I need to sell all my stuff due to no further income thanks to COVID-19, so I'll have to wait a bit before I can play. I wasn't overly happy with the Vive display anyway, so might wait for higher pixel density and a wider FOV before jumping back in.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Half-Life: Alyx
Collapse
X
-
Originally posted by CMcK View PostI’m amazed at the level of interaction you can have with objects in this game. Even silly stuff like picking up a marker pen and writing with it! I hope it makes it way to PSVR(2?) eventually.
Comment
-
Half-Life: Alyx is Valve’s VR return to the Half-Life series. It’s the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Playing as Alyx Vance, you are humanity’s only chance for survival.
25% off Alyx at the moment on Steam
Comment
-
Originally posted by Neon Ignition View Posthttps://store.steampowered.com/app/5...HalfLife_Alyx/
25% off Alyx at the moment on Steam
Performance was generally fine; I had a few creaks but those were due to network issues, not GPU (I'm playing wirelessly on Quest via Virtual Desktop). We're in the process of getting a new sofa and we'd cleared the living room, so it seemed a good shout.
Played about 90 minutes. To be honest... I'm not seeing it?
Like, I'm not critical of it. So far, it's great. But I don't quite get why it's been so mind-blowing for people? I dunno; maybe for some people it's the first time they've played a purpose-built VR first-person adventure, or in many peoples' cases, the first VR game they've played full-stop. In my case though, I'm coming to it from Blood & Truth, Star Wars: Vader Immortal and plenty of others.
Probably best not to take my word on this though, as I've never really been that big a fan of Half-Life as a franchise, or the attitude that led Valve to self-title their making-of book as "Raising the Bar" (ugh). Like back when it was either Half-Life 2 or Halo, I always preferred Halo, because I found the combat in Half-Life 2 dull. What this does mean though is that the OMG IT'S MORE HALF-LIFE doesn't really hold any sway with me.
I'm having a good time though, so I'll keep going. I wanted to play for at least an hour tonight in case performance was poor and that would've prompted a refund.
Comment
-
For the most part I think much of it just comes from it being a higher budget full length game from a well known franchise. The gameplay loop in the first few minutes is largely the exact same one for the entire game bar one or two sequences. It's scale carries the VR element whilst the VR element carries the game design. If it were shorter it would have made a softer landing, likewise if it weren't VR it wouldn't have been as well received but it's still a fun curio considering it's likely the only AAA full length VR game we'll see
Comment
-
Originally posted by Neon Ignition View PostFor the most part I think much of it just comes from it being a higher budget full length game from a well known franchise. The gameplay loop in the first few minutes is largely the exact same one for the entire game bar one or two sequences. It's scale carries the VR element whilst the VR element carries the game design. If it were shorter it would have made a softer landing, likewise if it weren't VR it wouldn't have been as well received but it's still a fun curio considering it's likely the only AAA full length VR game we'll see
There are already things about it I don't like. I strongly dislike the way Alyx's hands contort to slip around objects instead of clipping through them. Because my hands in real life aren't doing that, I find it really immersion breaking. I can see what they're trying to do and I like that they've tried it, but I hope that doesn't catch on.
Comment
-
OK, I played a bit more and had a few more thoughts.
I love the 3D puzzles used for locks and similar things, where you have to use the multitool. Those are a really cool idea. Generally, also, the physics-based stuff of Half-Life 2 works much better in VR than it ever did on a screen. I had this part involving a bicycle wheel that I struggled with for a moment, then when I thought laterally, suddenly I realised the solution, and it was a real lightbulb moment.
This is a bit like how, when I first played RAW DATA, I was really struggling with one of the missions until [MENTION=16665]Blobcat[/MENTION] said "you know you can move and shoot in different directions, right?". Subconsciously I was treating the game like an FPS, with the gun sticking out of my chin, and with that bit of advice I went all Equilibrium on it and suddenly a very difficult level became a very easy one. It's emblematic of how conventional "videogame logic" sometimes fails you in VR, which is fantastic when it happens.
I just got to the bit where you...
... get the torch, and while it was scary, the jumps etc. were really predictable. This led to a few things which could be a bit irritating; in particular, I hate that you can't close doors in the game (once opened, you can move them, but never close them. In games like this, I like to close doors behind me to reduce the chance of being sneaked up on from behind.
In any case, still progressing. Wondering how long the entire thing is.
Comment
-
Getting near the end of this now.
Take the VR away and the gameplay has barely advanced beyond half life 2. However, the VR is there and it’s so beautifully executed. I was about to use my left land to cock the shotgun weapon again and thought I ought to be able to just flick this up to cock it and of course you can
The writing is as great as ever too with two fabulous moments in the Jeff chapter.
Comment
-
Originally posted by Brad View PostTake the VR away and the gameplay has barely advanced beyond half life 2.
The game makes up for it in other areas, though. Personally I was never the biggest Half-Life fan, because I never found the story all that immersive. I get what they were going for, with the atmosphere and visual storytelling and it was all there, just it didn't push me through the game. But in VR, the concept really works for me in a way it never did on a monitor. I found myself pouring over little details. I love the parts where you just have to, for example, find a key in a wrecked office, and you get in the mindset while you ransack the drawers and open the cupboards, finding the scant possessions of the person who worked there. In VR, that's really engaging.
Comment
-
It’s poring but other than that yea I’m in full agreement with you I think!
I did love the bit in the Jeff episode where:
You lock him in the room and he goes ape**** and you think you’re so clever. And then you realise you need to go back into that room. Brilliant.
Also after crushing him in the compactor when Alyx says oh my god Jeff are you ok!? Lol
Last edited by Brad; 01-01-2021, 16:29.
Comment
Comment