I bought this the other day when it came out, thanks to an £8 voucher Oculus sent me for some reason. Looking forward to trying it out!First Look: Paper Beast
Oh wow, I think I'm going to like this!
I was not expecting the absurd meta opening, featuring interactive J-pop.
I was more expecting the arid repose of the digital sandlands I found myself in afterwards, with oasis spots of paper life. The creatures are realised, and narratively introduced, in some great ways. They're also slightly unsettling as they snuffle past you, or lunge, or just mark their presence by the strands of web they leave behind. Or are they roots? Or whiskers? I guess I'll find out...
I seem to be in some kind of staged world introduction, where you puzzle your way through objectives by figuring out and manipulating the creature's various tendencies and abilities.
Promising stuff
Nice one, yeah I snagged Mage's Tale in the Steam sale, looking forward to that. (I've got The Wizards on the go at the moment, which I wasn't digging until I turned the auto aim / reticule off, but now finding it a lot more fun)
I've got Trovers as my 3rd person / seated game going now too. Liking that it's an above-average platformer and that the dialogue is just endless. (Having enormous colourful chickens chatting nonsense as they tower over you and stuff odd things into their eyes is also something else
). I did enjoy the standing 'escape the room' stylings of Virtual Rickality more though. Same humour package, but first person / hands-on stuff is still the win for me in VR . (It's normally the case that I like third person controller stuff in VR, but without those elements kicking things up a few extra notches they always feel like lesser experiences. I'm hoping some of the god games like Townsmen will finally come good though, as that mix of 'god hands' and living tableaux is promising )I eye the Serious Sam set every single time there's a sale on, and then never quite pull the trigger. I always think 'wave shooter' and veer away. (But I've had a ton of fun in some wave shooters recently, so I should stop my snobbery there really
) . (Had a ball with their completely-different Talos Principle too, so I know the team has skills!)I've only played 30mins to date, but definitely liking the curtain raiser moments!
(The reviews on steam seem pretty rapturous too, which is no bad sign
)
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![[VR] optimal_909](https://forums-cdn.zaonce.net/data/avatars/m/109/109067.jpg?1553781733){kind=avatar}
This is... interesting.
Now that is more more promising title for the PS5. Guess they are still into VR after all
Now that is more more promising title for the PS5. Guess they are still into VR after all
I'm pretty sure that it will come to PC as well - perhaps timed exclusive, but not fully exclusive.
What stuns me how brave they are with locomotion.
Have they given any details on that? The only thing notable from the trailer for me was the canned animation for the assassination. But the whole thing looks like a cinematic to me, they don't claim its in-game footage etc anywhere.
Review: Creed: Rise to Glory
This is a weird mix of budget and glossy. It's super short, consisting of just 9 boxing matches in a lightly storified arc. Characters don't turn to face you, and look generally gormless, but having Rocky as your trainer, and duking it out in the increasingly spiffy gyms and grander arenas, is all pretty glam. Especially as the Rocky theme tune starts to play
The opponents do offer a reasonable range of styles, seemingly preferring certain punches, combinations, and broader strategies. Some variety in their reach means you have adjust to that too. (A few of them tower pretty absurdly over you, but at least it makes ducking under a swing to trigger a slow-mo riposte that much easier)
A few novelty rounds also dramatise aspects like fighting a 'wall' boxer who plays the long game and takes you to the final rounds. And some core conceits like the 10-count recovery (you have to 'run' your disembodied consciousness back into the hallowed ring...) are all pretty neat, pleasingly stylised, and additive.
And hell, your training sequences are basically montages
Although that's also a core bugbear that some have with it as a kinetic workout game. The training sequence essentially sets your stamina level for the next match. When your stamina's gone your punches become ghostly, and you have to defend to build it up again. This can be a bit pants. (Although the option to use your 'own' stamina to dodge back and around punches is still in play, allowing for a periodic recharged ripostes).
On the grounds that I enjoyed the training build up a lot (ducking under Rocky's training pads after a run of jab training etc), I'm ok with the system on balance. Although one huge buggy annoyance is that it kept re-centering me further and further into the training kit as the montage progressed. (Meaning I had to keep inching back to be in the right position for each flash session).
