Half-Life: Alyx - Stopping the Razor Train

Alyx Vance tracks down her father, Eli Vance, who has been captured by the Combine. To prevent Eli from being incarcerated in Nova Prospekt (and worse), she must find a way to stop the Razor train he's on, in one of the many breathtaking moments in the critically acclaimed prequel to Half-Life 2.
Notes:
Gameplay recorded from a Samsung Odyssey+
The recorded gameplay is from the right eye of my headset, this is why my aiming looks a bit off, and my view is sometimes not centered. I tried my best to get a cinematic angle of everything
Sorry for the jittery headshaking that occurs at certain points in the video - an unfortunate byproduct of raw recording from the headset
If Alyx fails to switch the tracks at 3:34, the game will end with the following message:
Assignment: Terminated
Subject: Alyx Vance
Reason: Failure to preserve mission critical resources
The above failure message is almost, if not completely identical to the failure message in HL2 if Gordon manages to destroy his buggy in the coastal levels
Dead Combine Advisors can be seen at 4:34
Trivia:
The song that plays at 1:16 is called "Space Ocean", and played in Half-Life 1 right after the Resonance Cascade. It also played in Half-Life 2 (renamed "Echoes of a Resonance Cascade") in the radioactive City 17 tunnel in "Anticitizen One", and again during the first pod ride in the Citadel during the chapter "Our Benefactors"
A dead rat can be seen in the Combine power cell at 2:18
As with any Half-Life game, the protagonist (Alyx) goes through a train at some point in the game

[@BlueCollaredK9]

This wreck... is PERFECT. IT ACTUALLY ABIDES TO THE LAWS OF PHYSICS. THIS IS THE FIRST REALISTIC TRAINWRECK IN MEDIA FOR AGES... dispite being a little over the top with the factory in shambles.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

First time through I was awestruck by how cinematic it is. Impressive stuff from Valve for sure

[@combineadvisorwithinternet6040]

I like how both Alyx and Russel knows nothing about the Advisors, even though Alyx will meet them in a not so great moment.

[@grandmasteryoda8919]

Yup, HL2 Ep 2 CLIFFHANGER.

[@SirKolass]

It's funny that people been under their rule for 20 years and no one has a clue they even exist.

[@combineoverwatchordinal9398]

Sir, Anti Citizen 1 has been sighted near your location

[@combineadvisorwithinternet6040]

@@combineoverwatchordinal9398 Why do I hear boss music?

[@combineoverwatchordinal9398]

@@combineadvisorwithinternet6040 i don't know sir, but evac immediately

[@lolrus5555]

It's satisfying as hell knowing that train crash killed some Advisors. Given that they're the real brains behind Earth's combine occupation, anything that hurts/kills those evil fucking grub monsters is fine by me.

[@DiosBabilonia]

Given that they were being transported in trains like cargo, they were probably simple host bodies without a real mind yet.

[@lolrus5555]

@@DiosBabilonia True, very true... ._.

[@d4ntheman]

honestly considering the lore it seems that advisors are just as subjugated as everyone else, more like middle management & administration to ensure everything runs smoothly. pretty much just supervisors

[@Miszuq]

well, looking at the fact how the bodies looked, i don't think it was the crash that killed them

[@nocturnalsimulacrum6385]

Even if they were host bodies, anything that prevents an Advisor from being operational is a win 😂

[@Schmoper]

I feel like maybe I just have a weird obsession with train crashes in video games but holy shit, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen probably ever.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It really is an exception train crash sequence. Having Alyx witness (and cause) the whole thing from the sidelines, especially in VR, felt incredible.

