Half-Life Alyx No VR Mod looks better than ever, new gameplay video

DSOG : It's been a while since our last look at the No VR Mod for Half-Life Alyx. And last month, SoMNst released a brand new gameplay video for it.

[-Foxtrot]

For a mod this looks pretty well done

It would be amazing to just have a traditional Half Life game for once, especially for non-VR players, I don't know why Valve would make a game where the ending has such a big impact on Half Life 3 then limit it's audience to only VR players. They should make a version from the ground up that just plays like any Half Life game, I mean would it matter? We haven't had a traditional playing Half Life game in over 15 years or something, it's not like they'd need to revolutionise gameplay as it's been so long it would still feel new to us.

If one person can crate something like this, imagine what a team at Valve could do.

[Neonridr]

I'm fine with a traditional Half Life experience down the road. What's dumb is taking something that was designed around VR and then appeasing some people by stripping it of what makes it truly awesome. Just so people can say that they played it.

[-Foxtrot]

You know what's even more dumb?

Making a new instalment to a game people have been waiting 15 years for, making it a prequel, making it VR and then at have the ending be something so important as it directly impacts Half Life 3.

No one would care if it was a spin off which had no impact on future Half Life games but it does and it's pretty much the main reason why people want to see a non VR version, they want the story before Half Life 3 comes out (when it does) as they are going to bee so f***** confused when the game starts and it's not the same as where we were left at the end of Episode 2. Is that really fair on them?

Having a non VR version would not lessen the experience of people who have played the main VR version, in no way would that experience be taken away from them, this would be purely for people who either can't afford VR or just don't like it to enjoy a new Half Life game and it get up to date with the story before HL3. No one will care if it cheapens the VR as they didn't care to start, thus wanting this new version. Half Life games are awesome VR or not, I mean how can non VR people miss the features which make this "awesome" if they don't care about VR to start with, they won't know what they've missed, all they will be getting is a traditional Half Life game which they haven't played in years, it's good enough for them.

"appeasing some people"

You forget the non VR crowd is bigger than the VR crowd

At the end of the day if people are going to put their foot down and cry about an OPTIONAL non VR version, something which will not affect them or their experience in the slightest, then it's plain selfish, it's basically keeping something from people out of spite. I'd get it if people were telling Valve to get rid of the VR version or something but they aren't.

Like I said if this was a game which was just a general spin off and had no impact for the future of the franchise then no one would care, but Valve decided to not do this.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Neon, it's the same complaints about other games like RE7 where Fox thinks the developer should never make something different or try something new with a franchise. Fox thinks it should only be spin offs. Happy with glee RE8 is getting a third person mode. And just so Fox knows, there's no HL3 being made. There's no impact because Valve is never making one or they would have by now.. If there was, Valve could easily add story elements to the sequel where Alyx wouldn't be necessary to play.

I don't mind the mods because cool things can come from them like the Bio Shock one and other shooters. But Alyx was made for VR. The fact it's called that and not GORDON means it IS a spinoff. And was made for motion control interaction in a VR environment. And Fox knows it. Knows it's not HL3. No matter what spin off it would have been called, it still would have been in the Half Life universe. So, there would have still been a complaint Fox couldn't play it without a headset no matter what name it had or story elements.

And then, goes on to say something stupid that the flat community is bigger. So, VR users shouldn't get anything unique to them because they're a smaller community. In that entitlement tone, **no VR games should be made.** Right Fox?

[RaidenBlack]

Many people (include hardcore Half-Life fans as well), CAN'T play VR because of health issues.
As well as people who can't afford the equipment/accessories or don't have enough free space in their apartment for a safe VR gaming.
They want to experience the new Half Life game as well.
This mod is for them. And not everybody enjoys watching game playthroughs on Youtube.
And nobody is forcing the fortunate people who has/can use VR to use this mod.

[PapaBop]

Their loss. Alyx is the best VR game hands down and an experience any true Half Life fan owes it to themselves to play. If you can afford a high end PC, VR isn't going to break the bank anyway with reasonably priced hardware now available, I imagine you can pick up a Rift second hand at a good price and that's what I've played Alyx on and it's a true next gen experience.

