The VR adaptation of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is brilliant. Ninja Theory took one of the best, most atmospheric, and excellent games to release this entire console generation and managed to cram it all inside of PC VR headsets to give it a new lease on life. We’ve seen third-person VR games work before (Lucky’s Tale, Moss, and Edge of Nowhere all stand out) but never anything quite on this scale before.
After playing Hellblade VR, I’m convinced that there is a market for re-purposing third-person non-VR games for VR devices when done right. As a result, I’ve put together this short list of third-person non-VR games that I would absolutely love to re-experience through the lenses of a VR headset.
This list is far from exhaustive though — let me know your votes down in the comments below!
God of War (PS4)
As soon as the God of War reboot released, it was immediately lauded as one of the greatest games of all-time and perhaps the best of the PS4’s entire, massive library. Not only does it feature a gameplay style strikingly similar to Hellblade, but God of War was actually a PSVR tech demo once upon a time.
We can dream, right? Teases like this aren’t enough.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor/War (PC, PS4)
This is probably the biggest longshot on this list, but it’s fun to think about. Middle-earth is one of the few fantasy properties out there that hasn’t really gotten the VR treatment yet and both Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War are exciting third-person action games with massive, sprawling landscapes.
It’d be a real treat to play these inside of a VR headset.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4)
We know that CD Projekt RED is hard at work on Cyberpunk 2077, but if they were going to bring one of their properties to VR, then The Witcher 3 would be the right way to do it. In fact, CD Projekt RED has shown interest in VR as recently as last year.
This would be an excellent rival to Skyrim VR for the VR RPG crown.
Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
If VR can work in platformers like Lucky’s Tale, Moss, and Astro Bot, and Insomniac already has three VR games under their belt with a fourth on the way, then I see no reason why Ratchet & Clank shouldn’t be a totally natural fit for the medium.
This feels like a no-brainer. Come on, already!
Batman Arkham Trilogy (PC, PS4)
Rocksteady claims to have moved on from Batman, but after playing the Batman Arkham VR experience I’m left with nothing but questions. Namely: how do you release a Batman VR game that doesn’t let me fight crime, explore the city, drive the batmobile, or do anything at all other than investigate crime scenes?
They dipped the tip of their toe into VR already, so it’s time they dive all the way in and give us a real Batman game in VR.
Tomb Raider Series (PC, PS4)
Yet another example of a developer experimenting with a tease of VR support by the way of Rise of the Tomb Raider and a movie tie-in app, but not fully committing to a full game. With Shadow of the Tomb Raider due out soon, this would be the perfect time.
Lara is an icon of the game industry and we should be able to experience her adventures from inside a VR headset for sure by now.
Assassin’s Creed Series (PC, PS4)
Ubisoft has positioned themselves as one of the top publishers of VR content in the market right now. Between Eagle Flight, Werewolves Within, and Star Trek: Bridge Crew, with Transference and Space Junkies coming soon, they’re got a great track record.
We saw a brief Assassin’s Creed location-based VR demo at E3, but it was barely a game. We want to really dive into a full adventure.
Red Dead Redemption Series (PS4)
As a big surprise last year, Rockstar delivered LA Noire: The VR Case Files and totally caught us off guard. It was a great implementation of the game’s mechanics that featured a huge chunk of content and the entire city to explore. Even if we don’t get a full Read Dead VR experience, something on that scale at least would be amazing.
I just want to be a cowboy.
Uncharted Series (PS4)
Naughty Dog is absolutely, without a doubt, one of the best game developers in the business right now. From Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter to Uncharted and The Last of Us, virtually everything they touch turns to gold. I am desperate to see what a studio like that could do in the VR space.
Even if it’s just a straight port, it’d be amazing to see one of these adventures inside a VR HMD. In the meantime, we just have to wait to see what former Naughty Dog developer Amy Hennig is up to…
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC, PS4)
Look, Capcom: I’m begging you. I know you said that Resident Evil 2’s Remake doesn’t have VR support in the plans, but please reconsider. Resident Evil 7 is, to this date, the scariest VR game I’ve played and one of the best VR games out there, period. I’d love to try RE2 as well, even if it’s in third person.
Do the right thing and bring Resident Evil 2 to VR!
Dark Souls Trilogy (PC, PS4)
From Software is currently working on a PSVR-exclusive interactive adventure game that takes the studio back to its pre-Dark Souls roots, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bring Dark Souls up to speed with VR support as well.
In fact, a Dark Souls 3 producer even teased that they want to bring the series to VR! It’s been almost two years since that day…where is it, From Software? Huh?
Spider-Man (PS4)
Once again: this feels like a no-brainer. Insomniac has a ton of VR experience already and Spider-Man is the perfect superhero to play as in VR. It works for Marvel Powers United VR and it could work for Insomniac as well.
I really, really want to swing around New York as Spider-Man.
The Division Series (PC, PS4)
Finally, most of the games on this list are slow-paced, atmospheric, methodical action games with a sprinkling of more intense affairs, but we’re missing a great big-budget shooter. That’s where The Division could fill a void.
As another Ubisoft title the studio has the framework and experience in place, so just show us the money already!
What do you think of our list? Do you have any other favorite third-person video games you’d love to try again inside a VR headset? Let us know down in the comments below!