[@Evenpeanut]

the train crash looked so cool

[@Sexy_Nutella]

In VR I actually flinched when the debris came towards me the first time haha

[@Railhog2102]

Too make it happen your supposed to throw a switch otherwise we will end in failure

[@confidentbottle]

Its a small thing, but the way that this scene uses sound to draw the player's attention is masterful; the screeching at around 3:47 shifts to the right ear which prompts the player to look back over as the train car impacts the bridge overhead, and then additional metal groaning and rumbling off to the left draws the player's focus back to the front of the train, in time for them to see the smokestack begin to collapse. It obviously makes sense for how the physics of the scene plays out either way, but the fact that it draws attention to what you probably want to be looking at before it happens is really cool and it definitely feels like a conscious decision, what with all of the commentary valve did on the building destruction sequences in HL2EP2, and how they didn't want the player to miss big setpiece animations like that.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Oh for sure. Valve has always designed gameplay with that principle in mind and I'm sure they applied it here as well. Excellent breakdown!

[@confidentbottle]

​@@Sexy_Nutella having now watched the HL:A developer commentaries, made me very happy to see that there was a whole segment about the trainwreck audio and that the things I pointed out here were indeed thought out to that degree! It's always so cool to see valve's philosophy of treating game development as a series of problems to be solved, and then coming up with really clever solutions for those problems. They really do think through everything.

[@lucialambda]

you are literally a god-send for high quality gameplay of source games my dude. you show everything so perfectly!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Thanks! I'm glad you think my videos are high quality :) Honestly I just run through them as many times as it takes to get a good recording, that's why they seem really rehearsed - but it's all to make for a better viewing.

[@verzeda]

3:44 Gigantic flying rocks crush Alyx's skull and the game is over

[@RexOrbis]

What skull? Your a headset and 2 hands

[@Bacony_Cakes]

@@RexOrbis yeah but alyx isn't

[@Volnues]

Ngl one of the most impressive VR scenes

[@Sexy_Nutella]

I audibly let out a "wow" when I saw it for the first time

[@Igrium]

Even though I wasn't streaming or commentating for any reason, I screamed "HOLY SHIT" when I played this for the first time.

[@thetreedemoknight4827]

Especially knowing Valve's past with trains, how they were never realistic.

[@sherdogholmes576]

@@Igrium bringing the vault down segment had the same impact for me haha

[@kesorangutan6170]

"People with brain damage are the real heroes in the end" -Wheatley Thank you Gary the Vortigaunt

[@Yetipfote]

chimney be like: "Not again! :((("

[@genericgarbage534]

"Stopping" the train is a strong statement, I'd rather say demolishing it lol

[@Sexy_Nutella]

hahaha true!

[@blakebadblazilla7006]

The crushed creature you see when you enter the train is an Advisor

[@mold4425]

nothing gets past you

[@combineoverwatchordinal9398]

A high ranking combine race

[@betterthenspirit]

"is it supposed to come off" XD lol i kinda died hearing that

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Russell's reaction to that was hilarious

[@unstableatoms3456]

Wow, She found an advisor even before the events of hl2

[@marianovelardez3771]

4:41 Shu'ulathoi....

[@timur5241]

Combine monitors and other structures seem to be more detailed than in hl2 :O

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah, perks of a new engine :)

[@commodore7331]

15 years of technological innovation'll do that

[@Dan-co1br]

Razor train: (going on crash direction) STAHP STAHP STAHP THE TRAIN

[@SouthernPacific4449Train]

R..I..P Razor the train 1987-2022

[@cassythianmunyee7242]

half life alyx is 2020 dude

[@SouthernPacific4449Train]

@@cassythianmunyee7242 oh

[@Shinigintz]

@@cassythianmunyee7242Half life 2 take place somewhere between 2020 to 2021 and half life alxy take place in 2015 or 2016 because in the first intro of game said 5 years ago

[@KizaruB]

Of all the ways to transfer Advisors, the Combine administrators of planet Earth, you choose a train? Why can’t they just get custom drop ships?

[@CutMeSomeSlackTheVII]

Maybe so it's inconspicuous, or they're just empty husks.

[@tomaskiraly9457]

​@@CutMeSomeSlackTheVII Maybe the second option.

[@kanden27]

“I love you too!”

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That vort is so goddamn cute.

