Half-Life: Alyx is the game that fans of the series waited over a decade for. The Half-Life title is extremely innovative, especially because it’s a VR game. For a game that was so long-awaited, there were a lot of things that hit the nail on the head but a good amount of things were also not as well received. Hopefully in the future mods will be created that will help solve some of the issues with Alyx.
This list will go over 5 things players felt were worth the wait in the VR title and 5 more things that definitely weren’t. From combat mechanics to the graphical capability, here are the 5 things that are great in the VR Half-Life game and 5 things that didn’t live up to expectations of the fanbase.
10 Was: The Atmosphere
The atmosphere in Alyx is one of a kind and it is done justice because the game is in VR. The game features both isolated locations and also outside areas where the player can embrace the sun. Exploring the broken-down city in Alyx is so enjoyable because of the interesting locations and terrifying enemies.
Few VR games come close to Alyx’s level of world-building and exploring, and Half-Life is even more fun while inside a VR headset. Exploring this world is a treat and the amazing level design and feelings the world evokes were definitely worth the wait!
9 Wasn’t: Enemy And Weapon Variety
Fans were hoping that Alyx would have a bunch of new enemies and weapons, but unfortunately, the enemy and weapon variety was extremely limited. There were only about a dozen different enemies and four weapons including the grenade.
The variety was definitely lacking in Half-Life: Alyx, however, because it’s a VR game it definitely makes sense that it would be difficult to create many different weapons and enemies with unique VR components. Even so, it was disappointing to have such a limited cast of enemies and a tiny arsenal of weapons.
8 Was: Story
The story in Alyx was everything a Half-Life fan could hope for right from the beginning of the game all the way until G-Man’s speech. Players love the lore in the Half-Life franchise and this game only added to the ongoing story.
The plot surrounds Alyx Vance and her journey to find the Combine’s secret weapon. It stayed engaging to the very end and the dialogue between Alyx and Russell throughout the game was only icing on the cake of Alyx’s amazing tale. The story was definitely worth the long wait between Alyx and Half-Life 2.
7 Wasn’t: VR
Although the VR was absolutely stunning, many players aren’t able to experience Half-Life: Alyx because it’s only available to be played with a VR headset. VR makes the game much more immersive and it’s probably much more enjoyable than it would be as a flat game. However, that won’t change the disappointment of players that aren’t able to play the game without putting a dent in their wallet.
There is hope however because players are trying to create a non-VR version of Alyx that can be enjoyed without any VR mechanics or the need for a headset. Regardless of how disappointed some players are, it’s still an amazing game and if it gets a non-VR mode in the future it would be just perfect!
6 Was: Combat
The combat in Alyx is absolutely amazing. A lot of VR games have unpolished combat mechanics but this game feels very smooth, and the aiming is accurate. Although the weapon selection leaves something to be desired, the guns that are in the game have multiple upgrades and are very fun to use.
If Valve creates another VR game, hopefully they’ll use similar combat mechanics in it. Being able to upgrade guns to the extent of Alyx is great and the polished mechanics just make the combat even better. There’s no doubt that the combat was worth the wait!
5 Wasn’t: Graphics
The graphics in Alyx are definitely great for a VR game. However, fans of the series were probably expecting a 2020 Half-Life game to have graphics that are on par with a game like The Last Of Us 2.
Although the graphics aren’t the most realistic of any game that’s come out in the last few years, they’re still groundbreaking for a VR game and Alyx’s graphics aren’t terrible by any means. The graphics aren’t super realistic, but that’s hard to tell when Headcrabs are jumping around the room trying to eat the player’s face.
4 Was: Gravity Gloves
The Gravity Gloves are one of the most fun additions to the Half-Life series to date. They were added to the game to allow players to easily pick up objects from difficult places without having to physically reach for them, which helps players that may have back issues or a limited play area to maneuver around.
These gloves can be used while fighting enemies to grab items like ammo from across the game world. Players being able to levitate objects towards themselves is so much fun and it was definitely worth the wait for this great addition to the VR masterpiece.
3 Wasn’t: Barnacles
Barnacles have been a main staple in the Half-Life games since the very first game, and they’ve had similar mechanics in every title. Most fans were hoping that enemies might have new mechanics in Alyx and the only new mechanic for the Barnacle enemy was that players could physically throw objects at its mouth to distract it so that they could run past it.
The Barnacles could have been scarier, especially considering Alyx is a VR game, and although they suck the player up similarly to the first few games, they add nothing new to the somewhat stale enemies mechanic. At least fans will be nostalgic while fighting with it!
2 Was: World Objects
The objects throughout the world of Half-Life: Alyx are very in-depth in relation to the VR mechanics of the game. Most objects physically interactable and objects made of glass such as bottles can be thrown around and broken.
The game creates a wonderful environment in terms of interactable objects including a fully functional piano. Alyx is so much fun as a VR game and part of the reason for that is the amazing level of interactiveness throughout the game world. It was definitely worth the wait for all these amazing objects and shattering plates and bottles has never been so satisfying!
1 Wasn’t: Performance
Alyx has performance that can be perfect one moment but then terrible the next. Although powerful rigs won’t have any problems running the game, players with just the minimum required specs will definitely have stuttering issues from time to time.
Because of the power required to run Half-Life: Alyx outside factors such as background applications and fan blockage can also cause issues in the game. Luckily most players won’t have to deal with these problems because they only occur occasionally. Because Alyx is a VR title a lot of players will definitely have the occasional performance issue here and there.
NEXT: 5 Ways That Half-Life Has Aged Poorly (And 5 It’s Aged Well)
