I wanted to respond to as many comments as possible but this video got a bigger response than I ever expected being so new on YT so I just wanted to say THANK YOU! to everyone for watching in case I don't get a chance to respond. I have a couple videos I'm wrapping up, some VR and some lesser known games I'm just really excited about but on popular request I have downloaded *Into The Radius* and added it to my video queue so expect that video. Thanks again for watching!
tbf, half life alyx really is just a half life game in VR, playing the noVR mod really feels like playing HL2 with better graphics, so its no surprise that half life 2 in VR is fantastic as well
@@flamingscar5263 hl alyx is definitely not just a half life game in vr. half of half life's essence is the massive assortment of weapons. most of which require two hands to use. that and the large amount of enemies/ enemy types. hl alyx only has 3 guns, all of which are variations on one handed pistols. hl alyx may be in the half life univers, but it sure as hell isnt a half life game. half life 2 vr mod does that part better.
I never played halflife thanks to beeing a console player in my young ages, im happy i will be able to play a solid game with new eyes when i get VR this winter cant wait!
During a gunfight with the Combine in an open courtyard, I was shooting using a car for cover. I emptied my clip, and ducked down to lean against the car whilst I reloaded, but there was no car, and I was left sprawled on my floor laughing at how the immersion had tricked my brain!
Had a similar experience was hiding in cover right at the edge of my playspace where I knew there was a wall, so I leaned on it and suddenly everything felt real. One other time I was going to search a combine body for loot, reached out of my playspace and grabbed a blanket. For a moment my brain was convinced there was a body in my room.
I did the exact same thing in a subway, I crouched down and shot over the top of a table, then leant on an imaginary chair to stand up and launched my head into a wall. Why did valve have to catch lightning in a bottle, and then decide to just shove that bottle into the depths of their asshole and pretend it never existed. Like make a sequel god damnit!
@@What3v3a Ha ha ha I can imagine that. I so hope they are secretly working on Half Life 3, a full feature length VR game now Alyx has proved the concept
Honestly, calling alyx the best VR experience is such an understatement. It's one of the best experiences in any kind of media, be it video games, vr and even movies, it's an absolutely one of a kind experience.
HL:Alyx gave me the same feeling as Half Life when I first played it. However: I was 17, when I first played HL and it is /was my most favorite game of all time. Until Alyx came along. It was the only game since HL that gave me this same feeling of excitement, surprise, awe - however I was 39 at the time. Given how hard it became for games to make me feel excited at all, you can actually argue that -because of that - HL:Alyx is my absolute favorite. It is a masterpiece!
@@bonezzVR it's the voice bro. Great narration and script reading. Sounds natural, not like you're reading. No brain-piercing lisp. No mispronounced words due to being too lazy to Google how to say words you've read but never said out loud. Also the content is fun.
HL:Alyx is also the first serious VR game I've played. And I still remember that moment where I went up to a subway station platform, went into this booth, saw a huge combine dude appear before me, and literally physically dropped on the floor in fear, to hide behind the counter. Also that first fight with a zombie? Where I'm backing away, frantically trying to reload? No other VR game since has given me that feeling.
You really nailed it. As a GenX HL lover, I was dubious of Alyx at first. But after I played it, I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. It was finally, after all these decades (yes, as early as VR from the 90s) a VR experience we dreamed about. Because Alyx was the most immersive gaming experience I ever had, which was crafted by true artists that still understand HL lore and tonality, it sits in my top three games of all time. Nothing compares to it. It's like butta'.
Similar here. I’ve been waiting for VR since the song Virtual insanity from jamiroqai came out in the mid 90s I didn’t get into it until the psvr2 came out though because of its lower cost of entry.
@@jbmurphy4 I was the same. Tried it in London when I was sixteen and my mind was buzzing with ideas. HL Alyx was that good of an experience I wish more people could enjoy it
The half life 1 2 and episodes vr mods are amazing. It honestly feels like all of half life was designed to be played in vr! (Except for Vehicle Sections)
I would say it's just the nature of things that first-person games work best in VR. The problem is that for technical, cost, and practical reasons, the flat screen has prevailed for decades. And now that we already have fairly cheap and good VR hardware, the big problem is that a huge industry wants to continue on this course forever and billions of people are fixated on flat screens because they don't know any other way. Look at UEVR and games like Ready or Not, IllWill, High on Life, Trepang2, Robocop. Basically flat games converted to VR games by the injector. Without UEVR I would never have played these games because it would be totally outdated and boring for me. With VR, these games have suddenly come to life. Unfortunately, there are too few people who see it that way.
Im playing episode 2 right now in vr and it makes me mad how good it is lol. it runs at such a high resolution at 120 fps no dropoffs and its BUTTER. the aiming and shooting is accurate and feels like it was legit made for it. The graphics hold up so well.
I bought a quest 3 today, browsed the store for half an hour .. nothing jumped out (happy to take recommendations though) so I booted up HLA via air play and was blown away again like I was 4 years ago, it's just incredible. It feels like I've opened the big box under the Christmas first, it stands alone.
100% I thought the Lone Echo games were pretty ok but the quality difference between HLA and nearly everything else is vast. Some cool little games like Beat Saber or one of the numerous military shooters is fun but I fear nothing is going to come out any time soon that can push VR beyond HLA.
Some great one that made me feel fully immersed in are Walkind Dead Saints & Sinners, Into the Radius, Asgards Wrath 2, Assassins Creed Nexus, and I you wanna feel like a super hero Iron Man VR
I recommend Lies Beneath to everybody. It's such a goddamn gorgeous game. It CANNOT age. The vibes are immaculate. But for gameplay, the Walking Dead games are always good.
Ok here's some real advice: Get sidequest installed on your PC, make sure you install the advanced installer version. Connect your headset via USB (you may also need the mobile app installed and Bluetooth on). Go into the mobile app, set up your device (headset) and enable developer mode once the option becomes available. Go back into side quest nd look for half life VR, doom VR, doom 3 VR, quake 1 VR, quake 2 VR, quake 3 VR. All by the same devs. Follow the instructions carefully for each game you want. From there, enjoy seriously naturally converted classics in VR.
My favourite vr title WAS elite dangerous, nothing came close to elite in vr before the odyssey expansion. trucking around space, bounty hunting in LHS 20 alongside friends. the immersion it offered was beyond anything any other game has ever accomplished to this day. I miss it.
Honesty feel the exact same. Played a lot of high quality stuff like boneworks and lone echo, but they all have big shortcomings. Hl alyx is just in another level, and for me, it's alone worth the price of entry for VR, an unforgettable experience. The Lab is basically a tech demo but it captures a bit of that magic I get when playing HLA.
@@bonezzVR That's awesome!! I think another thing that surely helps is half life games are some of the best in the industry. The game's an amazing game in general, not just amazing "for a VR game." Even if we got something as polished and high-budget as this, it's hard to compete with valve's art direction, game design, writing, sound design, etc etc, it's amongst the best out there IMO, hence it's such a huge gap in quality from every other title.
only vr game that i consider to be better than half life alyx is vtol vr but that game is pretty niche all things considered it really only caters to military/aviation nerds. and its better for completely different reasons and not at all comparable to half life alyx, they dont compete for attention the way fps games do with each other since they're for completely different moods
for me 1 shortcoming of Half Life alyx is restricted movement, I understand its to help people with motion sickness, but personally I prefer Boneworks/Lab due to its freedom, I don't get motion sick at all, even doing the craziest things in the Bone games doesn't phase me, so going from launching myself around a sandbox at mach 5 to the slowed down nature of HLA really is a let down
@@flamingscar5263 I really get this feeling, but having played boneworks after HLA (unlike most people I'd think) I think having the game be designed around a more limited movement gives it different opportunities, doesn't feel like a downgrade to me, just different.
@@bonezzVR Probably the best movie ever in my opinion. That man could really pull in your attention! The book is great too (and completely different), but Tarkovsky really managed to take it to the next level.
You'll love it. It's head and shoulders above anything else. The only thing that has sort of come close is red matter 2 but that is an entirely different game
After my first 2-hour session of HLA right after it released, I put down my headset and I tried to pick up my drink instinctively with gravity gloves pull. I was weirded out by it not working, only to realize what happened after few seconds. That's how immersed I was.
I had the exact same problem after HL:Alyx.. Most games just never stood up to its immense immersive'ness and polish but a game I did have with that same'ish immersive escape was "Into the Radius", such a fun game with lots of immersive mechanics such as cleaning and maintaining your weapons so you can bring them back "into the Radius" to obtain more loot and complete more objectives. It is a Solo experience but honestly that adds a lot to the eerie and almost empty vibe you get as the only other living thigs in the radius are far from friendly.
Great video! I was surprised to see your subscriber count because this is high quality production. By the way, yes, the Quest 3 game library is stacking with pretty awesome titles. Keep in mind the Quest 3 has not truly displayed its true power quite yet because games are still being developed with the Quest 2 in mind. Batman Arkham Shadow is coming to Quest 3 exclusively later this year and it is going to be the first major production to show how powerful the device is. It's aiming to be a full Arkham game with a full campaign, exploration, large open areas, high fidelity graphics, quality voice work etc. Outside of Quest, keep an eye out for Alien Rogue Incursion in addition to Metro. That is going to be a AAA quality game with big 20th Century Studios money backing it. Skydance's Behemoth is also going to be an insanely high quality experience later this year. Everything I just mentioned is coming before the end of the year. There has never really been a more exciting time for VR.
Thanks so much! I'm only really a few weeks in to making the content I want to do so all the support has meant a lot and I have a lot more on the way. I think all the buzz about some bigger projects coming out is what finally gave me the kick I needed to really get this channel rolling.
Yeah, it is the most impressive and optimized game, it is the HLA for the Quest, sadly. Most other games look far worse on the system, except Asgards Wrath 2, another masterpiece but still has that mobile feel to it at every corner like AC Nexus.
Exactly. After playing Red Matter 2, all the other games like Assassins Creed with those mobile VR graphics style just weren’t cutting it. While they are still impressive, they don’t feel real enough and don’t feel as interesting as the environments in Alyx and RM 2
Feel like after being spoiled by AAA pc vr fidelity with HLA, it's really had to go back without some other hook to the gameplay to pull you in. I've been prepping an Into the Radius video and some of the mechanics help distract from the visual shortcomings
@@bonezzVR I was never a big puzzle game fan. But Red Matter changed all that. I was so in awe of the environments that I didn’t mind being stuck when I was because just being in those environments was fun. When that happens in other VR games, it’s not fun because I’m clearly in a game and it’s just a bunch of repeated assets .
@@shotbyfabiAlyx was a PC game and RM2 is a simple puzzle game with entirely baked static visuals, you can’t expect something like Assasins Creed which is an open world experience that’s designed for mobile hardware to come close to the visuals of a made for PC VR game or a simple puzzle game
It's been years since I fired up the Rift S. My son wanted to play Alyx. It is the best VR experience hands down. I'm gettin' goosebumps watching him progress through the levels.
vr in general is in a weird state, devs dont want to make true triple A games like half life alyx for vr because the market is too small atm, but the market is small because theres basically only 1 triple A game available, one side has to break first, and it HAS to be the devs, i can guarantee if there was multiple offerings of games on par with half life alyx in quality then the vr playerbase would increase massively
Basically, its the only AAA VR experience. Period. Every other VR/AR developer is still technically indie, (if you dont count Meta, but i don't consider them game devs anyway) and none of them are capable of crafting what Valve can with their decades of experience. Even if some of them may FEEL closer to AAA, none of them truly are, which is why HLA is an unparalleled experience, still, 4 years later.
Yeah, the RE Village and RE4 VR modes rival the production value and combat of Alyx, but only because they're AAA flat screen conversions. The developers love VR, so a lot of thought and care is put into them, but nowhere near the interactivity and VR design of a true VR game. Still glad they exist though, I hope Capcom keeps making them. I think converting games to VR is a great way to share the development cost.
Currently, just UEVR can deliver the graphics we want to see in VR but lacks the interactions or certain VR features. But for me, it is the best way to counter the HLA nostalgia, because now I can do missions in Ready or Not with Voice Attack and 6DOF weapon controls, and immerse myself in a realistic-looking scenario. It is fantastic. Or look at Ace Combat 7. Once you configure it right and take a HOTAS you can experience the most immersive flight action ever seen. No native VR game can replicate the atmosphere of this game! And when I experience that I see where we are. Big studios with the capabilities to deliver graphics, the amazing assets are mostly not in the space but are needed to crank up immersion massively on high-end systems like the PC. Things that are not possible on a Quest 3. We had it with Oculus Studios years ago, now closed.
