Grab your gamepad and line up your sights; Damaged Core hits Oculus Rift this week. If High Voltage’s new FPS doesn’t suit you then there’s plenty more to get excited about with the releases over the last seven days. Both Rift and Gear have a decent selection of new games, including the surprising return of a promising developer and more.
If you missed last week, you can see those new releases here. And don’t forget that UploadVR has a Steam community group, complete with a curated list of recommendations so that you don’t have to waste any money finding out what’s good in the world of VR. Let’s get to it.
Nebulous, from Namazu Studios
Price: $14.99 (Rift)
A pretty interesting physic-based puzzler. You have to guide an astronaut to portals by essentially setting up a level so that, when he begins his journey, you’ll bounce, and fly all over the place until he reaches the goal. Look for it to hit PlayStation VR soon too.
Recommendation: Worth a look for puzzle fans.
Detached, from Anshar Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNhyNj3IgGw
Price: $19.99 (Rift, currently discounted)
A first look at a promising new multiplayer game in which players compete for corporate dominance in the depths of space. You’ll race for packages and stun other players with an assortment of power ups in intense 1-on-1 battles.
Recommendation: Definitely a game multiplayer gamers should get into.
AcrossFlash, from Uborm
Price: $2.99 (Rift)
This is described as a “flight shooting Parkour VR game” though we’re not exactly sure where the Parkour comes into it. What it really looks like is a very mediocre Starfox wannabe that doesn’t seem to have much to it.
Recommendation: This looks like it’s worth skipping.
Damaged Core, from High Voltage Software
Price: $29.99 (Rift)
This week’s biggest release for sure. Damaged Core is a super fun FPS in which you hack into drones to assume control of their weapons, darting about the battlefield. It’s our highest rated VR game yet, taking home a 9.5 from our own Joe Durbin.
Recommendation: If you have a Rift, you need to buy this.
Hypercade, from Hidden Path Entertainment
Price: $2.99 (Gear)
This one’s a big of a surprise; it’s a new game from the guys that made the excellent Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition on Rift. This is quite a different beast, with four arcade-style games to indulge upon.
Recommendation: Judging on the strength of Hidden Path’s last VR game, this is definitely worth a look.
Wrath of Loki, from The House of Fables
Price: $2.99 (Gear)
The beloved (cough) hidden object adventure game comes to VR with this charming game from The House of Fables. Use a full 360 degrees to scan your environments, locate items and use them to solve puzzles.
Recommendation: A harmless distraction, but not essential.
Mr Cat’s Adventure, from FiresVR
Price: Free (Gear)
Perhaps seeking revenge on Kittyapocalypse, Mr Cat comes to Gear VR with a turn-based puzzle game that doesn’t look like anything else on the platform. You move your feline friend one square at a time, scaring off snakes with fire and battling spiders. Just like real cats.
Recommendation: This one’s free, so definitely worth a shot.
Solitaire VR, from Tripp
Price: $4.99 (Rift)
Don’t need to say much about this one, do we? It’s solitaire in VR and, to the best of our knowledge, the first VR app for the game on Rift. It’s got a pretty cool magic theme too it (though the ghost hand is a little creepy) and, oddly a story mode.
Recommendation: If you’re jonesing for solitaire in VR go right ahead.
CityVR, from Manchester City FC
Price: Free (Gear)
We were about to pass this off as another boring 360 experiment, but CityVR is actually very intriguing. Step into a virtual VIP box of the Manchester City football club and watch matches on a giant screen, bringing up stats and info. Could be this be the new way to watch sports?
Recommendation: Football fans should definitely give this a shot.
To the Homeland, from Mixreality
Price: Free (Gear)
First-person platformer in which you constantly move forward, tilting your head from side to side to dodge obstacles and even jumping in the real world to hop in the virtual one. It doesn’t look like sick bags are included, sadly.
Recommendation: It’s a Concept, but not an especially interesting one.
SDV VR Experience, from Mass Virtual
Price: Free (Rift)
A short experience in which you hop into the cockpit of a Undersea SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV). It’s designed as something of a training experience that has been released for all to see. It’s something a little different, at least.
Recommendation: Worth a quick look for VR completionists.
Ballanced, from Brian King
Price: $4.99 (Rift)
An early access version of a ball balancing game in which you’ll have to guide a sphere through a series of treacherous courses. There are 24 different levels to navigate, which should prove quite tricky thanks to a mounting difficulty scale.
Recommendation: Hardly groundbreaking, but might be fun.
