This article originally ran under a different banner/website in November of 2019 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.
HEAR YE!!! HEAR YE!!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! I AM HERE, ON BEHALF OF VALVE, TO DISCUSS THE NEW HALF-LIFE TITLE: HALF-LIFE: ALYX. After twelve years of the Half-Life series’ slumber, Valve is presenting a story within the Half-Life universe. Half-Life: Alyx which will take place between Half-Life 1 and 2, amidst the Combine invasion. You play as Alyx Vance as she’s trying to stop the Combine invasion. As Alyx, you will venture through City 17 solving puzzles and combating the Combine, all within the wonderful world of virtual reality. Oh, I am sorry, don’t you all have a VR setup? No? How awkward.
Half-Life: Alyx seems to walk the same path as Diablo: Immortals, Metal Gear Survive, and Fallout 76. The title seems to be taking a dramatic shift in comparison to previous entries in the series. While Diablo: Immortals and Fallout 76, seem to be cynically designed to milk more money from consumers, Half-Life: Alyx doesn’t have the same avarice motive. Valve is hoping the new Half-Life title will encourage people to pick up a virtual reality set, much like what Sony and Microsoft do with Xbox or PlayStation exclusives. However, picking up a VR setup is very different from picking up a console.
Let’s talk about monetary values. Valve says Half-Life: Alyx will be playable on the Valve Index, HTC Vibe, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality. The Valve Index bundle including the headset, controllers, two base stations, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx will cost you $990. A similar bundle for the HTC Vive costs you $1098. Both Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality boast cheaper bundles, but I question whether those bundles include everything you need to play VR. I still find the VR set hard to justify when I was able to pick up a PlayStation Slim that included Marvel’s Spider-Man for less than the Oculus Rift and less than half of the Valve Index and HTC Vibe.
Price isn’t the only barrier to VR. Space can be a factor. Much like the famed Xbox Kinetic, some VR setups will throw hissy fits if they cannot locate you with its sensors. Virtual Reality is almost impossible to use if you have any physical disability. The video games industry, for better or worse, is growing and companies have been making some surprising charitable moves to make sure everyone can play. Microsoft is leading the way with its Adaptive controller, designed for anyone who struggles with a traditional controller. So it seems very jarring for Valve to be pushing technology that is very restrictive. Even the simple act of having glasses, throw a monkey wrench into the VR plan. If you have the money, space and are physically fit enough to take part in virtual reality, you will never know if your stomach will agree with VR. Many people who have tried VR have praised it as a way to induce vomiting. Frankly, whether you will take to VR seems like a huge gamble.
A gamble that I argue isn’t worth it. Virtual reality seems like it is in the same place the Xbox One is in: they only have a handful of interesting titles. I am not sure if platform holders know this, but it has historically been games that sold consoles and new technology. I acquired a PS4 not for its power, but for Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn. While titles like Half-Life Alyx and Vader Immortal seem exciting, I can’t say they are enticing enough for my interest to be piqued. With all these restrictions and lack of meaty content, the only rational response is why the first Half-Life game after its twelve years hiatus, is a virtual reality game?
There has been a trend circling through the games industry of publishers taking properties with brand recognition and slapping them onto something different. I didn’t make that Diablo Immortals joke earlier for no reason. Half-Life Alyx very much reminded me of Blizzard trying to convince an audience of PC gamers that they wanted the latest mobile game that would try to shake them down for more coins. While Blizzard and Bethesda are trying to hook some whales, Valve is clearly going the less cynical route. However, whether it is small micro-payments that players lose track of or a massive down payment on fringe tech, it is very frustrating to fans of older franchises. Am I against developers trying new things with their intellectual property? That would be hypocritical for me to say as a fan of World of Warcraft. My umbrage stems from the catalyst of the change being money over creativity, and Half-Life Alyx certainly blurs the line.
This year, more than any has shown me just how far the old Gods have fallen. While Valve’s actions are not on par with the likes of Bethesda and Blizzard, it still has me hang my head in shame. Valve has a track record of impressive single-player titles that the market is clearly starved for, but the fact it is focused on a niche platform just showcases Valve’s attitude. Valve cares not for being a developer, but platform holders. Valve wants to be to VR, the same way Nintendo and Sony are to consoles. Yes, they are well within their right to do so, but frankly, it is disappointing. It is especially disheartening when you see Capcom making Resident Evil 7 playable on standard means and VR. Why not do the same with Half-Life: Alyx? Valve could probably do it but clearly, want to shift VR sets. It is a shame especially when a Left 4 Dead 3 or Portal 3 would set the world on fire. Unfortunately, I officially, can’t be excited about those announcements. If Valve did make those games, surely, they would be VR titles. The thought of Portal 3 on VR would be stomach-turning awful.
So if you are excited to have a killer Half-Life game on VR, I will only say I am envious of you. If you wish to pelt the Valve office building with rotten fruit, I certainly won’t stop you, but I won’t join you. My only reaction from learning the Half-Life series has awoken from its slumber to be a game only a handful of people will experience is a tired sigh. Valve could be doing more, but they won’t. They are neither the hero we deserve nor need. They have turned their backs on us. We have certainly been forsaken. Allowing the end of the industry to be nigh.