[@ronhowe1894]

End of the Line eat your heart out.

[@FrappuccinoAlfredo]

If Alyx was on the train when it passed through the blue shield thing, would she be crushed against the train?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

That's an interesting thought. Probably!

[@toninhosoldierhelmet4033]

thats a yes, the combine force fields only let autorized "objects" to pass through.

[@smokeyplane3285]

I remember seeing a Reddit thread on this once. Imagine being a CP officer on a razor train, but not being authorized to pass one of the shields. Within the span of 2 seconds you become a cloud of pink mist imprinted upon the walls of the train, possibly forcing it to stop.

[@commodore7331]

I don't think the field can be projected inside the train or through objects. if it would then it would also project inside people when they go through it and that could probably cause some medical issues.

[@PikkaBird]

@@commodore7331 Yeah, these trains are transporting loads of people inside those pods (including Eli as we see here). Just imagine the nightmarish scenario where the field passes through the train hull and totally massacres every prisoner inside. Alternately they'd have to grant every prisoner clearance for the forcefields they pass while en route to their destination, and then you'd have a problem with escapees (unlikely but possible, again as seen here) suddenly being able to get access to places they shouldn't. So I think it's safe to assume that the field doesn't project through the train. However, in HL2 it is possible for Gordon to get on the flatbed wagon of the train that crosses the bridge, and the force field will get to him there, so you have to be properly inside.

[@rooploverence]

Vortigaunt: I.. love you too

[@Sexy_Nutella]

He's so wholesome. Love the Vorts in these games!

[@aaronvuong4677]

Holy smokes! Cinematic!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Thanks brudda

[@mrpatata9640]

3:06 I noticed your hand was shaking like if you were so fucking scared because you broke the lever; I think it made the scene even funnier haha

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Haha I have no idea why they do that, my hands in real life were steady. Alyx's hands always seem to shake a little bit, at least with the WMM controllers

[@iveseenyourface5404]

Love your Let's plays honestly :)

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Thanks! Glad you enjoy :)

[@turnerdeedo4633]

Unlike a lot of other video games and movies, this train wreck was pretty realistic. By the way it happens at 3:40

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Yeah. I was really impressed by this scene the first time I saw it

[@turnerdeedo4633]

I was a little disappointed that there was no iconic horn sound though :(

[@RolandHarkai]

They were carrying Advisors in the train! I saw the tongue and body of thr advisor

[@Xenoscoutknight]

3:05 I like how you start actually shaking when the lever comes off

[@Sexy_Nutella]

To be honest that's just the Samsung Odyssey+ controller acting up, but it does look like Alyx is shaking from the adrenaline haha

[@juliolarios2239]

Alyx: Time to die train! Train: HMMMMMMMMMM well S###

[@Forcroi]

Can’t wait for your let’s play.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Thanks :) I'm still playing through the game for the first time so the playthrough videos are probably going to come after. I just wanted to toss up this video because fhe sequence was so cool

[@Patateskrizi6024]

I don't understand how they put an important alien like an advisor on a train that could be stopped so quickly. not an alien like advisor strider or gunship

[@pineli6752]

Anyone notice the Razor Train doesn't have a locomotive unlike it normally does?

[@jdmtrainz1039]

Yeah, maybe Intercity trains are automated and the locomotive is added for long distance

[@pineli6752]

@@jdmtrainz1039 Maybe....good point but that train was headed for Nova Prospekt which is miles away outside City 17. It could've been on it's way to hook up with a locomotive though.

[@pizzarune5]

I mean, the locomotive could have been on the other end of the train, pushing instead of pulling.

[@pineli6752]

@@pizzarune5 Normally trains need a DVT on the opposite end for the driver to see where the train is going while the locomotive pushes at the other end.

[@nofrankrelax6593]

Maybe that's a smaller combine consist going to a bigger yard in C17 to load it to the actual good ol' Razor train... Maybe the regular Razor consist is just too tall for those places, or they're just automatized freight cars pulling themselves to a bigger yard, where they attach them to the actual Razor loco and rear DPU...

