Part 2 coming soon! Patreon: / leadheadyt Discord: / discord Second Channel: / porkbrain Twitter: / leadheadyt The music in this video is from the Half Life 2 OST by Kelly Bailey
yeah half a life later..... here I am lol it's been a lot of material I'm watching this playing black mesa listening to alyx at the end like wow that's cool her real person voice but black mesa and all the mods thank you so much for this franchise and hl Alyx it's amazing to see what's coming enticing
That commentary of how she loved playing Alyx in the end made her not being Alyx in HLA even more upsetting for me. I adore her performance as Alyx, and the new voice actress did a fantastic job. But Merle *was* that character and was very obviously moved deeply by that character. As a voice actor myself I understand this so much and I hope she gets another chance at Alyx in the future. This video was wonderful by the way, it perfectly describes how well they fleshed out her character and made her not just a badass girlboss that most media uses to represent "strong" women, but she has flaws, ambitions, grief, fears, motivation and she is stubborn even to her own detriment. That is not just a well fleshed out female lead, but a well fleshed out lead in general. Alyx is easily one of my favourite characters in any media of all time.
Indeed! Tyler McVicker's interview was an amazing deep dive, and also a sweet thank you to Merle Dandridge for being the voice of people's gaming experiences.
It's was always been this way tho, Dr Kleiner is such good friend he was with Eli ever since Black Mesa and all the way through the Seven hour War and now in the white forest
Deadass I get shocked at how much your voice is progressing with each video. Also, I honestly hadn't even realized alyx had been captured until breen revealed her. Not because she wasn't memorable, or wasn't a good character, but because I was too excited about saving the city to pick up on dog's obsession with getting you into the citadel being a sign she was in there.
I remember being around 12 years old and seeing Alyx pick me up off the ground for the first time. Before that, I'd only played games like Call of Duty 1, and GTA 3 (and other random PS1 kids games) The way her face was animated, it was real to me in that moment, and it was right there for me to see every detail. From the very beginning, I knew Half Life 2 was going to stay with me forever.
This brought a new light onto Alyx I never saw before, really well done! Kinda makes me sad to think they retconned the ending of ep. 2 as it really changes the growth wanted for Alyx within the story.
Not necessarily imo. Who knows whether or not Alyx from episode 2, that has been taken by the Gman, saw her dad die? If she did, that will be the last memory of hers before being put into stasis, and therefore all the things she could do in hl3 would be influenced by that, wherever she ends up being when the guy in a suit wakes her up
@@cinfdef yee :D I honestly can't imagine where they are going to go with the story, to be frank. Technically, the Gman posesses 2 different versions of Alyx: the 19 y/o he had taken out of her universe, which will probably just die cuz in that universe, there will be no Alyx, no Freeman, no discovery of the Borealis and therefore no teleportation tech for the Combine; and the modern day Alyx from Episode 2 The story could literally go anywhere from here
I adore Alyx and this is such a well made video! the community around this game can sometimes really shallow her down and its so nice to finally see someone with a simmilar viewpoint :)
I remember playing Half Life 2 EP2 on an Oculus Rift DK2 dev kit back when I was learning how to make games on it. I recall driving along in that little buggy, looking over to Alex who was my passanger and she looked at me with that same look as 21:37. I never felt more immersed in a game :D
No way, just last night I binged all your HL videos after one popped up on the side, thinking damn I wish she made more, and here it is! Very excited :))
If i had a nickel for every time a Leadhead viewer binged all her HL content the day before this dropped, id have two nickels. Which isnt alot but its weird it happened twice
Got to say, the one thing I hated about HL: Alyx was how they essentially retconned the ending of E2. Her losing her dad was horrible, but it was so impactful and important. It felt like it was stolen by the ending being changed. As if nothing impactfully bad could be allowed to happen. It felt cheap and still does when I look back on it, especially since it also made the pain she was going through so very down to earth real. As much as we can relate to her fighting aliens, the pain of losing family, losing your parents is something that all of us either went through or will go through. And wanting for it not to happen is only natural, but her being given a chance to actually do that...? It feels more like fan-fiction than a depiction of what felt like a realistic world. I hate it.
Honestly? I think it’s justified, but through the lens of Eli rather than Alyx. Eli is a character we don’t spend all too much time with, but he frankly is written as well as Alyx. What bothered me about the end to HLE2 is that a lot of potential was lost in exploring Eli as a character. What the end of HLA gives us is a chance to become intimidately familiar with Eli, much like what we got with Alyx. Eli being motivated in getting his daughter back carries a lot of weight as well. If you ask me, the problem is less in the fact that this change happened and more that it had to happen. As impactful as the death of Eli was, I think a lot of potential was lost in his death.
