Category: Astro Bot Rescue Mission

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Astro Bot Rescue Mission auf den BAFTA Games Awards 2019 als Spiel des Jahres nominiert

Die BAFTA Games Awards (British Academy Video Games Awards) nominieren erstmals einen VR-Titel für die Auszeichnung zum besten Spiel des Jahres 2019. Der gefeierte VR-Plattformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission tritt in insgesamt drei Kategorien gegen eine starke Konkurrenz an. In Unterkategorien findet sich zudem die abenteuerliche Maus Quill aus Moss sowie das Survival-Unterwasserabenteuer Subnautica wieder.

BAFTA Games Awards 2019 – Astro Bot Rescue Mission als Spiel des Jahres 2019 nominiert

Die BAFTA Video Games Awards prämieren seit 2004 eigenständig Videospieltitel in diversen Kategorien für besondere Leistungen. Während die Awards derzeit noch keine selektierte Kategorie für VR-Titel führen, kam es dieses Jahr dennoch zu einer überraschenden Nominierung, denn Sonys erfolgreicher Plattformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission wurde zum Spiel des Jahres 2019 nominiert. Zusätzlich tritt das Spiel um die Auszeichnung für Game Innovation und Game Design an.

Astro Bot konnte sich bereits einen Platz auf dem Treppchen bei den Awards des PlayStation Blogs sichern und wurde mit dem 2. Platz zur besten PS VR Experience 2018 ausgezeichnet.

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In der Kategorie Best Game muss es der VR-Plattformer mit starker Konkurrenz aufnehmen. So sind neben den knuddeligen Bots die Spiele, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Celeste und Return of the Obra Dinn nominiert.

Im Wettkampf um die neusten Innovationen in Videospielen treten die Titel dagegen in der Kategorie Game Innovation an. Darin finden sich mit Astro Bot und Moss sogar zwei Vertreter des Mediums VR wieder, die sich gegen Celeste, Cultist Simulator, Nintendo Labo und Return of the Obra Dinn durchsetzen müssen.

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In der Kategorie Game Design besteht die Konkurrenz ebenso aus God of War, Celeste und Return of the Obra Dinn sowie Into the Breach und Minit. In der Sektion Orignal Property findet sich zudem das Unterwasserabenteuer Subnautica wieder, welches ebenso gegen Moss und weitere Kandidaten antritt.

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Alle Nominierten sowie sämtliche Kategorien findet ihr auf der offiziellen Webseite der Awards.

(Quellen: BAFTA Games Awards 2019 | Upload VR | PlayStation UK Twitter)

Der Beitrag Astro Bot Rescue Mission auf den BAFTA Games Awards 2019 als Spiel des Jahres nominiert zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Astro Bot Scores Best Game Nod At 2019 BAFTA Games Awards

Astro Bot Scores Best Game Nod At 2019 BAFTA Games Awards

The usual suspects are representing VR at this year’s BAFTA Games, but they’re nominated in surprising categories.

The UK’S BAFTA Games Awards are one of the few that haven’t yet implemented a VR/AR category. But VR is there in force in the 2019 nominations. Sony’s beloved PSVR platformer, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, leads the pack. Somewhat amazingly, it’s been nominated in the Best Game category, going up against the likes of God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2. Sony posted the hilarious image mashing Astro with Kratos in celebration.

That isn’t the only category for Astro, though. The game’s also nominated in the Game Design and Innovation categories. It’s a well-deserved bit of recognition. Astro Bot warmed our hearts with its playful, often amazing vision of VR.

Meanwhile, Polyarc’s excellent VR adventure, Moss, earns Original Property and Game Innovation nods of its own. Moss is similar to Astro Bot in style, polish and quality so we’re happy to see it land some of its own nominations. Beat Saber, meanwhile, scores itself a Debut Game nomination. To be honest we’re surprised not to see it get a few more than that. Finally, the soothing sounds of Tetris Effect rightly score Audio Achievement and Music nods. Tetris Effect featured only optional VR support, but it still counts.

