Category: Augmented Empire

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Something for the Weekend: Oculus Store Price Drops Galore

The new year is here finally, and we’re kicking off 2018 by highlighting a bunch of deals and price drops you can find on the Oculus Store, just in case you got a fancy new Oculus Rift or Gear VR head-mounted display this Christmas.

We’ve got a bunch of titles here for you to peruse, from strategy titles, racing videogames, minigame collections and much more. Great for your new HMD, or to just add another videogame to your library to show off and play with friends.

Project CARS

The only way to make a modern, realistic driving simulator even more immersive is playing it in virtual reality (VR), and that’s exactly what Project CARS is for. The graphics, dynamic time of day and weather, and a host of different tuning mechanics for car nerds is sure to satisfy driving fans.

Project CARS – Game of the Year Edition is now £10.99 (GBP) on the Oculus Store, down from £39.99.

Nature Treks VR

Ever fancied being a God? Well, we don’t exactly have a VR deity simulator here, but Nature Treks VR comes pretty close in the moments where you can command the weather and set the sun. Nature Treks VR has even more content and environments since the latest update, making it a better deal than ever.

Nature Treks VR is only £4.49 (GBP), down from £7.99.

Loco Dojo

LocoDojo Screenshot 1_Guru

In Loco Dojo, you’ll go up against a variety of bizarre challenges against your friends, such as hooking pigs, shooting targets, knocking out teeth and more. It makes great use of the Oculus Touch controllers, and is a great way to introduce people to VR.

Loco Dojo is down to £7.99 (GBP) from £14.99.

Tethered

Tethered - Screenshot18

In this title from Secret Sorcery, The Peeps have given up hope, and as the Spirit Guardian, it’s up to you to restore life and balance to the world. The Peeps will fight for you, build for you, and lay down their lives on your orders. There are thirteen islands waiting for your help in this VR strategy, and there’s never been a better time to try it.

Tethered is down to £8.79 from £18.99.

Just In Time Incorporated

Just In Time Incorporated screenshot 3

Have you ever wanted to die? No? Well then you need Death Prevention Insurance, and that’s exactly what Just In Time Incorporated provides. You’ll be slowing down time, saving people jumping from buildings, protect them from explosions, or even take a chainsaw to them once you get sick of their attitude. Lovely.

Just In Time Incorporated is now £7.25 (GBP), down from £10.99.

Detached

Detached Race Mode

It’s a race against time. Your oxygen supply is low, your crew is missing, and for some reason every airlock requires solving a puzzle to open. Maddening. But such is the design of the spacecrafts of the future, and in Detached it’s up to you navigate in zero gravity and save your crew.

Detached is now £10.99 (GBP), previously £18.99.

Hidden Temple VR Adventure

hiddentemple3

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like Indiana Jones, but wanted to gracefully skirt around copyright issues, then Hidden Temple VR Adventure might be the perfect experience for you. Essentially a point-and-click for Gear VR, you’ll explore an ancient temple, solve puzzles, collect treasure and – hopefully – survive.

Hidden Temple VR Adventure is now £1.99 (GBP), previously £3.99.

Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe

Travelling through space and billions of miles per hour, your vessel is sucked into a wormhole, and you awaken on an alien desert planet. A bit like Jakku, really. There’s nothing around but desert, and one large building. A casino. Where everyone plays air hockey. Yes. And you’ll play air hockey. This is basically an air hockey videogame, is what I’m trying to get at.

Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe is now only £2.29 (GBP), down from £7.99.

Augmented Empire

Augmented_Empire_Screenshot_3

In Augmented Empire you’ll take control of six wacky characters and guide them through an “augmented reality” world. Climb the Citizen Grade System, and become much more than just a low-tier thug.

Augmented Empire is now £3.99 (GBP), down from £7.99.

In Car Racing VR

Oh yes, perhaps even better than Project CARS, here In Car Racing VR puts you in a car. And you race it. In VR. How can thing get better, you ask? Well, there’s easy controls, multiple sceneries, and multiple camera modes, of course. You can even set what kind of traffic you like. Amazing.

