Category Archives: Oculus Games

Top 5 Oculus Releases – September 30th-October 6th – Cartoon Cars & Underwater Adventures

October 6, 2017Best Oculus Games, Oculus GamesGear VR games, Oculus Rift games, oculus rift news, Raw Data VR Gameinfinitywaltz

This week’s new Oculus releases feature arcade racing for both Rift and Gear VR. There are also several high profile shooters making their way out of Early Access. Not in the mood for action? Take a deep dive into underwater exploration:

Water Planet

by The Revera Corporation

Far more than a VR music video, Water Planet is an otherworldly adventure set to the music of Elizabeth Ann Clark, a.k.a. ambient musician VIRGO. Set on a distant aquatic planet, the game tasks players with guiding a cybernetic jellyfish through the underwater ruins of vanished civilizations. Its ethereal seascapes and dreamy electronic soundtrack remind us a bit of a science fiction-oriented version of ABZU, and we’re dying to take a deep dive into this one.

Oculus Rift | 3.5 GB | $19.99 from Steam

Cargo Racing VR

by Virtual Arts Ltd.

A cartoonish-looking truck racing game, Cargo Racing VR is deceptively simple but designed for easy accessibility. Between its single-button control scheme and a third person perspective – a decision based on comfort testing and shown to be less likely to cause motion sickness – it’s meant to be a casual and easy entrance for VR newcomers. We also like that it looks like slot car racing, though without the ozone smell from burning engines.

Gear VR | 164 MB | $2.99 from the Oculus Store

Tractorball

by Ninja Whale Studios

An idea so brilliant in its simplicity we can’t believe we didn’t come up with it ourselves, Tractorball is more or less a VR take-off on the ever-popular Rocket League. As indicated by the title, players drive rocket-powered tractors rather than rocket-powered cars, but the general concept is the same: high speed vehicular soccer, complete with rocket boosts and power-ups.

Oculus Rift | 3 GB | $9.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

Raw Data

by Survios

Probably the biggest release of the week, Raw Data – now out of Early Access – is a cyberpunk FPS with loads of features, multiple playable characters, cross-platform co-op and PVP modes, and a storyline straight out of an early Neil Stephenson novel. It’s also won loads of awards, including Best VR Game at the Game Developers Conference.

Oculus Rift | 9 GB | $39.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

Sunken

by Tapps Games

Sunken is a simple hidden object game for mobile VR, but we love its setting and the concept of exploring a long-sunken ship. Between the sound effects – whale songs and SCUBA bubbles – and the setting, complete with sharks and cetaceans passing by the portholes of the rusted wreck, this packs a lot of atmosphere into a basic mobile hidden object game.

Gear VR | 540 MB | $1.99 from the Oculus Store

Other Noteworthy Oculus Releases:

Dead Effect 2 VR

by BadFly Interactive

Another fairly high budget project just leaving Early Access, Dead Effect 2 VR is the latest game in a science fiction/horror series originally released for mobile. The premise is hardly original – zombies on a spaceship – but the slick graphics and RPG elements, like gear and skill upgrades, give this more depth than the typical VR shooter with a storyline that takes over 8 hours to complete.

Oculus Rift | 14 GB | $24.99 from Steam

Crowe: The Drowned Armory

by The Rogue Initiative

Originally released for HTC Vive and now making its way to the Rift, Crowe: The Drowned Armory is the first in an episodic series of action adventures set in a science/fantasy world that reminds us a bit of Avatar, complete with elfin aliens fighting off waves of mechanical enemies. Though criticized for its short length – a couple of puzzles and a shooting sequence – it does have some gorgeous visuals and a pure exploration mode for players looking to absorb some of the planet’s atmosphere (pun intended), as well as an arena battle mode if wave shooters are more your thing.

Oculus Rift | 12 GB | $8.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

Be sure to check back next week for more Oculus releases and the latest news in avant-garde VR developments from this year’s IndieCade.

Top 5 Oculus Releases – September 22rd-29th – Spaceships and Spells

September 29, 2017Best Oculus Games, Oculus GamesEve Valkyrie, Oculus Rift games, oculus rift news, Wands VRinfinitywaltz

Whether you dream of blasting off in a virtual outer space dogfight or wielding your wand in a battle of wizards, we’ve got you covered with this week’s new Oculus Games:

DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles

by Digital Domain

We’re pretty excited about this, and we think every fan of the Netflix series Voltron: Legendary Defender will be, too (not to mention those of us old enough to remember the original ‘80s cartoons). Featuring multiple locations, puzzles and the voice actors from the television series, DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles has a lot to offer fans of giant robots in general and the Voltron series in particular.

