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.

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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.

SUPERHOT Team Puts Together a ‘VR Essentials’ Bundle on Steam

When it comes to virtual reality (VR) videogames – depending on the headset you own – there are generally several titles that are considered ‘must haves’. Experiences that really showcase the power and immersive qualities of the technology, whilst being great introductions for first-time players. Of course, this is all subjective, but one title likely to appear on most lists is bullet dodging SUPERHOT VR. Well, the team behind the videogame have listed their VR essentials by creating a ‘Complete Your Collection’ bundle on Steam.

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What the SUPERHOT team have done is create a list of eight videogames you should own and dropped their prices by 15 percent on Steam, making for an attractive pickup if you’ve been thinking about any of the titles selected.

So which VR experiences have been selected. Naturally, SUPERHOT VR is on there – and so it should be – a first-person shooter that’s entirely in slow-mo, only when a player moves do things start to speed up. So this means lots a Matrix-style bullet dodging as they shoot enemies, or grab an ashtray or bottle to fling in their faces.

Next up is Budget Cuts, a robotic stealth title by Neat Corporation. Keeping with the arcade action is Sairento VR which mixes ninja style swordplay and acrobatics with a first-person shooter (FPS). If that all sounds a bit intense then there’s always old-school favourite Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs which players never seem to tire of.

For those FPS fans out there what’s a must-have list without a zombie title somewhere in the mix. For the SUPERHOT team, it has to be Vertigo Games’ Arizona Sunshine which has a finely crafted campaign alongside a Horde mode which can be enjoyed in single or multiplayer.

Another classic in the list is Space Pirate Trainer from I-Illusions, a great entry level experience to tet those VR skills, yet difficult enough in the later stages for the pros.

The last two both have their own unique qualities, with GORN going for a brutal, brawler with rag-doll physics and copious amounts of gore. While Thumper is an insanely fast and frantic on-rails rhythm action title, where players control a beetle along a cosmic course, taking out mini-bosses along the way.

Check out the Steam bundle here. And for anymore VR deals keep reading VRFocus.

Budget Cuts: Arcade-Version mit neuen Leveln und Missionen angekündigt

Entwicklerstudio Neat Corporation kündigt weitere Spielinhalte für den VR-Stealth-Titel Budget Cuts für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive an. Mit der neuen Arcade-Version des Spiels sollen komplett neue Level sowie Missionen integriert werden, um einen einfachen Einstieg und kurze Spielrunden zu gewährleisten.

Budget Cuts – Kostenlose Arcade-Version für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive angekündigt

Seit dem Release von Budget Cuts arbeiten die verantwortlichen Devs in Hochtouren an Updates, um die Spielerfahrung zu optimieren. Der mittlerweile fünfte Patch sorgt für zahlreiche Fehlerbehebungen (hier findet ihr die Patch Notes), kommt jedoch zeitgleich mit einer spannenden Neuigkeit für Fans des VR-Titels:

Die Entwickler und Entwicklerinnen arbeiten an einer neuen Arcade-Version des Spiels. Diese soll im Gegensatz zu den ungefähr fünf-stündigen storybezogenen Leveln, auch einen schnellen Einstieg für zwischendurch ermöglichen.

Budget Cuts auf Steam

Insgesamt vier neue Level und Missionen sollen mit der kommenden Version erscheinen. Wer das Spiel bereits besitzt, erhält die neue Arcade-Version kostenlos. Außerdem soll das Spiel in Kürze in 12 verschiedenen Sprachausgaben erscheinen. Genaue Informationen zum Release der neuen Arcade-Version oder spezifische Inhalte sind derzeit leider noch nicht bekannt.

Solltet ihr Budget Cuts noch nicht kennen, dann werft doch einen Blick auf unser Review. Wir haben das VR-Stealth-Abenteuer bereits genauer für euch unter die Lupe genommen:

Budget Cuts ist für 27,99 Euro auf Steam für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive erhältlich.

