Half-Life: Alyx - 02 - The Quarantine Zone [Hard]
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- Chapter 2: The Quarantine Zone
As Alyx boards a train to intercept the Combine transport that is holding her father captive, it comes to an unexpected halt outside the Quarantine Zone, a sealed area of City 17 infested with Xen creatures and flora. With no choice but to enter the QZ, Alyx descends into the dilapidated and long abandoned subway tunnels of the old world.
Playlist with all completed chapters:
• Half-Life: Alyx - Full...
Notes:
- I am actually aiming down the sights of the pistol, but due to the eye dominance it shows it as being off to the side. I actually tested the capture from the other eye, and I prefer the footage that this eye shows. Let me know if it's bothersome
- My reloading is a bit slow because my left controller tracks very poorly when it goes over my shoulder. Hoping this will be resolved in future videos
- Headcrabs can be caught in mid-air when they leap
- Hard hats (1:09) will protect Alyx from getting snatched up by Barnacles (they grab the hat instead). I took it off because I don't like how it shows up in the video
- The pistol has a 10-bullet magazine but can also store one bullet in the chamber. It is not necessary to rack the slide if this is the case (otherwise, you'd be wasting a bullet as you eject the bullet when you pull the slide back)
- Some sort of Xen growth/tumor appears on some Zombies. Shooting these will result in an instant-kill (as seen at 14:22)
- The reflex sight (15:39) is a "meh" upgrade. It highlights enemy weakpoints, but it is very hard to line up the reticle in the sight quickly. Once I get the laser sight later on in the game, aiming down the sights will hardly be needed anymore
Trivia:
- As shown at 3:02, the health stations in the Half-Life universe during Combine rule use Antlion grubs as the medicine. This is a reference to HL2EP2, where grubs give Gordon a 1HP boost if he steps on/kills them
- The healing sound heard at 3:08 is reused from HL1 and HL2
- Baby Barnacles can be seen next to the adult versions at 3:48
- Barnacles sound much more animalistic in this game (3:58)
- At 4:31, Russell comments that "it's a miracle [Alyx] and [her] dad got out of [Black Mesa]". From HL2EP2, we know that it was actually the G-man who saved Alyx
- A dead rat can be seen inside the Combine power core at 8:43
- Tiny Tentacles can be seen at 10:04. Fully grown versions were encountered in Black Mesa and Xen back in HL1
- "Barnacle bowling" returns in HL: Alyx (12:17). In HL2's chapter "Route Kanal", players were taught to toss explosive barrels at Barnacles to kill groups of them very quickly, a tradition that is carried forth into this game
- Headcrab zombies are shown to be curious; at 16:53 a zombie is seen trying to decipher the Metro map. This was also shown in previous HL games, although not as frequently
- Due to the nature of VR, headcrabs are much larger in this game than in previous titles
- The mural at 24:03 summarizes the events prior to and after HL1, as well as foreshadows the events of HL2 (detailed description below)
- At 26:27, the painting on the top right seems to be the G-man
- Vortigaunts were first depicted cooking headcrabs in HL2 (27:46)
- The pod that closes around the Vort at 29:38 is the same style of prisoner pod from HL2
The Mural - Story interpretation:
- (24:10) Vortigaunts used to live a peaceful life alongside Antlions. It was previously revealed in HL2EP2 that they practiced Antlion husbandry and used the Extract from Antlion nests for healing purposes, among other things
- (24:14) The Combine attacked the Vorts' homeworld, leading to them fleeing. It is also worth noting that the Combine are depicted to already be using Synths like Dropships and Stiders, as well as headcrab shells, well before invading Earth
- (24:23) The Vorts are enslaved by an immensely powerful being known as the Nihilanth
- (24:33) The Gonarch, a large creature that produces headcrabs, is shown on Xen, the borderworld where Nihilanth and the enslaved Vorts sought refuge from the Combine
- (24:39) Gordon Freeman is shown wielding a crowbar and donning the HEV suit. The Black Mesa logo is also seen around him. This painting probably represents the Black Mesa Incident
- (24:50) Xenian creatures (Tentacles, Houndeyes) are shown, possibly being teleported onto Earth during the incident (The Tentacles seem to be drawn within the blast pit of the Black Mesa Research Facility)
- (24:53) The Nihilanth, alongside Alien controllers (part of its army) are shown to be defeated (In HL1 the Nihilanth's head opens up like a flower once Gordon deals enough damage to it)
- (24:58) The Vorts are freed from the Nihilanth
- (25:03) Freeman, a Vort, and another person (possibly Eli) are shown to be assaulting the Citadel, with a huge Lambda symbol coming out of the Citadel's Dark Fusion Reactor, referencing the events of HL2 and the eventual destruction of City 17
![Half-Life: Alyx - 03a - Is or Will Be [Hard]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TGUaSoDEEJc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Half-Life: Alyx - 03a - Is or Will Be [Hard]](/img/tr.png)
I like how Freeman's basically the centerpiece of the whole mural. Goes to show how much the Vorts really see him as some sort of Messianic figure.
