But it seems the Black Mesa soundtrack’s launch might almost be upon us. What makes us think so? Read on to find out…

Black Mesa (or Black Mesa Source, if you prefer) has been stuck in development hell for a really, really long while. But for a free Source mod that aims to recreate one of the greatest games ever made with modern technology and modern sensibilities – time is the only commodity they have. All we know is that the mod will finally be released exactly two weeks after its soundtrack is released . So, of course, we’re all very interested in finding out when and where we can find the soundtrack online, as composed by Joel Nielsen .

This one is another great tip from Gamerman12, our numero uno tipster: visiting Joel Nielsen’s BMS section on his personal website will reveal that he has set up a special page for the full soundtrack’s official release. Let’s take a look at the words contained therein:

The Black Mesa soundtrack is available for download, in full, below. You can download each song individually, or download the entire soundtrack in a zip file. If you like the music, please select the amount you want to pay, and click ‘Buy Now’. Those of you that cannot afford to give any financial compensation, the soundtrack is on the house. And those of you with a tainted moral code, steal away. NOTICE: This page is not yet public. Therefore there are no active links for the music. When the soundtrack goes live, this notice will be removed and replaced with the paypal link, and you will then be able to download / listen to the music below. If you do not have paypal, or a credit card, the soundtrack is also available through iTunes and other digital music stores. For more information about buying the Soundtrack, see the FAQ page.

Both the PayPal and the download links are currently inactive, but the source code for the PayPal link is actually on that particular page. So if you’ve got the technical know-how to set that up, you can actually donate to Joel in advance. It’s completely safe, and the soundtrack will be free, so you don’t stand to lose anything, but keep in mind that just like those who will be donating after the soundtrack’s release, all donations are final, and there are no refunds.

The soundtrack will contain 30 tunes for a total length of 50 minutes and 31 seconds. 4 of those songs will not appear in-game, having been replaced by “Mesa Remixes” (which we can only assume are simply newer versions) of those same tunes.

Facepunch user Edward e-mailed Joel to let him know about the whole PayPal thing, and his reply, seen below, strongly implies that the soundtrack’s release isn’t that far off:

Well, let’s hope it won’t be much longer until we get to hear Joel’s groovy compositions! We’ll keep you guys posted on whatever happens on the Black Mesa front.