Half-Life: Alyx Is NOT An Absolute Nightmare - This Is Why

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I return to review VR games again, and what better virtual reality game to review than Valve’s Half Life: Alyx. No major story spoilers but I talk about Half Life: Alyx’s gameplay at length.
Virtual Reality finally has a game I think most can agree is a great game that has been made excellent in VR. I may not be a Half Life fan as such, but I have played Half Life 1 and 2, and Half Life: Alyx has made me fall in love with the series.
Half Life Alyx is without a doubt the best virtual reality game I have ever played, I compare it a lot to Boneworks and The Walking Dead: Saint and Sinners because I think it highlights where those games missed the mark a little, and what future games need to try and do to make VR really take off as a platform.
I played Half Life: Alyx on the Index, but it seems to play just as well on the Vive. I would recommend the Index version as the Index has the best virtual Reality controllers I have used so far.
Anyway, that’s enough of me talking about VR, go get Half Life: Alyx if you can!
All my music and sound is from here: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

[@UpIsNotJump]

I hope you are all keeping safe!! It was interesting making this with it being my only real focus, got very absorbed, I'm excited to go to sleep I'll be uploading a behind the scenes video on my patreon later next week, if you are into that kind of thing: www.patreon.com/UpIsNotJump

[@JonasAndresen1]

Looking forward to see it !

[@dynamiteguy4650]

UpIsNotJump you make life worthwhile

[@armouredraptor9610]

UpIsNotJump I hate this...nat hl:a is gooood

[@deadlyvaultboy1368]

Love ur vids

[@Khirillin]

We in sweden do not even have quaratine. this is the still the best

[@wallrunner7635]

In the game files, the gravity gloves are labeled as grabbity gloves and it is the funniest joke in the entire half-life series.

[@LtCWest]

Valve knows its audiance too well xD

[@Kyss007]

i dont get it

[@dr.cheeze5382]

@@Kyss007 grabbity gloves? as in grabbing gloves? as in grabbity sounds like gravity? because you use the gravity gloves to grab at long range?

[@vincentjonesvr]

@@_Epidemic_ Yes, and they're replying to someone who said they didn't understand the joke. Try to keep up.

[@mozarteanchaos]

@@_Epidemic_ yes, they're explaining the joke. well done, you figured it out.

[@WallaJnr]

Bruh perfectly timed advert "Now let's get into the game itself" "RAID SHADOW LEGENDS"

[@jmcmc2209]

I thought the sudden loading symbol was a joke about how half life games are divided up into instances and you have to sit through a loading bar each time but than fallout 76 ads came on and i was like fuck no

[@momsaccount4033]

WallaJnr For me it was a WEBTOON ad... I already use WEBTOON...

[@fixit9844]

JimmyDaFoxy69 isn’t webtoon just hentai..?

[@momsaccount4033]

@@fixit9844 No? It's a website where people who can draw can write their own stories. Make their own manhwa! Which is essentially Korean manga... Tower of God is a currently airing anime that got adapted from a WEBTOON manhwa! You should check out the website, their are a LOT of good stories to read on the site.

[@drunkcanadiangamer7484]

I got a burger ad during that part. Looked delicious haha.

[@nkiel331]

I was holding onto an object when I had to open a door in the game. I let go of my controller and tried to open the door. Then I got confused for a few miliseconds and remember that I need my controller to open the door.

[@marcdingena3920]

*laughs in Knuckles*

[@kaydencebernard7775]

Marc Dingena laughs in taping my controllers to my hands

[@corporatecapitalism]

@@kaydencebernard7775 *laughs in superglue*

[@water_hose]

@@corporatecapitalism laughs in flex tape

[@joshgaming1585]

@@water_hose laughs in flex seal

[@bz_animations]

I feel like the half-life francise is a francise that solely exists to push new things in games. The first one was revolutionary for 1st person shooters. The second one was revolutionary in terms of graphics and object physics. And the third one which is Alyx, is revolutionary for VR.

[@internetguy7319]

im sad that Alyx didnt take off

[@bz_animations]

@@internetguy7319 to be fair, not everyone has a vr, let alone an index since that's the best one for the game. I myself wish i had a vr headset

[@internetguy7319]

@@bz_animations i dont have one either lol

[@fireaza]

Valve said basically exactly that in the making of Alyx book!

[@bz_animations]

@@fireaza oh, i didn't know that actually, that was just my theory and i guess i was right. Huh, cool

[@Cyriakx]

UINJ: "I'm not actualy a huge fan of half life " internet: *So you have chosen death*

[@spectacularpoopfly8464]

Wait brother Eroded Stone, perhaps he is susceptible to the conversion process

[@elohimcabrera]

@@spectacularpoopfly8464 he does say that he joined at the end

[@orchid9]

Indoctrination complete.

[@geekjokes8458]

420 likes aaaaaaayyyy

[@geekjokes8458]

im sorry i couldn't resist

[@yoshikagekira4471]

A Forbes article came out recently saying that Alyx’s release didn’t stimulate the VR industry like people were saying it would. One of their points was that everyone was home doing nothing, and that it was the perfect time to invest in VR, but no one was. It’s almost like... all the headsets are sold out, and no one can buy them, because people are investing in VR.

[@gisli9955]

Good point, also Covid-19 is slowing down production and delivery of VR systems A LOT. It's almost as if High-Demand and Low-Supply makes things cost more...

[@AntiAntonAnt]

I know right. 8 week for my index buy to go THRU. Gaaah!

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Media sites are garbage and filled with idiots trying to create drama instead of just reporting the news.

[@yoshikagekira4471]

broderick kurtz I know, right? Why does Forbes even _have_ a Games Journalist?

