Half-Life: Alyx

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.

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.

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.

This game captures everything about half life but in vr which (instead of most games which is just used for marketing) is used for the benefit of the game since you feel like your there.

I thought long and hard before I purchased "Alyx" and that's because it requires a VR headset to play. I did not buy Valve's VR goggles, I bought Oculus Quest for $600, and it works just fine to play this game. But this review is about the GAME, after all, and what a marvelous game it is!

Once you get used to your VR headset, plus the clunky hand controllers that work along with it, you're in for some really good gameplay. Being a huge fan of Half life and HL2 + expansions, it didn't take long playing to realize this fits right in with the older versions, and even improves on them in a few ways, naturally. "Alyx" is a worthy addition to the Half-life series, and one can only hope that Valve is well into Half-life 3 (since the mere existence of "Alyx" basically implies that game too, will eventually get made).

The game starts you off in a dirty balcony, presumably somewhere in City 17, where you will presumably gain some familiarity with using your goggles and hand controls by doing some easy stuff: moving cans around, picking things up, opening doors etc. Then the tasks get progressively more complex along the way. The game design is quite well thought out, especially since every action requires using the awkward hand controls. And knowing this the devs designed the game to mostly NOT require you to do anything in a hurry. Most actions are done at a leisurely pace because its pretty much required. There are several moments in the game that did require speed of movement, and those are the ones i had to repeat over and over just because I kept getting killed. I never did get truly comfortable with the hand controllers not even by game's end.

And that's another thing I have to mention, is the length of the game - it is just too short! It's really not much longer than an HL2 expansion pack. And I could have gone for a lot more game, alas -

What I really want to discuss is, VR technology as it exists c. 2023. Considering the relatively large outlay for the game plus the VR goggles, I was rather disappointed. VR tech right now is really not much better than the effect you would get just by watching an old-time 3D movie, using those old cardboard blue/red glasses. The VR effect given by "Alyx" is certainly interesting to see, and it is novel and new.

But for the large outlay just buying all the stuff, I felt like it should have been a lot better than it was.

I didn't expect to put on the VR goggles and suddenly feel like I was living in "Avatar", but I was hoping it would be a whole lot more realistic than it actually was; perhaps a better sense of depth, being able to see off to the sides a bit, SOME THING mind-blowing...but no, it was just the old "creature from the Black lagoon in 3D" effect from the 1950's updated for the 2020's.

Ultimately I did not feel cheated, scammed, or let down too much by this game and I'd play it all over again (in fact it's almost a bit of a waste if you don't replay at least once). But IF you have to put yourself in a financial bind just to play Alyx, I say, DON'T. Save your money until VR improves a whole lot, or at least until the price of all of it comes down!

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.