(Quellen: Steam Blog | Road to VR | Video: VR Nerds YouTube)

Der Beitrag Budget Cuts: Arcade-Version mit neuen Leveln und Missionen angekündigt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Something For The Weekend: Rainy Oculus VR Deals

Sunday is here again meaning its time for another entry of Something for the Weekend, the weekly series where VRFocus bring you a number of deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. The rain does not seem to be stopping anytime soon so what better way to enjoy your weekend then to try a new Oculus Rift expereince. There are deals on some brilliant titles that will see players shooting aliens, playing golf, escape robots and even using a bow and arrow. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Seeking Dawn

Seeking Dawn

Seeking Dawn is the kind of title you have a love/hate relationship with. On the one hand when it works smoothly it’s a really fun and beautiful VR experience to play, with masses of content and hours and hours of gameplay. Unfortunately it’s not perfect, with plenty of repetition and glitches that need finessing. It might not be VR’s summer blockbuster but Seeking Dawn isn’t quite the dud either.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Seeking Dawn.

Seeking Dawn is available now for £22.99 (GBP) down from the usual £29.99.

Everyday Golf VR

Everyday Golf VR

Step onto the green and get ready for a realistic golf experience in VR. Practice your driving and putting skills on this stunning course as you take your time to land the hole-in-one and improve your game. Designed to be an accessible and comfortable experience for all, players are sure to have a grand time no matter the weather.

Everyday Golf VR is available now for only £15.99 (GBP) down from £22.99.

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Apex Construct

“Despite some minor gripes, its clear that Apex Construct represents the way forward for VR videogames, an absorbing, intriguing experience that draws you in with a rich world complete with its own history and mysteries to be unravelled as well as a fluid combat system. Apex Construct is the standard by which future VR titles will be judged, and an indicator that VR has stepped up its game.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty review of Apex Construct.

Apex Construct is available now for £10.99 (GBP) down from £22.99.

FatFoods Screenshot 01

Fat Foods

“Having become too large from all the snacks your only method of transport is rolling your fat self everywhere. In Fat Foods, the goal is to eat as much as possible. In multiplayer mode, two players utilize the Oculus and a PC monitor to go head-to-head. Armed with a frying pan and spatula, the second player takes on the role of a giant, they must keep the other player from reaching the finish line. In the Mall level, the second player becomes a huge monster, causing havoc to the environment.”

Fat Foods is available now for £2.99 (GBP) down from £3.99.

Sky Duel: Tournament

Sky Duel: Tournament

Welcome to the future and get ready to participate in the battle of cyborgs throwing combat disks at each other. In this deadly competition players will need to move around the platforms to take aim and strike their opponent. Watch your step though and don’t fall unless you want to lose fast.

Sky Duel: Tournament is available now for £3.99 (GBP) down from £7.99.

SACRALITH: The Archer`s Tale

SACRALITH: The Archer`s Tale

“The game brings you to a quest for the magic stone that grants power over Dragons. Dozens of fights with hordes of enemies will be thrown at you your loyal allies along the way. The game world consists of various different locations with special firing spots. Move swiftly along these spots, choose the right view and angle for attack, protect your companions and defeat the enemy.”

SACRALITH: The Archer`s Tale is available now for £12.99 (GBP) down from £14.99.

Wanted Killer VR

Wanted Killer VR

Get ready to fire a lot of guns and go up against a lot of enemies as you play as hero different characters with four different play styles. Unleash dual-pistol damage as Ricky, get up-close and personal with Teo, strike as the stealthy assassin Mia or cut loose with machine gun-toting Aya. Use tactics and creative strategies as you leap through thrilling VR combat.

Wanted Killer VR is available now for £6.99 (GBP) down from £7.99.

Along Together screenshot

Along Together

“Despite the input system, VRFocus would argue that Along Together is not a point-and-click videogame as Turbo Button suggest. It’s much closer to a platform-puzzle videogame in that the experience is less about objectives and item collection, more concerned with path-finding. This certainly isn’t a negative comment however, as Along Together is a welcome addition to the Google Daydream’s software catalogue regardless of how you choose to define it. With a pleasing, chunky and colourful art style and a fine assortment of puzzles, Along Together is an easy recommendation for Google Daydream owners.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of Along Together.

Along Together is available now for £7.99 (GBP) down from £14.99.

