I love the original Hotline Miami but I’m not a big fan of the boss fights like the ones in Neighbors (Biker) and Deadline (Van Driver). I find it kind of slows down the game and limits the strategies you can take.
Another example would be Fallout 3. I find the tutorial section in Vault 101 can feel a bit long after a fifth run but maybe that’s because I was spoiled by Fallout New Vegas’ ability to run off in your own direction immediately after leaving Doc Mitchell’s house.
I’ll echo OP and say that if you haven’t tried Black Mesa, I highly recommend it. The xen intro is breathtaking in my opinion.
I second this. I thoroughly enjoyed the hell out of Xen in Black Mesa. I really feel like they really did justice to what the original devs could have accomplished if they had more time.
I haven’t been so fully engrossed in a game like that since… Well Half Life Alyx I guess. Truly a great feeling.