Half-Life Opposing Force has a big new record for concurrent Steam players, as fans of the iconic FPS series unite to let Valve know we all miss Gordon Freeman.
I've only had a select few genuine "holy fuck" moments during gaming where I have genuinely been stunned. One being Mario 64 in 1996, the other being Half Life Alyx.
It's a shame it's in a medium that restricts how many people can actually play the thing. The VR-less mod does the game a huge disservice.
It requires a fairly good PC. I played it on my budget rig with a used rift s. I was very glad I don't get motion sick easily because it was very often well below 60fps.
It's not worth playing non-VR. To be blunt, all of the game elements other than graphics really kinda suck from a traditional gameplay perspective and are forgiven or ignored because of what VR adds. The levels are claustrophobic, the weapon and enemy variety is horrid, the AI was handicapped to make it easier to shoot in VR, there isn't even a jump button or melee attack in a franchise known as a boomer shooter with a crowbar-wielding protagonist. It's not a traditional Half-Life game and trying to play it as one will likely lead to disappointment.
The reverse isn't true, playing the VR mods for the rest of the franchise is a blast and there are plenty of amazing VR conversions for other games, so I find it saddening this is the direction Valve took for Alyx.
Its definitely not what you usually get in a half life game but I wouldn't say its not worth playing without vr. If you're willing to live with the differences then you can still enjoy it.