@@snosibsnob3930 I agree. But at the same time the lost potential is what makes death death. In general. I see why you would want it to be changed. But that's the point of why character death exists and what makes it tragic. Of course they could have just not explored that in the first place, but going that way means no back-tracking. If you backtrack then you cheapen not only the original impact but impact of ANY char death ever. It's like with any show or universe - the moment you introduce the concept of revival you do not have to care about the worth of life. Also same rule as what happens with plot armor and Eli's Death irreversibly introduced the fact that anyone could die including the positive characters in the story. If they haven't done that in the first place it would have actually been better cause there would be an implication that anyone could die, now there's an implication that if any one of the liked chars die they will be inevitably brought back sooner or later so you don't have to worry or care. Also now that I think about it, it's the same thing that Ned's death in GoT did. Think what impact it would have on the GoT story if in the very next book Ned got revived.
@@axelolord I understand how much of an emotional impact episode 2's ending has had on you, and that is valid. However, I would like to correct you, as we know from Valve themselves, there is no canon or non-canon in their games, so episode 2's ending is, in fact, canon. And not canon at the same time. The gman had split the timeline in 2 there, and the next game will explore the new one that has been created. The old one never went away, it is with you in that game whenever you open it. However, the issue with the old timeline is that Gman realizes that he and his employers can't work it out with Eli being dead. It was a critical mistake on their part that would inevitably bring about the destruction of Earth as well as many more problems they have tried countless times to fix. Therefore the employers authorised Gman to make a separate timeline, so the story may continue as it must to achieve their goals of bringing the Combine down
@@snosibsnob3930 Considering what the draft scripts for episode 3 were like, what would we possibly see? The fact that Alix turned away from everyone. From Mosman, who returned to the light side, from the resistance, who trusted her and her father's ideas. But the most important thing is that she turned away from Gordon, a friend who constantly helped her out even in the most desperate situation, even if it was death. And all she would do was refuse the offer of Mosman, who was supported by Gordon, would kill her and send Boreas into free flight, hoping to "revenge" the Alliance, forgetting one main thing: the Combine is not Advisors, synthetic hunters, Citadel, Overwatch, GO and beyond. They are just a branch of a system that has no end. As for the best part of Half Life Alyx's ending, is that it gives us a reason to pick up the crowbar again for one good reason. We have something to fight for. When I remembered my reaction to the ending for the first time, I noticed a strange feeling that I, like Alyx, had lost the important thing that kept ordinary Resistance fighters: faith and vision for the future. Kleiner did a great job of letting us know that things would go badly with Eli gone, but I think the G man said deliberately about "unintended consequences" to show one important thing: take the Crowbar or refuse? Get Angry or give up? Continue fighting or flee?
Everything Half Life after Laidlaw left will basically be glorified fan fiction with a corporate "official" stamp on it. Laidlaw brought a real thematic voice to the series that Valve can only imitate without him. Half Life 3, as a true sequel to Half Life 2, will never exist.
HL2 VR is an amazing experience. it really is... authentic in a way. things like "wow! the physics is cool!" or "woah, the characters look at me when in conversation..." or "damn, the citadel is huge! all happened on HL2, And VR allows you to re-experiemce all of those again
@@Anklejbiter it honestly felt DESIGNED for VR. The way puzzles and problems often seemed to require looking around and moving things, the atmosphere too, all just felt like I was "THERE".
@@Anklejbiter Yeah I dont get motion sick from moving around fast in VR games like sum ppl, I wish more of them gave u the option to move freely and at higher speeds if u want.
@@ThrottleKitty I mean there's always the console commands, but yeah same. I probably got lucky, but VR sickness is pretty much non existant for me. closest I ever got was spinning in subnautica, which was disorienting, but not sickening. And I got used to it. It's a shame that so many people get VR sick, there are a lot fo great experiences that just aren't available to some people... some people I know LOVE vr, but just can't play it.
@@madmonty4761 yea and that’s why you gotta let everyone know what you think by replying to every positive comment with how dissatisfied you are. Boohoo!
I wish more games included some sort of developer commentary. There are a lot of little details which go into game development that most people don't think of or notice. As someone who develops small games, it is interesting to know what goes into developing something like Half Life 2.
