I mentioned previously that I acquired a new VR headset recently. This evening, I played the best VR game that I have seen so far. Admittedly, I’ve played probably around ten VR games so far, going back to the PSVR, so my sample size is really small. Nonetheless, Half Life: Alyx is simply amazing.
I guess it helps that the game is played via a link cable, attached to my PC. Instead of relying on the processor and GPU onboard the headset to render the game, my PC does that instead. My PC is much more powerful than the VR headset so the game looks phenomenal. The headset is just displaying the pretty pictures sent to it from my PC.
It’s also set in the Half-Life universe, which immediately gives it a sense of familiarity. For the last two decades or so, I’ve been used to seeing elements of this universe on a flat, 2D screen. In VR, I have been dropped into this universe and it looks and feels real. I examined a dead headcrab in my virtual hands and it was crazy how good and disgusting it looked. Walking through an alley and then seeing a walker appear above me was a breathtaking moment. It’s just truly great stuff.
Lastly, the game just has solid gameplay mechanics. Shooting a gun and reloading it in VR feels so intuitive. I can’t properly describe the rush I felt shooting a Half-Life zombie for the first time in VR. Seeing that thing shamble towards me was both exciting and scary. They also introduce these gravity gloves which allows to you to pull items in the world straight towards you. This is genius because in VR, it’s still a pain in the ass to move and locomote in the game world. These gravity gloves cut down on the amount you need to move because you just pull things towards you like you have the Force.
I just started this game but I can’t wait to try it again tomorrow!