I wasn't frustrated that often, though, because Valve carefully orchestrates the game's combat sequences so they're not too relentless. That's not something I'd have to deal with in a non-VR game. There were plenty of instances where I had trouble dumping a clip and reloading properly because of incoming fire. As someone who's never dealt with guns in real life, the multi-step process made me feel like I was in an action movie.īut that level of realism can feel overbearing when you're facing off against multiple enemies. When you're out of ammo, you hit a button to release the spent clip, reach behind you to grab a replacement from your backpack, and repeat the entire loading process. To use your pistol, you first have to slip in a clip and cock it back with your other hand. It didn't take me long to get used to moving around in Half-Life Alyx, but dealing with the guns is another story. Both of those modes instantly made me queasy, as if my body were rejecting what I was seeing. And for the steel stomachs out there, you can forgo the teleporting entirely and just move through the environment based on the direction of your hand or head, which makes the game feel more like a traditional FPS. But you can also teleport while seeing the environment zoom past you - that's the mode I found most comfortable. By default, you move about with a simple teleportation mode, which "blinks" you to a new location. Valve also offers four different movement options to help players feel comfortable, depending on how susceptible they are to motion sickness.
Several hours into my playthrough, as I was gravity grabbing ammo and grenades in the middle of hectic shootouts without a second thought, I couldn't help but feel like a telekinetic superhero. I couldn't help but grin every time I used the gloves - and that's important since it's something you'll be doing a lot. You're not just pressing a button you're effectively imbued with The Force in virtual reality. It sounds simple - but in practice they feel like magic. It's your method for grabbing distant objects: You just need to point your finger at an object in the game, flick your wrist, and catch it as it effortlessly sails towards you. This isn't just another title retrofitted into VR, like we saw with Doom, Fallout 4 and Skyrim.įrom the moment you slip on the gravity gloves, this game's spin on Half-Life 2's gravity gun, it's clear just how deeply Valve thought about VR interactions. Half-Life Alyx is easily the most polished VR title I've encountered. And trust me, you'll get to know the horrendous face huggers up close and personal.
HALF LIFE 2 REVIEW FULL
The game's sound design takes full advantage of positional 3D audio. It's easy to feel dwarfed by the alien striders casually walking across rooftops and the immense buildings floating far off in the distance. After playing over a dozen hours of the game on the Index, I found it to be an incredibly immersive experience that takes full advantage of the scale that VR offers. Half-Life: Alyx is a reminder that Valve can still make a compelling game that isn't DOTA. That said, if you have access to a VR-equipped PC, you're in for a treat.
HALF LIFE 2 REVIEW WINDOWS
We've seen great Windows Mixed Reality headsets like Samsung's Odyssey priced as low as $230, and the $400 Oculus Quest offers great value since it also lets you play VR on the go. Sure, the ideal playback experience is with the $1,000 Index setup, but you can get away with something that costs far less.
HALF LIFE 2 REVIEW PC
It really does feel like Valve is putting a gun to gamers' heads - get on the VR bandwagon or miss out on Half-Life: Alyx forever.Īt least the game is playable on other headsets that support SteamVR, like the Oculus Rift, the Quest (when connected to a PC over a link cable), and Windows Mixed Reality devices. Understandably, that's enraged plenty of gamers, who have been waiting over a decade for the follow-up to Half-Life 2: Episode 2. There's no other way to play it: If you want to fight the Combine again, you'll need to have a headset and a decent PC. Half-Life 2 upped the ante with the gravity gun and a focus on elaborate physics, something that would become a huge deal for practically every 3D game afterwards.Īnd now with Half-Life: Alyx, Valve is taking advantage of everything it helped build with the SteamVR platform, HTC's Vive, and its high-end VR headset, the Index. There weren't any cut scenes to sit through: Instead you had full control of Gordon Freeman to explore the world, even during key dramatic moments. The first Half-Life was a landmark for immersive storytelling in games.