VideoGame_Discussion

Some quick first impressions of a couple of games I started recently:

Drums Rock - This is fun. Unfortunately I don't seem to have the reflexes to keep up with most songs even on medium, which is a problem I had with Guitar Hero and Rocksmith as well and pretty much stuck to the easier songs and never felt motivated enough to try to get better. Main downside so far is the lack of licensed music, and what's there isn't the original songs but sound-alike cover versions like in the early days of Guitar Hero.

Ven VR Adventure - Oh boy, the jank is off the charts. I'll stick with it because there seems to only be 12 levels and I've already finished 7, but I guess I was a little too eager to jump at this one because I just wanted a 3D platformer in VR and from what I can tell on PSVR2 there are no other options yet. Also there's an annoying glitch at the end of level 4 and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong that triggered it, and when I was able to bypass it I wasn't sure what I did right. That definitely needs to be patched, I think they were just in a hurry to get this out before Christmas.

ErickRPG wrote:

The idea sounds great but motion sickness kills it. Epic Roller Coasters is one of the only VR games that gives me problems and I have to use the comfort settings to "play" it. The super fast movement plus looking around is awkward.

On Quest what I really like is just standard Youtube has 360` "VR" videos, usually of tourist spots like Machu Picchu, the Vatican, etc. and those are pretty cool. Primarily because they move somewhat slow so it's really comfortable and you can look all around. The fidelity is never amazing though, but it's decent enough for at least the novelty of having full control of the camera when a drone flies around the pyramids of Egypt or whatever.

This one is rather dull but there are some neat things like someone who 360-recorded the Universal Studios Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6n2zstwIS4

Anxiouz wrote:


Epic Roller Coasters made me feel a little funky too. At the start this little robot thing appears and asks if you want to find the right comfort settings, I figured since I already have my "VR legs" I'd ignore the little bastard and jump right in. What a stupid idea that was. I stuck through it and finished the coaster, but I haven't tried any of the others since. I will go back after I've finished what I'm already playing, but I'm not in a hurry.

Something I've noticed is when recording VR gameplay through the PS5 itself, the footage ends up looking very poor with washed out colors and that doesn't happen with non-VR games. I didn't notice this when I recorded my Switchback playthrough using my capture card though. It's not an issue for majority of users though, I just like recording footage of whatever I've been playing and toss it on YouTube (not because I'm a "YouTuber", but for archival purposes).

Anxiouz wrote:

I would do outer space animations and roller coasters. But sounds like I need a quest for that.

Anyone going to check out Vertigo 2 tomorrow? I guess it has been out on PC for a while and lots of people are calling it one of those "must play games" for VR, so that certainly has me interested. I won't be buying it on day one though, but definitely plan to check it out maybe next month.

Also going to be waiting on reviews for Bulletstorm VR which releases on the 18th. It seems they've barely shown anything of the PSVR2 version specifically, they just show what it looks like on PC VR. I can't think of any reason for that unless it's just a low effort port that won't take advantage of any of the PSVR2 features. I hope I'm wrong though.


edit: Checked out a review of Vertigo 2 on PSVR2 and it seems the game still has issues that need to be fixed. Glitches that will prevent you from knowing what to do to solve puzzles and inconsistent frame-rate (that's the one thing you want to get right in a VR game or you can risk making the player feel sick). Some reviews are still saying it's worth the money though, but I'm gonna wait and hope these issues are fixed via patch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqt5-Ml8gXg

Apparently Bulletstorm VR's review embargo lifts 10 hours after the game's release. That's never a good sign. Glad I didn't jump on that 10% off pre-order discount.

I don't know how that even works though. Once the clock strikes midnight of the game's release date and the game is officially available to the public, why wouldn't you be allowed to post your review immediately?

Triple post
Regardless of your VR platform of choice, you should probably just stay away from Bulletstorm. He can't post a review yet, so he uploaded his first impressions and it tells you all you need to know...which is everything you don't want to hear about a game you were looking forward to. The game is a mess with the main takeaways being it looks ugly, the AI enemies are dumb and the game crashes quite a bit. Quest 3 version is the worst.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFjiXJqwjRU

That’s disappointing.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

PlayStation Store in Korea has already delisted Bulletstorm VR and is offering refunds to those who bought it. I wonder if other regions will be following?

