Virtual Reality Reviews

[VR Golgot]

I’ve been looking at The Room for my next game, though A Rogue Escape looks very tempting as well

Oo nice one, hadn’t heard of that.

Escape room mini adventure-puzzles really are such a consumable staple of VR now. It’s hard to say no to a slick one

(On sale though, almost always on sale… The Room seems to have a run time of like 4hrs :/)

 

[VR Golgot]

Review: The Room VR: A Dark Matter

Another slick, 4 hour, escape the room adventure. Very much from the 'move between puzzle hubs, gain tools to progress them a step' school.

It's well presented, with a Holmes meets baby's-first-Cthulhu vibe. The puzzles are probably on the easy end all told, with the challenge coming more in figuring out what to do, rather than how to do it. This of course does lend itself to occasional roadblocks. I ended up checking a walkthrough on a few occasions. Once while just not being persistent / inquisitive enough with an object, once when the visual queue for an object's placement was pretty vague, (and once when the left-handed support proved lacking [NON SPOILER: The lockpick doesn't turn in your left hand. It is supposed to..])

The game generally does a good job of closing off avenues once they're exhausted though. So although it doesn't go the whole hog on the experimental interactions, say, letting you set fire to things with the puzzle-solving flame, it does let you know that opening and closing the ornate hearth multiple times isn't part of the puzzle now. It was just there to give you fire in the first place.

The use of altered scales is pretty effective, if not as fancifully or creatively done as A Fisherman's Tale say, where it was the central mechanic.

Although the teleport system was fine for zapping between the puzzle stations, it did seem to orientate you in perplexing directions at each node, which got a bit annoying when covering larger distances.

Overall though I enjoyed the musty police station, storm-shrouded museum, and other assorted period locales. The final scene, a familiar game trope of sorts, was still a nicely effective moment in the imagined dimensions of VR land...

Rating: 3.5 +(++)

 

[VR Golgot]

FIRST LOOK: OUTER WILDS (VR MOD)

This mod is pretty exceptional. The opening sections and tutorials have all played like a native VR game. And a pretty great native VR game at that.

There wasn't one function, from hopping free-form around the starter village, to tracking distant audio signals via handtools, to repairing satellites in a zero-G cave, that didn't feel totally robust.

You soon forgive the little budget aspects of the core game, like characters communicating through text alone, as the little living solar system, and the little lore world you inhabit, are all so damn charming. With just the right amount of lurking danger, seemingly

There are a few oddities though. The controls in the star map are a complete mystery. Getting seemingly flung out of a telescope catapault into this was disconcerting

Mod here:

GitHub - Raicuparta/nomai-vr: Outer Wilds VR Mod with 6DOF tracking and full motion control support

Outer Wilds VR Mod with 6DOF tracking and full motion control support - Raicuparta/nomai-vr

github.com

First attempts at flight here

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdn8GjOGU4

 

[Arioch]

FIRST LOOK: OUTER WILDS (VR MOD)

This mod is pretty exceptional. The opening sections and tutorials have all played like a native VR game. And a pretty great native VR game at that.

There wasn't one function, from hopping free-form around the starter village, to tracking distant audio signals via handtools, to repairing satellites in a zero-G cave, that didn't feel totally robust.

You soon forgive the little budget aspects of the core game, like characters communicating through text alone, as the little living solar system, and the little lore world you inhabit, are all so damn charming. With just the right amount of lurking danger, seemingly

There are a few oddities though. The controls in the star map are a complete mystery. Getting seemingly flung out of a telescope catapault into this was disconcerting

Mod here:

GitHub - Raicuparta/nomai-vr: Outer Wilds VR Mod with 6DOF tracking and full motion control support

Outer Wilds VR Mod with 6DOF tracking and full motion control support - Raicuparta/nomai-vr

github.com

First attempts at flight here

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdn8GjOGU4

Nice - how are you finding performance? I tried the first release of the mod but it was pretty dire on my system.

 

[VR Golgot]

Nice - how are you finding performance? I tried the first release of the mod but it was pretty dire on my system.

I'd heard it was rough so set everything to 'Medium' off the bat. Has been totally fine so far on performance (1080, i7 4790K, 16g ram), but I literally haven't left the planet yet, so no I idea if it gets more demanding out in space etc.

 

[Arioch]

I'd heard it was rough so set everything to 'Medium' off the bat. Has been totally fine so far on performance (1080, i7 4790K, 16g ram), but I literally haven't left the planet yet, so no I idea if it gets more demanding out in space etc.

