If the earlier announcement of the Star Trek: Bridge Crew DLC centred around Star Trek: The Next Generation got you excited for new content of a fictional future yet to come, you’ll be delighted to know that the past is getting similar treatment by way of another virtual reality (VR) videogame – or at least the past with a hefty future twist on things.
Since its launch back in March, VRFocus readers have not been shy on social media in telling us how Snail Games’ ARK Park hasn’t quite ticked all the boxes they wanted, whenever we mention the title. Although, it does seem some of that ire may have been misdirected and instead was more aimed at Studio Wildcard’s management of the franchise’s origin title ARK: Survival Evolved. Snail Games for their part have been involved with the series since the end of 2016, and ARK Park – which takes a slightly more educational angle – has received a number of updates over the last few months, including locomotion and visual improvements. The developer even sat down with VRFocus not that long ago, to discuss their thoughts on VR and their future plans regarding content. The first part of that content expansion has today been confirmed, and the great news is that the DLC is going to be free.
Pterosaur Hill is coming to the title at the end of June and is, according to the developer, built around the concept of flight and introducing three new maps. Mountain Lake: Here you’ll be able to take in a bird’s eye viewpoint of proceedings in a hot air balloon, as well as using the more familiar land-based vehicles. Crystal Sky Lift: Which will allow you to “soar through the clouds” and lastly, Aviary. Here you will come face-to-face with the Quetzalcoatlus – the largest prehistoric flying creature – in its nest.
Naturally, there’s been the addition of some more creatures into ARK Park besides the Quetzalcoatlus, and the new species include the Diplodocus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Compsognathus, Therizinosaurus, Gallimimus, Meganeura (giant dragonfly) and the Arthropleaura millipede, the largest known land invertebrate of all time, which could grow to metres in length.
Whilst ARK Park has more educational elements that doesn’t mean its shy on action, as you might have already guessed. So, if you ever wanted to mount a Pterosaur to engage in some dogfighting then we’ve got good news. If you wanted to wave around, say, a samurai sword while doing so? Snail Games have got you covered with a number of new weapons too.
We will bring you more news about how and when the DLC will roll out to PC and console when we hear further. Until that time be sure to check back throughout the day on VRFocus for more VR gaming news.
Developer Snail Games has announced a new update to the PlayStation VR version of their virtual reality (VR) spin-off to ARK: Survival Evolved which brings a number of bug fixes and a new locomotion options. ARK Park on PlayStation VR is not only getting a new locomotion system and bug fixes and both the graphics and frame rate have been improved also.
The new free update brings the mentioned locomotion system to the title, which was recently also released on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, allowing players the option to pick between the new free locomotion system or stick with the current teleportation method. Both of which have seen a number of improvements to ensure that players have the best experience regardless of which method they pick. Furthermore to this, Snail Games have added a number of tutorials to the title to help with the explanation of the movement systems.
Elsewhere in the new update PlayStation VR users will be able to know that the development team have been hard at work to also improve the graphics of the title. In fact, the graphics have been improved by 16% in the visual fidelity department – according to the developers – resulting in a more vivid and realistic experience without compromising on the frame rate of the title.
This visual improvement has been achieved by the team trying a different rendering mode that was able to give them a small gain in resolution, more effective anti-aliasing, and a boost to bloom lighting. The team at Snail Games were also able to spend some time on particular maps to bring out the fine detail in each model and texture within the title, further improving the overall visual visual fidelity.
Alongside the release of the new free locomotion system and the numerous improvements to the visuals of the title, a few bug fixes have also been pushed out as well. This includes fixes to the fuzzy fonts on the character creation interface and the addition of an explanatory prompt for the Gatling gun. The new update that includes all of the above content is available now for ARK Park on PlayStation VR.
ARK Park is currently available on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. In case you missed it last month VRFocus got a chance to talk to Snail Games about their plans for ARK Park and where they hope to take the title next.
For more on ARK Park in the future make sure to keep reading VRFocus.
It’s dangerous to release a VR game with only teleportation-based locomotion, it seems. While this is widely seen as the most comfortable way to move in VR, many players that can handle free movement like in traditional games will let you know they’re not happy. Ark Park is the most recent game to fall victim to this trend.