Budget Cuts

As an employee at the mega conglomerate TransCorp it is your job to stamp papers and file files. That is until TransCorp think it is best to cut your job to save money and soon you are fighting for your life against the robots that work within HR. Teleport around the building looking for an escape and make use of limited weapons to take down your foes. This might be the worst day at work yet.

Budget Cuts is available now for £19.99 (GBP) down from £22.99.

escaperoomvr stories

Escape Room VR: Stories

“There’s plenty to like in Escape Room VR: Stories, with lots to find and a reasonable amount of puzzles to solve in each level, and the visuals are some of the best you’ll see in any virtual reality (VR) titleThere are some rough edges however, and even with the multiple endings puzzle fans will still find this a short experience. Find Escape Room VR: Stories in a Steam sale and it’s certainly worth a consideration.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer peter Graham’s review of Escape Room VR: Stories.

Escape Room VR: Stories is on sale now for £8.99 (GBP) down from the usual £10.99.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

Something For The Weekend: Beat The Cold Winds With Deals On Oculus Titles

Time for another entry of Something for the Weekend, the weekly series where VRFocus bring you a number of deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. As the cold winds are blowing this weekend why not stay inside and experience a new VR adventure. With plenty of deals to be found on the Oculus store, below you’re find a number of titles that are sure to be of interest. This includes intense multiplayer action in the likes of Onward, a relaxing experience in Monzo VR and even a fantasy adventure in Lila’s Tale. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Onward screenshot 1

Onward

Engage in intense tactical multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) action in this immersive title. Coordinate and communicate with your team to complete objectives in online infantry combat. How you perform as a team along with your marksmanship skill to claim victory over the enemy team. Featuring a range of different maps set during day and night, complete with unique weather effects, players will feel the rush of being in combat. With only one life, every action counts.

Onward is available now for £10.99 (GBP) down from the usual £18.99 for the Oculus Rift.

Dead Ground Arena Screenshot 03

Dead Ground: Arena

Maybe you are looking to enter an arena full of horrible monsters and unleash massive amounts of damage from over twenty different types of weapons. If so, then Dead Ground: Arena is the one for you. With a number of different missions and challenges that will have your protecting VIP’s to surviving waves of enemies in small areas, this action packed title will keep your heart pumping as you feel the adrenaline rush.

Dead Ground : Arena is available now for only £7.14 (GBP) down from £10.99 for the Oculus Rift.

Budget Cuts

“Budget Cuts is a great title, with substantial story and meaty, challenging gameplay, and an entertaining style, but it does suffer from some significant performance problems that do detract from the experience. Budget Cuts could be elevated from good to utterly brilliant if it is given a little more time in the oven to bake in and correct the issues.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty preview of Budget Cuts.

Budget Cuts is available now for £19.99 (GBP) down from £22.99 for Oculus Rift.

Monzo VR-CoverArt

Monzo VR

Have you wanted to build model kits within VR? If so, then Monzo VR is the title for you. Featuring a range of highly detailed model kits to build including cars, World War 2 planes and even a Da Vinci Paddle Boat, players can enjoy the peaceful process of building model kits all within a relaxing and beautiful environment.

Monzo VR is available now for £3.49 (GBP) down from £10.99 for Oculus Rift.

Sairento VR new screenshot 3

Sairento VR

“In the end though it all comes down to how much time and enjoyment you’ll get out of Sairento VR and rest assured it’ll be plenty. If Mixed Realms hadn’t managed to nail down the movement system then Sairento VR could’ve been just another FPS with a myriad of options. Instead, Sairento VR is one of the best free flowing combat titles available for VR headsets, showcasing how far development of VR locomotion has come.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer review of Sairento VR.

Sairento VR is available now for £17.24 (GBP) down from £22.99 for Oculus Rift.

Lilas Tale VR screenshot

Lila’s Tale

When Lila’s brother suddenly entered a mysterious dungeon, all things went from fun to trouble. Afraid of the dark, Lila took a deep breath and entered the darkness filled dungeon. Now, players enter this fantastic and magical experience and help Lila find her lost brother by overcoming the darkness and the puzzles that await within.