In Car Racing VR is only £0.79 (GBP), down from £2.29.

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Something for the Weekend: Oculus Store Price Drops Galore

The new year is here finally, and we’re kicking off 2018 by highlighting a bunch of deals and price drops you can find on the Oculus Store, just in case you got a fancy new Oculus Rift or Gear VR head-mounted display this Christmas.

We’ve got a bunch of titles here for you to peruse, from strategy titles, racing videogames, minigame collections and much more. Great for your new HMD, or to just add another videogame to your library to show off and play with friends.

Project CARS

The only way to make a modern, realistic driving simulator even more immersive is playing it in virtual reality (VR), and that’s exactly what Project CARS is for. The graphics, dynamic time of day and weather, and a host of different tuning mechanics for car nerds is sure to satisfy driving fans.

Project CARS – Game of the Year Edition is now £10.99 (GBP) on the Oculus Store, down from £39.99.

Nature Treks VR

Ever fancied being a God? Well, we don’t exactly have a VR deity simulator here, but Nature Treks VR comes pretty close in the moments where you can command the weather and set the sun. Nature Treks VR has even more content and environments since the latest update, making it a better deal than ever.

Nature Treks VR is only £4.49 (GBP), down from £7.99.

Loco Dojo

LocoDojo Screenshot 1_Guru

In Loco Dojo, you’ll go up against a variety of bizarre challenges against your friends, such as hooking pigs, shooting targets, knocking out teeth and more. It makes great use of the Oculus Touch controllers, and is a great way to introduce people to VR.

Loco Dojo is down to £7.99 (GBP) from £14.99.

Tethered

Tethered - Screenshot18

In this title from Secret Sorcery, The Peeps have given up hope, and as the Spirit Guardian, it’s up to you to restore life and balance to the world. The Peeps will fight for you, build for you, and lay down their lives on your orders. There are thirteen islands waiting for your help in this VR strategy, and there’s never been a better time to try it.

Tethered is down to £8.79 from £18.99.

Just In Time Incorporated

Just In Time Incorporated screenshot 3

Have you ever wanted to die? No? Well then you need Death Prevention Insurance, and that’s exactly what Just In Time Incorporated provides. You’ll be slowing down time, saving people jumping from buildings, protect them from explosions, or even take a chainsaw to them once you get sick of their attitude. Lovely.

Just In Time Incorporated is now £7.25 (GBP), down from £10.99.

Detached

Detached Race Mode

It’s a race against time. Your oxygen supply is low, your crew is missing, and for some reason every airlock requires solving a puzzle to open. Maddening. But such is the design of the spacecrafts of the future, and in Detached it’s up to you navigate in zero gravity and save your crew.

Detached is now £10.99 (GBP), previously £18.99.

Hidden Temple VR Adventure

hiddentemple3

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like Indiana Jones, but wanted to gracefully skirt around copyright issues, then Hidden Temple VR Adventure might be the perfect experience for you. Essentially a point-and-click for Gear VR, you’ll explore an ancient temple, solve puzzles, collect treasure and – hopefully – survive.

Hidden Temple VR Adventure is now £1.99 (GBP), previously £3.99.

Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe

Travelling through space and billions of miles per hour, your vessel is sucked into a wormhole, and you awaken on an alien desert planet. A bit like Jakku, really. There’s nothing around but desert, and one large building. A casino. Where everyone plays air hockey. Yes. And you’ll play air hockey. This is basically an air hockey videogame, is what I’m trying to get at.

Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe is now only £2.29 (GBP), down from £7.99.

Augmented Empire

Augmented_Empire_Screenshot_3

In Augmented Empire you’ll take control of six wacky characters and guide them through an “augmented reality” world. Climb the Citizen Grade System, and become much more than just a low-tier thug.

Augmented Empire is now £3.99 (GBP), down from £7.99.

In Car Racing VR

Oh yes, perhaps even better than Project CARS, here In Car Racing VR puts you in a car. And you race it. In VR. How can thing get better, you ask? Well, there’s easy controls, multiple sceneries, and multiple camera modes, of course. You can even set what kind of traffic you like. Amazing.