Much of the game consists of logic puzzles set between gorgeously animated cut scenes telling a new story within the Voltron universe. But the answer to the question we know you’re asking is yes: you do in fact get to pilot one of the legendary Lions.

Oculus Rift | 4 GB | $14.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone

by CCP

Technically, this isn’t a new release, as EVE: Valkyrie – the VR space dogfight sim based on EVE Online – has been out for some time, but the Warzone expansion and update is major enough that it’s practically a new game.

In terms of content, there are new maps, a new progression system and a new ship, but more importantly, EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone is now a cross-platform game, meaning that VR and non-VR players can blast each other within the same space (pun intended).

Oculus Rift | 29 GB | $29.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

Wands

by Cortopia Studios

Once again, not a brand new game, but Wands, originally released for Gear VR and winner of the VR Game of the Year at the International Mobile Gaming Awards, is out now for Oculus Rift. The game of wand-wielding, dueling sorcerers has been completely overhauled to take advantage of PC graphics, and it was pretty impressive-looking to begin with.

Like the EVE: Valkyrie update, the new version of Wands offers cross-platform support, so mobile and Oculus Rift players can compete against each other. As one of mobile VR’s early break-out hits, Wands has already built itself a solid little community with regularly scheduled tournaments, complete with spectators. With the addition of Rift support, we expect that community to grow exponentially.

Oculus Rift | 812 MB | $14.99 from the Oculus Store

RuneSage

by George Gilbert

Another game about wizards, wands and whatnot, RuneSage takes a different approach, eschewing violence – despite the fact that the NPCs look like the magicians from the explosively madcap Magicka series – in favor of what the developer describes as a “magical scavenger hunt.” You still get to wave your controllers around to cast spells, though, which is the important thing.

With 20 different areas to explore, multiple NPCs, puzzles to solve, spells to learn and loads of quests to complete, RuneSage boasts at least 10 hours of gameplay. We could get lost in this one for a while.

Oculus Rift | 2 GB | $9.99 from Steam

Dimension Hunter

by Pocket Money Games

It wouldn’t be a week of new VR releases without at least a handful of shooters, and Dimension Hunter is definitely the standout this time around. In addition to both free-roaming and on-rails mode, it’s got a pulpy, over-the-top style inspired by vintage horror comics. We don’t always prefer shooters, but when we do, we like them with tongue firmly in cheek.

Oculus Rift | 1 GB | $18.99 from Steam

Other Noteworthy Oculus Releases:

Bending the Light

by Deeperbeige Games

Bendng the Light game screenshot courtesy Oculus — Bendng the Light – screenshot courtesy Oculus

Bending the Light brings the venerable laser logic puzzle genre to VR. Besides the added challenge of manipulating lasers via mirrors and prisms and three dimensions instead of two, we also enjoy the game’s visual approach, which combines eye-scorching neon beams with ominous-looking scientific implements.

Oculus Rift | 611 MB | $9.99 from the Oculus Store

2MD VR Football

by Truant Pixel LLC

A two-minute drill quarterback game, 2MD VR Football is more arcade action than ultra-realistic football simulation – don’t expect a VR version of the Madden NFL series – but aspiring Peyton Manning types will enjoy the virtual pigskin-tossing as well as a virtual whiteboard that lets them draw and run their own plays.

Oculus Rift | 2 GB | $12.99 from Steam

Apart from this week’s forays into space piloting and magic, Oculus also announced a new refund policy. Taking a page from Steam, the policy lets Oculus Rift owners return any interactive downloads within a two-week period, so long as they played for less than two hours (the policy for Gear VR is a bit more time-limited: three days and 30 minutes or less of play time). The policy doesn’t extend to films or in-game purchases.

While we are impressed with the new Oculus return policy, it’s our goal to cover only the best new Oculus releases, so be sure to check back next week for more games that won’t make you ask for your money back.

Top 5 Oculus Releases – September 16th-22nd – Bang on the Drum All Day

September 22, 2017Oculus GamesGear VR games, Oculus Rift games, oculus rift newsinfinitywaltz

Loads of VR drum offerings are coming out all at once for some reason, and we picked a couple of the most interesting to feature in this week’s new Oculus releases. Don’t fancy picking up the sticks? Get behind the wheel of a race car. Or you could try falling in love…

Into the Rhythm VR

by NTWO Studio Co., Ltd.

Into the Rhythm VR is a drumming rhythm game in the vein of the Rock Band series (or at least the drummer’s part in the Rock Band series). Use your Oculus Touch Controllers as your sticks and bash along to the rhythm; you probably shouldn’t do that thing where you twirl them into the air, though.

