Half Life ALYX.. Wow, where do I begin with this game.
Those who haven’t played this game, take caution with spoilers, and please use Spoiler warnings when discussing. I will try to avoid any major plot lines in general text. You have been warned.
It has been 13 years since our last Half Life experience. (Not including Mods)
As the title suggests, this is not a sequel, this is a prequel before the events of Half Life 2, in fact 5 years before the collapse of the Citadel.
You play as Alyx, a 19 year old female who works for the resistance against the Combine forces, who are an alien race which took over the Earth in 7 hours known as the 7 hour war.
Humans live a prison life on Earth where they are heavily controlled by the Combine. This is where the resistance comes in. They have been hearing rumors of a Super-weapon that the Combine has locked away in what is called the Vault. Alyx has been sent on her way to find this Super-weapon and this is how the Story of Half Life Alyx begins.
VISUALS: This game looks incredible, seeing it though a quality Head set really shows this games art direction and style. Looking at the corpses or Combine solders is extremely realistic. This is the best game I’ve ever been immerse in, Valve has succeeded in placing you into the Half Life world and its results are memorable.
GAMEPLAY: Alyx is an Action/Horror/Survival game, and its immersion into the world is the best I have seen with any game. The way the sound and environments work with the player with enemies which can be quite scary especially when they sneak up or get close. The highlight of the game is its Weapon combat. The gun play has been implemented so well that it actually pressures you to actually being good. Reloading when clips are not empty will result in wasting bullets, also running low or out of ammo changes up the combat incredibly and your decision making.