I'm also ok with it being a pretty short and simple conceit overall. Because playing it for any length of time was some genuine cardio and I started sweating out both my room and my headset. I'd imagine it's even better (and 'worse') on that front if you have full roomscale to dance around your opponent. (I pretty much had to stay rooted to the spot. The 'running arm' locomotion is fine for the mini-games, but not so good for the ring. Putting your hands behind you to start back-peddling is a baaad idea :/)
There are some other minor issues. (Once an opponent showed me that the 'overhand' attack could bypass a lot of defences I used that a lottt). And I'm not sure the top difficulty adds much more challenge or nuance, beyond them always having a killer KO blow in the wings. At least going by my extra rounds against the classic characters they've added anyway. (Mr T does not look like Mr T... But I still need to beat 'giant Dolph Lundgren doll'....)
But I'll definitely drop back in for some more daft 'movie moment' exercise. Well worth a wish-fulfilment sale buy
3.5+(+)
---
Review: The Wizards
Another game where some decent gloss can't stop some indie grime showing through.
The hand-gesture spells are decent enough, and are given a nice spin in the later stages by enemies who are shielded against certain flavours, meaning you have to make some quick decisions about range and who to take out first. (Although honestly, the enemies that just spam you with some undodgeable mind magic are always the first port of call. It's just about dealing with the rest of the field as you get to them).
I did enjoy clearing some of the bigger locales and surviving the odd ambush, despite the wooden nature of the AI generally. But there was a general feeling of it all being too easy, even though I accidentally played the whole way without upgrading my spells. (Turning off the gaze auto-aim, with its horrible reticule, did help it all feel a touch more testing and free-flowing).
The plummy narrator is all fine, including his silly breaks through the 4th wall, but he's ultimately overly helpful, giving hints for some puzzles and combat encounters far too readily.
Then annoyingly he stays mute for the worst of the puzzle gating. There was a particular scenario involving 'door symbol toggling' which refused to display the state of the toggle (on or off). I've no idea why they chose to do that, but it turned it into a trial-by-error affair in ways it didn't need to be, and which didn't improve it. It was the only puzzle that was particularly annoying though. The rest were just on the tepid end of the scale.
I will give them points for varying both locales and fight scenarios though. The attempt to subvert the magic system in the third act, while not always successful, added some fun moments. And the initial use of 'hot plate' flooring was a nice touch.
Aside from some extra negatives (why are my footsteps constantly behind me??), it was just about a diverting straight-line adventure all told. And I actually enjoyed replaying some of it on game+ for a bit, with upgraded magic, faster enemies, and less HP. It was kinda fun for a while. Until I hit the tiresome puzzles again
3.5-(-)
---
Still Playing: Paper Beast
Every time I drop into this it's been pretty magical & transporting. Here's a quick vibe vid with no major gameplay / spoilers...
Source: https://youtu.be/AL0ly7Xp_FM
This is a weird mix of budget and glossy. It's super short, consisting of just 9 boxing matches in a lightly storified arc. Characters don't turn to face you, and look generally gormless, but having Rocky as your trainer, and duking it out in the increasingly spiffy gyms and grander arenas, is all pretty glam. Especially as the Rocky theme tune starts to play
The opponents do offer a reasonable range of styles, seemingly preferring certain punches, combinations, and broader strategies. Some variety in their reach means you have adjust to that too. (A few of them tower pretty absurdly over you, but at least it makes ducking under a swing to trigger a slow-mo riposte that much easier
)A few novelty rounds also dramatise aspects like fighting a 'wall' boxer who plays the long game and takes you to the final rounds. And some core conceits like the 10-count recovery (you have to 'run' your disembodied consciousness back into the hallowed ring...) are all pretty neat, pleasingly stylised, and additive.
And hell, your training sequences are basically montages
Although that's also a core bugbear that some have with it as a kinetic workout game. The training sequence essentially sets your stamina level for the next match. When your stamina's gone your punches become ghostly, and you have to defend to build it up again. This can be a bit pants. (Although the option to use your 'own' stamina to dodge back and around punches is still in play, allowing for a periodic recharged ripostes).
On the grounds that I enjoyed the training build up a lot (ducking under Rocky's training pads after a run of jab training etc), I'm ok with the system on balance. Although one huge buggy annoyance is that it kept re-centering me further and further into the training kit as the montage progressed. (Meaning I had to keep inching back to be in the right position for each flash session).
I'm also ok with it being a pretty short and simple conceit overall. Because playing it for any length of time was some genuine cardio and I started sweating out both my room and my headset
. I'd imagine it's even better (and 'worse') on that front if you have full roomscale to dance around your opponent. (I pretty much had to stay rooted to the spot. The 'running arm' locomotion is fine for the mini-games, but not so good for the ring. Putting your hands behind you to start back-peddling is a baaad idea :/)There are some other minor issues. (Once an opponent showed me that the 'overhand' attack could bypass a lot of defences I used that a lottt). And I'm not sure the top difficulty adds much more challenge or nuance, beyond them always having a killer KO blow in the wings. At least going by my extra rounds against the classic characters they've added anyway. (Mr T does not look like Mr T... But I still need to beat 'giant Dolph Lundgren doll'....
