A VR Retrospective – Half-Life: Alyx Review

THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE.

A little over a month ago, the long anticipated Half-Life: Alyx released to rave reviews, living up to the expectations built up from the 13 year gap since the release of the last Half-Life game in 2007, Half-Life 2: Episode 2. However, the game also has the burden of setting the new standard for Virtual Reality experiences going forward. As VR is still a relatively new and niche medium, Half-Life: Alyx is one of the few triple A titles releasing on the platform, and as it holds the Half-Life name, the entire gaming world’s eyes are looking at this game to determine if VR can really become the next big platform, or if it’s just another passing fad.

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action Review

Glitch City, 207X A.D. A futuristic city full of peculiar characters where you play as Jill, a bartender that works at a small but respectable bar, VA-11 HA11-A, or Valhalla for short. I heard about VA-11 HA11-A years ago when it first came out, and many of my friends and people online had a lot of praise for it’s story and characters, with the game often being called a “waifu bartending sim” (lol). I attempted to play it on PC before, but never got too far since I just never had the time to sit down and play though a visual novel type game. However, I got a PS Vita last year, and I found it so much easier to play the game on a handheld during my commutes to school (it’s also on Nintendo Switch!). I quickly fell in love with the world of Glitch City, and VA-11 HA11-A eventually became the first game I completed on my Vita!