A pretty good turn out for team VR, then. If Astro Bot walked away with the Best Game award it would be quite the coup. Fingers crossed.

The ceremony’s set to back place on April 4th.

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GDC 2019: Sony To Talk The ‘Making Of Astro Bot’ On PSVR

GDC 2019: Sony To Talk The ‘Making Of Astro Bot’ On PSVR

Astro Bot Rescue Mission was without a doubt one of the best and most beloved VR games of 2019. It wasn’t just a great platformer but a game explored the platform in fascinating ways. At the 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC) next month, you can see how the developers pulled it all off.

Sony Japan Studios creative director Nicolas Doucet will host a session at the conference. It’s titled ‘Making of ‘Astro Bot Rescue Mission’: Reinventing Platformers for VR‘. As the name suggests, the talk will see Doucet dive into the prototyping and designing needed to bring Astro Bot to life. He’ll talk about how the team experimented with new ideas and some of the challenges of making a VR game.

But that’s not the only Astro Bot talk at GDC. Programmer Yuki Miyamae will also be discussing ‘Taming Technologies Behind ‘Astro Bot Rescue Mission’‘. This session will be more focused on the technical challenges to get the game running in VR.

“Astro Bot is not here to reinvent the wheel or claim the throne as VR’s killer app; there are enough games trying to do that already,” we said of the game in our review. “Instead, it fuzes the thrill of seeing a virtual world come to life with the dependably engaging gameplay of one of gaming’s most beloved genres and explores what that can mean with fascinating results. It’s a refreshing reminder of just how astonishing VR can be when there’s nothing in your way, and it’s an absolutely essential experience for any PSVR owner.”

Neither talk has been dated just yet but expect to see a proper schedule soon. We’ll be at GDC ourselves to bring you all the latest VR updates.

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Get Voting for the 2019 Game Developers Choice Awards Audience Award

Last month the 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC) announced that its annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) would be taking place, with five virtual reality (VR) titles chosen for the ‘Best VR/AR Game’. While that particular category winner is selected by judges, you the public also get your say in the Audience Award. Online voting has now begun, with some of the best VR titles going up against some of the best console and PC videogames.

Tetris Effect

There are 22 videogames up for nomination in the GDCA, with the five VR titles being Tetris Effect, Moss, Budget Cuts, Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Beat Saber.

Additionally, there are the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards) which take place at the same time. Alas, when it comes to VR content the IGF Awards don’t have a lot to offer, with Polyarc’s Moss the only VR candidate.

To place your vote for the 19th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Audience Award simply follow this link to the official GDCA form or here for the IGF Awards. There’s plenty of time with voting set to close next week on 11th February 2019. The winners will be announced live during the ceremonies on Wednesday, 20th March 2019 as part of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, livestreamed on the official GDC Twitch channel.

Budget Cuts - Combat

Last month GDC released its annual Game Industry Report, which survey’s nearly 4,000 developers from across the globe, revealing some highly interesting stats when it came to VR development and how popular certain headsets are.

This will be the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards and will be hosted once again by Tim Schafer, LucasArts industry veteran and founder of Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts 2). Just like any major event featuring VR or AR tech, VRFocus will be at GDC 2019 to bring you all the very latest news and announcements relating to the XR industry as they happen.

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Astro Bot Dev Photos May Hint At Cut Multiplayer Support

Astro Bot Dev Photos May Hint At Cut Multiplayer Support

We can all agree that Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is pretty special. If you’ve spent any amount of time with the game then you likely recognize how expertly crafted it is as not only a great VR experience, but an excellent platformer in its own right. Today, on the PlayStation Blog, Sony peeled back the curtain a bit on its development to show some in-progress photos from the dev process as well as shed some light on animation styles and level design.

However, the most interesting bit that you’ll notice in the image up above is that it looks like multiplayer support may have been in the game at some point. Right in front of the controller you can see two little differently colored robots scurrying around. If you remember the Robot Rescue game from Playroom VR, a free launch bundle of mini games for PSVR, that actually did have some limited multiplayer support. As a result, it looks like the team at Japan Studio Asobi! may have started development with that feature in mind.