In Car Racing VR is only £0.79 (GBP), down from £2.29.

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The Best Gear VR Games of 2017

We’re at the end of the second (calendar) year where virtual reality (VR) head mounted displays (HMDs) have been commercially available. And whilst the majority of talk when discussing both the past, specifically that of 2017 as a whole, and of the future for VR going into 2018 has been about the PC based HMDs like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift and console VR in the form of the PlayStation VR that doesn’t mean smartphone-based HMDs don’t still have a place in the conversation.

Whilst the Samsung Gear VR is the elder stateman of commercial VR, and arguably of this generation as a whole it isn’t done yet. And whilst some would have you believe that it is purely of use for 360 degree video those with a Gear VR controller would likely in turn ask them what on Earth they were talking about.

For this year in review we’re going to be taking a look back at some of the best videogame titles VRFocus has come across during 2017 for Samsung’s headset. Who knows, you may see something that you want to get to experience on your own Gear VR. Please note the below are in no particular order of importance or recommendation, but do feel free to check them out.

Augmented Empire

It would have been quite impossible to do this list and not include the title from Coatsink Software, best known in VR circles for their work on Esper and Esper 2. Featuring a top notch voice acting cast and a tight script, Augmented Empire is a strategy role-playing game (RPG) that takes you, effectively, into a VR diorama from which the story of the
island of New Savannah and the dramas caused by a society split through a rigid class system plays out.

Augmented_Empire_Screenshot_3

SBK VR

If you are a racer at heart then it might not be four wheels you should be considering on the Gear VR but two. The 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship came to VR in the form of SBK VR, complete with official licences for all the bikes riders and circuits. So, if you’re a Kawasaki fan, you’re sorted. Ducati? No problem. Honda? Yamaha? All there. The game comprises three modes: Quick Race and Time Trial, both of which are self-explanatory, with the third being Championship mode. Races here even containing qualifying sessions – although they are skippable.  Almost surprisingly good in its immersion this is one racer well worth checking out.

SBK VR header

Spark of Light

Let there be light – Spark of Light, that is. A wave shooter from Dutch developer Pillow’s Willow VR Studio, Spark of Light is also available on a number of other HMDs, and recently featured in the reveal of the Vive Focus. On Gear VR though it remains a gem, with our only real criticism being that we’d have liked a lot more of it. A casual puzzler, in Spark of Light you take on the roles Nerow, a boy who lives with his sister in a magical land. Things are perfectly fine until the sun is stolen by the Moth King. It’s up to Nerow to use light to not only solve puzzles but bring it back to his world as a whole.

Spark Of Light 05

Skylight

When you’ve got a Gear VR title from the developer of Darknet and Tactera, E McNeill, you have an expectation that it will be something special – and VRFocus was very pleased to find that Skylight (which we gave a full five stars to in our review) lives up to the expectation. A turn-based strategy videogame, in Skylight you’ve got to control an armada of spaceships through a series of increasingly challenging levels. How you lay out your armada is up to you, capital ships, frigates, fighters, each have their own strategic strengths and weaknesses. Can you balance them all and lead your fleet to victory? With thirty missions in the  single player mode and multiplayer too you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied.

Skylight - SS6

Term1nal

From one sci-fi title to another now but leaping from the strategy genre to stealth in the form of cybercrime videogame Term1nal. From Force Field VR, the makers of Oculus Rift title Landfall, Term1nal follows the story of Flynn Lightman. A hacker specialising in remotely controlling androids from the safety of his secret hide-out. Hired to infiltrate STRIDE Industries, a data security and advanced robotics company, Lightman takes control of one of STRIDE’s prototype android’s and delves into the depths of the facility alongside an over enthusiastic robot dog. Part third-person stealth title, part puzzle videogame, Term1nal‘s story blurs the line between organic and synthetic.

Term1nal - Screenshot3

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Coatsink Introduces You to the Voices Behind ‘Augmented Empire’ in New Mini-Documentary

Augmented Empire (2017), Coatsink’s cyberpunk RPG, launched earlier this summer exclusively on Samsung Gear VR. Now the studio, which is also known for the Esper puzzle game series, has released a mini-documentary featuring its cast of high-caliber voice actors, including Kate Mulgrew, Nick Frost, and Doug Cockle.

