VR's Greatest Hope, We Thought - Half Life: Alyx Four Years Later
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- On its fourth anniversary, now marks an ideal time to venture back into the seminal title for virtual reality to review it and see how it helped save a flatlining corner of gaming, or so we thought.
Hey guys, hopping into the comments here real quick for an update:
A lot of you have been saying that if I enjoyed Alyx, I should check out Boneworks. To be completely honest, I’ve never had a chance to play Boneworks - can’t play everything right? But enough of you have made it clear that it’s certainly worth checking out, so expect a follow-up to this video down the line covering my thoughts on that game. Just gotta stock up on Tylenol first.
That video wont be next, but it will be happening. So stay tuned and thank you for the suggestions!
Boneworks and Bonelab are incredibly overrated in my opinion. Your true next step should be playing Vertigo 2. It’s the only VR game that holds a candle to Alyx.
Boneworks is definitely one of the best vr games ever made, but if you get easily motion sick this one might be rough considering the entire game revolves around realistic physics. Definitely 100% recommend, but don’t push yourself too far.
I wouldn't recommend bone works or lab for anyone uncomfortable with VR. I've put a bunch of hours into both and they don't compare to Alyx at all.
Have you played any of the mods for Alyx? Some of them are incredible. Red dust is a great shootout and location. I can't remember the name of others off the top of my head, but there are a bunch well worth your time and better than pretty much everything else in VR (that I've tried at least).
@@J1njo7What makes you think that? You can't just say "nuh uh, play this" without reasoning. Besides, why can't he play both?
Bone works was the first game I ever refunded lol..
The controller layouts for the HTC vive wands was god awful and literally painful to grip anything. The haptic feedback was also at 100% in bone works.
In the new one they cut all support the vive controllers all together lmfao..
the editing had me believe this video had at least over 1k views and such, I was so shocked to see how little attention it got
I thought the same thing
Give it time
6,019 views
@@mr2meows it’s cooking
@@mr2meows not at the time I made the comment you nob
HL Alyx was the reason I wanted and got myself a Quest 3. Yet Alyx left me with an itch for more Half Life, was like a trip back in time. Did scratch this itch with Half Life 2 VR, my God was that intense.
I suggest Vertigo and Vertigo 2 if you want that itch scratched again.
Look for Stormlands VR
Somewhere between the graphics and atmosphere of Alien Isolation and the intractability and depth of Alyx is the _perfect_ VR game
I had the same experience itching for more after Alyx, and Half Life 2 VR (including Ep1 & 2) did not disappoint. I found the gun handling especially good, since each weapon has unique reload styles and quirks based on how you grip them. Vehicle stages were a bit much, but I switched to playing seated for the remainder of the game and it was much better.
Play Boneworks and Vertigo 1&2.
They do actually explain how Alyx was in Half-Life 2 even though the G-man put her in stasis. He explicitly said he's putting her in stasis at the moment at the end of Episode 2. So everything leading up to the ending of Episode 2 did happen. Also he wiped Alyx' memory of his reward. That's why she never mentioned it.
It's not a mess. It's a genius way of retconning Eli's death. The G-Man always had space/time powers, same as the votrigaunts. It actually makes 100% sense. :)
It's funny how many people jump to marvel-tier multiverse theories when we're basically told in EP2 that he's previously wiped her memory
@@DuneJumper this is true, but it also implies valve has time traveling abilities because i dont think they had that foresight and i also dont think they simply "retconned" it
I still don't get it
"Also he wiped Alyx' memory of his reward. That's why she never mentioned it"
Maybe. Or maybe that was another timeline's Alyx and the one we're playing as is another person. There's all sorts of reasons they might give us in the future, but knowing Valve it will probably be intentionally vague and cause a decade of bitter arguments.
@@ΒασίληςΒλάχος-τ3κ its unfortubately contrived
With Jeff, I like how, if you managed to grab a rebreather earlier in the game, you can wear it and it helps later since it filters Jeff's fumes. It's the idea that, even with everything grab-able, some things are just more useful than you at first realize.
Reminds me of how I once put on a random construction helmet I found for a laugh, because I was amused at the fact that the game let me actually wear it.
Some hours later when I encountered barnacles, I ended up stumbling into one's tongue while walking backwards, and my helmet saved me because the barnacle took the helmet instead of me. Took me a bit to realize what happened but was absolutely astonished once it clicked.
You would hope it would work like that, but the game constantly removes or deletes you rebreathet, especially when you enter a loading screen.
I’m not entirely sure I played this section without a rebreather. Him saying you have to cover your face with your hand doesn’t ring any bells… but it has been like 3.5 years so could just be my memory.
