The root game of Super Stardust Ultra VR is everything you remember, with a new (albeit small) twist. The new Invasion mode, on the other hand, is a shallow nausea-inducing horde mode that does little to elevate the game. If you are looking for the VR game to showcase your new headset, save yourself the literal headache and skip this one.
Rollercoaster Tycoon World has so much potential. All of the base pieces are here, and the game's content is being expanded to match that promise, but stability problems and bugs hamstring what could be a solid park creator. There's a fun game here…but you can't experience it if the game won't stop crashing.
Uneven in tone and execution, Mighty No 9 is equal parts fun and frustration. Inafune won't reignite the fire of his famed franchise with this initial effort. We can only hope that subsequent attempts to reboot the blue bomber turn out better.
Exoprimal's dreadful narrative and foundational mishaps drain the life out of the fun to be had, leading to one of Capcom's roughest outings in recent years.
Underneath stability problems and bugs lies one of the most ambitious games I've played, bringing a tabletop game level of choice to RPG enthusiasts. The rich story and excellent writing delivers in a huge way...if you can get the game to cooperate.
Infested with bugs from start to finish, Dark Alliance is a button mashing affair that drops the 5E rules in favor of flash. The bosses are great, but the parts in between less so. Here's hoping developer Tuque can pull this out of the Deep Wastes with their post-launch plans.
At the end of the day, I want to play more Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, but the technical issues rear their head even on the most powerful hardware available. The campaign often falls on the wrong side of humor, but the gunplay is like nothing else. Multiplayer is an awesome added treat, though the bots are pretty dumb. It's the very definition of a mixed bag.
I haven't bailed out on a VR game in a while, and only the most severe of nausea will cause me to eject completely rather than grind it out over time, but Golem is just painful to play. There's too many games that have done it cleaner, and with better motion mechanics -- play them instead.
Once you've gotten over the thrill of assembling burgers, dishing out fries, pouring drinks, and serving ice cream, you'll fall into the grind. What I'm Hungry lacks is progression, and that means you'll have seen everything on the menu once you've completed the first level. There's fun to be had, but this is more "value meal" than a full course.
Though riddled with localization oddities and misspellings, Fishing Master is a $20 relaxing day at the lake. If you focus on just pulling photorealistic fish into your boat and ignore the grind-heavy nature of the RPG-lite upgrade mechanics, there's a shiny lure here. I'm not sure what to do with this other hand...
Rich in story, but less so in execution, Divide suffers from a few technical issues that makes it a little more clunky than it should be. That said, the cyberpunk narrative is evocative of the best of sci-fi, backed up by a fantastic score. I just wish the controls matched that potential.
While Sports Bar VR captures the look and feel of a sports bar, the control scheme combined with Hulk Mode made me feel drunk, complete with hangover. The four games on offer are hampered by inconsistent physics, resulting in an unsurprisingly uneven experience. None of that, somehow, interferes with the game being a stupid-fun experience with friends.
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! is an ode to its Dreamcast roots. While it is as short as the original, it translates perfectly to the PSVR. The game's got style, and it's great to see the shiny world of Ulala come to life once again. If only it was priced a little more reasonably.
Bio Inc: Redemption fits in a strange place. It feels like it'd be as welcome on a cell phone as it is on PC, and as a result, it often feels like it doesn't take advantage of either's strengths. The campaign's restrictions create a barrier for casual players, but the sandbox is freeing. Multiplayer is a real highlight, as long as it stays stable. When the crash bugs are ironed out, there's a lot of fun to be had here, I just wish the difficulty was less of a cliff and more of a curve.
Tempest is available for just $15 and it scratches an itch few other games do. It’s a capable, if somewhat buggy, pirate adventure that offers up challenging combat and an open world to explore. Customization and late-game challenges courtesy of legendary ships and mythical monsters help round out the title, making it worthwhile if a little frayed around the edges.
Ultimately Spider's follow up to Mars: War Logs is a far better effort than its predecessor. You can't help but appreciate the effort put forth, as well as the fantastic concepts and new approach to storytelling. Bound by Flame provides engaging mechanics and choices that actually matter, if you can stomach the horrible voice work.
It's clear that Gat out of Hell is purely fan service. If you liked the lunacy of Saints Row IV, you'll find more of it here. While it isn't bringing a great deal of new to the table, that doesn't prevent it from being a fun ride while it lasts.
It's always somewhat tacky to compare products, but it's warranted when so very much is borrowed. This game is a bit of a knockoff of the superior Mark of the Ninja. Mark has a better story, less frustrating mechanics, and guards that are slightly less lobotomized than these dolts. If you've beaten Mark and want another crack at a decent sidescroller, Chronicles China should fit that bill, but let's hope they bring some new concepts to the table for the next two outings.
Skull & Bones exists in the space between GaaS and MMO-lite at launch. There's fun to be had, as long as you recognize that this is a looter shooter more than a pirate game.
With four playable factions, excellent writing, and a compelling setting, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin delivers a solid RTS, albeit one that takes little risk. A handful of bugs and design choices may hamper the fun, but it hits stride when it lets you be powerful and unrestrained.