Half-Life: Alyx VR - PC (Steam)

This game is the most interactive, intuitive game on VR, and it also has a great storyline, just like the voice acting, and the horror aspect is great.

Half-Life Alyx is a 2020 VR first-person shooter developed and published by Valve. It was released for Microsoft Windows on March 23, 2020, supporting all SteamVR-compatible headsets like Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, and all Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

Gameplay:
While all the Half-life fans have been anticipating for Half-Life 3 release for over 13 years now, Valve & Gabe Newell didn't wholly disappoint them with Half-life Alyx with the series' return in a knockout VR (Virtual Reality) experience. The game comes free if you purchased Valve's own VR hardware line - Valve Index.
The tale of HLA follows the footsteps of Alyx five years before the events of Half-life 2 in which Gordon freeman wakes up from his mysterious stasis to find Earth colonized by aliens called the Combine. Alyx, the protagonist, daughter of Eli Vance, is stuck performing surveillance and recon for the anti-Combine resistance in City 17. The city is the same washed-out and decaying Eastern European metropolis as you visit in Half-life 2. It is immediately engaging to be back in City 17 again because it offers the unparalleled impression of VR. The initial moments are breathtaking & leave you dumb folded watching the scenery, striders pass by, and the city scanner is blinding you with the camera flash. The attention to details is far more incredible right-on as you can grab, hold, throw, interact with any sort of objects, using Alyx's virtual fingers and your controller. You can even pick up a marker to scrawl something on the dirty windowpane, and then use an eraser to wipe it off! And seeing Combine soldiers and Zombies in life-size is a different experience altogether.
Later on, both Eli and Alyx are captured, but a fellow Resistance member Russell manages to rescue Alyx, warning her that the Combine will transport Eli to Nova Prospekt for interrogation. After that, Alyx ventures into the Quarantine Zone outside City 17 to save his father with gravity gloves (similar to the gravity gun) to aid her mission. These gloves can manipulate gravity and help her to move objects on a flick of your wrists and grab them mid-air alongside with a remote device to hack into electrical systems and a handgun for starters. While exploring, you'll come across various enemies, including Barnacles, Manhacks, Headcrabs, zombies, Combine soldiers, and many others. Each enemy can be killed using your three weapons - Handgun, Shotgun, and SMG, there are also grenades. The game also features upgrades like Reflex/Laser sights, extended mag, Burst fire, etc. by finding a resource item called 'Resin,' which can be used at upgrade stations. Healing items include small injection doses that can restore half a health while finding an alien grub in a glass cylinder can be used on wall-mounted health stations to restore it fully.

Combat:
Gun battles are particularly simple in HLA. You have to physically mimic to reload your handgun, shotgun & SMG realistically like IRL. Against Zombies and Headcrabs, its often just aim and shoot, but when facing the Combine, you'll need to take some cover and manage your bullets sharply as each one takes at least 9-10 shots before dying. It's satisfying & enjoyable for a while but sometimes gets too repetitive as enemies aren't as aggressive as other HL games. Headcrabs are slow and predictable and rarely hit you accurately, while you fire at Combines, they stand idly taking damage, do not take any cover, or run away from grenades. Also, there is no melee combat in the game, which is ironic to the HL franchise since you carried around a crowbar as Gordon at all times.

Graphics:
The game runs excellently smooth, provided you meet the recommended specifications for the game. The game runs best on the Valve Index as it is particularly optimized for the same. As for In-game graphics, they are surreal with breathtaking detailing and contrasting from cramped spaces, broken apartments, with alien goo covered floor & walls and excellent lightning effects. The game also packed with many easter eggs (if you manage to find them!)

Conclusion:
Overall, If Valve reimagines the Half-life's Future in VR, then they will disappoint many PC gamers who loved the original First-person Half-life experience. While not getting our hopes high for Half-life 3, I must say Alyx serves as the perfect mediator between HL1 & 2. HLA isn't getting any non-VR mod officially so if you have the suitable hardware, this is a must-buy for VR enthusiasts and the best 13+ hours of gameplay you'll relive in Half-life universe. I can't recommend it enough!