I had actually said "I hate you, Jeff" two seconds before Alyx did. I then laughed my ass off.
Yes! I love gas masks as part of my alias and so I wore it anyway before needing to know why 💀
Valve may have been radio silent on any new VR games, but they have been working on a new VR headset (the Deckard) for quite some time now, and there will probably be a VR game to go along with it.
aw shiii, half life 2.99? (ep 3) or maybe a hl2 remake cause the ending makes no god damn sense when you think
@jjkigtu No, it's very real. Plenty of strings and other bits of code referencing the Deckard have been found through datamining SteamVR updates. Several patents for it have been found. People have discovered all sorts of things about what Valve has been working on for this headset: eye tracking, display and lens technology, audio technology, wireless capabilities, the chips it'll use, the method of tracking, the software improvements (like UI elements that are grounded more in the game or your real life environment via things like reflections and shared depth buffers), etc.
We need another german hacker to get inside valve
Alyx was very impressive and left quite a footprint.
Valve has got the pockets and experience to bring the Deckard exactly when they think its right.
Given we have not had realistic graphics in VR but mostly low res and abstractly rendered worlds, my guess is they wait until UE5 is broadly implemented and RTX 4080 performance is affordable a tier lower.
So once we get true 4K RTX powerhouses for 500 USD / €, the Deckards release will be soon.
Why that connection ? The market has competitors which already cover the latest demands on multiple segments. ( Quest 2 low tier, Quest 3 & Pico 4 mid tier, Reverb and Pimax above )
Valve always wanted to make a difference, so they wait until their product makes a difference, again.
Which means : 2025 or later.
Yep, It could MAYBE be a continuation from Alyx's ending, or MAYBE a MOBA like somewhat located in the HL universe, or both? :3
Hey, a fellow lefty! After completing Alyx left-handed for the first time, I did a run right-handed for the extra challenge, and it revealed an interesting aspect of the level design. A lot of the levels near the end of the game run clockwise like staircases in old castles, so that your right hand is obstructed, but it also makes left-handed play easier. Playing off-handed, though, made throwing grenades much simpler and I found I used them all the time because I didn't have to put my gun away. Yoinking Combine grenades out of the air is so satisfying.
I actually did the opposite myself! I'm a righty, but I did my second playthrough left-handed and I found it surprisingly easier. I hadn't considered the world being right-hand-designed as factor in why it felt easier, but maybe that was part of why!
I'm glad Valve are still innovating and trying new stuff, even if it means getting one game per decade
Valve ain’t doing nothing but being greedy, messing with my counter strike.
@@frozen9065 Valve is working on games in the background, there are a few such as the rumored Neon Prime. There is also some rumors that another VR Half-Life game is in the works. Counter-Strike 2 is also a pretty good upgrade, at least in my opinion. The issue with CS2 for me is that they should have just made it a separate game from CSGO but let you transfer skins over. I also think it's about time for VAC to get an upgrade.
I guess I l’m just unique. I’ll admit, we’re pretty starved of vr content being consistently released and consistently more and more innovative. But void of content in general? I’ve been pouring hours into vr since I got it almost 4 years ago. There’s at least been a few great games every year. I still fire up Boneworks, Blade and Sorcery, Half Life Alyx, Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, Walking Dead Saints and Sinners Today. Idk man. I fucking love vr.
26:53 The biggest issue I had when playing Alyx with the multitool was the missed potential it represented. We see alyx shock doorways in previous half life games with her multitool, and this was a missed opportunity to make it an optional lock shocker for when you wanted to conserve ammunition when blasting off chain locks, and, more importantly, to make it as iconic as Gordon's crowbar by literally just turning it into a slightly modified version of the taser from the PS1 game Syphon Filter. If you've seen that, then you're now going "Oh my god why didn't they do that, it would have been perfect".
Someone should make a mod for that lol
@@HIGHONPOTENUSE I've worked with Hammer 2 in the Alyx Workshop SDK, there's voice lines already in the game files for the combine making sounds for being electrocuted, and thanks to the electric dogs, also the particles. It's a matter of rearranging assets and making a new animation, however I'm not a coder or an animator so I don't have the skill to do that.
They go into detail about their choice to limit the game to ranged combat in their commentary mode. They took a lot more considerations than I realized with their balancing and really went off of reactions to play testing more than anything. I'd say they did a hell of a job with this game and there are MANY reasons why no other VR game I have played has come this close with game design.
@@travis8106 A taser weapon does not have to be melee, it is essentially a remote control you press enter on to deliver 50000 volts to anything in a 8 meter radius.
I was a huge half life 2 fan and only heard of Alyx fairly recently. I have to say, it is very impressive in terms of VR quality and detail. I spend a lot of time analyzing and studying the Combine tech, like their door locks, healing stations and large machinery. Valve really spent the time to detail these objects.
