DISCLAIMER: Not recommended **in its current state** for VR veterans looking for a fully immersive experience. The issues I will describe below are all fixable.

I played for slightly more than 3 hours in a row. So far, I like it, but it is not blowing my mind, and it has a lot of issues. I think this game is excellent for newcomers to VR, but will not satisfy people wanting a more complete and innovative experience like Boneworks or The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners.

Let me explain before you lash out at me.

Environments, graphics, and atmosphere are amazing. Probably my favourite part of the game so far. The dialogue is a little bit too lighthearted at times (given the circumstances), but it is good as well.

My issues mostly stand with gameplay design decisions and lack of customization options.

The first thing I tried to do was smash a zombie on the head with a plank and then a metal tube. They just slid off of the zombie, causing no damage and reacting unrealistically. I found myself trying to punch headcrabs multiple times, doing absolutely zero damage. Not being able to use melee attacks was incredibly jarring and disorienting in a game that revolves around physics.

Smooth locomotion, which is the way I want to play, is also severely flawed. The walking speed is way too low. Please let me run away from threats. It just feels infuriating when Alyx is casually walking away from combines shooting at her instead of running. There have been situations where I wanted to sprint to cover, only to have Alyx slowly walk towards it.

There is no jump mechanic at all. What we get is just a teleportation mechanic that is insultingly called a "jump", without any animation or restriction. In fact, I found myself abusing the "jump" mechanic to navigate long corridors because the walking speed was just too frustratingly low. There are some places in the game where you are forcibly teleported (e.g. going through a window).

Smooth turning (which is my preferred way to play) is also bugged: toggling the in-game option doesn't do anything. Also, when you fall from a height you just float like a feather. That is incredibly disorienting for me, and ruins my immersion.

Inventory management and weapon handling is also extremely flawed. First of all, I can store infinite full magazines in my backpack, but as soon as I shoot a bullet, I cannot put the magazine back in my backpack. This is, again, infuriating. Let me deal with the consequences of storing a non-full magazine, if I want to. I can also store infinite resin in the backpack, but not a single grenade! This is absolutely an immersion killer. The "wrist slots" are quite inconvenient to use during combat, especially the main hand one.

Boneworks and TWD:S&S have an holster system which works much much more nicely. TWD:S&S also has an incredibly well thought-out backpack mechanic where you can hold any items you want with limited space. It is just silly that Alyx can carry hundreds of bullets and resins but only two grenades.

Furthermore, you cannot drop your gun at all. It is attached to your hand, even if you're not gripping the controller. Other than being immersion breaking, this means that you cannot switch hand from right to left to fire from a left corner without exposing your entire body. It also means you cannot throw your gun as a last resort to stagger or kill an enemy and so on. Also, you can't obviously dual-wield. Not being able to let your gun go is puzzling, especially since this game was designed for the Knuckles.

Before you say "but that would mean that people lose items behind by accident"... think again. Letting a gun go doesn't necessarily mean it needs to fall on the ground. It could be returned to your holster after a few seconds automatically in a non immersion-breaking way, via gravity gloves.

Weapons are selected through a menu. A menu! In a VR game! We've had plenty of releases showing how weapons can be stored in holsters attached to your body, or to your back. This is another immersion killer.

Finally, getting ammunition from your shoulder is very awkward. Most other games have a pouch either on the hip or the front which makes a lot more sense and is way more comfortable.

Another issue with the game is the insane amount of hand-holding and linearity. An invisible wall was blocking me from entering a dark area because I had no flashlight yet. Just let me go in if I want, and suffer the consequences! Invisible walls are the most immersion breaking thing, especially in VR. And no, some voice lines do not make it better.

It also seems, so far, that most puzzles and levels have a single possible solution. E.g. grab the yellow keycard, find the blue keycard, and so on. It would have been more interesting if there were multiple ways to progress further, or optional areas with optional puzzles a la Boneworks. Hopefully this gets better further in.

This amount of hand-holding is also completely against the spirit of previous Half-Life games. Imagine an invisible wall stopping you from going to the test chamber in Half-Life 1 because you forgot to pick up a HEV Battery from Gordon's locker, and having a scientist telling you that "maybe you forgot something in your locker". Just let me deal with the consequences of my actions, and learn from them!

