Half-Life: Alyx (Zero Punctuation)

[@theescapist]

Watch today's Zero Punctuation episode on Resident Evil 3 early! www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/resident-evil-3-zero-punctuation/

[@zakanyimen]

I would but the player literally doesn't load the ad.

[@E1craZ4life]

If there's any game Yahtzee should review, it's How to Date a Magical Girl.

[@iceberg7265]

Hey hey hey psst “doom eternal”

[@ArchusKanzaki]

So yahtzee. Can you review Persona 5 Royal?

[@ArchusKanzaki]

@@iceberg7265 that one is last week?

[@JJ-dh5vq]

Eli's original VA died, that's probably why he isn't in it.

[@merrittanimation7721]

@@GBlockbreaker The dead are parasites unless they can contribute to society.

[@Waveboy24]

Why would death mean you have to stop working? Just look at Tom Clancy

[@CynicalOldDwarf]

@@Waveboy24 Or Tupac. Nigga's sold more records dead than alive

[@haaxor1689]

Also g-man's VA Michael Shapiro is voicing him again.

[@damianm6292]

"Probably"

[@maddiewettach4954]

Valve clearly made a deal with a Lovecraftian god where they exchanged their ability to program ladders for decades of wild creative and financial success. I see no other explanation.

[@jocosesonata]

"lovecraftian"? That's not a nice thing to call our lord and saviour GabeN.

[@raeserec535]

And not being able to count to three also.

[@goldengolem4670]

His name is Gaben you twat, call him by it.

[@drakep.5857]

I honestly like the ladders in half life 2

[@zennok]

@@raeserec535 What are you talking about? They made THREE gameplay footage videos for Alyx. The madmen finally did it!

[@brainflash1]

Valve missed a golden opportunity to have VR sets shaped like head crabs.

[@sunixjester]

brainflash1 make an attachment and market it, there is your opportunity

[@jare7134]

That would be too big and bulky, they need to make a better and comfortable vr headset not a big heavy sack on your head. Though I believe there is an accessory/merch, a headcrab hat you can just put the headset and the headcrab hat together.

[@Sir_Bucket]

It will probably cost a lot more, but knowing Valve, theu will show us a video of a factory line shaped like Aperture robots making the VR set, so I forgive them (I love those videos)

[@bak8823]

Oh my god =O

[@d11asian]

The sensors would get obscured so that's not happening

[@kickassnetwork]

I needed that light heartedness of Jeff because the rest of the level was pant shitting terrifying.

[@sashagurnov5080]

Isn't that the reason they've added lightheardness to begin with? They wanted as much people as possible to be able to play the game, and it just so happened stuff in it was too terrifying inside VR for some individuals, so they needed the jokes.

[@prancer8934]

And I still saw swaggersouls shit his pants during that part. Legit some of the best entertainment I've had in a while

[@jaekoff5050]

How was he scary? His AI is completely predictable and you're never once forced into a proper confrontation with him. No, being in close physical proximity to him like in the elevator isn't a confrontation, I mean where Jeff knows exactly where you are and will fucking chase you if he sees you. Being blind throws all of that out the window.

[@albinodino5050]

@@jaekoff5050 It's not scary if you just accept that it's a game. You have to lean into the experience and get immersed, then it's scary.

[@kickassnetwork]

@@jaekoff5050 HLA lets me play for like hours now without being fatigued. At a certain point, it feels less like a game and more of an adventure. Something other VR games had trouble with either due to playtime or interaction that continues to remind you it's a game. It's all about the atmosphere. I mean a horror movie can't be scary if you just keep thinking of it as a 2D film and nothing will come at you. But the purpose is to get immersed in it.

[@ezraclark7904]

Halflife 4 will be directly installed into your brain, see you in 2050

[@ruffaldimarco]

I'm gonna put my bets on this comment, see you in 30 years

[@swedneck]

nah that'll be half-life kleiner, valve said they were going to make more half-life games so we'll get another one before that in 2035.

[@toaster9922]

This isn’t a joke. Valve is looking into “brain interfaces”

[@Sir_Bucket]

@@THEUrinalCake "Liquid Half Life"

[@petermay6235]

@@toaster9922 What this actually means is they've been watching Sword Art Online abridged.

[@sinom]

The reason many people want VR to get mainstream appeal, is because then it will also be more appealing to more companies to make games for it, or bring out better headsets and drive the price down through competition.

