I've written reviews for other VR games before. Game I thought had a nice central gameplay loop, or had nice campaigns or just looked absolutely great. I remember fondly games like Boneworks or Arizona Sunshine that i thought were pretty good games and just the kind of game that VR needed to become a legitimate entertainment medium.

Then Valve walked and unveiled Half-Life: Alyx, blinding me like a man stepping out of a cave into the sun for the first time.

No, really.

Half-Life: Alyx, in Vale's grand tradition, is a font of excellent game design. With stunning graphics, natural combat mechanics and and actual STORY, Alyx doesn't only stand up "as a VR game", but as an actual video game. Alyx is what happens when a company, instead of treating VR as a novelty toy, treats it as a gaming system and takes advantage of its possibilities. If you are on the fence about VR legitimacy as a viable gaming alternative, borrow a fiend's headset and play the game. It should address your concerns.

There is only one caveat I can add to this review: Alyx is not worth buying a 1000 dollar headset for. It's amazing, and combined with the laundry list of other good VR titles it more than justifies to me my purchase of a Rift S gaming headset. If you're the type of person who's interested in VR, it is the perfect time to buy in, 'cause VR now has a killer app.

I've written reviews for other VR games before. Game I thought had a nice central gameplay loop, or had nice campaigns or just looked absolutely great. I remember fondly games like Boneworks or Arizona Sunshine that i thought were pretty good games and just the kind of game that VR needed to become a legitimate entertainment medium. Then Valve walked and unveiled Half-Life: Alyx, blinding me like a man stepping out of a cave into the sun for the first time. No, really. Half-Life: Alyx, in Vale's grand tradition, is a font of excellent game design. With stunning graphics, natural combat mechanics and and actual STORY, Alyx doesn't only stand up "as a VR game", but as an actual video game. Alyx is what happens when a company, instead of treating VR as a novelty toy, treats it as a gaming system and takes advantage of its possibilities. If you are on the fence about VR legitimacy as a viable gaming alternative, borrow a fiend's headset and play the game. It should address your concerns. There is only one caveat I can add to this review: Alyx is not worth buying a 1000 dollar headset for. It's amazing, and combined with the laundry list of other good VR titles it more than justifies to me my purchase of a Rift S gaming headset. If you're the type of person who's interested in VR, it is the perfect time to buy in, 'cause VR now has a killer app.