Also, the brain-injured Vort is now my favorite Vort. Too cute. I need a Vort plushie. Now.
25:03 That's Eli and Alyx next to the citadel. Looks as if they are being teleported in or something.
I also like how the g-man is symbolically watching over you through paintings rather than physically being there at 26:25
24:19 the Nihilanth's Roar. Well done Valve.
Come to think of it it does sound very much like it. I always thought it was just the soundtrack or ambience.
I never realized before how much Vorts augment their body language with their little midline arm. It seems like it tends to follow the larger limbs in most expressions (like pointing and gesticulating), but when the main arms are stationary the midline arm can do its own thing (like pointing at the cooking pot at 27:51, or curled to the chest at 30:38.) God, I love when creators add little details like that to make their aliens feel... alien.
Totally, and it also does make them simultaneously more...human as well. I love how the Vorts in this game seem so much more realistic because of their increased animation fidelity
27:56 "I have a brain injury"
Ow
omg those tenticle babies from hl1 10:06
Yeah, I was freaking out when I saw them for the first time
@@mikeg8876 Fire the rocket engine. De-destroy that thing... before it gets any larger. STAHP!
29:57 and 30:44 According to the Combine Overwiki, the Combine's drilling impaired Gary's perception of time, so he couldn't tell what things had already happened and what things hadn't happened yet. Some of his dialogue made way more sense when I thought about it in that light. I think that is a really interesting concept. Maybe you could add it in the trivia in the description if you want.
Unfortunately, I have reached the character limit in the video description :( Interesting trivia for sure though! Poor Vort...
His names G A R Y ? :
Something that is unique is that from the viewer perspective it doesn’t look like you’re aiming down the gun’s sights, when you very clearly are.
I probably swapped the eye dominance and that's why the sights don't line up
My god this game is amazingly made. fantastic graphics, and when enemies get shot they stumble in a realistic way, it all feels like your actually in the game. the way npcs move and the way zombies stumble around is extremely realistic and amazing. not to mention the sound design, which sounds fantastic and reminiscent to previous games. the zombies make the weird distorted moans like the burning zombie sounds, but more regularly like as if the person taken by the headcrab is still alive and in agony. the combine soldiers sound just like they do in hl2, except you can understand more of what they’re saying. i wish i had a vr headset just to experience this masterpiece :(
In the last painting, it's surely Eli (Because fo the lost leg) but next to him, that's not Gordon, but most possibly Alyx, because it doesn't carry the Crowbar, but the Black Mesa logo on its chest. That whole thing is most probably the prophecy of the arriving of Gordon Freeman, seen in the point of view in Black Mesa East. There is where Alyx, Eli and the vort companion were when Gordon appeared, and the painting of the Citadel looks like it stills intact, not destroyed, but in an emergency alarm state (Activated), surely that represents the moment when Gordon left Kleiner's lab and got the crowbar by Barney.
You're right! That must be Eli, though I do still think the other guy is Gordon because of the masculine drawing - who knows maybe it is Alyx :)
In times of HL2 Alyx wearing merch-hoodie with Black Mesa logo under her jacket, so it is 100% image of her near Eli there
Timestamps for the soundtrack files
These are my guesses... they may or may not be 100% accurate lol
0:34 a2_entrance_gate_intro
5:45 a2_entrance_approach_gate
9:07 a2_entrance_open_gate
9:18 a2_entrance_opened_gate
9:46 a2_entrance_xen_dna
9:48 a2_entrance_xengene_lp_01
13:12 a2_pistol_drone
Note: The a2_pistol_drums* files seem to play in a loop that just fades in during close combat with the xombies, and fades back out afterwards. The transients are really tough for me to track, especially with the combat sounds... so these guesses in particular might not be accurate. a2_pistol_drums4 is also featured in Chapter "Is Or Will Be" when fighting xombies in the dark.
13:12 a2_pistol_drums2
14:13 a2_pistol_drums4 not sure of the exact time here, but I think walking into the doorway is what triggers it
18:28 a2_pistol_drums3
19:16 a2_pistol_headcrabs
19:42 a2_pistol_headcrabs_xen
22:53 a2_hideout_puzzle1
24:01 a2_hideout_puzzle2
26:00 a2_hideout_approach1
26:11 a2_hideout_approach2
26:28 a2_hideout_approach3
26:59 a2_hideout_entrance
27:21 a2_hideout_entrance_end
27:41 a2_hideout_kitchen
28:39 a2_hideout_door
28:46 a2_hideout_vort_prep_*
29:17 a2_hideout_alter
31:15 a2_hideout_northstar
“I have a brain injury.”
“My brain is injured!”
“Ow.”