Damn you only have a thousand subs? the pacing and humor for this video feels really top notch, I'm gonna have to check out some of your other videos after this one!
Right? I just found this looking for reviews on the game, as I just got a quest 3. This is really good. I subbed right away.
The best VR experience and probably one of the most memorable gaming experience in my entire gaming history. However the problem is, after playing this thing, all other VR games or games in general aren't as much attractive any more... till this day I'm still waiting for a similar gaming experience like Alyx, and not feeling enough playing any other video game to be honest...
The good thing is, there's loads of really good mods for HL:A on the workshop
Its actually frightening how much of the last four years I've seemingly supressed from my memory
You should definitely give the Half Life 2 VR mod a go. They have one for HL2 and both episodes. I think there's also a Black Mesa VR Mod. You'd be really surprised at how well HL2 works in VR......except the boat mission.
He did say he has major motion sickness, though. If they have teleport options, then I see it happening, but I think two missions kill that chance: the boat mission in HL2 you mentioned, and On A Rail in HL1/Black Mesa.
I don't suggest from motion sickness, so I found the boat part very fun. I actually wish that they incorporated camera roll into it
@@bababooey5402 there are teleport options in the HL2VR mod. They've also added a ton of options for reducing motion sickness in the vehicle sections (especially the boat), but I haven't tried them out since I don't get motion sick. It feels like its official when you play it and rarely feels janky.
@@Picklespit Yes, there's an option to play the boat parts on a virtual flat screen if people can't handle it.
This is such a great video, damn! The editing and pacing kept me interested the entire way through and your way of describing the game and reviewing it is fenomenal! It's safe to say I will definitely pick Alyx back up for a second playthrough after this!
I don't usually comment on videos, so this is an exception. A well worth one at that! I couldn't believe how your subscriber count is below 100 thousand with your video quality. The editing, the pacing, your voice, everything! I truly admire your work here and I will definitely be watching more of your content. I wish to see you be able to get more out of it, though. You deserve so much more recognition
13:27 Tongue-in-cheek dialogue has always been in Valve's house writing style though
34:15 Counter point: People at the time didnt had all the right hardware for a stable 60 frame game, but they do played with 20-40 frames a lot and experienced it. You cant do that with VR, YOU NEED THE VR on top of a good PC.
Not just 'a good PC' but 'a good PC with specific HW config'. There was a while where Radeon graphics was essentially a no-go for VR.
In that part it sounded more like he talked about Doom, rather than Half-Life.
I mean Alyx is playable on 45 FPS
@@rdablock you can say anything is playable on 45 FPS. doesnt mean you wont get a headache from 45 fps VR and it wont look and feel like garbage with a bunch of input delay. Low FPS in VR feels terrible, its so important your inputs and the game itself feels smooth. its why there is a ton of esoteric, borderline space magic tech in VR headsets to squeeze every last FPS drop out of your hardware. its basically a miracle the quest 2 even works with its dogwater hardware.
@@selectionn yeah aiming was ass but overall it's okay, maybe because of ASW
Great video! I’m honestly surprised how little subscribers you have given the quality/editing, keep it up!
24:48 these are the antlions baby worms that you step on HL 2 Episode 2 to get health back.
god you're fucking funny and really good at writing video scripts, you're like a 100k plus sub youtuber in every way but the actual subscriber count, keep it up, i genuinely cannot believe how underrated you are, you're gonna fucking make it man
Wasn't sure what to expect when TH-cam put this vid in my reccs out of nowhere, honestly surprised it's only 5 hours old, but I'm pleasantly surprised! A solid video overall, Hope to see more from you in the future.
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Wow that reads like a bot. Let's try it this way: vid gud. intro bit go too long tho. hope u get more view and subscriber. am real perzon me prommy.
"Wow that reads like a bot."......not even that authentic.
Nasty Malevelon Creek dweller
There are so many cool things to interact with in this game. You can wear a traffic cone on your head and it protects against barnacles. Also you can fill a bucket with grenades and other useful items. You may be surprised to learn that the grena6bucket will transfer through loading screens
there's a flatscreen mod for Alyx now, it functions more or less like Half-life 2, and I know of people who bought the game without a VR headset just to play it that way. Yeah you lose some of the magic, but at least if you're a half-life fan and can't afford vr there's still a way to experience it.
Bruh if you can afford a pc you can afford vr. It’s so cheap now.
Like watching a movie made for 3d, usually still a good watch. If it wasn't substituting good direction
_Some_ of the magic? You completely ruin Alyx by playing it flat. That mod shouldn't exist.