[@DustyyBoi]

Also the whole millions of people loosing their job so buying a vr headset maybe isn't priority number 1

[@gnaskar]

16:34: This is the scene in which you first encounter an armored headcrab. It's presented on the other side of a cage, with it's weakspot pointed at you, so that you instinctively shoot at it. As a result, when bullets start bouncing off the next one you see, you know that they can be killed and how. The tutorializing is seamless and intuitive, to the point where you never even realize it's there.

[@Nanoytgaming]

+1 on we need wireless headsets. Can't wait till this gets a reply in 7 years and youtube gives me a notification

[@bowtieproductions6708]

I mean there is an accessory for the vive that makes it wireless I believe

[@headxplosion]

I mean 2 weeks isn't that different from 7 years,right?

[@boringamerican3382]

My favorite KZbinr commenting on another great youtubers video is awesome! Also here's that 7 year old reply you mentioned.

[@sadface7463]

Setting a reminder 7 years from now to return here...

[@SirHeartbreakertheFirst]

The Quest 2 is wireless lol. Played Half Life Alyx wirelessly on the Quest 2 and it was amazing

[@GeorgGreat_GameReviews]

I feel like we're only *beginning* to see the potential of this channel. Unless youtube finally collapses, this channel's gonna get ridiculously big with more and more VR games worth talking about coming out in the future.

[@Tim_The_Dim]

Very true, there isn't an UpIsNotJump video I haven't enjoyed

[@rasapovyliene9079]

WHY DID She PUT MY NAME IN YELLOW FARTS

[@baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam]

No?

[@philipyates3194]

@@baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam Maybe?

[@baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam]

@@philipyates3194 If you ask nicely and use your manners, maybe.

[@madsheepz610]

Half-Life Alyx: This, is a bucket. Skyrim VR: Dear God. Half-Life Alyx: There's more. Skyrim VR: No!

[@fritz9270]

Skyrim has buckets

[@toastieboi167]

TF2 Reference!

[@syntheticsimpshrimpoftheso2832]

@@fritz9270 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXXWkIWGpKaNjpI

[@cuteshadow]

Can i have the bucket?

[@zyxluz4645]

@@cuteshadow *passes the bucket* This was a waste of time

[@Cooper121842]

When he said the line about outside during a quarantine I genuinely didn’t get the joke because in my head this video came out so long ago that it can’t possibly be covid related. Then I looked at when it was uploaded and groaned loudly at how fucking long this year has been

[@antekknapek4635]

*deep sigh*

[@katybarlow2650]

It’s still going on

[@hammskie05]

@@katybarlow2650 on the bright side at least the vaccines are getting released little by little

[@finnsweeney2604]

Still going :(

[@solokom]

same. 😔

[@OfficialMaxBox]

Very cool on how you got those cinematic shots.

[@decipher2438]

maximum effort

[@Isaac_646]

Stop using the ambassador. Btw I'm not being mean here I'm just stating my opinion.

[@riverhardman645]

Fancy seeing you again!

[@TactfulWaggle]

@@Isaac_646 "STOP PLAYING IN THE WAY YOU WANT AND FIND FUN" "btw it's just my opinion"

[@Isaac_646]

@@TactfulWaggle I'm sorry, go have some fun with fireworks! :)

[@MrLucasw89]

When you touched russels head while he was sitting down, and he reacted to it, my mind was completely blown.

[@Speedy2619]

You can feed the little bug at the start

[@qee4617]

@Dragonwing 190000 what do you mean? They're already cute

[@Aurich88]

@@qee4617 Yeah, they got that idle animation in HL1 where you tease it with a finger and it goes nuts. Adorable little flesh-eaters.

[@nocturnal101ravenous6]

There are loads of instances like that, in the elevator scene, if you try to push the elevator button one of the combine stops the doors from closing also if you try to touch him he recoils and pulls his gun back, its pretty much throughout the game, most of the time its environmental triggers and they just blow your mind how good they are.

[@fruitbatfox]

Also 11:12!! The little thing skittering back in response to the hand, at least that’s what I’m assuming is happening?

[@AlbinoKiwi47]

I like to think that alyx is a bit more over confident/'carefree' because of how used to the world she is. she doesnt know any pre combine world and this shit is pretty normal to her

[@TheWinjin]

Yeah, I think that's the point. Also, she's constantly making remarks how uncomfortable she is, but she's really not a panicky type, it seems. However, when you walk into the darkness, she's as terrified as you are - and she's used to the darkness having headcrabs, and whatnot. I'm only surprised she doesn't have her own gun at the beginning of the game - probably that's because she's on a recon mission.

[@sid6645]

@@TheWinjin Or maybe because guns are hard to get, with the combine existing and all. Maybe that's why Russel always wants his gun back (or he mentions it in dialogue a bunch).

[@d3xtRR]

I personally felt like the voice actress wasn't even trying

[@GoldenBeans]

i remember being one of the 71K subs when fallout 4 skits where made IM NOT CALLING THEM MACHINIMAS, Machinima was a company brand that made deals with comedy related channels, that can make skits in games the fact that the term is now used to refer to "videogame skits" baffles me

[@ryanotte6737]

@@GoldenBeans Yeah, kinda silly how brand names supersede the generic term sometimes. "Could you hand me a Kleenex?" (tissue) "Ah, just Google it." (web search)

[@boiledelephant]

6:55 that "oh, yes!" killed me.

[@TheAlienGangster]

Your point about Russell being too jaunty was completely correct and I’m glad somebody pointed it out. I like humor in Half-Life but he was almost like a stand up comedian with how frequent and forced his humor started to feel.

[@aaclovern9804]

I saw someone call him discounted wheatley :D

[@louissykes2406]

Tbh I can’t hate him too much. He did help me get through the dark areas

[@jacksongrantham4848]

I for one think he's using the humor as a sort of coping mechanism. As Upisnotjump had said, the Combine rule was so harsh and cruel that it made the holocaust seem like a picnic.

[@scorprian]

Probably doesn't help that he was voiced by a comedian.