I noticed a little smudge or something on the left lens of my headset. I don't know how it got there, I'm always careful with it and I'm the only one that has used it. If it has been there for a while I certainly didn't notice it until today, and even now that I know it's there it is barely visible during gameplay most times. What am I supposed to use to wipe the lens clean? I thought they'd include something in the box with it, but I don't see anything.

edit: Saw this recommended on a VR Discord server. Just gonna post it here in case anyone else ever has this same question. They're good for using on TV screens too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&lo...

Dead Hook releasing February 8 and it looks pretty damn good.
https://twitter.com/DeadHookVR/status/174984486037...

PizzaTheHutt wrote:
I don't have a vr, so probably won't play it, but that does look pretty good. I wonder how accurate it requires your movements to be. Because in a fast paced challenge like that, I'd hate to be trying to reload, but it's not working because of input parameters being slightly off.

The developer of Demeo is working on a Dungeons and Dragons VR game: https://www.ign.com/articles/official-dungeons-dra...

I've heard a lot before I even bought one, that PSVR2 was one of the most comfortable VR headsets out there. My VR experiences are limited to only owning the original PSVR and now a PSVR2, but after a little over a month of owning PSVR2 I find it hard to believe this could really be the most comfortable.

Playing Resident Evil 4 last night and after the 30 minute mark it really starts to hurt my forehead. This happens with other games too if I play more than 30-40 minutes. I'm the type that has to be in a certain mood to even want to play a VR game, and once I'm in that mood I like to spend hours playing it, and so far I have to say it was way more comfortable to do that with the original PSVR.

I agree that, at baseline, the PSVR is more comfortable than the PSVR2, but the globular cluster changes the game.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

I've heard of that but haven't looked into it. How easy is it to install, and does it void the warranty?

I’m terrible at installing things, and it wasn’t bad at all. I doubt it would void the warranty. You just pop out the panels in the front and back and replace them with cushier ones, and the back piece opens up the ability to use a strap at the top. You can easily snap the OEM parts right back in if you want. It took me about 15 minutes while watching the install video.

I also ordered the comfort mods for the controllers from them that just came out, and they should be here any day now. (They’ve been sitting in a city 45 minutes from me for a week. The shipping service they use by default takes awhile.).

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Saw quite a few VR games on my wishlist are currently on sale, so I bought some. That old rule I made for myself before I even bought the PSVR2, that I wouldn't allow my VR2 library to get out of control like I did with the VR1 library that I'm still getting around to those games years later, well that rule went out the window within the first few weeks. I can't help it.

I want to say if I haven't already, that it really sucks that Sony put a cap on the number of games you can have in your wishlist at one time. The Steam store and Nintendo eShop have no limit. In the PlayStation Store my wishlist is 95% VR games, but I have to manually keep track of other games I want that won't fit in the wishlist. Ridiculous, especially for the people like me who will throw money at almost anything that looks even slightly interesting. Equally ridiculous is how difficult it is to just open Metacritic to browse reviews of VR games, because unless they are major titles hardly anyone will cover them. You pretty much have to go to YouTube and hunt down channels specifically centered on VR games.

My purchases:
Separation (PSVR1) - I've checked some reviews and saw it compared to Ico and Journey. It was on sale for less than $7.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtKU96SZ194

Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery VR - I gifted the non-VR version to one of my friends on Steam last year and she enjoyed it. Without VR I would've never considered giving this game a chance myself. It looks calm and relaxing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ZpKJ-A64o

Galaxy Kart - This game got a lot of crap at launch last year because it felt like an unfinished game. The devs have been listening to player feedback and adding to it ever since, more tracks, more stable online multiplayer, wheel support etc. and it's on sale for $10 now. Something like this is more my taste than Gran Turismo would be (I do own GT7, but am not in a hurry to play it).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8djE2iXphh0

Waltz of the Wizard - This is on sale for $8. I don't know much about it other than it does have a 2 player co-op mode (one player in VR, the other using a DualSense controller on the TV). Some of the magic is controlled through your voice as well. I feel like the VR2 mic, the eye tracking and local co-op are features barely any VR2 games support, but according to reviews this one uses all three of them well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJJypeV6OYY


Anyway, when I make posts like this it's just to try and bring some awareness to lesser known games. Of course we'd all like more AAA games on VR, but it's really the smaller devs that keep VR afloat until more big name developers are willing to try something new.

