With the long-standing and mostly accepted idea that there would never be anotherHalf-Lifegame being both a joke and lament in the gaming community, the sudden knowledge thatHalf-Life: Alyxexists has not stopped sending shockwaves through the community. WithHalf-Life: Alyx’s release scheduled for this month, Valve has suddenly released several videos to show exactly what people can expect in the game.
The originalHalf-Lifewas one of Valve’s most important titles and is still one of the most important games in the industry. Some believeHalf-Life2is the better game but both remain marvels of their time thanks to the technical innovations they brought. It’s those technical innovations, mixed with a healthy nostalgia and a cubic ton of hype, thatHalf-Life: Alyxseeks to take advantage of.
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Valve began the hype train forHalf-Life: Alyxwith a classicHalf-Lifehype move:having the mysterious G-Man wish players a happy new year. Only now however, in the actual month of its release, has Valve suddenly gone off to the races with releasing snippets of gameplay for players to drool over. Three new gameplay trailers forHalf-Life: Alyxhave been released to show how the VR-only title will work, what it will look like, and what players will be able to do.
Each video shows a different scenario in the game, encompassing different aspects of the original games while also adding new mechanics. The first is a tense, dimly lit encounter with Headcrab Zombies in a ruined subway that shows off the game’s physics using some lockers, a bucket, and a hard hat. The second is a short walk through a ruined apartment complex that involves some nasty growth and an elevator ride. The third is a tense shootout with Combine forces that show off how combat will work when player’s need to move fast, rather than the slow-paced horror segments.
Those who prefer to wait for gameplay before buying a game have a good chance of seeing something they like, if they can get to aVR headset after the shortage caused byHalf-Life: Alyx’s announcement.
SeeingHalf-Life: Alyxon a flat-screen rather than the VR it’s meant to be experienced in makes things look a bit wonky at times, as Alyx’s POV swivels back and forth fluidly. The graphics themselves look fine, if a little uncomfortably close to the dirtiness that was a technical limitation in the originalHalf-Lifegames rather than an aesthetic choice.
The actual gameplay is designed around the VR experience rather than chained to it, which other VR games have suffered from in the past. Hopefully,Half-Life: Alyxdelivers exactly what fans want, because this is theonlyHalf-Lifegame they can look forward to for the foreseeable future.
Half-Life: Alyxwill be available for PC VR platforms on March 23.