While the mobile VR platform has its graphical limitations, oftentimes its things like storytelling and voice acting that set a game apart from the pack, and Augmented Empire has it in spades. Coatsink’s mini-documentary takes you into the studio to see the actors hard at work, and even hear a bit about their experiences playing their roles.

Featuring Kate Mulgrew as ‘Jules’ (Voyager, Orange is the New Black), Nick Frost as ‘Chris’ (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), and Doug Cockle as ‘Mund’ (The Witcher: Wild Hunt, Horizon: Zero Dawn), Augmented Empire throws you head-first into New Savannah, a city starkly divided by class.

As the player, you control your team from the armchair of your secluded hideout, all in effort to overthrow the corrupt elite. Controlling several characters through the game’s ‘augmented reality’ interface, you follow the story of the world of top-tier citizen, Willa Thorne, on her journey to lead a team of misfits and criminals to survive the world’s brutal underbelly and callous ruling class.

We haven’t had a chance to review Augmented Empire, but our friends over at UploadVR gave it a solid [8/10], saying the game is “a rare treat for a mobile VR game in that it offers a ton of content, a compelling narrative, and cleverly designed encounters that really challenge you while maintaining a fun and well-designed gameplay loop.”

Augmented Empire is out now on Samsung Gear VR on for $9.99, £7.99 and €9.99.

The post Coatsink Introduces You to the Voices Behind ‘Augmented Empire’ in New Mini-Documentary appeared first on Road to VR.

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Coatsink Goes Behind The Scenes With Augmented Empire Voice Actors

Coatsink Software’s Augmented Empire is one of the videogaming jewels in the Samsung Gear VR crown, a cyberpunk RPG full of character and creativity. VRFocus itself described Augmented Empire, whilst awarding it a full 5-star review as “a refreshing change from all the first-person shooters (FPS) on Gear VR, offering gunplay, tactics, upgrade options, and a wonderful visual style” even lamenting that it was a shame the title was just for the Gear VR, as the world it creates is so rich and interesting.

One of the things highlighted by the studio itself during development and by users and journalists since release has been the quality of the voice acting and the actors themselves who were signed to the videogame.  Even with the title now out several months it is a topic that Coatsink keeps finding itself coming back to.

Augmented Empire screenshot4“The whole team’s extremely proud of what we achieved with Augmented Empire.” Explains Coatsink’s Narrative Designer, Jon Davies. “And thrilled with the passion and talent of the actors involved.

As such they have today released a special behind the scenes documentary which sits down with actors Doug Cockle who plays the character Mund, Kate Mulgrew (as Jules) and Nick Frost (as Chris) as they discuss both their roles within Augmented Empire and playing the characters themselves. You can see the video below.

Augmented Empire takes place in the divided city of New Savannah and focuses on Willa Thorne who is set to finally rise to the pinnacle of a tiered society only for things to go disastrously awry. Now at the bottom of the ladder she finds herself “a poster-child of civil disobedience” and must look to those now at her level in order to get revenge on the corrupt members of the elite who rule over all.

Coatsink are also responsible for the Samsung Gear VR exclusive title A Night Sky, which announced earlier this year monthly content packs for the foreseeable future. As well as critically acclaimed puzzle videogames Esper and Esper 2. As Coatsink continue to adventure into the world of virtual reality, VRFocus will in turn continue to bring you news on what they are up to. Be sure to follow us for the latest.

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Augmented Empire Review: Turn-Based Tactics Meet Deep Storytelling

Augmented Empire Review: Turn-Based Tactics Meet Deep Storytelling

When a VR game goes the additional steps to make everything not only feel and play great inside of a headset, but also have lore-appropriate explanations for quirky gamified caveats like a third-person top-down camera angles, I really appreciate it more. In the case of other similar titles like Dragon Front it made sense to have floating masks in the sky given the fantastical setting, but Landfall never really did a very good job of making sense of why you’re a floating face above your army. Augmented Empire from Coatsink (Esper 1 and 2 and A Night Sky) might be one of the best explanations for a top-down view VR game I’ve seen yet.

