Oculus Rift is undoubtedly a great bit of kit, but for some there are some essential titles that really need to make the jump and become available for the virtual reality (VR) gadget. Some of the ‘most wanted’ that we have compiled here, for your reading pleasure, are more obvious than others while some will make you think “ooooh, yeah!”. This is not a wish list, by the way, these titles are coming for Oculus either as official releases or by way of ‘mods’, as are the following 7 most wanted compiled by the team at VR Hire company VRE:
Half-Life 2 VR
Others may not list this one first, mostly because of its unofficial status, but HL remains a cult classic and changed the genre the genre and the way FPS titles went about their business – Half-Life was the first FPS game to introduce physics based play. With Half-Life 3 never coming (sorry), a VR experience is the next best thing as far as many are concerned. Half-Life 2 lends itself to the technology, visually at least, much more than the original ever could and so here we are. Updated effects & textures, a redesigned UI and HDR lighting await.
Transference
Live action video games are something of a niche, with only a small handful of titles taking that approach. Transference is a psychological thriller from SpectreVision, in partnership with Ubisoft. Players delve into the memories of an obsessed, self destructive man. Working through these memories you try to solve the riddle of a troubled family and attempt to escape the maze like house, solving its mysteries as you progress. Slated for a release in 2018, around spring time, Transference is expected to support all three major VR platforms.
Marvel Powers United VR
Oculus has donned their cape and teamed up with Marvel and Disney to bring VR fans another quality title. The development of the game is being handled by Sanzaru Games, who have worked with Oculus before. The game itself looks pretty impressive, and we can only guess what it will feel like to hulk out on your front room while you throw bad guys around. Everybody wants to be a superhero, and now they can.
ARK Park
If you are familiar with ARK: Survival Evolved, then you will have some idea of what ARK Park is about if I said it’s akin to a safari park. This rather unique VR experience is based on ARK: Survival Evolved, and allows players to get up close and personal with the dinosaurs that inhabit the world of ARK. As well as being able to take a closer look at the animals, you can learn more about them and also explore the habits that they call home, too; from tropical rainforests to mountain ranges and plains. Developed by Snail Games Peacock Studio, ARK Park is available on Steam and PS4.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files
Available for the HTC Vive, The VR Case Files answers a lot of rumours surrounding L.A. Noire and VR. A lot speculation was made as to whether the original game, from Rockstar games, would make the transition to VR – the answer is no, it won’t. Instead, The VR Case Files is a game specifically designed for virtual reality, to take advantage of everything the tech. has to offer, rather than retrofitting an existing title. Smart move, if you think about it. Seven cases from the original were chosen for the VR version, to properly showcase the game and the technology.
Brass Tactics
Expected early 2018, the RTS Brass Tactics brings a 5 mission solo campaign as well as co-op play and a full fledged online RTS experience. Starting off as commander, you take control of units around your base, bringing your hands into the world so that you can pick up and move your units around the game world. Immersive titles like this, with a top down view of the world, are expected to become more commonplace as time goes by. Hidden Path Entertainment aim to bring more unit types and progression trees into the game before final release, toward the end of February 2018.
Budget Cuts
Budget Cuts has probably generated as much hype as Watch_Dogs did in the run up to its release, first debuting as an incredible demo, in 2016, and nothing has been seen since for over a year. One of the best VR experiences available, at that point, the demo for Budget Cuts simply wowed everybody that it came into contact with it. While Neat Corporation have been busy, and annoyingly quietly, working away on the game, the hype train keeps on chugging. The problem now is, can Budget Cuts live up to expectations? All we can do right now is wait, and find out for ourselves.