There are two new hot games on the market right now. Plus, they are both in VR! Gamers are thriving in the new virtual realities of Iron Man VR and Half-Life: Alyx. In Iron Man VR, players become Tony Stark and fly around in his Iron Man suit. They shoot Droids and the main villain, Ghost, through the lens of a real superhero.
In Half-Life: Alyx, players control the protagonist Alyx as she escapes the Quarantine Zone. This zone is in City 17 and contains alien lifeforms. Both of these new games are rich and exciting. However, they both have their pros and cons. Let's take a look at some of the better things about Iron Man VR versus Half-Life: Alyx. Let's also take Stark's ego down a notch and dissect the not so better things.
10 Better: Plot
The original plotline in Iron Man VR is tough to beat. It stays true to a lot of the MCU version, but it also provides many new ideas. These new ideas allow anyone to jump right in and get the full Iron Man experience.
With Half-Life: Alyx however, players basically need to read up on the entire life stories of the characters. They won't understand anything that's going on otherwise. Who is Alyx Vance again? How did she get to City 17? The plot simply isn't as welcoming in comparison to Iron Man VR.
9 Worse: Technical Issues
One of the largest issues players are having with Iron Man VR is the loading time. The time players wait for the screen to load in between missions is awful in comparison to any game. Not just Half-Life: Alyx. There are a few glitches in Half-Life: Alyx where the game crashes during quicksaves.
It can also be a little patchy sometimes. However, these issues are nothing compared to the loading time in Iron Man VR. Players can take their headsets off and go for a run in between games while they wait. Tony Stark would be able to fix this in a heartbeat, but that can't happen, unfortunately.
8 Better: Grotesqueness
Players love a little blood and guts once in a while. However, Half-Life: Alyx takes this theme a little too far. Especially for a virtual reality experience. Half-Life, as a series, is usually on a horror-basis and not an action-basis.
However, players are becoming rather disturbed seeing bloody zombies and testicles up in their faces. They have to take the headset off to make sure real blood isn't on them! Players are in luck with Iron Man VR because it is just clean and simple Iron Man blasting. No need to worry about human remains and standing underneath tongs and barnacles. Don't eat before playing Half-Life: Alyx.
7 Worse: Physical Effort
Players expect to move around during a VR game. Iron Man VR goes a little overboard with this concept though. Players must continuously move their heads, arms, and wrists to during the game. Some players even complain about being in pain the next morning! The level of physical effort in this game is ridiculous.
It can even make players light-headed. On the flipside, Half-Life: Alyx does a great job of maintaining the VR experience without making players nauseous. In fact, many players who usually feel nauseous claim that Half-Life: Alyx is the only game that doesn't!
6 Better: Speed
An exciting scene in Half-Life: Alyx is when Alyx is traveling across the Quarantine Zone. The problem is, she is traveling across it for what seems like forever. Both the VR effect and the scene itself cause players to grow impatient.
Sure there are a few jumpscares and zombies to make it somewhat entertaining. Regardless, players feel stuck in this scene for much longer than they want to be. Iron Man VR is extremely fast-moving, however. Players are constantly moving without waiting for any action. Stark can't waste time, okay?
5 Worse: Difficult Playing Techniques
While many fans are applauding Iron Man VR for its creativity, they are finding it difficult to play. It is not difficult all the time, but still. There are many different features in the Iron Man costume that players lose track of. There are also so many weapons aside from the main ones.
Basically, players have to jump through rings of fire and juggle in order to keep track of the playing techniques. Half-Life: Alyx is much easier to play. It involves way less complicated VR techniques while still maintaining the experience. In other words, players don't experience physical pain the day after they play Half-Life: Alyx.
4 Better: Being The Character
VR games do a fine job of putting players in the characters' shoes. However, Iron Man VR is exceptional at this. In many superhero games, players simply hold onto the controller and press the same three buttons. They can kick, shoot, and punch. However, Iron Man VR allows players to actually feel like they are Tony Stark flying across the sky.
They can even see his breath within the helmet! A superhero who can fly like Stark is a blast in virtual reality. Even though Half-Life: Alyx succeeds with the virtual reality experience, it more so makes players feel like they are holding a real gun. Not like they are really Alyx.
3 Worse: Disorganization
Sometimes what makes or breaks a game is how confusing it is to play. Iron Man VR is great once it gets going, but its disorganization is pretty bad at times. There are many missions that players choose from. These missions are then in chapters. The main issue is that the home screen is where players go after their mission ends. Players often forget which mission they're on and have to search through the chapters.
It just seems like a complicated way to layout a game. Plus, there are many features involving the Iron Man suit. What if players want to just grab the suit and run? With Half-Life: Alyx, simply quicksave and wait for the next task to load.
2 Better: Entertainment
Not saying that Half-Life: Alyx is boring by any means, but Iron Man VR is hella entertaining. The main objectives are a lot of fun. Who wouldn't want to shoot Droids for hours? However, there are optional challenges players can partake in at Stark's famous California mansion.
Players can explore their surroundings, workout at a gym, practice fighting, and even play basketball! There are also some Easter eggs that players can spend hours on. Half-Life: Alyx has players dealing with surface tension and blast pits so they won't be snoozing. However, Iron Man VR gives players some pure entertainment which is sometimes all they need with VR.
1 Worse: Reused Ideas
It's not that shooting Droids and Ghost is not enough. It's just that it gets a little old after playing it every mission. Iron Man VR has many reusable ideas for its missions. There is not much deviation from the Droids and Ghost as fun as it is.
However, Half-Life: Alyx is a continuous journey where players constantly feel astounded by what's to come. There are various scenes and playing techniques that players use throughout it. This way, they are always experiencing something new. Iron Man VR offers what Iron Man is likely to do in a game, but they could switch it up a little.