MADiSON VR just got hit with a last minute delay. It was due to release next week, but now it's coming March 23 at $34.99. Physical release is coming April 12. Since it's a separate SKU, you won't get a free VR upgrade if you already own the flat version, instead you will get a 20% discount off the VR version.


edit: And Jeff Grub is saying he's heard Astrobot is coming this year. He doesn't specify if it's VR only or hybrid flat with the option to play in VR.
https://twitter.com/realradec/status/1757848441193...

Looks like some peeps on Reddit are saying the new Pulse Elite headset doesn't fit properly over the PSVR2. How could Sony screw that up? Others say it does fit if you put them on first and then the VR headset over it, but the globular cluster interferes with that if you're using one.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Yeah I read those posts. It fits fine unless you use the globular cluster mod, which Sony has no control over and doesn’t make them. You also need to put the headset over them like you mentioned

I don't see how that would be comfortable. wearing the headphones first. Like, wouldn't that make it really tight putting the VR headset over it? I use the regular Pulse 3D headphones and I put them on after the headset with no issue.

I was concerned about fit as well, so I got the Pulse Explores. I would never give up my globular cluster mods. They’re great.

Sony looking to make PSVR2 compatible with PCVR later this year.
https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/ps-vr2-to-add-pc-s...

That’s game changing! I’m really excited.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

That'd be incredible if it was supported by SteamVR. I'd love to be able to use this in lieu of my Vive.

I've been seeing a lot of mixed feelings on that news. With this being the one year anniversary of PSVR2 and they didn't announce a single new first-party game for it, some are taking this as Sony kinda throwing in the towel on the headset, more like a "we're done with this, you guys can do what you want with it.".

I'm not sure I see it that way, though I might not be as ecstatic about it as others because it leaves me with several questions. Doesn't PCVR require pretty beefy specs? That's kinda why I went with PSVR/PSVR2 in the first place. Also, games designed for PCVR, how many devs will bother taking advantage of the haptic feedback and eye-tracking features that Sony heavily marketed to sell us on this headset in the first place? Already a lot of PSVR2 games I've played don't use them to begin with since there are a lot of ports from PCVR, now it seems like there might be even less incentive for devs to add it in because only a small percentage of players on PC will get to use it. Still though, I'm not against this idea at all because a lot of players have been asking since day one why they limited this headset to PS5.

I’m excited for two reasons. 1) I have a pretty decent gaming PC that should be able to handle VR but didn’t want to have to buy another headset. Being able to use the one I already like but have access to tons of new games is all win. I’m fine if they don’t incorporate features like haptic feedback if we’re talking about getting to play something without haptics vs. not being able to play it at all. 2) I think this will spur more PSVR2 sales and create a bigger user base to support future game development that does incorporate the unique features of the headset.

As far as concerns from people about the lack of first party PSVR2 games go, people seem to always be pessimistic on gaming websites, and I really don’t get it. The headset is only a year old, and there are reliable people saying that there’s apparently a new Astrobot game in the works (which I’m assuming will be at least VR hybrid. Also, I own 55 PSVR2 games and have only played four of them so far, so I’m in no rush for new first party games. There’s been plenty to play for me.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:


I agree, better to play them without the haptics than not get to play them at all. It's just that those features were used by many to justify the high price of the VR2. Of course now maybe the price doesn't seem as high because you'll no longer be required to own a PS5 to use it. I just hope most importantly this doesn't discourage devs from still porting their VR games to PS5. Also, I would not be surprised if when they are ready to officially roll out the PSVR2 support for PC, they have an announcement of Gran Turismo 7 PC with VR support right alongside it.




I agree again, there is a lot to play on this thing (not all of it good, but that goes for anything). Even though I've only had mine for just shy of two months, I've been keeping an eye on it since launch. It did have a really good first year and it feels like not enough people will give it credit for that. Like, there are full on consoles that don't have as good of a first year as this optional add-on did.

There's been a lot of discussion/debates over the past couple of days about how Sony worded that little announcement. Some are thinking it will allow the PSVR2 headset to work on PC (this is what I was thinking too). Others are of the belief that the PCVR games will still run off the PS5 possibly though streaming, and the reason being that if Sony just allows their headset to be used on PC then anyone who buys the headset and doesn't own a PS5, Sony won't ever make another dime off of those people.

