In this post-apocalyptic world, hell has quite literally frozen over. A freak ice age has decimated humanity and given rise to the Snowbreed, kind of zombie ice-people that freeze you solid instead of eating your brains. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to make a lot of sense, as it’s all just a vehicle to scare your pants off and give you things to shoot at.

The campaign revolves around slaying Snowbreed and collecting Harvest as you make your way from one safe house to the next. Each time you reach a place of safety you can spend the Harvest on upgrades and consumables such as explosives, as well as top up your ammo. There’s not a great deal of gameplay variety, but then even titles like Back 4 Blood are focus-designed to produce a very specific gaming high and this is no different.

What gives it the spin is that, in VR, shooting rampaging hordes of zombies feels more desperate and at the same time more cathartic. But it does take some getting used to, especially if you’re not accustomed to fast-paced action in VR. If you can handle the inertia of smooth turning, it’s not a million miles from a normal shooter. If like me you struggle to keep your dinner down during long VR sessions, then the teleport movement will help but immersion takes a knock.

Yet, blasting away with two guns, reloading as you backpedal to relative safety, or hurling pipe bombs into a charging mass really don’t get old. Playing with friends elevates the experience further, as the feeling of companionship and camaraderie in the face of overwhelming odds is nothing short of addictive. There are several settings to adjust for comfort, too, such as the height if your gunbelt and how you select different weapons.

I played After the Fall on two different VR platforms during review, with varying results. On Vive Pro 2, the graphics are crisp and the engine runs like melted butter on a crumpet, but the Pro itself is an expensive acquisition and requires a significant time investment just to set up. It also asks a lot in terms of space, which was my main struggle. On the Meta Quest 2, the graphics take a noticeable hit, but the freedom of movement and room requirements just make it more convenient.

Either way, the sound design is more important than what the world looks like. Neither version is bad-looking and there’s enough ambient detail to bring the environments around you to life, but the sound is where the atmosphere really excels. You’ll hear the distant hordes coming closer, gunfire has a visceral, jarring kick to it, and it’s a really immersive experience.

Weapon acquisition in After the Fall is interesting, and adds an element of grind that works well with the relatively short missions. As you explore and survive you’ll find Floppy Discs (this being an alternate history where the world ended in the 80s, which for many will be pretty on-the-nose). Each one can be used to unlock new weapons or upgrade existing ones. The recent Shock and Awe update added a Tommy Gun to the arsenal, for example. Vertigo have done a good job making each weapon feel different and unique, but honestly I just have more fun John Wick-ing everywhere with twin twin pistols.

The lack of a dedicated melee attack is somewhat jarring though. While there are tactile elements such as opening lockers and interacting with the environment, you can’t pick up a piece of 2×4 or baseball bat and go ham. It’s especially noticeable when you’re surrounded and you can’t punch or push the Snowbreed and have to just keep trying to backpedal or shoot them. Of course this is where playing as a team comes in, as you’ll need to protect one another to stay alive.

The simple mission structure, replyability and overall catharsis of After the Fall make it a triumph of VR gaming. Whether you’re on a state-of-the-art headset or a more affordable version, the action is fast-paced, satisfying, and stylish.

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And there’s the rub, really, right? There’s no getting away from the price of this thing. At a minimum of £700, though actually well over £1139 if you are getting into VR for the first time, that’s a whole heap of money to lay out. The lower price package gets you just the headset, with the higher layout netting you the SteamVR tracking base station and controllers. It’s everything you’ll need to get into higher-end PC VR gaming, aside the games, obviously.

Starting out or upgrading?

So what are you getting here? To start with, a major visual upgrade. The Dual OLED displays have a resolution of 2448×2448, which even the Valve Index doesn’t get close to with its 1400×1600 image. To be clear here, these are per eye resolutions, meaning the Vive Pro 2 gives a combined resolution of 4896×2448, compared to the Index’s 2800×1600 total. It’s impressive, and it’s ridiculously clear to use.

That said, the Vive Pro 2 tops out at a 120Hz refresh rate, again, upgraded from the 90Hz for the previous model. This is lower than the Valve index which goes to 144Hz, which also has a slightly wider field of view, as well. But honestly, when it comes to VR, as long as the refresh rate is decent (which Vive Pro 2’s clearly is), the resolution of the image is key to immersion, and that’s where HTC trounces all the competition.

What else is new?

In all honesty, aside from the technical upgrades, much of the Vive Pro 2 is similar to the previous 2018 model. This is no bad thing, as the Vive Pro is one of the more comfortable VR headsets out there. I’ve yet to find a headset that’s truly “comfortable” for wearing with glasses outside of PlayStation VR (which stumbles in other areas), but this is about as good as it gets. It’s as nice to wear as Valve Index, and way more comfortable than the Oculus Quest 2.

So while HTC hasn’t fixed what wasn’t broken, the controllers are starting to show signs of age. My aging memory may be tricking me, but I’m pretty sure the Vive controllers were the first I used with PC-based VR gaming. Since then, Oculus and Valve have improved on the design incalculably. It’s not that the Vive wands are bad, per say, it’s just that the Valve Index or Oculus Quest 2 controllers feel so much more natural, even down to a better weight balance.

READ MORE: We visited a brand new arcade in 2021, what was it like?

HTC Vive Pro 2: Setup and cables

The Vive Pro 2 is pretty compatible with your existing setup, too. Whether you want to stick to Steam or use the VIVEPORT software to play your games, it’s not too fussy. It’s a faff to set up, having barely changed from the original HTC Vive to right now. The thing is, now with HTC’s own software, I found the setup more confusing, with it seemingly trying to install despite already being installed. It’s worth the hassle, mind you, because there’s extra features in the Vive software that you won’t get inside of Steam.

You will still need base stations, as mentioned earlier. You don’t need to buy new ones if you have the Valve ones, as they’re the same thing. These connect to power points and that’s it, meaning you don’t need to connect them to your PC. In fact, it’s sort of a one-wire solution now. There’s a small hub box the single cable of the headset inserts into. Out the back of this breakout box you have a power cable, video connector, and USB connection. Things have moved on, and given how much it takes to run PC-based VR, this solution is just fine.

What about the games, though?

Every game I threw at the HTC Vive Pro 2 ran like a dream. The resolution means that titles like Half-Life: Alyx or SUPERHOT VR have never looked better. I even went back to try a bit of SUPERHOT on the Quest 2 just to make sure, and the difference was like night and day. Beat saber and Job Simulator are so clear it’s, well, almost unreal. There’s little to add, in many ways, because the best way to get the best VR visuals is with the HTC Vive Pro 2, because of the image quality.

That said, I would recommend people consider grabbing the base model, and getting Valve’s Index controllers instead. Because the Vive uses the Valve base stations, that means the controllers are compatible. It might be more of a faff, but when it comes to immersion, doing this will allow you the best of both worlds. The longer I think about it, the more surprised I am that HTC hasn’t changed the controllers up for the Pro 2. The headphones are decent, too, but they lack a little low end. They’re also a bit awkward to position. Regardless, playing games on this thing is a treat.

HTC Vive Pro 2: Who is it for?

Ultimately, the HTC Vive Pro 2 is for people who are serious about VR. But also for people who have a pretty beefy computer. The age old question of “is VR worth it?” or “are the games there yet?” is probably largely still up for debate. But the truth is you won’t get experiences like Half-Life: Alyx anywhere else other than in a headset.

There’s no question that this is an expensive entry point, and frankly, a pretty pricey upgrade as well. The resolution available makes it the best VR headset without question. On the other hand, it’s still a faff to set up, and the cables are still heavy on your back. The thing is, price and the few quibbles aside, this is the VR headset to beat. Astonishing visuals, a better refresh rate, excellent software, and terrific tracking make it pretty much the unbeatable VR solution for PC. It’s a slightly hard sell for people who own the Vive Pro however. But people who have been using older VR hardware will find this a startling upgrade.

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The main premise of Pistol Whip is to get the highest score possible by picking levels – or scenes – to play through and shoot in time to the music. Each level has a different theme and setting. Espionage, anime, and science fiction are only a few of the inspirations for the level design, and each one has a different track from a wide range of artists off the Kannibalen Records label. Whether you’re a fan or not, the thumping dubstep, electro, and trap tunes make your eyes water in the best way imaginable.

Remember that scene in the first John Wick where he makes his way through the nightclub in search of Iosef Tarasov? The heaving beats and flashing lights, the river of bullets, the excitement. Pistol Whip delivers this kind of experience, but turns up the intensity to levels you never knew possible. Taking the responsibility of having to run means your sole responsibility is shooting the bad guys and dodging bullets. You’ll start off with one pistol, and as you move through the different scenes (which there are loads of), three enemy types will appear. Some will only take a single bullet to take down, others two, and the final one requires at least four bullets to make them disappear.

As the beats ravish your senses, firing bullets in time to the music nets you more points. If you get shot, you can replenish health by killing enough enemies in quick succession. Reloading is easy, whereby pointing the gun down to the ground refills your magazine. Sometimes you’ll be firing at more than five people at a time, at the same time trying to dodge bullets. A simple move of the head will get you out of the line of fire, but trying to shoot and evade enemy fire can be particularly challenging. Walls and low ceilings will also require you to duck and move out of the way, making Pistol Whip as much a workout than a shootout.

There’re are a surprising amount of options to make the game harder. Modifications like Deadeye mean you don’t have any assistance when firing at your enemies. You can choose to Dual Wield two pistols with the Move Controllers, but you’re rewarded for accuracy, so it all depends on what your play style is. You can also remove obstacles allowing you to focus solely on shooting, but this will take 20% off what your score would be if you were playing without these modifiers. You can also play around with your gun controls, including an option to chance the recoil. All of these options make Pistol Whip more challenging, forcing you to weigh up the risk and reward of your choices.

I love the aesthetic so much. It is one of the nicest looking games on PSVR, and has a mix of different styles that feel familiar as well as original. Every environment reacts to the music – like a heartbeat – as the rhythm moves in time with every beat. I enjoyed every level. Some are harder than others. Some are more intense whilst others opt for endurance, but they all offer something special. What I did love about Pistol Whip is the option to play any level at any time, meaning your not limited by progression. If you’re struggling with one you can move onto the next one without frustration seeping in.

There’s an element of customisation in your pistols which adds a nice touch to how your weapons look as your fire them off at your enemies. You can chance the colour and pattern, as well as select a range of gun styles. You can even change the sound of when you pull the trigger, including that satisfying silencer squeezing well-placed bullets at your enemies. It’s no surprise that Pistol Whip is heavily inspired by John Wick, so much so that there’s a Baba Yaga Collection of guns straight from the movies. If you didn’t feel like the legendary assassin before, you certainly will now.