From the comfort of your futuristic cyberpunk hideout your table actually converts into a digital recreation of the field that your agents are in during missions. If they’re exploring an old manor, that’s what you see on the table. Sort of like you’re peering down inside the building at action figures, or into a dollhouse, except you’re looking at actual assassins and cybernetic agents that do your bidding. This not only helped make me feel like a tactical mastermind that was actually connected to the world in a believable way, but it also helped the core game itself — a turn-based tactical strategy game in the same vein of XCOM, The Banner Saga, Fire Emblem — be more fun to play.

As you can tell from the trailer above, the hand-drawn aesthetic of the art and animated scenes is wonderful and makes me wish for a full animated series of some kind. The story is quite involved and features incredibly high-quality voice acting across the board with over 10 hours of gameplay throughout 26 missions. There are six different characters you get to control and 60 different environments to explore.

Augmented Empire takes place in the year 2058 in a divided city split into a strict class system which contributes to rampant crime in the lower districts. The story is full of intrigue and neo-noir style espionage with plenty of interesting characters to keep you going. It’s honestly one of the most involved and fleshed out tales we’ve seen in a mobile VR title to date. At first glance the combat could lead you to believe it will be another shallow rinse and repeat mobile VR title, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

You can play using either the Gear VR touchpad, a bluetooth gamepad, or the Gear VR controller. Since you can’t point and select units using the Gear VR controller like you would a pointing device, I usually played with either the headset’s own touchpad or a gamepad.

For a studio that has made its name in the VR scene through short, experimental experiences, puzzle games, and silly brawlers, Augmented Empire came as a bit of a surprise. There is enough thoughtful commentary on class systems, poverty, and the “elite” society here to fill more than a fair share of TV show episodes or book pages. The writing is quite good, the voice acting is solid, and the narrative is delivered very well. Fans of Fire Emblem and Banner Saga that are craving a more sci-fi leaning experience will find a lot to love here.

However, there really is a lot of that story shoved at you. If you’re looking for something that’s a more pick-up-and-play style adventure with short fights that you can drop in and out of then this probably isn’t going to be a game for you.

If you’ve ever played a tactical turn-based strategy game before then the gameplay itself won’t have a whole lot of surprises. Every map is tile-based, so you move units from square to square and hide units behind objects in the environment for cover. Over time you upgrade your individual characters to get new, better abilities and powers that are all unique to each character. Since everyone you control is a named character in the game there aren’t any throw away party members.

One insanely addictive piece of the gameplay is the way attacking and reacting works. With each shot you take there is a timed bar that appears, similar to the bar used when reloading your gun in Gears of War. You click to shoot then the bar fills up and you have to time it just right. Land in the range and you can get a hit, land in the sweet spot and you get a critical hit, but land outside the range and you miss entirely. On a similar note when someone is shooting at you then you can negate damage or dodge it entirely if your timing is just right.

Final Score: 8/10 – Great

Augmented Empire is a rare treat for a mobile VR game in that it offers a ton of content, a compelling narrative, and cleverly designed encounters that really challenge you while maintaining a fun and well-designed gameplay loop. The story can drag down the action every now and then with some minor pacing issues and gameplay is a bit uninspired, but overall this is one of the best tactical games we’ve played in VR to date — mobile or otherwise.

Augmented Empire is available now for Samsung Gear VR on Oculus Home at a price of $9.99. Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.

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Review: Augmented Empire

With literally millions of users across the world, the Samsung Gear VR is by far the most popular head-mounted display (HMD) out there – not including cheap and cheerful Google Cardboard – and one of the platform’s most ardent supporters has been British indie developer Coatsink Software. You might not have heard of the company but if you own the headset it’s more than likely you’ll have come across one of it’s videogames, Esper, Esper 2 or A Night Sky. Adding to this roster is Augmented Empire, a strategy role-playing game (RPG) that continues Coatsink’s quality record on Gear VR.

