A Virtual Reality Awaits Vol. 2

Not quite as hot on the heels of Vol. 1 as I was expecting, but I finally have another VR issue here with a few more games I’ve been putting some time in to of late. Still using the Riftcat Vridge method too, for wireless VR its a great option to have that I’ve had no issues with, though I have been looking at dedicated headsets lately simply for motion controls – the library of PCVR games with regular controller support is actually quite limited. Well, enjoy a few more recommendations, and you never know, I may have upgraded by the next volume so will finally be able to play Wolfenstein Cyberpilot…


Narcosis

Atmospheric or horror themed games are a great fit for VR, with Narcosis being one of my favourites so far. It’s the immersion that really sells this as a VR game for me, you really do get a claustrophobic feeling of being stuck at the bottom of the ocean in a diving suit. The slow movement and lack of visibility when exploring the ocean floor really helps to drive this home too.

The game does have some jump scares as you would expect of horror, but those don’t frighten me – the wildlife does. Early on your journey through a cave you’ll round a corner and be like ”BIG ASS CRAB WITH HUNDREDS OF LITTLE ONES” before turning and lumbering towards a hole small enough for the big crab not to fit as it stands there for a moment clicking as its minions crawled all around. It’s moments like these that will leave you panicked, more so than any supernatural malarkey, with constant need to seek oxygen for your suit keeping the tension high in quieter moments. It’s not the best graphically, though it does at least get the job done so I guess there’s only so much you can do with the setting.

If you’re on the lookout for something that’ll get the pulse racing, even if stuck in a lumbering diving suit, then this is one to consider giving a go in VR. It’s pretty cheap to pick up these days as even on Steam it can be had for about £12, but if you look around you can get it a bit cheaper at just under a tenner


Star Trek: Bridge Crew

To be honest, I’m a trekkie at heart. When other kids back in the day were watching Nickelodeon & MTV, I’d be getting home and watching The Next Generation on BBC2 instead. There used to be so many decent Star Trek games getting released a couple of decades ago, but these days things are a little bare outside of the ever present Star Trek Online.

That’s where Bridge Crew comes in, offering players the chance to take up one of several stations on the bridge and cooperatively tackle missions – You can also do them offline as well with AI. While it is playable with a controller, motion controls would be ideal. The controller has each analogue controlling a hand which, while good enough once used to it, can feel a little cumbersome in the heat of the moment. Immersion is always key with VR and this game isn’t a slouch either as it recreates different bridges well and the graphics are good without going overboard with Kelvin lens flares. The game was patched to allow none VR play, so even if you can’t get a full team of headset users, you’ll surely have someone on your friends list that can take up a station.

Even if you’re not a fan of Star Trek, Bridge Crew should at least still be considered for the VR coop shenanigans that folk can get up to on the bridge. It’s also pretty cheap to grab these days, a steam key up on CDKeys is only around £7.


The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

To be honest over the years I’ve never really gotten on with Skyrim at all. Outside of the first time playing on PS3 back in the day, each attempt since lasts about a dozen hours before I get bored and not return. Why would I try this then? Well it is in VR, and I have been guilty of playing simply for VR before, but surprisingly I’ve managed to stick out Skyrim this rime.

Without motion controls the game plays similar to the 2D version with added head tracking for aimed shots, but its really in the immersion of another world that the game excels. If you have motion controls things are even better as you swing swords and throws spells in a genuine dual-wielding sense. The world seems more alive now though, with the scale of the towns & cities made all the more apparent in VR – the only real iffy aspect is the UI just floats there and this can also have characters etc poking through. This version is also the full game. nothing really cut or scaled down in any way, which will last you tens of hours easily and can also be modded to add more as well. Having played on PSVR before, PCVR is obviously a step up graphically so you may not see the need to add many mods for that, but there’s also UI & gameplay ones that can be installed too.

While it obviously isn’t built for VR really, its a decent enough port of a AAA RPG that ups the immersion and plays well enough. You can grab a key for it from numerous steam key vendors, but unfortunately the price has skyrocketed lately. I managed to get it for under a tenner just a few months ago, but now its at least around £25 with key vendors – guess that means it may be best to wait for a good sale on Steam or the price to come back down elsewhere.


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Geoffrey Wright

Rocking the world of gaming since the Atari 2600, has now settled down to bask in the warmth of moe. Moe is life for a moe connoisseur.

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