[@CativaBR]

@@jacksongrantham4848 Same, he was probably freaking out internaly because he, all out of a sudden, was responsible for the rescue operation of one of the biggest names in the Resistance.

[@vulduv]

i like to imagine that as soon as he gets into a new VR game, the first thing he does is look for a bucket.

[@alyx8815]

Stop saying you imagine it when it clearly already happens.

[@shadowxxe]

1/10 No bucket does me a sad :(

[@Hollowpixel]

Honestly since watching upisnotjump its the first thing i do in any vr game.

[@stormflyer6574]

What else would you do? The main story

[@justnobody5527]

buckets are lewd loser

[@goliathprojects7354]

UpIsNotJump: *This... is a bucket* Headcrab: *DEAR GOD...*

[@odysseusinspace9704]

Goliath Projects UpIsNotJump: *There's more!*

[@goliathprojects7354]

@@odysseusinspace9704 Headcrab: *Nooooooo...*

[@simonlindner693]

Whatever I expected down here in the comments, it wasn't this reference. I salute you, Sir/Madam.

[@brittlecourage9193]

This is best comment of 2020

[@LordRavensong]

Everyone in this thread deserves a cookie

[@remyslosberg7313]

I still love how if you're wearing a hard hat during the first time larry leaves, you can hear him say "oh yeah, nice hat" at the last minute.

[@Martinsleep]

Im a huge fan of the halflife series ever since i was a kid and played the first one, the second game scared me when it came out because i was so immersed, i nearly cried in Alyx during the first scenes, seeing all these sights and creatures while hearing the sounds of city 17 again all in VR was very overwhelming, it was an amazing feeling!

[@aexonity]

I have a literal phobia of poison headcrabs, so you can imagine how much of a coward I acted on that headcrab pit area

[@Martinsleep]

@@aexonity Same I feel like my arachnophobia actually translates to headcrabs

[@jamesonstorheim195]

​@@Martinsleep Same here but only for the poison variant for some reason. I think it's cause they hiss and can climb walls like spiders

[@SlightlyDazed.]

"Can we snort it or is it a pill" yes... this does explain a lot actually

[@LeonTheElite69]

If you crush the pill you can still snort it, the more you know

[@mrbarefootbogan6254]

You can snort anything if you're brave enough.

[@SlightlyDazed.]

@@mrbarefootbogan6254 how else should I eat eels?

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Leon Moir not if it’s a capsule.

[@theyos88]

@@misanthropicservitorofmars2116 ... you just open up the capsule and get at the tasty powder within?...

[@evilhealer]

"Over 15 years later" 21 year difference I mean, you are right, just weird you chose 15 instead of 20

[@iambicpentakill971]

Reminded me of the how many Earths fit inside the Sun meme: knowyourmeme.com/photos/1159799-tumblr

[@Maric18]

julius cesar who is dead well over 70 years now,...

[@gunluva]

Clearly he's been working on this video for five years.

[@hotstuff6131]

the distance between the sun and earth is larger than two football fields!

[@av3stube480]

Boneworks is still amazing despite its lack of easily available story. It's more focused on mechanics, and the information you get is more about the overall lore rather than singular characters, but I still really like it.

[@sigmacat420]

Lol

[@MuAlexJS]

i like boneworks better than half life

[@user9267]

It more than makes up for lack of story in gameplay

[@DoctorTheo]

Bonelab is better imo

[@user9267]

@@DoctorTheo They probably would have agreed if it was out yet lmao

[@BigNerdLandon]

10:23 this gives me chills for some reason and it was so well done for something that lasts 3 seconds

[@tinycube-autocast]

"That sun is awfully bright" When Day Breaks

[@lucktheredduck2477]

Tiny Cube was thinking the same

[@Victor-um9ce]

Press F

[@IsoMSS]

SCP-001

[@kyrnti1075]

DAMN YOU SUN!

[@natebit8130]

161

[@TheJas20]

I was thinking "He definately put his headset on a chair for these shots" then a moment later the video shows him doing just that, i burst out laughing. Heres a subscription

[@whatiwonder4299]

Thinking the exact same

[@marsy8749]

he could have just used noclip

[@Die-Coughman]

same

[@rowanunderwood]

I was thinking "how in the hell did he get these shots?"

[@knyt0]

i thought he was using flatscreen mode

[@driftliketokyo34ftw35]

I remember the first time I tried vr. I was at an airshow and they had a VR headset and a program where you make airplanes and throw them. In order to throw them you move the controller like you’re throwing a paper airplane, releasing trigger to let go. Now I was about to throw a plane but at this point my brain had already replaced the controller with the plane so instead of releasing the trigger I released the entire controller, throwing it a couple feet in front of me and I didn’t realize until I heard it hit the ground. Luckily it didn’t break.

[@foldervtolvr]

Every half life fan when they see a headcrab: “Oh so cool!” Me: *EMPTIES TWO ENTIRE MAGS INTO IT JUST TO BE “SAFE” *

[@rhyl9100]

Oh no it’s the bucket. SKYRIM VR INTENSIFIES

[@alyx8815]

If I make a VR game I will always add a bucket falling on top of the person's head.

[@yobama2430]

PTSD flashbacks

[@danielhuber9156]

VR game: This is a bucket VR fanbase: Dear God

[@ZombieKillerNmb1]

ymfah would like to know your location

[@singland1852]

You can also wear traffic cones on your head, random masks and construction site protective helmets along with the buckets, I haven't found other wearables...YET

[@DainnGreywall]

As a person who has used a virtual boy, I can safely tell you that the virtual boy is probably one of the most uncomfortable things I've tried in my life. The entire screen is red making it feel like you were watching a nuclear demolition test without protective goggles, the station itself is super clunky to use and would never sit properly, making you slap the entire thing against the bridge of your nose over and over until you could be confused with fucking Rudolph. Never use a virtual boy.

