Yesterday, a new part of the legendary Half-Life series was finally released and the critics were full of praise. No matter if trade press or gamers – the majority agrees that Valve is a great success.
Despite initial doubts about Virtual Reality (VR) and the questions about “When is a real Half-Life 3 coming?” Valve has hit the bull’s eye with Half-Life: Alyx.
Half-Life: Alyx. Now Available. https://t.co/NCOLWqSp3e pic.twitter.com/uHAHmSVdXg
— Valve (@valvesoftware) March 23, 2020
Large audience on Twitch
Although the player numbers on Steam for the release of a new Half-Life title were low yesterday, but if you include the expensive requirement of VR accessories, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. “Only” almost 42,000 players had returned directly to the Half-Life universe for the release.
All the more the streaming platform Twitch will have been pleased. Up to 300,000 viewers watched simultaneously as the numerous streamers fought their way through City 17.
So the interest of the fans in a continuation of the Half-Life series is still undiminished.
Top ratings as far as the eye can see
But the game was not only well received in the streaming world. On the rating platform Metacritic, Half-Life: Alyx received a fabulous 92 rating from the video game press, but Alyx also scratched the nine-point mark in user ratings with 8.8. The verdict on Steam is the same: More than 95% of the players left a positive recommendation.
Both players and critics praise the fantastically implemented atmosphere in the VR title and the intuitive control options, as well as the numerous interactions with the game world. The German GameStar already called Alyx the “best VR shooter of all times”.
Will Half-Life 3 follow?
Developer Valve seems to be back on the road to success after the last failures with Dota Underlords and Artifact. So will Half-Life 3 finally see the light of day? The open end of Half-Life: Alyx at least gives us hope. Maybe this time the developer can do without the infamous “Valve Time”. In a conversation with Polygon.com, game designer Robin Walker at least hinted in this direction.
Have you been able to play the newest part of the Half-Life series yet? Or have you watched one of the numerous streams? Write us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
