When it was announced that Half-Life: Alyx would only be available on VR, fans were naturally disappointed. However, you can still get your Half-Life fix by downloading a mod that takes you back in time.
A new mod will bring you back to the Alpha version of Half-Life back in 1997. Well, sort of. It is not the real version, but rather a “reimagined” rendition from the mind of the creator. The mod painstakingly tried to recreate the design, layout, and mood of the original.
You can explore the chapter called “Office Warrens,” but with more puzzles and improved gameplay. For instance, the modder tried to improve the puzzles, so they are not “awful.” Meanwhile, the gameplay was also enhanced to match the commercial gameplay. The mod can now be downloaded on Moddb.com.
The mod also fixed the bugs and tweaked the aesthetics, so gamers don’t play it on nostalgia alone. In fact, the reimagined “Office Warrens” version is even longer compared to the commercial version of the Office Complex. For those who played the 1998 version, this would be Chapter 4.
Half-Life was released by the publisher Sierra for Windows in 1998. But it was already shown to the public even in 1997, particularly during the E3. The characters were developed with the help of Marc Laidlaw, a science fiction writer. It was originally intended to be released in December of 1997 but was postponed for the succeeding year.
In the game, you play Gordon Freeman, a physicist, and one of the few survivors of a top-secret experiment gone wrong. The experiment opened a portal, which allowed alien species to come in. You will have to fight your way out, but it won’t be easy. The military is also sent in to kill everybody at the facility, including the survivors. Here is the trailer of the 1997 version of Half-Life, which gives off a lot of Doom vibes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1JupoC4-EI
The game was revolutionary for its time, due to the unfettered control of the character. You are also seeing the world from a first-person perspective.
Meanwhile, Half-Life: Alyx would be out in March 2020, which is a boon for VR users. They would have to upgrade their computers, however. Early release shows that the game requires at least 12 GB of RAM and Windows 10. You also need an NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD RX 580 with 6 GB of RAM for the graphics.
