Those who want to play the Half-Life series before the release of Half-Life: Alyx can do so for free on Steam.
Valve has announced that the Half-Life series will be free for everyone until the release of Half-Life: Alyx this spring. The games include Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Half-Life 2: Episode 2. The original Half-Life includes all of the game's DLC missions, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, and Source.
"Half-Life: Alyx is coming in March, and we are celebrating early by making all games in the Half-Life Series FREE to play for Steam users, from now until the day it launches!" Valve stated in an announcement. "Half-Life: Alyx is set before the events of Half-Life 2 and the episodes, but the games share characters and story elements. The Half-Life: Alyx team believes that the best way to enjoy the new game is to play through the old ones, especially Half-Life 2 and the episodes, so we want to make that as easy as possible."
For those who do not know, Half-Life puts players in the shoes of scientist Gordon Freeman. The game starts just moments before the lab that he works at, the Black Mesa Research Facility, gets invaded by unknown creatures. Gordon must try to escape the facility, and figure out what is going on.
The upcoming Half-Life: Alyx is a VR exclusive title. The game takes place between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, and sees players taking control of Alyx Vance as she works to organize a resistance against the Combine. The game will be a mix of exploration, puzzles, and combat. According to Valve, Half-Life: Alyx will be about the same length as Half-Life 2, meaning that the game should clock in at around 15 hours.
Half-Life: Alyx will release sometime in March. It is the first game in the series to release in over a decade.