When Snail Games’ VR spin-off to Ark: Survival Evolved launched last month it only included a teleportation option. As of this week, though, the game supports free locomotion via an update released to all versions of the game as Ark Park goes up for sale in SteamVR’s latest promotion. A new tutorial section will teach you how to use this movement method. We actually had some trouble with the teleportation in more intense spots in the game’s wave shooter mode, so this kind of locomotion should help alleviate some of those issues.
As for PlayStation VR (PSVR) players, Snail Games has also pledged to release a patch that will ‘greatly improve’ the game’s visuals, which are quite muddy on PS4. Expect the patch to arrive mid-May, though some early screenshot comparisons are below.
It’s great to see Ark Park addressing some of the complaints players have had about the game, though core issues with the main content like repetition still remain. Still, if you were waiting to pick it up at a discounted price, now’s your chance; the standard edition of the game is currently $27.99 and the deluxe edition is going for $33.59. The latter adds an extra dinosaur to raise but it’s not exactly essential.
Snail Games, the developer behind the recently release virtual reality (VR) multiplayer adventure title ARK Park sat down with VRFocus’ Nina Salomons to talk about the title and their plans for the future of VR.
A VR spin-off to the hugely poplar ARK: Survival Evolved, ARK Parkreleased last month for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift giving players a chance to get closer than ever before with the many dinosaurs that are at the theme park. Players are able to explore a large location with 10 different scenes alone or with friends and learn about the many dinosaurs within the title. Collecting DNA and materials allows for players to trade for other useful items which will aid in the combat side of things, where players must hold out against wave of anger creatures by any means possible.
Sitting down with Sky Wu, Executive Producer at Snail Games, the team behind ARK Park, VRFocus discussed a number of topics regarding the title and future content. For starters, to make the title more accessible to a wider audience the decision was made to use only one type of character movement within the title. Though more veteran VR players will be accustom to a range of movement controls, the teleport movement was seen as the most accessible and therefore was used for the title.
The choice to make the title in VR was an easy choice for the team as they felt that creating an experience where you are able to get up close and personal with dinosaurs like never before. The team at Snail Games are looking to expand the title with DLC and explore the creative opportunities within VR more. From the player feedback, they note that there is a lack of gameplay content but Sky Wu stresses that more gameplay content is coming in the future by means of DLC.
When asked about if the company would be looking to explore experiences in augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR), Sky Wu confirmed that the company are working on things to take advance of the technology but more details on these products will be released in the future.
If you want to watch the full interview you can do so below.
For more on ARK Park in the future, keep reading VRFocus.
March’s PlayStation Store Charts are in, and Polyarc’s Moss continues to impress.
Whereas the PSVR platformer came in strong in February’s charts after just a few days on sale, the March results see Quill climb to the top of both the US and EU lists. We guess the game’s positive reception helped carry it through post-launch sales and we couldn’t be happier to see it doing well.
Another big March release, Bravo Team, also seems to have performed respectably despite a lukewarm reception. Supermassive Games’ PlayStation Aim-enabled shooter came in at 8 on the US list and all the way up to 2 on the EU list. Don’t forget March saw the announcement of a price cut for PSVR, which may explain why launch window games like PlayStation VR Worlds and Job Simulator have performed so well this month.
Perhaps more notable, though are some of the absences on this month’s list. Polished dinosaur spin-off Ark Park, which we weren’t too keen on, failed to chart, as did the much better The American Dream. Neither game saw a physical release meaning its developers were entirely dependent on digital sales. Not appearing in the top 10 doesn’t necessarily mean they tanked, but it’s not a great sign, either. Wipeout: Omega Collection isn’t there, either, but that’s a year-old game with physical discs too, so it’s not too surprising.
April sees a handful of big releases for PSVR, including the long-awaited port of Rick and Morty: Virtual-Rickality in just a few day’s time.
