Top 5 Oculus Releases – April 7th-13th – Boss Raids and Bombs

April 14, 2018Best Oculus Gamesbest Oculus games, Gear VR games, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift gamesinfinitywaltz

If you’re not still lost exploring the wilderness of Skyrim from last week, this week’s new Oculus and Gear VR releases offer some new twists on popular genres, like MMORPG boss raids, escape rooms and wave shooters:

Nemesis Realms

from Evocat Games

Inspired by end-game raid bosses in MMORPGs, Nemesis Realms takes that concept and turns it into a smaller scale local multi-player affair. One player controls the raid boss, while up to four additional players attempt to take him out in the arena.

While there are only three bosses available so far, they include a multi-headed dragon, which is more than enough to generate our interest.

And Evocat Games has done a wonderful job distilling the asymmetric action of boss raids into something simple enough that anyone can pick it up while still retaining the manic fun and nerve-wracking tension of large-scale multi-player battles against massive enemies.

Oculus Rift | 2 GB | $14.99 on Steam

The Ship

from VR Escape Adventures

Escape room games are a popular VR genre, arguably second only to wave shooters in terms of sheer numbers, so it takes something fairly special in the genre to get our attention. The Ship stands out for its story-driven setting – a historic pirate ship – and for its cleverly designed puzzles, which were put together by a real escape room company.

The end result is an experience that, despite comparatively simple graphics, feels a lot less like a video game and a lot more like a real-world escape room.

Gear VR | 539 MB | $3.99 from Oculus

Zombie Grenade Practice

from ARVI LLC

Zombie Grenades Practice - screenshot courtesy Steam — Zombie Grenades Practice – screenshot courtesy Steam

Speaking of wave shooters doing something special, Zombie Grenade Practice offers a new take on zombie-killing mayhem: no guns or melee weapons, just an arsenal of grenades for taking out the shambling corpses.

Careful attention to level design and additional modifiers to the usual formula – like improving your score by maximizing zombie deaths and minimizing human ones – add touches of puzzle and strategy, resulting in a much more thoughtful game than a typical wave shooter, despite the seemingly comedic premise.

Oculus Rift | 16 GB | $12.99 from Steam

No Horizon

from Virtro Entertainment

There aren’t loads of space pilot simulators for Gear VR, and No Horizon adds to the mix with an approach that’s a little more free-flowing and sandbox-oriented than the excellent but more linear End Space.

Gear VR | 120 MB | FREE from Oculus

The Road to Hades

from AUTOSAVE

Though some players have reported clipping issues and a few other performance issues that are still being worked out, the unique Asian horror setting and gorgeous imagery of The Road to Hades make this experience more than worth checking out.

Oculus Rift | 7 GB | $14.99 from Steam

Top 5 Oculus Releases – March 31st-April 6th – Elder Scrolls and Other Amazing Environments

April 7, 2018Oculus Rift Newsinfinitywaltz

There are quite a few movie tie-ins this week, but after last week’s collection inspired by Ready Player One, we’re focusing on worlds designed originally for games and VR this time around. And thanks in part to VR’s entry into the world of Tamriel, there are plenty of worlds for adventurous Oculus players to explore:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

from Bethesda Game Studios

After an initial release exclusive to Sony PSVR, the most successful game yet in the massively popular Elder Scrolls series makes its way to Oculus, as fellow Bethesda Game Studios series Fallout did several months ago. The VR edition also includes all previously released add-on content, for hundreds of hours of dragon-slaying and quests.

The marvelous thing about Skyrim, though, is that you can ignore the quests altogether and spend hours, as we have, wandering through its verdant glades, mysterious forests and awe-inspiring mountain peaks. And if the original edition is nearly perfect as a fantasy landscape hike simulator, how much better is it in VR?

We recommend playing this with the Oculus Touch controllers because the thumbsticks allow for smoother motion and tighter control, and we were a bit puzzled by the lack of haptic feedback from weapon strikes, but those are minor quibbles for a game that creates this deep a sense of immersion.

Oculus Rift | 15 GB | $59.99 on Steam

Island Time VR

from Flight School Studio

With the notable – and wonderful – exception of Don’t Starve, too many survival games opt for such a grim and gritty approach that the actual sense of fun gets left behind.

Not so with Island Time VR, which brings a charming cartoon-inspired aesthetic to the “how would you survive on a desert island” genre. Between its bug-eyed crabs and gulls, buck-toothed fish and a comedic approach to crafting, it reminds us a bit of Robinson Crusoe as done by Aardman Animations.

Oculus Rift | 1 GB | $14.99 from Oculus or from Steam

Kartong – Death by Cardboard!

from SRVIVE Studios

We’ve been following this one for a while. Now out of Early Access, Kartong – Death by Cardboard! is a survival action shooter that stands out for its papercraft environments and its approach to household objects re-imagined as traps and weaponry.