)But I'll definitely drop back in for some more daft 'movie moment' exercise. Well worth a wish-fulfilment sale buy
3.5+(+)
---
Review: The Wizards
Another game where some decent gloss can't stop some indie grime showing through.
The hand-gesture spells are decent enough, and are given a nice spin in the later stages by enemies who are shielded against certain flavours, meaning you have to make some quick decisions about range and who to take out first. (Although honestly, the enemies that just spam you with some undodgeable mind magic are always the first port of call. It's just about dealing with the rest of the field as you get to them).
I did enjoy clearing some of the bigger locales and surviving the odd ambush, despite the wooden nature of the AI generally. But there was a general feeling of it all being too easy, even though I accidentally played the whole way without upgrading my spells. (Turning off the gaze auto-aim, with its horrible reticule, did help it all feel a touch more testing and free-flowing).
The plummy narrator is all fine, including his silly breaks through the 4th wall, but he's ultimately overly helpful, giving hints for some puzzles and combat encounters far too readily.
Then annoyingly he stays mute for the worst of the puzzle gating. There was a particular scenario involving 'door symbol toggling' which refused to display the state of the toggle (on or off). I've no idea why they chose to do that, but it turned it into a trial-by-error affair in ways it didn't need to be, and which didn't improve it. It was the only puzzle that was particularly annoying though. The rest were just on the tepid end of the scale.
I will give them points for varying both locales and fight scenarios though. The attempt to subvert the magic system in the third act, while not always successful, added some fun moments. And the initial use of 'hot plate' flooring was a nice touch.
Aside from some extra negatives (why are my footsteps constantly behind me??), it was just about a diverting straight-line adventure all told. And I actually enjoyed replaying some of it on game+ for a bit, with upgraded magic, faster enemies, and less HP. It was kinda fun for a while. Until I hit the tiresome puzzles again
3.5-(-)
---
Still Playing: Paper Beast
Every time I drop into this it's been pretty magical & transporting. Here's a quick vibe vid with no major gameplay / spoilers...
First Look: Downward Spiral
Enjoying this abandoned space station exploration a fair bit!
It's got loads of those extra little touches that elevate a VR experience. Object physics, menu buttons on your arms, dials and switches everywhere that you can flip just for fun, big vertical spaces to clamber around.
The bots are enjoyable to tangle with in this environment. And although the graphics suffer a bit when you're not in claustrophobic 'Nostromo style' corridors, the scale is used to good effect...
Source: https://youtu.be/gmpChMFshEE
Enjoying this abandoned space station exploration a fair bit!
It's got loads of those extra little touches that elevate a VR experience. Object physics, menu buttons on your arms, dials and switches everywhere that you can flip just for fun, big vertical spaces to clamber around.
The bots are enjoyable to tangle with in this environment. And although the graphics suffer a bit when you're not in claustrophobic 'Nostromo style' corridors, the scale is used to good effect...
@[VR] Golgot (or anyone else), have you tried Battlegroup VR?
I’m in the mood for some capital ship action after rewatching Space Battleship Yamato 2202 and starting on Legend of the Galactic Heroes, so it’s either this (if it’s any good) or going back to something of a greater vintage, like Nexus - Jupiter Incident or Starshatter.
I’m in the mood for some capital ship action after rewatching Space Battleship Yamato 2202 and starting on Legend of the Galactic Heroes, so it’s either this (if it’s any good) or going back to something of a greater vintage, like Nexus - Jupiter Incident or Starshatter.
Haven't tried any of the command and control / bridge style ones yet. Other than the Star Trek one I guess (which is daft fun, but didn't hold my interest for solo play - It seems to be more set up for larping around). That one does look interesting though.
On a fairly unrelated / absurd note, I did see this daft prototype thing last night though
That looks, erm, differentHaven't tried any of the command and control / bridge style ones yet. Other than the Star Trek one I guess (which is daft fun, but didn't hold my interest for solo play - It seems to be more set up for larping around). That one does look interesting though.
On a fairly unrelated / absurd note, I did see this daft prototype thing last night though
Assigning power to systems using green squidgy thingy things? Original, at least!I’ve just got Espire 1: VR Operative which is pretty cool in a Metal Gear Solid sort of way, though most of my time so far has been spent in the VR challenges bit, so I think Battlegroup can wait until next month.