@@shellydrellyYe, trans folks generally will train their voice to sound more like their gender. Leadhead is mtf trans, so she wants to sound more like a gal
I've been watching you for a long time and you've motivated me so much. your videos are always amazing, and seeing and hearing you transition has been a huge inspiration :)
omg yesssss lately i have been soooo into the hf franchise again, that video, and the fact that it is a TWO PARTER is amazing. i think you are one of my favourite creators so i couldnt ask for more. love uuuu!
Hell yeah, I see Half-Life being appreciated for almost everything but it's characters, so thank you so much for the Alyx appreciation! I think about the scene with her trapped in the stalker car and the moment you share with her afterwards in Episode 1 a lot, it hits very hard for me.
In my first playthrough of Episode 1 when she made the zombine joke, chuckled to herself and then reacted like I was stoic, some other part of my brain took control and I found myself reloading just to chuckle with her the second time. It was only when I chuckled back that I realized what I'd just done and how silly it was. I've never done anything like that before or after that moment in any other game
What's crazy is she feels even more real in HL2 VR. I'm near the end of Ep2 in VR (dreading doing the Strider fight with the vehicle in VR but I'm committed to it), and I'm honestly going to just start from the beginning of HL2 and play through it all in VR again after I beat Ep2. No other VR game quite immerses me like HL2+EP1&2 in VR, not even Half-Life Alyx.
I absolutely love your way with words in general but the way you talk about the half life series is absolutely next level. Ive never played half life and wasnt around for that time when they were releasing and the growth of the fandom so I don't have the experience of why these games had such an impact in the gaming community. However, your videos talking about them make me fully understand how and why these games are such classics that affected so many people in so many different ways. I could literally listen to you talk all day about it and am super excited to see part 2!
I generally tend to watch analyses like this for games I've never played, so seeing someone whose videos I like do something on Half-Life (a series I've never delved into personally) is a welcome sight! I'm greatly looking forward to the second part!
She has done a lot of half life content before, its surprising this is the first one you've seen. But also go play the games!!!! it will be worth your time
I love this! Thank you, sometimes I don't even think about how the game processes and how important these small things are... and why it makes the games so much better. And best of all, it's very entertaining :D
This has nothing to do with the video, but I just wanted to congratulate you on the progress you're making with your voice! It is very inspiring and I wish you the best going forward. I haven't watched your videos in a while and this popped into my recommended, so it was a surprising change.
@@madmonty4761 are you aware of exactly why Leadhead's voice is changing? She came out as transgender and identifies as a woman. The reason I find the voice change to be a happy thing is because it is a sign of the progress she has made and I am happy for her as she is achieving something she has wanted for a long time
@@madmonty4761 what part of the change do you actually dislike? The voice or the content? If the content changing is the problem, that's understandable, but the different voice really has no bearing on the video, since it is still the same person making the content
I love this video, looking forward to watching part 2. I played HL2 and the episodes back in ~2007. I got stuck on the sentry level in, I believe, episode 1. As a result I feel like I missed some of the story curve. Hearing your take helps me put the pieces together :)
Glad to see you dig into Half-Life again. Also, if you haven't already and are able, try the VR mod. It's unbelievably well made and elevates the character moments with Alyx to new heights. She's also way, waaaaay shorter in Vr than I thought she was.
Honestly, my favorite thing about Alyx has never been that she’s a badass action lady or that she’s hot or anything, I’ve always loved her character because of her relationship with her dad, it’s just really sweet and such a good character dynamic.
I only now noticed that the Gman's "Time? Doctor Freeman" line perfectly picks up the final word from the last line that was supposed to be said but got cut off "C'mon Gordon, we might still have-"
it might just be the special interest in me but i genuinely teared up as you talked about how the player connects with alyx, like you were speaking about an old friend. god i love the half life series
I am super sad we never got to see episode 3. You nailed the analysis of Alyx, I really did grow to be friends with her throughout the game and it bums me out that much more knowing it's over.
It helps feeling like Alyx was my friend that Gordon never talks for me in the story. I really forgot sometimes that I wasn't playing as just me. If Gordon would interact with Alyx for me, it would have probably broken the affect.
WOOOOOOOO ALYX SWEEP, the sequel to this video is going to make me feel completely insane i just know it. there's almost no better essayist to tackle her
I adore this video and i ADORE epistle 3 as What Could Have Been so i am so jazzed to see part 2. I have been brainrotting on Half Life for months now.
