Virtual Reality Reviews

[Arioch]

I’m several hours into Arkham Shadow now and I think it’s heading towards being the best stand-alone VR game I’ve played - and it really nails the Batman feeling of the other Arkham games. It harkens back to Asylum rather than the open-world sequels but that’s not a bad thing in my book. The combat system really captures the feel of the other games despite being in first-person and I’m beginning to get free flow bonuses after taking out a crowd of bad guys in one uninterrupted sequence of moves. Very satisfying!

Highly recommended to Quest 3/3s owners (recent and new buyers get the game for free) and I really hope it gets a PC VR release with extra graphical bells and whistles at some stage in the future.

Source: https://youtu.be/dadLtfngQH8

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

better than alyx? (or do you only do mobile vr)

either way high praise indeed!

 

[govny]

Alix is overrated

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Alix is overrated

ooof! that is a controversial take but to each their own

 

[Arioch]

better than alyx? (or do you only do mobile vr)

either way high praise indeed!

It’s a different style of game to Alyx - it’s not a shooter game, it’s a…well, Batman Arkham game, just in first-person.

The graphics aren’t anywhere near Alyx at its best settings (I have fairly decent PCVR set up) but they are impressive for mobile; it reminds me of early PCVR games or if you’ve got current games set to Low (textures in Arkham Shadow can be a bit muddy in places). Xbox 360 Arkham Asylum would be a good comparison, if you’ve ever played/seen that (and one of the reasons I’d love to see a PC release for Shadow - Asylum on PC had volumetric mist/smoke and a few more graphical lovelies, and I think Shadow would benefit immensely from those sort of additions).

I’m a few more hours into it now with more gadgets and moves unlocked, so combat is getting even more interesting - and doing cape glides never gets old

 

[Arioch]

Here's the first Combat Challenge which I've just played which should give you an idea of what the combat is like, only basic baddies so no one with guns or stun batons - also no leg snapping finishing moves this time which always make me go

Source: https://youtu.be/olqYJjfuSoA
Note: I've got all comfort options switched Off and I'm playing on Normal difficulty.

 

[jojon]

Uuh, I take it you do have agency, and that all those prompts popping up do not indicate it's all Dragon's Lair..?

 

[Arioch]

Uuh, I take it you do have agency, and that all those prompts popping up do not indicate it's all Dragon's Lair..?

What the game gives you in combat is strike points and punch directions, as well as block prompts. Basically, you look at a bad guy and a white dot appears on them - clench a fist with your controller and it turns into a punch icon if they are in within range. If you then punch towards them you lunge forward to land the first blow, at which point the follow ups are either strike points, multiple strikes on one point, or strike directions. Build up combos and you get the flame-tinged finishing move or other things you’ve unlocked. Blocking is done by pushing in the relevant direction - if the enemy is outside of your view then you automatically turn to them when the attack is blocked. Much like the 2D Arkham games, once you get a combat flow on Batman gets “pulled” between enemies.

More advanced moves include cape stuns, sideways dodges when getting shot at, gadgets, and leaping over bad guys and punching them in the back (required for stun baton chaps).

This is just a Combat Challenge in a small area so not much movement is shown that isn’t combat related. In the main game it’s standard VR first person walking/sprinting movement on the thumbstick, as well as grapnel gun and cape glides.

I’ll probably record one of the Predator challenges which might give a better impression of the gameplay.

It’s been fairly seemless so far as well which I think is impressive - there have been a couple of fade-to-black loading sections to mark the passing of days, but moving between areas has disguised loading (basically “airlock” rooms to allow unloading/loading of areas).

 

[jojon]

This is just a Combat Challenge in a small area so not much movement is shown that isn’t combat related. In the main game it’s standard VR first person walking/sprinting movement on the thumbstick, as well as grapnel gun and cape glides.

Thanks. Sounds swift, intuitive, and not too restrictive, nor too immersion-breaking, in its way (especially if there is a setting to tone down the Jeff-Minter-y overlays).

(The whole "lock on" thing killed Senua's Sacrifice for me -- I could have suffered through the sluggish and authoritative camera during the walking sections -- I really wanted to trod through the story and beautifully realised drab environments, but the combat was just too clunky -- I suppose I might have seen it differently if I had been previously... indoctrinated with console-style control schemes... :7)

 

[Arioch]

(especially if there is a setting to tone down the Jeff-Minter-y overlays)

There is a brightness setting for them which I’ve got at 50% - I’m probably going to decrease that even more now that I’ve got a grasp of what to do.

Once you get to the second strike stage (as it were) you’re not locked in until you finish the baddie off, you can at any point look elsewhere to attack another opponent or block an incoming attack.

 

[Arioch]

Back in 2007 my laptop was woefully under-spec and I could only run the game of the moment at a resolution of something like 640x360 via some ini editing - and then only with the fps hovering between 20 - 30

Today I have been asked: Can your PC run Crysis…in VR?

Source: https://youtu.be/rVGW-ZcZUpk


Thankfully in my case the answer is yes and from the opening section I’ve played, it’s a very decent mod. There is still some jank during cutscenes and I’m disappointed the player body has gone (just IK arms now) but hopefully the mod will still be worked on.

The opening parachute drop alone is worth installing the mod for

 

[Arioch]

Just got around to trying this excellent mod (actually a Unity engine recreation that requires original files) for the original X Wing game:

XWVM mod for STAR WARS™ - X-Wing Special Edition

XWVM is a mod to the original X-Wing game from Lucas Arts and Totally Games by Larry Holland and Edward Kilham. We are re-implementing the executable to extend the game beyond its original hardware support. The mod of course requires the player to own...

www.moddb.com

…which covers all the original releases (I’m using the X Wing Collectors CD-ROM version) and can be played in flatscreen or VR.

With the HD assets pack applied and the graphics settings whacked up it’s not too far off looking like Star Wars Squadrons - except the cutscenes which are in glorious original 320x200 pixel-o-vision at 3 fps . The concourse and briefing rooms etc are all now 3D models which look pretty cool (though sparse) in VR.

I’m still messing with my HOTAS and the controls settings - I can currently only use my joystick and keyboard which I suppose is authentic to the original experience - but everything else was easy to set up.

Looks like Tie Fighter is getting the same treatment too!

 

[VR Golgot]

Nice!

(Although part of me feels you should really play it on an 80s joystick. Something made from vulcanized rubber with big red buttons )

Weirdly I found the concourse bits of Squadrons almost the best bit in VR. Nosing around the characters and the ship bay etc, even if you couldn't move. Great vibe.

 

[Arioch]

Nice!

(Although part of me feels you should really play it on an 80s joystick. Something made from vulcanized rubber with big red buttons )

Weirdly I found the concourse bits of Squadrons almost the best bit in VR. Nosing around the characters and the ship bay etc, even if you couldn't move. Great vibe.

Aye, pity the reflections in the deck were slightly off, having their stereoscopic depth at the incorrect level.

Got my joystick and throttle sorted now. Bombing around the Pilot Proving Grounds at all-power-to-engines speed is much more fun in VR!

There’s also the ability to customise your astromech droid but it’s a bit of a neck-ache trying to see the little pal while you’re flying