That sounds better than my experience, and I’m using a 1080 too. I’ll have to be giving it another go!

If you haven’t tried the flatscreen game - you’ve got some interesting voyages ahead of you

 

[VR Golgot]

Talking of excellent-seeming mods...

https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/os9r70

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/os9r70/valheim_vr_mod_updates_add_roomscale_movement/

VHVR - Valheim VR

This mod adds VR support to Valheim using OpenVR and SteamVR Unity integration.

www.nexusmods.com

Gotta get on this at some point

 

[Craith]

Talking of excellent-seeming mods...

https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/os9r70

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/os9r70/valheim_vr_mod_updates_add_roomscale_movement/

VHVR - Valheim VR

This mod adds VR support to Valheim using OpenVR and SteamVR Unity integration.

www.nexusmods.com

Gotta get on this at some point

need to try the mod again - it was very basic when I first tested it and the performance was a nightmare, but the feeling of scale was great

 

[Arioch]

FIRST LOOK: OUTER WILDS (VR MOD)

This mod is pretty exceptional. The opening sections and tutorials have all played like a native VR game. And a pretty great native VR game at that.

There wasn't one function, from hopping free-form around the starter village, to tracking distant audio signals via handtools, to repairing satellites in a zero-G cave, that didn't feel totally robust.

You soon forgive the little budget aspects of the core game, like characters communicating through text alone, as the little living solar system, and the little lore world you inhabit, are all so damn charming. With just the right amount of lurking danger, seemingly

There are a few oddities though. The controls in the star map are a complete mystery. Getting seemingly flung out of a telescope catapault into this was disconcerting

Mod here:

GitHub - Raicuparta/nomai-vr: Outer Wilds VR Mod with 6DOF tracking and full motion control support

Outer Wilds VR Mod with 6DOF tracking and full motion control support - Raicuparta/nomai-vr

github.com

First attempts at flight here

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdn8GjOGU4

The “first and only” expansion to The Outer Wilds is coming out at the end of September - looks like that’ll be when I jump into VR with it

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pt9M6WumjtE&feature=youtu.be

 

[VR Golgot]

Trip Report: Outer Wilds

This is just so goddamn awesome. But unfortunately there's no way to discuss that without spoilers...

Spoiler

Was sliding and hopping around the tiny icy comet when I suddenly found myself sucked into space towards sounds of terrifying fury. Turns out the comet had completed its close pass near the sun, and the giant gravity source had nearly yanked me into its maw. I managed to slam the jetpack on in time, suspended between worlds for a heart-wrenching moment, before rustically guiding myself back to the comet, cushioning the landing just enough to avoid breaking all of my bones. Both terrifying and awesome

Loving the use of curving 'magnetic' floors, the wild storms of the water planet, the honeycombs of knowledge in the architectural ruins. I've still got far too many plans on the back of a postcard to tick off. But it's all working out just fine. If the inertia of my path takes me past an intended spot, there's always another delight revealed in its shadow, another place nearby I've been meaning to get back to...

Some handy tips for any future VR users though:

• There's a 'mesh' in the system map which denotes where you're focusing. You can use that to select a specific body. And then even auto-pilot into its orbit if you fancy, once back in the ship. (Although it's not perfect, and watch out for any bodies on the flight path )
• The little 'record players' which can be translated have multiple entries. (Right stick on rift to select). I totally missed that at first... Was just reading the first line and moving on :/

I have absolutely no problem revisiting every little site though. Because it's not revealing too much to say that this little clockwork orrery has really made each location a unique mix of environments and challenges...

(VR legs definitely required for some of the smaller bodies which whizz and spin through the solar system with wild delight, holding onto you with only the lightest of gravitational touches . But that's almost half the fun )

^^ I parked in a tree and that's fine ^^

 

[Arioch]

I’ve just revisited Lone Echo after fitting my new graphics card the other day, to turn all the settings up and see what the performance was like - and to prep for the sequel at the end of the month Turns out there was a patch a few years back (but after I’d finished the game) that added some cool new features - I didn’t know about it, so when I started a new game I was fair gobsmacked by the amount of zero-G clutter floating around in the first room. Oh to have that in Odyssey Outposts!

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bbQMIC8fuWs

 

[VR Golgot]

I’ve just revisited Lone Echo after fitting my new graphics card the other day, to turn all the settings up and see what the performance was like - and to prep for the sequel at the end of the month Turns out there was a patch a few years back (but after I’d finished the game) that added some cool new features - I didn’t know about it, so when I started a new game I was fair gobsmacked by the amount of zero-G clutter floating around in the first room. Oh to have that in Odyssey Outposts!