@@Skrenja I donno actually. I played alyx on release on index and it was amazing, but ive seen lots of videos of the mod and if you didn't know it was a vr game to begin with, you wouldn't even be able to tell.
@@pliat a lot of people dont have the space for vr and some people have pets that they might not want to cage up to just play a couple games
I honestly though your channel was bigger untill I saw the comments. Saw this on the TV and shared it with others
Something I think anyone on the fence about VR should know is that the meta Quest 2 is cheaper than a ps5 these days, and you can use it to play PCVR and standalone games, so if you've got a gaming PC it's not really a huge gamble to try it. It's also nice that you can just use it anywhere you have room.
For me personally the real killer app was Contractors and its cod zombies mods. Playing Kino Der Toten in VR is something I think I literally dreamed about as a kid.
The Quest 3 is such a huge upgrade over the Quest 2 that I can't even recommend the Quest 2 anymore, and the Quest 3 is only $500, so console priced.
@@elisenicole474 I have a quest 3 and my mom has a quest 2 and I think for someone interested in PCVR the quest 2 is a better choice. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but my PC seems to have an easier time keeping up with the quest 2's lower resolution displays. When I play Alyx with my quest 3 I feel like I get a lot more stutters.
@@hunted4bloodthat's entirely configurable in steam vr via the resolution settings though, id recommend turning it down. the pancake optics are such a huge upgrade, there was always some weird glare on the lenses with quest 2, quest 3 it's nearly gone and the sweet spot for viewing without distortion is so much bigger, however when you consider new quest 3 vs used quest 2 prices (often just under $200 for one in good condition with the controllers) it's more equal footing. buying new, quest 3 is worth the price.
@@dan_loeb Oh thanks I didn't know that. I'll set that up.
At the low low price of selling your soul to FB.
Oh no for me jeff wasnt a highlight it was the point where i nearly shit my pants and then took a 7 month break. Still its a very fun chapter to return to in repeat playthroughs
Got a Quest 3 mos ago and got Alyx 3 weeks ago and just beat it. Best game I've ever played and I'm in my 60's and played the best FPS games. This one is my favorite. I'm now loading up the Best Rated Mods for Alyx and hoping to extend my happiness! ;)
21:05 The way they slowly step towards you feels like a band of bad guys doing a little dance and snapping their fingers as they approach step by step
Oh my god, thank youuuu for criticising this style of ironic, detached writing. I always find it super hard to put my finger on what bothers me about it but "detached" is definitely one of the best descriptors.
(also: here before this video had 100k plays - it's so well made and i love your jokes, it's gotta blow up!)
I don't think Alyx is a good example of the thing he's criticising. In the example he gives Alyx is just being patient with her goofy over-explaining autistic uncle, it's all based on character. It's not the same as saying "well THAT just happened" to fill the silence.
If you're looking for other VR games to try out, despite your motion sickness, I'd highly recommend Vertigo 2. It's a bit on the jankier side, but is super impressive considering that, to my knowledge, it was developed mostly by a single person.
Speaking of companies taking risks in the space, it does appear that Metro will be getting a game in the series exclusive to VR through Metro Awakening, which seems to be taking heavy inspiration from Half-Life: Alyx based on the trailer that was shown. High hopes for that, and for the medium as a whole. It truly provides an experience a normal game simply cannot and it makes me super excited for the future.
still in 2024 there is nothing even cloe to this level in vr .
14:40 just marked "TH-camr tells you mark **meta moment** off your bingo card" off of my bingo card.
One thing i remember having fun with, was rolling those round things edge to edge in a box. It was incredible to me how real the haptics made that, and the control it gave you.
what ever you say VALVE IS BACK!!! (with that blast)
"and its so natural" *footage of donkey from shrek being stretched and squished in every direction for no reason*
16:13 epistle 3 was laidlaws fan fiction from a long since cut plot outline on how he thinks ep 2 was continued,
laidlaw was also consulted for alyx's story, and it was always planned for g-man to get Alyx to in some way replace gordon, and given that, forcing her to basically sell her soul to save her father and force her to agree to his terms sounds like the best way of going about it without something forced or more out of no where
Keep making good shit please! and i had no idea that its already on its fourth anniversary.
You should make more videos man. I was shocked to see how little your sub count is. Your editing and writing are great. Your comments are insightful and thoughtful. Give us more!
thought this was a bigger channel. you deserve more
You know what's the worst thing you can do? Get a VR headset and START with Alyx. EVERYTHING else seems like a broken tech demo afterwards. I think i haven't touched the headset for a YEAR after Alyx.
