Half-Life: Alyx

Its too early for review but very good game even if its old, i just dont have time to play it. 9/10

So peak. An actual master class in game design. 10/10. Why aren't there more vr games this good? Actually, 9/10 bc no crowbar combat and ladders are annoying. Great stuff all round.

Spectacular game and an amazing pick for the VR library, it had me hooked throughout the whole thing. The visuals and audio design pull you in more than any other title I've played and the interactivity in this is a cherry ontop.

10/10

I love this game, its pretty, awesome story, amazing guns, fun jumpscares, and times where i've almost thrown my controller because of those damn trip mines other then that awesome game!

10/10
If you have VR - you have to play Half-Life: Alyx. If you've already played it, play it again. Great story and exemplary use of VR to create a unique experience. Visuals are stunning, and optimization is very good.

all peak except for those wiring sections
this game proves that vr gaming can be so good and somehow nobody have been able to top this for 5 years

Such a great game, loved it. Interesting mechanics, really good visuals and effects. The surrounding is quite interactable. Loved the little touch with working markers on glass surfaces. However, there are some problems with tracking the achievements. Even when I tried multiple times to make sure I get them, they still didn't unlock. Will surely come back later to 100% it.

One of the best VR games all around and possibly the best first person shooter and one of the most fun.

The only bad thing is the lack of multiplayer.

I recommend the game regardless!

If this game isn't in your VR library, it should be. A title that was pretty much single-handedly (and impressively) responsible for a VR headset shortage, Half-Life: Alyx is a roller coaster of a story packed with adventure, challenge, frustration, and heaps of satisfaction. After you complete the story for the first time, I recommend playing it with developer commentary on during a subsequent play-through, it provides a lot of perspective regarding the care they took crafting the game and all of its elements, complete with demonstrations and examples in the world in front of you. If you don't want to pay full price, it does go on sale for a good discount from time to time. I consider this a gold-standard VR game when it comes to game mechanics, storytelling, challenges, and overall first-person cinematic experience from start to finish. The devs really put forth a huge effort to try and fine-tune the player experience and it shows.
Fun thing I figured out: There is a room right before you get to the Golden Lion Distillery that is filled with explosive barrels and gas cans. After diffusing all of the traps, you can take the explosive items through the doorway into the next area and toss them down to the ground two at a time through the break in the fence. Use some of the barrels to kill the barnacles hanging from the ceiling if you want to save ammo. After clearing the yard in front of the distillery, you can set up the explosives you across the yard in strategic locations of your choosing for what may or may not come next, they're fun to set off during the right moment. Have fun playing with that one! >:)

This is easily the greatest VR game ever created: the level of detail and the multitude of interactable objects are really impressive. I’d expect nothing less from Valve.

It's a really fun game that provides a lot of suspense. It's way to dark though and I can't get the only flashlight mod in the workshop to work. I also think that headcrabs take way to many bullets to kill.

The hype is real, amazing game. Finished the game too fast. I will be back for the next Half-Life
Mahalo at the developers

great game! I got it with Index. I returned the index but still play on vive and quest 3.

I LOVE THIS GAME. I am a HUGE half-life fan and I was worried that thus wouldn't be a faithful adaptation but worry not, this is amazing and my life was halved trying to 100% it (ill never look at gnome chompski the same again) its 40 years of stress compressed into 12+ hours and its amazing. PLEASE FIND A WAY TO PLAY IT!

After my 3rd playthrough here 5 years since release, this is still, by M I L E S the best VR game out there. Nothing else comes close even today. The magic of the first playthrough definitely falls away by the third, but I can see myself revisiting this again sometime down the road (in fact, I know for sure I'll play this again sometime). Back when it released, I ran this on a i7-4770 (yes, 4th gen) and a GTX 970 and even on that it still ran well on mid-high settings (I have a much better rig now).

The only downside to Half-Life: Alyx is that once you play it, every other VR title out there feels like low-effort trash, even 5 years later. There is simply no way to adequately describe just how perfectly all that (Valve)time, effort, and playtesting all comes together to create this absolute masterpiece. It is truly one of a kind.

Valve can take all the time they need for the next Half-Life (but please gaben soon i neeeeed more)

possibly the best VR game ever made, and top 1 on my favorite games ever. Valve being Valve and making yet another masterpiece.

Best VR game, And good half life lore about the game and the futur

I have played in one day 7 hours of this game and still there is more. Playing this after i played half life 2 was nice. My brain is fried and i would not like it any other way. Lots of detail in the world to look at an read and sounds. I did not buy this game right away but unlike some games the price was worth it. Cant wait for half life 3.