Alyx was „just“ made by 80 people (quite impressive). Thats a pretty normal team size for a vr game currently. Asgards Wrath 2, Batman Arkham Shadow, Assassins Creed Nexus have very similar scale and scope.
Indeeeed ..very imersive…with pedals ( haptic) ffb direct drive system .and a good racing seat (rim) ….bit expensive but very imersive ….also with tripple screen you can built a amazing cocpit …almost like youre are driving real car ….
it is awesome. However, if you are not the type of person that is interested in track racing games without VR then it most likely will not hold your interest for long. I much prefer open world racing games like Horizon and would love to be able to play them in VR. It's a shame only track racing games are available in VR.
Half life alyx's workshop also adds to this, even after finishing the official campagin I still found myself lost for HOURS in community made add on campaigns some of them in my opinion even better at certain aspects than what valve did officially
Nice video, reflects basically my opinion too :) Turning on the developer commentary in HL:Alyx showed how much effort they put into every little detail. The footsteps when teleporting, having a new mechanic with the gravity gloves, the piano, the fluids in the bottles (which where added later to be fair) and many more. As I'm working as an XR developer for over 10 years, I just wanted to add my 5 cents: This level of perfection is sooo hard to reach. Visuals, Interactions, Story, ... And on the other hand simple visuals with a fun mechanic (like Gorilla Tag) can also be enough to captivate people ^^ So in the end, HL:Alyx is a godlike gem and hopefully dev teams will aim for that, but also stay creative und innovative.
Completely agree! Underdogs which has a very simple art style is possibly my top VR title released this year because it just executes what it was trying to do so well and is just fun.
i played Half Life Alys several times with about 240 hours in total since 2020. Then i tried No Man's Sky VR in early 2022 and never stopped playing it until today, being 2400+ hours in. Half Life Alyx is technical still the best VR game, but No Man's Sky VR is my absolute favourite PCVR game. I also play Standalone VR, but usally only Sports games, since Standalone is much better for games like Tennis etc.
Resident evil 4 in vr is absolutely incredible. I got a quest 3 explicitly because it was an exclusive and one of my favorite games even before it was ported to vr. The fact that it works so well and ages so well AND that I was able to dump 18 hours into it on the first playthrough, makes it simply beyond comparison to nearly every other vr game, just because it's an entire game that works that isn't meant to just be "a vr experience". It's an actual video game. That's what I want out of vr. Video games. Not tech demos or experiences or whatever. Full blown, AAA video games.
You should try it with replaced assets imported from Alyx + high res textures, character models, rag doll animations, etc :D. However i also believe Alyx is still the top VR game today. No other dev. managed to raise the bar higher, visually, functional and story wise...
Except HL: Alyx. One experience that blew me away recently was "Subside". Great little diving game with simple yet addicting treasure hunting-, and upgrade mechanics. I have claustrophobia, and diving through the flooded caverns, squeezing between tight passages with limited air supply was a true exhilarating experience to me, similar to meeting jeff for the first time! :D
As someone deeply immersed in storytelling, sci-fi, and world-building, I can really appreciate how you touched on Half-Life’s rich and immersive world. I think a lot of modern VR games lack that strong narrative element, which is so essential for creating true escapism. It’s no wonder you experienced those "out of body" moments in Half-Life: Alyx where the VR controllers just disappeared from consciousness. Being a huge Half-Life fan myself, having played 1, 2, and various mods, I completely agree-games with worlds that feel lived-in, like The Last of Us or Silent Hill, stand the test of time because of their storytelling. I’d love to see more robust narratives in VR as the technology continues to evolve. I loved your video-thank you for sharing your perspective!
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment! I just dropped my Cybperunk VR video yesterday, and what stuck with me more than anything was just how immersive it was despite its limitations because of the strength in its detail and world building. If you haven't tried the Luke Ross Cyberpunk mod I think you would really appreciate it. There's nothing like walking the streets of Night City.
Other amazing VR games are: - The walking dead saints and sinners - Vertigo remastered and vertigo 2 - Wanderer - Red Matter and Red matter 2 - Lone Echo - Resident Evil 4 VR - Assasins Creed Nexus - Half life 2 vr mod - Outer wilds vr mod - Portal 2 vr mod - Firewatch vr mod
@@colemanbubar5098 hahaha, you need good "VR legs" yes, but if you can play those games in vr its really cool. I finished outer wilds some weeks ago and it was an amazing experience
I feel the same as you, lately I've been replaying HLA for the gnome achievement and man, I do get lost around the game design choices and how well they go, how intuitive they are and such... it's amazing how much love was put into this, and I've only played HL1, I do hope HL3 gets the same love treatment or even better
Re7 is hands down my favorite VR game, it's the only reason I still own my psvr1. I love half life Alyx as well, but re7 was the first killer vr app I ever played and still holds a special place in my heart. Playing through all of half life 2 with the vr mod is pretty sweet as well.
Have you played RE8 Village on PSVR2? I've never played RE7 vr because of not beeing interested in the first PSVR but the new model got my attention and I've never regret it. GT7 is insane but what rrally blew me away was Village. This was the most intense and terrifying gaming experience I've ever had. Tough the game lacks the interactions with the environment like other vr games, its so intense especially due to the oled display. And Lady D is HUGE like omg...
I feel exactly the same. What you said about the pistol I feel about the shotgun. So much so I spent 6 months learning the modding tools to make my own shotgun only combat map. And have played almost every map and mod that has come out on the workshop so far. If you're looking for more lengthy mindblowing mods, I highly reccomend zheptics, from here to there, levitation, post human, and many more that can't be named in a single comment. Takes HLA from a 10 hour game to a 100+ hour game.
As someone who gets immersed easily AND has loved Half-Life since I was a kid, Alyx was 100% my best gaming experience I've ever had. I had chills that were painful when I first booted up Alyx and listened to that rumbling, echoing soundtrack as the Citadel faded into view and the hunter chopper passed by over my head. I've never felt anything like it. Alyx was the first time I actually forgot I was in VR, or in a game. I had a moment during the Jeff chapter where I genuinely felt fear and HAD to be quiet, still as a statue, before I actually backed into a lamp in my room and realized I wasn't in Jeff's presence at all. It only lasted a moment, but I was blown away. And that last chapter inside the Vault was spectacular. Being surrounded in that classic Half-Life weirdness of environment as things shifted around me outside the laws of known physics, accompanied by that soundtrack, was indescribable. I get what you're feeling. VR is something I want to do more of, but nothing is really pulling me in like Alyx did. Although, I am also very excited for Metro Awakening, so we'll see! I am biased toward Half-Life, but Metro was also a really fun and engaging gaming experience.
Nah, a lot of great VR titles dude Assassins Creed, Asgard's Wrath, Red Matter 1 and 2, Walking Dead Saints and Sinners, Medal of Honor Above and Beyond
Mods like UEVR are currently the answer to HLA nostalgia, saying bye-bye and looking forward to fresh VR games. We currently have enough selection of Unreal games to bridge the time until larger studios start implementing their IPs properly for VR (e. g. not like IOI with Hitman)
I'm not sure if you did something specific here, but the widescreen aspect ratio (with what I feel is a wider FOV?), with as little jitter as possible, and the respect for the atmosphere of the scene made for some of the best Alyx footage I've seen. When you mentioned you started YT with a play through of Alyx, I hoped it'd be in the style of that video, but of course that would probably be too much work !! I still haven't watched a full play through because on most, you just see the player goofing around, having fun in the VR space (makes sense of course), and I'm longing for a video that is as close as possible to an Alyx feature film, to be able to follow the story and appreciate the work fully when you don't have a headset. Anyway, great work, can't wait to see what you're working on next.
I wasn't sure if people would like the widescreen, I recently switched to an ultrawide monitor and LOVE IT so I want to make as many video in that aspect ratio as I can for other users since there aren't a ton of people making it, bonus it fills the full screen on bigger phones! My full playthrough is 6 roughly hour long episodes, not ultrawide but 4k and pretty stable, I wasn't super active when I made them just put them up for anyone interested but it's there if you are interested. This was really only the second video I've put up that I really put work into but now I've got all kinds of ideas and recommendations thanks to everyone in the comments. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching!
I think that the move to standalone headset will ultimately hurt VR. It has made it more affordable, but at the cost of the quality of experiences. Games like HLA simply aren’t possible on a mobile chipset (at least a non apple one, I’m confident the M1-4 could run it).
Definitely share this sentiment. I grew up watching my dad play Half Life, and grew into playing the games myself. I've probably beaten HL2 over twenty times, and absolutely loved the Black Mesa remake. When HLA was released, I was skeptical. Valve clearly wanted us to get into VR, they made an entire Half Life game and a headset. I waited two years before saying to hell with it, and I bought the Index specifically to play HLA, I heard so many good things but steered clear of spoilers. So glad I did. Completely blew me away, I was hooked and could not stop playing and thinking about it. The first few weeks into VR, when not playing I would get a floating hands feeling, like my IRL hands weren't real. VR is wack while getting used to it. I think what stood out to me most was that Valve crafted a unique blend of photo-realistic and fantasy environments for us to explore. The true immersion comes from the level of detail, the physical space and interactions within it, and the fidelity of the characters. Seeing the Source 2 vortigaunt model up close really took my breath away. The animations are insanely well done. Alyx herself is also a likeable character, didn't feel too forced. While I would still prefer to be the mute ponytail PHD crowbar slinging badass, I think they did a good job putting us in the shoes of a character that we already know. The only thing I don't like, is Jeff. I f*cking hate Jeff. He was an incredible experience on the first play through, but in repetition, he's just downright annoying. Try finding any good story mods for Alyx that don't try to make their own Jeff sequence, it's boring and over saturated. 100% agree with the video topic, I am yet to find anything close to the experience of HLA within the limited realm of VR games. I've had a lot of fun in some other games, but nothing comes close to the complexity and immersion I found in HLA.
HL:A is certainly the best story driven videogame I've played in VR, but that's not the only type of my experience I enjoy in VR. #1 - Rumble This is not a game for everyone by any means, but it is something I really enjoyed. It's an earthbending simulator based on the positioning of your hands. It's extremely hard to master and there is always more to come up with, but it is incredibly rewarding to learn. I found myself training alone till 5am to master my combos and it feels amazing. #2 - Contractors Showdown In my opinion the most fun and fast paced pvp shooter out there. It's really polished and plays like a dream. I never liked PUBG, but it seems like VR is what it's been missing for me. #3 - VR Chat This one may sound weird, but VRC can be absolutely astonishing sometimes. I usually play Cards against humanity there and I really suck in most games that others play, like among us and such, but there is this surreal level called "Organism" made by a Russian (I believe) creator. This map is tons of fun to explore even on your own. It's huge and it's amazing. Maybe being alone in this world the first time actually makes for the best experience... But what's the crazy thing is that I met a guy there who could barely speak English. Almost not at all. He was also Russian and understood all the signs and stuff. We managed to communicate through the little English he knew, the tiny little Russian I understood and just body language. He's then shown me another map by the same creator and that map seemed to tell a story of this creator. I walked around the other map and was coming up with what I think all the things I see there mean and how they're linked to the creators life. The Russian guy was my silent follower with sometimes us communicating as much as we could. I kid you not, that must have been the greatest human experience I ever got and I am not an introvert. Most servers in VRC are for fun, full of people just having fun, but sometimes you become a part of a story which you'll remember for the rest of your life.
@@flamingscar5263 Hah, yeah, guess you'd be right, especially in this case... Then again, people recreated shooters in it and even Beatsaber so... I'm guessing that someday after a lot of updates, people will be making something like that ultra realistic Roblox Shooter. I was wondering what VRC 2 could bring and I thought perhaps better physics, being able to make your own worlds inside the game (an editor), but mainly I'd like to see portals that are literally like portals you can see in Portal so rather than getting you to a loading screen, it could just give you the view of the map and the people inside. That would be sick. Maybe one day...
One of the closest experiences I’ve had to half life: alyx would have to be the lone echo series. When it comes to the animations for characters, quality of graphics, puzzles, and interactions everything holds up pretty well when being compared to half life. I definitely wish more people would talk about it, a genuine hidden gem unfortunately only accessible through meta with a pc.