To recap, these are my main problems with the game:
* No melee attacks at all.
* Smooth locomotion is too slow.
* Smooth turning does not work.
* "Jumping" is just teleportation in disguise, and can be abused to go faster.
* Forced teleportation in many areas of the game.
* Inventory management makes no sense (no limits for certain objects, severe limits for others).
* Forced to discard non-full magazines.
* Getting ammunition from over the shoulder is awkward.
* No ammunition pouch on the hip or front of the body.
* Weapons are selected through a menu.
* No way to holster my guns on my body.
* I cannot let go of a weapon.
* I cannot use my non-dominant hand to hold a weapon.
* Very linear and "hand-holding" gameplay.

I understand completely that accessibility to VR newcomers was a priority for this game. However, that doesn't mean that customization options for more experienced players could have not been added. I am very disappointed in seeing that a forward-thinking company like Valve forgot about a sizeable chunk of their fan base who love hardcore and immersive experiences, like their previous Half-Life games.

Nevertheless, the game isn't "bad". It's just "good". At the moment, I would give it a 7/10. I cannot recommend it for veterans like me, however, so this is why the review is negative. Hopefully these issues will be addressed in the future and I'll be able to recommend this game and update my review.


UPDATE: I played a few more hours, and the experience definitely hasn't improved. Graphics and atmosphere are still top-notch, however the gameplay issues are becoming even more obvious.

The smooth locomotion speed is just unacceptable for firefights. Combines were flanking me and I was only able to slowly walk away, resulting in a few deaths. Using the "jump" mechanic to take cover more quickly was almost a necessity in some of the shootouts, which took away from my immersion.

The lack of a real "jump" is also starting to show its problems. There was a tripmine low on the ground, and I assumed I could just jump over it. Instead the "jump" mechanic went through the laser and resulted in a frustrating death.

I've also encountered a game-breaking bug right after the Nothern Star hotel. I do not know how, but my left hand completely disappeared. I went back and forth to see if it was stuck anywhere, but it wasn't. Then I gave up and reloaded a save file. Even after reloading and completely restarting the game, the save file was corrupted. My left hand was there, but it could not interact with anything. It could not grab objects, or even use gravity gloves.

(Continued in comments...)