Eventually i started flying in VR. And despite the fact that i absolutely LOVE to fly in VR (MSFS), and i almost literally shit my pants in the VR mod for Alien Isolation, and i had a lot of fun using Google Earth VR, i have to sadly agree, that VR doesn't really seem to be getting anywhere. Also, i bought some 3rd party software that turns non-vr titles into VR games, but it's weird. It obviously doesn't hand-track, so you're using the controllers just like a common twinstick with not enough buttons.
Yeah, i also played a VR zombie game and something called Hubris, but the zombie game had fugly graphics, and although the Hubris thing has really nice graphics, it hates me, because i am over 2meters tall, it does this weird thing, when it repeatedly tries to move my virtual head position closer to the ground than where it actually is.
But compared to Alyx, everything else for VR is just sooooo.. soooo, sooooooooooooooooooooo underwhelming...
10 to 12 HOURS?!
I'm 19 hours in on chapter 10. Who would spend their first playthrough rushing it when there's so much to see and appreciate.
i have a feeling that sometime in not even that far into the future we are eventually going to have VR Headsets the size of sunglasses where the hand controllers are just gloves
This is a great video!
The motion sickness you're struggling with is often caused with either low frame rates, or the stock lenses in the headset. If FPS isn't a problem, I'd recommend you get a pair of "gear VR lenses", but be extremely careful when modding your headset, because you don't want even a spec of dust on the screen!
Half life Alyx is the only reason I own a VR headset. I bought a Meta Quest 1 last year to play this game for relatively cheap. And it was definitely worth it
I have played HL: Alyx for over 100hours. And it's honestly the gift that keeps on giving with all the new community made content. Campaigns like Zheptics and Levitation feels like actual valve-made DLC to the game. I'm hoping Valve will continue to push the VR medium.
Hopefully this video will blow up soon, deserves alot more views. This video was put together very well
this deserves much more likes/views and subs
Dude, you watching your own TH-cam video and the “you’re learning and your laughing” line had me rolling! 🤣🤣
I have to say half-life Alyx is probably the greatest game I’ve ever played in my life. It’s peak VR. Saying that the half-life 2 VR mod is incredible, and almost has better combat in places. I love VR so much and I probably wouldn’t care if it wasn’t for valve creating these masterpieces not to mention the modders saving the genre when the developers didn’t invest money in AAA titles. Also, alien isolation VR mod is next level. I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by how good the quest 2 games look on the quest 3. Resident evil 4 looks incredible on the quest 3 when the settings are turned up. Also doom 3 mod is a must play.
I get the complaint about writing, but the vortigaunt scene where he is confused about the passage of time is incredible
2016 was the year when i dreamed about getting this "VR Device" and how cool it would to be in game.
Fast forward to 2021...Made my big step into VR world by getting Rift S & later on Valve Index.
3 years, still going strong & never regret my purchase, haha
Great video, thought I was watching someone who had at least a couple hundred thousand subscribers. Subscribed.
Do note that a "retcon" is when a story overwrites something that has been set up before with no in-universe explanation. Stories with time travel do not count as retconning its own events.
No, at that point we just call it a waste of time.
@@yosefsantoni599How is rewriting history ingame from this point forward a "waste of time"?
@@flordelizhawk358 Imagine being halfway through a story when suddenly the author basically says "except none of those trials, tribulations, and deaths those characters went through mattered because the protagonist TIME TRAVELED to stop it! dun dun DUN!"
No, I'd throw the book in the garbage for wasting my time. Multiverse shit and time travel is a plague on modern fictional storytelling. Half-Life 2 EP2 ended with Eli's death in my universe. The rest will be fan-fiction.
@@yosefsantoni599Bro, you should already know how Half Life 2 Episode: 3 ends, this is simply a way to continue on a different story ever since the epistle 3 incident in 2017.
@@flordelizhawk358 Copium...
I can't watch this video. As of now, I still have absolutely zero spoilers for HL:A. I want it to all be fresh and new when i finally get a VR headset. So many years ive waited for a new half life game, i hope it's worth the wait...
edit: i still liked it and put it in a playlist for later, but god this is suffering
Aquaman drowns at the end.
@@wta1518FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF--
absolutely worth it. one of the best experiences i've ever had in gaming. i hope you can pick up a headset and play it
Its pretty mid, you dont really need to avoid spoilers.
Now you can get a used quest 2 for 150$.
From the looks of all of your videos, we had nearly the same childhood and I'm beyond excited to dive into this channel.
cool video :) the time travel was also hard to digest for me, i understood it that alyx will keep on living her life, probably not remembering the "father saving" events, then the events of hl2 + episodes will happen but the ending scene will be "rewritten" by these events, so suddenly alyx will have disappeared, eli will be alive and urge gordon to get her back and that's where the next half life game will pick up.
