![]() The fluidity of this heavily influenced by the locomotion scheme you’ve settled on as running isn’t an option. These are more like set pieces, where you’ve got plenty of room to run into cover or find a flanking position. Most group enemy encounters aren’t too overwhelming, the soldiers tend to appear in teams of three or four. All the weapons feature some sort of manual reload, so you have to plan your attacks where possible or risk a dangerous second of so reloading. Half-Life: Alyx being the premium Valve experience it is the guns work beautifully, especially when you start upgrading them with the resin expanding the ammo capacity or giving the shotgun the grenade launcher ability – so useful against the heavily armoured Combine soldiers as well as being fun. Your pistol becomes your new best friend with the shotgun and Combine rifle offering their own unique advantages. There’s no hoarding of these latter items as each wrist can only hold one, so you have to choose, do you want to cause loads of damage or live to keep fighting.Īnd there’s plenty of that. Guns can be selected from a quick hand-oriented menu which can be tailored in the options while two ‘wrist pockets’ act as singular storage locations, ideal for grenades and health injectors. While you do have a backpack for ammo and resin, Valve has kept everything menu related nicely minimal. Likewise, you shouldn’t expect Valve to follow the same VR blueprints other developers have employed in their shooters.įor example, most VR FPS’ tend to feature a gun belt so you can put a pistol on your hip, maybe a grenade or two. The Valve Index for example – the Half-Life: Alyx headset of choice, if you can get one – wasn’t designed for easy consumer adoption it was built for supreme VR gaming quality. Valve seems to do what it likes, how it likes and be damned if you don’t follow suit. Just like its brethren Half-Life: Alyx is a first-person shooter (FPS) with puzzle elements, offering plenty of action interspersed with hunting down resources and not letting anything suddenly hug your face. At the same time, those new to the Half-Life universe shouldn’t feel too lost, although a little story intro would’ve been nice. While you may already know the outcome if you’ve played Half-Life 2 – which has been free up until the launch of Half-Life: Alyx, it’ll still fill in gaps for those which are interested. Eli Vance are mounting a resistance force to help save humanity. You play as titular character Alyx as she and her father Dr. Half-Life: Alyx is set between the two titles where the mysterious alien race known as The Combine have enacted a brutal occupation of Earth. What the hell is going on?įor those who aren’t dedicated Half-Life fans this latest instalment isn’t a sequel to the highly celebrated Half-Life 2 from 2004. Simple little things but they all add to the experience, building that sense of presence which can turn VR gaming into an addiction. Valve has even gone so far to ensure your fingers wrap around the corners of items. Your hands are made for picking stuff and playing with it so there are all manner of items in this near vicinity to help you get acquainted with the videogame, from tuning a radio to marker pens to draw on the window. Not only is this setting the mood for the grand adventure that awaits but Valve immediately lets you know you’re part of this world, and can, therefore, interact with it. One of the first images Valve released was a wide scenic shot of the Citadel being built and that’s exactly where you find yourself, looking out from a balcony to see City 17 around you, only this time it’s a living, breathing entity. ![]() Right from the main loading intro Half-Life: Alyx is made to conjure up feelings of stepping into an ambitious experience as if you’re about to put one foot on the moon or walk through the gates of Mordor. ![]() ![]() Even if this was a normal videogame the anticipation for Half-Life: Alyx would be enormous, the fact that it’s exclusive to virtual reality (VR) makes it even more palpable because Valve has created a title every VR gamer needs to play. If that’s a no and you’re about to play Valve’s latest epic, Half-Life: Alyx, then prepare yourself for that possibility. Have you ever got goose pimples from a videogame? Not the cold sort when you’ve stepped outside on a winter’s day but those from sheer excitement. ![]()
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