Pistol Whip is my favourite PSVR game of all time. The excitement of moving through the gorgeous levels whilst firing your gun in different directions, all whilst listening to an exhilarating soundtrack make it feel like nothing I’ve played before. With three difficulty levels, multiple gun controls, and various modifiers, you’re given plenty of control in how you play as well as making the game as challenging or as easy as you want.

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The current Doctor, played tremendously by Jodie Whittaker, is trapped at the far edges of space and time. She manages to get in contact with you whilst you’re in the local launderettes and tells you that things are going to go bad, fast. What follows is a mix of completing arbitrary puzzles across five stages, each with a different setting. Connect wires correctly to open passages, redirecting lasers, and opening safes are just a few of the puzzles you’ll solve, and for the most part are relatively simple. Movement on the other hand is the biggest irritation regardless of how you prefer to play. You can adjust settings so that you can move around freely, or use the teleportation mechanic, but it’s so slow. There’s an option to move faster, but it doesn’t feel like it at all.

For a series that often relies on running away from an enemy, you’ll move like a slug in tar. It became increasingly frustrating the more I played. There’s also no way to move back when using the Move controllers, so either switching between 22.5, 45, or 90 degree angles is about the best option you have. There seems to be no particular reason why movement is so restrictive, and constantly moving slowly ruins the immersion and takes all the fun out of some of the game’s finer moments.

Speaking of those finer moments, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time provides some excellent guest service for fans of the show. Watching as the opening credit sequence plays out means you’re moving through the colourful time tunnels whilst listening to the iconic theme music. Subtle references to past doctors are also lovely, and walking around the TARDIS provided a nice touch. The Weeping Angels appear in one of the chapters, and having to deal with them in VR gave me a bloody heart attack. It’s done ever so well, adding a sense of horror I wasn’t expecting to see. Not only that, but the Doctor’s oldest enemy, the Daleks, also play a role in the story, and when you hear them for the first time outside the launderette, you’ll get goosebumps.

A lot of the sections require you to interact with certain objects, but it’s hard to know what can be touched as there’s no notable difference, other than when you move your hand over it and it glows white. When you’re struggling to find what to do next, the voiceover – whether the Doctor or someone else – just won’t shut up talking. It’s off-putting and really frustrating if you think you’re doing what you’re being told only for nothing to happen. An early puzzle set on the TARDIS almost caused me to headbutt the wall because the control panel was so fiddly, with tiny buttons and levers I needed to push that I struggled to interact with.

It feels like Maze Theory has played it as safe as possible, trying to focus more on fan service than actually making an intuitive VR game. The puzzles are dull, the movement is painfully slow, and the story is lacking any real bang. Think of the filler episodes where there’s no overarching story progression, and the aliens are unoriginal or just plain ridiculous. It’s by no means a terrible game, though. Some of the locations are pretty, and the atmosphere can be really tense. It’s a shame we don’t actually get to see Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor that often, and that almost all of her dialogue is delivered via audio only.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a plain adventure that doesn’t push the boundaries of virtual reality. It’s more about fan service than it is about anything else, but it does have moments where it shines, particularly when the Weeping Angels pop up. If you’re a big fan of Doctor Who, you’re going to enjoy visiting the TARDIS, bumping into the Daleks, and swinging around the Sonic Screwdriver, but even then the excitement wears off rather quickly.

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It’s rather tricky to try and explain what’s going on in A Fisherman’s Tale, but I’ll have a bash. You are a puppet fisherman living in a model lighthouse, where your human counterpart exists above you, mirroring everything you do. The main goal is to turn on the light at the top of the lighthouse to save any fishing ships nearby (as a huge storm is coming). The mysteries uncovered throughout tell a story that not only deals with the danger of bad weather on a rocky ocean, but one of a much personal nature regarding the relationship between a father and his son.

In the first few chapters, your movement is mirrored in the model lighthouse, and if you look above you an even bigger version of yourself and the room also moves in sync with you. It’s hard to explain, but the puzzles require items from each version of the room to solve. You’ll be tasked with feeding a fish sardines, building your own ship, and fixing pipes that flood the lighthouse, to name a few, and the way in which you solve them requires some real thought, as well as plenty of patience.

Take the ‘pipes’ puzzle for example: there’s a small box with a pipe you can hold between your thumb and your index finger, but when you drop it into the model lighthouse, it falls from above you and becomes a bigger pipe that you can pick up and use to place into the piping mechanism. When you feed the fish sardines it asks for a bigger one, so you pick up a small one and drop it into the lighthouse again to have a much bigger one fall from above. You’ll also need to reach into the model lighthouse to pick up a captain’s hat, and grabbing it makes it shrink, but that’s good because it’s needed to put on a talking crab.

The puzzles become much more extravagant, and the constant change in what’s needed and how to acquire it gets rather difficult to keep with, and the controls make it even more laborious. If you pick something up and try and turn, and the item gets stuck between you and a staircase or a wall, the item will drop and you must wait for it to respawn, which can take a few minutes. Movement is point and click/teleportation, so free movement is non-existent; having that freedom would make things much easier and less frustrating.

As things progress the narration can become tiresome, and hints don’t always activate so you’re often struggling to work out where to go, but not all puzzles are that difficult. There’s one puzzle towards the end where you must light three lanterns, and I almost gave up because of the controls, not because the puzzle was hard. You can reach further by pressing one of the buttons on the move controller, but it became too finicky, and I wanted to scream. It’s a shame because not every puzzle is that awkward or exasperating, but when the matchstick you’re trying to move around doesn’t move at all the way you want it to, A Fisherman’s Tale becomes awfully irritating.

The game is designed beautifully, and even though the visuals aren’t particularly great, what it does with your surroundings is rather special. There are cutscenes that tether each chapter together and, being a big pussycat when it comes to being afraid of the sea, I had to close my eyes when you find yourself underwater during a terrible storm. The story that unfolds becomes quite interesting, but as the game ends it all feels somewhat abrupt, and you’re suddenly watching the credits not entirely sure what A Fisherman’s Tale is trying to tell you.

Nonetheless, the physics-based puzzles of A Fisherman’s Tale are beyond smart, and the level design is wonderful. The music is subtle yet moving, and the whimsical story grows darker as the game progresses. I enjoyed it, but there were times when movement became uncomfortably frustrating. That being said, it’s still certainly a game I’d recommend.

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Arca’s Path strips back VR to its fundamentals, with your head as the only controller. It’s a simple yet effective approach to gaming, never requiring too much thought but offering a challenge nonetheless. The purpose of the game is to guide a ball around various courses and through checkpoints with your noggin, collecting crystals if you wish, eventually reaching the end and moving onto the next level. Its simplistic mechanics mean that it can all be done as you sit back in your armchair and get lost in a rather pretty world, listening to a soothing soundtrack at the same time.

There are 25 levels in total, and whilst none of them are irritatingly difficult, it does take a bit of time to discover the nuances of movement. A green triangle represents exactly where you’re looking; if you look well in front of the ball, it’ll roll at a faster pace than if the triangle appears only a few inches away from it. Many of the earlier levels can be navigated easily as some of the pathways have barriers up, but as you progress platforms need to be carefully crossed or you’ll fall into oblivion.

Platforms move up and down, bridges will need to be nudged in order to lower so you can cross, and weird pyramid-like pillars require you to hit them to bring up ledges and more. There’s other stuff like breakable walls and halfpipes that you’ll roll down, where speed will pick up and your movement will need to be controlled effectively or you’ll drop the ball and restart at the last checkpoint.

The environments never differ drastically, but their designs continue to provide new challenges. The art style of the worlds looks very much like Tearaway, which is welcoming to the eyes. The biggest issue that comes with trying to appreciate the visuals is that you can’t just look around because you’re constantly having to monitor the ball. There is an option for you to press the Touchpad, but that negates the promise of only needing to use your head as the controller.

You can play through each level with the goal of just getting to the end, but there are various paths that let you go back on yourself and explore a little, thanks to the collectible crystals scattered across the world. I really appreciated the more open sections as it allowed me to test the movement to its fullest when slaloming down steep ramps, but when having to slowly manoeuvre around tight corners with no barriers there’s still a challenge to undertake.

Outside of the main mode, there’s a Time Trial mode if little else. It’ll take about 2 to 3 hours to finish the whole game, and I found little reason to go and play again, but if you fall in love with the simplicity of Arca’s Path, these Time Trials will push you to the limit. It is a puzzle game that can be played across every VR device, and a wonderful entry game to those people who have never tried VR like your Gran or you cat (please don’t strap the VR unit to your pet – Ed).

Arca’s Path is a relaxing puzzler that uses head-tracking controls in an effective way whilst still providing a challenge. Its pretty world and calming soundtrack are soothing and enjoyable, and whilst it can become repetitive due to the similar style of level design, it’s still worth a go.

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What makes it even creepier is the presence of a mysterious guide known as The Warden, with a head made up of triangular shards, and a voice as unsettling as the Luteces from Bioshock: Infinite. You’ll never quite know when he’ll pop up, and it all starts to get a bit weird, but you need him to try and work out what’s going on – he’s all you’ve got.

At the very start of Blind, Jane and Scott are driving down a road that’s being pummelled by the rain, when suddenly you’re involved in a car accident. The next thing you know you’re in a mansion, everything in black and white, and you’re struggling to see. Being blind, you’d have thought that meant almost everything would be at least difficult to see, but much of your surroundings are visible despite the odd blindspot. Sound illuminates areas that are near it, and after unlocking the ability to use the cane earlier on, everything becomes visible if only for a few moments.

You can use the move controllers, but having a standard controller is much easier, using the left trigger to control the cane and the right to pick up items and investigate them. Depending on the strength at which you press the left trigger, the louder or quieter it’ll strike the ground. Make too much noise and it could be a problem for you, but press it softly and you’ll not see further than a few feet away. The constant pangs of light and constant readjustment to what you see actually made me feel nauseous, and ever since I’ve played VR this is the first time it’s affected me. There’s a lot to focus on while you can see, and once it cuts to black again, your eyes take a bit of a hammering.

The puzzles in Blind aren’t at all straightforward, often being obtuse or void of logic. It was one of the first puzzles I completed that had me exploring a room for well over 30 minutes to try and work out what I was supposed to do. Even though there was a gramophone playing the voice of The Warden into the room seemingly giving me clues, none of them were to clear enough to be deemed useful. There was a stand in the middle of the room with an ornament of a woman on it, and three shapes that looked as though specific items were to be placed there. One of the items was relatively easy to recover as it needed me to manoeuvre a ball around a maze to unlock it. The second was much harder.