It’s also cross-platform compatible, so non-VR players can also try their hands at escaping the sinister cardboard city and the nefarious clutches of the mastermind who created it.

Oculus Rift | 9 GB | $8.99 from Oculus or $13.99 from Steam

La Camila: A VR Story

from Jak Wilmot

La Camila - screenshot courtesy Steam — La Camila – screenshot courtesy Steam

Selected for this year’s Atlanta Film Festival, La Camila: A VR Story is a free interactive film that charmed us equally with its pastoral steampunk imagery, it’s ‘60s folk-rock soundtrack, and its heartwarming tale of a young orphan girl preserving a fantasy world. A brief but lovely work of magical realism.

Oculus Rift | 2 GB | FREE from Steam

Cat ‘S’ Trophy

from Visible Realms

Cat 'S' Tropy - screenshot courtesy Oculus — Cat ‘S’ Tropy – screenshot courtesy Oculus

Loosely inspired by Mario Cart in terms of mechanics and perspective, this cart racing game for Gear VR has a couple of clever innovations. In Cat ‘S’ Trophy, players design their own tracks; that’s not a bonus option but an integral part of the game. For another, instead of go-carts, players race bizarre wheeled cats, which gives new meaning to the phrase “purring engine.”

Gear VR | 521 MB | $4.99 from Oculus

Top 5 Oculus Releases – March 17th-30th – Ready, Players One and All

April 3, 2018Oculus Rift NewsGear VR games, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift games, oculus rift newsinfinitywaltz

This week was a little bit of a slow one for new Oculus releases, but large in other ways. Due to this weekend’s surprisingly entertaining new Spielberg film – based on a novel with…fairly mixed reviews – it doesn’t take the cutting edge technology prophets here at Oculus Game Reviewer to predict a spike in the general public’s interest in VR.

Keeping that in mind, we offer you a double-sized, two-week list of top new Oculus releases (ubiquitous ‘80s references not necessarily included):

Catan VR

from Experiment 7

Settlers of Catan - screenshot courtesy Oculus — Settlers of Catan – screenshot courtesy Oculus

A virtual version of a board game might not seem like the most exciting offering compared to a flying Delorean with spray-painted Ghostbuster logos, but this is a great entry point for new players. A calm and well-designed environment prevents shock and motion sickness, guaranteeing VR newcomers without hardcore game experience don’t just bounce right off the medium, never to return.

Plus, it’s Settlers of Catan, one of the most acclaimed board games of all time. And with input on AI opponents from original board game designer Klaus Teuber, cross-platform play for both Rift and Gear VR users, and a fully animated island playing board complete with weather effects, Catan VR is a definite must-have (and not just for VR newcomers, either).

Oculus Rift | 393 MB | $14.99 from Oculus
Gear VR | 254 MB | $9.99 from Oculus

Apex Construct

from Fast Travel Games

Aesthetically the most similar offering to Ready Player One, thanks to a futuristic setting and a plot featuring warring AIs, Apex Construct is a story-driven shooter that somehow combines cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic sci-fi with archery-driven combat.

Originally released for Sony PSVR and now available for the Rift, this release from Fast Travel Games offers a solid simulation of archery, plenty of action, and a visually stunning setting.

Oculus Rift | 5 GB | $29.99 from Steam

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

from Rockstar Games

L.A. Noire: The VR Csae Files - screenshot courtesy Steam — L.A. Noire: The VR Csae Files – screenshot courtesy Steam

The big budget VR film du jour might be all about the ‘80s, but how about a game that transports you to the ‘40s? The VR spin-off of Rockstar Games’ acclaimed detective adventure from 2011, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files offers seven new cases to solve.

Featuring a variety of game mechanics, ranging from puzzle-solving to shooting to fisticuffs, all delivered in a full-color but faithfully film noir setting, this one offers a solid cross-section of experiences for new and experienced VR players alike.

Oculus Rift | 18 GB | $29.99 from Oculus or from Steam

The Steadfast VR Challenge

from LANCLAN LLC

Requiring both reflexes and tactical skills, the somewhat bland name of The Steadfast VR Challenge belies this game’s entertainment value. Combining wave shooter and tower defense elements with a comfortable interface that will get pulses racing without stomachs roiling, this one has the added bonus of a graphical presentation that recalls Team Fortress 2 with its charming, cartoonish violence.

Oculus Rift | 750 MB | $19.99 from Oculus

ARK Park

from Snail Games

The VR-exclusive spin-off from the much-hyped but critically mixed ARK: Survival Evolved, this latest entry into the burgeoning genre of VR Jurassic Park simulator offers a mix of crafting, exploration, and above all, dinosaurs. While the game mechanics could use some improvement here and there, the dinosaurs themselves are unparalleled.

Oculus Rift | 25 GB | $39.99 from Oculus or from Steam

Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think of its portrayal of VR? Let us know in the comments!