That looks, erm, different
I’ve just got Espire 1: VR Operative which is pretty cool in a Metal Gear Solid sort of way, though most of my time so far has been spent in the VR challenges bit, so I think Battlegroup can wait until next month.
Yeah I liked everything I was seeing except that core game mechanic
Espire looks decent, but I’m still holding off in case they improve the AI further. Launch looked pretty rough on that front. Let us know how it goes!
Review: Paper Beast
This was a pretty magical French fancy all told.
Right from the off, as some interactive Japanese punk amused me while the simulation loaded, I could tell I was going to enjoy their off beats. You emerge into a series of sandy digital worlds, all beautifully framed, and then get led through their oddites by a range of origami companions.
You do immediately notice a graphical scrubbiness to the environments, but this is soon forgiven as you realise that each puzzle zone involves some form of environmental manipulation. Sands can be sculpted, water sources steered, animals herded into making resources shrink or reappear.
It's not that long, with the campaign clocking in at around 3 hours for me. But for prolonged periods I wasn't concerned with that, because each unlocked zone contained some new intrigue, and all I cared about was what the next den would hold. A couple of missions did lean on the same game mechanics in succession, but that was a rare downbeat, in what was otherwise a progression of genteel surprises.
There's very little in way of instruction, you just prod things until they make sense. But I also never hit any extreme walls of difficulty. If anything I often just carried on playing with certain realms even after the solution had became clear. (Making digital mud castles can be fun alright?)
VR just makes all of these elements more transporting. Moving amongst underwater swells, sculpting the land by hand, steering between the legs of some towering paper impossibility before it peers curiously into your face. S'all good
The bonus sandbox is cute, and searching out the nodes that unlock it in each level is fine. But I'm not sure how much time I'll spend with it, as it's purely a 'make your own fun' affair, setting life forces in motion and watching predatory forces herd their burgeoning growth, or just throwing a local disaster into the mix. It feels like it could really do with some guided challenges to make it sing. (Add a 'get a turtle as high as the sun' level or something and I'd be in there for hours).
4--
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL0ly7Xp_FM
This was a pretty magical French fancy all told.
Right from the off, as some interactive Japanese punk amused me while the simulation loaded, I could tell I was going to enjoy their off beats
. You emerge into a series of sandy digital worlds, all beautifully framed, and then get led through their oddites by a range of origami companions.You do immediately notice a graphical scrubbiness to the environments, but this is soon forgiven as you realise that each puzzle zone involves some form of environmental manipulation. Sands can be sculpted, water sources steered, animals herded into making resources shrink or reappear.
It's not that long, with the campaign clocking in at around 3 hours for me. But for prolonged periods I wasn't concerned with that, because each unlocked zone contained some new intrigue, and all I cared about was what the next den would hold. A couple of missions did lean on the same game mechanics in succession, but that was a rare downbeat, in what was otherwise a progression of genteel surprises.
There's very little in way of instruction, you just prod things until they make sense. But I also never hit any extreme walls of difficulty. If anything I often just carried on playing with certain realms even after the solution had became clear. (Making digital mud castles can be fun alright?
)VR just makes all of these elements more transporting. Moving amongst underwater swells, sculpting the land by hand, steering between the legs of some towering paper impossibility before it peers curiously into your face. S'all good
The bonus sandbox is cute, and searching out the nodes that unlock it in each level is fine. But I'm not sure how much time I'll spend with it, as it's purely a 'make your own fun' affair, setting life forces in motion and watching predatory forces herd their burgeoning growth, or just throwing a local disaster into the mix. It feels like it could really do with some guided challenges to make it sing. (Add a 'get a turtle as high as the sun' level or something and I'd be in there for hours
).4--
Review: A Ton of Feathers
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEbLQuRIfc&feature=youtu.be
Holy crap.
Some great voice work by the lone actor, and the power in some of the vignettes, makes this like being inside the most intense of radio plays. But you're there. And where you are is a very odd place indeed, flexing and fleeing around themes of existential dread as it does, only occasionally resting in dells of relationships and redemption. Playful one minute and pinned to the spot the next. Every single rule on VR comfort and presentation is broken at points in pursuit of that. And it works.
It's like crack for a VR addict. Someone just telling their stories first and foremost, not worrying about whether that means occluding your view, or breaking the laws of physics when they feel like that too.
The music was super fitting underneath it all. The whole thing was like a game / narrative made by Daniel Johnston, if I actually liked Daniel Johnston's stuff.