[@Snozzza]

Can’t wait to play this!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Excited for you!

[@ramosa_quanki]

3:43 train crash!

[@Z_Viscount]

Razor train? that's the carts

[@nocturnalsimulacrum6385]

That vortigaunts advice!😂😂😂 Man those guys are esoteric

[@juliolarios2239]

Yo, I think I know what ACTUALLY happened to Chernobyl Power Plant

[@sweeperzero1125]

Nostalgia For the Soundtrack From Half-Life 1 Space ocean

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Loved how they re-used that and Steam in the Pipes.

[@masamah2661]

Breking news razor train derails due to alyx

[@Deus1236]

Not sure I like the change of the train engine front. AFAIK the term "Razor train" stemmed from the train's original "razor blade"-like front seen in HL2. It's purpose was to cut through any Xen wildlife present on the tracks, in true Combine fashion. That concept felt very appropriate considering the way the Combine operates and thinks, it also makes sense as the Combine would have lots of experience with Xen fauna seeing as their teleportation technology uses Xen as its gateway dimension.

[@randomcatdude]

It might be that in-universe, the razor train we know and love wasn't designed at this time. Since this was all 5 years prior to the events of HL2.

[@BillyBob-jy1gv]

The “front” of the train is actually just the front of the cargo car, not an actual engine. Though the cars seem to have motors so that if the train doesn’t need to be manually driven it can be told to go about so far then stop.

[@carlsjr.official1117]

Bruh I didn't know where to find the battery thanks!!!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

No problem :)

[@KizaruB]

Why would the Combine transport Advisors by train? They have Advisor pods, which are featured prominently in Episode 1 and 2. That’s a tiny plot hole.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

This game does take place 5 years before either ep1 or ep2. And maybe they were being transported via train to places where they can then be inserted into advisor pods?

[@KizaruB]

Sexy Nutella why would the Combine keep them in such dangerous storage where if the train crashes, their leaders will be killed? I just feel like they did it for nostalgia but it didn’t actually make sense.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

The train was guarded as well as the station. Seemed like they werent expecting anyone to attack the station and derail the train that way.

[@sleepCircle]

@@KizaruB idk why but i assumed--from the fact that they were basically on what looked like car shelves, almost (for carrying vehicles by train), with no windows or lights or anything, that these were actually blanks without consciousnesses in them

[@KizaruB]

sleepCircle but I thought advisors are actually a species, not just host bodies. Are you using breengrub lore? I’ve heard people imply that Breen’s consciousness did end up in an advisor body, but that was never confirmed.

[@grandmasteryoda8919]

"What are those?" *clearly young advisor's Russel*

[@Sexy_Nutella]

To be fair he probably hasn't seen them before.

[@alphenex8974]

Nobody actually confirmed that Advisors we see are young

[@flipaclipsinkingship1650]

Amazing!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Exactly what I keep saying out loud as I play through this game

[@BarrySmoother]

Wow I spent like a solid 15 minutes in the control room looking for a "switch" lmao

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Hahaha. So I'm guessing the train doesn't actually come until you've successfully located the track switch on the outside

[@guifdcanalli]

4:40 why there are advisors in a common train?

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Well, Razor Trains are typically pretty secure, and Eli Vance is a very important political prisoner. Not sure if it really was just a common train.

[@deathblade2639]

@@Sexy_Nutella I'm confused as to why there was no escort if a valuable political prisoner and members of combine high command are on the train

[@maxischew514]

@@deathblade2639 well there were since you can see dead combine on the train, they died when the train crashed.

