First Half-Life: Alyx non-VR mod that lets you complete the entire game is available for download

DSOGaming writes: "Earlier this month, we informed you about a non-VR mod for Half-Life: Alyx. And, here is today a new version lets you complete the entire game."

[ApocalypseShadow]

**Lastly, this is NOT the ideal way to play Half-Life: Alyx**

Yeah. I can tell. Jazz hands in the face for the entire game. Jerky movements. No immersion.

But hey. There you go. Butchered. Like cutting sushi with a chainsaw. It won't look pretty.

[Neonridr]

for those people who are up in arms about Valve making content for VR users only. Let them enjoy a sub-par experience.

[ElementX]

I hope "up in arms" was intentional, I love word play and puns.

Lol, jazz hands

[RedDevils]

Keep telling yourself that lol

[Hungryalpaca]

Oh no! A mod! Hide your children! Run! It’s gonna get you!

[fr0sty]

Now you non-VR crybabies can have your training wheels.

[SinisterKieran]

can't be anymore butchered than the franchise already is

[-Foxtrot]

That was quick

Think I’ll wait, it’s only been, well not even a month. See how the mod can be refined within a year or so.

At the end of the day a standard version even if it was restructured into a game similar to the old Half Life games, would NOT ruin, change or take away any experiences someone has or will have with VR so I don’t see the issue with it.

People are acting like if this happens it’s going to automatically ruin their game and what they experienced. Which is just crazy thinking.

I still think Valve will do one themselves closer to Half Life 3, they are the only company with the time and resources to take a game apart and restructure it.

[Neonridr]

if you've played the game in VR you would understand. So many of the puzzles or interactions revolve around using your hands to grab things and manipulate them. I don't see how these are going to be possible without VR. Changing it to a button press seems to defeat the purpose to them.

[-Foxtrot]

" I don't see how these are going to be possible without VR"

Nothing is impossible, the things we've seen over the many years of gaming, the things we thought couldn't be done but then we got them within a game...I mean, it's Valve, it can be done some way.

If you've played it with VR then that experience is not going to change for you, I don't see why people are getting p**** on how people play the game.

A game which changes the future Half Life games should be played by every fan...keeping it to a small audience is just selfish.

[smashman98]

You touch on a very important point. Purpose. Alyx is a VR experience. It's meant for vr. When devs are making games they're often tasked with finding the fun. The found the fun for vr. People shouldn't be upset if that doesn't translate to a fun normal gaming experience especially if it wasn't designed with that in mind at all.

It's like the people who whine for an easy mode in souls games. It would defeat the purpose. In that case the fun is in the challenge.

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

@-Foxtrot Dude, I understand your frustration that Valve made this VR only (you've made that very clear for a while now) but I think you're projecting a bit. Neonridr doesn't seem to be pissed off about anything. He just believes that because the challenges in the game are built fully around VR and nontraditional controls, that it just doesn't look like the experience translates very well so this seems kind of pointless to him. He's allowed to have that opinion.

I don't have the equipment to play this game but it's hard not to see where he's coming from. This mod looks extremely stilted and unnatural compared to the reviews and gameplay that I've seen. I'm happy that this mod exists so that fans can still try the game out but I think future mods will need to fully take advantage of motion controls to get closer to the real experience.

[Neonridr]

@Foxtrot - I get what you are saying on one hand. More people enjoying a game is great for the world of gamers as a whole. I'm not discounting that nor debating that. But you simply say build the game around traditional controls. Again, the puzzles and interactions aren't built with regular gamers in mind. All the puzzles and interactions would be relegated to a simple button press, which takes away from the things you are trying to do. Even something as simple as the gravity hands utility. You literally target something, press the trigger then flick your hand back at yourself and catch the item coming to you. If you want to explain to me how something so simple, yet integral to the game is going to be replicated for non-VR users, I'd love to hear it. And pressing X to pickup is not the same thing.

[Fishy Fingers]

Well that looks like a fun way to play it....

[FlyingFoxy]

Oh the sarcasm detector, that's a REAL useful invention.. xD

[_LarZen_]

Sounds like a horrible way to play a VR game....

[Xaevi]

The amount of people butt hurt over something so unproblematic, so innocent, is pretty sad yo. People just want to the game, the first Half Life game in a series that hasn't seen anything done for it in decades without having to buy a VR set. Get over it people, this effects you in absolutely no ways. Let people enjoy the game however they want.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Yeah. A butchered game played by others doesn't affect me. Just the people making excuses.

They want VR to grow with bigger games and better quality. Calling most current VR games "tech demos" or " gimmicky." Then whine they can't play the game that meets their standards. When it's supposed to give gamers reasons to try VR. Making up excuses that it shouldn't be a big name franchise.

An excuse is an excuse. A butchered game is a butchered game.

[-Foxtrot]

But you aren't playing the "butchered" game so...