@@bonezzVR I would recommend the og RE4 for the oculus quest. Everything is so polished and the hand movements are smooth as hell. There's no janky hand movements like in a lot of vr games. I would say it rivals half life alex in terms of quality for sure. Played through the entire game in VR
@@bonezzVR yea but what else do you expect from Sony, idk why they thought people would be willing to buy a PSVR2 AND a PS5, thats over a grand, at that point buy a quest 2 or even quest 3 and a decent PC, I am glad they allow it to be used on PC now though, but the adapters are being scalped to hell and back currently so I hope Sony keeps up and makes more
Had a vive cosmos a few years back when alyx had just released, and I completely 100% agree that no vr game has ever since topped that experience. I remember the feeling of being absolutely teleported to another world. When the game opens up to the vista of the city and the citadel in the distance. Absolute chills, I was in awe. Hopefully another game like alyx is made..
Honestly the REmake vr modes for 8 and 4 come pretty close without being a made- for-VR game. One day we'll get stuff as polished a s Alyx.. but.. i think we gotta have more causal gamers interested in VR even still.. i think that'll require the hardware to get more and more convenient still surprisingly
I have been on the Index for a while and it's starting to show its age. Inside out tracking seems like it will win out over bay stations and probably needs to win out for VR to be more accessible. So far nothing has checked enough boxes for me to trade in the Index but the cables are starting to bother me after trying cable free. I agree though VR is still growing and needs to keep growing for developers to justify the investment it would take to get something groundbreaking out.
@bonezzGG yeah, the jump in visual fidelity from quest 2 to 3 is impressive. I wish them well... but since I like amazing visuals.. Im okay with the single cable of PSVR2.. but.. maybe I should stay away from wireless so I dont see how nice it could be hahaha
@@bonezzVR as a a quest 3 owner I can say that it should check those boxes, the only real issues are battery life (which can be fixed with any old battery bank), the head strap (which you can get a third party one) and controller tracking, which despite what many believe can be fixed by buying quest pro controllers, but those are a bit pricy as for the pros? all of them, the visuals are unmatched due to pancake lenses, wireless usage and if you have a current gen GPU you can use AV1 to get latency down to less then 20 ms (which is about the same as the index, the index needs to compress the image as its to high res for the displayport 1.2 it uses, but in the case of the quest 3 its wireless) about the same FOV as the index, it really is the best headset on the market, while some others have better specs in some areas, nothing is as well rounded as the quest 3
Yep, RE8 and RE4 Remake are the closest as far as AAA games go. They lack the VR specific design of Alyx, so lesss interactive, but they probalby have the edge in combat. In Alyx the Antlions will circle around to your front to attack (which helps the player but feels forced). In RE4 I'm spinning, blocking with my knife, frantically trying to reload as guys are swarming. It's amazing how good it is.
Couldn’t agree more, I don’t think i’ve ever been this immersed in a game, the levels are stunning and the story feels grounded but epic. Valve has proven they still got it.
The only thing which bothered me in HL:A last time I had a look into it is the very sluggish movement (slow, no jump or vaulting). At this point, a game like Contractors Showdown feels way more modern.
100% there are some games with great ideas that are pushing the needle forwards in different places. This feels like the early days of FPS games on consoles. Everyone working towards the "best" way to control them while the technology is constantly shifting under their feet. Hopefully we will see another big leap forward from a game in the not too distant future.
this is the biggest thing that stops me from coming back, HLA was my first VR game, its great as an intro, but after playing things like contractors and BoneWorks/Lab that have much more freedom to movement, HLA really feels like I'm held back
I completely agree with what you are saying. Nothing else can even come close to this game in VR. It's a shame that no other game developer can make something similar.
@@dr.cheeze5382 it's a VR tech demo lmao it's not a game and is nothing like Alyx. HL:A feels like a true fully fledged VR game it's truly a generational leap in technology while also being expertly designed as a game.
I remember when I very first got this game three years ago I never made it past the first dark area because I was so scared of what was lurking, and seeing headcrabs and the zombies terrified me from progressing. I made it a goal at the beginning of this month I would pick it up again and finish it, which I did! there where so many times where I would just look around or play with things in the environment because I could. I would get lost in the world so many times where I was on the ground, looking around franticly trying to find the headcrab, or just looking up admiring the world as though I was truly there. This game is the testament of what VR really can be, and although its pretty rare to have a VR game to this caliber, I'm so glad that Valve took a chance and made this game giving us an amazing experience.
As many people here I feel exactly the same. HL:A is still the greatest VR experience. While many other VR titles are more like tech demos, HL Alyx perfectly designed and polished. Some favourites of mine next to HLA: 1. Half Life 2 VR Mod ❤❤❤ 2. Star Wars Squadrons 3. Red Matter 2 4. Arizona Sunshine 2 5. The walking dead: Saints and Sinners (you already mentioned Pavlov) Interesting upcoming VR games: - Alien Rogue Incursion - Gunman Contracts: Stand Alone (started as a HLA Addon) (and you already mentioned Metro Awakening)
I think you are the first person to mention Squadrons. That is absolutely on my list for future content. When I had my flight stick that made my childhood dreams reality. A lot of people have been talking about Boneworks and I think that is my next video but I'm not sure people are going to be super stoked on my take. It's a REALLY good tech showcase but not the best game. I''m also really starting to get excited for Skydance's BEHEMOTH. So much potential.
You absolutely hit the nail on the head. Half-Life: Alyx is untouched by anything else in VR. I played through the whole game 3 times, all via Quests using virtual desktop (allowing wireless PCVR on them before Meta rolled out a native method). It's the most immersive and captivating world that's been made in VR to date, with incredible replay value. The fact that you can walk into a bar, open the lid to a piano, and find that every single key on that piano is functional, you can actually just sit and play the piano! I mean hell, when I let my friend have a play through, he discovered the rat in the bin near the beginning, and then manually carried a rat in his hand for a surprising length of the game haha. It's designed in a way that you can think outside the box. I remember being ducked down behind some cover and being aware there were enemies behind it, but a window between us. There was a chair next to me, so I grabbed the chair and threw it backwards over my head, smashing the glass, and as I heard it smash, I stood, turned and shot at the enemies. Another time I remember literally throwing myself to the ground (IRL) to take cover, then whilst on the ground, crawling forwards and reaching out to grab some ammo that was lying underneath a train. Unfortunately a few years ago I suffered an accident that makes being so physically involved in games like this as much an option, but I'm so lucky I had the opportunity to really experience this the way I did. This really is what the dream of VR has always promised, and I find it remarkable that nothing else has come even slightly close to the level of detail, realism, immersion, and just general enjoyment of HL:A! I'll keep my fingers crossed for the future!
We will never really know what Valve is up to but the rumors lately that they still believe in VR and have stuff in the works gives me a lot of hope that we will see them continue to push forward. It finally looks like we are getting some really big experiences from other developers, I hope at least a few of them deliver on the promises they have been promoting.
My favorite VR game is Into the Radius. Graphically it might not be on the same level as Alyx, but the gameplay is just as immersive. Cleaning your guns with a toothbrush, loading up individual bullets in your magazine, collecting cigarettes to smoke, it’s those little details like in Alyx that completely immerse me in the game. And it’s very replayable and unique each time. Big recommendation
I've been playing games since 1979 (I'm 68 years old and am retired IT). I share your love of all things Half-Life. I just played Arizona Sunshine 2 single player campaign back-to-back 8 times. It is an absolute winner.
If you haven't tried these, I think they can be as mnd-blowing as Alyx: The Last Clockwinder, Vertigo 2, Asgard's Wrath 2, Underdogs, Another Fisherman's Tale, Virtual Virtual Reality, and Lone Echo (especially The Last Clockwinder and Virtual Virtual Reality imo)
Resident Evil 4 Remake VR is extraordinary. I’ve beaten it 5 times since last year. That title has my vote and nothing else has came close. Shout out to Village VR though.
Now while it might not quite get as good as alyx, i'd HEAVILY recommend "Into the Radius", especially if you can play pcvr. ITR is one of if not THE most immersive vr games i've played. Part of it might be just since it's available standalone, but I actually enjoy it more than hla. Please, PLEASE, play into the radius! (i'll even subscribe with notifs to see if you do 👀)
Downloading now 👀 so many people recommending it, I've added it to the list. I have an Antichamber video I'm wrapping up but ITR just jumped up the queue. Im a big S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fan but I had been avoiding ITR, hearing it was kind of busted but now I must know!
@@bonezzVR itr 2 is the only one ive heard is buggy, and thats because its in early access. itr 1 is a lot more put together, and i havent gotten anything gamebreaking in the time ive played it
@@HeyIts_Blocky I'll second this. HLAlex is the best, but Ive put 20 to 30 times more hours into ITTR. In fact, I wore out my index thumb stick. I need to buy a new controller before ITTR2 is up to par.
Well first of all - welcome to RUclips! You've certainly set a high bar of quality out of the gate! Rock solid video! As for VR hidden gems that stuck with me? I'm surprised to say the railshooters Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Blood & Truth for PSVR 1.0 were both impressively great times that felt empowered, rather than limited, by riding the rails. If you love stuff like Time Crisis, they're two of the best iterations of the formula in ages.
If you haven't already, please play Boneworks! Its unbelievable. The story is great, the physics is like nothing else and it's completely unrestricted on how you move. The only thing is, it's a bit janky at times. They are pushing the boundaries of what VR can be and that always comes with drawbacks. It's well worth it. to me, it's like HL:A but with more physics and less polish. It's fantastic
Yes, HL:Alyx is the only real AAA VR Game - it was the only time PCVR could show its real power/magic - it only would have needed 5-7 more Moments like that to make PCVR big.
75% of the people who started alyx never even finished it unfortunaly. Check the steam trophies. So for at least 75% of the pcvr crowd there is still unexpierenced AAA Vr content available. Games like medal of honor had even bigger teams but lack the talent and attention to detail of valve
@@coolertuep like every other Game ;-) ...I have finished Alyx but not 75% of all other games in my steam library ;-) ...MoH had already outdated mechanics at its release - it would have needed only a few bigger patches to get a quite good VR game - sadly they never come.
@@patfish3291 last of us pt2 , which released at the same time during covid, has a 60% completion rate. And flat games have a lot more competition than a vr game. You dont stop half life alyx to play the next aaa vr game
It's too hot to play tethered😂. And also you need a dedicated router to play using Quest. I think some portion of that 25% just could not make streaming reliable so they dropped the game.
@@coolertuep were are those numbers from? I found only a 13% completion rate for pt 1 and 47% for pt2. There for sure some games out there with better completion rate but keep in mind HL:A is a VR Game! A lot of people started with HL:A as their first game and VR can be very intense ( I had to stop the game even as an VR -Veteran some times because the dark level was really intense with OLED!) ...and VR can make also motion sickness so you can't compare flat an VR Games. I hope you want to say that HL:A is not a good game? - because the Steam Score speaks a very clear language ;-)
Couldn't agree with you more. I was fighting a few combine soldiers and noticed a facehugger in flight toward me, I jumped into our new IKEA cabinet and nearly knocked the damn thing off the wall. The level of immersion is unreal, it's so easy to get lost in the game and forget everything else around you. By far the best VR game I've played to date!
I just ordered the new HTC Vive Focus VR headset, sold my Index 2 years ago and I've been waiting Index 2 ever since but not a peep and after watching this I decided I can't wait any longer, I gotta get back into the VR world :D
My favorite PCVR experiences are driving and flying sims. I have a sim racing rig so VR is very immersive. I feel like too many games are mini games, short experiences. I played Cyberpunk 2077 with the Luke Ross mod and let me tell you, even playing it with mouse and keyboard, it was a totally different vibe experiencing all of that in a 3D spatial way! It’s kinda a pain to tune that mode but easily worth the 1 month Patreon fee to check it out.
Same feelings here man. We got spoiled more than we could have imagined with HL:Alyx. The only other game that's ever gotten me totally lost in the experience would be Lone Echo (which is like the only other title that hasn't been matched imho).
