video game, half-life: alyx
Ok, I've played about an hour of this, but so far, Valve has nailed it.
It looks like Half-Life, it feels like Half-Life, there are a ton of options for accessibility and different movement styles, and it runs on our several-years-old Alienware laptop and first-run Vive, albeit at minimum settings.
video game, half-life: alyx
Interacting with objects is extremely natural, from boxes and bottles to dials to big, heavy crates and barrels to writing to loading a pistol.
In true Half-Life style, nearly all the objects in the environment seem to be interactive, down to the hardhat I'm currently wearing. This is used to good effect with pickups, which could be inside boxes, underneath debris, etc.
video game, half-life: alyx
The killer mechanic of the game is Alyx's gravity gloves. Similar to HL2's gravity gun, the gloves let you reel in objects from a distance and grab them.
The way it works is that you point at an object with either hand, "grab" it, flick your wrist back to fling it toward you, then catch it (or pick it up from the ground after missing it). I was skeptical when the game introduced it, but it felt very natural after a handful of tries.
video game, half-life: alyx
Today I entered "The Quarantine Zone", and right now it feels a little on the nose…
video game, half-life: alyx
They've really done a phenomenal job of framing striking scenes without being able to control the player's movement or perspective
video game, half-life: alyx
I knew things were going to go downhill for me after this. And then they did.
video game, half-life: alyx
I can't tell if it's wonderful or terrible that I spend most of my time in Half-Life: Alyx physically rooting through garbage, looking for anything of value
video game, half-life: alyx
They really like their upside-down dudes in this position
video game, half-life: alyx
It's pretty likely that I will be the first casualty of this weapon
video game, half-life: alyx
Got back into the gravity gloves today after … wow, like 4 months
video game, half-life: alyx, minor gag spoiler
There's this great gag where there are three headcrab zombies hanging out in the doorway of an apartment, and when you clear them out and enter the room, you hear a toilet flushing and then another one bursts in from the bathroom.
This really raises a lot of questions for me about the private lives of headcrab zombies.
video game, half-life: alyx
I think there's a strong argument that I already have sole custody
video game, half-life: alyx
Played a little last night for the first time since we moved our rooms around.
Of course I hadn't remembered to charge the controllers, and in the middle of digging through the trash looking for ammunition, my left hand just fell motionless to the ground.
Welp.
video game, half-life: alyx, alcohol
Pro Tip: Keep your ammunition fresher by storing it in the freezer with the vodka
video game, half-life: alyx
I … guess I'm not supposed to be able to get up here
video game, half-life: alyx
@Tak It passes way beyond my threshold for playable/enjoyable. There's a spot where I stopped and would have stopped entirely if I didn't find the debug option to remove all lighting
video game, half-life: alyx
@Cheeseness It's definitely tense in places (although I've only gotten ⬆️ this far). That was also true of HL2, but I feel like the effect is much more visceral in VR.
video game, half-life: alyx
You wouldn't think this would be creepy in comparison to everything else…
video game, half-life: alyx
that's uhh … quite a clog
#gameing #HalfLifeAlyx