[@mil0xcy]

I'm assuming they weren't expecting someone to go through the quarantine zone to intercept the train

[@Ksensei41]

@@deathblade2639 you are right. and it hints the advisors are NOT the high command. Check out BreenGrub tweets. also there is the video on youtube who is GMAN by max deratt

[@guyofgmaing]

i wish while the thing broke it played the old razor train noise

[@juliolarios2239]

I think the train caused the explosion

[@phillipwalling7470]

3:37: That horn is scary

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Agreed. Not sure if it was re-used from HL2, I remember the Razor Train horn sounding a bit higher pitched in that game

[@Cellmate412162]

@@Sexy_Nutella no it wasn’t. This horn is a completely different one.

[@dauphongii]

You were supposed to stop the train,not crash it, don't you remember what Pagan Min said?

[@GothDrossel]

well the train did stop

[@Ray3D]

I wish they'd specify what the fuck a switch is that we are looking for. Or point!!!

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Haha, to be fair it is in close proximity to the station.

[@graniteisacat]

She deals with zombies head crabs barnacles combines and puzzles and a blind monster named Jeff and a weird lightning dog and a single strider(I think) while Gordon fights zombies barnacles head crabs and tons of combine and dropships and i think like 5 striders and helicopters with helicopter bombs and antlions and antlions guards and the dropship that only shoots idk what it's called and if anyone remembers the name that's what I mean and and he has trouble with traps so Gordon has went quite an adventure than alyxc

[@Sexy_Nutella]

They're both great heroes. After Alyx I was convinced that she can hold her own without Gordon.

[@alphenex8974]

Also, Combine soldiers in HL:A are just like the CPs but they have modifications and slightly better armor. They dont even use proper military tactics. Another thing, Antlions are also weaker. They are very slow and their legs are not that strong. In HL:A it is possible to survive as a Rebel but in HL2 it is near impossible.

[@s.z7750]

03:06 bro tried to put it back😭

[@sw1000xg]

Does it wobble on the vr as much as shown in the vid? No vr demos where I am.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

No, the wobble in this video is unfortunate, if I can go back and re-record I would definitely stabilize it a lot more than I did (I did a much better job in my full playthrough of this level). However, when you're in VR the headset tracks your own head movement, so you won't even notice it.

[@squidiskool]

3:41 😮

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Epic!

[@MissThavelorBhomgle]

This is awesome crash but we'll they do it in real life

[@Sexy_Nutella]

It looks very immersive for sure.

[@MissThavelorBhomgle]

Wdym

[@YourSaddestDeer]

awh vortigaunt frend

[@omarandresorellano4142]

Q gran juego, aún sigo esperando para verlo jeje

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Acabo de terminar el juego, así que haré un juego completo pronto :)

[@omarandresorellano4142]

@@Sexy_Nutella lo estare esperando ^^

[@Kashi-K]

you know whats weird? theres no locomotive attatched to those cars, so the cars were just moving on theyre own

[@RacoonySkaloonyOfficial]

I believe that first car is a modified car that can move on its own.

[@BillyBob-jy1gv]

All the cars have a small engine on the back it seems, same as the model from HL2.

[@ИгорьГорлатов-о4ю]

Какие разрухи саздает этот поезд

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Да, когда это случилось, меня поразила авария!

[@ИгорьГорлатов-о4ю]

Интересно а как этот поезд смог править стену?

[@mrdingleschnat8436]

Lucky

[@flipaclipsinkingship1650]

Make more

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Definitely, I just finished my first playthrough of the game, so I'll probably start making videos for a full playthrough!

[@CherryProductions949]

When I played this, I had to look away when the train crashed cause It triggered my megalophobia. Also, what happens if you don't stop the train.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

If you don't stop the train it keeps going on its original track and the game ends with a failure message.

[@Leo.23232]

Looks like you got the eye dominance wrong.

[@Sexy_Nutella]

Eh, I can try left eye next time but the right eye is my dominant eye, so i don't know why the ADS appears to be off.

[@lemons4869]

Whoops

[@iatif1995]

Wheres the locomotive lol

[@Railhog2102]

There were locomotives in HL2 and Episodes but strangely not here

[@iatif1995]

Then they would be runaway railcars right?

[@buff9267]

jesus christ.

[@itshexon]

The new GTA V