Little Cities: Bigger! releases tomorrow. Anyone else thinking of picking it up? It releases in less than 24 hours and I don't know why Sony makes it so you can't know the price until the actual release day. So bizarre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX0uqWeqrh8


cyubeVR releases on Saturday. I've never played Minecraft and never wanted to, but this looks good. It even has Mod support.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpjk8Yl7SgE

There's a big PSN Spring Sale happening until April 11. Anyone getting anything? I've got just shy of $100 (after tax) worth of VR2 games in my cart currently. Debating removing or maybe even adding one more to it. What's in there currently:
Hubris - $14.99 (50% off)
Across The Valley - $7.99 (60% off)
The 7th Guest VR - $19.79 (34% off)
WHAT THE BAT? - $14.99 (40% off)
Red Matter Collection - $29.99 (25% off)

I've heard good things about the two Red Matter games and Hubris. WHAT THE BAT? I've heard mixed opinions about, but I really liked WHAT THE GOLF? when I played it on Switch, if this one is even half as funny as that was it will have been worth the price. Across The Valley probably won't be the "Harvest Moon in VR" experience that I want it to be, but at that price I can't be too disappointed if it isn't. The 7th Guest I don't even know much about other than it's an old 90s game remade in VR and I recall a friend saying she played it when she was a child, so I'm gonna buy it just to show her how it looks in VR (not personally since she lives on the other side of the world, but I'll stream it for her).

I think this might be the final list and I'll save Dead Hook and The Light Brigade for the next sale. But I'm so hooked on Among Us VR that I don't know when I'll start any of these games. I could be wrong and just not remembering, but I don't think I've bought a single flat game since January, it's just all been VR2.

Edit: just remembered I did buy a flat game a couple months ago, Sonic Superstars was $20 and I couldn't pass that up. But that has to have been the only one so far.

For what it’s worth, I loved The Light Brigade. It’s one of my favorite VR games. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but it’s a blast once you do.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:


I never checked any reviews of it, but I know I put it in my wishlist just from your recommendation. The only thing that worried me is I think you called it a rogue-like and that's one genre I usually just can't get into, that's the main reason I only want to buy it during a sale (same for Dead Hook). I expect they'll be on sale again during the inevitable big Summer Sale all the stores do in June/July.

I have only played Red Matter 1 (on Quest 2). It's super chill but I never stuck with it to beat. You mostly just mosey through a facility but it's good looking and was a solid VR experience. I hear RM2 is better but I'd wait for a bigger discount for the bundle if I was you.

Anxiouz wrote:


Too late.
I've heard RM2 is better also, but neither game was on sale individually and buying Red Matter 2 alone without a sale costs the same price as this bundle on sale. I checked PSDeals.net and so far the bundle hasn't gone cheaper than $29.99

That’s cool. To be honest, you may not get into it like I did if you don’t like roguelites, as it definitely is one. (I’m a big fan of roguelites.)

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

The RadTV devs are still hard at work on porting their app to the PS5 with PSVR2 support. It wasn't as simple as just porting their existing PS4 app because I guess Sony made some big changes to what they'll allow on PS5. But this will allow you to sideload 3D content to watch on your VR2 headset. It originally was free on the original PSVR, but they've since rebranded the app and added a subscription fee a few years back.

Well well well
https://twitter.com/Flat2VR/status/177863681247638...

Looks like Legendary Tales' developers are disappointed in the game's sales and may abandon VR for future projects. I admit I haven't bought the game yet, and it does look really good, it was just the $55 price kinda threw me off (and clearly I'm not the only one). Like, I know during any typical PSN sale I could easily get 3 or 4 other decent VR games equal to the price of just that one game.

They are looking to release the game on Quest and hope that rakes in the money. Don't get me wrong because I really enjoy the PSVR2, but from a potential money standpoint, as an indie dev shouldn't you be targeting Quest first and PSVR2 last?

Anyway, the game certainly addresses one of my common complaints with VR games in that it's a full length (40+ hours) Action/RPG and not something that you will breeze through in a weekend. It also supports 4 player co-op, and I'm a big fan of co-op games, however the friends I play co-op games with have little interest in VR, so I'd be playing this alone or with randoms. They're looking into adding a free trial for PS+ Premium subscribers, so I'll check it out then. I just don't know if I'm ready for this transition into paying higher prices for VR games. I know I'm getting a quality game when Capcom asks full price, but you can never be so sure with indie devs.