[@Tanner_Shelton]

They have a virtual boy Emulator for quest

[@BeckyNosferatu]

Let's not forget how _awful_ the tracking was. And, if you'd twitch and knock the whole thing over and then you'd hear Mario scream out in terror as you missed the tennis ball... because there was only like 4 or so many games for it.

[@t_claudiu_art]

I couldn't help but read your comment in UpIsNotJump's voice

[@rowanunderwood]

Do not listen to this heretic. The Virtual boy was great and still is to this day. Fun fact: Did you know that each display is actually a SINGLE LINE OF PIXELS, cleverly turned into a full screen with smoke and mirrors (well just mirrors actually).

[@AmelpsXett]

I played HLA in virtual boy and it was ok

[@TinyDeskEngineer]

Alyx: *puts bucket on head to protect from headcrabs* Headcrabs: "That bucket can't stop me because I can't see!"

[@darkk5018]

i just wanna say how much i appreciate and love your videos, i have watched this video 10+ times along with your other vr videos and they never get old, one of the most inspiring and underrated youtubers on the whole site, video format is perfect funny skits and jumpcuts i could watch your videos all day... THANK YOU UpIsNotJump!

[@slowhite1706]

“Suck it PC Gamer!” Well...someone was bound to say it eventually.

[@z-form2559]

I’m just mad you didn’t make a “Boneworks is an absolute nightmare”

[@Akeche]

Big time this. It feels weird to have this before a video for Boneworks.

[@JowoHD]

same with the walking dead vr one

[@legogoka-boomstudio1838]

He might have wanted to mix his ideas of those games into this video as this isn’t just a review of half life Alyx but a look at VR in total, though he might have needed to shorten some parts as the video is already 22 minutes long.

[@user-hk5fo1nm9h]

I think he’s moving out of video game reviews but I would have loved ones for these games. I have to agree that animations and smoothness of walking dead is pretty weak. Half the cut scene type things are glitched our for me and not immersive or clear. And the first time I met both factions neither of them even talked to me.

[@n0vi]

@@user-hk5fo1nm9h Because the walking dead is a PS2 era style game that people are freaking out about because it's in VR (half kidding :O)

[@rebelgaming1.5.14]

I can personally say that VR on the Index is amazing. I personally am a competitive person in games and I hate losing, but I've played competitive games in VR and I have never felt angry or upset when I've lost. VR is just so freaking calming for me and I love every second I spend in it. Hell, to take a page from the book of UpIsNotJump, I get so immersed in the worlds VR has that I forget I live on a depressing rock in the empty expanse of space. it's definitely worth trying if you never have.

[@jayjaygolden5123]

I never expected a vr half life release to look significantly better than half life 2 But they did it And all the little shader tricks theyve done to make it happen are..incredible, like damn. Just the way liquid in bottles is done alone is impressive.. (The liquid is just a texture on the outside of the bottle iirc)

[@homeschoolhd596]

"Do we snort it, or is it a pill?" has got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard in my LIFE.

[@Sidiciousify]

You must have a shallow life.

[@malicethemighty7560]

I agree that was hilarious

[@homeschoolhd596]

@@Sidiciousify that is correct

[@Hacker-cw9lc]

@@Sidiciousify salt

[@Tasteful_Milk]

Same

[@Majorbrawl]

Valve is like a fruit tree You must wait a long time for it to bare ripe fruit but when it does it’s good

[@germandragon8136]

they only do halflife for groundbreaking innovations in gaming, HL2 = physics enigne, HL~~3~~ ALYX VR HL 4 = Full dive tech! :D

[@Resi1ience]

@BigBoiRaltor Valve actually causes a resonance cascade and summons the Combine

[@Patodufli]

@@germandragon8136 Well, Elon Musk is already working on computers that connect to our brains at Neuralink. Some decades from here when computational power is higher -and cheaper- and Musk's product is fairly established on the market (if the project is not abandoned) I bet goverments will be eager to create a level of immersion similar to The Matrix / Sword Art Online for military and medical training (specially US and its +700B $ millitar anual millitary budget). When [If?] that happens we will just have to wait until the technology becomes standard. We just have to not die before that happens. Yay

[@xlZer0n]

@@looksmaxxer08 Hunt down the pyro

[@justacasualdemonwithacompu4278]

Well, that is if you exclude Artifact from it. That game was one of Valve's greatest disappointments.

[@FlaShDominic]

OMG thank god I'm not the only person to flick his arms in the air to call an object IRL. While my friend looked at me and said 'wtf are you doing?'

[@teathesilkwing7616]

Once at like 4am after playing Skyrim since 7 I stared at my phone thinking “where’s the E key”. Unfortunately I’ve done dumber

[@xonxt]

Bought the "Index" recently, and coming back here after completing the bundled HL:Alyx. There couldn't have been a better game to serve as my very first VR game, even if I looked for one. It really was amazing. Also, I am a Half-life fan, and happened to once again play through the entire series in preparation for "Alyx" (while I was waiting for the headset to be delivered).

[@hotstuff6131]

im literally playing every half life game (including black mesa) waiting for my headset to come. i think i am getting through the games a bit too fast unfortunately, really cant wait for my quest 2

[@snazzyjovialwyrm3314]

"Half-Life: Alyx Is NOT An Absolute Nightmare" Funny, I coulda sworn I had nightmares about Jeff.

[@AstralSys.]

Kristof Alexy jeff is a terrrifying sound detector zombie that instantly murders whatever made noise. In a vodka factory, filled with bottles, and headcrabs. It’s scary, yeah.

[@renevilandt8300]

@@AstralSys. Agree, Jeff was the most scary part of the game, the part about not making a sound was frustrating, but effective. I honestly had to pause a few times, because, even though I said to myself, just close your eyes, when he eats you, and you die, the sound was messing with my brain. It's by means realistic, buy my brain kept believing I was there, the game was so immersive.