I bought a Mixed Reality headset a long time ago, and I enjoyed it, but the headset really wasn't up for it. I enjoyed what I played, but it was not reliable enough. I recently upgraded my headset and this game was 99% of the reason I did. I don't regret it at all.

If more VR games were like this, VR would actually be mainstream gaming.

*The* game to try in VR, maybe not the first one since it raises the bar for all future experiences. Recommend.

WOW!
Just wow, I absolutely enjoyed this experience, but some of the cheesy jumpscares (classical Half-Life) got me way too much in VR.
10/10

Please don't take another 13 years to create the next sequence!

Genuinely The best VR game there is.

Almost nothing else comes close to it, other games feel clunky, or miss some QoL features.
That fact, alongside the workshop existing - it's a moot review, everyone's been yelling about it by now.

But genuinely, if you are forced to have ONLY ONE VR GAME, this is it, you've found it.

I have nothing intelligent or worth of note to mention that wasn't talked about in the other 80k reviews.

I love the story and graphics of this game it brings a whole new level and opportunities for Valve take another stage for this series

The great thing about valve games is that they don't over stay their welcome. Fantastic fun as hell game with absolutely stunning graphics. A VR must play

Awesome continuation to one of my favorite game series although my computer had a rough time playing it due to low RAM so I had to turn my steam internet off. Sadly this means that the game thinks I only played until chapter 5 however I did beat the game and it was a blast. Extraordinarily Excellent plot mixed with extraordinarily fun game play. Definitely one of if not the best VR games ever, so stop reading this review and go play it!

Playing Half-Life Alyx feels like you are humanity’s last hope.
Me, 10 minutes in: Accidentally drops grenade, catches it in mid-air, panic-throws it at my feet, dies heroically.

The best VR game ever made and the industry has never come close since.

Alright, gather round, VR warriors, because Half-Life: Alyx is here, and it’s basically the closest we’ve gotten to living out our “I’m in a video game” fantasy without being sucked into a black hole or fighting for our lives in a dystopian future. It’s not just a game — it’s an experience. An existential crisis of a game.

Graphics:
This game makes your graphics card feel like it’s getting a personal spa treatment. The detail in the world is so good that I had to stop and look at the garbage for way too long. I'm not saying I stared at a dumpster for 20 minutes, but I might have. The lighting? Don’t even get me started. It’s so good I was worried the dark alleyways were going to start judging me.

VR Immersion:
Okay, real talk: this is the closest we’ll get to being Alyx Vance. You feel like you’re actually in the game. You’re picking up cans, tossing them at Combine soldiers, and genuinely wondering if this is what a real person would do in a post-apocalyptic world (Spoiler: probably not). You’re holding a gun in each hand, and for a moment, you’ll actually believe you can take on an army of aliens and robots. But then you get stuck in a doorway, and you realize maybe you should have stayed with your first career choice: accountant.

The Gravity Gloves:
Did you ever want to feel like a supervillain, but, like, a good one? The gravity gloves are the best thing to happen to physics since Newton got hit with an apple. You just point your hand at random objects (even things you didn’t know you needed) and zoop, they come flying into your hand. I’m not saying I spent 10 minutes just flinging cans around for fun… but I definitely did. You will feel like the ultimate trash collector.

Enemies and Combat:
Let’s talk about the Combine. They’re ugly. They’re creepy. They’re like the worst Tinder date you’ve ever had — they show up uninvited, are weirdly aggressive, and are impossible to get rid of. And don't even get me started on the headcrabs. Those little jerks will jump at you from the shadows like they’re auditioning for a horror movie, and I scream every time. Yes, I’m a grown adult, and I screamed. Deal with it.

Sound Design:
You know how you can feel a storm coming because the air gets all charged? That’s what Half-Life: Alyx does to your ears. The sound design is so good, I honestly started flinching every time I heard footsteps in the distance. It’s like the game is constantly reminding you, “Hey, you’re in danger. Enjoy your anxiety.” The clink of glass, the subtle breathing of your character, the distant echo of a gunshot — it’s all so immersive, you might forget you’re in your living room, screaming at your VR headset.

The Story:
The plot is basically: "Hey, there’s this evil alien empire trying to take over Earth, and you need to stop them using all the cool guns and things that make you feel like a badass." But it’s so well done, you’re actually invested. The twists, the turns, the moments where you think, “I just had an epiphany about the nature of human existence,” but then you get hit in the face by a headcrab and remember, nope, you’re just a guy (or Alyx) with a gun in an alien apocalypse.

