The PlayStation 4’s virtual reality (VR) platform has entered its second year of consumer availability, and with it has brought some [link to best of 2017]fantastic PlayStation VR titles throughout 2017[/link]. However, it’s time to look ahead at some of the highlights coming in 2018.The release schedule for the PlayStation VR has never looked better, with an assortment of indie and AAA videogames coming over the next six months. Both digital-only and retail packages will lead the way to further consumer adoption, and below you’ll find some of the biggest and best titles heading to PlayStation VR in 2018.
Moss – Polyarc Games
Polyarc Games’ Moss was announced at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, in June, and has since soared to the top of many PlayStation VR players’ ‘most wanted’ lists. The incidental detail in the animation of heroine Quill is nothing short of amazing, and the pacing between action and logic puzzle solving – at least in the early preview build of Moss – is almost pitch-perfect.
Moss is set for release on 27th February 2018, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Blood & Truth – Sony London Studios
Blood & Truth is considered by many to be the evolution of The London Heist, which featured on PlayStation VR launch compilation, PlayStation VR Worlds. Developed by Sony London Studios, Blood & Truth places the player into the heart of London’s organised crime syndicate on a mission for revenge. There have been some misgivings about the nature of the player’s movement and the voiceover seen in the preview build of Blood & Truth, but hope remains high that Sony London Studios will deliver the deep mafia experience many PlayStation VR owners are hoping for.
Blood & Truth will launch at an unannounced date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
The Inpatient – Supermassive Games
UK studio Supermassive Games have two announced titles coming to PlayStation VR in 2018, and while Bravo Team just missed out on making it into this feature, The Inpatient is arguably a more unique and involving experience. Continuing the trend of fleshing-out the hugely popular Until Dawn universe, The Inpatient takes place in the Sanitarium featured in the original PlayStation 4 exclusive and tasks the player with facing some odd goings on as they attempt to keep a grip on their sanity.
The Inpatient is set for release on 24th January 2018, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Golem – Highwire Games
Having originally been announced back in 2016, Golem disappeared off the radar for some time. Re-emerging at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) Paris Games Week press conference, Highwire Games’ VR debut shot right back to the top of the PlayStation VR’s most anticipated list. An adventure that gives the player the opportunity to explore the ruins of the Endless City, engaging in melee combat as they wield a sword and swing it as though it were a real blade; learning how to thrust, block and parry.
Golem is currently scheduled for release on 13th March 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR – Compile Heart
One for fans of the series or the videogames industry as a whole, Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is a commentary on the rivalry between videogame consoles and the hardware manufacturers behind them. While Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is in fact an ‘enhanced’ remake of Megadimension Neptunia VII, the most significant difference is the fact that players will be able to get face-to-face with several characters from the series for the first time.
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is set to launch on 13th April 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Megalith – Disruptive Games
One of the most recently announced PlayStation VR titles, along with Blood & Truth Disruptive Games revealed Megalith at SIE’s Paris Games Week press conference. Megalith sees the player taking the role of a titan in a world with a bleak, stylised aesthetic. On a quest to become a powerful god, players will explore and destroy as they utilise powerful weapons to take out their foes.
Megalith is set to launch at a currently unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Star Child – Playful Corp.
Playful Corp.’s VR debut came in the form of the Oculus Rift exclusive Lucky’s Tale, a critically acclaimed platform videogame featuring a cute bouncing fox that eventually made the leap to Xbox One. This time around, Star Child presents a neon drenched science-fiction adventure for PlayStation VR. Star Child is a homage to classic side-scrolling platformers of yesteryear with the player running and jump through a world that encourages you to lean in and explore its depths with the new immersion afforded by VR technology. In a similar fashion to Paw Print Games’ Bloody Zombies, the action may be limited to a 2D plane but the player’s viewpoint is not, allowing for secrets to be discovered through observation.
Star Child is currently set to launch at an unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Quar: Infernal Machines – Steel Wool Studios
Aside from League of War: VR Arena and No Heroes Allowed! VR, PlayStation VR is somewhat lacking in strategy videogames. Steel Wool Studios will soon change that fact with Quar: Infernal Machines, a HTC Vive launch title that remains one of the most compelling strategy titles on the format. Players will engage in combat as they attempt to take control of the land with a variety of oddball creatures and weaponry.
Quar: Infernal Machines originally launched on HTC Vive under the guise of Quar: Battle for Gate 18, and will launch on PlayStation VR in March 2018.
The American Dream – Samurai Punk
Originally expected to launch in 2017, Samurai Punk’s The American Dream is the antithesis of the current trend for wave shooters in VR. Acting as a tongue-in-cheek examination of American gun culture – or potentially a commentary on it, should the tone be pitched correctly – The American Dream has the player using firearms to conduct even the most mundane activities. What’s better than opening a beer can with a gun? Nothing. That’s what.
The American Dream was originally intended to launch in 2017 and is currently expected to launch early in 2018 on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars – Konami Digital Entertainment
The announcement that Konami were preparing a return to the Zone of the Enders franchise came as somewhat of a shock, especially as they were developing VR compatibility as part of the package. Of course, it makes perfect sense; there are few action videogames that lend themselves to VR as well as piloting giant mechs. And while Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars looks set to be a compelling rendition of the franchise, little has yet been revealed of exactly how the videogame will play in VR.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars is set to launch at an unspecified date in spring 2018, for PlayStation 4, Steam and PlayStation VR.
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Honourable Mention: Fallout 4 VR – Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout 4 VR is the ‘one that got away’. Bethesda Game Studios had a trio of VR launches over the holiday season, and while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR and DOOM VFR both graced the PlayStation VR, Fallout 4 VR currently remains a HTC Vive exclusive. The suggestion is that Fallout 4 VR will eventually come to the PlayStation VR in time, but Bethesda Game Studios has offered no official word on when that might be. Fingers crossed PlayStation VR gamers don’t have to wait too long to experience the wasteland of the Commonwealth first-hand.