[@yourdoom9868]

@Kristof Alexy how are you with spoilers

[@09kingarthur]

Fucking jeff, dude... god i hated that chapter

[@scoutpandapal]

Jeff is scary, but he scared me so much to the point that I realized that Valve knows it isn't a horror game and dying to him isn't as scary as being next to him.

[@brilliantarrow4125]

“Your sons fired” “He doesn’t.. work here-“ “*he does now*” I’ve missed you, upisnotjump

[@mal6263]

Brilliant Arrow I always start laughing when I hear that

[@TehFiishy]

My favourite realistic and relatable part of the game is that dark tunnel. I genuinely had to take 2 minutes before jumping off the ledge because I was getting WAY too nervous lol

[@thesuperintendent4290]

All I'm thinking is how did that guy die. Like how did so many people get consumed by the Fungus?

[@HaLo13GoD]

By far my favorite KZbinr I discovered recently, a great story teller and a beautiful editor. Always quality upisnotjump

[@DarthFennec]

"Nothing is less immersive than having a wire trip you up when you're trying to avoid a brain sucking parasite." I solved this problem with a cable suspension system that I attached to my ceiling. It's not a perfect solution but it really does the trick. No more tripping over wires for me!

[@zahlerbazaar1608]

i did the same thing with an hdmi repeater, an extra hdmi cord, and an i bolt on my ceiling. nice work fam!

[@miked7728]

I have the ceiling pulleys as well. Miles better than dragging the cable on the ground, but I definitely still crave to go completely wireless. Vive's price for that is still just a little too steep for me.

[@llamaduden3397]

Jep same, i use pulleys too, and it works great

[@TheRealBlackHawk]

unfortunately a ceiling fan prevents this for me :/

[@zenithquasar9623]

I played it with my Oculus Quest (via Virtual Desktop) and I think it worked wonderfully.

[@devilsadvocate6381]

Title: Alyx is *NOT* an absolute nightmare. Me: okay, shit is about to get real

[@dillzilla4454]

I would say that it definitely is a absolute nightmare but in a good way as in the game is so damn immersive that you are constantly running around like a chicken with their head cut off trying to avoid head crabs because it really seems like it's about to bite your face off.

[@gdomjan83]

Man, I've just found your channel, but I'm having so much laugh on your videos. You delivery is hilarious, and the writing is both clever and funny.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

Finally finished it so I can watch all the videos about it! I agree with your points, I was very immersed. whatever I wanted to do was very natural and smooth (except when I was panicking about Jeff being right behind me, which at that point it's understandable), and everything seemed so well thought out and executed. I've had a Vive for a while but I mostly left it for other people to use as none of the games really got to me, but Alyx definitely did, and it makes me excited, not just for the future of Half Life as it seems like a perfect place to pick up the story they dropped 7 years ago while offsetting people's crazy expectations, but for VR gaming in general. I also know what to get a decent chunk of my friends for christmas now.

[@manwithabucket9166]

“Then Valve turn up ( I’m sure there’s a pun in there somewhere)” Oh yeah, there is. *Valve released Steam*

[@absolut3gaming649]

(Slow claps)

[@thestanley2692]

Wooooooooooooooo.

[@lobzoy]

what is the definiton of suicide

[@razielmauro9559]

UUUUUUUGH-

[@carkey9502]

Take my like and get out

[@yasquishyboi902]

upisnotjump “i think my cats trying to kill me” valve: “here’s a safety cage”

[@Rurushu13]

cave johnson here! introducing safety cages, for your murderous pets

[@qee4617]

"Cat?, what cat"

[@yasquishyboi902]

QeeThee so you haven’t seen them yet ok

[@qee4617]

@@yasquishyboi902 i think you didn't understand the reference

[@yasquishyboi902]

QeeThee i really don’t

[@maxducks2001]

One moment in this game will always stand out to me as the exact moment I knew VR could be absolutely incredible and a proper medium for video games: When Alyx meets the Combine in the elevator when they’re capturing Eli, they say “Hands off that button!” and hold the door open if you press it out of panic. They even shoot it if you try to press it again. And Valve included specific voice lines and animations used only one time in the whole game JUST IN CASE you pushed a single button in a 15 hour campaign. In that exact moment, I realized VR had a proper future. Pyre may make me bawl my eyes out over fantasy NBA Jam, and The Witcher 3 may have captured me and held me hostage for over a hundred hours on the Switch port of all things, but that one detail that was probably missed by the majority of people will now always be one of my favorite moments in video games. Bravo, Valve.

[@addalittleviolence]

17:03 i think that's just you because not once have i messed up reloading in boneworks

[@wewduck6874]

me too. I think its either hes blind or he just dousen't like the game and does that on purpose so he would have arguments against it because i never heard someone complain about that.

[@addalittleviolence]

@@wewduck6874 and also BONEWORKS is made by SLZ, a pretty small studio, while Half Life Alyx is made by Valve, a massive company.

[@wewduck6874]

@@addalittleviolence True, i was thinking of that too.

[@harpoonlobotomy]

"Have fun dropping mannequins off the roof, Matt?" "Ah, yes, mannequins. It was definitely mannequins."

[@kimjonglongdong3158]

7:53 I was about to ask if you really just cut a hole in your ceiling for this joke. Then I realised you turned water damage into comedy. Somebody get this man an award for something!

[@TheAdatto]

Just removed an air vent grate

[@jameswilkes451]

@@TheAdatto Who has air vents in the UK?

[@dumbtruccc]

@@jameswilkes451 thank you for commenting my comment

[@andrewflage910]

@@TheAdatto I might be wrong but it looks more like water damage because of the staining around the hole

[@andrewflage910]

annnnd i just realized the comment was like a year ago lol

[@blazethegame]

I just found this channel and it just perfectly encapsulates my sense of humor, and my preference for reviews, making this one of my favorite channels.