What impresses us isn’t so much the game concept, but the level of customization and editing available. Players not only can adjust and customize game difficulty, drum placement and stages, but the program comes with two editors for inserting your own music and even creating your own drum patterns. It’s probably not going to turn you into Neil Peart, but the composition options in place are a lot more than we’d expect from a typical rhythm game.

Oculus Rift | 3 GB | $19.99 from Steam

Fall in Love

by Moth + Flame

Designed by Moth + Flame, the studio responsible the VR music video for Taylor Swift’s “Style,” Fall in Love is based on “The 36 Questions that Lead to Love,” an essay by Mandy Len Catron – itself based on a psychological study by SUNY Stony Brook professor Arthur Aron – about a series of questions designed to lead to the sensation of falling in love.

We’re not entirely sure that either AI or VR is quite ready to lead to a Her scenario, but the concept – in which players choose an actor and then experience the 36 questions using voice recognition software – is a fascinating experiment in simulated intimacy.

Oculus Rift | 7.5 GB | FREE from the Oculus Store

Tombé Drums VR

by Chroma Coda

Tombé Drums game screenshot courtesy Steam — Tombé Drums – screenshot courtesy Steam

Yes, it’s another drum simulator! Tombé Drums, though, seems more oriented toward people that already have some musical experience – it’s a drums-only offshoot of The Music Room, developer Chroma Coda’s VR MIDI controller.

This program won’t interface directly with a digital audio workstation the way The Music Room does, but it will let players bang virtually on dozens of accurately scanned drums and cymbals in such locations as Australia’s famed Bakehouse Studio.

Oculus Rift | 1 GB | $19.99 from Steam

Project CARS 2

by Slightly Mad Studios

The sequel to the popular auto racing sim, Project CARS 2 features more cars, more racing styles – like rallycross and IndyCar – plus a complete 24-hour day and night cycle and weather effects. Given that the first game was praised for its realism – not to mention the fact that this is shipping VR-ready right out of the gate – this could be the most immersive motorsport game ever released.

That said, the VR version of the original was a little strange to handle, and we missed having the proper steering wheel and accelerator/brake peripherals, though having them would make this that much more immersive.

Oculus Rift | 50 GB | $59.99 from Steam

XING: The Land Beyond

by White Lotus Interactive

A deliberately slow-paced and atmospheric puzzle game, XING: The Land Beyond is a contemplative journey into the afterlife. With its ethereal environments inspired by both real-world locations and games like the Myst series, this offering highlights the imaginative beauty VR can provide.

Oculus Rift | 9 GB | $19.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

Other Noteworthy Oculus Releases:

Where’s Om Nom?

by Zeptolab

The colorful mascot from the popular Cut the Rope series of mostly-mobile puzzle games makes his way to mobile VR. Where’s Om Nom? is more of a hidden objects game than its physics puzzle predecessors, but it retains the candy-feeding mechanic and the almost unbearable cuteness of previous entries in the series.

Gear VR | 411 MB | $4.99 from the Oculus Store

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope

by Croteam VR

Serious Sam series developers Croteam have been at this for a long time, first designing their own engines for the classic FPS games, and then moving to VR early this year. We know that there are a lot of shooters coming out for VR and that few of them are particularly noteworthy, but the HD VR ports of the original games released earlier this year were well reviewed, so we think this is worth a look.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope is an original game, rather than an adaptation, and it’s a standing wave shooter, but if anyone’s going to make that genre worth playing, it’s the people at Croteam.

Oculus Rift | 10 GB | $39.99 from the Oculus Store or from Steam

Eternity Warriors VR

by Vanimals

Given that it’s a standing wave shooter adaptation of a free-to-play mobile RPG series, we didn’t have high expectations for Eternity Warriors VR, but this game has already won numerous awards for its graphics. We have to admit, even in Early Access, its monsters are awfully impressive.

Oculus Rift | 10 GB | $14.99 from Steam

Aside from drum simulators and the ever-present wave shooters, there are also a few new noteworthy educational experiences out this week. Virry Safari is a 45-minute exploration of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya for both Oculus Rift and Gear VR that includes close-up encounters with lions, baboons, elephants and more; all that’s missing are the smells.

If you prefer art and architecture to wild animals, two new offerings for Gear VR may be of interest. Wonders of the World allows players to explore the Colossus of Rhodes, the Taj Mahal and the Incan city of Machu Picchu, while Meeting Rembrandt: Master of Reality offers a free encounter with the Dutch master.

Several new workspace platforms also came out for Oculus this week, with Cisco Systems releasing the beta version of Spark in VR and newcomer mindmeld.io releasing their Holomeld platform. There’s also Neutrans, a more playful-looking shared space from Dopamine developers Synamon, Inc. that has the advantage of being free to use.

Be sure to check back next week for more exciting Oculus news and a curated selection of recent games and experiences.