VTOL VR is an incredible VR game if you're into planes or even just think planes are kinda cool. I used to just kinda think planes were cool. I enjoyed flying them in Battlefield 1 and V but then my friend showed me VTOL and now I have the plane branch of autism and built a lego F-18. It's a flight sim lite. Like a flight sim, but not too hard where it's a pain in the ass, but also flight sim enough to where you feel badass after learning a few things and blasting guys outta the sky. It's PVE or PVP and super easy to setup custom lobbies. Plus it has a steam workshop for skins and custom maps.
For me it's Half-Life Alyx and Boneworks, nothing comes close. But I also really liked Wilson's Heart, Lone Echo and Superhot when they first came out too. They're still good games even after all these years. Oh and the original Robo Recall on PC is still awesome as well. They should of Made a Wilson's Heart 2 and a Superhot 2 and a Robo Recall 2...all these games need a sequel. We need a new Half Life game from Valve too!!
🙏 Thanks so much only my 2nd real video on the channel and I'm completely overwhelmed by how much people are enjoying it. Can't wait to share what I've got cooking with everyone. Lots more incoming!
Great video! Also Russell is my new favorite video game character. I remember buying an Xbox in 2002 and playing Halo for the first time. Going back to the store I got it from and asking the guy that sold it to me, "Halo was amazing, what other games are that good for Xbox?" He said, "There aren't any." Playing Alyx gave me the same experience. Great but disappointment that there are not any titles this good. Yet.
The gore in HL2 becomes so much mire vivid in Alix . You can almost smell it. It becomes more frightening. On the Quest2 I love the Walkabout miniputt. I find it quite relaxing .
It definitely set the bar high. A few games that got me immersed in a similar way (not on the same level though): - Into the Radius (don't play the sequel yet) - Contractors Showdown - Ghosts of Tabor - Arizona Sunshine 1 & 2 - After the fall - Blade and sorcery (prob most polished VR experience out there) - Vertigo 1 / 2 (cool story) - The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners The upcoming Alien game, Metro and BEHEMOTH are gonne be great too.
Same for me Alyx is at the top. Though I am enjoying a ton the new story mode from Blade & Sorcery, it's not the same in terms of story telling ofc but it's so immersive and fun. I'm also really looking forward to Metro and the standalone Gunman Contracts game. VR still has a lot of future ahead especially when running it with max graphics won't require an xx90 card but an xx60 then I think it will be more common. Also try iRacing in VR if you can, it's an incredible immersive experience too
No need to answer, just to suggest you to try: - BLADE AND SORCERY (blades and sorcery things aren't my cup of tea but stabbing opponents with your blade right in the face is really fun in this game, and the sorcery part is also great (for example with the fire power, you can turn your sword in a fire sword and the wounds now are burnt wounds. You can basically do what a jedi does, telekinesis, send blade right through your opponents). I think this game is really a must try ! - BLOOD TRAIL is in a very early stage for now, but it has a very good shooting feeling, the wounds are very gory (there are 2 versions, the early access "normal version" and the experimental beta version which greatly improved enemies reactions, and gore is hardcore and detailed). - DEAD SECOND, nice shooting game, casual but good (I played the Quest 3 version but it exists in PCVR version I think). - ARIZONA SUNSHINE 2, very good feeling when shooting zombies in the head. - NO MAN'S SKY can be played in VR and makes me evade so much, making trips between planets, sitting down in my ship at lightning speed :D - AUTOMOBILISTA 2, a racing game, but works great in VR. But yeah, I've just finished Half Life Alyx today after a good number of evenings spent on it. I was very long to finish it because I really took the time to appreciate all the details they included. Like when you get the flashlight, the alien blobs that are stick on the the walls around the area of the corpse where you get the flashlight, when you light them, they react to light. The newspapers have textured so fine that you can really read them and it gives you some background of the world of Half Life. Just walking in the streets at the beginning, the details on the sidewalks, little weeds moving to the wind etc... Most detailed VR game I have seen, best adventure I've lived in VR, best feelings, stunning graphics, sounds, everything is made with a lot of care. I actually played like 65% of the game with a cardboard box that I have been bringing with me through the game, filling it with all the grenades and syringes that I've found since there's no inventory. It wasn't meant to be played this way, but I did and the physics let you do it.
I love watching each and every gamer experience Alyx for the first time, just the starting balcony scene is so mind blowingly good. And I also enjoy seeing them meet Jeff, too. Such a friendly little guy. As a side note, Lone Echo (2), while still really good, could have been much closer to Alyx with a little more action thrown in. And for being released as long ago as it was, modded Skyrim VR is nearly on par with Alyx for me, mostly for the re-playability of it. Was just thinking it was about time to do my yearly reinstall of the latest Mad God VR Overhaul, can't wait to check out the Mantella AI that was added.
Great video man. What always bugged me in VR shooters was using assault rifles. Having no physical buttstock completely killed the fun for me. But I agree... pistols are fun to use. :)
I hope I can experience PCVR someday. I have the two Sony headsets but I don't have a gaming PC and likely never will, at least not anytime soon. VR is great. Maybe someday Alyx will get a port to PSVR2? Lots of great games to choose from until then. RE: Village is our Alyx, at least to me it is but my personal favorite is Organ Quarter. It's not even impressive in terms of mechanics but it's like someone slapped a VR mod on PSX survival horror classic. To be in that kind of game world was such an amazing experience for me. Great video.
Organ Quarter looks really neat, I'm also a real big fan of VR games that go for something unexpected visually more than games that try to look real and usually miss the mark when you can examine it all so closely. I hope that we get more cross platform VR options with the VR community being so small still. If people can play all the best games on whatever system the choose or have access to it will really help it grow.
Last year, i got my first job at chain of VR Clubs in my city, the job was fairly easy - help people to understand how to play with headset, how to proceed in some games further (since most of the games are English, and English is not native in my country). To do that, i needed to play all games (100+ titles) fully. And of course i choose HL:Alyx first, as it was my dream to play it, and oh boy... Even though i played most of it on old Oculus Quest 1 (I played first chapter on Valve Index, but since it's our flagman headset at the time, it was often occupied, so i played with Quest) i've been astonished. It was like, the game of my dream, i finally got that childish impression out of a game, since i first launched GTA V back on PS3 in 2013. Just in two days (two session by 5 hours each) i finished it and felt awesome. Yeah, there were some bugs, like example - the stick drift on the left controller somehow made me get out of bounce in chapter 3, game saved at that moment, and i died instantly. Because of that, i've re-did the 3rd chapter and after that, no more such intensive bugs came, only red steel wheel for a steam pipe in Jeff section was clipped inside a wall somehow, and i neeeded to re do that part too. Nontheless, HL:Alyx is one of the greatest games i've ever palyed in my life, and totally want to replay it!
Bro, the quality of your reviews is mind blowing. I went ahead and subscribed and I couldn't believe that you're only at the beginning. Boy do you have a bright future in front of you. Hats off to you sir!
🙏 That means so much, and thanks for jumping on board! I hope to have a new video this week, and there will be a lot more to come. This list keeps getting longer.
The mad god vr mod list combined with Skyrim VR is the only experience I’ve come across that can compete with half life alyx I hope we get more AAA experiences going forward
Agree 100% to be honest. I have a quest 3 and have played some enjoyable games like Red Matter 1 & 2, Hubris, and Vertigo to name a few but nothing comes close to Alyx. The first time I played it I knew within 5 minutes that it was going to be something special. There are a couple of games on my wish list like Metro and Into The Radius 2 so I’m hoping they will scratch the constant itch for an Alyx level experience.
Fully agree. Played Alyx and was totally hooked, my first VR game. This is the most immersive game ever made, period!. After that however, everything else disappoints. I only like VR if I move on my own two feet, moving via controller is not for me. Just like you said, in Alyx I’m crawling on the floor, taking cover and leaning around corners like I’m actually there. I would pay twice the amount of any so called AAA title if it were like this in VR.
I personally found Cyberpunk 2077 in VR with Luke Ross' VR mod to be an incredibly immersive experience. Unless motion controls is incredibly important to you, you should try this one next.
Motion controls are kinda essential to me for VR immersion... Cyberpunk 2077 is my fav nonVR game but on VR I personally think it kinda sucks, visually and functional... I've also tried it with Luke Ross mod and I was disappointed... CP2077 Is nowere near Alyx's visual fidelity and immersion in VR.
I highly recommend you play through the Resident Evil games in VR with the Praydog and smooth locomotion mods. There are moments in RE 2, 7 and Village that rival Alyx in terms of immersion. Subnautica and Alien Isolation in VR are also awesome if you don't mind playing with a gamepad. Half Life 2 VR is amazing as well.
Racing games as Automobilista 2, Assetto Corsa, Dirt2... among with Alyx, are a dream come truth. These expierences makes it worth it to updae your GPU and your racing setup.
I wanted to respond to as many comments as possible but this video got a bigger response than I ever expected being so new on YT so I just wanted to say THANK YOU! to everyone for watching in case I don't get a chance to respond. I have a couple videos I'm wrapping up, some VR and some lesser known games I'm just really excited about but on popular request I have downloaded *Into The Radius* and added it to my video queue so expect that video. Thanks again for watching!
no worries
Asgard Wrath 2
checked out praydog's UEVR?
excellent video. you've got a bright future.
I am so exited for your videos!
I also find it hilarious how (personally) the half life 2 VR mod is also one of the best VR games out there.
tbf, half life alyx really is just a half life game in VR, playing the noVR mod really feels like playing HL2 with better graphics, so its no surprise that half life 2 in VR is fantastic as well
@@flamingscar5263 hl alyx is definitely not just a half life game in vr. half of half life's essence is the massive assortment of weapons. most of which require two hands to use. that and the large amount of enemies/ enemy types.
hl alyx only has 3 guns, all of which are variations on one handed pistols.
hl alyx may be in the half life univers, but it sure as hell isnt a half life game. half life 2 vr mod does that part better.
yeah, so hilarious, I almost chuckled
@@SavageSayo79 same
I never played halflife thanks to beeing a console player in my young ages, im happy i will be able to play a solid game with new eyes when i get VR this winter cant wait!
During a gunfight with the Combine in an open courtyard, I was shooting using a car for cover. I emptied my clip, and ducked down to lean against the car whilst I reloaded, but there was no car, and I was left sprawled on my floor laughing at how the immersion had tricked my brain!
Had a similar experience was hiding in cover right at the edge of my playspace where I knew there was a wall, so I leaned on it and suddenly everything felt real.
One other time I was going to search a combine body for loot, reached out of my playspace and grabbed a blanket. For a moment my brain was convinced there was a body in my room.
@@macattackmicmac The immersion is fantastic isn’t it. I’ve still not had a VR experience like it. Magic game, I hope Valve makes another!
I did the exact same thing in a subway, I crouched down and shot over the top of a table, then leant on an imaginary chair to stand up and launched my head into a wall.
Why did valve have to catch lightning in a bottle, and then decide to just shove that bottle into the depths of their asshole and pretend it never existed. Like make a sequel god damnit!
@@What3v3a Ha ha ha I can imagine that. I so hope they are secretly working on Half Life 3, a full feature length VR game now Alyx has proved the concept
had the same experience but when you encounter combines for the first time at the railway. damn that was fun)
Honestly, calling alyx the best VR experience is such an understatement. It's one of the best experiences in any kind of media, be it video games, vr and even movies, it's an absolutely one of a kind experience.
HL:Alyx gave me the same feeling as Half Life when I first played it. However: I was 17, when I first played HL and it is /was my most favorite game of all time. Until Alyx came along. It was the only game since HL that gave me this same feeling of excitement, surprise, awe - however I was 39 at the time. Given how hard it became for games to make me feel excited at all, you can actually argue that -because of that - HL:Alyx is my absolute favorite. It is a masterpiece!
Totally agree
100% a complete new experience… and it was so great
If they made portal 3 in VR and I could play that as well as half life Alyx I would put my life plan on hold to save to buy a VR setup 🤣
@@MatthewRoux-nw9ve ahah, you would puke so much in those portals :)
the quality in this is insane
I know, i was blown away when I saw he only has a handful more subscribers than I do lol
@@MysteryD Guys I really have no idea what I'm doing over here😅 this all escalated quickly. Really appreciate it so much. Lots more on the way. 🙏
@@bonezzVR it's the voice bro. Great narration and script reading. Sounds natural, not like you're reading. No brain-piercing lisp. No mispronounced words due to being too lazy to Google how to say words you've read but never said out loud.
Also the content is fun.