[@Krozin]

this was great! i finally recently beat it after playing halfway through on vive, which still looked amazing, and then buying and index and starting completely over. You summed things up nicely!

[@PrizeFighterIV]

Oh my god, during the whole "wildlife of City 17" section, I was just wondering how the heck is he getting those clean steady shots!... The answer was both hilarious and satisfactory. There is a reason you're my favorite creator on the platform.

[@theimperiumofman102]

I want to know the music he was using for that section too.

[@thezard7013]

@@theimperiumofman102 I second this

[@yums6947]

I’ve been searching for that music for an hour and have not found anything.

[@applecore4720]

"And Alyx provides it in SPADES..." Spade? *"Spade"* Spade.

[@JALETRATOR]

ade

[@sillygoose2878]

*s p a d e*

[@calebs4755]

Its funny how he ends this video with “we need wireless headsets” and I finally played this game and finished it with an oculus quest 1. We’re finally here

[@richardtingle1248]

He talks about wireless VR being the next important thing. But that's already possible. I played Half Life: Alyx on the Oculus Quest 2 (using Virtual desktop to connect the Quest to steam) and it worked flawlessly (once I connected my PC to my router with an Ethernet cable to avoid double wirelessing). Totally agree that it would have been less good as a wired experience

[@R3tr0humppa]

"VR headsets don't need to get any better atm." - Perhaps. Now they only have to get CHEAPER, ghaarbl!

[@delpher32exe]

Or you know at least available... preferably at their retail price

[@coolertuep]

They are all sold out for months now so there isn’t really any reason for the vendors to drop the price currently. That beeing said the Samsung odyssey + (same resolution as index) was often on sale for 230$

[@Silentguy_]

Honestly though. On top of already needing a fairly decent PC to even run VR, the full blown units cost as much, or more, than modern gaming consoles. Sure they have the lightweight mobile versions for a couple hundred dollars but it’s nothing like playing on a Rift, Vive or even Valve Index

[@evolicious]

They are already as cheap as they will ever get with WMR kits at $130.

[@evolicious]

@@Silentguy_ But they do more than a console does, mechanically and electrically.

[@willduncan6909]

19:23 "And it's important to note that being immersive isn't about mimicking real life perfectly." "Immersion is truly broken when something happens that reminds you you're playing a video game." This is, in my opinion, *the* *most* *important* *part* *of* *this* *video,* and something I feel VR game developers need to keep in mind. Your insights into the VR industry and its future are truly remarkable, and I hope you'll find a way to get those insights directly to developers.

[@subject_n]

Yeah. If I remember right, when Valve had a talk about this game last year, they said something of the sort; that we shouldn't strive to imitate real life, but our perception of real life. It might be more "realistic" to simulate a full physical body, but in real life I never have to worry about where my body is in physical space, or look at it to determine if a part of it got stuck somewhere without me noticing. I think Boneworks went too far with that. Not that other VR games don't successfully show full bodies with IK rigs, but they don't bother to give it accurate collisions which makes them much more bearable.

[@dillzilla4454]

I would actually say that the statement about it having to be a good game first before being a VR game is actually the most important. Time and time again we see games that truly amazing in terms of immersion but have so little content that you can only get a hour of play time out of it. This is actually what I've been trying to explain to a person I'm working with to make a VR shooter but this tends to be easily skimmed over by developers due to it being far more interesting to make 1 thing that works extremely well rather than 20 things that work good enough

[@sci_pain3409]

i think the arm thing he was talking about is a bit stupid, i feel like boneworks did it way better than alyx, having holster points (and actual arms) on your body makes weapons way easier to access

[@KotoAndSpaceyKaS]

dont worry, as someone who hopes one day to make at least one VR game with my team he already has

[@geoffreywilson7008]

Real life is a convoluted mess, and we only have 'natural' intuition and control over our own bodies from extensive experience. Making something as intuitive and natural as breathing doesn't mean modelling a lung and demanding we press a button once a second or else pass out and fail. VR is a new level of depth being added to a medium which still considers Mega Man's or Mario's level design as mindblowing just for letting you SEE how a new enemy or mechanic works BEFORE killing you with it. These things will be gotten right eventually, but for now, the fact we're pushing past Wii waggling at all is its own accomplishment.

[@Oops833]

He's like the really cool kid and if a bully bully's him he will roast the hell out of him

[@TheFunniBaconMan]

I'll always remember the moment that really made me think "This game is fucking amazing.", and that was when I was walking through the Northern Star and the dirty and visibly fungus-encrusted rooms legit triggered a primal instinct in my brain where I thought "If I touch anything in here, I'm gonna get a disease.", so I avoided touching or even getting close to as much stuff as possible, because it just felt wrong and reckless to not watch what I touched. AT SOME POINTS, I WAS AFRAID TO BREATH BECAUSE I THOUGHT I MIGHT INHALE SPORES OR OTHER PARTICLES.

[@judycavendish3853]

"That make the third reich look like the fourth doctor" comedy gold. never change.

[@dotnask0001]

Judy Manbavaran yeah hla takes place Russia

[@Robloxgamer-dp3ix]

I just like a British man swearing and yelling at everything

[@skunko1871]

Well then, you'd love gradeAunderA

[@alexion4010]

Move to London!!!!

[@ishouldhaveknownthejediwer17]

That's what we all do

[@Robloxgamer-dp3ix]

Heck yeah

[@TomTheSaintsGuy]

Ever heard of The Thick of It?

[@NGC008]

Frantic as always as well as entertaining. Thanks for sharing and keep’em coming.

[@matthewtalbot-paine7977]

I've been experiencing what I am calling vr head where my brain think I am still in vr and whenever I pick something up I move slowly so as not to punch a shelf or a desk or the ceiling irl but I'm already irl

[@SuperSocks7]

my guy, you gots to come back to us. We all missing u, i need more of that content that makes me laugh.

[@senzasmentalissues474]

Is he dead?

