Half-Life 2 VR Is Better Than Half-Life: Alyx (sort of) (i'll explain)

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The Gaming Discourse

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Published on January 28, 2023 5:34:42 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SER5cfSZlQQ

Game:

Half-Life 2 (2004)

Duration: 8:30

24,055 views

518

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NOTES:
-I talk about the importance of accessibility in the video and how the industry should work to find solutions for motion sickness and whatnot, but I wanted to be clear that I’m speaking in generalities. I’m not saying it’s easy or that small teams, like the Half-Life 2 VR modding team, should or even can work on difficult solutions.
-I want to preempt a few possible critiques of this vid:
1) I don’t think you can use Half-Life’s lore to excuse Alyx’s simplified design. By this I mean: Gordon’s hazard suit gave him abilities (like sprinting) that Alyx doesn't have because she is not wearing a hazard suit. But I’m sure there could’ve been ways to write around this and make Alyx play faster and closer to Half-Life 2.
2) I ask, at the end, what Alyx would look like if it were more robust of a game. Boneworks, by Stress Level Zero, is a more robust VR game, but that doesn’t mean that a hypothetical “more complex” Alyx would play or look like Boneworks. Boneworks is an experimental physics sandbox. Its single player is a ton of fun, but it’s not meant to be a game as much as it is to show off crazy VR physics and silliness. There is a place for that, but there is also a place for more refined, curated experiences that are less about experimentation and emergent gameplay.
-When I went back and watched my original video about Alyx, I was surprised how positive my initial reaction was. My opinion must have soured on Alyx over the years somewhat or (and I believe this is the case) at the time I wasn't skilled enough to better articulate my mixed opinion. I also wanted to get that video out relatively close to when the game was released, so that probably added to it as well. Either way, I don't think anything I've said contradicts the things that I said in my first video.

#halflife2 #halflifealyx #vr

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