HL:Alyx is also the first serious VR game I've played. And I still remember that moment where I went up to a subway station platform, went into this booth, saw a huge combine dude appear before me, and literally physically dropped on the floor in fear, to hide behind the counter. Also that first fight with a zombie? Where I'm backing away, frantically trying to reload? No other VR game since has given me that feeling.
You really nailed it. As a GenX HL lover, I was dubious of Alyx at first. But after I played it, I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. It was finally, after all these decades (yes, as early as VR from the 90s) a VR experience we dreamed about. Because Alyx was the most immersive gaming experience I ever had, which was crafted by true artists that still understand HL lore and tonality, it sits in my top three games of all time. Nothing compares to it. It's like butta'.
Similar here. I’ve been waiting for VR since the song Virtual insanity from jamiroqai came out in the mid 90s
I didn’t get into it until the psvr2 came out though because of its lower cost of entry.
@@jbmurphy4 I was the same. Tried it in London when I was sixteen and my mind was buzzing with ideas. HL Alyx was that good of an experience I wish more people could enjoy it
best vr experince till now, great story and really good graphics. Maybe Metro Awakening will get close?
What are the other 2 games on your top3 list`?
The half life 1 2 and episodes vr mods are amazing. It honestly feels like all of half life was designed to be played in vr! (Except for Vehicle Sections)
I would say it's just the nature of things that first-person games work best in VR.
The problem is that for technical, cost, and practical reasons, the flat screen has prevailed for decades. And now that we already have fairly cheap and good VR hardware, the big problem is that a huge industry wants to continue on this course forever and billions of people are fixated on flat screens because they don't know any other way.
Look at UEVR and games like Ready or Not, IllWill, High on Life, Trepang2, Robocop. Basically flat games converted to VR games by the injector. Without UEVR I would never have played these games because it would be totally outdated and boring for me. With VR, these games have suddenly come to life. Unfortunately, there are too few people who see it that way.
The Airboat driving in VR is amazing ❤
They're awesome, really brings home how special those games were. The quality of the expansion episodes are incredible.
Episode 2 in VR is God awful
Im playing episode 2 right now in vr and it makes me mad how good it is lol. it runs at such a high resolution at 120 fps no dropoffs and its BUTTER. the aiming and shooting is accurate and feels like it was legit made for it. The graphics hold up so well.
I bought a quest 3 today, browsed the store for half an hour
.. nothing jumped out (happy to take recommendations though) so I booted up HLA via air play and was blown away again like I was 4 years ago, it's just incredible. It feels like I've opened the big box under the Christmas first, it stands alone.
100% I thought the Lone Echo games were pretty ok but the quality difference between HLA and nearly everything else is vast. Some cool little games like Beat Saber or one of the numerous military shooters is fun but I fear nothing is going to come out any time soon that can push VR beyond HLA.
Some great one that made me feel fully immersed in are Walkind Dead Saints & Sinners, Into the Radius, Asgards Wrath 2, Assassins Creed Nexus, and I you wanna feel like a super hero Iron Man VR
I recommend Lies Beneath to everybody. It's such a goddamn gorgeous game. It CANNOT age. The vibes are immaculate.
But for gameplay, the Walking Dead games are always good.
ac nexus looks to be pretty cool
Ok here's some real advice:
Get sidequest installed on your PC, make sure you install the advanced installer version.
Connect your headset via USB (you may also need the mobile app installed and Bluetooth on).
Go into the mobile app, set up your device (headset) and enable developer mode once the option becomes available.
Go back into side quest nd look for half life VR, doom VR, doom 3 VR, quake 1 VR, quake 2 VR, quake 3 VR. All by the same devs. Follow the instructions carefully for each game you want.
From there, enjoy seriously naturally converted classics in VR.
My favourite vr title WAS elite dangerous, nothing came close to elite in vr before the odyssey expansion. trucking around space, bounty hunting in LHS 20 alongside friends. the immersion it offered was beyond anything any other game has ever accomplished to this day. I miss it.
Honesty feel the exact same. Played a lot of high quality stuff like boneworks and lone echo, but they all have big shortcomings. Hl alyx is just in another level, and for me, it's alone worth the price of entry for VR, an unforgettable experience. The Lab is basically a tech demo but it captures a bit of that magic I get when playing HLA.
I played HLA originally on the OG quest link and was so floored by it I sold a bunch of CSGO skins and bought the an Index to get the full expirience.
@@bonezzVR That's awesome!! I think another thing that surely helps is half life games are some of the best in the industry. The game's an amazing game in general, not just amazing "for a VR game." Even if we got something as polished and high-budget as this, it's hard to compete with valve's art direction, game design, writing, sound design, etc etc, it's amongst the best out there IMO, hence it's such a huge gap in quality from every other title.
only vr game that i consider to be better than half life alyx is vtol vr but that game is pretty niche all things considered it really only caters to military/aviation nerds. and its better for completely different reasons and not at all comparable to half life alyx, they dont compete for attention the way fps games do with each other since they're for completely different moods
for me 1 shortcoming of Half Life alyx is restricted movement, I understand its to help people with motion sickness, but personally I prefer Boneworks/Lab due to its freedom, I don't get motion sick at all, even doing the craziest things in the Bone games doesn't phase me, so going from launching myself around a sandbox at mach 5 to the slowed down nature of HLA really is a let down
@@flamingscar5263 I really get this feeling, but having played boneworks after HLA (unlike most people I'd think) I think having the game be designed around a more limited movement gives it different opportunities, doesn't feel like a downgrade to me, just different.
Yeah, but it's missing something. A certain... Male Citizen model.
Hm
👀
perhaps the one in your profile picture
Cheaple? I think we all know hes the best
Isn't he in the last chapter as a ghost?
The atmosphere in alyx is insane, im reading roadside picnic and that just makes me want to replay it even more
You are in the right place haha, I have a giant Andrei Tarkovsky Stalker tattoo, the film based on Roadside Picnic.
@@bonezzVR Probably the best movie ever in my opinion. That man could really pull in your attention! The book is great too (and completely different), but Tarkovsky really managed to take it to the next level.
I'm about to play Alyx for the first time this next week... I bet it's going to blow my mind. Half-Life 2 is also my favorite game of all time...
You are going to love it
@@bonezzVRfor sure. Huge fun of hl since first hl came out. Alyx is great and the ending left me stunned 😮 was just wow
HL2 has a great vr mod
You'll love it. It's head and shoulders above anything else.
The only thing that has sort of come close is red matter 2 but that is an entirely different game
It's not as good as HL1 and HL2
Lone Echo 1 & 2 have a similar high quality feel like HLA.
Lone Echo 1 and 2 still remain some of my favorite games
After my first 2-hour session of HLA right after it released, I put down my headset and I tried to pick up my drink instinctively with gravity gloves pull. I was weirded out by it not working, only to realize what happened after few seconds. That's how immersed I was.
I had the exact same problem after HL:Alyx.. Most games just never stood up to its immense immersive'ness and polish but a game I did have with that same'ish immersive escape was "Into the Radius", such a fun game with lots of immersive mechanics such as cleaning and maintaining your weapons so you can bring them back "into the Radius" to obtain more loot and complete more objectives.
It is a Solo experience but honestly that adds a lot to the eerie and almost empty vibe you get as the only other living thigs in the radius are far from friendly.
Re8 VR on PSVR2 is an extremely good vr experience
Great video! I was surprised to see your subscriber count because this is high quality production. By the way, yes, the Quest 3 game library is stacking with pretty awesome titles. Keep in mind the Quest 3 has not truly displayed its true power quite yet because games are still being developed with the Quest 2 in mind. Batman Arkham Shadow is coming to Quest 3 exclusively later this year and it is going to be the first major production to show how powerful the device is. It's aiming to be a full Arkham game with a full campaign, exploration, large open areas, high fidelity graphics, quality voice work etc. Outside of Quest, keep an eye out for Alien Rogue Incursion in addition to Metro. That is going to be a AAA quality game with big 20th Century Studios money backing it. Skydance's Behemoth is also going to be an insanely high quality experience later this year. Everything I just mentioned is coming before the end of the year. There has never really been a more exciting time for VR.
Thanks so much! I'm only really a few weeks in to making the content I want to do so all the support has meant a lot and I have a lot more on the way. I think all the buzz about some bigger projects coming out is what finally gave me the kick I needed to really get this channel rolling.
Red Matter 2 on the Quest, while not as good as HLA was an impressive effort for the limitations of the headset.
Yeah, it is the most impressive and optimized game, it is the HLA for the Quest, sadly. Most other games look far worse on the system, except Asgards Wrath 2, another masterpiece but still has that mobile feel to it at every corner like AC Nexus.
Exactly. After playing Red Matter 2, all the other games like Assassins Creed with those mobile VR graphics style just weren’t cutting it. While they are still impressive, they don’t feel real enough and don’t feel as interesting as the environments in Alyx and RM 2
Feel like after being spoiled by AAA pc vr fidelity with HLA, it's really had to go back without some other hook to the gameplay to pull you in. I've been prepping an Into the Radius video and some of the mechanics help distract from the visual shortcomings
@@bonezzVR I was never a big puzzle game fan. But Red Matter changed all that. I was so in awe of the environments that I didn’t mind being stuck when I was because just being in those environments was fun. When that happens in other VR games, it’s not fun because I’m clearly in a game and it’s just a bunch of repeated assets .
@@shotbyfabiAlyx was a PC game and RM2 is a simple puzzle game with entirely baked static visuals, you can’t expect something like Assasins Creed which is an open world experience that’s designed for mobile hardware to come close to the visuals of a made for PC VR game or a simple puzzle game
It's been years since I fired up the Rift S. My son wanted to play Alyx. It is the best VR experience hands down. I'm gettin' goosebumps watching him progress through the levels.
vr in general is in a weird state, devs dont want to make true triple A games like half life alyx for vr because the market is too small atm, but the market is small because theres basically only 1 triple A game available, one side has to break first, and it HAS to be the devs, i can guarantee if there was multiple offerings of games on par with half life alyx in quality then the vr playerbase would increase massively
Basically, its the only AAA VR experience. Period. Every other VR/AR developer is still technically indie, (if you dont count Meta, but i don't consider them game devs anyway) and none of them are capable of crafting what Valve can with their decades of experience. Even if some of them may FEEL closer to AAA, none of them truly are, which is why HLA is an unparalleled experience, still, 4 years later.
Yeah, the RE Village and RE4 VR modes rival the production value and combat of Alyx, but only because they're AAA flat screen conversions. The developers love VR, so a lot of thought and care is put into them, but nowhere near the interactivity and VR design of a true VR game. Still glad they exist though, I hope Capcom keeps making them. I think converting games to VR is a great way to share the development cost.
Currently, just UEVR can deliver the graphics we want to see in VR but lacks the interactions or certain VR features. But for me, it is the best way to counter the HLA nostalgia, because now I can do missions in Ready or Not with Voice Attack and 6DOF weapon controls, and immerse myself in a realistic-looking scenario. It is fantastic. Or look at Ace Combat 7. Once you configure it right and take a HOTAS you can experience the most immersive flight action ever seen. No native VR game can replicate the atmosphere of this game! And when I experience that I see where we are. Big studios with the capabilities to deliver graphics, the amazing assets are mostly not in the space but are needed to crank up immersion massively on high-end systems like the PC. Things that are not possible on a Quest 3. We had it with Oculus Studios years ago, now closed.
Alyx was „just“ made by 80 people (quite impressive). Thats a pretty normal team size for a vr game currently. Asgards Wrath 2, Batman Arkham Shadow, Assassins Creed Nexus have very similar scale and scope.
racing in vr with a wheel and pedels is amazing ,especially ACC
Indeeeed ..very imersive…with pedals ( haptic) ffb direct drive system .and a good racing seat (rim) ….bit expensive but very imersive ….also with tripple screen you can built a amazing cocpit …almost like youre are driving real car ….
Automobilista 2 is also an excellent racing game for VR.
@@timtaifig6873 also great vr racing sim with better A.I. bots….but AC looks more photo realistic ….both great racing sims 👍
it is awesome. However, if you are not the type of person that is interested in track racing games without VR then it most likely will not hold your interest for long. I much prefer open world racing games like Horizon and would love to be able to play them in VR. It's a shame only track racing games are available in VR.
Half life alyx's workshop also adds to this, even after finishing the official campagin I still found myself lost for HOURS in community made add on campaigns some of them in my opinion even better at certain aspects than what valve did officially
Flying in Star Citizen VR. Specifically, racing in Arena Commander or pirate swarm.