[@Tinseltopia]

You could have a free VR headset, it's the PC to run it properly that costs the most. After a $1000 PC (no you can't get cheaper unless you buy 2nd hand), a $300 headset doesn't seem too bad

[@user-pw9cv1vc5e]

@@Tinseltopia my pc cost $770 and it runs vr fine

[@abhatripathitripathi6156]

Then we could maybe finally have HL3

[@ultgamercw6759]

At least they didn't change Gordon freeman's voice actor :)

[@adamfrisk956]

Ultgamer cw I thought the budget version of him from Black Mesa was good as well

[@jotabeas22]

The guy does a stellar job.

[@patrlim]

I can do aa good impression

[@Boss-_]

Yeah they did, he's now voiced by Phil LaMarr. They were really impressed by his nonperformance in many episodes of Samurai Jack

[@verrufen2642]

You mean Ross Scott?

[@TheSixtthDegree]

0:21 For some reason, seeing Yahtzee facing away from the camera like that makes me uncomfortable.

[@merrittanimation7721]

It looks like his face is gone.

[@lithobreak3812]

Yup at first i just thought he had lost his face.

[@bobbyboy1797]

@@merrittanimation7721 Well he's face just wasn't drawn but with how our brains work we can look at Valve, Alyx, and even Yahtzee's shoes to see what the picture is trying to convay.

[@BugsyFoga]

Never thought I'd see the day where Valve made another Half life game.

[@TheJohnyFreeman]

Let alone we play one...

[@myztklk3v]

and even tease another one!

[@coolertuep]

Yeah but they did. And it’s the best FPS from the past 15 years. Great work.

[@MelStaub]

I honestly was just expecting an artifact clone with a half-life skin.

[@aaallleeexx22]

isn't the best fps

[@sindrisuncatcher653]

This is the game that taught me that if I were ever actually attacked by zombies, the first time I tried to reload I would probably panic, fumble, drop my magazine, and get my face eaten off.

[@Markus_Andrew]

For the record, the actor who voiced Eli Vance was Robert Guillaume, who played Benson in the TV sitcom of the same name (aired 1979 to 1986). He passed away in 2017. The Vortigaunts were voiced by actor Lou Gossett Jr. and Dr. Breen was voiced by veteran TV actor Robert Culp (passed away in 2010).

[@derekfurst6233]

Tony todd who voiced the vorts in half life alyx also voiced vorts in hl2 episodes. I think he's my favorite vortigaunt voice

[@SterlingFM]

The Old voice actor for Eli died in 2017. The voice actors for Gman and the Vortigaunts did return.

[@olzhas1one755]

They actually expirimented with Merle Dandridge before deciding she shounded "too old" for the role

[@fellower]

didn't the voice for eli also voice the vorts?

[@williamburnett3660]

That is sad to hear. P.S. I like your profile picture.

[@jagranite]

@@fellower Lou Gossett Jr. Voices the Vortigaunts. Robert Guillaume voiced Eli (also, Rafiki in the original Lion King).

[@MrFreesearcher]

Mark Shaperio voices both Barney, in HL2, and G Man. I think he's the perfect voice for the G Man too.

[@JamSunstone]

Something about the phrase "Pop-up Pirate without the pirate" pleases me immensely. It's like the perfect mix of nostalgia, alliteration, and imagery.

[@alonectorch]

For me it's ominous

[@reno_2200]

"Wanna see my Kurt Cobain impression?" made me spit out my drink

[@thoms3811]

reno2200 me too

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

Of all the tactless dark humor Yahtzee has made over the years, that's the most impressionable, methinks.

[@ZacharyShade]

@@Shinkajo I actually read OP's post as "spit out my dick" and until I read what you said didn't realize it said "drink" lmao.

[@cassenadcock9066]

i fucking inhaled half a kitkat when i saw that and had to pause to die for five minutes.

[@hamham_6411]

Judging by the tone, I'm fairly sure we're looking at Yahtzee's "Best Game of The Year" right here.

[@IamSpeedster120]

It'll be on his Best list at the very least

[@TacBans]

If it doesn't get on his top 5 best I will be genuinely suprised.

[@petemagnuson7357]

@@TacBans what if it means that 5 more even better games come out in a few months?

[@Hawky2947]

@@petemagnuson7357 Can name few for one... Cyberpunk 2077, Vampire 2. Dying Light 2... but true, there's not much competition for Top5 for this title (Alyx). Alyx has a nice headstart thanks to VR immersion though.