Interestingly that’s never mentioned in the blog post though. Instead, they talk about how they outlined levels in plain blocks first before evolving them with upgraded art assets. And the gorilla boss at the end of the first world was actually originally going to be a dragon.

“To dress up each level, the choice of materials was particularly critical for the Art Director, Sebastian [Brueckner],” writes Nicolas Doucet, Creative Director and Producer at Japan Studio Asobi! Team. “He and the team tried various styles to find the best match for VR. Through continuous research characters, enemies, vegetation (right down to the rocks) created a super-tangible feeling. We injected each object with a digital DNA, such as printed circuits board patterns and LED faceplates. This gave the game a unique playful, digital identity.”

For more on Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, read our feature on how the game reshapes the 3D platformer and don’t miss our review to find out why it’s so highly regarded. Let us know what you think of the game in the comments down below!

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Ace Combat 7’s VR Support Needs The Astro Bot Treatment

Ace Combat 7’s VR Support Needs The Astro Bot Treatment

A little over two years ago now I wrote an article about a little game called Robot Rescue. It was a free demo included in Sony Japan’s Playroom VR launch compilation for PSVR. Its vision of a third-person platformer enhanced by player participation was so compelling I argued it needed a full game. Many others agreed.

Two years later we got Astro Bot, one of the best VR games out there.

But it’s time to rally our voices once more. There’s a new PSVR game on the scene which again offers a tantalizing taste of what should be a full experience. So powerful is this game that I can’t help but implore Sony to throw whatever mounds of cash it can spare towards its development team. I am of course talking about Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

Last week saw the long-running flight combat series return to consoles and PC. On PS4 it’s got a PSVR exclusive campaign. It’s all original content, but there are only 3 missions which anyone with any past experience could see it off in 30 minutes.

But, goodness me, what a 30 minutes they’ll be. Ace Combat 7’s VR support is a joyous celebration of near-misses, missile locks and machine gun fire. It’ll shake you where you sit, drop your jaw, hammer your pulse and maybe even turn you into a series fan. It has that same revitalizing power that makes Wipeout VR so special and makes you excited about the future of VR once more. This is all coming from someone that hadn’t played the Ace games since the 1995 original.

Now, here’s the thing. We don’t necessarily need a full new game here. I’d just as quickly welcome full VR support for the game’s main campaign. Heck, developer Project Aces could also revisit the many, many other past games in the series for inspiration. A compilation of missions from Ace Combat 6, Infinity and Ace Combat 7 would be more than enough. Just chuck out the bits that wouldn’t work in VR and let us loose in this wonderful aerial playground.

Of course, it took nearly four years for Ace Combat 7 to go from reveal to release. Expecting a full VR campaign in the next two years might be a little ambitious. With that in mind, might we suggest this as a blockbuster game for PSVR 2? PS4’s limited horsepower probably played some part in making this mode so limited. Any hypothetical VR follow-up appearing on any hypothetical console follow-up could relieve those constraints a little.

So, if you’re listening, Sony, please take heed. Get on the phone to Bandai Namco. Tell them all about PSVR 2 and why it’ll be great. Let’s make this a reality.

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Beat Saber als PSVR-Spiel des Jahres 2018 ausgezeichnet

Der Erfolgstitel Beat Saber reitet weiter auf der Erfolgswelle und konnte sich erneut einen famosen Preis sichern. Ganz nach dem Motto: eine weitere Woche, eine weitere Auszeichnung für Beat Saber. So wurde der VR-Rhythmustitel im Voting im hauseigenen PlayStation Blog von der Community zur besten PlayStation-VR-Erfahrung des Jahres 2018 gewählt. Doch auch weitere VR-Spiele wurden im Kampf um die Krone ausgezeichnet.

Beat Saber zum PSVR-Spiel des Jahres 2018 gewählt

Das alljährliche Nutzer-Voting im PlayStation Blog ist beendet und die Gewinner wurden in diversen Kategorien ermittelt. So haben über 100.000 Konsolenbesitzer über ihre Lieblingstitel abgestimmt und dadurch die beliebtesten PS4- und PSVR-Titel des Jahres 2018 ausgewählt.