Fully functional true 3D space community mod approved by devs
Nice video, reflects basically my opinion too :) Turning on the developer commentary in HL:Alyx showed how much effort they put into every little detail. The footsteps when teleporting, having a new mechanic with the gravity gloves, the piano, the fluids in the bottles (which where added later to be fair) and many more. As I'm working as an XR developer for over 10 years, I just wanted to add my 5 cents: This level of perfection is sooo hard to reach. Visuals, Interactions, Story, ... And on the other hand simple visuals with a fun mechanic (like Gorilla Tag) can also be enough to captivate people ^^ So in the end, HL:Alyx is a godlike gem and hopefully dev teams will aim for that, but also stay creative und innovative.
Completely agree! Underdogs which has a very simple art style is possibly my top VR title released this year because it just executes what it was trying to do so well and is just fun.
i played Half Life Alys several times with about 240 hours in total since 2020. Then i tried No Man's Sky VR in early 2022 and never stopped playing it until today, being 2400+ hours in. Half Life Alyx is technical still the best VR game, but No Man's Sky VR is my absolute favourite PCVR game. I also play Standalone VR, but usally only Sports games, since Standalone is much better for games like Tennis etc.
I just started getting back into NMS but I'm trying to get caught up before doing a video on it. I love flying ships in VR.
Resident evil 4 in vr is absolutely incredible. I got a quest 3 explicitly because it was an exclusive and one of my favorite games even before it was ported to vr. The fact that it works so well and ages so well AND that I was able to dump 18 hours into it on the first playthrough, makes it simply beyond comparison to nearly every other vr game, just because it's an entire game that works that isn't meant to just be "a vr experience". It's an actual video game. That's what I want out of vr. Video games. Not tech demos or experiences or whatever. Full blown, AAA video games.
Unironically, half life 2 vr is also one of the most fun vr games I’ve played. I enjoyed that sometimes a little more than Alyx.
Definitely.. The missile launcher alone is so much fun, and alyx really didn't have anything that long range and powerful.
Same here (except for the part where you're supposed to launch grenades in sniper's windows)
HL1 is too crazy and fast to enjoy in VR imo, but HL2 is almost on par with Alyx when it comes to shooting.
You should try it with replaced assets imported from Alyx + high res textures, character models, rag doll animations, etc :D. However i also believe Alyx is still the top VR game today. No other dev. managed to raise the bar higher, visually, functional and story wise...
Except HL: Alyx. One experience that blew me away recently was "Subside". Great little diving game with simple yet addicting treasure hunting-, and upgrade mechanics. I have claustrophobia, and diving through the flooded caverns, squeezing between tight passages with limited air supply was a true exhilarating experience to me, similar to meeting jeff for the first time! :D
Try the into the radius games!! super immersive. Id recommend playing the first one and then the second if you like it.
As someone deeply immersed in storytelling, sci-fi, and world-building, I can really appreciate how you touched on Half-Life’s rich and immersive world. I think a lot of modern VR games lack that strong narrative element, which is so essential for creating true escapism. It’s no wonder you experienced those "out of body" moments in Half-Life: Alyx where the VR controllers just disappeared from consciousness.
Being a huge Half-Life fan myself, having played 1, 2, and various mods, I completely agree-games with worlds that feel lived-in, like The Last of Us or Silent Hill, stand the test of time because of their storytelling. I’d love to see more robust narratives in VR as the technology continues to evolve.
I loved your video-thank you for sharing your perspective!
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment! I just dropped my Cybperunk VR video yesterday, and what stuck with me more than anything was just how immersive it was despite its limitations because of the strength in its detail and world building. If you haven't tried the Luke Ross Cyberpunk mod I think you would really appreciate it. There's nothing like walking the streets of Night City.
Other amazing VR games are:
- The walking dead saints and sinners
- Vertigo remastered and vertigo 2
- Wanderer
- Red Matter and Red matter 2
- Lone Echo
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Assasins Creed Nexus
- Half life 2 vr mod
- Outer wilds vr mod
- Portal 2 vr mod
- Firewatch vr mod
Universe sandbox vr is also good
Underdogs bussin aswell
Outer wilds and portal 2 in vr sound like an excellent method of forcefully ejecting yesterday's lunch
@@colemanbubar5098 hahaha, you need good "VR legs" yes, but if you can play those games in vr its really cool. I finished outer wilds some weeks ago and it was an amazing experience
Thanks to you, now i have new games to play 🫡❤️
I feel the same as you, lately I've been replaying HLA for the gnome achievement and man, I do get lost around the game design choices and how well they go, how intuitive they are and such... it's amazing how much love was put into this, and I've only played HL1, I do hope HL3 gets the same love treatment or even better
Re7 is hands down my favorite VR game, it's the only reason I still own my psvr1. I love half life Alyx as well, but re7 was the first killer vr app I ever played and still holds a special place in my heart. Playing through all of half life 2 with the vr mod is pretty sweet as well.
Have you played RE8 Village on PSVR2? I've never played RE7 vr because of not beeing interested in the first PSVR but the new model got my attention and I've never regret it. GT7 is insane but what rrally blew me away was Village. This was the most intense and terrifying gaming experience I've ever had.
Tough the game lacks the interactions with the environment like other vr games, its so intense especially due to the oled display. And Lady D is HUGE like omg...
Resident Evil 7 on pc with praydogs Vr mod has full motion controls. Huge recommendation
Why is no one talking about res evil remake for ps it's a masterpiece.
I feel exactly the same. What you said about the pistol I feel about the shotgun. So much so I spent 6 months learning the modding tools to make my own shotgun only combat map. And have played almost every map and mod that has come out on the workshop so far. If you're looking for more lengthy mindblowing mods, I highly reccomend zheptics, from here to there, levitation, post human, and many more that can't be named in a single comment. Takes HLA from a 10 hour game to a 100+ hour game.
zheptics is INCREDIBLE.
Half Life Alyx was my first Half-Life game (not counting Counter-Strike). It is by far the best VR game.
As someone who gets immersed easily AND has loved Half-Life since I was a kid, Alyx was 100% my best gaming experience I've ever had. I had chills that were painful when I first booted up Alyx and listened to that rumbling, echoing soundtrack as the Citadel faded into view and the hunter chopper passed by over my head. I've never felt anything like it.
Alyx was the first time I actually forgot I was in VR, or in a game. I had a moment during the Jeff chapter where I genuinely felt fear and HAD to be quiet, still as a statue, before I actually backed into a lamp in my room and realized I wasn't in Jeff's presence at all. It only lasted a moment, but I was blown away.
And that last chapter inside the Vault was spectacular. Being surrounded in that classic Half-Life weirdness of environment as things shifted around me outside the laws of known physics, accompanied by that soundtrack, was indescribable.
I get what you're feeling. VR is something I want to do more of, but nothing is really pulling me in like Alyx did. Although, I am also very excited for Metro Awakening, so we'll see! I am biased toward Half-Life, but Metro was also a really fun and engaging gaming experience.
personally, the only VR game that really close for me to alyx was vertigo 2. I highly, highly recommend giving it a shot
Yeah I feel the same way vertigo 2 is the first thing I recommend after alyx
Yes but it’s super low budget and one dude made it. Doesn’t really compare but probably the second best thing still.
Nah, a lot of great VR titles dude
Assassins Creed, Asgard's Wrath, Red Matter 1 and 2, Walking Dead Saints and Sinners, Medal of Honor Above and Beyond
vertigo 2 is so fucking good
@@lukebelvin4900 and??? its still an amazing game, the fact that one dude made it is even more of a feat
Try into the radius 1 and 2 afterward, 2 is in early access, but both are amazing games, especially with pcvr graphics
I highly recommend checking out Minecraft VR and Outer Wilds with the VR mod.
Minecraft VR with vivecraft not the official vr support
Mods like UEVR are currently the answer to HLA nostalgia, saying bye-bye and looking forward to fresh VR games. We currently have enough selection of Unreal games to bridge the time until larger studios start implementing their IPs properly for VR (e. g. not like IOI with Hitman)
I'm not sure if you did something specific here, but the widescreen aspect ratio (with what I feel is a wider FOV?), with as little jitter as possible, and the respect for the atmosphere of the scene made for some of the best Alyx footage I've seen. When you mentioned you started YT with a play through of Alyx, I hoped it'd be in the style of that video, but of course that would probably be too much work !!
I still haven't watched a full play through because on most, you just see the player goofing around, having fun in the VR space (makes sense of course), and I'm longing for a video that is as close as possible to an Alyx feature film, to be able to follow the story and appreciate the work fully when you don't have a headset.
Anyway, great work, can't wait to see what you're working on next.
I wasn't sure if people would like the widescreen, I recently switched to an ultrawide monitor and LOVE IT so I want to make as many video in that aspect ratio as I can for other users since there aren't a ton of people making it, bonus it fills the full screen on bigger phones!
My full playthrough is 6 roughly hour long episodes, not ultrawide but 4k and pretty stable, I wasn't super active when I made them just put them up for anyone interested but it's there if you are interested. This was really only the second video I've put up that I really put work into but now I've got all kinds of ideas and recommendations thanks to everyone in the comments.
Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching!
Agree HLA gives us a glimpse of what VR could be. A few more years I hope we see more like this. I do love VR today though.
I think that the move to standalone headset will ultimately hurt VR. It has made it more affordable, but at the cost of the quality of experiences. Games like HLA simply aren’t possible on a mobile chipset (at least a non apple one, I’m confident the M1-4 could run it).
Definitely share this sentiment. I grew up watching my dad play Half Life, and grew into playing the games myself. I've probably beaten HL2 over twenty times, and absolutely loved the Black Mesa remake. When HLA was released, I was skeptical. Valve clearly wanted us to get into VR, they made an entire Half Life game and a headset. I waited two years before saying to hell with it, and I bought the Index specifically to play HLA, I heard so many good things but steered clear of spoilers. So glad I did. Completely blew me away, I was hooked and could not stop playing and thinking about it.
The first few weeks into VR, when not playing I would get a floating hands feeling, like my IRL hands weren't real. VR is wack while getting used to it.
I think what stood out to me most was that Valve crafted a unique blend of photo-realistic and fantasy environments for us to explore. The true immersion comes from the level of detail, the physical space and interactions within it, and the fidelity of the characters. Seeing the Source 2 vortigaunt model up close really took my breath away. The animations are insanely well done.
Alyx herself is also a likeable character, didn't feel too forced. While I would still prefer to be the mute ponytail PHD crowbar slinging badass, I think they did a good job putting us in the shoes of a character that we already know.
The only thing I don't like, is Jeff. I f*cking hate Jeff. He was an incredible experience on the first play through, but in repetition, he's just downright annoying.
Try finding any good story mods for Alyx that don't try to make their own Jeff sequence, it's boring and over saturated.
100% agree with the video topic, I am yet to find anything close to the experience of HLA within the limited realm of VR games.
I've had a lot of fun in some other games, but nothing comes close to the complexity and immersion I found in HLA.
HL:A is certainly the best story driven videogame I've played in VR, but that's not the only type of my experience I enjoy in VR.
#1 - Rumble
This is not a game for everyone by any means, but it is something I really enjoyed. It's an earthbending simulator based on the positioning of your hands. It's extremely hard to master and there is always more to come up with, but it is incredibly rewarding to learn. I found myself training alone till 5am to master my combos and it feels amazing.
#2 - Contractors Showdown
In my opinion the most fun and fast paced pvp shooter out there. It's really polished and plays like a dream. I never liked PUBG, but it seems like VR is what it's been missing for me.
#3 - VR Chat
This one may sound weird, but VRC can be absolutely astonishing sometimes. I usually play Cards against humanity there and I really suck in most games that others play, like among us and such, but there is this surreal level called "Organism" made by a Russian (I believe) creator. This map is tons of fun to explore even on your own. It's huge and it's amazing. Maybe being alone in this world the first time actually makes for the best experience... But what's the crazy thing is that I met a guy there who could barely speak English. Almost not at all. He was also Russian and understood all the signs and stuff. We managed to communicate through the little English he knew, the tiny little Russian I understood and just body language. He's then shown me another map by the same creator and that map seemed to tell a story of this creator. I walked around the other map and was coming up with what I think all the things I see there mean and how they're linked to the creators life. The Russian guy was my silent follower with sometimes us communicating as much as we could. I kid you not, that must have been the greatest human experience I ever got and I am not an introvert. Most servers in VRC are for fun, full of people just having fun, but sometimes you become a part of a story which you'll remember for the rest of your life.