After removing some of the paintings on one of the walls, two dials were found, and like a safe I had to twist them in the right way to open a panel there the second shape would be. The thing was, there was no indication how I had to move them, no hints – just a case of trial and error. I didn’t know how many times I had to move them and in what direction, there was just a scratch mark on the wall that must have been some kind of a clue; I still don’t know how I did it. The third required me to repeat a melody of the piano music playing on the music box. This wasn’t too tough, but the previous puzzle had left a bad taste in my mouth, thinking to myself if all puzzles were like this I wasn’t going to enjoy it.

Many of the puzzles require far too specific answers, and I began to fall out with Blind fast. It’s not the fact you’re playing whilst suffering from visual impairment either, just the answers were often too hidden via myriad curveballs. Some items within the puzzles are often required to be placed in slots, but the controls are often difficult to use, especially when picking up and placing in the required position.

Blind is a pretty game with nice art direction, but the puzzles let the game down. The manipulation of light is tough on the eyes, and the echolocation could do with some work as well. It’s always disappointing when a game with so much potential gets bogged down by its ideas, and this one is no exception.

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I’m not going to talk too much about the game itself, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has already been expertly reviewed by GodisaGeek, but I feel it would be remiss of me to not say that it’s an absolutely mind-blowing title. The game’s world is stunningly beautiful. Managing to be gorgeous yet brutal, serene yet terrifying all at the same time. Then there’s the use of binaural audio to give you positional awareness of your surroundings, along with using them to bombard your senses with the voices inside of Senua’s head.

It’s these voices which hit home with me.

Having them keep telling Senua that she should turn back, that she can do nothing except fail, but all while having that one quiet voice right at the back that’s saying “well, maybe we could…” is exactly how it feels from time to time. Couple this bombardment of the senses with the movement associated with the use of VR and you have an experience that can make the user feel totally overwhelmed and nauseated. Which is a good thing when the aim of the experience is to make the player feel exactly what Senua’s going through.

Now, onto the VR, which is why we’re all here.

The VR aspect to Hellblade: Senua’s sacrifice is clearly a labour of love from the people over at Ninja Theory. This is proven by the fact that it’s free for anyone on PC who own the game, but also in the little aspects that you can see in the game. For example, you’re not forced into a first person perspective as you may expect, the game still plays like we’re used to, however, you’re free to look around anywhere you want. The cool part is that where you look, you can see Senua looking there too. Giving the sense that you’re still controlling the character, despite being able to see her.

Controlling Senua can also be done by looking where you want to go. Pushing forward is done on the controller, but then the user can look in the direction they want to walk, and Senua will arc her movements into that direction. Of course, you can still perform all movements with the controller should you wish, but it’s nice to have the option to control the game simply by looking. Speaking of control methods, using the Xbox Controller (or a similar controller connected to the PC) is definitely the preferred method of play. The VR system I was using was the Oculus Rift, and I have the Oculus Touch controls, and while moving around the game world is absolutely fine using this method, the combat is an absolute shambles. Some attacks are on one controller, and some are on the other. I’m not too disappointed about this though, there’s no hand movements required in the game, so there’s no need to play using tracked controllers, and when the game starts it even suggests you use an Xbox One controller so I shouldn’t have been too surprised that using the Oculus Touch controllers was a hot mess. Still, I was curious, so I tried it.

As Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is quite the intensive experience, it’s recommended at the start of the game that the player takes regular breaks. About a ten minute break for every half an hour of play. I know that most games have a warning similar to this, and I also know that most of us toss that warning wantonly into the wind, however, I would advise against that with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. It’s very easy – due to a combination of the auditory assault and the VR motion – to start feeling quite nauseous, quite quickly. These little breaks, ensure that you can mentally place yourself back into the real world a little, before getting back into the action. Don’t miss the breaks. You’ll thank me in the long run.

The biggest downside for me was the fact that some of the game’s cutscenes were shown in a 2D style, flattened to a single plane as if you were watching it on a cinema screen inside of the headset. While I understand that the was a choice made in the pursuit of a stronger narrative, and making sure the player wasn’t aimlessly looking around while they’re trying to be shown important story beats, there’s no denying that it sucks you right out of the massively immersive experience.

On the opposite end of that scale, and important note has to be mentioned about the times when Senua talks to the voices in her head. In those moments, she looks directly into the camera, directly at you, and because of the headset and being able to naturally move your head around the environment, there’s little denying that it truly is YOU that she’s talking to in those moments. I’ve never felt so much a part of a game before. It was a truly mesmerising experience. In fact, in a moment early on in the game when Senua asks you to give back her “beloved”, and puts her hand on your face, you’d swear you could feel her touch. This moment, in particular, had me taking a break from the game for a little while. I was so immersed that, after it, I was left emotionally drained.

It really is that good.

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Although it lasts little more than an hour or so, COTPOTA is full of neat ideas, giving you the chance to move like an ape, outwit the guards trying to protect the facility, as well as allowing you to feel the prejudice and resentment the humans have for them right from the get go. The climbing mechanic is very responsive, having you move your arms across drain pipes, walls – grabbing onto anything you can in order to sneak past the humans.

You move your monkey hands to a highlighted platform or object to grab it and pull the trigger, then move your other arm to grab the next one in front. Walls are easy to climb too: you scale it as though you would in real life, which gives you a great sense of freedom. The only issue with movement comes when you walk or run. A white outline of 139 appears in front of you, and you have to click it to move towards it, followed by moving the left and right move controllers to run towards it too. It’s not awkward, as such, but it does take away the freedom that offered when you’re not on the ground. VR is still finding its feet as a medium, however, so in time this could possibly be eradicated for future releases.

New mechanics are offered the further you play, such as when you beat your chest to attract a guard, taking out guards from behind, and picking up a gun and firing it like a monkey Rambo, but beyond the actual segments you are introduced to them, rarely do you get to try them out again. It feels like a great starting point to make more VR, but I wish there was a bit more, especially shooting. There’s still plenty of enjoyment to be had, mind you. Having knowledge of the films helps you to enjoy it more, but you can still take away a lot with the smart mechanics and controls of it all.

The visuals are pretty good, too, even if it’s only really based in the dank facility. The animations of the apes is excellent, and meeting up with Bone and Spear is a particular highlight, as you feel like you’re there with them, going through this great escape together (or ape escape, if you will, ahem). The human characters aren’t that fleshed out, but given the short run-time, you’re not really playing for a deep story, you’re playing it for the experience.

Crisis of the Planet of the Apes VR is great, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has the best movement (and some of the most realistic) I’ve seen in my fledgling VR journey, with some lovely little touches to make you feel as though you’re doing it for Caesar, for the apes, and the survival of life itself. The need to reach the end is made more necessary due to Sergeant Richter being such a douche, and the friends you make along the way make this one well worth playing, even if it is on the short side.

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There are four beautifully rendered locations, all stunningly detailed and, if you own a PSVR or HTC Vive/Oculus Rift headset, you can have a good look around at these places as you sit beside the chess board. There’s a limited ability to do this while playing on your TV too, but that’s more about seeing the intricately designed pieces on the board. You can see the incredible level of detail lavished upon every square, and even on the surrounding room(s) of each locale. You can even play along to the sound of a hearthfire crackling peacefully. It really is beautiful game, from the surroundings to the pieces themselves.

Chess Ultra_20170412100914

Those pieces come in a variety of different styles too, from traditional wooden figurines to checkers (complete with icons representing each piece) and even ornate pieces seen on the sort of boards I’d imagine might be in the drawing room of an old mansion in a Sherlock Holmes film. The old Basil Rathbone ones, not the newer takes on the character. Each style choice comes with its own selection of custom options, like playing using metallic pieces or even jade figurines. There really is an awful lot of choice for a simple game of chess, but this alone helps to differentiate Chess Ultra from the rest.

Now, you can be forgiven for thinking you might just jump into a game from there, and you can if you fancy doing so, but there are far more options than that. For instance if, like me, you haven’t played chess in about 18-20 years and need a refresher course, there’s a raft of in-depth tutorials that are perfect for that. They range from the most basic movement explanations and what the general rules are, to specific moves that are designed to teach both newbies and veterans alike. Some are worded a little poorly though, which can lead to a bit of confusion when you’re trying to work out how to simply play chess. Nothing too frustrating, but it’s irritating nonetheless. More advanced players will likely pick them up far more easily, however.

Again, you can be forgiven for thinking that you might get right into the chess games, now you’ve learned how to play or your memory of the game has been jogged, but there are still more options than that. There are several challenges designed to test your knowledge of the game or even help you to begin thinking three moves ahead. There are historic challenges that feature classic matches from the 1800s all the way through to the 20th century, which begin at a set point in the game, tasking you with winning in a certain number of moves. On top of those challenges, there are “Mate in 1” up to “Mate in 7”, which are probably self-explanatory, but I’ll explain anyway. These are essentially puzzles, laying out certain pieces in a specific way and you have to work out how to get to Checkmate within the allotted move limit. This isn’t as easy as you might think (unless you’re a master of chess, in which case you’ll probably think I’m an idiot and, well, you’d be right) because sometimes you simply won’t see the solution until after you’ve tried a few different approaches. The more moves needed for Checkmate, the more difficult the puzzles become and it’s a great way to bring something different to the table, instead of just bog-standard chess.

Beyond the challenges, we finally arrive at the standard game of chess. If you’re a solo gamer, the AI has ten different difficulty levels to choose from and all of them work very well. The easiest levels will challenge newbies a little, allowing them (and me) to ease themselves into the game before moving up to tougher levels, and these ones will probably beat you several times. You’ll get a feel for how to think ahead and watch for weaknesses in both your opponents’ and your own games. You won’t always have much time to think though, especially when playing in the (sadly online-only) tournaments, that use timers to keep things flowing. There are even 24-hour timers that can be used during general online play, giving you a full day to make your move, like an updated version of postal chess from ye olden days. This makes for a more relaxed game, which is kind of a big part of chess as far as I’m concerned.

Whether you are just starting out or have been playing for decades, Chess Ultra offers a comprehensive and content-rich experience that can challenge players of all levels. And damn, is it pretty.

The post Chess Ultra Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

In between the dialog you’ll have a chance to put what you’ve been told into practice. In doing this it means you leave the tutorial with a genuine understanding of what is expected of you in each of the four command stations. This will be vital in your adventures as it could be the difference between your ship becoming a burning wreck or a thing of legend.

The four command stations consist of captain, engineering, tactical officer, and helm. The first on the list is the most vital in the game and the one that is handed the most control and responsibility. As a captain you need to make sure the ship stays organised. When you’re commanding AI this is a simple, albeit slightly fiddly affair. When human players are there, though, you’ll need to be vocal and clear with your commands whilst making some tough decisions.

Engineering is in charge of power allocations and repairs, which will be important if you want a bit more speed to the engines or a bit more oomph to the shields. Tactical is the brawn of the outfit with the power to turn the shields on and off, fire weapons, and analyse targets. Finally you’ll be relying on helm to get you from A-to-B and maneuver you out of tricky situations.