I genuinely hope nobody is displeased at the plot shift lol that was the cleanest most impactful retcon of my life. I literally cried at the end lmao I don't remember the last time I was so moved by a videogame.
Enjoyed the entire video! THANK YOU!!!!!
I was on discord playing this through and made a joking comment when I was like an hour in that i’d lose all my weapons and get supercharged gravity gloves, and I was so unbelievably excited when that actually happened
One month later and it got 100k veiws lol bro didn't fall off, he got on 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Its funny that this was one of the most advanced VR games and yet not many followed it. because right now, the MOST advanced VR games are.... lets just call them P games. and when i say advanced, i mean actual advancements are being made in VR to accommodate these games. there is a multiplayer one coming out soon with a fully physicalized simulated body physics system... you know... for "bonding".
"Jeff" is HL:A's Ravenholm
Weird to hear you portray it as a "surprise" that Valve came out with HLA. I mean, the fact that it was Half Life may have been surprising, but other than that there wasn't anyone more balls deep in VR than Valve at the time, other than maybe Oculus. I mean they're the ones that made the HTC Vive possible, and they had business with Oculus as well. They had plenty of other little VR things under their belt at the time
wait, I thought you had 159k subs, not 1.59k wow, amazing video quality man keep it up! 👹
You seriously need more subscribers, this really is some funny stuff! I almost have too much to say about how great your content is! Oh, my mistake, that was actually the end of that sentence.
I found best use for VR in sim racing. It's like it's been made just for it.
1:48 Do like the neck-straining Robocop set up here.
Awesome video, mate! Thanks! ❤
What a great video! I also have a VR headset and didn't play much besides modded Skyrim and Half Life Alyx on it. But damn, Alyx was worth it.
Sounds stupid, but after Alyx, Walkaround Minigolf was my favorite VR game - its so relaxing.
This game made me realize that I never want to play VR games that solely take place in cellars and small rooms. Come on! I play VR for the sense of scale, big canyons or laboratory halls. Vertigo VR on the other hand, that hit the spot.
Just to clarify the time travel aspect.
Alyx Vances younger self just Blacks put and then wakes up outside vault with no memory.
Alyx Vance at the end of episode 2 vanishes.
Gman uses Alyxes past self to give him permission to hire her current day self.
18:00 I found myself sitting down for a bit every now and then too :D
Just look around, take a rest, reload my guns. It''s nice :)
First time seeing The Vault fall from the sky made my jaw drop to the floor
Just wanted to say that HL:Alyx is not a prequel, its a sequel.
The white flashes and text pre tells what will happen in the future, as if something in Alyxs past has changed, so that the 'future' changes.
The ending dialogue even foreshadows what HAS happened in Half life 2, ep 1 and ep 2. Im talking of when G-Man speaks in present form that Gordon is not cooperating. It is all very subtle, but I instantly saw this playing the game myself. Just being *told* that it is five years before the collapse of the citadel and death of Eli Vance was eluding to this being an alternate Timeline rather than a Prequel.
I theorize even that in this past, "The Vault" didnt even exist normally, but it exists now and the combine in this past tried to isolate G-Man. Half Life Alyx does not at all tell of her past, it tells of a past changed. Alyx across HL2,Ep1nEp2 is not the same Alyx, or at least. Not anymore. My slight theory even has credence knowing the voice actors have changed. And knowing HL:A Alyx was "Hired" meaning she was in "Stasis" in some way or form. Half Life 3 might be about a mindbending story revolving around Eli having to Die.
We might even get a Sequel where we try to revert back to when Eli Should have died. Which would lead to Gordon not ever coming back at the train station of HL2, And even further back to when the scientists never got the crystal that would create the resonance cascade. Basically anything the G-Man did should be erased.
This is what I got out of this "Time" / "Retcon" of HL:A. And this is how I see Half Life ending. It ends where it all began, replaying the first chapter of Half-Life but without the big 'accident'.
I was able to play this with a GTX 970, and a $150 Acer Win MR headset - don't need thousands to enjoy!
how. my 1000$ only had about 75 fps running the game.
Asgards Wrath 2 is an exclusive AAA VR game that came out last year and the Vertigo games reach Half Life quality but aren’t advertised for some reason. The amount of high quality VR games that have come out since Alyx are numerous but most are indie or are made by Meta who do make AAA VR games but don’t know how to sell them to general audiences. Asgards Wrath 2 is especially compelling, being a 60 hour AAA open world VR RPG running standalone but it seems that most people don’t talk about it, even if everyone who got a Quest 3 got it for free.
I rarely leave comments, but I have to if it helps boost this video to other people. Incredibly well structured video essay, the humor is GREAT. Definitely subscribed and look forward to more of these :]
I can actually explain time travel in a rather simple way.
