Category: Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 So Far

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The Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 so far – Cosmic Trip & Syren

So Owlchemy Labs’ Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality making this roundup isn’t that surprising but it’s not all big name titles that VRFocus has chosen to include. The next two on the list are aimed at different ends of the virtual reality (VR) spectrum. Indie developer Funktronic Labs released Cosmic Trip a colourful real-time strategy (RTS) title, while Hammerhead VR’s Syren is a far more intense horror experience that has been split into two episodes.

Cosmic Trip

Cosmic Trip got its full release in May after spending time in Steam Early Access. Designed purely to make the best use of VR, the videogame is an intergalactic adventure where you’ll find yourself stranded on a hostile alien world. To survive you must mine resources and build up an contingent of robots to defend yourself as well as venturing out across the planet.

As with any RTS you’re given a few basic options to begin building with. With a simple to pickup gameplay mechanic and menu options, Cosmic Trip doesn’t over burden you with a dizzying selection of choices, rather a finely tuned selection of base units and robots to build.

But its not just about managing a robot force and resources, you can also get stuck into the action. Gun emplacements can be built that have to be manually manned, while you’re also armed with a shield and a couple of interesting weapons, a bubble gun that traps enemies and a disc that can be charged up to kill them.

If you want to know more checkout VRFocus’ review where Cosmic Trip earned five stars, in which we said: “Cosmic Trip is one of those rare little VR treats you come across that suits VR players no matter their skill level. It’s a solidly put together single-player experience that will challenge you to almost controller throwing levels of frustration, but you’ll want to dive back in just to have ‘one more go’.”

Cosmic-Trip-Screenshot-4

Syren

For those that like their VR experiences a lot more atmospheric and spine tingling then there’s Hammerhead VR’s underwater horror Syren. The videogame launched back in February as a stealthy survival experience that places you in an underwater laboratory where some very nasty experiments have gotten lose and run amok.

For the most part these ‘Syrens’ can’t be attacked directly, if they hear or see you they’ll immediately charge and kill you, which you won’t be able to stop. So if you try and charge through levels you’ll find yourself restarting from the last checkpoint until you get it right. It’s one of the reasons VRFocus gave the title four stars in our review.

So why has Syren been included? Well, Hammerhead VR released Episode 2 in May which completely turns the first episodes gameplay on its head going for a far more action orientated experience. It takes place in the same lab but this time you work backwards through the levels, but this time you have guns, lots of them. You’ll need to explore to find weapons, ammo and cash, which can then be spent on more powerful armaments.

It’s because of this – and the fact that the episode 2 DLC is free – that Syren is definitely worth your time.

Syren Episode 2


Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 So Far

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The Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 so far – Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality

So while there are plenty of videogames available on Steam for VRFocus’ to chose from the titles selected are pure fully released experiences, rather than Early Access ones which are technically still in development. And the first one on the list comes from well known developer Owlchemy Labs, combining its knowledge of immersive, fun and wacky gameplay with Adult Swim’s popular cartoon IP Rick and Morty. 

From its first reveal all the way up to launch this was something virtual reality (VR) gamers and Rick and Morty fans alike were keen to get their hands on. The prospect of diving into their weird and wonderful world seemed like a great mix for VR and it certainly proved as much. Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality offers a compact introduction to the duo’s universe, with the majority of the videogame based inside Rick’s garage. From here you have three sections to explore, each one offering further possibilities with new areas to find.

As the title was built by Owlchemy Labs it very much has that feel of the studio’s first, Job Simulator, which was all about picking up stuff, learning how different objects interacted and getting used to being in a VR world. With Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality all of this was then dialed up to eleven.

While Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality doesn’t specifically force you to go down a set path there is a story mode that’ll help you unlock items, areas and just help you figure out what does what. You’ll head into outer space to fix a satellite, find yourself on an alien world for a shooting challenge or wander to Morty’s bathroom to well…you know…find items.

VRFocus reviewed Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality giving it the coveted five stars saying: “This is a videogame for those that love Rick and Morty, and quite frankly that’s no bad thing. Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is a madcap, fun filled adventure from start to finish, perfectly suiting VR’s qualities, it should not be missed.”

If you’re into heavy role-playing games (RPGs), where you go on massive adventures, do up your stats, kill loads of enemies with guns and swords and generally live a whole other life, then this might not be for you. For everyone else who might want a quirky videogame that’ll make them smile then you can’t go too far wrong with this.


Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 So Far

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The Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 so far – FORM & Battlezone

So what has VRFocus got in store for its last two videogames that all HTC Vive owners should have in their libraries? One is a fantastical puzzle experience that’s a visual and audible treat, while the other is one of the best action titles available, they are FORM and Battlezone.

FORM

Puzzle titles are ten a plenty on HTC Vive, ranging from the cute and cuddly to the weird and wonderful. Charm Games’ FORM definitely falls into the latter category, mixing up sci-fi elements with surreal visuals.