[@coolertuep]

Miroslav Štěpánek The only true competitors are last of us 2. cyberpunk and maybe halo infinite. I still think Alyx will be the best game overall (the quality and fun possible with Vr just can’t be matched on a tv/monitor with abstract controls) but I can see most outlets not want to give the title „game of the year“ to a game not available to most of their customers. The German magazine „gamestar“ recently made their own „top 10 first person shooter list“ and even said they won’t include half life Alyx because they don’t want to put a Vr game on rank 1 and make their community sad that can’t play the game (bc not owning a Vr headset). With stuff like this I sometimes really think that there is a general agreement to try to keep Vr small for as long as possible for whatever reason lol

[@Nitrinoxus]

"Sometimes Half-Life's storytelling feels like what happens when an entire game has Asperger's syndrome." As someone *with* Asperger's syndrome, that is... weirdly accurate. Feels like I should complain, but I can't fault that one.

[@baileycownley1868]

Another aspie here. It was like in his MGS4 review when he said the writing was like aspergers. Spot on and put a smile on my face as this was a strangely positive use of aspergers on the internet.

[@Nitrinoxus]

@@baileycownley1868 It may just be projection on my part, but I could believe that many of the industry's auteur developers are on the spectrum, Kojima among them. It's more than just the dialogue writing: the thematic focal points are both obsessively specific and extensively examined, and that sort of obsession over a specific topic is a common quality of every other Aspie I've met.

[@KingCrimson82]

@@Nitrinoxus can you please give more examples, its kinda urgent!?you talk about the "data" tech talk in the game or what is itprecisely?

[@Nitrinoxus]

@@KingCrimson82 The discussions of the details of things like the Metal Gear (or the other mechanized superweapons, like the Geckos or the Shagohad, for example) struck me as the sort of fixation you'd see from someone on the spectrum -- but also the mere fact that every major threat in the franchise seems to boil down to one of about three root topics (nuclear weapons, super-soldier programs, or nanotech) struck me as the kind of script-writing that someone with high-functioning autism might think was really fascinating. (It's not impossible for an Aspie to be a good writer, mind you, but there's hurdles that neurotypical writers don't need to worry about. Some of my earliest attempts at writing read like stereo instructions, but have a similar obsession with the technical details that I see in Kojima's work.)

[@KingCrimson82]

@@Nitrinoxus could it be that in music tool and meshuggah would be in that spectrum, or when i write a transition of a melody were the notes change but notthe rythm(the rythm would be somesort of fixitation) ok, but then any sci fi writer isin the spectrum? To kojima, i believe who knows about japanese entertainment art is always about some sort of nuclear holocaust, or robots, or nordic saga, or their own fairytales. And even when it is the very popular soapy stuff it has ghosts in it and psychic perapectives. So the public phobia of nuclear hazard would be some virtual aspergers? Caused by traumatic events

[@ameaninglessdemon9030]

"wanna see my Kurt Cobain impression" This made me laugh more than it should have

[@Cerb3rus2k7]

This is really weird. I've heard multiple reviews talking about you not being able to climb ladders now, but that's just not true. You can climb ladders with your hands without a problem, you will only be teleported to the top when you completely let go of it at any point (probably because letting you fall would be hugely disorienting and they did not want people to fall over blindly).

[@brian_cream]

Well it still doesn't work does it. As bad as ladders were in hl1 they still needed to be climbed. I almost think climbing ladders this way was a decision made after everyone got angry when they saw ladders were teleport only. Maybe they were like this from the beginning and valve just hates ladders.

[@zacharynetzer819]

I can say that ladder snap is still extremely disorienting, even if you climb up properly. Kinda sad they didn't use the boneworks model for it.

[@treyzimmerman3934]

@@brian_cream I thought it worked just fine better than any other Vr game with a ladder.

[@AtomicBlastPony]

@@treyzimmerman3934 Then you've never played Boneworks

[@sherbetboy]

@@AtomicBlastPony I played boneworks. Time after Time my friends who aren't used to VR physics would struggle to pull themselves up over ledges while climbing. In half life everything they had to get used to about VR is gone. Anyone can play it and not get frustrated. It's really an incredible achievement how simplified they made the usual hangups of VR physics.

[@15oClock]

A prequel that has a unique effect on the original? This I must see!

[@drdino2002]

Yes. Yes you must.

[@olzhas1one755]

IT'S A FUCKING RETCON

[@yesverygood7437]

but one that DOESNT suck

[@busterbeast999]

unique? I'm not so sure about that. but it does have an effect and I've already been told what it is . it's up to you if you want to know.

[@15oClock]

olzhas1one Figured as much.