Final Verdict:
Half-Life: Alyx is basically the reason we all bought a VR headset in the first place. It’s like someone took everything you loved about the Half-Life series and turned it into a mind-bending VR experience that will have you questioning your reality, screaming at random objects, and probably getting stuck in your living room furniture.

10/10 — Would get trapped in a cupboard again because I couldn’t figure out how to reload my gun while panicking.

A phenomenal game well deserving of all the praise; thoroughly impressed throughout all the chapters!

Absolutely worth buying as a VR experience, and if you're a Half-Life nerd like me.

One of the best vr games on the planet.

The graphics are amazing, the puzzles can get hard but they are pretty fun to do. The guns are awesome but I think it would be better if there were more.
Overall though it's a pretty amazing game. Its work the money in my opinion

5 years later and this game is still the best VR game available imo. great experience both as a VR game and as a hl2 prequel with so much attention to detail in the items, environments, enemies, lighting, and pretty much everything else. its a bit upsetting to think that even after all this time, VR games havent really gotten close to amount of polish this game has. i really hope valve makes another game like this when they drop their new headset.

This game is amazing. I really hope episode 3 comes out at some point. It's my first VR game and wow, what a way to start a new hobby.

Just making this just as i finished this maser piece.
This was the best game i have ever played, even though it was vr. Sadly i played this knowing how the game was going to end :(
This game is also the the only reason why i brought a meta quest 3.

This is exactly how VR games should be, great interactive environments and fantastic physics you can experiment with. Story is pretty good so far and some amusing characters you will come across. The tracking for the hands is great too, using the PSVR2 I never felt restricted on the gameplay or movement in any way. If you have VR for your PC then this is an essential purchase at full price and even more of a bargain and ultimate VR experience when on a sale. Jump in, you will not regret it. 9.8 out of 10

If you have an oportunity to lend a headset and good controllers (Index Knuckles are amazing) - do so just for this one game. Especially if you waited for Half-Life 3.

literally the only criticism I have of this game is that its the only good vr game.

Best, most satisfying, smoothest controlling VR game ive played so far. being able to just blindly reaload your gun says alot about the controls +Great story

Obviously different to earlier games, but not necessarily bad.
Kudos to noVR team for their work. This good review is mostly thanks to them.

TBH now, 5 years after release, it would have been a good time for Valve to roll out a "lesser" version of HLA for the rest HL fans to enjoy. But of course, Valve would always prefer getting work done for free by volunteers... Well... it's better than C&D'ing modders I guess.

With the no VR mod effectively the next installment of Half-Life.
It's a prequel but continues the story pretty well.
Not worth full price though.

This is the single best gaming experience on the face of the planet.

super coll graphics and gameplay

Started off just throwing random objects around like a toddler, ended up fighting for my life against headcrabs in an abandoned subway. The gravity gloves make me feel like a sci-fi wizard, and every locked door makes me question my intelligence.

game gud
me shoot zombie, zombie ded
headcrab survive, me no ammo left
me ded
10/10 game

Despite the technical issues I received involving my computer freezing between load points, the game was actually enjoyable enough for me to actively push through and sidestep said issues. Half-Life: Alyx is the kind of game that makes you wish you could play it for the first time everytime. And to top it off, the system requirements GPU-wise aren't even that strict and yet I was gawking at all the tiny details the game had to offer. Highly recommend if you have VR.

There's really nothing left to be said about this game that someone hasn't yet.
It's a masterpiece of VR, that even 5 years after its release, there's nothing that comes close to the feeling of starting it up for the first time.
Half-Life fan or not, this is the standard to play against. And I really recommend all to try it.

I'm late to the party but 'WHAT A GAME'. Plus, modders are amazing. Keep up the good work.

This game presents itself as one of the most memorable and fleshed out VR Experiences within 10 minutes of playtime.

what sucks the most about this game, is that after you play it, you'll realize nothing else on VR comes close even 5 years later and you'll fall into depression.
10/10

There's a non-VR mod and a coop mod that works. I'm sadly unable to finish the game since my coop partner suddenly abandoned Half Life last summer I guess, but we got half-way through the game and it was fun for me at least.

I have like bare minimum specs and a cheap off-brand link cable for my quest, but this game is still the best. Even though I don't get the best framerate and will occasionally freeze or have a frame drop in a nauseating manner, it's still enjoyable. One of my favorite games to play with my dad.

I might one day get better hardware, but until then, I'm just happy it even runs.