A Virtual Reality Awaits Vol. 9

Geoffrey Wright | February 28, 2024 | Feature | No Comments

It’s not been long since that previous NSFW edition of the VR feature, but there’s another hot on its heels like I suspected there would be. I originally picked up a 128GB Quest 3 as it was mainly to be used for PCVR, so the games would be played from the PC and streamed to the headset – no need for lots of storage. Still, 128GB is enough to try out some standalone games that actually make use of the internals of the headset, and luckily most aren’t a huge size (outside of Asgards Wrath’s 100GB+) These are a few highlights ‘ve tried so far on the headset.

Resident Evil 4 VR

You may think with the recent update for PS5 that I mean the release of remake for PSVR2, but I don’t even have one of those headsets. Nope, I’m on about the Quest port which has seen the PS2/GCN original retooled for VR

To be fair it’s a surprisingly great port to play. Being based on the original releases, exploring the environment is even more nostalgic than the remake as the graphics are pretty well intact and have that classic charm. Not only that, but it plays really well too. The immersive mode is where it’s at for this as each weapon/item is attached to a certain part of the body (you look down to check) and you just grab what you need when you need it. Actions like reloads also have some manual aspects to them, and the game has plenty of these little things added to immersive – the other mode pretty much does everything through menus & button clicks. There has been some nips & ticks, mainly some encounters changed or cut, but it doesn’t change the journey too much.

Being a full on port that’s exclusive to Meta, the price ain’t exactly as cheap as you would expect for an older experience. Even so, at £29.99 it still seems a fair price considering the work gone in and how much there is to play, you can even get around 20% off if you know someone with a referral code to sweeten the deal. A must buy for the Meta Quest.

Ark&Ade

One of the best aspects of the Quest, and perfect for the 128GB model I picked up, is that there’s a lot of cheap & cheerful small games packed with fun just waiting on the store for you to find. One of those is Ark&Ade

I was instantly hooked as soon as the game started, not for the gameplay (which is good) but for the Tron style presentation. I always been a sucker for the neon arcade look which this game has, and when its married to arcade shooter gameplay then its all the better. Most stages will have you following a bit as enemies pop out from all manner of crevices to get the drop on you. Luckily there’s plenty of pickups to give you added firepower or a healthy top up so you can make it to the end. The end stage bosses can be quite something on this game, each needing to be defeated in its own way, as the game takes on a more 3D bullet hell feel as you dodge like Neo.

If you needed one more reason to win you over and give the game a chance, it would be the price. At only £7.99 there’s more than enough here to get your monies worth, use a friends referral (like I did) and it even drops to £5.99. Certainly fits that cheap & cheerful bill, plus there’s even a Steam version should you not have a Quest.

Star Wars Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge

I’m quite a big fan of Star Wars Squadrons for VR, presentation was amazing, and as you’d expect of a flight combat game, worked extremely well in the headset. After that this game here was the next I wanted to try, with Vader & Pinball still waiting on the Quest for Star Wars VR

This game will have you feeling as if you are on one of those Star Wars adventures, as you start out with your cargo ship being boarded by pirates and you end up stranded on the planet below. That does mean plenty of shooting, but there’ more to it as your trusty multi-tool will have you doing all manner of odd jobs. This could be as simple as repairing something by removing a panel and rewiring the console, but the way its done is relatively immersive and improves the game beyond just being a shooting gallery. The presentation also helps with that immersion, aside from the weak texture here & there, as its surprisingly robust for the Quest – character animations & interactions are really well done.

With the recent release of the complete edition on PSVR2 that boasts the added content and better graphics, you would think this is kinda moot – but I disagree. It looks and plays great on the Quest, will also only set you back around £25 for the base game and DLC, and is one of the best VR games for the headset, certainly up there with Squadrons for VR experiences Star Wars fans should seek out.