[@lghtngfan]

You mean they've finally developed a game system where someone like me -- with the hands of a 5-year-old -- can finally use the controllers comfortably?!?! I haven't been able to properly play a console game since NES!

[@windspank530]

How... How is the Switch and its Joycons suiting you?

[@HeavyMoonshine19]

His hands are the size of walnuts I’m guessing

[@Gobsnachaz]

Just grow bigger hands, obviously.

[@olzhas1one755]

@@Gobsnachaz bige brian tyime

[@busterbeast999]

I remember I used to have an Xbox controller roughly the size of a GameCube disc, And another one the size of a vinyl. Back when we had options

[@chrisfratz]

Unfortunately, the voice actor for Eli Vance passed away.

[@landotucker]

Not really a fucking surprise when they take so long to get round to making another game in the franchise.

[@ActualHmanTrash]

@@landotucker well thats mildly insentitive

[@mr0o]

@@landotucker I mean, you're not wrong, but Valve isn't the cause of his death. Valve could've made an episode 3 in 2010 and his actor still would've died.

[@YourFatherVEVO]

@@ActualHmanTrash thoughts and prayers

[@Punko1969]

Fortunately, the voice of Alyx is still alive! Unfortunately, they didn't use her.

[@patrickgalloway9805]

"They didn't get any voice actors back" **G-Man is literally the same actor**

[@wandererwerewolf477]

I don't think Yahtzee likes G-Man for some reason...

[@jamesboyce7467]

Or maybe he didnt want to spoil it

[@patrickgalloway9805]

@@jamesboyce7467 good point

[@Zach-h2l]

Fuck I am so relieved to hear that

[@MikeE_wf]

@@wandererwerewolf477 I mean. I think Yahtzee is trying to be wrongfully critical in this entire video. He's wrong in so many of his points it's like he's talking about a completely different game

[@gamerbun866]

Okay, to be fair. The REASON Eli's voice actor, Robert Guillaume, didn't come back for this one is because he's been dead for like four years.

[@jonathanfaber3291]

Yknow perhaps I’m being overly optimistic but VR does seem like the kind of system that would do a real good Metroid game, like if they remade Prime 1 for it or something

[@LydCal999]

I would play the fuck out of a VR Metroid game

[@jonathanfaber3291]

Paul Bennett ... I mean there’s no reason why it couldn’t just pull out to third person. The need to see where one is going would keep them focused on the morph ball

[@cractor6307]

Apparently complex settings are very demanding so I don't if a game centered in exploring is possible. Maybe in 3 to 5 years? That being said, is Nintendo they still don't understand how internet works

It's possible with Dolphin VR but it suffers from the usual jankiness stemming from never having been intended for that.

[@Abion47]

@@jonathanfaber3291 I could see that mechanic getting really motion-sickness-inducing really fast.

[@oneinathousand2156]

Can’t wait for Half Life Blue Shift 2 Opposing Forces 2 Half Life: Magnusson Half Life: Gordon’s niece who was in the photo in his locker in the first game Hunt Down the Freeman 2

[@thebiggestnut217]

Half-Life: Citizen

[@rlvideosgunner]

That last one is cursed

[@matthewegan5281]

@@thebiggestnut217 *Half-Life: Concerned Citizen

[@valkaerie8715]

@@matthewegan5281 Welp, now that you reminded me of it again in gonna go read through Concerned again

[@cardboardhawks6783]

I kinda wanna see the life of a CP.

[@BJWeNeedUDefendingUsWithZeMG42]

"...a fanny fart to the face there..." That's an awesome alliteration.

[@IamaPERSON]

Idk, I think it stinks (ba dum tss)

[@judsongaiden9878]

Since the word "fanny" has a different meaning depending on what country you're in, "fanny fart" would be redundant in the US. XD

[@Sh4ved7ish]

Or acliteration...I'll see myself out.

[@MikeE_wf]

Just letting you know. He lied on that part. You can climb the ladders yourself.

[@mr.cup6yearsago211]

@@MikeE_wf eh, even if you do, you still teleport awkwardly to the top, the only difference is that you’re much closer to the top, so it’s less of a teleport and more of an upward shift of your position of like, a foot.

[@alexanderreid8251]

"Kissing his biceps and steering with his buttocks" Potential Gorgeous Freeman reference?

[@gamertames349]

Nostalgiaaaaa

[@telekinesticman]

So weird hearing Yahtzee being actually quite positive on a game, it made me happy. Loved this game myself and glad to hear from another big fan of VR.