I think games are so subjective but totally know that for many users VR Chat is like THE game.
typed out a whole ass reply about how VRchat isn't really a game before re reading your reply and seeing you said "experience" and not "game"
@@flamingscar5263 Hah, yeah, guess you'd be right, especially in this case... Then again, people recreated shooters in it and even Beatsaber so... I'm guessing that someday after a lot of updates, people will be making something like that ultra realistic Roblox Shooter. I was wondering what VRC 2 could bring and I thought perhaps better physics, being able to make your own worlds inside the game (an editor), but mainly I'd like to see portals that are literally like portals you can see in Portal so rather than getting you to a loading screen, it could just give you the view of the map and the people inside. That would be sick. Maybe one day...
One of the closest experiences I’ve had to half life: alyx would have to be the lone echo series. When it comes to the animations for characters, quality of graphics, puzzles, and interactions everything holds up pretty well when being compared to half life. I definitely wish more people would talk about it, a genuine hidden gem unfortunately only accessible through meta with a pc.
You gotta try Resident Evil 4 and 8 on PSVR2. They're the only VR experiences that match or exceed Alyx imo
The VR community is way too small to lock these games to a single system or headset. I have been dying to try RE4 VR😤
RE4 on Quest is even among the great as well. PSVR2 one is great as well
@@bonezzVR I would recommend the og RE4 for the oculus quest. Everything is so polished and the hand movements are smooth as hell. There's no janky hand movements like in a lot of vr games. I would say it rivals half life alex in terms of quality for sure. Played through the entire game in VR
@@bonezzVR yea but what else do you expect from Sony, idk why they thought people would be willing to buy a PSVR2 AND a PS5, thats over a grand, at that point buy a quest 2 or even quest 3 and a decent PC, I am glad they allow it to be used on PC now though, but the adapters are being scalped to hell and back currently so I hope Sony keeps up and makes more
@@flamingscar5263 Got a PS5 disc version and PSVR2 both used for 540$ total.
Had a vive cosmos a few years back when alyx had just released, and I completely 100% agree that no vr game has ever since topped that experience. I remember the feeling of being absolutely teleported to another world. When the game opens up to the vista of the city and the citadel in the distance. Absolute chills, I was in awe. Hopefully another game like alyx is made..
Honestly the REmake vr modes for 8 and 4 come pretty close without being a made- for-VR game.
One day we'll get stuff as polished a s Alyx.. but.. i think we gotta have more causal gamers interested in VR even still.. i think that'll require the hardware to get more and more convenient still surprisingly
I have been on the Index for a while and it's starting to show its age. Inside out tracking seems like it will win out over bay stations and probably needs to win out for VR to be more accessible. So far nothing has checked enough boxes for me to trade in the Index but the cables are starting to bother me after trying cable free. I agree though VR is still growing and needs to keep growing for developers to justify the investment it would take to get something groundbreaking out.
@bonezzGG yeah, the jump in visual fidelity from quest 2 to 3 is impressive. I wish them well... but since I like amazing visuals.. Im okay with the single cable of PSVR2.. but.. maybe I should stay away from wireless so I dont see how nice it could be hahaha
@@bonezzVR as a a quest 3 owner I can say that it should check those boxes, the only real issues are battery life (which can be fixed with any old battery bank), the head strap (which you can get a third party one) and controller tracking, which despite what many believe can be fixed by buying quest pro controllers, but those are a bit pricy
as for the pros? all of them, the visuals are unmatched due to pancake lenses, wireless usage and if you have a current gen GPU you can use AV1 to get latency down to less then 20 ms (which is about the same as the index, the index needs to compress the image as its to high res for the displayport 1.2 it uses, but in the case of the quest 3 its wireless) about the same FOV as the index, it really is the best headset on the market, while some others have better specs in some areas, nothing is as well rounded as the quest 3
Yep, RE8 and RE4 Remake are the closest as far as AAA games go. They lack the VR specific design of Alyx, so lesss interactive, but they probalby have the edge in combat. In Alyx the Antlions will circle around to your front to attack (which helps the player but feels forced). In RE4 I'm spinning, blocking with my knife, frantically trying to reload as guys are swarming. It's amazing how good it is.
Couldn’t agree more, I don’t think i’ve ever been this immersed in a game, the levels are stunning and the story feels grounded but epic. Valve has proven they still got it.
The only thing which bothered me in HL:A last time I had a look into it is the very sluggish movement (slow, no jump or vaulting). At this point, a game like Contractors Showdown feels way more modern.
100% there are some games with great ideas that are pushing the needle forwards in different places. This feels like the early days of FPS games on consoles. Everyone working towards the "best" way to control them while the technology is constantly shifting under their feet. Hopefully we will see another big leap forward from a game in the not too distant future.
this is the biggest thing that stops me from coming back, HLA was my first VR game, its great as an intro, but after playing things like contractors and BoneWorks/Lab that have much more freedom to movement, HLA really feels like I'm held back
I'm pretty sure there are mods to make that happen. Crowbar mod is quite nice for example.
I completely agree with what you are saying. Nothing else can even come close to this game in VR. It's a shame that no other game developer can make something similar.
If you have not played yet, i highly recommend hot dogs horseshoes and hand grenades, and of course bone labs as well
Those are tech demos not games.
@@0Synergy h3vr is a simulator, not a demo
@@dr.cheeze5382 it's a VR tech demo lmao it's not a game and is nothing like Alyx. HL:A feels like a true fully fledged VR game it's truly a generational leap in technology while also being expertly designed as a game.
@@0Synergy I never said hl alyx isn't the greatest vr game ever made, I just pointed out that h3vr is a shooting range simulator first and foremost.
I remember when I very first got this game three years ago I never made it past the first dark area because I was so scared of what was lurking, and seeing headcrabs and the zombies terrified me from progressing. I made it a goal at the beginning of this month I would pick it up again and finish it, which I did! there where so many times where I would just look around or play with things in the environment because I could. I would get lost in the world so many times where I was on the ground, looking around franticly trying to find the headcrab, or just looking up admiring the world as though I was truly there. This game is the testament of what VR really can be, and although its pretty rare to have a VR game to this caliber, I'm so glad that Valve took a chance and made this game giving us an amazing experience.
As many people here I feel exactly the same. HL:A is still the greatest VR experience. While many other VR titles are more like tech demos, HL Alyx perfectly designed and polished.
Some favourites of mine next to HLA:
1. Half Life 2 VR Mod ❤❤❤
2. Star Wars Squadrons
3. Red Matter 2
4. Arizona Sunshine 2
5. The walking dead: Saints and Sinners
(you already mentioned Pavlov)
Interesting upcoming VR games:
- Alien Rogue Incursion
- Gunman Contracts: Stand Alone (started as a HLA Addon)
(and you already mentioned Metro Awakening)
I think you are the first person to mention Squadrons. That is absolutely on my list for future content. When I had my flight stick that made my childhood dreams reality. A lot of people have been talking about Boneworks and I think that is my next video but I'm not sure people are going to be super stoked on my take. It's a REALLY good tech showcase but not the best game.
I''m also really starting to get excited for Skydance's BEHEMOTH. So much potential.
You absolutely hit the nail on the head. Half-Life: Alyx is untouched by anything else in VR.
I played through the whole game 3 times, all via Quests using virtual desktop (allowing wireless PCVR on them before Meta rolled out a native method).
It's the most immersive and captivating world that's been made in VR to date, with incredible replay value. The fact that you can walk into a bar, open the lid to a piano, and find that every single key on that piano is functional, you can actually just sit and play the piano! I mean hell, when I let my friend have a play through, he discovered the rat in the bin near the beginning, and then manually carried a rat in his hand for a surprising length of the game haha.
It's designed in a way that you can think outside the box. I remember being ducked down behind some cover and being aware there were enemies behind it, but a window between us. There was a chair next to me, so I grabbed the chair and threw it backwards over my head, smashing the glass, and as I heard it smash, I stood, turned and shot at the enemies. Another time I remember literally throwing myself to the ground (IRL) to take cover, then whilst on the ground, crawling forwards and reaching out to grab some ammo that was lying underneath a train.
Unfortunately a few years ago I suffered an accident that makes being so physically involved in games like this as much an option, but I'm so lucky I had the opportunity to really experience this the way I did. This really is what the dream of VR has always promised, and I find it remarkable that nothing else has come even slightly close to the level of detail, realism, immersion, and just general enjoyment of HL:A!
I'll keep my fingers crossed for the future!
We will never really know what Valve is up to but the rumors lately that they still believe in VR and have stuff in the works gives me a lot of hope that we will see them continue to push forward. It finally looks like we are getting some really big experiences from other developers, I hope at least a few of them deliver on the promises they have been promoting.
@@bonezzVR we can but hope, and cut flying cubes in half while we wait
@@JoshForwood Beat Saber always kinda lit tho.
My favorite VR game is Into the Radius. Graphically it might not be on the same level as Alyx, but the gameplay is just as immersive. Cleaning your guns with a toothbrush, loading up individual bullets in your magazine, collecting cigarettes to smoke, it’s those little details like in Alyx that completely immerse me in the game. And it’s very replayable and unique each time. Big recommendation
I've been playing games since 1979 (I'm 68 years old and am retired IT). I share your love of all things Half-Life. I just played Arizona Sunshine 2 single player campaign back-to-back 8 times. It is an absolute winner.
If you haven't tried these, I think they can be as mnd-blowing as Alyx: The Last Clockwinder, Vertigo 2, Asgard's Wrath 2, Underdogs, Another Fisherman's Tale, Virtual Virtual Reality, and Lone Echo (especially The Last Clockwinder and Virtual Virtual Reality imo)
Resident Evil 4 Remake VR is extraordinary. I’ve beaten it 5 times since last year. That title has my vote and nothing else has came close. Shout out to Village VR though.
Now while it might not quite get as good as alyx, i'd HEAVILY recommend "Into the Radius", especially if you can play pcvr. ITR is one of if not THE most immersive vr games i've played. Part of it might be just since it's available standalone, but I actually enjoy it more than hla. Please, PLEASE, play into the radius! (i'll even subscribe with notifs to see if you do 👀)
Downloading now 👀 so many people recommending it, I've added it to the list. I have an Antichamber video I'm wrapping up but ITR just jumped up the queue. Im a big S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fan but I had been avoiding ITR, hearing it was kind of busted but now I must know!
@@bonezzVR itr 2 is the only one ive heard is buggy, and thats because its in early access. itr 1 is a lot more put together, and i havent gotten anything gamebreaking in the time ive played it
@@HeyIts_Blocky I'll second this. HLAlex is the best, but Ive put 20 to 30 times more hours into ITTR. In fact, I wore out my index thumb stick. I need to buy a new controller before ITTR2 is up to par.
Well first of all - welcome to RUclips! You've certainly set a high bar of quality out of the gate! Rock solid video!
As for VR hidden gems that stuck with me? I'm surprised to say the railshooters Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Blood & Truth for PSVR 1.0 were both impressively great times that felt empowered, rather than limited, by riding the rails. If you love stuff like Time Crisis, they're two of the best iterations of the formula in ages.
3:01 I can confirm, because of how short Jeff looks here, Bonezz is TALL AS FUCK
😆
If you haven't already, please play Boneworks! Its unbelievable. The story is great, the physics is like nothing else and it's completely unrestricted on how you move. The only thing is, it's a bit janky at times. They are pushing the boundaries of what VR can be and that always comes with drawbacks. It's well worth it. to me, it's like HL:A but with more physics and less polish. It's fantastic
Yes, HL:Alyx is the only real AAA VR Game - it was the only time PCVR could show its real power/magic - it only would have needed 5-7 more Moments like that to make PCVR big.
75% of the people who started alyx never even finished it unfortunaly. Check the steam trophies.
So for at least 75% of the pcvr crowd there is still unexpierenced AAA Vr content available.
Games like medal of honor had even bigger teams but lack the talent and attention to detail of valve
@@coolertuep like every other Game ;-) ...I have finished Alyx but not 75% of all other games in my steam library ;-) ...MoH had already outdated mechanics at its release - it would have needed only a few bigger patches to get a quite good VR game - sadly they never come.
