It’s news that no-one on the planet was expecting, but Valve has officially confirmed it’s working on a new Half-Life game. Sure, it might not be Half-Life 3 exactly, but it’s not that that’s p*ssed players off.
Announcing the news on social media, Vale wrote simply: “We’re excited to unveil Half-Life: Alyx, our flagship VR game, this Thursday at 10am Pacific Time. Can’t wait to share it with all of you!”
The news was met with immediate backlash with hundreds of people criticising Valve’s decision to make the game VR-only. On the flip side, others felt the decision is completely in-keeping with the innovation the series is known for.
One user said: “For the people that aren’t sure why it’s VR, I’ll quickly explain. Half-Life has been a title about innovation. HL1 brought NPC voice acting. HL2 brought physics.
“HLVR is again about that same innovation and hopefully it’ll set a standard for what VR games should be.”
Others were dismissive of the idea of a VR Half-Life, which admittedly, has its limitations. Some gamers were saddened at the news of the VR title simply because they can’t afford the rig. One player also lamented that their disabilities make it impossible for them to use virtual reality.
Whether you think that a Half-Life VR game is the right move for Valve or not, we can all agree on one thing: this is monumental news. It’s been over a decade since we last saw a Half-Life game, and though this might not be what we had in mind, it’s something at least.
So…can we say Half-Life 3 confirmed yet? Sadly not, Alyx doesn’t look likely to be a mainline game, which might actually be a better idea considering the VR controversy.
We’ll just have to wait until Thursday at 10am Pacific Time (that’s 6pm UK time).
Featured Image Credit: Valve