[@weir-t7y]

The free tech helps

[@StrikeWarlock]

@@weir-t7y not quite. He already had an Oculus Rift prior to Valve sending him an Index

[@mtw7025]

Theres actually a hand climbing option on the game, just look at the menu :)

[@fwg1994]

Can't climb down ladders though. Also extremely disorienting your first couple times, but pretty fine after that.

[@PepicWalrus]

It still does the zip to the top though. Like if you start climbing and walk forward you rocket up to the top not just the teleport.

[@ShenDoodles]

@@charlesbowman8383 You zip to the top if you accidentally fail to grab a rung. I guess it's just better and more fair than falling.

[@GraeHall]

Hearing you like both the Index and Half-Life: Alyx made me excited to try out VR and to get back into the Half-Life universe. Fantastic review Yahtzee. You haven't lost a single step, you've gained some.

[@fazzle7788]

I'm beginning to lose track of time and which day it is until a zp episode comes out then I say "oh it's Wednesday"

[@medicbag2718]

As a guy with aspergers, wish i had a personality as loved as half life.

[@KuraIthys]

Don't we all. XD Though I've found being a massive weirdo can work wonders relative to... Certain other... Qualities aspergers has provided... Then again that only works if you're the right kind of weird, I suppose... oh well. Back to biting my boyfriend. >__

[@AmericanDash]

ooooooooooof I felt that, man

[@AngelofEresos]

It's more an acquired skill than a natural one, and can be a bit of a crapshoot under bad circumstances, but much like a sociopath, we can learn to fashion effective masks. Just put enough of the real you in there for people to appreciate.

[@valkaerie8715]

Same 'ere

[@Motorata661]

I think that this is the most positive Zero punctuation episode ever.

[@PantheraLeo04]

His review of Undertale

[@patricknnt1301]

His review of the return of the obra dinn

[@derekfurst6233]

His orange box review (portal) was glowing. He's a huge valve fan

[@drdca8263]

Soren Ingraham I hope you mean his review of Undertale, and that he didn’t also review _undertail_ *shudder*

[@drdca8263]

Soren Ingraham I hope you mean his review of Undertale, and that he didn’t also review _undertail_ *shudder*

[@TomMcMorrow]

"Sometimes Half Life storytelling feels like what happens when an entire game has Aspergers Syndrome" *laughs in Aspergers*

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

You heard it here people, Yahtzee has big hands And you know what people say about men with big hands... They wear big gloves

[@AngelofEresos]

A fine spin on an old classic.

[@Next0gen0]

"You need everything to have mainstream appeal?" I was about to say "Yeah, if you want it to be cheaper". But let's be honest, if the current gaming industry could get away with selling everything as overpriced gimmicks with tech demo's attached to them, damn straight we'd see them flooding the market.

[@dominics.8796]

1:29 - I appreciate this attention to continuity, especially since I remember when he made that comment.

[@VGamingJunkieVT]

Be a bit hard to have Eli’s voice actor come back without a spiritualist.

[@MrUn1versal]

Caviar with peanut M&Ms? Hold on. I got to try something.

[@elijahjones2483]

It would have been really impressive if they managed to get the voice actor for Eli back because he died in 2017.

[@Pineappolis]

It really speaks highly of the staying power of ZP that Yahtz got a free $1,000 piece of hardware as a reviewer. I know he's a VR proponent but most companies were massively scaling back the number of reviewers who even got game codes for games around this time for (generally) all but the most positive reviewers. Of course, it tracks with the fact that I (as with a lot of people) am far more likely to buy something than to _not_ buy something based on ZP despite its tone but I'm genuinely impressed the relevant people noticed that.

[@avianKneecaps]

can I just say that representing a game having aspergers by slapping some vulcan ears on half life 2 as it asks if you like star trek is the funniest and most accurate thing I've ever seen from this channel.

[@Ikbob11]

Whenever I play, I wish I had a fucking crowbar every time a headcrab jumps at me. Your only other option is dodge or try to catch it with your offhand. You can also use a physics item as a shield, but come on can't I just bludgeon it with a cardboard box?

[@Otterdisappointment]

“No! You can’t just come out with a vr game to tease HL3!” “Haha money printer go brrt”

[@AccidentalNinja]

Why do I think I understand why caviar with peanut M&Ms would be terrible despite having never tried caviar?

[@Matthew-zx8cs]

You can actually climb ladders manually. I wish there was a similar option to make certain ledge or tunnel/crouching transitions manual as well.