@@patfish3291 last of us pt2 , which released at the same time during covid, has a 60% completion rate.
And flat games have a lot more competition than a vr game. You dont stop half life alyx to play the next aaa vr game
It's too hot to play tethered😂. And also you need a dedicated router to play using Quest. I think some portion of that 25% just could not make streaming reliable so they dropped the game.
@@coolertuep were are those numbers from? I found only a 13% completion rate for pt 1 and 47% for pt2. There for sure some games out there with better completion rate but keep in mind HL:A is a VR Game! A lot of people started with HL:A as their first game and VR can be very intense ( I had to stop the game even as an VR -Veteran some times because the dark level was really intense with OLED!) ...and VR can make also motion sickness so you can't compare flat an VR Games. I hope you want to say that HL:A is not a good game? - because the Steam Score speaks a very clear language ;-)
Only 280 subs? holy shit dude. I just subbed. This is amazing. Im gonna binge your playthrough now :P
Facebook ruined everything…
Couldn't agree with you more. I was fighting a few combine soldiers and noticed a facehugger in flight toward me, I jumped into our new IKEA cabinet and nearly knocked the damn thing off the wall. The level of immersion is unreal, it's so easy to get lost in the game and forget everything else around you. By far the best VR game I've played to date!
I just ordered the new HTC Vive Focus VR headset, sold my Index 2 years ago and I've been waiting Index 2 ever since but not a peep and after watching this I decided I can't wait any longer, I gotta get back into the VR world :D
Welcome back! I've been sitting on my Index patiently. Someday a worthy successor will come out.....I hope.
My favorite PCVR experiences are driving and flying sims. I have a sim racing rig so VR is very immersive.
I feel like too many games are mini games, short experiences. I played Cyberpunk 2077 with the Luke Ross mod and let me tell you, even playing it with mouse and keyboard, it was a totally different vibe experiencing all of that in a 3D spatial way! It’s kinda a pain to tune that mode but easily worth the 1 month Patreon fee to check it out.
VR is TOO slept on! Skyrim and fallout with mods keeps me coming back. Loved the video. Keep it up!
Fantastic video man. Great editing, great narration voice. Great content. I subbed.
Thanks so much, more soon!
Same feelings here man. We got spoiled more than we could have imagined with HL:Alyx. The only other game that's ever gotten me totally lost in the experience would be Lone Echo (which is like the only other title that hasn't been matched imho).
VTOL VR is an incredible VR game if you're into planes or even just think planes are kinda cool. I used to just kinda think planes were cool. I enjoyed flying them in Battlefield 1 and V but then my friend showed me VTOL and now I have the plane branch of autism and built a lego F-18. It's a flight sim lite. Like a flight sim, but not too hard where it's a pain in the ass, but also flight sim enough to where you feel badass after learning a few things and blasting guys outta the sky. It's PVE or PVP and super easy to setup custom lobbies. Plus it has a steam workshop for skins and custom maps.
I only just finished it last week. It is by far one of the most amazing gaming experiences I've ever had. Easy top 5 game.
For me it's Half-Life Alyx and Boneworks, nothing comes close. But I also really liked Wilson's Heart, Lone Echo and Superhot when they first came out too. They're still good games even after all these years. Oh and the original Robo Recall on PC is still awesome as well. They should of Made a Wilson's Heart 2 and a Superhot 2 and a Robo Recall 2...all these games need a sequel. We need a new Half Life game from Valve too!!
I was blown away when I see you only had 159 subs! I’m subscribing to the channel!
🙏 Thanks so much only my 2nd real video on the channel and I'm completely overwhelmed by how much people are enjoying it. Can't wait to share what I've got cooking with everyone. Lots more incoming!
Great video! Also Russell is my new favorite video game character. I remember buying an Xbox in 2002 and playing Halo for the first time. Going back to the store I got it from and asking the guy that sold it to me, "Halo was amazing, what other games are that good for Xbox?" He said, "There aren't any." Playing Alyx gave me the same experience. Great but disappointment that there are not any titles this good. Yet.
The gore in HL2 becomes so much mire vivid in Alix . You can almost smell it. It becomes more frightening. On the Quest2 I love the Walkabout miniputt. I find it quite relaxing .
It definitely set the bar high. A few games that got me immersed in a similar way (not on the same level though):
- Into the Radius (don't play the sequel yet)
- Contractors Showdown
- Ghosts of Tabor
- Arizona Sunshine 1 & 2
- After the fall
- Blade and sorcery (prob most polished VR experience out there)
- Vertigo 1 / 2 (cool story)
- The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners
The upcoming Alien game, Metro and BEHEMOTH are gonne be great too.
For me the biggest moment was when I discovered my legs in vrchat with FBT. Dacne dance dance is all i do in VR :D loving every minute of it :D
At some point, I'll need to do a VRChat video, but I really need to think about how I want to cover such a complicated subject😅
VTOL VR (if you enjoy fighter jets) provides a very compelling experience though lacking graphics it makes up for it with the gameplay
BONEZZ, I couldn't have said it any better. Great take on HLA. Keep up the good work. I definitely subbed!!!!
Thanks more coming soon!
Your comment about alyx is spot on. I love to play SUPERHOT VR too. Maybe give it a try if you haven't allready.
Same for me Alyx is at the top. Though I am enjoying a ton the new story mode from Blade & Sorcery, it's not the same in terms of story telling ofc but it's so immersive and fun.
I'm also really looking forward to Metro and the standalone Gunman Contracts game. VR still has a lot of future ahead especially when running it with max graphics won't require an xx90 card but an xx60 then I think it will be more common.
Also try iRacing in VR if you can, it's an incredible immersive experience too
No need to answer, just to suggest you to try:
- BLADE AND SORCERY (blades and sorcery things aren't my cup of tea but stabbing opponents with your blade right in the face is really fun in this game, and the sorcery part is also great (for example with the fire power, you can turn your sword in a fire sword and the wounds now are burnt wounds. You can basically do what a jedi does, telekinesis, send blade right through your opponents). I think this game is really a must try !
- BLOOD TRAIL is in a very early stage for now, but it has a very good shooting feeling, the wounds are very gory (there are 2 versions, the early access "normal version" and the experimental beta version which greatly improved enemies reactions, and gore is hardcore and detailed).
- DEAD SECOND, nice shooting game, casual but good (I played the Quest 3 version but it exists in PCVR version I think).
- ARIZONA SUNSHINE 2, very good feeling when shooting zombies in the head.
- NO MAN'S SKY can be played in VR and makes me evade so much, making trips between planets, sitting down in my ship at lightning speed :D
- AUTOMOBILISTA 2, a racing game, but works great in VR.
But yeah, I've just finished Half Life Alyx today after a good number of evenings spent on it. I was very long to finish it because I really took the time to appreciate all the details they included. Like when you get the flashlight, the alien blobs that are stick on the the walls around the area of the corpse where you get the flashlight, when you light them, they react to light. The newspapers have textured so fine that you can really read them and it gives you some background of the world of Half Life. Just walking in the streets at the beginning, the details on the sidewalks, little weeds moving to the wind etc... Most detailed VR game I have seen, best adventure I've lived in VR, best feelings, stunning graphics, sounds, everything is made with a lot of care.
I actually played like 65% of the game with a cardboard box that I have been bringing with me through the game, filling it with all the grenades and syringes that I've found since there's no inventory. It wasn't meant to be played this way, but I did and the physics let you do it.
No Man's Sky in VR is pretty amazing! being able to jump in a space craft and explore worlds in is insane!
I love watching each and every gamer experience Alyx for the first time, just the starting balcony scene is so mind blowingly good. And I also enjoy seeing them meet Jeff, too. Such a friendly little guy.
As a side note, Lone Echo (2), while still really good, could have been much closer to Alyx with a little more action thrown in. And for being released as long ago as it was, modded Skyrim VR is nearly on par with Alyx for me, mostly for the re-playability of it. Was just thinking it was about time to do my yearly reinstall of the latest Mad God VR Overhaul, can't wait to check out the Mantella AI that was added.
Great video man. What always bugged me in VR shooters was using assault rifles. Having no physical buttstock completely killed the fun for me. But I agree... pistols are fun to use. :)
I hope I can experience PCVR someday. I have the two Sony headsets but I don't have a gaming PC and likely never will, at least not anytime soon. VR is great. Maybe someday Alyx will get a port to PSVR2? Lots of great games to choose from until then. RE: Village is our Alyx, at least to me it is but my personal favorite is Organ Quarter. It's not even impressive in terms of mechanics but it's like someone slapped a VR mod on PSX survival horror classic. To be in that kind of game world was such an amazing experience for me. Great video.
Organ Quarter looks really neat, I'm also a real big fan of VR games that go for something unexpected visually more than games that try to look real and usually miss the mark when you can examine it all so closely. I hope that we get more cross platform VR options with the VR community being so small still. If people can play all the best games on whatever system the choose or have access to it will really help it grow.
My first VR experience was Asgard's Wrath 2, and it was mind blowing. I recommend it just as much as HL:A
I really need to get a Quest so I can make content about exclusives
Last year, i got my first job at chain of VR Clubs in my city, the job was fairly easy - help people to understand how to play with headset, how to proceed in some games further (since most of the games are English, and English is not native in my country). To do that, i needed to play all games (100+ titles) fully. And of course i choose HL:Alyx first, as it was my dream to play it, and oh boy... Even though i played most of it on old Oculus Quest 1 (I played first chapter on Valve Index, but since it's our flagman headset at the time, it was often occupied, so i played with Quest) i've been astonished. It was like, the game of my dream, i finally got that childish impression out of a game, since i first launched GTA V back on PS3 in 2013. Just in two days (two session by 5 hours each) i finished it and felt awesome. Yeah, there were some bugs, like example - the stick drift on the left controller somehow made me get out of bounce in chapter 3, game saved at that moment, and i died instantly. Because of that, i've re-did the 3rd chapter and after that, no more such intensive bugs came, only red steel wheel for a steam pipe in Jeff section was clipped inside a wall somehow, and i neeeded to re do that part too.
Nontheless, HL:Alyx is one of the greatest games i've ever palyed in my life, and totally want to replay it!
Bro, the quality of your reviews is mind blowing. I went ahead and subscribed and I couldn't believe that you're only at the beginning. Boy do you have a bright future in front of you. Hats off to you sir!
🙏 That means so much, and thanks for jumping on board! I hope to have a new video this week, and there will be a lot more to come. This list keeps getting longer.
The mad god vr mod list combined with Skyrim VR is the only experience I’ve come across that can compete with half life alyx I hope we get more AAA experiences going forward
Agree 100% to be honest. I have a quest 3 and have played some enjoyable games like Red Matter 1 & 2, Hubris, and Vertigo to name a few but nothing comes close to Alyx. The first time I played it I knew within 5 minutes that it was going to be something special. There are a couple of games on my wish list like Metro and Into The Radius 2 so I’m hoping they will scratch the constant itch for an Alyx level experience.
Fully agree. Played Alyx and was totally hooked, my first VR game. This is the most immersive game ever made, period!. After that however, everything else disappoints. I only like VR if I move on my own two feet, moving via controller is not for me. Just like you said, in Alyx I’m crawling on the floor, taking cover and leaning around corners like I’m actually there.
I would pay twice the amount of any so called AAA title if it were like this in VR.
I personally found Cyberpunk 2077 in VR with Luke Ross' VR mod to be an incredibly immersive experience. Unless motion controls is incredibly important to you, you should try this one next.
Just got signed up to the Luke Ross patreon 😉
Motion controls are kinda essential to me for VR immersion... Cyberpunk 2077 is my fav nonVR game but on VR I personally think it kinda sucks, visually and functional...
I've also tried it with Luke Ross mod and I was disappointed... CP2077 Is nowere near Alyx's visual fidelity and immersion in VR.
I highly recommend you play through the Resident Evil games in VR with the Praydog and smooth locomotion mods. There are moments in RE 2, 7 and Village that rival Alyx in terms of immersion. Subnautica and Alien Isolation in VR are also awesome if you don't mind playing with a gamepad. Half Life 2 VR is amazing as well.
Racing games as Automobilista 2, Assetto Corsa, Dirt2... among with Alyx, are a dream come truth. These expierences makes it worth it to updae your GPU and your racing setup.
Very well done man! Love it. Subbed!