In mid-November, Valve took the web by storm with the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, a new entry in that fabulous universe, designed to get the most out of virtual reality systems. Now, this title is technically a prequel to Half-Life 2 (along with its episodes), and the team behind "Alyx" reached a conclusion: The best way to enjoy it is to replay the previous games. That means that for the next two months, the entire Half-Life franchise will be free, including expansions, the Source edition, and the Classic version of Team Fortress.
The calendar has a red circle over the month of March. We don't know the exact day yet, but all arrows point there. After twelve years and then some, the Half-Life series will receive a new official game. Gordon Freeman continues to be absent, but in his place will be Alyx Vance, whom we'll see doing what she does best: kicking Combine butt.
Half-Life: Alyx also brings a surprise up its sleeve: It's an exclusive game for virtual reality headsets. A complex and controversial decision given the current state of that market. Specialized media report that the Valve Index is sold out, but at a price of 999 dollars, one doesn't imagine too many units available. What do we do until then? The folks at Valve made a humble suggestion: Play the previous titles, for free.
That's right: The first Half-Life, its expansions Blue Shift and Opposing Force, the Source edition, Team Fortress Classic, Half-Life 2, and its two episodes will be free for the next two months. What does the fine print say? In essence, the games are "Free to Play", not "Free to Own", meaning you can't permanently add them to your Steam library (unless you buy them).
Anyway, it's hundreds of hours of entertainment ahead. From Gordon Freeman's arrival at Black Mesa to the damn cliffhanger that broke our hearts, any player who decides to explore the saga has their hands full. If that seems too much, no need to worry. The minimum needed to arrive well at "Alyx" is Half-Life (original or Source), Half-Life 2, Episode One, and Episode Two, though personally I'd add Blue Shift to better know Barney Calhoun, one of Gordon's main allies.
What are you waiting for? Enter Steam and start downloading. Here are the links:
- Half-Life
- Half-Life: Source
- Half-Life: Blue Shift
- Half-Life: Opposing Force
- Half-Life 2
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Team Fortress Classic