Augmented Empire’s story revolves around an island called New Savannah, an isolated neo-noir metropolis whose society has been divided into three tiers by the ‘Citizen Grade System’, with citizens deemed of high value to society living an opulent lifestyle at the soaring heights of the city, while those seen as less savoury have to live their lives in the squalid depth’s. For the most part you play a girl called Willa, who had worked her way to these upper echelons of society, only to find it all come crashing down in an instant.

Augmented Empire Screenshot 1 exclusive

Featuring an overhead viewpoint and grid-based movement mechanic, Augmented Empire’s gameplay will feel very familiar to anyone who’s played XCOM or its sequel. The layout Coatsink has gone for is tabletop in design, meant to represent a holographic display. As such, apart from the main hub which is an office – you actually play a non-speaking robot in a detective agency – from where you select which level to play and the various upgrade options, the actual gameplay levels only take up one area in front of you, so there’s no need to look around as the rest of the space is redundant.

This means your always looking down at the same area – a bit of a shame for immersive VR – which can lead to some neck strain after longer play sessions. On the flip side it means you can comfortably play Augmented Empire whilst relaxing on the sofa (which is no bad thing).

And long play sessions you certainly will have, as the title is entirely engrossing. Whether using the touchpad or a Bluetooth controller (recommended), the mechanics of Augmented Empire are really easy and fluid to use. Characters have an allotted amount of action uses – two on average – which you can use to move, shoot or both depending on their particular traits. There’s also a wealth of other options to be unlocked, with grenades, healing, taunting, headshot and more. As you delve deeper into the videogame you’ll unlock a bunch of characters, turning it into a team management experience. So as you upgrade them, choosing the right person for the job becomes an important factor – although certain levels do have fixed selections to compliment the storyline.

Augmented Empire screenshot5

And while Augmented Empire is great fun to play, Coatsink has ensured it’s not a hollow experience, with a rich story and voice acting. In its quintessentially British style, the studio brought in the voice talents of Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black, Star Trek Voyager); Doug Cockle (The Witcher Series); Garrick Hagon (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Horizon: Zero Dawn) and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul), helping take the mood from dramatic to quirky humour.

The title takes a different direction to Coatsink’s other projects for Samsung Gear VR and that’s no bad thing. Augmented Empire is a refreshing change from all the first-person shooters (FPS) on Gear VR, offering gunplay, tactics, upgrade options, and a wonderful visual style. In fact it’s a shame the videogame is just for Gear VR, because at points you’ll really want to lean in and explore the world – which you can’t – so here’s hoping for a high-end headset version.

100%

Awesome

  • Verdict
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Hands-on: ‘Augmented Empire’ is an Engaging, Story-Driven Tactical RPG for Gear VR

At this year’s E3, we got a chance to go hands-on with Augmented Empire, a narrative-driven tactical RPG coming exclusively to Gear VR on July 13th. Created by Coatsink, the studio known for the Esper series and Gang Beasts (2016), the action plays out on a tiled game board displayed as an augmented reality diorama.

Looking at the little dollhouse-sized diorama set before me on top of a virtual desk in my virtual hideout, it’s amazing just how much detail Coatsink was able to pack into a Gear VR title. While I’m willing to admit that miniature objects always look better in VR because of the perceived bump in detail, I just can’t help but admire the game not only from a technical aspect, but from a level design one too. Telling from the 30-minute demo I had, I can say I’ve certainly seen less-appealing visuals on more graphically-capable headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Simply put, the game doesn’t bite off more than it can chew technically and fills in the gaps with what I’d consider to be an engaging story—something that’s currently pretty rare on mobile VR platforms.

image courtesy Coatsink Software

Oozing with a neo-noir atmosphere, you’re tasked with controlling 6 misfits across the world’s three castes, a social system simply called the “Citizen Grade System.” And it’s not an upstairs-downstairs comedy either; high society types live in luxury at the summit in complete ignorance of the world below, and the world’s outliers and criminals live in Detritum, a cockroach-filled ghetto at the island’s depths.

