"Half-Life: Alyx" will be released in March and here is the first trailer
It's not "Half-Life 3", but it's probably the next best thing that fans of the series could expect. "Half-Life: Alyx" is a game developed from the ground up for VR, set before the events of the second instalment.
Valve is keeping the running gag of never releasing a third part of a game alive. Although "Half-Life: Alyx" is set between "Half-Life" one and two, it is not an official sequel to the cult series. The release date is March 2020 and instead of the mute Gordon Freeman, you will take on the role of Alyx Vance, who already played a key role in part two.
The aliens known as The Combine have emerged stronger from the events surrounding the secret research station Black Mesa. Now they are working to bring the rest of the population under their control. Alyx is part of the resistance movement that is rebelling against the alien threat.
The trailer shows short gameplay clips that at first glance don't look much different from previous VR shooters. However, the level of detail and the degree of interaction generally appear to be somewhat higher. The game will consist of puzzles, discovery and combat. The obligatory headcrab that jumps at your head is just as much a part of the trailer as the Combine soldiers with their eerily glowing masks.
Players will also have the opportunity to create their own levels. Valve has reworked the Hammer tool and made it VR-ready.
Valve emphasises that "Half-Life: Alyx" was designed from the ground up for virtual reality. You won't be able to play the game without VR glasses. Users who buy the Valve Index before the end of the year will receive a few cosmetic pre-order bonuses, but that's it. HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality are still listed as compatible VR headsets on the Steam page.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.