When Alyx goes forwards in time to prevent her fathers death, what's actually happening is a old variant of Alyx goes forwards and saves him, wiping herself from THAT timeline. The Alyx that was crying over her dads body is the Alyx that gets trapped in stasis BUT no remembers the old timelines Alyx's memories and of what happened.
The way time works is all things happen, no matter if you change something or not, everything will always remain on a steady passage of time. If you went back and killed Hitler, someone would simply take his place and the same outcome would happen just under a new name. Paradoxes only exist as a means to explain to yourself and others why something simply doesn't make sense.
Sometimes the best answer is the simplest one. Take the grandfather paradox for example;
You go back in time and kill your grandfather, thus stopping you from being born to your mother. However when you go forwards in time you're still with your mother. All you did was kill a random man, your father was still born just as was your mother only to new grandparents, and thus you are still born.
Preface: I haven't played HL Alyx myself, just seen lots of playthroughs and am a big HL fan.
My personal understanding of the retconned timeline is this:
Alyx meets with the Gman inside his jail cell, which is outside time. He lets her save her father in the future before letting her leave while remembering nothing or only meeting the Gman. She continues to fight with Gordon in the HL 2 games as normal.
Just as Eli is about to die, Past-Alyx saves Eli before the Gman puts present-Alyx into stasis.
Eli gets (understandably) angry and then HL Alyx post-credits cutscene plays out.
TLDR; Alyx does everything normal until Eli is about to die, then Past-Alyx saves him before Gman puts her into stasis in the present
A few things, first off that's ace content, nice one. Second, if you still get a bit sick in VR do not play boneworks. If you have any prescription at all, get lenses for your headset. As you are describing headaches rather than motion sickness, it sounds more like eye strain. The focal length is about two metres, so imagine trying to focus on things two metres away without glasses if you need them, and the kind of headache that would give you. If it's actually motion sickness, it's about the disconnect between your brain seeing that you should be moving, but you aren't. Find a way to ground yourself in reality, like putting a small rug or patch of carpet under your feet, and standing over the edge of it so you can feel the ridge. This helps keep you oriented and stop you wanting to fall over. A fan blowing towards you can do this as well, people use both at the same time. Just a few subtle reminders to your body where you actually are. I was very lucky I think, I had knee surgery the day they announced Alyx and bought a quest 1 in a morphine daze! £399 entry not £1000. Because I still wasn't mobile, my early gaming on it was all seated which gave me time to adjust. Games like The Climb etc with no artificial locomotion. Then in the few months before release I moved onto boneworks and saints and sinners, when Alyx released I was well adjusted to VR although still unable to crouch in real life, it was ace! So so good. Since that Q1 I have had a Quest 2, 3, Pico4 and a PSVR2. Currently playing mostly PSVR2, RE Village and 4 Remake are the only things I have enjoyed on a level with Alyx/S&S/Into the Radius 👍
im so glad you bought up the humor of HL Alyx. That type of humor felt so dated, I felt like I was shot back in 2013 reddit humor. Its actually ironic but im sure portal 2 is what inspired that whole decade of humor.
Loved the vid, keep it up bro
Super Long Head Canon Comment
Dont open unless ur ready to read insane thoughts lol
The time travel aspect of the story never really bothered me too much. From a traditional standpoint if you view the timeline as a single linear story that has to fold in on itself to make the time travel work then obviously you will run into the classic dilemmas with time travel. But when you realize just how powerful and cunning the Gman is then it really just makes sense. Obviously this is more of a head canon but it's what i feel makes sense.
I believe that HL:A takes place in something of a mirrored timeline. GMan may not be able to control the flow of time (otherwise he would just reset things when they dont go his way) but I dont feel like for someone like him parrallel universe jumping is out of the question. This mirrored timeline theory could also help explain some of the more striking visual differences in the world such as the combine, alien life forms and the tech that they use.
If you listen to the G-Mans speech at the end of the HL:A its clear that this is the gman FROM HL2: Episode 2. He claims his previous worker (gordon) is being "less than cooperative". Meaning Gordon went through the two episodes defying Gman as we know, Half Life: Alyx is Gmans response to Gordons defiance.
Because he has lost control of Gordon he instead chooses to enlist the help of Alyx as she was clearly just as capable and resiliant as Gordon, but she also is a huge bargaining chip when it comes to dealing with Eli. Not to mention we see in Episode 2 that Gman has already established a link with Alyx as he speaks to her and even through her on multiple occasions. Rather than hiring "past Alyx" from this timeline, he actually enlists the help of the other Alyx. It stands to reason if he can manipulate the main timeline Alyx like we see him do, he can also manipulate her in whatever fucked up mirror universe he has either made or found his way into.
