Yeah, this is pretty cool!
Alyx has this too (and I guess most other VR shooters would as well). In Alyx, you can actually drop the magazine and still shoot if you have a round chambered.
Not sure about regular melee attacks, but you can parry the chainsaw and ranged attacks by pressing LB (on xbox controller) at the right time.
It's actually surprisingly easier than I thought it would be, which is a relief.
And yeah, Hardcore is intense sh*t! Every f**king enemy encounter is making me fear for my life, and I won't have it any other way (at least for now ).
Also, how insanely good is the atmosphere in this