Type_Raver
Member
So much time has passed since the last Half Life game HL2: Episode II, that in that span of time, we have had 2 whole generations of consoles come and go (early PS3/X360 generation till now, late PS4/XB1 gen).
In this time, a whole host of new gamers have been birthed, experiencing modern FPS greats such as Modern Warfare, Battlefield, Overwatch, Fortnite and so on.
In that same period of time, Valve have been silent on the Half-Life franchise, to the point that HL3 (or HL2: Ep III) would become legend. The franchise would fall off towards the fridges of popularity and would occasionally be resurrected on rumours, speculation or retrospectives. (love Digital Foundry’s HL2 retrospective!)
Suddenly, Valve wakes the press, starts a new Twitter account to announce they will be showing their new flagship VR game, Half Life Alyx! Fans erupt, excitement leads to questions, curiosity mixed with caution but anticipation is high. But as bright as this announcement is, its partly cloudy as well, to use the weatherman’s phrase...
A few days later we see the trailer and we generally love it. At the same time, we are questioning, trying to justify how we might purchase a VR kit, or justify why we would abstain. But others are sold, "take my money!" they say, and go and pre-order a Valve Index.
As a gamer that has played the original Half Life and every successive release, along with friends in my circles, its been difficult to get them moved to be excited by HL:Alyx. Colleagues at my workplace with similar experiences - negative, no reply, or cool response at best. At best there is some excitement but its quickly its dispelled on the notion its VR only. Other personal thoughts, the graphics look really nice especially for VR, but fall short of the cutting edge with a discernible difference. The tech while new, does not use the latest bells and whistles like Ray tracing or DLSS (TBC, but its unlikely), and will likely look dated real quickly once the next gen arrives and we see the second wave of titles. We have to waggle controls again? I say that in jest.
Has Valve left it too late, the Half-Life brand lost its lustre? Are Valve feeling themselves, resting on its laurels and valuing it greater than what its stock is worth today…?
Thanks in advance for reading this through, and look forward to your thoughts and experiences on this as well.
In this time, a whole host of new gamers have been birthed, experiencing modern FPS greats such as Modern Warfare, Battlefield, Overwatch, Fortnite and so on.
In that same period of time, Valve have been silent on the Half-Life franchise, to the point that HL3 (or HL2: Ep III) would become legend. The franchise would fall off towards the fridges of popularity and would occasionally be resurrected on rumours, speculation or retrospectives. (love Digital Foundry’s HL2 retrospective!)
Suddenly, Valve wakes the press, starts a new Twitter account to announce they will be showing their new flagship VR game, Half Life Alyx! Fans erupt, excitement leads to questions, curiosity mixed with caution but anticipation is high. But as bright as this announcement is, its partly cloudy as well, to use the weatherman’s phrase...
A few days later we see the trailer and we generally love it. At the same time, we are questioning, trying to justify how we might purchase a VR kit, or justify why we would abstain. But others are sold, "take my money!" they say, and go and pre-order a Valve Index.
As a gamer that has played the original Half Life and every successive release, along with friends in my circles, its been difficult to get them moved to be excited by HL:Alyx. Colleagues at my workplace with similar experiences - negative, no reply, or cool response at best. At best there is some excitement but its quickly its dispelled on the notion its VR only. Other personal thoughts, the graphics look really nice especially for VR, but fall short of the cutting edge with a discernible difference. The tech while new, does not use the latest bells and whistles like Ray tracing or DLSS (TBC, but its unlikely), and will likely look dated real quickly once the next gen arrives and we see the second wave of titles. We have to waggle controls again? I say that in jest.
Has Valve left it too late, the Half-Life brand lost its lustre? Are Valve feeling themselves, resting on its laurels and valuing it greater than what its stock is worth today…?
Thanks in advance for reading this through, and look forward to your thoughts and experiences on this as well.
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