It’s easy to develop an understanding over what you need to do in each role, although it will take a few missions to feel comfortable with it. The DualShock 4 method of control works but feels clunky. If you have the option you should embrace the Move controllers. It’s easy for them to break the immersion as well as improve upon it (considering you appear to be double jointed and able to rotate your wrist 360 degrees) but it feels much cooler pointing at something to “make it so”.

It also makes it feel like you’re actually in the environment when you’re not messing around with them. Your ship is littered with personnel and gadgets, but with your movement limited to your chair the level of interaction is key. It feels satisfying rerouting all power to the shield when a heavy attack is incoming. Intensity levels rise as you creep closer to an enemy target, hoping to get in range of scanning it without detection. As you try your hardest to find that balance you’ll soon find yourself absorbed.

When I started the game I told myself “I won’t roleplay this”, but my first interaction with someone online saw both of us talking to each other in character. I even did the Picard “engage” hand movement and delivery at every opportunity I had. As someone that has only a fleeting interest in Star Trek I can’t help but imagine the glee the game could bring to a die hard fan.

Therein lies the beauty of Star Trek: Bridge Crew. It’s a game so lovingly made for fans which still delivers a strong experience for the general gamer. Its voice acting is strong, graphics are decent, and the missions capture the wonder of space and fear of battle well. The main story missions in the game are there to help you get used to playing it and they do so in a way that challenges the player and sets up some lovely moments of combat. The fear of being in an enemy area, not knowing where their ships are, and hoping you can complete your mission before they hit you is a wonderful rush. After you’ve finished the main campaign you can progress onto the Ongoing Voyages mode, which randomly generates missions of various types for those that like to be surprised.

The urge to play these missions will rely heavily on the online community and the quality of the servers though. I had no issues with connection but, due to it being pre release, there weren’t many people online. I was able to get a crew of two and still had a great time. As a solo experience it was reasonably fun but it’s definitely at its strongest online and hopefully that community will be there.

If you have a virtual reality headset and you’ve always dreamed of being aboard a Star Trek starship then it’s a no brainer. It has a learning curve that may take you a few hours to get to grips with but don’t let that put you off. Sure, the Move controllers aren’t the greatest, but they assist in providing a level of immersion that will make you geek out a little harder. Even if you’re not a Star Trek fan this is still a game worth considering, especially if you’re after a social virtual reality experience. Just try not to become a redshirt.

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Now, thanks to the fact they air Rick and Morty, Adult Swim has turned to Owlchemy Labs (creators of Job Simulator, still one of the best VR games out there) to make a Rick and Morty VR game. The result is, well, it’s a Rick and Morty experience by the people who made Job Simulator.

As horribly reductive as that may seem, that is exactly what we’ve got here, and it’s often fucking brilliant. In fairness, Roiland and Harmon can do no wrong with the show (apart from make us wait an eternity for the third season, then show one episode and say more are coming months later), and given that Job Simulator is excellent, the marriage is indeed one made in… yeah, you get the idea.

The concept is that Rick has made a clone of Morty (you) and you’re expendable, obviously, like everyone else to Rick. Starting with the menial task of washing underwear, then leading onto picking up Rick’s package (an actual package, not his penis), fixing his computer (it’s riddled with porn ads), and then finally transporting to an alien world to shoot things, it’s just exactly what you’d want in a Rick and Morty game.

But it’s clever, as well, not only in the mechanics but in how they’re used. For example, Job Simulator asks you to pick things up, combine them, and put them in places. Here, because it’s a VR game, you don’t have full movement control. You can look at certain spots and teleport to them, but “because you’re a clone” you can’t leave Rick’s garage. Amazingly, you can use a Meeseeks box to get a ball you can throw which brings a Meeseeks to life. These aren’t proper Meeseeks, they’re “Youseeks” and they mirror everything you do, which, yeah, brought about this piece of gameplay that I tweeted about.

My experiences with it so far. GOTY? GOTY! tweeted:

Early on, this just lets you pick up a thing you can’t reach – outside the garage. But it’s only playing further into the (admittedly) short but sweet game that you become stumped on a puzzle. How the hell do you solve this? This thing keeps exploding and I literally cannot be in two places at the same time oh shit wait yes I can Mr Youseeks! The physical feeling of picking something up and handing something to yourself via a Youseeks is incredible, a genuine standout VR moment… in a Rick and Morty VR game.

Without spoiling too much, there are things to interact with everywhere. Everything can be fiddled with, from a Plumbus to tapes that are hidden around the game world you can play in Rick’s cassette player. You get to go in a microverse, you get to go through a portal, you get to hear Mr Poopybutthole. The fanservice references the very first episode and runs the gamut from the obscure to the obvious. It’s just brilliant.

The only problem, and it’s a big one, is that for how long it is, you’ll be paying a high price. Once you’ve finished it (it’ll take a few hours), the likelihood is that you’ll only revisit it to show off to your mates the fact you have a Rick and Morty VR game, or maybe to muck around with Rick’s stuff again, hoping to find a piece of content that’s buried in a cranny you previously missed.

I suppose, as obvious as it sounds, this is also a game that requires the hefty investment in a gaming PC with VR. I played the Rift and Steam versions both with the Oculus Touch controllers, and it feels intuitive and brilliant, but no game is worth spending that kind of money on.

Ultimately it’s too expensive for how long it is, but if you have invested in PC-based VR, it’s hard to imagine you’ll baulk at the price. I hope this isn’t the only dalliance with VR we see from Rick and Morty, because despite being a bit of a shallow, short experience, what is here is excellent. It’s funny, self aware, and has the same great voices from the TV show. It may be the most niche VR game ever, but if you’re a fan of Rick and Morty you owe it to yourself to find a way to play it (for less than it costs to buy a new PC and VR).

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Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality is an entirely standalone version of the 2013 patient hack-up-a-thon, and allows you to perform a range of surgeries on a host of poor subjects in hospitals, backs of ambulances, and in space. It includes all the content from the vanilla version minus any of the extra scenarios added to the Anniversary version, making it a little disappointing in its breadth of content. Once you’ve figured out how it all works mechanically, it can be easily finished in a single session of a mere hour or two. Mind you, it’s certainly not devoid of entertainment during that time.

A selection of blunt, sharp, and laser firing tools are available to help you perform the surgeries your patients require. It’s up to you to decide which tool is best for each situation as you perform surgeries that range from the relatively simple removal of teeth to organ replacement. Meanwhile, each location provides a different challenge, with the ambulance providing an unstable operating area and space removing gravity. Your goal is to perform the surgery quickly and efficiently enough so your patient doesn’t bleed out. You’re not required to put removed organs back and reattach them, nor do you need to attach the new organs, simply remove what’s bad and throw in what’s good. Job done, your patient will now (probably) live.

Of course, realism is not on the cards in Surgeon Simulator; the surgeries are rife with gory bone-crunching and organ-squishing slapstick comedy. It’s delightfully deranged. The cartoon aesthetic immediately sells you on this light-hearted theme, with solid colours and gentle textures. Meanwhile, a physics engine designed for hilarity makes your surgery attempts look like a lost Mr. Bean episode.

At the beginning of a surgery there’ll be a host of useless internal organs and structures that need breaking and removing in order to get to your primary objective. Rib cages need smashing, either with bone saws, hammers, or any blunt object you can find – such as the theatre lights or an alarm clock. Organs need cutting with scalpels and removing, before being delicately placed somewhere so they can be reattached later. Or you could simply laser or yank them out, then throw them away haphazardly. Meanwhile, your operating theatre can fill up with the organs and bone fragments that you’ve been throwing around, as well as your tools and surrounding equipment, which so easily goes flying with the slightest nudge. It’s funny to play and equally funny to watch.

With the physics sending objects flying around the operating theatre so easily, it can get a little frustrating. You’re fighting against the clock to finish your surgery before your patient bleeds out, and dropping a crucial tool and struggling to pick it up again can lead to plenty of failed attempts. Furthermore, if you try putting your hand where it doesn’t belong, like through a table or your patient, it’ll automatically phase through and show up as skeletal, preventing you from physically interacting with anything. And unfortunately this occurs frequently, costing you precious time.

Where the original non-VR version had intentional janky mouse control to aid in the slapstick, Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality is far more intuitive, as your VR motion controllers are more analogous to your hands. Moreover, the feedback you get from hitting and cutting is excellent, and goes a long way in immersing you in the ridiculous medical scenarios. It’s still inaccurate though, leading to plenty of the aforementioned hand phasing through things. Furthermore, having to use the grip buttons on the side of the HTC Vive wands to close your hand around objects is a little awkward.

The transition from ordinary to VR ends up not quite working for Surgeon Simulator. The intentionally awkward controls made the original version frustrating in the right kind of way but feel off in VR. It hurts the immersion, reminding you that there are artificial limitations imposed on your movements. Meanwhile, the lack of Anniversary content makes the package incomplete, and the standalone state and price point feel a little unfair to owners of the original that want to experience it in VR. However, it’s very much still the funny and fun surgery silliness that it always has been, making its VR variant’s prognosis still good.

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Windlands tells the tale of a lost civilisation, once a mighty empire, whose cities and towers were built with a mysterious power gained from sacred crystals, crystals which have now been smashed to pieces and scattered across the ruins of three regions – and it’s up to you, guardian, to go get them back.

In order to do this you’ll need to make use of a set of hooks for grappling, or grappling hooks as they’re commonly known, to attach yourself to objects as you swing around levels looking for crystal shards and broken tablets to piece together the very slight story and unlock progression across the three stages on offer.

Upon gaining control of your character, Windlands is an immediately exciting prospect; levels are huge and colourful and veer off in multiple directions into the distance in front of you, seemingly massive playgrounds for you to swing and parkour (the game’s bold description for very basic jumping/wall-jumping) around at your leisure.

However, it quickly becomes apparent that Windlands can’t live up to its promise for a variety of reasons. Firstly, traversal, the very thing the game is built around and the one thing it really needed to nail, just isn’t really any fun. The first couple of times you grapple a bush or wall and swing across a chasm it’s kinda exciting but then you get to a tricky section or try to get yourself somewhere specific and realise that it’s just not very responsive, it feels sloppy and you’ll spend a lot of time dangling off bushes trying desperately to figure out how to gain enough momentum to move on. You’ll also feel like smashing your controller, or at least I did, when you fail to make a straightforward jump between two simple ledges for the 100th time because the distance you cover with a jump as well as the distance you travel when you land seems so random.

It says a lot about the traversal system in Windlands that it’s at its very best as a game when played on Easy Mode, and I honestly don’t think I can remember another game I’ve played where that’s the case. On the easiest setting you can grapple any object you want to help propel you along, whereas higher difficulties restrict you to greenery only. I initially started playing on normal mode and spent a ridiculous amount of time screaming into my headset because I kept losing all my forward momentum crashing into trees, falling off ledges and dangling hopelessly out of bushes like Peter Parker after a massive bong. It doesn’t feel like a system that grows on you or one that you can learn to master; it feels half-assed.