[@Numbers225]

Bitch it's been 2 months the hell you talkin about

[@lukerobinson2809]

He dead

[@DannyRice01]

Follow him on Twitter then

[@DannyRice01]

@@lukerobinson2809 nope hes on twitter today about the next video

[@mechagoblin8768]

Imagine if the internet contained actual demons. It would be a much more wholesome place.

[@Luke-ct1oh]

@@DasGutStuff To be fair, the first game took place in probably 2003 at the earliest [Citation needed], so I feel like downloading the internet onto a local server farm might have actually been possible to do.

[@Skibbutz]

@@G.Freeman92 the Black Mesa incident happens on may 16th 2003, according to laidlaws notes, and the 7 hour war/invasion of earth happend atleast within the timeframe of at most two weeks

[@downsjmmyjones101]

Demon: "Kill yourself" Me: "Shut up. I'm trying to farm so I can hit level 3 and gank bot lane. Once I've donated both buffs to the enemy ADC, THEN you can tell me to kill myself but not a moment before."

[@damion2312]

Mom: Who are you talking to online? Me: Just Shoggoth and Timmy Mom: I told you to stop talking to Timmy, that boy is a bad influence on you

[@Aspire198]

I like how onward or Pavlov do it. There's still an element of body presence in VR but it's transparent and things are still fairly simple to get to most of the time even when not looking. An example in Onward would you using the radio ( left shoulder) grabbing the map tablet ( back) or dropping your empty primary to pull your sidearm out.

[@ghostroulette]

9:19 those thingys were timed perfectly tro the music, thats cool!

[@BRUXXUS]

I LOVE that you showed how you got those smooth shots. The whole time I was thinking, "how the HELL did he get those shots?! Does he know something I don't? Does he have the SDK!?"

[@Jaimyoutubing]

BRUXXUS I was shocked for a second too, then immediately thought, “There is no way he doesn’t have this set on something.” So, when he showed how it was set on a chair, I felt so relieved, cause that would have been unnatural as hell if he could hold his head that still for that long while moving in-game.

[@bobmcnobb492]

I really do hate how he ignores how terrifying the Valve intro on this game is

[@JuneNafziger]

I honestly think it’s better than portal 2 or the lab

[@masmanlee6991]

Just the intro. The whole game has me squirming haha.

[@khalilb9864]

@hucker75 😐

[@Cobalt985]

@@khalilb9864 conservatives ruin everything

[@Cobalt985]

@@masmanlee6991 I'm actually reconsidering buying it because of the shit I saw in this video... 😅 but seeing as most of the stuff isn't actually _real,_ as in they're almost all alien, I think I'll be alright

[@X-SPONGED]

I'm thoroughly convinced that if Patrick Bateman was indeed a real individual in this world. Then this guy is the lovechild of The American Psycho and Tom Scott. [19:00]

[@snakekingblues3017]

wow you nail the whole VR thing near the end I've played game were you got to do the door open motion in vr but it never works right or reloading and saving a weapon on you hips or back

[@questionable3476]

Oh no, the science man is going cause an explosion in Half Life.

[@imatree4015]

Science man make boom boom?

[@questionable3476]

im a tree science man make big boom boom

[@LucentDragoon]

I finished playing Half-Life: Alyx yesterday (Samsung Odyssey+, in case anyone wanted to know if Windows Mixed Reality headsets work as well, they do). There were legitimate moments where I was manipulating the environment such as opening cabinets, moving boxes, etc., and I made a casual motion I would in real life such as trying to elbow a cabinet door out of the way or kicking a box I had just dropped out of the way so I wouldn't accidentally trip on it. I'd then have to pause for a moment to marvel at the fact I had just tried to do that because I was so immersed in the environment I felt I was truly there, even if only briefly. Being able to actually crouch and lean around corners for cover felt entirely natural. I would have liked to see more weapon variety, but perhaps it was better that Valve focus on the quality of the weapons they included rather than do a minimal job to include a bunch of guns.

[@lucidatrium3200]

I was wondering if WMR would work! Was there any restriction with the controllers?

[@LucentDragoon]

@@lucidatrium3200 WMR controllers are of course limited to using the trigger to grab things since they lack individual finger tracking, but the telekinesis to grab items at range still works pretty much as described in the video and I found it to work very well in general. (For right-handed players) The right track pad is used for weapon selection, the right grip button and menu button are used for some of the weapon actions like dropping an empty magazine. I played with teleport movement and increment turning since I have a limited play area, left joystick is your teleport to where you're pointing, right joystick is left/right turn and a backstep, didn't experiment with free movement but I would imagine it's still generally tied to the joysticks. You also don't have to grab things to manipulate the environment, for example if a cabinet is already partially open you can simply move your hand into the opening and push the hand outward, the cabinet door will be pushed out of the way as you would expect. Something the game doesn't really tell you is that you can actually hit things in melee with your hands/guns as well. In a frantic moment when I ran out of ammo I lashed out at a damaged manhack that was rushing at me and destroyed it. I wouldn't rely on it but it can be done.

[@sirashere4541]

Whoa that's Soo cool I wish I had a vr headset I'm not going to get one for a long-time

[@AlibifortheAfterlife]

Heh. In Boneworks that probably would've worked. Flawed as it was, I really wish Valve drew from it and I hope other companies that attempt full-length VR games in the future will.

[@scoutbite4334]

In half life 2 there wasnt much variety in weapons, so youd think the weapons would be great? Wrong, they're average at best. But the setting, like he talks about in the beginning has always been valves strongpoint. Its bloody brilliant being able to explore around and actually have to use a vehicle to get to the different locations, making you feel immersed without VR! so VR basically enhanced that experience by 10 and you find that that is what you get.

