Actuality Bytes: Half-Life 2: VR Mod is a implausible adaptation of a traditional

Half-Life 2 was the primary recreation I ever performed in VR. Again within the early days of 2013, I used to be fortunate sufficient to get my clunky sausage mitts on an Oculus Developer’s Equipment – the prototype headset that ultimately led to the Oculus Rift. Understandably given the identify, there have been no video games for the developer pack aside from some extremely fundamental demos. However there was Half-Life 2, for which Valve had applied a uneven VR mode that you may activate with a little bit of console bling.

What you bought was this bizarre retro-futuristic expertise, exploring a grainy, letterboxed model of Metropolis 17 that was nonetheless completely there, enveloping your imaginative and prescient like a headcrab. Abruptly, the opening practice station turned an awesome, vaulted church of distress and implied menace, so that you just needed to crane your neck to see Dr. Breen spouting mix propaganda from his large, rectangular show. The Civil Protection took on an additional weight, making their shoves and riot sticks that rather more bodily. At one level, I dropped into some nondescript drainage chasm in Route Kanal, and my abdomen bodily buckled as the bottom rushed as much as meet me.

It was most likely probably the most cyberpunk factor I’ve ever achieved, a glimpse of the longer term seen via reminiscences of my previous. After which it was gone. The dev package went again to my editor, and Valve disabled Half-Life 2’s VR mode for causes I can not Google, because the algorithm has locked on the just lately launched Half-Life 2: VR Mod.

This new mod is a fan-made, Valve-blessed challenge that is free to obtain on Steam, however requires you to personal vanilla Half-Life 2 to work. Not like Valve’s spit-and-paper model of Half-Life 2 VR, it is a way more complete conversion, with contact controls, reworked weapons that work with mentioned controllers, VR-compatible menus, and a lot extra.

The sport’s opening has been tweaked barely, with the digital camera results eliminated in order that the G-Man stands fairly awkwardly in entrance of you as he reels off his stuttering monologue. However then you definately get off the practice at Metropolis 17 and search for at Dr. Breen’s exquisitely manicured beard once more. Now, although, you will have fingers that allow you to truly decide up that may (and truly throw it on the civil protection official’s metal-encased bonce). The VR mod would not characteristic the identical click-n-flick object-grabbing system as Half-Life: Alyx, opting as a substitute for a extra straight-forward “maintain down the set off to choose up”. That mentioned, you’ll be able to nonetheless seize issues from an affordable distance, that means you do not have to continuously bend over to gather ammo and medkits.

Different concepts have properly been borrowed from Half-Life: Alyx, similar to attaching UI parts to your fingers within the recreation. Your HEV go well with’s well being readout tasks holographically out of your left hand, whereas your ammo rely is seen at a look to the appropriate. The mod additionally borrows Alyx’s weapon choice technique, the place you maintain down the appropriate follow convey up the weapon menu, then hover your hand over the related weapon icon to pick out. The whole lot is designed to keep up the fluidity {that a} shooter requires. Firing a spherical out of your pistol round a nook after which shortly glancing at your wrist to examine your ammo is a really pure movement.

Talking of weapons, the true magic of the VR mod is in its reworked weapons. Not solely are you able to freely purpose and fireplace every weapon together with your fingers, they’ve all obtained new, VR-specific interactions. The submachine gun might be fired one-handed, however is way more secure when held with each fingers. Weapons are additionally reloaded manually, the place you pull ammo from over the shoulder and insert it into varied factors on the weapon. This works higher for some weapons than others. Inserting clips into the pistol and SMG is extra satisfying than, say, reloading the revolver. However the whole lot works and works effectively.

You possibly can line up noticed blades to slice via a number of zombies with terrifying precision

Different weapons are improved in numerous methods. Free of its jail on the backside proper of the display screen, Gordon’s crowbar takes on a brand new life, permitting you to bodily punch via ammo gadgets and hit manhacks for intercourse. However the spotlight, because it was when Half-Life 2 initially launched, is the Gravity gun. Not like most different weapons, that are barely tougher to make use of in VR because of the extra nuanced aiming necessities, the very analog nature of the gravity gun makes it even simpler to make use of than within the base recreation. You possibly can line up noticed blades to slice via a number of zombies with terrifying precision, whereas taking pictures explosive barrels at mix harvesters is as straightforward as respiration.

Briefly, the Supply Mod VR Group has achieved an awesome, nice job porting Half-Life 2 to VR. However we also needs to acknowledge Half-Life 2’s personal contribution to this mod. The sport’s extraordinarily easy movement makes motion very straightforward on the abdomen, whereas the physics-enhanced world matches completely with the tactile nature of VR. My largest considerations associated to the car sections, which I totally anticipated to show me inexperienced sooner than a shrimp smoothie. However I performed via all of Water Hazard with solely the slightest trace of nausea, which was as stunning because it was a reduction (by the way in which, the bit the place the chimney collapses in Water Hazard is an actual “Holy shit” second in VR.)

There are a couple of areas the place the mod struggles to cover Half-Life 2’s flat display screen origins. Among the characters look a bit of bizarre in VR. Alyx, for instance, is disturbingly skinny, whilst you can actually see the polygons in Eli Vance’s head. It is also value nothing that Gordon Freeman is canonically 6’2, so if like me you are what’s technically generally known as a “shortarse” this lends a barely bizarre vibe to a number of the character interactions. Extra usually, some mid-range and long-range fight encounters is usually a bit tough, as can sure sequences within the Route Channel the place you must battle whereas swimming in water.

However these are minor quibbles. Half-Life 2: VR Mod is a implausible adaptation of a traditional. For those who personal a VR headset, it is nearly as a lot vital as Alyx herself. However greater than that, it additionally clearly reveals why Valve selected to make the following Half-Life VR, past the arduous enterprise case of serving to transfer the Valve Index. Half-Life merely works effectively in digital actuality, the whole lot from world design to fight to the extremely tactile nature of its techniques. Who is aware of if we’ll ever see one other Half-Life recreation, not to mention one other VR Half-Life recreation, however till that day comes, it is a completely acceptable cease.