So I got a VR headset recently… that’s
pretty cool.
*Curb Your Enthusiasm credits song*
But in all seriousness, I finally raised up
enough funds to buy an Oculus Rift S. I’ve
been meaning to get one since I bought this
computer, but I haven’t had enough money
to until now.
So, I figured I’d talk about it.
Because I know a lot of people have a lot
of questions about VR.
So the first game I knew I wanted to play
was Superhot VR.
As many of you may know, I played through
the desktop version not long ago.
And it’s probably the most innovative shooter
I’ve ever played, but the VR version?
Is the best shooter I’ve ever played.
But to understand why we first must understand
what was present in the original version.
To do this, let’s look at my favorite level
of the desktop version.
You’re in an elevator with three guys.
Each equipped with a pistol.
What do you do?
Well, since time doesn’t move you can think
it through.
One of the solutions is to steal a gun off
the person to your left, dispose of him, doge
the remaining incoming bullets, shoot the
guy to your right, then finish off the remaining
guy.
However, this solution isn’t why I love
this level, rather the struggle of coming
to this conclusion.
And that is the beauty of Superhot; manipulating
time in order to solve puzzle-like levels.
So now that we have an understanding of Superhot,
what does the VR version add that puts it
above its predecessor?
Well, for starters, it gets rid of any and
all limitations present in the original game.
A great way of demonstrating this is the movement.
In the original game, you were a bloated hitbox
that could barely move out of the way of incoming
fire.
This is all intentional as it forces players
to think through their actions.
But it sort of hurts the game’s fluidity.
But this is not a problem in the VR version
as it takes full advantage of analog movement.
Just the simple addition of ducking allows
for a whole new world of possibility!
For example, cover can now come in any form,
you can avoid incoming punches and perform
a counter-attack, and, obviously, avoid bullets
easier.
The VR version is full of small changes like
this one that makes the overall experience
just that much more comprehensive.
From being able to duel weld, block incoming
bullets, and have greater accuracy.
The VR version is more Superhot with fewer
limits and I love it.
Superhot VR is a must-play and I think is
the best example of what VR can add to gameplay.
Now, the next game I wanted to talk about
is Vivecraft.
This is a mod of Minecraft that gives VR compatibility
to the Java edition of the game.
While Mojang does have its own version of
VR Minecraft, it kind of sucks.
Controller inputs are still required and the
only interaction allowed is turning with the
headset.
But thankfully, the fans came to the rescue
and did what Mojang couldn’t.
Vivecraft is great.
You punch a tree and the tree breaks.
This has been a dream of mine since I was
five and finally being able to be “in”
Minecraft was amazing.
The only issue is, with current VR technology,
Minecraft doesn’t really work.
It’s very clunky and while the fan-made
aspect could play a part, I don’t think
the developers are at fault.
I just think that until we figure out how
to transport ourselves into the game-not literally-but
where you take a step and the character follows.
I don’t think games like Minecraft will
work in a VR space.
There are things you can do like use Locomotion
which is where you move your arms and the
character walks but it’s still held back
by current limitations.
It just doesn’t feel right and while you
can get used to it, games like Minecraft don’t
really work with modern tech.
However, the people behind the mod, are insane.
It’s free and really well made and my hat’s
off to them!
And next, I played VRChat.
I’m sure many of you recognize VRChat from
just being on the internet, but theirs an
aspect of it that goes under the radar.
Sure you do have the anime avatars and people
who you would never admit to being associated
with, but overall people are a lot more civil
than you may think.
The classic “Halo voice chat” language
is not present here as while in that game
you’re trying to win, VRChat is a game about
socializing so people are more open and kind.
As a result of this, I think VRChat shows
what the future of social interaction can
be in a similar vein as Superhot shows the
future of gameplay.
A future where you’re not limited to strictly
verbal communication but don’t have to worry
about safety.
VRChat takes full advantage of VR and is the
best middle ground between personal and online
interaction.
Furthermore, it is very well made, especially
for a free game.
You can tell that the devs. really want to
make a safe but fun environment and I really
think they have succeeded.
The last game I wanted to talk about is The
Lab.
While it’s less of a game and more of a
tech-demo, it’s still a good time.
It’s easy to see that the one constant when
it comes to Valve is their humor.
It really shines in this game and had me laughing
the whole way through.
The game’s split up into multiple scenarios.
That range from repairing Atlas to looking
inside a human skeleton, or throwing Jupiter
into the sun.
It’s kind of random in that way but this
game still does a good job of showing off
what VR can do.
And it’s free so you might as well try it
out.
It’s a good introduction to VR.
Also, I love the feedback in this game.
One issue I have with current Vr is that when
you put your hand through a wall, it goes
right through.
This is a huge immersion breaker.
But in games like Boneworks and The Lab, a
physics engine prevents this from happening
and it really makes the experience more immersive.
The Lab is a cool experience and I recommend
it to anyone looking for a fun introduction
to VR.
And because of what Valve has done with this
simple tech-demo, I’m excited to see what
Half-Life: Alyx turns out to be.
On top of that, anything that relates to Portal,
I love and seeing GLaDOS to scale was amazing.
Also, I like smashing the mugs.
In conclusion, VR is pretty cool.
It’s got a lot of room to grow but if you
have the time and money to invest in it, I
think you should.
It has a bright future and there are a ton
of bright, talanted people pushing this medium
forward.
Welp, that’s all the time I have.
I’ve gotta get back to playing Animal Crossing:
New Leaf on my Nintendo 3DS.
I NEED THAT ON MY DESK BY MONDAY!