I remember covering Ark: Survival Evolved’s reveal all the way back in 2015 with some cynicism. The game itself looked great; a Jurassic Park adventure for the Minecraft-era, but developer Studio Wildcard’s mention of VR support on both PC and PS4 seemed a promise too far. Sure enough, three years on and PSVR support is nowhere to be seen, while the ramshackle Oculus Rift integration isn’t even mentioned on the game’s Steam page.
You could view Ark Park as something of an apology, then. Sadly, it’s not a very good one.
Ark Park is a game specifically built for VR and, in the spirit of the platform, distills many of the original game’s core elements into a more headset-friendly package. One half of the game is, indeed, very much like the first half of a Jurassic Park movie; you explore an amusement park that has brought dinosaurs back to life, learning about different creature features and even raising a few beasts of your own. And, yes, you guessed it, the other half is a bit more like that other staple of the Park flicks in which everyone is screaming and trying not to be eaten by a T-Rex. But Ark Park fails to fuse these two elements cohesively, resulting in an initially promising game that ends up feeling half-baked and ill-advised.
Exploration is easily the stronger half of the experience, and I suspect what Ark Park was originally wholly envisioned as (the game was originally billed to us as an educational experience). You begin with a sun-licked train ride into the park that’s a John Williams score away from copyright infringement before arriving at the main lobby. Here you’ll find holograms of dinosaurs that you can formally introduce yourself to without the fear of being eaten up (though I still managed to scream when I turned around to find an unexpecting Triceratops staring me down). There’s also a park map you can jump into and even adorable mini-beasts to pick up and play with. It makes for a promisingly upbeat introduction that suggests Ark Park is just as much an educational tool as it is a spectacular showcase of a bygone era.
That’s pretty much where the learning ends, though; there’s very little reason to return to the lobby once you’ve arrived at the Forest Path. This is where you’ll hatch dinosaur eggs you gather for completing missions, take tamed dinosaurs for a trek and craft weapons using resources you gather in the six explorable areas.
Jumping into each of those zones is initially a delight and offers some of Ark Park’s most marvelous moments. You can scan creatures — who are undeterred by your presence — to build out your self-explanatory Dino Dex and collect genes that are used to unlock new items. Mostly, though, you’ll want to just hang out with the wide variety of critters, beasts and behemoths you’ll encounter. Sitting on a river bank and watching two Giant Beavers go fishing, or quickly side-stepping an Armadillo as it rudely rolls straight past (or through) you offers a rare sense of privilege, like you’re experiencing something that no other human has had the fortune of stumbling upon. It certainly helps that the game is easily one of VR’s best-looking experiences, boasting the lush jungle environments that made Survival Evolved such an easy sell.
Ark Park could have been a truly memorable showcase of the power of VR if it had doubled down on this aspect. Over the 60 minutes or so it took me to explore each area my heart went on a rollercoaster ride, from marveling at the sight of Terodatcyls swooping over a cliff ledge to laughing at myself for screaming as giant bats scattered at the sight of me entering their cave. For lack of a better term, it can feel magical, but the game can’t keep up the illusion for long.
You’ll only get one chance to scan creatures in some areas and, if you miss it, you’ll have to reload the area and try to grab them again, robbing you of the wonder you felt on your first encounter. Some are a pain to capture, too. I quickly discovered the real reason the Dodo’s went extinct: for their insufferable refusal to stand still. Blood comes from a stone faster than those guys will let you scan them.
To make matters worse, Ark Park’s needless crafting system asks you to repeatedly return to these zones to grind out gathering resources by waggling your pickaxe-holding hand over rocks and trees. Much of the joy of simply visiting these areas is soon replaced by the meandering redundancy of your workmanlike task: load the level, warp over to the rock, mine the rock, reload the level. Breeding dinosaurs, meanwhile, invites the same initial pleasures before you realize that all you can really do with your newfound pets (other than questionably spraypaint on them) is ride them down a linear path on the exact same scripted three-minute sequence.