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bbQMIC8fuWs

God yeah, floating debris with physics interactions add so damn much to zero-G scenes. Just being able to bat them away with the tool in your hand just grounds all of the elements / emphasises that it's a physical space.

Really liked their inclusion in the budget Downward Spiral. Really added to the Alien-esque tension of exploration down abandoned corridors and through fractured spaces...

 

[VR Golgot]

Tempting…

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVoecRizKyk&t=47s

 

[Dooguk]

Nano takes a look at Into The Radius.

(Cheesy intro alert)
Jump scares and laughs aplenty as Nano does his thing in this Stalker like single player VR game set in the surreal post-apocalyptic Pechorsk Radius Zone.

This looks like great fun, if your heart can stand it...

 

[VR Golgot]

Nano takes a look at Into The Radius.

(Cheesy intro alert)
Jump scares and laughs aplenty as Nano does his thing in this Stalker like single player VR game set in the surreal post-apocalyptic Pechorsk Radius Zone.

This looks like great fun, if your heart can stand it...

Hah nice. Had to stop watching because I'm afraid of spoilers. Bought it on sale a while back and have been meaning to get to it. That did give me another good kick to play it though. I keep hearing good things about it. (But then equally, I keep looking at the sparse graphics, and the tales of Early Access jank, and step back from delving into a prolonged survival run...)

Also... it looks like it'd be creepy as anything in VR . So I've been delaying because of that too...

But think the time is approaching

 

[Dooguk]

Hah nice. Had to stop watching because I'm afraid of spoilers. Bought it on sale a while back and have been meaning to get to it. That did give me another good kick to play it though. I keep hearing good things about it. (But then equally, I keep looking at the sparse graphics, and the tales of Early Access jank, and step back from delving into a prolonged survival run...)

Also... it looks like it'd be creepy as anything in VR . So I've been delaying because of that too...

But think the time is approaching

Yes the game looked a bit buggy, but then again that seems par for the course these days.

Looking forward to the second instalment of Nano playing it, which should be up soon.
I'm the same with scary VR games, wanting to play them but not wanting to play them If it isn't too buggy I'll get the game anyway.

 

[Dooguk]

Part 2 of Nano's look at The Radius. Towards the end he plays some of the beta release.

 

[VR Golgot]

Second Look: Townsmen VR

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvssGO_wWNM


Just messing around with the sudden content dump. I'm on the 5th challenge island or so, and enjoying the format.

There were times early on where it felt like I was ferrying tiny items with my giant hands a bit too much, but that actually became enjoyable again once I had a larger village sprawling around the place. (Sending a hungry worker back to his station by flinging a fish at him etc).

I'd still like to see them add a free mode with randomised islands. It would be cool to have a reason to really 'perfect' a small city, rather than moving on to the next challenge set. But I'm still essentially in the tutorial phase, so will see what the other levels bring.

The scaling (while still very impactful when you do it) is a bit clunky at points. But there is something very cool about ascending to total god height to clamber around the place quickly. I'm just not sure if there's an actual need to go down to the lowest scales (beyond poking things for fun, and checking where the villager you backhanded ended up...)

Lots of quality of life touches in there, like the semi-dynamic music. Still EA perhaps, but found myself getting lost in it pretty happily this time...

 

[Arioch]

I’ve finished off the DLC for Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge - and I think it really rounds off the game into a great package now. Of the two new “Tales” I found the second Jedi story to be very “meh” (anything with Padawans or younglings just…no. It’s not Star Wars to me ) but the IG-88 tale was fun. The best part of the DLC for me was when the First Order pitched up - it was almost venturing into Dark Forces territory with the end missions and it has some impressive visuals considering it’s running on the Quest natively.

I took some quick footage demonstrating the new mobile jump pack and some of the new guns:

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2w2r8Uom4Y

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tO3vicyOiw8

It’s all very Clone Wars cartoon as opposed to Original Trilogy, but I’ve enjoyed my time with it and keep popping back in to complete the search-for-this-thing side missions.

Recommended if you’ve got a Quest headset

 

[VR Golgot]

Ok I'm tempted...

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhfHBR_beY4


Still in a fuge state building little villages in Townsmen VR. It's not the most complex under the hood, (and think it needs an more than just 10+ tutorial/challenge maps to really earn its current price tag), but it is super cute to poke the living diaorma into life.