Another problem with Windlands, ignoring the weak story, is that the three areas you play in across the course of the game, Jungle, City and Sky, are all practically identical bar the fact they’re slightly different colours. I could probably live with this if they weren’t also so empty. Beyond grappling from tree to tree and picking up a crystal or tablet here and there, there’s nothing else to see or do. There are no enemies, no threats and the gameplay doesn’t evolve from what you’re presented with in the opening couple of minutes, which again would be fine if the system of traversal had any depth or finesse to it whatsoever.

Having said all of this, it’s true that Windlands is at least an actual game, not a tech demo or a PSVR “experience”. It has a start, middle and end, a story of sorts and enough hours to muddle through that, if it’s your kind of game, you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth. At £18.99 it’s also not nearly as expensive as other, much worse, VR games that I’ve played on Sony’s device (I’m talking about you Robinson: The Journey).

Psytec must also be commended for the comprehensive comfort settings they’ve provided. Windlands allows you to swing, jump and (mostly) plummet massive distances very quickly and, if you’re not an idiot like me who ignores all of the provided warnings on account of testosterone, you’ll find the game has some combination of settings which allows you to do all of this comfortably and without the need to lie in a darkened room for a couple of hours afterwards.

Overall, Windlands is a pretty great idea that could have been an essential PSVR title had more thought been put into its traversal. With a much more precise means of movement married to interesting levels designed to encourage experimentation and mastery of parkour and grappling techniques, this could have been a wonderful playground to learn and get lost in; as it is it’s a disappointing, bland and frustrating experience with very little sense of progression or reward.

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Sometimes it’s nice to relax a bit when playing a game. Shooting, smashing, running, leaping and otherwise getting into action packed mischief is all well and good, but immersing yourself in a world and gradually uncovering its mysteries can often be just a satisfying. And indeed, Alice VR fits this bill wonderfully, taking you on an adventure of exploration and wonder through a re-imagined sci-fi version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

You play as Alice, having been woken up from cryosleep by your ship’s AI due to your ship suffering damage and being in need of fuel. After a few puzzles that result in repairs to your ship, you are whisked away to a nearby planet in order to fetch materials to get your ship flying through the cosmos again. However, with the planet’s citizens mysteriously missing, you soon find yourself on a quest to figure out precisely what is going on.

The pacing is slow and largely dictated by how quickly you want to proceed. Locations are large and full of detail. Visual oddities, cryptic advice from a mechanical companion, gravity based puzzles and an eerie musical score, accompany you and encouraged you to explore the beautiful and trippy scenery. It’s a very good sci-fi facsimile of Wonderland that does a great job of compelling you to discover its secrets, surprising you with clever nods to the book and straight up weird vistas that you won’t see anywhere else.

Beyond exploring and enjoying the tale, there are puzzles to solve. These are fairly simply ones as well, largely based on gravity, pattern recognition, shrinking, and, unfortunately, trial and error. They never yet too cerebral, but they often scratch just enough of your grey matter to feel satisfying to complete. The trial and error ones are less tolerable, and can take you out of the experience a bit, reminding you this otherwise intriguing planet is in fact a game environment. However, it all appears to be in service of the story and the exploration. Alice VR means to provide you with a wondrous world to experience at your own pace, with as few barriers as possibly to your progress. You’re not working from one puzzle to the next urgent to see the ending, instead you’re here to witness the brilliantly trippy sci-fi aesthetic.

However, whilst it’s intriguing enough to pull you in the first time you play it, its replayability isn’t so strong. There are plenty of hidden items to uncover, but once you’ve reached the end, experienced the story and seen all the locales, there’s little incentive to return. Mind you, with a five hour playthrough it’s one of the longer story-based VR titles, and with monitor support included, you can always experience the wacky world of Alice VR minus the VR.

The post Alice VR Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Indeed, Lethal VR is a great party game, allowing you and friends to immerse yourself in a number of different room-scale target practice environments on a quest to score big and look cool doing it. It’s immediately recognisable and intuitive. Like those ranges at funfairs and piers, or the arcade cabinets of yore, it’s as simple as pointing and shooting your gun or chucking your ninja star at static and moving targets, trying to score huge amounts of points by hitting bullseyes and avoiding obstacles and friendly targets.

30 challenges are available in total, spread across five different categories: Quick Draw, Knife Throw, Sharpshooter, Rapid Fire, and Combat. Each sticks with target-shooting or knife-throwing mechanics but with different scenarios, patterns, weapon sets and rules of engagement. Quick Draw lives up to its name and asks you to be fast with your gun as well as accurate, meanwhile Knife Throw has you perched in a sniper’s nest with a high calibre rifle… nah, it’s about throwing knifes, of course. Sharpshooter asks you to be vigilant as targets can appear in front, behind, to your sides, above and below you. Rapid Fire is more concerned with semi and fully automatic weaponry with quick fire and reloading, and Combat sticks you in a simulation of Hogan’s Alley, with plenty of targets and obstacles to really get you bobbing, crouching and even lying on the floor.

Competing earns you a score, saved on a local leaderboard to tempt your friends, family and your future self to beat it. And it’s a compelling high score-beating challenge. This is far more immersive and realistic than the target shooting days of light-guns in videogames. Here your physicality plays a bigger part in your success, and good aim in real life translates to good aim in these virtual environments. There’s true skill involved, and it can be learned and improved upon, with the high scores acting as precisely the kind of encouragement you need.

However, the leaderboards are currently local only, often leaving you competing purely against yourself for the top spot. Global leaderboards and Steam friend filters would go a long way in improving this aspect. Mind you, with 30 challenges to conquer, there’s’ still plenty of replayability.

Across the categories are a variety of weapon combinations you can use. Wielding a pistol, semi or fully automatic SMG, ninja star or knife offer different levels of challenge and different skills to master, but it’s the combinations which really stand out. Dual wielding weapons is sure to get you re-enacting your favourite John Woo film. Shooting with one hand and throwing knives with the other is particularly exhilarating, while using two fully automatic SMGs against hordes of targets is equally joyous. You’ll unlock these weapon combinations as your progress through the challenges, and eventually you unlock some special weapons where reality and fiction blur a bit more and the fun reaches new heights.

Lethal VR does a great job at taking the well-known target shooting premise to the next level. 360 degrees of potential targets in a room-scale VR experience takes the inherent entertainment of scoring from accurate and fast hits on bullseyes and truly gets your whole body in on the action, rather than just your arms and eyes. A few hours of target practice here translates to better hand eye coordination in the real world, and a general feeling of badassery with a high score entry to prove it, and it’s a compelling feeling that keeps you coming back for more.

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Eve Valkyrie is immediately technically impressive, its ship launching sequence easily the most impressive thing I’ve experienced so far on PSVR. Sitting in your sumptuously detailed ship cockpit, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with excitement as you first take the controls of your spacecraft and realise that you’re actually piloting this thing! You can move freely, barrel-roll and look all around you in this amazingly well-realised space battlefield. This is the immersive power of VR adding a whole new level of intensity and immersion to a well-worn genre.

Originally released for PC, developer CCP has done an amazing job transferring the full quality of the Oculus Rift version to the less powerful PSVR without any noticeable downgrade in graphics or performance. Indeed, of all the PSVR titles I’ve played so far, this is easily the most aesthetically pleasing. Within minutes of booting Eve Valkyrie up you’ll be taking part in fast-paced space dogfights, twisting and turning, boosting and braking through asteroid belts, picking your routes at breakneck speed as you wind your ship in and around floating junkyards and the remains of war fleets. This is the closest you’ve ever come to experiencing actual space combat and, if you’ve jumped into PSVR early doors, it’s exactly the kind of experience you’ll have been praying for.

However, beyond the spectacle, beyond the thrill and novelty provided by VR, Eve Valkyrie is actually a little bit of a pedestrian affair.

Three multiplayer game modes, Team Deathmatch, Control and Carrier Assault, take place across a handful of very pretty, but ultimately samey, maps. These are rounded out by a useful training mode, wave attack mode and Chronicles, a very slight single player element that boils down to little more than flying around the multiplayer maps alone, listening to recorded “echoes” and collecting salvage. For the £60 asking price there isn’t actually a great deal of content on offer here as things stand.

There is a story though, as you’d expect from an offshoot of something as rich as the Eve universe. You’re a clone, a talented pilot, resurrected to serve the ends of Valkyrie. Death is no more than a temporary setback, a lesson to be learned from as each time you die you’re simply uploaded into another body and flung back into battle a little wiser. It’s a narrative that’s added to by collecting echoes in the Chronicles mode, but really is little more than a clever device to explain the constant respawning.

As well as a lack of interesting or original multiplayer modes and an extremely spartan single player offering, the fact is that the gameplay does become repetitive very quickly. Once you’ve played a single round of each of the modes on offer you’ve pretty much seen it all. If you’re a fan of this type of arcade space dogfighting you’ll find plenty to love here, but if not you may find yourself moving on pretty quickly.

However, as I’ve mentioned, what is here is beautifully presented, from the wonderful head-tracked menus, narration by Battlestar Galactica’s Katie Sackhoff and visuals which see none of the blurry, muddy textures or jagged edges abundant in other PSVR launch titles, Eve Valkyrie oozes quality, and, as slight and repetitive as it may be, the gameplay is immediately enjoyable with accessible and responsive arcade controls.

Of the three multiplayer modes, Carrier Assault is easily the highlight. Two teams are tasked with engaging in a three part offensive on each other’s carrier ships. Control points must be captured by each side in order to lower carrier shields, enabling players to get in and destroy cooling nodes which are located perilously close to your enemy’s turret defences. Once enough cooling nodes have been destroyed the carrier’s core will be exposed, affording attacking players the opportunity to indulge in a little bit of Star Wars roleplaying as you guide your fighter on a trench-like run to inflict damage on the enemy core. It’s pretty thrilling stuff and having objectives to fulfil adds much needed purpose to the repetitive gameplay.

There are three ship classes, two of which will take a little getting used to, adding more depth to proceedings. Fighters are rookie-friendly craft consisting of Gatling guns, head-tracked missiles and countermeasures, while the heavy and support classes use flak cannons, short warp jumps and buff beams to both control areas of space and provide healing and support to teammates.

The head-tracked weapons are a revelation, fun to use and adding an ability which will be fully taken advantage of by more talented pilots. Shooting in one direction with your main guns while locking on and destroying targets with your face is a unique and exciting way to control things, even if it did lead to me becoming completely disorientated and smashing into asteroids and the sides of enemy carrier ships on occasion.

