Facebook is launching a replacement for the Oculus Rift this Spring called Rift S.
Every Oculus VR headset launch so far has been accompanied with a collection of new games. These five major Oculus exclusives launching this year could be Rift S’s big hitters.
All five games are fully funded by Oculus Studios, Facebook’s VR content division. All will work with the current Oculus Rift headset. Rift S is a refresh, fully backwards compatible.
Stormland
Insomniac Games
Stormland is a AAA open world co-op adventure from Insomniac Games.
The game features a vast open world that is part procedural and part hand-crafted. It also features mechanics like crafting, gliding, and climbing. The graphics look incredible from what we’ve seen when we went hands-on with it. This honestly may be the best looking made-for-VR open world title yet.
When we tried it at PAX West last year we were blown away, concluding that it could be something truly special.
Insomniac’s previous VR titles were the 3rd-person Lovecraftian adventure Edge of Nowhere [9/10], a lackluster top-down view brawler Feral Rites [5/10], and 1vs1 wizard dueling game The Unspoken [9/10]. Outside VR they’ve developed hit titles like Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, and the Resistance series. More recently they developed Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Asgard’s Wrath
Sanzaru Games
Asgard’s Wrath is a AAA Norse-inspired action RPG.
In Asgard’s Wrath you take on the role of a Norse God with the power to inhabit the bodies of mortals. Throughout the 30+ hour adventure you’ll frequently swap back and forth between the perspectives of a towering God with an epic sense of scale and the perspective of on-the-ground mortal warriors to take advantage of the game’s brutal melee combat.
Sanzaru Games’ previous VR titles were Touch launch titles VR Sports Challenge [8.5/10] and Ripcoil [6.5/10], as well as 2018’s blockbuster Marvel Powers United VR [6.5/10].
Lone Echo 2
Ready at Dawn
Lone Echo 2 is the sequel to the hit 2017 voice acted story from Ready at Dawn.
We loved the original Lone Echo, giving it 8.5/10 in our review, stating that it was a “landmark achievement” in locomotion, UI, and interaction, and that the character-driven storytelling creates “a compelling sense of presence that few VR games could hope to match”. Our biggest complaint was that it simply felt incomplete, making us hungry for a full-fledged sequel.
Not much is known about Lone Echo II yet, but if it’s anything like the original, it’s sure to be a title to look out for.
Defector
Twisted Pixel Games
Defector is an action packed spy game that turns you into Jason Bourne (or James Bond, if you prefer). Originally slated for 2018, the game was delayed to some time this year.
We’ve tried this game a few times now — most recently at Oculus Connect 5. Each time we tried it we had a blast. This game probably won’t make you think a whole lot other than deciding how to smooth talk your way out of trouble, but its exhilarating over the top action sequences are downright fun.
Twisted Pixel previously developed Wilson’s Heart [9/10], an incredible VR black & white mystery thriller reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
Untitled FPS
Respawn Entertainment
At Oculus Connect 4 in 2017 it was announced that the developer of Titanfall is working on an Oculus Rift exclusive for launch in 2019.
No details have been given so far, other than it is definitely not a Titanfall VR spinoff, but given Respawn’s impressive catalog with Titanfall, Titanfall 2, and Apex Legends all outside of VR we’re expecting big things from this shooter.
What do you think will be the big games poised to carry Rift S this year? Let us know down in the comments below!