Using gaze-based controls and the Gear VR’s touchpad, I maneuvered a little 3-inch avatar through an interesting story about a mother tracking down her long-abandoned high-caste daughter. Turn-based actions let me sneak past guards, shoot them, and hide from their direct line of sight as they tried to stop me with bullets. Each room was filled with items I needed to go forward, including scrap metal that you can forge into customizable parts for weapons.

image courtesy Coatsink Software

At the end of the demo, I was then given my god’s-eye-view control over the daughter, who making her way through the criminal underworld reveals just how depraved society can be. I would put dialogue somewhere between ‘PG-13’ and ‘R’.

I was told by CEO Tom Beardsmore that each ‘episode’ would last around 20-30 minutes, and the entire multi-episode game would be comprised by hundreds of hours of voice overs from established actors such as Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black, Star Trek Voyager), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Doug Cockle (The Witcher Series), and Garrick Hagon (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Horizon: Zero Dawn).

In fact, there is so much dialogue, users will have to download the game in discrete batches, otherwise risk taking up too much space on their smartphones.

image courtesy Coatsink Software

“With a strong focus on story and deep but accessible gameplay, we wanted to give Gear VR gamers an extraordinary experience. We’re thrilled with the calibre of talent involved in Augmented Empire” said Beardsmore.

After a hectic day at E3 of walking, writing and interviewing, sitting down with Augmented Empire was an exceedingly relaxing experience as I dialed into the drama and action before me, albeit pint-sized. I was promised that my decisions, chosen via the game’s dialogue tree system, would allow for multiple endings and hours of gameplay. I’ll be looking forward to checking out Augmented Empire in my review when it launches next week, and hope the tactical ‘cover-and-shoot’ system can hold my attention even if Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Ed from Shaun of the Dead (2004) are personally charming additions.

The post Hands-on: ‘Augmented Empire’ is an Engaging, Story-Driven Tactical RPG for Gear VR appeared first on Road to VR.

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Oculus Studios: Augmented Empire erscheint im Juli für Gear VR

Wir konnten Augmented Empire von den Oculus Studios bereits antesten, nun gibt es auch ein offizielles Veröffentlichungsdatum. Der VR-Titel erscheint am 13. Juli 2017 exklusiv für die Gear VR. Die Ansprüche daran sind hoch, denn die Entwickler nennen es eines der aufstrebendsten storybasiertesten VR-Spiele, die derzeit vorhanden sind. Das Spiel wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit Coatsink, einem in den vereinigten Königreichen angesetzten Spieleentwickler, erstellt und soll neue Maßstäbe im Bereich immersives VR-Gaming setzen.

Augmented Empire: Düstere Atmosphäre und eingängliche Steuerung

Augmented Empire vereint taktische Point-and-Click-Mechaniken mit RPG-Elementen in einer spannenden Geschichte mit zahlreichen interessanten Charakteren. Die Spielwelt befindet sich auf der Insel New Savannah. Diese ist von der restlichen Welt abgeschnitten und teilt die Bewohner in drei unterschiedliche Gesellschaftsschichten in drei Bereiche auf. Entsprechend müssen sich die Bürger der Insel mit ihrem zugeteilten Schicksal abfinden. So dürfen die sozial wertvoll eingestuften Einwohner ein luxuriöses Leben führen, während der Rest gezwungen ist mit Dieben und anderen Kriminellen in den Abgründen der Insel, zu wohnen.

Der Spieler steigt innerhalb dieser untersten Gesellschaftsschicht in das Spiel ein und übernimmt die Kontrolle über ein Team von insgesamt sechs Kriminellen. Diese werden durch Point-and-Click-Befehle gesteuert und durch die Welt delegiert. Dabei gilt es neue Fähigkeiten zu erlernen, die Basis auszubauen und neue Aufträge zu erhalten.

Für die Steuerung bietet sich der neue Samsung Gear VR Controller an, um die unterschiedlichen Befehle innerhalb des Spiels ausführen zu können. Die düstere Atmosphäre unterstützt dabei die interessante Geschichte, die das Spiel während des Spielablaufs erzählt. Dafür holte Oculus ein Team von erfahrenen Schauspielern an Board. Dazu zählen u. a. Persönlichkeiten wie Doug Cockle (bekannt als Voice-Over in der Witcher-Serie) oder Garrick Hagon, der in Star Wars: Episode IV – eine neue Hoffnung mitspielte.