Lila’s Tale is available now for £2.29 (GBP) down from £3.99 for Oculus Go and Gear VR.

Please, Don’t Touch Anything

“Theoretically, you can see everything Please, Don’t Touch Anything has to offer in less than an hour and, at present, there’s little reason to return beyond that. However, the puzzle challenges get increasingly convoluted once you’ve broken everything once and found clues to what should (or could) be coming next. It’s still unlikely to take you more than an evening to find all 30 of Please, Don’t Touch Anything’s endings, but it’s a journey that will remain with you due to it’s constantly evolving nature and it’s return to 0 upon every completion.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of Please, Don’t Touch Anything

Please, Don’t Touch Anything is available now for £5.09 (GBP) down from £10.99 on Oculus Rift. It is also available on Oculus Go and Gear VR for £3.49.

Worlds at War

Worlds At War

When the world is at war with aliens it is up to you to defend your carrier-group from a relentless attack. Control airplaces, helicopters and combat-boats as you unleash all your firepower to stop the onslaught. This action-packed horde-mode videogame will have you dealing with a lot of enemies at once so get ready for a challenging fight.

Worlds At War is available now for £7.99 (GBP) down from £12.99 for Oculus Rift.

Virtual Ninja VR Hero

Virtual Ninja VR

Pick up your Katana and Shuriken as you step into the shoes of a mighty ninja and must defeat the enemies that want to see you dead. Throw, slash and defeat the enemies to face each of the five bosses before taking them down and claiming victory. With online leaderboards your score will be up for everyone to see and beat. Want to be a master ninja? Then prepare to master the art of combat.

Virtual Ninja VR is on sale now for £4.49 (GBP) down from the usual £7.99 for Oculus Rift.

Red Matter

“All in all, Red Matter is a very high calibre VR experience, neatly weaving its story and puzzle elements together. It by no means perfect, following the line of other puzzles in VR that are seemingly unable to offer plenty of reasons to come back for more. So like a good meal take it slowly and savour the moment.” – VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Red Matter.

Red Matter is available now for £19.49 (GBP) down from £24.99 for Oculus Rift.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

Something For The Weekend: See In September With Oculus Sales

Time for another entry of Something for the Weekend, the weekly series where VRFocus bring you a number of deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. With the month of September here at last it is time to visit the Oculus store to find the latest deals on titles and experiences. Maybe you are looking to fight some robots or take on waves of enemies in the Wild West. There are so many discounts available on numerous titles across the store that there is sure to be something for everyone. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Budget Cuts

Budget Cuts is a great title, with substantial story and meaty, challenging gameplay, and an entertaining style, but it does suffer from some significant performance problems that do detract from the experience. Budget Cuts could be elevated from good to utterly brilliant if it is given a little more time in the oven to bake in and correct the issues.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty preview of Budget Cuts.

Budget Cuts is available now for £19.99 (GBP) down from the usual £22.99.

High Noon VR

High Noon VR

You are the new sheriff in town and it is up to you to keep the peace in this Wild West shooter. Immersive yourself in a true Western and feel the scorching sun, prairies and saloons as you fight through several colourful locations. Make use of revolvers, rifles and even dynamite to fight through the waves of enemies as you lead the fight against crime. As the challenge gets harder as time passes, make sure you are up to the task.

High Noon VR is available now for only £3.99 (GBP) down from £7.99.

Merry Snowballs screenshot

Merry Snowballs

Merry Snowballs to everyone! Relive your childhood snowball fights in this beautiful and action packed snowball game – this time with cool gadgets and powers you once wish you had! Play through challenging levels with a variety of Gadgets & Powerups like Ice gun, Triple Snowgun, Slow Motion, Blizzard, Lighting and more. Battle against the fierce neighborhood kids, blow Angry Gingerbread men to pieces and fight your way to the end where Bad Santa awaits in an Epic Battle.”

Merry Snowballs is available now for £3.49 (GBP) down from £4.49.