All of which far too quickly leads you to the game’s other half, a repellant wave shooter that’s at odds with the pre-established tone. Ark Park’s barebones action offering includes two maps spread across six levels of increasing difficulty that task you with defending a faulty brain-manipulating beacon that the park’s creatures are intent on destroying in their fleeting moments of mental freedom. With the sobering knowledge that the miraculous creatures you basked in the company of just moments ago were in fact slaves, you now have to mercilessly gun them down with dual-wielding weapons and mandatory slow-mo kills. It’s a repulsively more manufactured side of an otherwise refreshingly positive experience.
Moral contradictions aside, this section of the game is thrill-free, with its bare-bones content criminally padded out by the monotony of a crafting system that feels shoved in to tick boxes (weapons even degrade over time, forcing you back into the aforementioned grind). The game doesn’t even have the kind of longevity to sustain these survival-focused mechanics: you can race through all but the last of the levels as soon as you unlock two machine guns almost thought-free.
The only enemies that will give you trouble are the bullet sponge bosses that can be avoided by teleporting across the map (sorry diehards, no free locomotion here). Sometimes though I found the teleporting to inexplicably stop working, forcing me to sit and wait for 10 seconds as I revived and kept on shooting.
These are the same foundations of a wave shooter you’ve seen time and again but they have absolutely nothing of their own to add. Ark Park can’t decide what it wants to be, and that indecision leaves you with two uneven halves that don’t add up to a compelling package. Tellingly, when I opened my inventory at the start of the game, I found a dinosaur egg with a padlock icon on it front and center of my storage. The egg, I was told, unlocks with a certain content pack. If you were someone that was burned by Survival Evolved’s rapid, premium expansion over refinement of existing content, that should tell you all you need to know.
Final Score:5/10 – Mediocre
Ark Park is neither the thrilling prehistoric vacation of a lifetime nor the intense Jurassic shooter you might have hoped it to be. Whatever goodwill it builds in its opening moments is quickly spent on wearisomely padded out crafting mechanics and a half-baked, ill-advised wave shooting component that would have been better left on the cutting room floor. Ultimately it’s more equation than game (crafting + wave shooting = $$$?). Plan your next VR getaway for somewhere far from here.
Snail Games’ Ark: Survival Evolved spin-off, Ark Park, finally launches across all major VR headsets today, but there are some strange discrepancies with the game’s price.
Over on the UK PlayStation Store, where the game launched this morning with PlayStation VR (PSVR) support, Ark Park costs £44.99, which is easily in the upper echelon of prices for VR games. However, over on Steam where the game supports Rift, Vive and Windows VR, it only costs £31.99. We’ve reached out to developer and publisher Snail Games to ask after the reasoning behind the price difference.
Developers usually cite charges for hosting content on the PlayStation Store as the reason for the increased price of a game but, even then, this is a big gap. As for the US, the game isn’t listed on the US PlayStation Store just yet, but costs $39.99 on Steam. We’ll update this story when we know the US price tag, and make sure to check back later today for our final impressions on Ark Park.
Sony hat im amerikanischen PlayStation Blog eine Liste mit 34 der anstehenden Veröffentlichungen von VR-Titeln für PlayStation VR (PSVR) im Frühjahr 2018 veröffentlicht. Zu den heiß erwarteten Toptiteln zählen unter anderem Ark Park, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Torn und Xing: The Land Beyond.
PlayStation VR (PSVR) – Neues Futter für die Konsole im Frühjahr 2018
Nach der Veröffentlichung des Erfolgstitels Moss für PlayStation VR (PSVR) ist man sich in der kalifornischen Hauptverwaltung von Sony sicher: VR kam, um zu bleiben, und ermöglicht auch in Zukunft großartige immersive Erfahrungen über unterschiedliche Genres hinweg. Durch die positiven Kritiken gestärkt, veröffentlicht Justin Massongill, der Social Media Manager des Unternehmens, eine Liste mit 34 VR-Titeln, die noch im Frühjahr 2018 in Amerika erscheinen sollen – etliche davon sollten auch den Sprung den hiesigen Store schaffen.
Anamorphine
Apocalypse Rider
Chromagun VR
CoolpaintrVR
Flatline Experience The Other Side
Floor Plan
Headbutt Factory
Hopalong: The Badlands
Island Time
Just in Time Inc.