Die folgenden Titel konnten sich ein Treppchen im Kampf um die Gunst der Spielerschaft sichern:

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  • Top-Award: Beat Saber

  • 1. Platz: Borderlands 2 VR

  • 2. Platz: Astro Bot Rescue Mission

  • 3. Platz: Tetris Effect

 

So hat sich natürlich Beat Saber die Spitze gesichert und wurde mit den meisten Stimmen als Top-Reiter der letztjährigen PSVR-Erfahrungen ausgezeichnet. Kein Wunder, denn der suchterzeugende Musiktitel eroberte seit seinem Konsolendebüt im November 2018 die Herzen der Fans im Sturm. Bereits über die Weihnachtsfeiertage brach das VR-Spiel neue Rekorde und startete das neue Jahr mit dem Erreichen eines Meilensteins. Wer auf neuen musikalischen Content wartet, muss sich übrigens nicht mehr allzu lange gedulden, denn der erste DLC soll bereits in Kürze erscheinen. Zusätzlich gab es eine Goldauszeichnung in der Kategorie Best Independent Game.

Beat-Saber-PlayStation-VR-PSVR

Ebenfalls imposant ist das nachfolgend erstplatzierte Borderlands 2 VR. Schließlich ist die VR-Adaption des beliebten RPG-Shooters erst am 14. Dezember 2018 erschienen. Dennoch sind zahlreiche Abenteuer von der virtuellen Welt von Pandora begeistert und rühmen das Gameplay mit der Goldtrophäe.

Borderlands 2 VR

Auf dem zweiten Platz befindet sich der innovative VR-Plattformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Dank der großartigen Levelgestaltung, dem kreativen Gameplay sowie dem geschickten Einbezug des Spielers haben auch wir den VR-Titel bereits zum Jump’n’Run des Jahres 2018 erklärt.

ASTRO BOT: Rescue Mission Review

Den dritten Platz und damit Bronze verdiente sich Tetris Effect. Die VR-Neuauflage des Spieleklassikers zieht die Spieler mit seinen visuellen Effekten und auditiven Klängen in seinen Bann und erzeugt mit jedem Level ein ästhetisches Kunstwerk, in welchem man sich schnell einmal verliert und dadurch die Zeit vergisst. Wer dann auch noch im Alltag beginnt gedanklich Objekte vor seinem geistigen Auge zu stapeln, leidet verständlicherweise schnell unter dem gleichnamigen Tetris Effekt. Nebenbei kassierte der PSVR-Titel übrigens den dritten Platz in der Kategorie Best Independent Game.

Tetris Effect im Test

Zwar keinen Platz auf dem Treppchen, dafür aber jede Menge Stimmen verdienten sich übrigens die VR-Spiele Star Trek Bridge Crew: The Next Generation und Creed: Rise to Glory.

(Quelle: PlayStation Blog)




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PlayStation VR Demo Disc 3 Now Available for EU Customers

The act of releasing a demo is a bit more of a rarity nowadays, with virtual reality (VR) developers occasionally using the medium to promote an upcoming videogame. The demo disc, on the other hand, is a dinosaur of a bygone era, when magazines were your essential source of gaming info, with each monthly publication adorned with a selection of titles on disc. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is still keeping that nostalgia alive with its PlayStation VR Demo Disc, the last or arrived in 2017. That changes today – for European customers at least – with the release of PlayStation VR Demo Collection 3.

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

Completely free to download from the PlayStation Store, the collection features nine titles for PlayStation VR and is especially ideal if you’ve just purchased a headset over Christmas. On offer are some of the best examples of VR content for the headset.

All the titles support the DualShock 4 controller apart from Job Simulator where you will need PlayStation Move controllers.

Battlezone image

Titles like Job Simulator, Battlezone, The Persistence and Thumper have once again made the grade and stayed in place from the last demo collection, even though some were original launch window experiences from way back in 2016.

