Portland MAX: Black Mesa Transit System
Every time I get on the MAX and ride for more than a few stops, I hear this message, and it always strikes me as a really strange thing, and I couldn’t figure out why until a few days ago. The message is spoken by a woman:
Proof of payment and a validated fare are required on MAX.
A sentence that you might hear on any other transit system without strict access control (VTA, for example uses an honor system). I’ve been using the MAX twice (or more) per day since May 31st, and I’ve never had my fare checked.
Anyway, this voice sounds just like the woman that narrates the intro scene in the original Half-Life, I could completely imagine her swapping MAX for The Black Mesa Transit System. I can’t be the first person to have thought this, Portland is a pretty nerdy area, more than a few people have played Half-Life around here.