[ApocalypseShadow]

But you're the one crying about it fox. I bet with all this whining, your PC still can't run it.

If new IPs can only bring so many to VR, what do you think will get the other group to notice?

Umm..***franchises*** they are used to. Big names. But when Valve creates one, you cry about it. So it did its job. It got you to notice. And complain.

[ArmrdChaos]

Ironically it appears like the VR supporters are the people crying the loudest about this. Had Valve put out a proper sequel when they should have this would had been a non-issue. They could have made this game fill in gaps to the story. Instead Valve chose to barricade the story behind a paywall. Either blow the cash on VR or too bad. So someone came up with a mod so others can follow the story without shelling out a bunch of cash.....boo the F hoo. VR hasn't gained the traction people have wanted, so forcing people seems to be an ok tactic now. If VR is so great than what difference should the mod make...it should be able to stand on it's own two feet. If cost is the reason then I guess VR still has problems that need solving.

[ApocalypseShadow]

No Chaos. They decided the best foot forward for their games from pinball machines and gallery games, to text adventure games, to 2D games, to 3D games... was VR. They want to be one of the pioneers of VR. You'd rather they stay where they are.

Tv games have been made for over 25 years. Why do people think it has to stay that way for another 25 years? Because you say so? Entitled much? Valve decided to do with their franchises what they felt like doing. Walled gardens. Lol. Mostly every company and product made is a walled garden. If you want McDonald's, you don't walk into Burger King. But people like you expect Burger King to sell Big Macs. Or for Apple to sell Android phones.

I can understand if it was Konami and using Metal Gear for a slot machine. But Valve is taking gaming forward that's more immersive than looking at a TV screen. Over 40 years of a TV screen.

"Well...well.. it's been years since the last HL Game." "We deserve a game." "We demand Valve make whatever we want." No. It doesn't work that way.

None of you said anything about Batman VR. Said nothing about Spider-Man HC or FFH free experiences. Said nothing about the upcoming Medal of Honor for PC VR headsets. Sure. Some of you cried about Iron Man. Or were trashing the game without even playing it or demoing it at game shows. Raging. Saying they need to make a proper Iron Man game. Who are you to say what's proper?

We're not crying. Just pointing out your hypocrisy. You want VR to get good games. Some even say "Where's the AAA games?" But are now crying when a AAA VR game is made.

Hypocrisy.

[IanTH]

If only that's how people saw the whole "Sekiro easy mode" fiasco.

However, I do think converting a game for a different control scheme is going to have larger implications on the overall quality, but if they can enjoy it that way, have at it!

[Miacosa]

I hope this lets people play the game but still purchase it and not use it as some half-ass justification to pirate. If it's the story you want, there are many full playthroughs on Twitch and YouTube now.

[QuePasa87]

I'll wait until I can afford vr

[REALAS]

Well, that looks terrible.

[septemberindecember]

It's cool that there is a mod for people that want to play this without VR, but I have to be honest. This is the first VR game I've played where I legitimately felt like VR was the only way to truly experience this title. What I mean is, typically VR adds something to a title (like super hot). It's best played in VR, but playing it elsewhere is still fun.

But the VR aspect is so integral to this game that I really feel people who use this mod are doing themselves a disservice. Play it on VR. I was not very interested in VR until this game, and now I understand.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Whiners aren't really concerned about the reality.

Just like a flat game not translating well to play in VR looks butchered. It's the same thing in trying to turn a VR game into a flat game.

The whiners convince themselves that it's great to play a butchered game. But no game is worth playing when you strip out what makes it special.

We see it didn't matter that VR had exclusives until it was a game they wanted to play. Now they whine they can't play it but expect VR to grow and have reasons to play. Alyx is a reason but now they come up with excuses.

[Hungryalpaca]

You’re a very dumb individual.

[ApocalypseShadow]

That's what your parents said when you were born.

So, how come you didn't take up their advice and go to school?

[xenz]

Good job on butchering an amazing VR game.

[jdoe]

why would you ever want to ruin it for yourself like this

[BrainSyphoned]

For those that need hugging pillows to get a taste of what they can’t experience first hand.

[ibrake4naps]

They should just make most games with both modes

[ApocalypseShadow]

It's a good idea but not possible all the time. Some game's need to be reworked to handle both gameplay methods of flat gaming and VR.

Camera placement, object sizes, framerates. Doesn't translate sometimes.

[ibrake4naps]

Yeah, that makes sense. Wish they could though. VR players would have a more constant influx of bigger, more complex games.

[ApocalypseShadow]

i agree. Like RE7. Only thing about RE7 is that it still plays like a flat game. VR was tacked on. No hand interactions with a motion controller.

But it was successful. Which is rare. My guess is if Capcom would made RE7 VR exclusive on PS4, we would have had the same type of rage HL: Alyx gets.

But VR needs games like Alyx to get gamers to try VR. Besides legitimizing VR.

[Lilrizky]

This looks terrible in comparison