Killing Floor: Incursion
MLB Home Run Derby VR
Nothin´ But Net
One Piece Grand Cruise
Rixel Ripped 1989
Prana
Preta: Vendetta Rising
Quar Infernal Machines
RadianVR
Rooms the Unsolvable Puzzle
Separation
Super Amazeballs
Super Kaiju
Syren
The Perfect Sniper
Time Carnage
VR Apocalypse
War Robots VR: The Skirmish
Ark Park
Ark Park von Entwicklerstudio Snail Games ist das Action-Spin-Off von ARK: Survival Evolved und ermöglicht es, euren eigenen Themenpark mit dazugehöriger Dinozucht aufzubauen. Der Titel ist bei uns für den 22. März angekündigt.
Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR
Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR von Twentieth Century Fox versetzt euch in die Rolle eines intelligenten Affen, um die Geschehnisse zwischen den beiden Kinofilmen Prevolution (2011) und Revolution (2014) aus der Sicht der Primaten mitzuerleben. Am 3. April soll das Spiel erhältlich sein.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
In Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-alityvon Adult Swim Games dürft ihr wahrscheinlich ab dem 10. April in die spaßige Welt der bekannten Serie eintauchen und euch auf virtuelle Abenteuerreise mit den beiden Protagonisten begeben – Lachkrämpfe sind im Titel inbegriffen.
Torn
In Torn von Aspyr Media dürft ihr euch in ein interaktives Sci-Fi-Mystery-Abenteuer stürzen und den Geschehnissen einer verlassenen Villa nachgehen, um dort die dem Geheimnis des verschwundenen Physikers Dr. Talbot nachzugehen. Ein genauer Veröffentlichungstermin ist uns noch nicht bekannt.
Smash Hit Plunder
In Smash Hit Plunder von Triangular Pixels werdet ihr zum Erben eines gigantischen Anwesens. Blöderweise beheimatet das Schloss auch einige Geister, die darauf bestehen, eure Familienschulden bei euch einzutreiben. Deshalb gilt es, auf Plündertour zu gehen – die Frage ist allerdings noch offen, wann das sein wird.
Xing: The Land Beyond
In Xing: The Land Beyond von White Lotus Interactive dürft ihr eine mystische Welt erkunden und und diverse Rätsel lösen, während ihr das paradiesische Land erforscht. Auch hier kennen wir noch kein genaues Veröffentlichungsdatum.
Zu bedenken ist allerdings, dass sich einige der Veröffentlichungen auch in Amerika noch nach vorne oder hinten verschieben können, da diese in den Händen der jeweiligen Entwickler liegen. Bei welchem der VR-Titel bekommt ihr am meisten Lust, zur PSVR zu greifen?
Over on the US PlayStation Blog, SIEA Social Media Manager Justin Massongill has compiled a list of 34 PSVR games targeting a Spring 2018 release. The article details some of the more anticipated titles: Ark Park, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Smash Hit Plunder, Torn, and Xing: The Land Beyond.
Although Massongill notes that some projected dates may slip, the list is an illustration of Sony’s commitment to the platform, maintaining a steady flow of high-quality VR releases since the headset’s launch in October 2016, including standouts like the recently released Moss.
Of the detailed games, Ark Park, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes, and Smash Hit Plunder are likely to appeal to action fans, check out their trailers below:
On the other hand, Torn, Xing: The Land Beyond, and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality are more puzzle-orientated. The latter is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Job Simulator (one of PSVR’s top rated titles) as it’s made by the same studio, Owlchemy Labs.
Here’s the complete list of what Sony says is launching this Spring:
[Update] Wie versprochen ist das Spin-off ARK Park heute am 22. März 2018 erschienen und bietet verschiedene Spielmodi. Der Dinosaurier-Titel steht auf Steam für die Oculus Rift, HTC Vive sowie Windows Mixed Reality Headseates bereit und kostet 38 Euro beziehungsweise in der Tek-Edition 42 Euro. Was die Edition gegenüber der Standard-Fassung mehr bietet, darüber schweigen sich die Entwickler derzeit aus. Auch die Webseite zum Spiel ist noch nicht mit Inhalten gefüllt. Für die PlayStation-VR-Fassung muss man im Sony Store knapp 50 Euro berappen. Erste Eindrücke zu ARK Park fallen sehr unterschiedlich aus, weshalb man vor dem Kauf wahrscheinlich besser Reviews abwarten sollte.