Der CEO von Coatsink Tom Bardsmore sagte zur Entwicklung des Spiels Folgendes: “Wir wollten den Gear VR-Spielern durch eine starke und tiefgehende Geschichte kombiniert mit eingängigem Gameplay eine außerordentliche Erfahrung bieten. Wir freuen uns sehr über die Zusammenarbeit dieser Vielzahl an Talenten, die in Augmented Empire involviert sind.“

Augmented Empire erscheint am 13. Juli 2017 exklusiv für die Samsung Gear VR mit dazugehörigen Controllern.

(Quellen: VRScout | Coatsink | Video: Coatsink Youtube)

Der Beitrag Oculus Studios: Augmented Empire erscheint im Juli für Gear VR zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Oculus Studios: Augmented Empire erscheint im Juli für Gear VR

Wir konnten Augmented Empire von den Oculus Studios bereits antesten, nun gibt es auch ein offizielles Veröffentlichungsdatum. Der VR-Titel erscheint am 13. Juli 2017 exklusiv für die Gear VR. Die Ansprüche daran sind hoch, denn die Entwickler nennen es eines der aufstrebendsten storybasiertesten VR-Spiele, die derzeit vorhanden sind. Das Spiel wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit Coatsink, einem in den vereinigten Königreichen angesetzten Spieleentwickler, erstellt und soll neue Maßstäbe im Bereich immersives VR-Gaming setzen.

Augmented Empire: Düstere Atmosphäre und eingängliche Steuerung

Augmented Empire vereint taktische Point-and-Click-Mechaniken mit RPG-Elementen in einer spannenden Geschichte mit zahlreichen interessanten Charakteren. Die Spielwelt befindet sich auf der Insel New Savannah. Diese ist von der restlichen Welt abgeschnitten und teilt die Bewohner in drei unterschiedliche Gesellschaftsschichten in drei Bereiche auf. Entsprechend müssen sich die Bürger der Insel mit ihrem zugeteilten Schicksal abfinden. So dürfen die sozial wertvoll eingestuften Einwohner ein luxuriöses Leben führen, während der Rest gezwungen ist mit Dieben und anderen Kriminellen in den Abgründen der Insel, zu wohnen.

Der Spieler steigt innerhalb dieser untersten Gesellschaftsschicht in das Spiel ein und übernimmt die Kontrolle über ein Team von insgesamt sechs Kriminellen. Diese werden durch Point-and-Click-Befehle gesteuert und durch die Welt delegiert. Dabei gilt es neue Fähigkeiten zu erlernen, die Basis auszubauen und neue Aufträge zu erhalten.

Für die Steuerung bietet sich der neue Samsung Gear VR Controller an, um die unterschiedlichen Befehle innerhalb des Spiels ausführen zu können. Die düstere Atmosphäre unterstützt dabei die interessante Geschichte, die das Spiel während des Spielablaufs erzählt. Dafür holte Oculus ein Team von erfahrenen Schauspielern an Board. Dazu zählen u. a. Persönlichkeiten wie Doug Cockle (bekannt als Voice-Over in der Witcher-Serie) oder Garrick Hagon, der in Star Wars: Episode IV – eine neue Hoffnung mitspielte.

Der CEO von Coatsink Tom Bardsmore sagte zur Entwicklung des Spiels Folgendes: „Wir wollten den Gear VR-Spielern durch eine starke und tiefgehende Geschichte kombiniert mit eingängigem Gameplay eine außerordentliche Erfahrung bieten. Wir freuen uns sehr über die Zusammenarbeit dieser Vielzahl an Talenten, die in Augmented Empire involviert sind.„

Augmented Empire erscheint am 13. Juli 2017 exklusiv für die Samsung Gear VR mit dazugehörigen Controllern.

(Quellen: VRScout | Coatsink | Video: Coatsink Youtube)

Der Beitrag Oculus Studios: Augmented Empire erscheint im Juli für Gear VR zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!