[@MegaLol2xd]

2:18 that Witch cry sound

[@Hacktheplanet_]

Watching your videos is like entering another universe where we arent getting fucked over so hard by bullshit game journalism. Honestly if the industry cared about quality and skill, you would be able to start your own game review company

[@idokein2]

13:11 "Decapitating zombies in Blighttown" Yeah.. I guess Ravenholm could work as a Dark Souls level

[@abramo7700]

you mean 13:11?

[@idokein2]

@@abramo7700 oh damn yeah! tnx!

[@Crusader1089]

Valve might have made the game easier because they're expecting a lot of players to be first time VR players. This would prevent the from frustration

[@qee4617]

It*

[@DisKorruptd]

exactly, players arent after a simulation, they're after a gameplay experience, if you have to be exactly accurate, that ruins the adrenaline rush you get from the battle, "shit! Reloading! I missed, still reloading. Hold on guys, gimme a minute, THERE! okay, carry on..." *begins shooting frantically*

[@takahashierik]

That makes sense for easy and normal, but they could have made the game more difficult in hard mode for experienced VR players, or even add a hardcore mode

[@GokouZWAR]

Exactly true! Nail with hammer!

[@tomfoolery2913]

Especially as dying is a massive immersion breaker

[@toamastar]

I have just found your channel and after watching a few videos.... subbed. Great content man! :)

[@1300mer]

Such great storytelling in your reviews!

[@TehJellyLord]

I played this game on my Rift S and it was still an outstanding experience.... And after beating the game, I also did the thing where I tried to reach out and gravity glove things towards me in real life... How did they make that mechanic so natural that I end up trying to do it in real life?! Must’ve been a paaaaaain to code lol

[@JJsWithJesus]

The same thing has happened to me with boneworks telekinesis, for some reason you always try to use stuff like that in real life after playing games

[@Spiggo97]

sometimes, when I'm searching something in a room, my mind want's to do CTRL+F before realizing that there is no keyboard, and that I didn't leave my keys in a random folder on my pc

[@borgkingerei6993]

"Eeeughh" "Matt what are you doing in there?" _nothiiing_

[@isla2202]

wow you watched the video too?!

[@FlashySenap]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the bottles filled with liquid. When I saw that the liquid had shaders acting as real liquid I spent a bit too much time playing with bottles in utter amazement!

[@supremeleaderfrancisco9062]

lol the bottles shaders were added as an update after this video was made but they are very cool

[@pgl79]

Really enjoying catching up on these videos - great content. Have a sub 😊

[@jayammons3834]

“Made the 3rd reicht look like the 4th Doctor.” This was brilliant.

[@detonatedmelon8213]

Someone should make a full length VR game like this, but from the point of view of a clone trooper from the Star Wars prequels. You could see the full scale of the Jedi and how insane the world of Star Wars can get.

[@Ersdown_Liberia]

*Hey!*

[@UNSCPILOT]

Starwars: Republic Commando II VR

[@Psilocybism]

Nooo not star wars.. AGAIN?! We need an assassins greed VR, or an avatar VR

[@LoxeBi]

Star wars; squadron did this, but for pilots.

[@Cazanu417]

nothing even close to triple a game like that is gonna be made for vr apart from alyx because valve made it without thinking about making a profit unless alot of people gonna purchase vr headset

[@mrrooter601]

15:50 I can totally understand not liking having a body in VR games. But for me personally it makes a huge difference in how motion sick I get. Honestly Boneworks and modded skyrim (with VRIK for a body) are the most comfortable games ive played. And IMO having to work around having a body in boneworks was part of the charm for me. I dont know if youve tried skyrim with VRIK and the newer mod HIGGS (basically gravity gloves) whch give your hands collision and let you pick up and grab anything (you cant even move bodies in default skyrimVR) And Ive felt that the hand collision plus having a body has been the best of both worlds. but it seems most games opt for just the hands, which is a shame, I really feel like it makes the game more immersive.

[@milodoesgaming1203]

We hit 1million let’s go Good job

[@thomastumyr5279]

12:06 i was in a call screensharing this, and the guy in call was extremely quiet as i was going into the dark. I asked him to talk and right after alyx asked russell to talk.

[@geimuvr]

"If a dimensional rift opens in a experimental test facility and no one is there to hear it does it start an eternal war with a multi-dimensional empire?" A classic philosophical conundrum, right up there with "What is the sound of one controller clapping?"

[@kennethchou4384]

Socrates was very passionate about those questions

[@geimuvr]

Kenneth Chou indeed. "the unexamined game is not worth playing"

[@littlelamp100]

anyone else really want to see him try lone echo? still one of my favorite experiences in VR and it came out years ago

[@lukalaa1764]

Coming to this bit late but: Hot dogs, horse shoes and hand grenades solves the inventory issue quite nicely in my opinion. It has small inventory slots underneath you that you just put an item to and let go. They light up when it allows to be dropped into the slot so you know when to do so

[@hunterhartman1559]

UpIsNotJump: I put on the Vive for the first time. Also UpIsNotJump: *Puts on Valve Index*

[@mikeshmit1363]

i mean he does have a vive so maybe he was lazy

[@matthewrames5741]

@@mikeshmit1363 or maybe thats the joke

[@teathesilkwing7616]

@@matthewrames5741 it can be both

[@alexisrivera200xable]

@@teathesilkwing7616 Its the joke of course! In reality he had the Vive first but when the Index came out he got it because the screen was better and the index's controllers were far superior in terms of tracking. (It tracks individual finger movements!) Alyx is a treat with that controller. That said I have played it with a windows mixed reality headset which is far cheaper than either and its really good and playable with no issues.

[@AndreasBaller]

16:18 "Your son's fired, Benny" He doesn't work here- "HE DOES NOW" My favorite joke of the entire video! Brilliant!

[@huxleyable]

So when Valve remembers they're a game development studio they hit a home run? WISH THEY'D REMEMBER MORE OFTEN

[@TheGodpharma]

Exactly. Sadly, sitting on your ass earning hefty commissions on Steam sales is a lot easier.