I think what makes this funnier is that it’s like the reverse of what you’d say when getting injured
Ow.-receiving the injury
My brain is injured- CC realization of injury
I have a brain injury- acceptance of injury
Haha yeah, the delivery on that and its sequence makes it so much more funny
For people like me who don’t have the time to play nor money to buy the vr headset, your videos are great entertainment. Keep it up!
You are totally welcome dude!
The paintings around Freeman resemble the antimass spectrometer?
Good catch! I think it is.
Glad i discovered this channel. No details left behind!
Glad you enjoy the content :)
30:52
Valve brought back the classic Vortigaunt electric range attack! 😄
Fresh off of Black Mesa and yup, it's instantly recognizable. Super cool!
24:55 OOF, That must've been rough. Gordon killing the Nihilanth hit a huge impact on the Alien Controllers. It seems with the Nihilanth dead, the Alien Controllers life support shortly died after since they're like connected to the Nihilanth.
Even though in the Half-Life bad ending, there was still remaining bits of them, I doubt they lived that long after.
That's a good interpretation. I gather they are tethered to the Nihilanth as well. They likely did not live to see the light of day after the events of HL1.
The door seems to be set to autoclose after a minute or something.
You have the best playthrough of this game I've seen yet!
Thanks for the kind words!
I think the Vortigaunt’s “is or will be” isn’t just talking about Eli going to Fairview junction, but also his death at the end of ep2 and the whole timeline split. He either is dead, killed by the combine advisor, or will be dead, probably in the mythical hl3.
Most definitely. He "is" dead in HL2EP2, and "will be" during the events of Half-Life: Alyx until Alyx changes his fate.
Wow, a lot of references to the previous games. Particularly the Nihilanth, Gonarch, Resonance Cascade via Anti-Mass Spectrometer, Controllers, (future) confrontation at the Citadel, etc.
Mhmm. As a long time fan it was cool to see that mural
27:56
Five year old me trying to pretend to be sick to skip school:
"OW"
Do you think Hunters, gunships, and possibly cremators still existed during the time of HL:Alyx?
Cremators for sure, Valve originally intended for them to be in HL: Alyx, they shared some concept art of that. I'm sure the Combine had other Synths in place during this time as well, we just don't get to see them. If I recall correctly Hunters are mainly deployed in rural areas.
@@Sexy_Nutella woud’ve been sick seeing a cremator burn down zombies, baha!
@@green_lettuce or a Cremator miniboss fight. Those things look SCARY!
@@Sexy_Nutella god imagine fighting a cremator, or a hunter will only just your freakin’ pistol man!
Just bought this game and VR headset and I can say totally worth it. The immersion of real world is so strong that I need to switch my mental model about usual gaming haha. It's my first serious attempt to VR world so I'm playing like 20-30 mins per day to get used. How long do you play VR games in one session? Did you also feel a bit uncomfortable at first trials after wearing off headset?
I bought VR expressly because of Half-Life Alyx, and started off playing games like Gorn and Superhot VR. I was only able to play for an hour tops before feeling sick, but as I began playing through Alyx, it got better and better, and now I don't feel any kind of motion sickness even after playing for 2-3 hours. Valve did a really good job making sure that this game was as accessible as possible to anyone, from new VR users to experienced players.
Cooking! :)
SUSTENANCE!
This game is truly epic.
Agreed!
@@Sexy_Nutella It is a real groundbreaker.
"Iam alone in my head" what an interesting perspective, he clearly sees it as not ideal, i wonder if he knows every human is "alone in their head" 😂😂
Brah how can you move around like that and not be sick
Guys, don't you think the Alyx multi tool is a direct inspiration for the S.I.D from Avatar Frontiers of Pandora?
Not to be critical, but I actually saw moments where you completely overlooked some resin. Some examples are 3:23 and 3:58.
Also, you probably noticed this a while ago, but those Barnacles usually drop something if you kill them. Perhaps next time you play, you should kill every last one to see what you missed.
EDIT: Case in point, there’s nearly 300 resin in the game, and you need only 270 to get all of the upgrades.
8:50 what's a packed shawarma inside of that disks? xd
I think it's a rat with an oversized brain or something, but now I can't unsee the shawarma
Russell is essentially Wheatley...
at least you doing a good gameplay video. Most of these half life alyx videos the people playing it just suck
I am glad you find these videos good!
I don’t know why the capture device doesn’t record what you see through the right eye.
It's just the way that it's set up, you have the option of left or right eye.
@@Sexy_Nutella If you redo this, I recommend the right eye, since then we can see what you see.
4:20 nice.
Always love the little bits of lore.
Is it me or does the Vortigaunt sounded like Nyx Assassin from DotA 2?
Soy el primero de terminar de ver, buena jugada *Sexy Nutella* me gustan eso nuevos zombies
¡Gracias! Los nuevos zombies son tan terroríficos.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