Reputator

I remember when Half-Life 2 came out, and caused a similar push for new hardware purchases. Only then that push was for faster processors and graphics cards, particularly DirextX9 capable cards like those from ATI, at the time heavily promoted alongside the game. But those kinds of hardware purchases benefited more than just one game, and would ensure a great experience with all games throughout 2004 and beyond. Imagine if the only thing that motivated Valve to create a new single-player game in the Half-Life franchise was the R-Zone, a horrible mid-90s headset made by Tiger Electronics that used shape-based LCD screens. The idea that "whatever motivates Valve to make a new Half-Life game is fine by me" is a pretty easy strain of logic to pick apart. Now I'm not saying that VR is the same as the R-Zone, but a more appropriate example would be the Novint Falcon, a force-feedback 3D controller released in 2007. HL2 Episode 1 & 2 were actually patched to support it, but the idea was a peripheral separate from the core performance hardware of your PC that would enhance the immersion of your games. In essence, the same concept as VR, just with the latter being a lot more robust. Now imagine if following the support of the first two episodes, Episode 3 released with exclusive support for the Novint Falcon, dropping the keyboard and mouse. It doesn't help any other games and the barrier-to-entry is bulky expensive hardware that, aside from Valve's game, is novel and under-supported. Valve wants this series to push the envelope, but I feel this time their free-spirited designers have revealed how out-of-touch they've become in the intervening decade plus, and the result is alienation through offshoot innovation rather than pushing baseline gaming technology that would benefit everyone. Again, if it were anything but Half-Life, it wouldn't feel like such a blight. Would we all love to have the chance to experience it? Sure, but for average folks it's about as out-of-reach as it comes, and though I probably shouldn't mention it, the timing couldn't be more inappropriate given the new economic strain many are facing at this moment in time. It sort of comes off as the rich flexing in the face of an increasingly squeezed middle class, and the parallels to ageless classism problems are unavoidable.

Goddamnit, looks like I'm gonna have to burn mine.

Also Valve:

"Would you kill your own brother for it??"

I've posted in the other thread my issues with it. It's not uniquely mine, but here it is: Half-Life fans for the last 13 years: PLEEEAASE CONTINUE THE HALF-LIFE FRANCHISE VALVE!! Valve: Single-player dead, hats make teh moniez HLF: PLLLEEEEEASE Valve: K, heres new Half-Life game, btw you cant play it!

mischaracterizing people's viewpoint to score an easier win!

Why would people like myself stop "whining" when this mod doesn't really make the game playable in any real sense? The game was designed from the ground-up to exclude 99% of PC gamers, and this mod doesn't change that.

I haven't been sold on any of these Minis just because I'd never want to play one on a modern TV, but I'm always intrigued by them.

Huh. I guess the Switch carts don't store any data, even for DRM purposes. I remember games on the Vita doing that.

I assume this issue goes away if you get another physical copy of the game?

My wife's been loving this game but she was confused when she saw an article talking about the game getting low scores. Turns out gamers have been review bombing this because it only allows you one island per console, and no other users can play it. I've never played this series, so I have no idea if that was even an option in the past, but on the surface it sounds really entitled.

It sounds like they want future Half-Life games to require VR headsets. Goddamnit.

Yes, it had to be a new thread just about this. It couldn't be one ignorable post in another of multiple potential threads already on this board.

Well it's been a while and I still haven't read it but now I really don't know if I'll have ti— ...well fuck.

Damn that was flawless!