Set on a remote Alaskan research facility, you play the role of Dr. Devin Eli, a physicist with superhuman powers of geometric visualization, taking a journey to uncover the secrets behind a recently discovered ancient artifact, The Obelisk. As you explore the strange environments built from Dr. Eli’s memories, dreams and fears you’ll have to assemble puzzle pieces, unlock doors and open rifts to alternative realities.

FORM is one of those videogames that seems short – it’s not a massive RPG by any means – but that’s mainly due to its engrossing nature. It’s completely linear, with one puzzle unlocking the next, but it looks and sounds that gorgeous that you probably won’t care.

Just like Syren it didn’t receive VRFocus‘ top marks in our review, sometimes however that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t try it out, and that definitely goes for FORM.

FORM-VR-Screenshot-02

Battlezone

Lastly VRFocus had to include Rebellion’s tank-based battler Battlezone. It featured on the Oculus Rift best of feature and quite frankly had to appear on here. It’s the only one on the list that’s a dedicated seated experience, requiring a gamepad to play rather than the HTC Vive’s bundled motion controllers but that’s no bad thing.

VRFocus has covered Battlezone quite extensively since it first launched on PlayStation VR last year. If somehow you’ve managed to miss all the coverage, the videogame is a homage to the original 1980 title by Atari where you take control of a heavily armoured tank. Featuring procedurally generated maps that can be made small, medium or large, you’ll have to fight through other tanks, mine layers, gun emplacements, UFO’s and more to succeed.

To aid your destructive onslaught there are a range of tanks to choose from – light, medium and heavy – all with the usual attributes you’d expect for each class. Along the way you’ll be able to collect credits that can be used to swap your weapon load outs, upgrade the tank or by extra lives should you need them.

To say VRFocus enjoyed Battlezone is an understatement. The review gave it five stars and said: “Battlezone is arcade VR action at its finest, with options galore allowing players to uniquely hone their combat strategies. With both extensive single-player and multiplayer modes there’s enough here for countless hours of gameplay, so you can comfortably sit cocooned inside these rolling machines of destruction and never get bored, because quite frankly, it’s too much fun.”

Battlezone image 1


Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 So Far

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The Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 so far

Last week VRFocus complied a list of the best videogames that have launched during 2017 for Oculus Rift, so it was only natural that its PC-based rival HTC Vive should get one as well. HTC’s head-mounted display (HMD) has fared better with consumers – unofficial figures are anything to go by – even though it’s been the more expensive of the two. Created through a partnership with HTC and Valve, the device has a massive collection of titles available on Steam – with a more concentrated selection on Viveport – although the quality of that content can vary wildly from premium experiences to dodgy tech demos. So with 2017 already half gone VRFocus brings you some of the best videogames released this year you can buy for HTC Vive.

Before getting into the videogames lets look at the technology that’s bringing consumers to a headset that retails for $799 USD, seeing very little in the way of price reductions apart from the odd $100 off of special days such as Black Friday or Vive Day, celebrating the HMDs first year.

The initial draw of HTC Vive was the fact that it was the only virtual reality (VR) headset at the time of launch to provide motion controls and full roomscale tracking right out of the box. This drew a significant amount of studios to the system, as they were able to imagine new immersive worlds in which players could walk around and pick stuff up. Early titles such as Owlchemy Labs’ Job Simulator, Northway Games and Radial Games’ Fantastic Contraption, and I-Illusions’ Space Pirate Trainer perfectly showcasing what immersive VR gaming was all about.

Whilst these videogames still hold up well after a year and a half, and should still be considered a worth while purchase for anyone new to the platform the VR industry is moving at a fast pace, with developers getting to grips with the technology and coming up with evermore inventive and exciting projects.

But the HTC Vive no longer has that immersive roomscale field all to itself. Oculus might not have been quick to catch up, but catch up it has, releasing the Oculus Touch controllers in December 2016, then launching a much needed update earlier this year to support 360-degree roomscale tracking – it can be done with two sensors but works better with three. And with Oculus’ aggressive push this summer with a big sale reduction that puts it at half the cost of HTC Vive that user gap might be closing a lot quicker.

On the outside at least HTC don’t seem to be too worried, sticking fast with the $799 price. That’s not to say its standing still, Valve’s working on the Knuckles controllers while HTC is collaborating with Google on a standalone headset that’s supposedly going to arrive later this year.

So what about the videogames? Well the titles that VRFocus has chosen are a mixture of HTC Vive only titles and multiplatform experiences you can find on Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. Even so that doesn’t mean they can’t be included here. You may disagree with some choices (whittling down five is never as easy task) so as always VRFocus encourages you add your own personal favourites in the comments below if it’s not listed here.


Best HTC Vive Games of 2017 So Far