INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightValveImage caption
Half-life remains one of gaming's best-known series, despite there not having been a
new title in more than a decade
Game developer Valve has announced a new title in its well-known Half-Life series of games
The next one, called Half-Life: Alyx, will be available in March 2020
More details are due to be released later this week.First, some historyGamers not born when Half-Life was released in 1998 may not be aware
of the hold it, and its various follow-ups, have on older players.Half-life rejuvenated the first-person shooter by injecting it with much
needed realism, a strong story and a memorable hero in Gordon Freeman
The potent combination made it hugely successful and it is widely regarded as one of the best games ever made.The love affair continued with
Half-Life 2, released in November 2004, which introduced a detailed world with realistic physics that players could exploit, via the game's
gravity gun, to solve puzzles or defeat enemies
It too regularly tops lists of best games
Valve has released extra episodes for Half-Life 2 but those who cut their gaming teeth on the two titles have eagerly awaited the third
Online, every hint about HL3 that has surfaced over the last 15 years has been dissected and pored over by fans.Image copyrightEpic
GamesImage caption
Gamers weaned on massive, multiplayer games such as Fortnite may find Half-Life a bit tame
Is the new game Half-Life 3?Not quite
Ars Technica reports that it will be set after the first game and before the second
A sequel to one and prequel to the other
Half-Life: Alyx is an entirely new game only playable via virtual reality
Valve has helped develop the Vive VR headset with HTC but it said the game would also work on the Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality VR
systems.As its name suggests, the game will focus on Alyx Vance - one of the main characters in Half-Life 2
The original game introduced an alien technological superpower called the Combine that, once it was unleashed on Earth by Gordon Freeman,
conquered the planet in a few hours
Alyx's father, Dr Eli Vance, became head of the resistance fighting the Combine's malign control, so it is reasonable to assume that the
game will deal with the early days of the fightback.Why is it only available in VR?Valve has a history of pushing the boundaries in PC
gaming and Half-Life: Alyx continues that trend
In addition, Valve has a vested interest in getting people to try, and buy, Vive headsets
The basic Vive model costs £499 in the UK, $399 in the US, and the higher-spec models in the range cost a good deal more.That high starting
price for VR gaming means only really dedicated, older fans have tried it
In addition, many of the games available to play in VR have been titles that would do as well on a flat screen
If Valve manages to make Half-Life: Alyx an immersive VR experience that exploits the possibilities of the technology it could mean new
gamers give it a try, said industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls from IHS Markit
"A Half-Life VR game will definitely increase consumer interest and awareness of the tech, and result in a bump in sales of PC-based VR
headsets," he said.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Valve has experimented with different control systems for
the Vive headset
He doubts it will fuel an "explosive" surge in VR sales simply because the cost of a headset, and a PC to
power it, is so high.What can we expect from the game?Valve has remained tight-lipped but there are hints about one aspect of the gameplay
In September, a leak from Valve's core gaming software suggested it was working on a novel control system called "grabbity gloves"
These will allow players to point to, attract and control distant objects - a bit like the force powers the Jedi use
The world in Half-Life: Alyx will probably be very responsive and open to manipulation via VR controllers.Who will play it?Good question
The gaming world has moved on enormously since HL1 and 2
Valve is still widely influential thanks to its Steam gaming platform and other titles such as Counter Strike, Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, Left
4 Dead and Portal.But players' attention is now divided between massively multiplayer games such as Fortnite, League of Legends, Apex
Legends, Call of Duty, Overwatch and many, many others
For many of these people, the arrival of Half-Life: Alyx may be too little, too late to tempt them into donning a headset and taking on the
