1. VR for Real
We’ve had a lot of really good VR titles the last couple of years; Beat Saber, Superhot VR, Lone Echo, Boneworks, Job Simulator, Arizona Sunshine, to name a few. We even have big AAA games made for or converted to VR such as Skyrim, Doom VFR, and Fallout 4. But we still don’t have an AAA game from the ground up made for VR. Which is what Half-Life: Alyx is. This is said to be the big flagship game for VR, the one game that can sell VR. Time will tell if it will be so, but everything is looking very promising at this moment. Finally experiencing a “real” VR game is a good reason to play Half-Life: Alyx.
2. Gravity Gloves
Half-Life 2 gave us the gravity gun, a weapon that could manipulate gravity to our advantages. With the gravity gun, Valve could really show how amazing Source 2 is and what you could to with great physics in a game. With Half-Life: Alyx, Valve is expanding on this by letting the player play with the Gravity Gloves. Playing around with gravity functions is always a joy in VR, which is a great reason to try Half-Life: Alyx. Aside from the fact that you can do new cool things with the gloves, they also feel so much more natural than the gravity gun, especially in VR.
Out with the old Gravity gun and in with the Gravity gloves.
3. Return of G-Man (and Alyx Vance)
Alyx Vance quickly took a spot in our hearts when she worked with us in Half-Life 2 and the following episodes. Valve, as usual, managed to make us feel for and believe in this strong character who actually felt real, something an NPC usually didn’t do in a shooter back then. It is going to be great to get a better look into the life of Alyx and the resistance before Gordon came to town. And this would be reason enough to play Half-Life: Alyx. But no matter how good it will feel to connect with Alyx again, there is one character, one mystery which is even bigger and more enjoyable to encounter again: G-Man. The mysterious man behind so much. The person we are constantly looking for while playing through the Half-Life games is back and once again voiced by Michael Shapiro.
Once again it is time to keep your eyes open for the G-man.
4. Headcrabs in VR
If you remember the first time you walked into Ravenholm, you know that Alyx could potentially give you new nightmares about headcrabs. If you are new to the series, Headcrabs are something you should and always want to stay away from, but are constantly forced to encounter. Remembering back on my first playthrough with Half-Life 2 when it first came out, I remember not being able to play through the Ravenholm section when it was dark outside. Just the thought of standing face to face with a Headcrab in VR sends shivers down my spine, and it is still one of the biggest reasons I look forward to Half-Life: Alyx.
Half-Life: Alyx looks amazing and it looks really scary at times.
5. Valve’s Big Return with a Paid Singleplayer Game
Let’s be honest for a second: Valve hasn’t really been releasing anything new and good for years. Their last attempt at a game was Artifact. While Artifact did try new things within the sphere of card games, it didn’t last long. Looking further back, most games that Valve has released the last decade have been multiplayer games. Valve also started moving towards more free to play games with cosmetic microtransactions this decade. Half-Life: Alyx changes their direction with it being a paid singleplayer game. This might mark a new era for Valve as a gaming company and a new era for VR.