[@storm6929]

half-life 4, can't wait half-life hunt down the freeman 2

[@mnamethonk]

Hunt down the freeman had nothing to do with Valve luckily.

[@baileycownley1868]

NO! No. There will never be hunt down the freeman 2. NEVER.

[@hjy2187418]

@@baileycownley1868 hunt down the alyx

[@smokinggnu6584]

@@mnamethonk Except their implicit approval for it by it being on Steam... and still being there, as i just checked.

[@mnamethonk]

@@smokinggnu6584 That doesn't mean it had anything to do with Valve.

[@Blake_Stone]

Today we salute Yahtzee's ongoing efforts to keep the word "bonce" alive in the popular lexicon.

[@crashstudi0s]

updated 28 secs... Damn i woke up early for online class and here I am

[@djdeckstar]

Luis Zuñiga you know this comes out a week earlier on the escapist website

[@bloodypommelstudios7144]

I'm glad to see you love VR after hearing your thoughts on the Wii motion controls. VR gaming and particularly the Quest seems like everything Nintendo wanted to be but just wasn't ready for.

[@beeeffgee10k]

Every mention of Brutal Doom on this channel makes 5 kittens each get forced onto the street by their owners. Even though that's basically every mention of BD in general.

[@powerthunfischdesdonners3086]

so, you´re saying that if I want free kittens,all I have to do is mention Brutal doom? sign me up.

[@DoctorTheo]

Why what's wrong with it?

[@totalmadnesman]

The last bit Yahtzee, really good! I like your take on the mainstreaming of our beloved media(s)!

[@tycho_m]

I'm not a reviewer so I had to fork over two suitcases full of my monthly wage slave lobster croquets for the Index, but by motherfuck is it ever worth it. I have restarted the game after a few chapters three times now just because I want to soak it all in and extend the unique step forward in controlling the input and the subsequent immersion into a game world that it provides. It shows that Valve really, really sees hardware tech and software tech as a cohesive fairytale marriage where both amplify and synergize and complement each other perfectly. HL1 did it with storytelling, world building and putting the player in the protagonist's seat without text exposition. HL2 did it with storytelling, world building, putting the player in the protagonist's seat, incredible simulated physics and never been done before gameplay mechanics that weren't just a gimmick but felt integral to the world. HL:A did all of the above with the closeness and directness of VR controller input and beaming information straight into your eyeballs. An absolute masterpiece. Had to turn off the video at the 2 minute mark because you started talking about the ending, but it seems you were also blown away

[@TheBadlandsSandvich]

In regards to the ladder complaint: You can actually set it in the setting so you grab each latter rung and lift yourself up. Yahtzee had it set to the teleport function and never knew you could change it. (Which leads me to think I didn't know about the other movement options too.)

[@swedneck]

that setting seems to fuck up half the time and still teleport you.

[@derekfurst6233]

@@swedneck no. It's by design. If you let go or miss a rung while climbing, it puts you at the top to avoid making the player fall

[@hackcubit9663]

I lost it at "pathologically unobservant," a pair of words I'd never thought I'd hear plopped together in a sentence. It seems very appropriate that it would be Yahtzee Croshaw who'd make me LMAO from hearing such a phrase. The visuals helped, too.

[@virginiafusilier6981]

Oh this was a brilliant review. One of my favorites to date. Well done Yahtzee!! XD I love all your jaunts to the viewers (us) who nitpick and honestly it was awesome. Keep it up! (And give your poor dog a treat, damnit!)

[@BaioWithMayo]

"Wanna see my kurt Cobain impressive" oh man that one got me, never stop

[@imreplyingtothiscomment2378]

One of the best VR ever made calling it now

[@michaelrobertson4298]

This feels strange. He mentioned rummaging through rooms for supplies, but didn’t mention the thing that made it fun as fuck, the gravity gloves!

[@ShenDoodles]

Virgin Boneworks: Pick things up Chad Alyx: Yank things towards your hands without touching them

[@stefan1932]

I commend Valve for seemingly rewriting the book on video game possibilities for the third time, but damn, VR ain't cheap.

[@theblancmange1265]

Just a few more years and those pcs will be affordable with used headsets.

[@IamtheWV17]

> Got a Vive Pro two weeks ago > Play a bunch of warm up games to train VR legs > Play through Boneworks first to experience it independently of Alyx… > Also play Boneworks with smooth turn and maximum discomfort to make 100% sure my VR legs are ready for full Alyx immersion > I have defeated VR sickness > It's Alyx time!!!