DISCLAIMER: Not recommended **in its current state** for VR veterans looking for a fully immersive experience. The issues I will describe below are all fixable. I played for slightly more than 3 hours in a row. So far, I like it, but it is not blowing my mind, and it has a lot of issues. I think this game is excellent for newcomers to VR, but will not satisfy people wanting a more complete and innovative experience like Boneworks or The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. Let me explain before you lash out at me. Environments, graphics, and atmosphere are amazing. Probably my favourite part of the game so far. The dialogue is a little bit too lighthearted at times (given the circumstances), but it is good as well. My issues mostly stand with gameplay design decisions and lack of customization options. The first thing I tried to do was smash a zombie on the head with a plank and then a metal tube. They just slid off of the zombie, causing no damage and reacting unrealistically. I found myself trying to punch headcrabs multiple times, doing absolutely zero damage. Not being able to use melee attacks was incredibly jarring and disorienting in a game that revolves around physics. Smooth locomotion, which is the way I want to play, is also severely flawed. The walking speed is way too low. Please let me run away from threats. It just feels infuriating when Alyx is casually walking away from combines shooting at her instead of running. There have been situations where I wanted to sprint to cover, only to have Alyx slowly walk towards it. There is no jump mechanic at all. What we get is just a teleportation mechanic that is insultingly called a "jump", without any animation or restriction. In fact, I found myself abusing the "jump" mechanic to navigate long corridors because the walking speed was just too frustratingly low. There are some places in the game where you are forcibly teleported (e.g. going through a window). Smooth turning (which is my preferred way to play) is also bugged: toggling the in-game option doesn't do anything. Also, when you fall from a height you just float like a feather. That is incredibly disorienting for me, and ruins my immersion. Inventory management and weapon handling is also extremely flawed. First of all, I can store infinite full magazines in my backpack, but as soon as I shoot a bullet, I cannot put the magazine back in my backpack. This is, again, infuriating. Let me deal with the consequences of storing a non-full magazine, if I want to. I can also store infinite resin in the backpack, but not a single grenade! This is absolutely an immersion killer. The "wrist slots" are quite inconvenient to use during combat, especially the main hand one. Boneworks and TWD:S&S have an holster system which works much much more nicely. TWD:S&S also has an incredibly well thought-out backpack mechanic where you can hold any items you want with limited space. It is just silly that Alyx can carry hundreds of bullets and resins but only two grenades. Furthermore, you cannot drop your gun at all. It is attached to your hand, even if you're not gripping the controller. Other than being immersion breaking, this means that you cannot switch hand from right to left to fire from a left corner without exposing your entire body. It also means you cannot throw your gun as a last resort to stagger or kill an enemy and so on. Also, you can't obviously dual-wield. Not being able to let your gun go is puzzling, especially since this game was designed for the Knuckles. Before you say "but that would mean that people lose items behind by accident"... think again. Letting a gun go doesn't necessarily mean it needs to fall on the ground. It could be returned to your holster after a few seconds automatically in a non immersion-breaking way, via gravity gloves. Weapons are selected through a menu. A menu! In a VR game! We've had plenty of releases showing how weapons can be stored in holsters attached to your body, or to your back. This is another immersion killer. Finally, getting ammunition from your shoulder is very awkward. Most other games have a pouch either on the hip or the front which makes a lot more sense and is way more comfortable. Another issue with the game is the insane amount of hand-holding and linearity. An invisible wall was blocking me from entering a dark area because I had no flashlight yet. Just let me go in if I want, and suffer the consequences! Invisible walls are the most immersion breaking thing, especially in VR. And no, some voice lines do not make it better. It also seems, so far, that most puzzles and levels have a single possible solution. E.g. grab the yellow keycard, find the blue keycard, and so on. It would have been more interesting if there were multiple ways to progress further, or optional areas with optional puzzles a la Boneworks. Hopefully this gets better further in. This amount of hand-holding is also completely against the spirit of previous Half-Life games. Imagine an invisible wall stopping you from going to the test chamber in Half-Life 1 because you forgot to pick up a HEV Battery from Gordon's locker, and having a scientist telling you that "maybe you forgot something in your locker". Just let me deal with the consequences of my actions, and learn from them! To recap, these are my main problems with the game: * No melee attacks at all. * Smooth locomotion is too slow. * Smooth turning does not work. * "Jumping" is just teleportation in disguise, and can be abused to go faster. * Forced teleportation in many areas of the game. * Inventory management makes no sense (no limits for certain objects, severe limits for others). * Forced to discard non-full magazines. * Getting ammunition from over the shoulder is awkward. * No ammunition pouch on the hip or front of the body. * Weapons are selected through a menu. * No way to holster my guns on my body. * I cannot let go of a weapon. * I cannot use my non-dominant hand to hold a weapon. * Very linear and "hand-holding" gameplay. I understand completely that accessibility to VR newcomers was a priority for this game. However, that doesn't mean that customization options for more experienced players could have not been added. I am very disappointed in seeing that a forward-thinking company like Valve forgot about a sizeable chunk of their fan base who love hardcore and immersive experiences, like their previous Half-Life games. Nevertheless, the game isn't "bad". It's just "good". At the moment, I would give it a 7/10. I cannot recommend it for veterans like me, however, so this is why the review is negative. Hopefully these issues will be addressed in the future and I'll be able to recommend this game and update my review. UPDATE: I played a few more hours, and the experience definitely hasn't improved. Graphics and atmosphere are still top-notch, however the gameplay issues are becoming even more obvious. The smooth locomotion speed is just unacceptable for firefights. Combines were flanking me and I was only able to slowly walk away, resulting in a few deaths. Using the "jump" mechanic to take cover more quickly was almost a necessity in some of the shootouts, which took away from my immersion. The lack of a real "jump" is also starting to show its problems. There was a tripmine low on the ground, and I assumed I could just jump over it. Instead the "jump" mechanic went through the laser and resulted in a frustrating death. I've also encountered a game-breaking bug right after the Nothern Star hotel. I do not know how, but my left hand completely disappeared. I went back and forth to see if it was stuck anywhere, but it wasn't. Then I gave up and reloaded a save file. Even after reloading and completely restarting the game, the save file was corrupted. My left hand was there, but it could not interact with anything. It could not grab objects, or even use gravity gloves. (Continued in comments...)