Half-Life: Alyx

VR has always felt a bit like a gimmick. Despite being a massive supporter of the platform, most VR exclusives are simple games, even the best ones such as beat saber or blade and sorcery. These are both fantastic games but they don't quite have the drawing factor that something like a call of duty or assassin's creed. Enter Half Life: Alyx. Since 2007 the idea of half life 3 has been a bit of a meme and whilst this may not be that game, it's incredible to finally have a new half life game. And not only is it a new game but it is the next half life game, a full fledged triple A title. On VR. Exclusively. Valve have released an incredible game that really shows that any game can work in VR and that the platform has just as much potential as the PS5. Horrific atmosphere and incredibley immersive, this game oozes passion and love. If you have VR, buy this game. It's a fantastic title with amazing controls and an amazing story. Could not recommend enough.

Should you invest in this game? ...will probably be the first question anyone has about "Alyx". The game itself is first rate, very much worth playing, and a worthy addition to the "Half-life" series. But there is only one way to play it, and it requires VR goggles. Consider that even modestly-priced VR (Virtual reality) goggles are at least $500 (Oculus Quest is the one I bought) with Valve's VR goggles offering being almost twice that. And after having played the game, the answer to the question "Is it worth it?" is really yes and no and depends, unfortunately, on how much discretionary income is available to you for buying the goggles since you cannot play "Half-life Alyx" without them.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the most important question really might be this, Is VR c. 2020, really worth the expense? Considering what you pay ($500 and up, although almost certainly we can assume that cheaper used VR goggles will become available before too much longer) vs what you get (the VR experience c. 2020) - my answer would have to be no! My reason for this is because, while VR is certainly novel and new, it is not revolutionary enough to be worth causing yourself financial hardship to get it.

And if at all possible, do try VR goggles before you buy a set. The visual effect of VR really needs to be experienced to answer the question for yourself. And I repeat, the truth is VR right now is really nothing revolutionary. It's basically just optical trickery, which is fine, except I'd describe the effect as not too different from the old time 3D movies from the 1950's. These 3d movies required you to wear some paper glasses with red tinted plastic over one eye and blue over the other. And VR goggles are really not too different from old-time 3D. By showing one eye one perspective and your other eye a different one, and your grey matter does the rest. The result is certainly a noticeable visual effect, which makes it different from every other game you've played up to now - but paying the freight to get it may not be worth it to you.

There are plenty of images on line that will show you a very good representation of the 3D minus the goggles, and if anything the effect is kind of like watching the game action through a piece of glass a foot away, with more action happening 10 to 20 more feet away, in other words, two perspectives at once. The feeling of actual depth is there at times, it is interesting to see, and it does make gameplay more interesting. But the interface you have with the hand controllers is of necessity very slow. Navigating through this virtual world is awkward and clumsy. You cannot react quickly to anything in the game, and so almost everything that happens gives you plenty of time to react. This removes a lot of the tension from the gameplay but is probably unavoidable.

So whether this game + VR goggles is worth it to you, is something only you can answer. By the end of the game I did not feel cheated or disappointed, but just wanting more. It's obvious Valve left out a lot of stuff - landscapes, visual effects, et. al. that will surely be there when they finally come out with "Half life 3" (they have not announced it yet but the mere existence of this prequel game basically confirms HL3 beyond much doubt). I thought about this game for several months before actually getting the Oculus Quest to play it, I had modest expectations that were mostly met by this game. But if you're on the fence about it, and $500 will make a significant hardship for you, I'd tend towards the answer being NO! My reasons for that, beyond the high cost, is that virtual reality still has a very long way to go. Maybe in 5 to 10 years they will finally have something truly groundbreaking instead of 1950's 3D. But as of 2020, they are still a long, long away from anything truly revolutionary in the optics field.

Unlike others I'm not going to talk VR beyond saying that the platform is the future & already owns simulation like flight & racing - & is how all revisions of past legendary games should be revisited

As with film & music, classic iconic games transport you to another place/time/feeling when replayed. The Soviet-esque Eastern Bloc dystopic vibe that HL2 built can now be experienced in an awe that'll never be available in 2D. Moreover, the tension, mystery, action, nostalgia, gunplay, puzzles etc are simply out of this world - you're in City 17

True VR can't be told. It has to be experienced.

Half-Life: Alyx - Still the Pinnacle of VR Gaming

I genuinely don't understand those who dismiss VR. It's limitless. The only things holding it back are funding and time. One day, it will go far beyond our current 2D screens and dominate day-to-day life in ways we can't yet imagine.

I also don't understand how anyone could rate Half-Life: Alyx anything less than a 10. More importantly, I can't fathom why, four years since its release, nothing has come close to challenging Alyx's gripping, immersive scope. It's as if Half-Life and VR were made for each other. If Half-Life 3 ever becomes reality, then VR should be its stage.

Considering that consumer VR essentially launched in 2016 with the Oculus Rift CV1 and others, the fact that Alyx landed just four years later is a phenomenal achievement. I applaud Valve for their courage, innovation, and willingness to take a risk on pushing VR forward. While some were upset that Alyx was VR-only, the same could be said for any cutting-edge tech-whether it's playing in 4K HDR, 360fps, or on OLED panels. Progress requires pioneers, and Alyx was the perfect flagship to drive adoption.

From the moment I put on the headset, I was there-in a haunting, Soviet-era dystopia somewhere in Eastern Europe. It was immersive, atmospheric, and utterly convincing. The balance was perfect: not too scary (which can kill enjoyment in VR), and never dull. The use of radio communication to keep you company made the journey feel human and grounded-otherwise, it might have felt isolating.

The gunplay? Magnificent.

The physics? Outstanding.

The source engine? Still a marvel in VR.

I could go on, but I won't. If you haven't experienced it yet, do yourself a favour and jump in. I'm confident anyone reading this who has played Alyx will agree with me.

One day, I hope to see this run on standalone headsets, further expanding the player base. It deserves that reach.

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Four years on, Half-Life: Alyx is still the most compelling, complete, and convincing VR experience available.

Developers: please, please, please continue to invest in VR.

And Valve-I'd be beyond thrilled to experience Half-Life 3 in VR.

When i was a kid, I never thought i would experience a game like this in my Lifetime, but Valve is always ahead of time, I really hope They get back to making a lot of games, or any VR game like Half Life Alyx. I think VR games should take notes from this amazing masterpiece