With the three different classes of ship on offer, as well as the generous amount of unlockable ships and aesthetic content which you can very slowly grind away for, there’s plenty to keep you busy if this type of thing is your bag, but it doesn’t stop things getting old too quickly for the rest of us. It’s also a massive shame that, with the tactical elements offered by the various types of craft and the fact that every player is mic-ready through their headsets and PS cameras, voice comms can only be activated if players go to the trouble of creating squads. It’s an odd decision which has left almost every game I’ve played completely bereft of team chatter and works completely against the application of teamwork during battles; something that would really have help inject a little more life into proceedings.

It should also be mentioned that microtransactions raise their ugly heads here and even though you’ve just shelled out £60 for the game, other players can get the jump on you, eschewing the slow crawl through unlockable gear by stumping up actual Earth cash to quickly gain access to more powerful ships. It’s a pity they are included here but I’m also not sure how much it actually affects gameplay as I found myself topping team scoreboards in my low-level craft on several occasions.

Overall then, Eve Valkyrie is a technically marvellous game – it’s the best looking title on PSVR and it has provided me with my favourite VR moment thus far, blasting out of the belly of a carrier ship at breakneck speed into beautiful, deadly space. However, the spectacle only thrills for so long and at its heart Valkyrie is a straightforward, arcade shooter which lacks enough variety in its gameplay to stop it growing stale quite quickly, and, for the asking price, it’s perhaps only fully recommendable to the most enthusiastic of space pirates.

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Simplicity is key, and most of the actual playing is done via head-tracking, which is smart and enables Ubi to put the game on all VR platforms. You are an eagle, and you move by looking where you want to go, tilting your head to turn, holding the triggers to speed up (RT) or slow down (LT), and attacking or defending with the face buttons. It’s something almost anyone can enjoy, and it’s fun in short bursts, which is good, since the campaign isn’t that long anyway.

Missions vary on the face of it, but most involve either going through rings, attacking things, or flying. Whether you’re racing underneath the tunnels of Paris to try and get three stars in a time trial, or catching fish from the river to impress your new friend, it all plays out similarly. Due to the nature of these missions, you can quickly restart should you fly directly into a wall, which is always a must in this kind of game.

The aiming is also based on head tracking, and to fire you often have to aim where something is going (like a scummy vulture, attacking your pal as is the case early on), rather than where it currently is, because, you know, you’re in flight. It’s satisfying but slightly fiddly as you have to not only aim at enemies, but also steer yourself through obstacles. As you progress, the missions get harder, and even the medium tunnel time trials have alternate routes that up the difficulty on the fly: it’s challenging, but not overly so, while offering a path for people who just want to get through it easily.

Impressively, it all looks lovely. Bright and colourful, this is a Paris that’s been taken back by nature, and giraffes and elephants can often be seen below you, as can flamingos and, well, you get the point: there are lots of animals and it’s pretty. As night falls it gives way to a more mellow look, almost the kind you’d see on a postcard, with a couple sitting outside a cafe quaffing an expensive meal on the Parisian streets. I had a few very minor frame-rate hiccups, but that’s almost certainly my machine and not the game, but there was no motion sickness (on Oculus Rift, that is) whatsoever, and the entire game is a smooth experience.

What is a shame, though, is that clearly the pickup rate for the game isn’t high. I would love to tell you about the multiplayer – a three on three competitive affair – but I simply couldn’t find a single game. The leaderboard for campaign missions suggests not a lot of people are playing them, and when you’re hitting the top 5 in a league (there are leagues you can, it seems, progress through), or are seeing only three people ranked on a challenge, that’s an issue.

Elsewhere, there are collectibles in the form of feathers (of course there are), and you can roam about to your heart’s content – it’s all fairly standard Ubisoft, really. But I like Eagle Flight. It’s interesting (even if the English chap reading out the story info misses the mark a little), uses VR well and is inclusive for all skillsets. It’s not something I’ll remember for the rest of my life, nor is it completely throwaway; it’s just a good, well made game.

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As it turns out, this surprise VR title was the result of an internal game jam at the Ninja Theory studios. A team of eight people, in a mere three months, created DEXED, a classic on-rails shooter, heavily inspired by Panzer Dragoon and Ikaruga. Using a “paint to target” mechanic, DEXED immerses you in four attractive environments through the HTC Vive, turns the motion controllers into fire and ice elemental weapons, and allows you to shoot enemies, rack up a multiplier and score huge amounts of points.

It’s a brief experience, but DEXED does a superb job of highlighting its simple concept and compelling game-loop through its limited content. Enemies take the shape of balls of energy, either fire or ice, and shooting them with their opposing element destroys them. However, shoot them with the wrong element and you either “burn” your score or “freeze” it, deducting points or preventing your score from increasing respectively. Meanwhile, the on-rails limitation makes these misfires and your shooting prowess all the more crucial, as opportunities to grow your multiplier can be compromised or missed entirely. As such it’s part-puzzler, part-shooter, and ideal for repeated playthroughs to chase those high scores.

However, with DEXED only comprised of four base levels – a jungle, an underwater level, a fire level, and a snow level – it takes very little time to see all that’s on offer. Meanwhile, the final boss battle against a menacing octopus is a nice break from the energy encounters but also teases what could be if this was a full project. It’s fun, it’s immersive and it’s beautiful, but you’ll be left wanting more.

Each level take around five minutes to complete. With one controller you shoot ice crystals and the other you shoot fire bolts, and by holding the trigger and painting enemies of the opposing element, then releasing the trigger, you let out a flurry of homing projectiles. You can also cancel targets if you mark the wrong type, therefore avoiding the aforementioned burning or freezing of your score.

Each level has three difficulty settings – Easy, Medium, and Hard – with corresponding leaderboards showing both Global and Friend rankings, providing a strong incentive to keep trying to improve your score. And indeed that’s its primary appeal; the simple shooting across strikingly beautiful environments is certainly a visual treat and fits VR splendidly, but it’s the score chasing that really keeps you engaged.

Of course with DEXED being an experimental title, it’s more a proof of concept than a fully-fledged experience and there’s plenty of room for improvement and growth. More enemy types sporting different elements and therefore requiring more weapon options as well as being new threats to your score, is certainly near the top of the list, but more levels and bosses certainly caps it. What’s here is great but it’s so very brief.

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As it turns out, this sickeningly saccharine – sorry, I mean cute – army of kittens are in fact aliens in disguise that mean to destroy you. It’s up to you to mount a defence against the killer kitties, erecting towers with all manner of weapons affixed to cut them down as they waddle ever closer to your base.

From here on out, Kittypocalypse is precisely what you’d expect from the genre. Each level places you on a different island with new terrain and placements for your precious bases, offering you the puzzle of strategically placing your towers of death in order to quell the invading felines. And that in itself is amusing, challenging and fun. A pleasant selection of terrains keeps thing visually interesting and poses new challenges, meanwhile, the strategy of placing towers in the most effective areas while managing the cost is rewarding, with a big part of that reward being the cathartic annihilation of dozens of kittens.

Witnessing the adorable beasts march towards your fiendish traps is quite the boon. Moreover, the VR aspect of Kittypocalypse grants you the ability to fly around the islands to your heart’s content, allowing you to practically feel the green blood of your furry alien enemies splatter against your face. Or perhaps you’ll prefer hover high above the carnage in order to better manage the battlefield. In fact, the latter is largely what you’ll be doing; as fun as it is to go anywhere and watch from any angle and elevation in order to best conquer each level, having a bird’s eye view helps. This fights against the idea of Kittypocalypse being in VR at all. However, although the optimal camera position may be of the traditional nature, the VR capabilities are a nice extra and prove that genre isn’t necessarily a barrier to VR.

And there truly is a spectacle to behold if you do zoom in, thanks to a variety of different weapon types – from machine guns for maiming and bubble guns for slowing foes down – all of which can be upgraded, you’ve always got the tools to hand to deal with the ever-increasing number of kittens that attack on each wave, and plenty of delightful feline dismemberment to crunch popcorn to.

The cartoon aesthetic and bright colour palette ensures the kitty massacre is always splendid. Levels typically last anywhere from 10-20 minutes with each adding a new enemy class to deal with, as well as the corresponding weapons and upgrades to counter them. However, you’ll find little handholding in this fight, so expect heavy resistance from the alien kitties and the unfortunate trial and error method of figuring out how best to conquer a level. You’ll often find yourself up against a class of enemy that requires a specific weapon and upgrade to beat, punishing you significantly if you’ve placed the wrong kind of towers.

Of course, this puzzle-like mechanic of figuring out which towers suit a particular class of foe best, along with the most effective place to build them and when to build them between waves, is a big part of the genre’s appeal, and certainly fans of Tower Defence will find Kittypocalypse’s special take on the formula very familiar and fun. However, tactical variety appears to be an illusion, with many of the later levels restricted to single solutions to complete.

This also proves true if you wish to complete all the side objectives offered in each level, with challenges such as deploying a maximum number of towers, spending up to a certain amount of money, and restricting the amount of damage the cores of your bases suffer due the kitten attacks, all conspiring to lead you down a very specific build path.

Kittypocalypse is a fun Tower Defence title, one with a stiff enough challenge and enough side objectives to keep your VR headset firmly attached to your head, but it’s not the most cohesive VR experience. Whilst the movement is excellent and you feel god-like as you float above it all, only one camera angle suits the experience. Still, there’s plenty of deranged joy to be found in watching the action up close occasionally.

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In The Assembly, you don’t have to worry about looking in a particular direction in case you miss a crucial visual element of the story and you don’t have to worry about your meandering hurting the urgency of the plot. Instead, this is a slow paced, laid back experience with an interesting setting, range of characters and story for you to gradually uncover.

You switch between two characters: the long-time employee starting to doubt his employer’s ethics, Cal Pearson, and a new employee kidnapped and tested to see if they are a good fit for this organisation, Madeleine Stone. Each character is given a different perspective on the shadowy organisation known as The Assembly — faced with a series of puzzles and moral dilemmas that explore how far you’re willing to go to progress science.

Without the scrutiny of the outside world or oversight of any government, The Assembly have achieved staggering scientific breakthroughs and they look towards making plenty more. However, with such a lack of control comes questions of ethics and what price is too high to pay for progress. Through the two characters, you get to explore the organisation and make up your own mind as to how much is enough and it’s an intriguing journey of discovery.

The secret underground lab is packed with detail, providing an interesting environment to explore with information pouring in from every angle to better teach you the organisation’s history. The voice acting is mostly top-notch, with both protagonists happily talking to themselves and keeping you informed and engaged, whilst the rest of the cast help bring the mysterious organisation to life. There’re a few bum lines of dialogue that threaten to pull you out of the immersion but fortunately, they are few and far between. Unfortunately, so are the NPCs: direct interaction with other characters is rare and it makes the lab feel empty and less real as a result.