[@OriginalMajesty]

Not watched this guy in over 6 years, really nice to see he's still entertaining as ever. Thanks man

[@comradebusman3]

That ladder thing only happens if you're using teleport or dash. If you use smooth locomotion, you actually climb it and when you get to the top it lightly zips you forwards so you don't fall back down

[@BrianRabadue]

Yes, my opinion on russel has been somewhat validated! I really wish they used Kleiner instead.

[@derekfurst6233]

Nah. Using established characters to fill every role shrinks the universe rather than growing it. It seems unrealistic to have every major character from last game play a role in this one. Makes it seem like they were only included because we expect them to be. To me it feels like kleiner was busy with sometime else and to me that makes the world feel real and bigger. With that said, half life 2 introduced a ton of new characters, why can't alyx? Kleiner and Eli were both basically introduced in 2 since they were non-unique unnamed npcs in the first one. Barney too.a

[@milis758]

You can climb ladders normally but you have to use the continues movement option selected

[@LiamPennington]

Lockdown has caused Yatz to break the fourth wall more times than often. Has it driven him mad or....less mad?

[@Nightmster]

maybe it has driven him so mad that his madness looped back a bit?

[@Crash-kp9cf]

Yathzee: But so fucking what My favorite argument that works 90% of the time

[@DrEcho]

Until he is employed elsewhere, I'd say Yahtzee is a lovely piece of Escapist fantasy if you know what I'm saying

[@MakutaNazo]

Yahtzee liking a Half Life game, oh how original.

[@nukeout]

We're in a cocoon of quarantine. But HL3 does help turn is all into beautiful butterflies

[@fokii9880]

Yahtzee’s hands must be huge. He’s *always* complaining about controllers being too small for his hands.

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

He's also ridiculously tall

[@DoctorTheo]

I will say the Steam VR button is pretty hard to push if you are trying to push it with the tip of your thumb. What you should do is push it on the bottom of your thumb, but it's in a way that you won't ever accidentally push it mid game, unlike the HTC Vive controllers

[@AHKonoValles]

That's ok, for the longest time, I too thought it was 'hyperbowl'

[@ncolvin05]

ZP: the only reason to watch anything from the escapist.

[@Jamandabop]

On the other hand, as VR becomes more widespread, well be able to have seperated social experiences with other people while playing that mimic real life much more closely.

[@zJoriz]

I paused the video at "wanna see my Kurt Cobain impression" to take a bite out of my food. Needless to say, I promptly snorted it all out again.

[@fallout921]

I’m not sure why everyone has trouble with half life ladders. They’re all intuitive to use. Walk up to it and look the direction you want to go. Half life two even lets you press e to automatically dismount onto the nearest surface

[@niccy266]

Funnily enough, showing Barney as an example of a voice actor that didn't come back is kinda the worst example you could've made... because he voices G-man!

[@BlackVulpine]

“He’s got a point there” is perhaps the most common thought to pop through my mind when watching just about any ZP video.

[@CheeseYourself]

"Sucks To Be Jeff" better become a meme by next month

[@Neatherback]

Half Life 3 will probably need us to upload our collective consciousness to the Steam Cloud.

[@MyNameIsBucket]

Yes, you were the ONLY one who predicted that Valve wouldn't make another HL game until gaming technology significantly changed - by using your unique and inimitable ability to hear Gabe Newell say that exact thing on multiple occasions.

[@canceroushit5933]

The funniest part of the ladders in Alyx is when you turn on the physics climb and you’re trying to climb like a normal person and you slip and then you FALL UP right onto the platform like something straight from Jack Sparrow himself

[@dutch_asocialite]

"If they do mod a non-vr version of Alyx..." They already have.

[@MatchTerm]

@@chyza2012 yup

[@alkaholic4848]

1:31 - that's the very first thing that popped up into my head straight away when i heard about Half Life Alyx.... ZeroPunctuation's prophecy coming true. I remember listening to the time you said it and me thinking yeah he's probably hit the nail on the head there.

[@johnsmithworth9296]

It seems like valve doesnt release games unless they are innovative, half life with its atmosphere and game play, portal with its portals and half life two with its physics and now that the games industry Has pretty much exhausted every other innovative idea they had to wait till vr came out to make a new half life game. Can't wait till 2055 when half life 3 comes out on the deep dive virtual reality wear you transfer your own consciousness into a computer. Wonder how long it'll take VNN to mentally break again over time

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

In an interview someone in Valve said they often try to make new games but if they're not happy with the result they just drop them.

