I’m sorry, but chances are we aren’t getting Half-Life 3 anytime soon. Also, it was definitely never going to be shown at an awards show because Valve simply doesn’t need that. You can, however, play a bunch of modern FPS titles that carry Half-Life‘s flame with great finesse.
Titanfall 2
If you know the basis of Titanfall, you’ll probably think I’m trying to deceive you, as big robot action is exactly the opposite of deep and smart FPS gameplay. Well, the industry seems to have fallen to a spot where you can only have one or the other, but Titanfall 2 is a miracle in that sense. It features some of the most enthralling sci-fi action out of any media, but it also infuses it with extremely fun and well-thought-out mechanics you don’t see anywhere else. You don’t even see anything in this game to the point of getting tired, as Titanfall 2 is so filled to the brim with well-executed ideas that it’s trying new stuff and challenging the player with wholly new mechanics in every single level.
Though its unbelievably immersive action might blind you to that fact, Titanfall 2 features one of the smartest and most brain-teasing single-player campaigns out there.
The Talos Principle 2
What if you want a game that’s even more of a brain teaser than Half-Life 3 would be? Then The Talos Principle 2, or the original, if you still haven’t played it, is the game for you. It’s absolutely gorgeous, features writing on par with what you’ve seen in the best FPS you’ve ever played, and will absolutely put your grey matter to the task. Whereas players won’t be doing any shooting per se, The Talos Principle games clearly have FPS in their DNA. They’re made by Croteam, the studio behind the equally awesome, but admittedly less smart, Serious Sam games, and their expertise is on display here at all times.
Interestingly, Croteam only got propelled to the big leagues after Old Man Murray, the gaming website owned by future Valve writers Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw wrote about how awesomely promising Serious Sam’s first demo was, so I guess you can really make the case for The Talos Principle being a true Half-Life torchbearer.
Prey
I love the original Prey, the one from ’06, and I wholeheartedly recommend you play it, even though it apparently already counts as “old.” If you want something new, however, something great, something that wears its many Half-Life influences on its sleeve, then you can do no wrong with Prey. Do you enjoy prop hunt style games? Well, the devs behind Prey at Arkane had the incredibly risky idea of using the concept of prop hunting as a central theme, and the strangest part is that it works. Though it feels and plays nothing like its predecessor, nu-Prey is a fantastic FPS about using one’s brain to navigate all sorts of lies, and, courtesy of a very original arsenal, also a very fun game at that.
Half-Life Alyx (Without VR)
This might seem obvious at first, but it is not. If it seems obvious to you, that’s because you’re fortunate enough to own a VR headset that allowed you to play this one upon release, and are now sad that you don’t get to enjoy anything of a similar caliber. Most didn’t get the chance to play Half-Life Alyx, a flawed but fascinating title, the first and only attempt at making a AAA game for VR.
It sucks that many didn’t get to play it, because it does take the first steps into what might one day become Half-Life 3, because it spent too long being gatekept by expensive tech. Now, while a VR headset remains the best way to enjoy Half-Life Alyx, players can play it without a VR headset with the help of a mod, and it’s great. It’s not as immersive, sure, but it still has enough of that Half-Life juice to remain more immersive than most games out there, so you really shouldn’t sleep on this one, especially if you want to be ready for Half-Life 3’s shadow drop.