Intriguingly, The Assembly is a seated experience where exploring the lab is done through keyboard and mouse or a controller, even when using the Vive. However, it works well. You can move traditionally with smooth walking and turning with the mouse or analogue sticks, although this is often responsible for some nausea. Additionally, you can ‘blink’ around the environment, moving in quick, sharp stages when walking or turning, or selecting a point with a ghosted avatar and blinking directly there. You’re certain to find an option that suits you and the ability to switch between them is appreciated. Despite the Vive’s wands feeling so natural in similar titles, you may be surprised by how quickly you adapt back to using a controller without hurting the immersion.

After 4-5 hours you’ll come to end of your adventure in two minds about what you’ve experienced. The moral choices are poorly built upon, providing no real consequence while the puzzles you face as Madeleine make a great impression, even if they do leave you hungry for more. Furthermore, the option to play The Assembly traditionally without VR reveals it to be an unremarkable 3D point and click adventure. Indeed, the experience rests heavily on its the VR immersion.

The voyeurism of searching drawers for files and reading every post-it note and personal email is a compelling part of The Assembly, and whilst this kind of experience isn’t uncommon, VR truly immerses you in it — getting you closer to the non-action than ever before. A great sci-fi setting helps drive your exploration and some neat puzzles and a shift between two different perspectives keep the short play-time varied. If only there was more of it. More character interactions, more puzzles and more consequence would have helped The Assembly to really shine.

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Of course the second that precious point is won and you look up from the table and see the daft crowd pulling their heads off in excitement whilst remarkably still being able to cheer, you’re once again reminded that you’re in a virtual space. Going to wipe the sweat from your brow only to clatter against the VR headset proves to further remind you of the fakery of it all. But this to-and-fro between states of immersion makes VR Ping Pong all the more impressive.

There’s obviously a light-hearted and humorous quality to VR Ping Pong, the pixel crowd and AI opponent are reminiscent of classic 8bit sports games, albeit with the crispness and clarity you’d expect from a modern title. The result is pleasantly charming and nostalgic, like jumping into NES title Punch Out, or more aptly Tennis.

But don’t be fooled by the presentation, behind the scenes some excellent physics ensure that the act of playing table tennis feels as fast and precise as the real thing. Before long you’ll be part of intense rallies, pulling off risky shots towards the edge of the table for glory, and reveling in the crowd’s cheers.

And whilst the quantity of modes is currently very limited, what’s here can still grip you for many hours. One-off games can be played against three difficulties of AI opponent, or you can take to the practice table for unlimited attempts at mastering the mechanics. Meanwhile, a tournament mode pits you against a group of AI opponents across multiple stages and a selection of mini games give you something different try: whether it’s simply hitting the ball against a wall or honing your precision against a broken table with chunks missing. The majority of the mini games are locked, with ‘coming soon’ text to tease you.

But of course VR Ping Pong is still in Steam Early Access, so some missing modes, including no multiplayer, is to be expected. Fortunately the fundamentals are solid and you can easy lose hours with the current crop of modes. Furthermore, well thought-out options make this as accessible as possible, with the ability to change the rotating of your paddle and even your height. Additionally, it’s an example of a VR game hitting the right price point at a very reasonable £3.99.

Indeed, VR Ping Pong is terrific fun. This digital facsimile of table tennis sports a charming aesthetic that’s delightfully nostalgic and amusing, yet can still entirely convince you of being in an arena playing table tennis once the action kicks in, largely thanks to excellent physics. Once all features are present this is going to be fantastic, right now brilliant will have to do.

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Unboxing and set-up

So cards on the table time, the Vive isn’t an easy thing to set up in most modern homes. I feel it’s important to note that NVIDIA loaned us a VR-ready laptop to play with the Vive that included a GTX 980 graphics chip. And that’s important because, although I am normally running an i7 with a NVIDIA 970, and 16GB RAM, something about the Vive didn’t like my PC. It should of run fine, and we got it working on Colm’s PC (with my 970 in it), but whether it was some chipset incompatibility, or the Frankenstein creation my gaming PC has become over the years, it didn’t like it. You should be fine, but I wasn’t — we still don’t know why. To be sure, we also borrowed an Alienware X51 which ran it smoothly too.

Out of the box, there’s a lot to do. Cables galore, at least three plugs will need to be powered (there are two more if you want to use them to charge your controllers, which is handy), and there’s an elephantine cable that will stretch from the break-out box to your headset, which will dangle down your back. Honestly, I never got comfortable with the cable, but most of the time the worst I’d complain about it was with a moderate “tsk” before I lost myself to another world – again. But you will need space. A lot of space. If you want to just do sitting-down VR, then you’ll be fine, but to experience what the Vive does that nobody else does, it’s room-scale VR. This requires at least a 2 meter square space to be comfortable, which meant setting it up in my lounge and moving the coffee table.

The important part of this is the base stations. Two small speaker-sized black boxes which both need powering and must sit at opposite ends of the room from one another. I’ve heard horror stories about these things needing to be gaffer taped to book cases, or hung from staircases, and honestly, I can understand and see why that’d happen, but the recommended height is something I got around by having one on a camera stand (around 6 foot high) and another about waist height on our already existing TV unit. I got lucky, maybe, but I had no tracking loss and could walk around any world a game threw at me. If you find the spot that works for you, obviously use wall mounts to secure the base stations and never move them again – though you will need to hide the cables. Oh and I’d suggest powering them down when you’re not using them, as they constant vibrate, which is probably for a technological reason, but a nightmare if you’re trying to balance them.

After you’ve got the base stations set up, the cables all plugged in, you’re pretty much ready to measure your room. This is a smooth process but one that I feel could be better. It involves a lot of going back and forth between the VR gear and the PC, clicking this, placing these there, and so on, but the good thing is that once it’s done, you shouldn’t have to do it again. Now you can play.

The Games

To call the Vive lineup a mixed bag would be an enormous understatement. While there weren’t flat out bad, there was only a few of the 30-40 strong library I played through that really stood out. Valve’s pack-in stands out at the top of the pack as one of the best all-round titles to show off the gaming possibilities in VR. The Lab might be free, but it’s something that genuinely shows the exciting potential of a virtual world. Ranging from archery (which is excellent fun) to controlling a spaceship with your hands, and dodging bullets, there’s loads to do. An interactive minigame with the Portal robots and GLaDOS herself is brilliant: you’ve never felt so threatened by her before, and even the minigame that lets you visit locations in the real world and explore with a mechanical dog friend (that chases sticks) is ace. Indeed, the feeling of standing on the precipice of a clifftop and looking down never fails to immerse you. The Lab is an excellent way to spend time with your Vive.

So too, is Job Simulator. Doing what it says on the tin, your play one of four roles (as a job) and have to serve customers. The idea of being a chef in a kitchen may sound boring in real life, but there’s something about how tactile all the interactions feel that make it strangely addictive. The Vive’s controllers instantly make you feel at home and natural in of the four jobs, but the kitchen and office worker ones have a place in my heart for how silly and entertaining they are. Fantastic Contraption is another title that makes you feel in complete control of the things you are touching. It’s a simple game of building with a few objects, but the goal of making something and having it move to a goal is enticing and rewarding.

These are room scale games, which is to say that if you are set up in a small room and can’t move around, you won’t be playing them. There are, of course, games that cater towards that, such as Adventure Time: Magic Man’s Head, a fun if unremarkable platform game that has your head tracking take the place of the game camera. This was actually the first time I had any form of motion sickness, although it was mild. I’d describe it as being similar to that of car sickness: you are moving, but you aren’t actually moving. It took a little while to get used to, and despite the game looking colourful and being fun in short bursts, the problem is that it doesn’t do very much to justify being a VR game.

And that’s a large problem, really. As someone who has played games all my life, there’s not a single game so far that I’d rather play than the ones on my PS4, PC, or Xbox One. They are very cool in some cases (like the aforementioned Fantastic Contraption, Job Simulator, The Lab), and make excellent use of the virtual world in others (Sisters, #SelfieTennis), but you really are an early adopter if you get involved now thanks to the game pricing.

Frankly, it’s all over the place, and when you look at a title like Final Approach, which is basically the iOS game Flight Controller turned into a VR game (that’s maybe a tad unfair, and I’m not intentionally singling that game out) and one that costs £18.99, whereas Adventure Time is only £3.99. It just doesn’t add up. Moreover, thanks to the early stage of the tech, you never really know what you’re going to be buying, nor playing. Some of the strangest game titles are around, and some are more experiences than games. Google’s Tilt Brush is a cool experience, and one that makes you feel like an artist, but it’s one that’ll cost you £22.99 to play. Sure, it’s nice to be able to draw in a 3D space, but it requires a lot of time and patience to become acclimatized to existing in those dimensions, and as much as you’ll want to show off your creations, it’s a solo experience because the 2D pictures you can save do it no justice. On top of that, it’s not a game, it’s a Virtual Reality experience.

The Hardware

It’s important to note that every piece of the HTC Vive is physically well made. The controllers are a stroke of genius, and instantly feel natural. As someone who wears glasses all the time, I was very worried that having a head mounted display (HMD) would be uncomfortable, and in truth, it’s only mildly so. During hot days, the thing made me sweat, but that’s not really the device’s fault. Generally speaking, it’s a heavy headset strapped to your face. I can’t describe to you how heavy it is, but the thick cabling that runs down your back, combined with the headset on your face, and the headphones on top can perhaps give you an idea of the fact you’ll be aware it’s there. That said, after the first few goes, the experiences absorb you and you do forget you are wearing it. My children often forgot they were even wearing it, and it was tremendous fun just watching people involved in their virtual world, completely unaware of how silly they look outside of it.

When all is said and done, outside of making the cables lighter somehow, or making the whole thing wireless (it’d probably be insanely expensive to do this), there’s not much more HTC could do. It does what it says it does, and is as comfortable as you can expect it to be. It maybe damning with feint praise, but I found little to complain about on the hardware side of things.

Verdict

HTC Vive is a strange proposition. In the moment it can truly feel as though this is the future of gaming, but then you’ll remove the HMD and see the cables and boxes it takes to create this future, and you’ll wonder if it’s all worth it. It’s very expensive to get running, whether you’re running the GTX 980 powered laptop or an Alienware X51 we were, but the biggest obstacle thus far is the software. I’ve played untold hours inside the Vive’s world, and there are some incredible experiences to be had, but none of them hold you long enough, and they’re often strangely priced.

I guess what I’m saying here is that the HTC Vive is a new platform. All of the problems I’ve mentioned are that of a standard new gaming platform. The games aren’t there yet (and some don’t even feel finished), the product is an expensive proposition — I recall saying things like that about the PS3 when it launched, and probably many other things. Technology must start somewhere, even DVD players were incredibly expensive with little support when they launched, but as a starting point, the Vive will take some beating. Yes, it’s expensive, and no, the games aren’t quite there yet, but if VR gets the support from developers it looks as though it might, and if those games come through, we could be in for a very bright future indeed.