[generic-user-name]

Don't worry, they can make HL3 VR exclusive too.

[MadLad]

It's definitely cool, but unless they rebalance everything the game isn't going to play right and probably be really easy.
The game was designed around being limited by the player's own movements and reaction time, and there's far less enemies in the mix than your average action game as a result.

[Duke19]

Spot on. A cool and impressive mod, but that would not be a great way to play the game having to tie all movement and action to a single focus point in the middle of the screen.

Game is a blast in VR but this just wouldn’t do it justice to actually play

[ApocalypseShadow]

Basically this above.

Valve tried multiple times to jump back into HL and nothing came together. Nothing pushed the medium forward. Then they tried with Portal in VR but it didn't work. HL Alyx worked and it's built for VR. The combat, the interactions, everything. The developers themselves knew gamers would mod it to flat and are okay with that. But they say bluntly that flat Alyx would be an inferior way to play the game.

There are cries that games shouldn't be made using a franchises name. But no one seemed to complain about Star Wars Galaxy Edge or Vader Immortal. And those two games are CANON to Star Wars. No complaints there about missing story. I don't see any complaints for Horizon: Call of the Mountain coming to PS VR 2 and it's part of the main game where you meet characters from the main game.

It's just so funny seeing gamers complain about HL in VR that's not a sequel but have nothing to say about the other games.

[-Gespenst-]

tbf, HL is completely different. People waited for around 13 years for a new HL game, and when a new entry was finally announced, it could only be played on prohibitively expensive technology. I don't think you can compare the hype for a new HL to the hype for more Horizon, or more Star Wars videogames (people care WAY more about Star Wars films - I don't think people really passionately gaf about SW games, except a few nerds).

No one really gives a crap that a Horizon game or a Star Wars game are VR-only, because those video game series aren't as beloved as HL, nor were people made to wait over a decade for them. I don't think people would be as outraged if another Horizon game didn't come out for 10 years, only to be VR-only, as they have been about HLA. Half-Life is just on a different tier altogether.

Like, if you really wanted a follow-up to game x, but not game y, and both games got VR-only follow-ups 10 years later, you wouldn't care that you couldn't play the follow-up to game y, but you would definitely care that you couldn't play the follow-up to game x. What it boils down to is that HL just has a very passionate fanbase, and with good reason - the series is certainly among the most compelling in video game history. It's arguably a culturally significant game, way moreso than some Stars Wars cash-in, and while the Horizon games are good, they'll never be remembered like HL is / was. They're just a pair of AAA open-world games that are very slightly a cut above the rest. They don't do anything particularly new, but more importantly, they don't FEEL particularly new. They just feel like refined open-world games.

[gamerz]

Even just showing the hand icon over things you can grab changes the game significantly. There are certain bomb types you have to figure out how to use by interacting, for example.

[ZycoFox]

If you want a flat Source 2 FPS experience, wait for S&box which will have a lot of different game modes.

I still really like the visuals of Source 2, so clean looking. Still annoyed that nothing became of the L4D2 plantation remade in that engine, looked so nice in 2014.. If Valve released the goods back then or in 2015/2016 for PC the games would've looked top notch.

Looking forward to see what Valve release next, seems like it will be more Half Life and little/nothing of their other series.

[iNcRiMiNaTi]

I saw it's made by facepunch. Is it supposed to be the new gmod?

[ZycoFox]

It is, even though it's not called GMOD 2 that's essentially what it is, but it says on their site that it will be way better than a simple successor, I guess that's why they choose a different name.

[MocBistro]

It should have never been a vr game. I got nauseated after 15 mins.

[generic-user-name]

People get nauseated playing traditional FPS also, some people get carsick too.

Can't be holding back technological advancements based on these things.

[Jin_Sakai]

Looks amazing! Didn’t realize the game had such clean visuals. This makes me want a new official Half Life game so bad.

[Orchard]

And add in another Portal too please ;)

[Orchard]

Looks great, wish it had an ETA (or a release). Waiting on this mod for sure - I want to play Alyx but have zero interest in playing it in VR.

I am however toying with the idea of buying this in advance since it's 50% off on Steam right now.