Shooty Fruity screenshot

Shooty Fruity

“Despite entertaining and satisfying basic gameplay, Shooty Fruity ultimately fails to rise above its roots as a wave shooter, with simplistic visual style, lack of story or multiplayer. It also aims to copy the supermarket setting a little too well, resulting in the annoying voice and muzak-style background music, which doesn’t help endear it to the audience. Shooty Fruity is a fun way to kill a couple of hours, but offers little else.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty review of Shooty Fruity.

Shooty Fruity is available now for £8.99 (GBP) down from £14.99.

Football Nation VR Tournament 2018 (Formally VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club)

“VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club remains one of the best sports experiences VR has to offer. More than that however, it’s also one of the best social VR experiences currently available, with the tension of competition and the misery of defeat likely to help make new friends (and potentially enemies) across the VR community. VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is a welcome foundation for sports simulations in VR, and with the FIFA franchise now surpassing 25 editions (not including the many spin-offs such as FIFA Street and FIFA World Cup), it’s a wonder to think exactly how much of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club will remain in VR football 25 years from now.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club.

Football Nation VR Tournament 2018 is available now for £4.49 (GBP) down from £10.99.

EVE: Valkyrie Screenshot

EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone

Take to the stars in intense first-person space dogfights as players go up against each other in a number of different gamemodes to fight for victory. With a number of different space craft available to pick from, each offering a unique play style, players will be able to find a ship that is right for them as they engage in fast paced combat. With plenty of unlocks and progression to enjoy and earn, players will find plenty of content to keep them busy in this VR title.

EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone is available now for £14.99 (GBP) down from £22.99.

Digital Domain's Monkey King

Digital Domain’s Monkey King

Experience a visually-captivating, cinematic storybook journey in VR as the story from 16th century Chinese mythology is brought to life. Players will be truly immersed within the title and join Sun Wukong on a journey to search for the ways of the warrior in this tale of tragedy, magic and conquest.

Digital Domain’s Monkey King is on sale now for £1.99 (GBP) down from £3.99.

Elevator... to the Moon!

Elevator… to the Moon!

“Play as a lunarnaut/repair-person, tasked with fulfilling the ridiculous demands of President of the World, Doug-Slater Roccmeier, to build his massively unstable elevator. You know, to the moon. It’s in the game title. Obey his increasingly goofy orders to the letter, disobey and cause hilarious havoc, or find your own sweet spot. Each way of playing has its own advantages and outcomes. It’s up to you, intrepid elevator person, to blaze your own altitudinal path…to the moon!”

Elevator… to the Moon! is available now for £2.99 (GBP) down from £5.99.

BOXVR screenshot

BOXVR

If you are looking to perform a workout in VR then BOXVR will be for you. Offering high intensity, boxing inspired workouts within a VR environment means users can enjoy a regular fitness schedule all while enjoying their own music. With a number of different of locations to train in plus an ever growing library of workouts specifically designed to destroy calories, users will truly feel the burn in this title.

BOXVR is on sale now for £10.99 (GBP) down from the usual £14.99.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR screenshot2

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is by no means one of the best VR experiences out there, but as a film tie-in it certainly sets the bar high. Because it’s so closely linked with its film brethren is the possible reason for the linearity, playing out as an interactive movie sequence. There also seems to be no additional extras involved, nothing to find or keep you coming back for more, so once completed – it shouldn’t take any longer than two hours to finish on normal – that’s your lot. If you’re a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise then Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is certainly worth checking out, everyone else may find it too constrained and short lived.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes VR.

Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes VR is available now for £7.99 (GBP) down from £10.99.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

Something For The Weekend: Sunny Oculus Store Discounts

Time for another entry in Something for the Weekend, the weekly series where VRFocus bring you a number of deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. It’s time to visit the Oculus store once more and see what deals their are on Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and Gear VR titles. Below you’ll find a number of hand picked discounts that offer a variety of experiences. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Robo-Recall-Keyart-&-Title

Robo Recall

Starting this week off is Robo Recall from Epic Games. This action-packed first-person shooter with visceral touch gameplay and an in-depth scoring system will put your skills to the test as you battle against endless waves of robots to earn the highest score. Teleport through the streets and rooftops in an awe-inspiring ballet of bullets. Shoot, punch, even grab and use your enemy as a weapon in this action-packed onslaught. If you want to test your reflexes and unleash an arsenal of weaponry, then this is the title for you.

