towns and forts with characteristic models and sounds that create the feeling of a real adventure — both in single-player campaign and multiplayer.
Localizations:
Localizations:
The mod is localized into 1 language
(You don’t need to download anything extra to play in these languages)
The gameplay combines single-player campaign and online modes. There are classic shootouts and an unusual team variant with a chicken, where one mistake can cost victory. However, weapon balance and combat aren't entirely smooth. Despite a wide arsenal of historical firearms — from revolvers and shotguns to rifles and even a gatling gun — most of them feel inaccurate or too slow. Artificial inaccuracy makes precise shooting almost impossible, and reloading takes painfully long. As a result, the rifle remains the only truly reliable weapon.
Enemies, especially Mexican bandits in the second half of the campaign, seem almost "cheating": they use the same guns as the player, but shoot much more accurately, reload faster, and can withstand an excessive amount of hits. This combination turns shootouts into an exhausting struggle where you constantly have to retreat and seek cover even on easy difficulty.
Despite all the problems, WANTED! remains a notable part of modding history. The project demonstrates the ambition and desire of developers to experiment with settings and mechanics back in 2001, even before games like Call of Juarez or Red Dead Redemption appeared.
Despite the controversial balance, Half-Life: WANTED! stands out for its atmosphere. Old towns, canyons, and desert streets look unusual for mods of that time, and the use of items like whiskey or herbs enhances the Wild West feeling. Sound design, voice acting, and even small details like the interface create a cohesive image, and the campaign itself doesn't overload with direct narrative, leaving the player space for imagination and immersion. It's precisely because of these elements that the mod is often remembered fondly as one of the most vivid and colorful projects based on Half-Life.
How to play multiplayer
Since it's now difficult to find players in multiplayer, you can add bots. Simply open the console with the ~ key, then enter the command addbot ? where ? is the number of bots you want to play with.
How to install a mod Half-Life: WANTED!
Extract the wantedsp folder and place it into the root directory of the game.
Launch the game, go to the Change game menu, and select the mod.
Play!
To avoid entering the "Change game" menu every time you start the mod, you can:
Option 1: Launch via shortcut
Go to the properties of hl.exe and in the Target field (for example: "D:\Games\Half-Life\hl.exe") add a space and then write -game followed by the name of the mod folder in the game root directory. It should look like this: "D:\Games\Half-Life\hl.exe" -game mod_folder_name
Apply the changes.
Launch the mod using this shortcut.
Option 2: Launch via Steam
Open Steam, click on the "Games" menu > "Add a Non-Steam Game".
Browse to the game folder and select hl.exe.
A shortcut will appear in your library.
Right-click on it, select Properties, and in the "Launch Options" field write the full path to hl.exe (for example: "D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life\hl.exe") and add -game plus the mod folder name after a space. It should look like this: "D:\Games\Half-Life\hl.exe" -game mod_folder
References