SIE happened to reveal the top downloads of 2018 for PlayStation VR recently, with Owlchemy Labs Job Simulator attaining the number one spot in the US and number two in Europe. Both Moss and SUPERHOT VR also made it into the top ten on both charts.

The company is also likely celebrating as it released sales figures for PlayStation 4 last week during CES 2019, with the console achieving a whopping 91.6 million sales worldwide by the end of 2018.

If you are new to the PlayStation VR platform then you’ll also want to take a look at VRFocus’ ‘Best PlayStation VR Games of 2018‘ feature to see what videogames should be in your library. And there are plenty of titles coming in 2019 to look forward to as well. For all the latest updates on PlayStation VR, keep reading VRFocus.

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PSVR Demo Disc 3 Incoming With Astro Bot, Superhot, More – Report

PSVR Demo Disc 3 Incoming With Astro Bot, Superhot, More – Report

It looks like PSVR demo disc 3 is on the way.

That is according to Ostrog, which claims to have spotted an ESRB listing for ‘PSVR Demo Compilation 3’. We couldn’t find the listing ourselves but the site apparently took a screenshot that you can see below. There were rumors of a new demo disc late last year but, when we asked Sony about it, the company told us it didn’t comment on rumor and speculation.

Image courtesy of Ostrog.

If it’s true then it looks like this demo disc has some goodies on it. From what we can see on the description it includes some of the headset’s best games such as Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Superhot VR, Resident Evil 7 and Headmaster. Expect a small playable slice of each. It’ll be interesting to see if there are any new experiences included in the bundle.

The first PSVR demo disc came with the headset itself and included free looks at launch-era titles like RIGS and Driveclub. Sony refreshed its offering with a second disc in late 2017. That included early playable demos of Moss and Star Child (which still isn’t out). This new disc might not be as forward-looking, but PSVR now has a strong back catalog worth digging into. We wouldn’t be surprised to see other games like Firewall Zero Hour and Tetris Effect included in the pack.

No word on when PSVR demo disc 3 might be introduced (if it’s real). Hopefully we’ll get a downloadable version on the PS Store if so.

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Tetris Effect, Moss, Beat Saber and More up for Game Developers Choice Awards

While CES 2019 this week tends to focus more on the hardware side of things when it comes virtual reality (VR), for gamers and videogame developers the first big show of the year is the 2019 Game Developers Conference in March. As per usual the event will host the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), honouring titles across the breadth of the industry. All the nominees have now been announced, with several VR titles managing to find their way out of the dedicated VR/AR category.

Moss SCREENSHOT 15

To be honest there aren’t really any surprises when it comes to those VR titles who have made the nomination grade as you can see below.

BEST VR/AR GAME

  • Budget Cuts (Neat Corporation)
  • Beat Saber (Beat Games)
  • Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)
  • Moss (Polyarc)
  • Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honorable Mentions: Jurassic World Alive (Ludia), In Death (Sólfar Studios), Tendar (Tender Claws), Firewall Zero Hour (First Contact Entertainment / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Deracine (FromSoftware / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Beat Saber POP/Stars

What’s far more promising for the industry as a whole is the inclusion of several titles in other categories, showcasing the reach VR experiences are starting to have. For example, Polyarc’s Moss also features in the Best Debut category with an honourable mention in the Innovation Award category. Tetris Effect shows up in Best Audio, Innovation Award, Best Visual Art (honourable mention) and Game of the Year (honourable mention.

Others worth noting are:

  • Beat Saber (Best Games) – Best Audio (honourable mention), Best Debut (honourable mention)
  • Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment) – Best Design (honourable mention), Innovation Award (honourable mention)

This will be the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards and will be hosted once again by Tim Schafer, LucasArts industry veteran and founder of Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts 2). The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 20th March, 2019 at 6:30pm at the San Francisco Moscone Center, and held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF).

Just like CES 2019, VRFocus will be at GDC 2019 to bring you all the very latest news and announcements relating to VR and AR as they happen.