YOU HAD TO BE THERE AWARD HALF-LIFE: ALYX

The only thing more surprising than getting a new HalfLife game in 2020 was the catch that came along with it. Dipping back into Gordon Freeman’s universe (or rather, Alyx Vance’s) didn’t just require the powerhouse PC we might have expected, but also a VR setup. Ideally, Valve’s own Index – a remarkable bit of technology with a price tag about as steep as City 17’s infamous Citadel.

So, yes, it’s a shame that one of the year’s best games is also one of its most inaccessible. We still can’t quite believe that ending passed by with so little comment (and if you’re still unspoiled, please do try to stay that way until you get a chance to experience Alyx for yourself). But then Half-Life has always been about leading the firstperson shooter to places it’s never quite been before, whether that means cinematic set-pieces or physics-enabled sandboxes, so perhaps the step into VR isn’t so surprising after all.

And Valve’s stubborn refusal to offer a more traditional version of Alyx starts to make sense once you’re inside the headset, experiencing things that wouldn’t be possible outside it. Looking up at the aforementioned Shard-a-like – still under construction in this prequel – and really feeling its scale for the first time. Cupping hands over our mouth to avoid detection by a brilliantly Cronenbergian pursuer and realising we’re actually holding our breath. And, yes, reaching out for an iconic weapon in a moment 15 years in the making, and letting it slip through our buttery fingers.

It’s partly down to 2020’s very particular set of circumstances that Alyx remains so exclusive – we’re not about to be passing a headset slick with Combinedodging sweat to a friend anytime soon. Equally, though, what better year to release a game which requires you to entirely shut yourself off from the outside world so you can tour a virtual Quarantine Zone?