This is sort of backed up by how Gman's capture seems to be a more recent event, almost as if he was captured around the same time that we the players "start the game". If that universe/timeline already had a Gman, why would he only now be caputred and why would he be waiting for Alyx? Why would he be talking about Gordon, at that time Gordon should be in stasis for several more years. Gman uses the fear of mirror Alyx to help change the events of the main timeline. He cant directly stop Eli from dying (the Gman rarely directly interferes) but he can get mirror Alyx to do it, and in doing so changes the event as they are happening. We as the players have seen the different outcomes, but for the characters, in the hangar at the end of Episode 2, Alyx was there one moment and gone the next and both Eli and Gordon know who is responsible since literal minutes prior to that moment, the Gman was manipulating Alyx after the rocekt launch.
Did we wait 13 years to essentially progress the main story 2 minutes? Yes
But like he says in the video, from a game making stand point this gives Valve alot more wiggle room.
Borrowed a friends headset to play through this game just this year, the genuine terror I felt in those dark environments is truly something I miss from playing games, nowadays due to generally playing Multiplayer FPS games any story game with a gun just feels like a speedrun as I run around one tapping all the enemies or getting frustrated at the bullet sponge.
they should just make a game where half of it takes place after half life 2(timeline version after half life alyx) and then have it so that like quarter of the way through we save alyx allowing her to go back reseting the timeline back to original but with eli alive, then just make it so gordon returns right back to when eli is killed, but instead surviving, and then just continue the story there, fixing the question of who replaces alyx, and also allowing eli to live still.
It does not change the past, because Eli seems acutely aware that his daughter has gone missing and seems to have only recently experienced the grief and shock.
On that theory, it suggests that the characters are aware of the timeline shift as Eli is driven for vengeance and feeling the guilt of her heroic actions.
The algorithm knows this video is a banger. Well done!
The "If Alyx goes into stasis at the end of the game and therefore cant meet Gorden Freeman in the normal Half Life 2 game" can be solved easily:
Eli Vance, the future one, also says that Alyx has now been gone.
The gman has powers, a lot. He isnt just putting past Alyx into stasis.
He removes her from the time.
And he perceives time differently.
Human minds perceive it linear: from past ->presnt -> future.
Therefore, everything in th epast leads to the present, which will lead to the future.
A being, which perceives it not that way, also can work with it differently.
The event of Half Life 2 and the episodes have happened, same as the Alyx game.
Gman has removed Alyx from the point the player perceives, but also with it AFTER she witnessed her Dad die.
Enjoyed this video a lot
Just a heads up, you can actualy use one of the "filter mask" lying around.
You just pick it up and put it on your face and it equips automatically.
It makes the Jeff section much easier as you don't have to cover your mouth. :)
I love VR. Recently got into it via a Quest 3. So many great games currently there and in the pipeline. Into The Radius, Pavlov, Population 1, Arizona Sunshine, Walking Dead, Red Matter. We have a ways to go still, but it feels like I came into VR at the perfect time 👌
Half Life Alyx still the best VR game after 4 years in my opinion
When alyx time traveled it didn't change Gordon's past
All the events from alyx entering the vault to the ending of ep2 happened but when the advisor comes the fate changes
Its like gman made 2 alyx so he can change fate without cheating death
If you haven't already tried No Man's Sky in VR lately, I would highly recommend it. The VR controls are very immersive and rather well done. It almost feels like a completely different game when you play it in VR.
Very well presented video. I agree with all of your observations. I'm lucky. I was able to grab a barely used HP G2 Reverb for just a couple hundred bucks so my entry to VR wasn't a huge investment. I'm glad because I do agree that the medium needs to evolve to become more accessible. Alyx WAS the first thing I played in VR and yes, it may be a long time until we see something on that scale. I'm just glad Valve did this to show the world what is possible.
Thanks for the video!
10/10 intro
The next HL game will come when physically walking inside VR is possible. When full immersion is a thing.
You don't need an index to play Alyx, it runs perfectly on a meta quest which is about 200-300 dolars.
I'm so glad Valve took a risk and built Alyx for VR. Personally it's the best piece of media I've ever experienced in any medium, even with it's somewhat flawed combat.
Ran flawlessly on my old GTX 1080 and i7-6700k too it's extremely well optimised, which when paired with the 250 quid Quest 2, kind of reduces the cost of playing Alyx for those with an okay PC but no headset
While Jeff was intense and it´s puzzles genius
My favorite part of the game clearly was the two lighting-doggos in the run down house basement/cellar
I replayed that part 4 times just for the visuals alone.
i just love those reviver-thingys