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And like the light-gun genre before it, Gunjack is comprised of extremely simple mechanics and an equally straightforward objective: look where you want to shoot, shoot, destroy enemies to amass points, rinse and repeat. Of course there’s some setup involved. You are a Gunjack amongst the crew of a mining platform with the task of defending said platform against any space pirates that intend to destroy or steal from you. This is also part of the EVE Online universe, although its ties are as superficial as the previous sentence. Regardless, it’s a strong enough premise to get you to strap on your favourite VR headset and blast away at a selection of attack crafts as they exit hyperspace all around you and start attacking.

With whichever headset you happen to have – Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, or HTC Vive – the controls are practically the same, leaving you targeting your enemies with head movement, and firing main weapons and special power-ups with your controller input. Main weapons need to be reloaded on occasion and managing your active ammo and when to reload requires some forethought. Meanwhile, the power-ups offer some neat abilities, such as restoring your gun emplacement’s health, clearing the immediate area of all threats in a massive explosion, or the particularly nifty slow motion bubble for dealing with your sprightlier foes.

This is a seated experience and you’ll be punished for standing in the first instance, as the opening cinematic flies you through the mining facility at a brisk pace that quickly wreaks your balance. Whether seated comfortably on a chair or as a crumpled mess (due to the aforementioned balance wreaking), the presence to make you feel like you’re really in a gun emplacement is striking. The one-to-one tracking when you move your head, the sound of your cannons firing or the creaking of the mechanical gimbal as the emplacement moves, the wonderfully detailed cockpit and beautifully ominous blackness of space, all do a splendid job of convincing you you’re there. Moreover, cracks in the glass as you take enemy fire as well as the red hue of alerts to damage and enemy craft incoming adds to the presence spectacularly. Indeed, Gunjack is a handsome devil.

Of course gunning down waves of attacking crafts, which come in a modest variety of shapes and sizes with equally varied attack and movement patterns, quickly gets repetitive. Fortunately online leaderboards adds a nice competitive objective rather than simply conquering all levels, although if you truly want to claim your Gunjack title you’ll need to three star each of them. This won’t take long, with the whole experience easily over with inside of a couple of hours. Yet despite this repetition and lack of content, there’s still some longevity in it. Gunjack is fun, plain and simple. Much like its physical arcade counterparts, such as light-gun shooter Time Crisis, or the better analogy of the cockpit-shooter where you sit within a massive prop like the Atari Star Wars Arcade, chasing high scores and enjoying the fast-paced casual arcade shooting, is enough to bring you back for short sessions time and time again.

VR certainly breathes new life into this kind of genre, and Gunjack is a terrific example of this. Here you have a massive cockpit enclosure with superb detailing and highly immersive visuals and sound, but condensed into a VR headset – oh, and the beefy computer required to run it – and that opens up huge possibilities for this kind of experience. Arcade was pretty much dead before, but this is absolutely the final nail in the coffin, and what an intense and fun nail it turned out to be.

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As a scientist working in an installation in Svalbard, Norway, you are tasked with exploring the aquatic environments of the Jurassic age in order to help find a cure for a recently unleashed virus that is killing millions of people around the world. They call it the Jurassic Virus, due to it originating from that time period, and only by studying aquatic life from that period can you discover how to treat it.

It’s an interesting and unique story for a time travelling adventure, one far more concerned with science than action, and that makes for a refreshingly different kind of game. Your objectives revolve around gathering data on aquatic life by scanning and tagging a small variety of creatures from the Jurassic period. This is done from the relative safety of your time travelling pod, which doubles as a submarine once you make the jump back in time. After a video briefing straight out of a Command & Conquer title, you fly your pod to the time travelling node outside the facility on the side of a cliff, and are whisked away back to a time where the whole area was under water.

It’s unfortunate that only the interludes between missions take place on land, leaving all your adventuring undersea, but it fits the story well. Unfortunately, with the head of the research facility as your only human interaction, you never feel any attachment to the modern world and the plight of the pandemic, which hurts the impact of the narrative significantly. It all feel rather relaxed, which is pleasant enough when you’re scanning monsters under the sea, but after returning from a mission there just isn’t enough urgency.

There isn’t much agency either. Your interaction is limited to engaging with the next mission or reading the data you’ve gathered about the dinosaur life you’ve encountered. And even in-mission you’re scope for exploration is severely limited. The whole experience is strictly linear; you’re given a specific task, such as scanning the digestive system of an Ichthyosaur, and until you complete that task the sea life will swim in fixed patterns. Some sea life are more aggressive and will chase and eat you if you get to close. These moments are delightfully exciting and frightening, thanks largely to your pod’s threat detection sound. If you do fall prey to these underwater beasts, though, you’re simply respawned nearby.

Using the Vive’s left wand you can control your pod in order to avoid becoming a meal and generally navigate the environment. Holding the trigger and moving the wand allows for 360 degree movement, but it’s not the most comfortable or responsive solution. The Rift’s Xbox One controller proves to be a more intuitive and less arm straining experience. When it comes to using tools, such as scanners or a tagging gun, using the Vive’s right wand is excellent as opposed to the Rift’s head tracking solution.

Scanning the sea life, occasionally getting eaten, and swimming around in your time travelling pod all feels very authentic. The environments are very samey but they’re detailed enough to immerse you, and the creatures look terrific; moving around naturally, unless you stand still and notice their disciplined, unwavering pathfinding. It create a brilliant atmosphere that makes a wonderful first impression. But it loses its awe fairly quickly due to a lack of variety in aquatic life, objectives, and of course, environments. Meanwhile, the narrative makes it feel like an educational title more than an adventure.

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As the title suggests, it’s about playing tennis with yourself, and whilst this may conjure up images of you standing in front of a wall, it’s actually a lot more involved than that. You begin on a tennis court, seemingly floating in the air. A pull of the aforementioned wands spawns in a tennis ball, with the trigger release setting it free from your grasp. Then with the racket spawned from your other wand, either kept in place by holding the trigger or locked in place by double pressing, you then hit the ball across the court. If the ball sails true over the net and stays in-bounds, you’re then teleported to the other side of the court where you’ll receive the ball, able to hit it back to yourself; rinse and repeat. Here your goal is to return the ball in such a way as to allow you to maintain a rally for as long as possible.

It’s surprisingly good fun trying to maintain the rally, but inevitably things will begin to go awry and you’ll fling the ball out of bounds. Here’s when you might notice you have a crowd of odd looking characters prancing around the side-lines, balancing on walls and spectating on your game. Strike them with an errant ball, or maliciously fling your racket at them at few times, and they’ll die, releasing a floating heart. Hit that heart and you’ll collect it, revealing a whole new, and much darker game you can entertain yourself with. And the absurdness only grows from there.

The spectators are comically large with huge tennis ball heads and smiles on their faces, just begging to be struck, and once you collect enough hearts, Heart Attack mode kicks in, with characters with heart shaped heads appearing and points being awarded for their demise. And alongside a ball and racket, you can also spawn a selfie stick to take photos and GIFs of your tennis playing antics, or more likely, you posing next to fallen spectators. These can then be uploaded directly to your Twitter account, if you like.

Indeed, #SelfieTennis has a terrific sense of humour and a few neat Easter eggs to get you experimenting. However, at present it’s all a bit shallow. Terrorising spectators, posing with corpses, and of course playing tennis, can only keep you engaged for so long in a single session, although its replayability is surprisingly high. You’re likely to find yourself returning to the virtual court for a bout of tennis, time and time again. Meanwhile, the more absurd side of the title proves an excellent taster for those you want to introduce VR to.

Unfortunately the physics are a bit off. There isn’t enough momentum behind the ball when you strike it or any object when you throw it. For the tennis playing aspect this proves fairly useful, slowing it down enough and granting generous bounces so you can better hit the ball, but the more violent aspect suffers as a result. Furthermore, the racket length feels a little bit too long.

The cartoon aesthetic and tennis setting hides a dark and twisted, yet delightfully satisfying slaughter simulator that’s funny and entertaining to play in short sessions, but it’s the tennis that’ll keep you coming back. That said, it still needs a great deal more content to fully hold your attention. Fortunately the developers have grand plans for the future, let’s hope they see the light of day.

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A charmingly cartoon aesthetic greets you with a warm and bright colour palette, and although details are austere the Warcraft meets Skyrim (on low settings) style isn’t unattractive. Animations are less impressive, with stiff, unnatural moments, matched in tone by an extensive voice cast that lack any emotion at all. It struggles to completely immerse you. Waking on the back of cart pulled by horses, with the 3D sound doing a great job of portraying the environment, only to have your family speak to you with flat uninterested voices about the fate of the village you barely escaped from, manages to both impress and underwhelm you in a matter of minutes. The script isn’t bad, at least, and as flat as the emotion behind the voices are, they manage to match their characters splendidly.

Of course there’s a fair amount of cliché in the narrative. You are mute and suffering from amnesia due to a bargain you made in order to stave off death, but mechanically this works rather well. You can respond to questions by either nodding or shaking your head when prompted. It’s a neat form of input that does a great job of pulling you into the world and its characters, but you’ll have to find who’s talking to you first, which can prove a little problematic.

You’re offered two control options when you start: rotation snapping or free movement. With either option you’re still restricted to controller-based (or wand-based with the Vive) movement, but with free movement, turning whirls your camera around to gut wrenching effect. Snap rotation works slightly better, or at least slightly better at avoiding pools of vomit all over your floor, by shifting your view sharply, but it rarely lines up with precisely what you want to look at, resulting in a tedious shifting around the environment to finally look in the right direction. You’re sure to find one of the two options works better for you, and the fact Frima Studios included both is a testament to them trying to make it work, it’s unfortunate that it doesn’t, and it constantly takes you out of the experience, either because the movement is unnatural or because you’ve got to whip off the headset and run to the bathroom.

Once you’ve come to terms with moving around, the rest of the experience is over with inside of two hours. After a couple of rides on horse and cart, some hunting in the forest, and some light exploration and puzzle solving, it’s all over. It feels more like a demo than a full release, and although there’s some enjoyment to be had with a particular section through a mountain pass, and the hunting can raise a smile, the story is severely underdeveloped and tangential to your character.

There’s clearly a lot of potential here, though. The Norse mythology behind it is intriguing, and it’s pleasantly surprising just how attached you can get to your digital wife and daughter. The minimalistic locations don’t help sell the world but a wonderfully fast frame rate helps establish a strong feeling of presence within it. And this is supposedly episode one of a multi-episode series. If lessons are learnt from this outing, the next one could be a treat.

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