Doom vs Half Life: Alyx

[bfredric]

I can't be the only one who remembers the debate between whether Doom 3 or Half Life 2 was the "future of gaming" in millions

of ways. When I saw the Half Life: Alyx trailer, remembering that Doom Eternal was delayed from November to March (thankfully not

due to a leak) it gave me flashbacks, and made me wonder: Is there a meaningful difference between Alyx and Doom? Is gaming so

splintered that the differences between FPS's don't matter anymore? I don't see anyone talking about this (but I don't claim to be

an expert in gaming culture).

[snapshot]

Half-Life: Alyx is a VR game, Doom: Eternal is a flatscreen shooter, big difference I imagine. I don't think it's fair to compare Alyx with Eternal.

Edited August 5, 2020 by sluggard

[Higo Doragon]

both are seeking for different experiences and both are in different situations:

 

- half-life was in hold for 20+ years! some said that the franchise was dead... half-life alyx have set the standard for VR, is the proof that valve still worthy, and is the return from a very important franchise!

 

- doom eternal is a "really REALLY good" sequel to a mind-blowing game that set a new standard to reboots: "respect the original and celebrate it! but don't be scared to be your own thing"... doom eternal makes the thing that doom 2016 made and multiply by 200x... it REALLY does this own thing but still respect the originals!

 

- half-life alyx is a game starting a new and exciting way to experience games, we needed this!

- doom eternal is a action game that pushes and re-thinks what the FPS can do, we needed this!

 

see?

[snapshot]

23 hours ago, dragon's influence said:

see?

Right, the reason not as many people talk about Alyx as Eternal is because it's limited to a (currently) small niche platform (VR) whereas Eternal is available on multiple very accessible platforms.

Edited August 6, 2020 by sluggard

[Higo Doragon]

29 minutes ago, sluggard said:

Right, what I was trying to say is that the reason not as many people talk about Alyx as Eternal is because it's limited to a (currently) small niche platform (VR) whereas Eternal is available on multiple very accessible platforms.

yes! half-life alyx is more expensive, less accessible and more experimental then doom eternal, i agree with you!

what makes doom eternal good isn't what makes half-life alyx good... games are like music: some people can prefer metal over jazz, just have wild preferences like 8-bit and like or dislike random things for not apparent reason! hell! i don't like military shooters... i can't play one without saying "man i could be playing doom or other movement fps". and some times what makes a game good is different for other people!

 

what i meant by that is comparing games end with people fighting which others opinions and tastes saying that doom eternal is better of the action and other saying that half-life is better for the story telling and immersion... but in the end... good/bad don't exist! what's make something "good" is inside our minds... and humans have different minds...

[Chezza]

I remember the Half Life 2 vs Doom 3 debates. Hey they both looked amazing and introduced some notable tech into the gaming industry.

 

Doom 3: Had physics, insanely good lighting / graphics, intriguing monster designs.

 

Half Life 2: Had insanely good physics, good graphics and very intriguing world.

 

Both were sequels of very influential FPS games and had similar estimated release dates. I understand why there were such talks. Like Xbox vs Playstation.

[seed]

I can't tell the difference between apples and oranges either...

[Hellektronic]

Ewww, Half-Life Alex was VR based? I'm outta this thread, Doom wins, lol.

 

Ever since Half-Life 1 it's been like a dumpster fire at Valve except for Steam, and now VR's their thing? Man, just throw some gas on the fire, lol. If I was a HL2 fan I'd be PISSED.

 

But... it's been so long since HL2 I've grown cold and unfeeling, let it burn.

Edited August 5, 2020 by Hellektronic

[Biodegradable]

Half-Life: Alyx and Doom Eternal are like chalk and cheese. They're both trying to achieve radically different goals in their design philosophy, so what argument is there to even be made about them in terms of comparison?

[NoXion]

I'm probably never going to play HL:A for myself, but Doom Eternal is a much more accessible game that I already play. Doom Eternal wins this one for me, although I agree with those who say it isn't a fair comparison. 

 

From what I've heard Valve are still thinking of making another flatscreen shooter, so who knows maybe we'll get HL3 in the end.

[seed]

13 hours ago, NoXion said:

From what I've heard Valve are still thinking of making another flatscreen shooter, so who knows maybe we'll get HL3 in the end.

 

Yep, they said this in the Final Hours of Alyx, that they want to make a "non-VR, full scale Half-Life next", for both PC and consoles.

[bfredric]

But in that case which is “the future” of gaming? I just wonder if Vr headsets will be everywhere in 10 years like how Netflix dominated out of nowhere after blockbuster passed up buying them out 

[Biodegradable]

Well, now you're just asking a different question entirely. VR's still a long way out from becoming a more dominant hardware gimmick because, as of right now, the technology isn't perfect, fuck all games are being made for it and it's also woefully expensive which shuts out most of the market. Given how fast the industry is however, I imagine VR could make it to John Q. Public probably within the next 5 years or so. We'll just have to wait and see.

[seed]

That's an entirely different question, but no, I am also highly skeptical VR is the future.

 

There just aren't enough actually good games out there, and while the prices may drop in the future, it still won't do as they are too impractical. I've said multiple times that you also need an adequate room setup in order to use one, and if you can't provide that, you're buying one for nothing.

 

Besides, far too few people are interested into VR as a whole, like a whopping less than 5% of gamers worldwide even own a set in the first place. I have no interest in VR either, personally speaking, it's too much hassle, and demands too much player interaction and focus. I prefer to simply sit down or lay back and play something, no thanks.

 

VR will always be for enthusiasts, not the average gamer, that's never happening. It absolutely cannot be compared to streaming networks either... not even a valid point there...

Edited August 13, 2020 by seed

[qdash]

Doom Eternal is utter crap, they ruined everything good... and on another hand - Half-Life: Alyx is top quality VR product. Half-Life: Alyx, for sure!

[Faceman2000]

4 hours ago, qdash said:

Doom Eternal is utter crap, they ruined everything good... and on another hand - Half-Life: Alyx is top quality VR product. Half-Life: Alyx, for sure!

🙄

[MrDeAD1313]

VR is a blast. Half Life Alyx is alright. I've had more fun in much lesser known titles for VR though. Doom Eternal is a ton of fun but I don't find a whole lot of replayability in it. Two totally different experiences either way but both worth checking out imo

[Artman2004]

This thread is basically comparing apples to oranges. Sure, both apples and oranges are fruits, in the same way that DE and HL:A are both shooter games, but both are wildly different to each other and have very separate goals. Doom Eternal is a fast-paced arcade shooter that focuses on shooting and platforming. Half-Life: Alyx is slow-paced and story-driven rather than gameplay-driven. The two games are so different from each other that comparing them seems unfair.

[bfredric]

Interesting. When Doom 3 released, I remember magazines saying it had exceptional graphics and gameplay, but it was "too similar

to classic Doom" (irony in 2020) while HL2 was "innovative and ahead of its time." It seems we've come full circle.