Originalmeldung vom 15. März 2018:
Das Spin-off ARK Park des VR-Titels ARK: Survival Evolved erscheint am 22. März für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive und PlayStation VR (PSVR). ARK Park ermöglicht den Spielern, in einem Multiplayer-Adventure in einem gigantischen Dinosaurier-Themenpark einzutauchen. Dabei werden auf zehn verschiedenen Maps diverse Spielelemente wie das Lösen von Rätseln, Dinozucht oder Kampfsequenzen in Form eines Wave Shooters geboten. Die Entwickler veröffentlichten kürzlich einen neuen Trailer zur anstehenden Veröffentlichung.
ARK Park – Virtueller Dinopark fürOculus Rift, HTC Vive und PlayStation VR
Das Multiplayer-Abenteuer ARK Park von Publisher Snail Games führt euch in einen riesigen virtuellen Dinopark, in dem ihr auf Tuchfühlung mit den gigantischen Riesenechsen gehen dürft. So bietet der VR-Titel verschiedene Möglichkeiten für die Besucher.
Auf insgesamt zehn verschiedenen Karten dürfen die Spieler alleine oder gemeinsam mit Freunden auf Erkundungstour gehen und die urzeitlichen Gefilde näher untersuchen. Auf der Reise ist es zudem möglich, sogenannte Genfragmente zu suchen, um dadurch mehr über die prähistorischen Bewohner der Insel zu erfahren. Die gesammelten Daten werden in einer Datenbank abgespeichert. Um an die DNA-Träger zu gelangen, gilt es verschiedene Rätsel zu lösen oder Actionsequenzen zu meistern.
Doch die Genfragmente können mehr, als nur reine Informationen zu vermitteln, denn sie dienen gleichzeitig als Grundbaustein für eure eigene Dinozucht. In Inkubatoren dürft ihr gesammelte Dino-Eier ausbrüten und damit eure eigene Herde züchten. Gleichzeitig müsst ihr eure Schützlinge mit Nahrung versorgen und für eine gute Atmosphäre sorgen, um Vertrauen zu den Neugeborenen aufzubauen. Als Belohnung dürfen Spieler die ausgewachsenen Echsen dann reiten.
Damit auch Action-Freunde auf ihre Kosten kommen, gilt es in regelmäßigen Abständen euer Camp gegen angreifende Dinohorden zu verteidigen. Dafür nutzt ihr selbst hergestellte Nah- und Fernkampfwaffen sowie diverse Gegenstände und stürzt euch ins Gefecht, um die aggressiven Inselbewohner zu vertreiben. Die Kampfsituationen sind sowohl solo sowie im Multiplayer mit anderen Spielern spielbar.
ARK Park erscheint am 22. März für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive auf Steam sowie für PlayStation VR (PSVR) im PlayStation Store.
Since its launch back in March, VRFocus readers have not been shy on social media in telling us how Snail Games’ ARK Park hasn’t quite ticked all the boxes they wanted, whenever we mention the title. Although, it does seem some of that ire may have been misdirected and instead was more aimed at Studio Wildcard’s management of the franchise’s origin title ARK: Survival Evolved. Snail Games for their part have been involved with the series since the end of 2016, and ARK Park – which takes a slightly more educational angle – has received a number of updates over the last few months, including locomotion and visual improvements. The developer even sat down with VRFocus not that long ago, to discuss their thoughts on VR and their future plans regarding content. The first part of that content expansion has today been confirmed, and the great news is that the DLC is going to be free.
Whilst ARK Park has more educational elements that doesn’t mean its shy on action, as you might have already guessed. So, if you ever wanted to mount a Pterosaur to engage in some dogfighting then we’ve got good news. If you wanted to wave around, say, a samurai sword while doing so? Snail Games have got you covered with a number of new weapons too.