[@kveller555]

@@Carlos-ln8fd The fact that they were happy with Artifact worries me :P

[@amspook]

@@kveller555 They are making Artifact 2.0 They know they messed up big time.

[@thestormwizard6447]

The part about teleporting up ladders is optional. You can climb up them normally if you want but teleporting up them is for speed reasons.

[@Rankerquat]

This may be the most glowing review I've heard for this game! I'm shocked!

[@rustpin8715]

Must be the only review you've seen then.

[@ocean_booi]

Want to feel old? The time between Hλlf-life 2: ep 2's release and Hλlf-life: Alyx's release was 13 years. A human was born, lived, and is currently 13 y/o. That includes me.

[@MrHatman26]

Meanwhile I went from nursery to college in that time.

[@spencers5898]

Thing is, VR isn't just niche within the games industry as a whole. It's niche amongst actual gaming enthusiasts. A lot of us just don't see the appeal of playing games that way, and having the most competent, accomplished VR game yet be purposely limited in scope so as to accommodate the nature of VR doesn't really help to make a case for it.

[@Zastier]

Just FYI, you can climb up ladders manually, and it works pretty well. There is an option in the menu to disable the automatic ladder climbing.

[@whodis715]

Had to refund boneworks after playing hla It truly is the pinnacle. Most other games feel terrible now because they dont compare This is a good push for quality now that vr needs

[@d11asian]

Eh idk I still feel like boneworks had alot more to offer in terms of object, environment and physics interactions and alyx kinda felt disappointing in that regard

[@Ddarkan]

I mean.. While I also like the absorbing nature and environment of HL: Alyx over Boneworks, Boneworks is still great physics fun and definitely isn't overshadowed to the point of irrelevancy.

[@whodis715]

@@d11asian boneworks is more of a playground i feel Like its even stated in the game its just a tech demo. Compared to a more linear game yeah it would offer more variety But i feel alyx is a VR game. A game experienced just through a new medium While bw is a neat little demo of what you can experience in vr. Just a well polished showcase Im sure the switch from bw to hla is more subtle. But its a jarring difference in mechanics by regressing to bw

[@d11asian]

@@whodis715 I don't think it qualifies as a demo it's a full fledged game yo The games poking fun at the idea it can somehow have a full length campaign and explore all of its concepts in a nearly endless ceiling of possibility and still somehow just be brushed off as a demonstration by naysahers it's not actually stating its a demo Idk man hl alyx feels like a step back in terms of how interactive a platform built around object and environment interactivity can be. Especially considering a game from a series synonymous with a melee weapon doesn't even allow you to do damage with any blunt object at the very least. Kinda feels like hl alyx plays it too safe for the sake of presentation and accessibility and boneworks allows you to do everything in a traditional half life game and more while alyx shares not a whole lot with the rest of the series

[@pokemonchase9876]

Technically you can climb all the way up the ladder, but it does teleport you at the end when you need to get up to the ledge.

[@Brusanan]

I really disagree with your point about VR not being a social thing. Watching other people experience VR, especially for the first time, is great. That's exactly what made the Quest so popular.

[@TheSwolethatwasPromised.]

It's good to hear that you liked it, Yahtz.

[@OlOleander]

This isn't a comment on the quality of the review, which is excellent, but when I clicked on this video I thought I'd care. Oh, Alyx, that could be interesting, I thought. But it wasn't anymore. After so many years of Valve pushing off, teasing, faffing about, and finally just saying there wouldn't be any more Half Life, I'd gotten over it. I had mourned and moved on. I just didn't really care anymore. I had found other games and other stories. So when Valve finally announced Alyx, especially for a platform I didn't plan on buying, it was nothing but a shrug and back to doing other, more exciting things. They just waited too long, played too coy. I'm a little disappointed to discover that I just don't care as much about this title as I once might have thought I would.

[@KeithFraser82]

Zero Punctuation indie rock band name of the week: Queefing Rocket Exhaust

[@muaddib6987]

Gaben: Half Life 4 is the perfect simulation. You are born in it and you will die in it. We call it the Matrix.

[@Jack-hk4nn]

Just checked, Robert Guillaume (Eli Vance) died not too long ago. :(

[@extendoduck]

I know this is old af but I actually think the Jeff thing is pretty realistic. It's astonishing what people get used to if exposed to it long enough so I think Jeff's name and the way he's discussed by the other characters are a plausible reaction to him being just one of many dangerous situations the characters have to deal with every day. Even danger gets boring and banal after a long enough time.