I started watching this video while I was about half way through hl2 e2. I cried when Eli died, I thought Alyx was such a cool character and her connection with her father resonated with me a lot. This video was really well made! I love character analysis
24:05 "This idea of Alyx using her anger as motivation to fight" I know theory crafting isn't really the point of these videos, but because you said you're going to talk about Half-Life: Alyx, I hope you bring up the potential position she could have in the future of the series. Based on the events of HL:A, she could easily use her anger towards wanting to save her father as her motivation to do whatever the Gman wants her to do, even if it means being an antagonist to Gordon. In HL:A, as Alyx, we save her father as the Alyx who is five years younger than the Alyx we know in Episode 2, and the HL:A Alyx doesn't even KNOW Gordon. If the Gman wants to have his Alyx fight for him against Gordon, she'll do it if it means protecting her father. I bring this up mostly selfishly due to my thoughts on the split room section in the vault and my video on it, that no one else has really talked to, but was very pleased to see a couple of the big Half Life youtubers comment on, but I truly hope Valve goes in a direction that involves the Alyx that he hired be younger, and the Alyx Gordon knows being imprisoned and a different Alyx entirely.
WOAH! your voice is so fem now! please tell me what excerisises you did to achive it. also i like both of your old and new voice! that was one of the reasons i even subbed.
15:40 This reminded me of something that happened when I first played through Episode One on my 360 so many years ago. Look, I was a dumb stupid kid when I first played through this game. There was a room during Chapter 3 that I need to keep resting on over and over again. I got really frustrated each time I needed to start the whole room again, but then one time I started and I heard this zombie growl and I legitimately screeched out loud, only to realize that was Alyx making the noise just to lighten the mood. My horrible mood immediately went away, and I just felt happy to have a friend by me. I don't know why this moment in particular has stuck with me over the years. I think it was the first time I truly felt like a character in a video game was real for a moment. I know Episode 1 gets overlooked so much by fans, and maybe rightfully so considering how short of an experience it was, but I will always respect it for making me truly become friends with Alyx Vance.
I've been following your videos and I gotta say, the only thing your videos are good for is... Making me wanna play Half Life 2 again, for the thirteenth time. Seriously, what a masterpiece of game development. Also, your videos are good.
Thanks for a great video. I played parts of Episode 1 back in the day, but never finished it, nor did I return for Episode 2. I love Half-Life 2, but I can't really get over the fact that the story is unfinished. I don't want to start playing a game that I know will just suddenly end, and I hold zero hope that they will ever finish Episode 3. A part of me is annoyed that they never finished what they started - and that it wasn't because some dumb publisher cancelled the project, but rather a choice they made themselves. It's very frustrating.
Got into your channel because of the Transcend VR stream...so more to watch in the backlog. Also, glad to see the timeline for you being more comfortable in your own gender identity, and how it informs your consumption of media. So...yeah, Alyx is one of the best characters in the Half-Life series, and says a lot about the excellent writing and voice acting that went into it. So thanks again, later.
It just makes me sad that in this universe the original source Half Life 2 was never concluded properly. With the old cast and all. Really feels like a punch in the gut when I think about it. 😢
Half-Life 2 faces look so much better than just about any modern game I can think of. I think the emotive faces are an important part of the impact of the narrative, along with the voice performances and the material.
i recently did a playthrough of hl2 (and the episodes) entirely through gmod, and it made a lot of the more tension-filled scenes really funny due to the bugs and glitches gmod is prone to. in the intro to episode 1 with all the vorts i was laughing so hard because they were just t-posing around alyx. i super recommend it to anyone who has gmod (and hl2)- some sections, like the 'friendly rollermine' stuff, are completely broken- it's still good fun anyways
the first time i played the episodes so so so long ago (the episodes were rhe first ones i played lol) ive since then felt so connected with her and i didnt realize how real she felt. one of the best characters in any media ever. merle dandridge did incredible
I just noticed that both Alyx and Combines use the SPAS-12 in semi-auto mode, while Gordon always cocks the gun after shooting, at this point I think someone should tell gordon that he doesn't need to cycle the gun and that his gun is stuck on manual. Alyx should show him where the switch is.
@@devyn. Cant have a opinion over how much i hate the voice? Its not normal its like a machine trying to learn how to speak its not quite a women because there are hints of a man
Hey, this is unrelated to the video - which is very fascinating and enjoyable - but I just want to say I haven't watched your videos in a while, but I came back to this as the topic piqued my interest, and I've seen your progress on Twitter. Your voice training has come a long long way! As a young trans woman, I hope one day I can have results like yours.