There's positional audio in there, and physics interactions at various points. But essentially you're the game object watching everything in the round.
I almost want to say it breaks some kind of fifth wall. Yeah, I liked it
4 (+/-) / unrateable [possible nausea]
Holy crap.
Some great voice work by the lone actor, and the power in some of the vignettes, makes this like being inside the most intense of radio plays. But you're there. And where you are is a very odd place indeed, flexing and fleeing around themes of existential dread as it does, only occasionally resting in dells of relationships and redemption. Playful one minute and pinned to the spot the next. Every single rule on VR comfort and presentation is broken at points in pursuit of that. And it works.
It's like crack for a VR addict. Someone just telling their stories first and foremost, not worrying about whether that means occluding your view, or breaking the laws of physics when they feel like that too.
The music was super fitting underneath it all. The whole thing was like a game / narrative made by Daniel Johnston, if I actually liked Daniel Johnston's stuff.
There's positional audio in there, and physics interactions at various points. But essentially you're the game object watching everything in the round.
I almost want to say it breaks some kind of fifth wall. Yeah, I liked it
4 (+/-) / unrateable [possible nausea]
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Love the list!
What made you choose PC2 over Assetto Corsa? I have all of the sims and I keep returning to AC (ACC is too specialised for me). It's cheap in its frequent sales, feels great to drive, loads of cars and tracks, looks fab in VR, unmatched to this day ffb, fab sound in 5.1s.
Was it because its a bit clunky in VR? You need to treat it like a sim machine where the menu, which is still suberb and noob friendly but is on the main screen, meaning you have to take off the HMD if you wish to start and change tracks etc
BUT it's obviously your list!
What made you choose PC2 over Assetto Corsa? I have all of the sims and I keep returning to AC (ACC is too specialised for me). It's cheap in its frequent sales, feels great to drive, loads of cars and tracks, looks fab in VR, unmatched to this day ffb, fab sound in 5.1s.
Was it because its a bit clunky in VR? You need to treat it like a sim machine where the menu, which is still suberb and noob friendly but is on the main screen, meaning you have to take off the HMD if you wish to start and change tracks etc
BUT it's obviously your list!
Cheers
Yeah I’d heard bad things about the VR support in AC, and PC2 just had a good sale on. I’m not heavy into track sims either, so I mainly just played the motor X stuff in PC2 for the shifting weather
I’ve kind of transitioned to a point of VR excess where I really want 'hand gripped' steering from my car modes too. Spent a daft amount of time just cruising around LA Noire listening to 40s music
. (They’ve actually added a race track to LAN now, which is worth a peek. But essentially too easy to ace once you figure out the oversteer).
Not sure if I understand you correctly, but if it's "VTOL VR controls" you want from a racing sim, you're plain out wrong
Sorry for being so blunt, but you need a proper racing wheel with proper force feedback. No amount of motion control will give you the feedback a road gives to the car and the car to the player through a real feedback wheel.Buying my good old Driving Force GT and playing Gran Turismo 4 on PS2 for hours on end ruined arcade driving games for me. I used to love Need For Speed series, now the car in them could as well be a floating banana without wheel support and realistic driving model
Not sure if I understand you correctly, but if it's "VTOL VR controls" you want from a racing sim, you're plain out wrong
For racing sims and competitive driving I’d definitely be wrong
. But I’m not really a hard sim head, and for my own enjoyment that’s the kind of driving I’m enjoying the most at the moment. I’d love it if there was a proper open world that exploited it. (Fingers crossed for the mystery Rockstar project maybe).It's not just for racing sims, it's for all driving in general. The only question I have is did you try a feedback racing wheel ever? It's almost as transforming for me like VR was to 2d. YMMV of course, but cas someone who tried all these methods including dumb wii racing wheel, I can safely say a proper racing wheel is a must for me. By force feedback wheel I mean a wheel which can rotate on it's own, not the wheel which only vibratesFor racing sims and competitive driving I’d definitely be wrong
It's not just for racing sims, it's for all driving in general. The only question I have is did you try a feedback racing wheel ever? It's almost as transforming for me like VR was to 2d. YMMV of course, but cas someone who tried all these methods including dumb wii racing wheel, I can safely say a proper racing wheel is a must for me. By force feedback wheel I mean a wheel which can rotate on it's own, not the wheel which only vibrates
Nope, haven’t tried, but I’m sure they’re great. My Saitek for ED is the furthest I’ve ever gone into peripherals for a specific game genre
If I see one on sale will snatch one up though. Could imagine they are great for a pure driving game.