Robo Recall is available now for £14.99 (GBP) down from the usual £22.99 for Oculus Rift.

Carly and the Reaperman

Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld

From Developer Odd Raven Studios comes a co-operative platforming adventure that is designed as a VR couch co-op experience. Master the platforming to avoid dangers, solve puzzles and build your way through the Underworld on an epic adventure. One player takes on the role of Carly on the computer screen in classic platforming gameplay with player two stepping into the shoes of the Reaperman and using VR to help build paths and solve puzzles. With over 40 levels and hours of gameplay players will find plenty to enjoy in this title.

Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld is currently available for £10.99 (GBP) down from £18.99 on Oculus Rift.

République VR

République VR is a well-designed VR experience that sits well on Oculus Go, and certainly showcases how good the lenses are on the headset. The puzzles may not be the most difficult with the main challenge purely resting on evasion, yet there’s enough to keep you engaged for many hours.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of République VR.

République VR is available now on for £5.99 (GBP) down from £7.99 for Oculus Go and Gear VR.

Cat 'S' Trophy

Cat ‘S’ Trophy

“In Cat ‘S’ Trophy cats have races in honour of the ruler of the internet – the Cat God. Conveniently, all five cats in the game can turn into vehicles when the race begins. The gameplay of Cat ‘S’ Trophy consists of two parts; Part One is track drawing. The player draws the track where the cats will race. Part Two is the actual racing. In order to win the race, players need to gather “star crystals” around the track and the lucky cat to gather the most star crystals from the track wins.”

Cat ‘S’ Trophy is available now for £2.79 (GBP) on sale from the usual £3.99 for both Oculus Go and Gear VR.

Everyday Golf VR

EVERYDAY GOLF VR

Looking for an immersive way to enjoy a round of golf all while improving your skills in some exciting gameplay then look no further than EVERYDAY GOLF VR. With recent updates improving the overall look of the title and reducing motion sickness, the title is a comfortable way for anyone to play golf no matter the weather.

EVERYDAY GOLF VR is only £15.99 (GBP) down from £22.99 for Oculus Rift.

GNOG-screenshot2

GNOG

GNOG is an excellent title and well worth anyone’s time. It takes excellent advantage of the PlayStation VR functionality to produce something beautiful and striking, both visually and aurally. While it could potentially benefit from some extra puzzles and a bit more polishing, it is still a solid title and worthy addition to your PlayStation VR library.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty’s PlayStation VR review of GNOG.

GNOG is available now for £6.99 (GBP) down from £7.99 for Oculus Rift.

Lilas Tale VR screenshot

Lila’s Tale

When Lila’s brother suddenly entered a mysterious dungeon, all that was fun and games took a different turn. Although Lila is afraid of the dark, she found the courage to enter the dungeon and find her brother. Players will immerse themselves in a fantastic and magical experience inside a puzzle adventure title with environments specially crafted for VR. Explore the dungeon, find all the mysteries hidden within and solve numerous puzzles to help Lila save her brother.

Lila’s Tale is currently £2.29 (GBP) down from £3.99 for Oculus Go.

The Wizards: Trials of Meliora

The Wizards – Trials of Meliora

“Become a powerful wizard and test your mettle as a defender of the Realm of Meliora! Based on the award-winning spellcaster The Wizards, this game is a completely new magical adventure set in the same fantasy world, developed from the ground for Oculus Go and Gear VR.”

The Wizards – Trials of Meliora is currently on sale for £2.79 (GBP) down from £2.99 for Oculus Go and Gear VR.

Sky Duel: Tournament

Sky Duel: Tournament

Welcome to the future where you participate in the battle of cyborgs throwing combat disks to destroy the enemy. Target and send your disc directly to the enemy all while defending yourself from incoming discs. With multiplayer battles featuring up to four players, this intense futuristic combat title will need all your concentrating if you want to be on the winning side.

Sky Duel: Tournament is currently available for £0.79 (GBP) down from £1.49 for Oculus Go.

Budget Cuts

Budget Cuts is a great title, with substation story and meaty, challenging gameplay, and an entertaining style, but it does suffer from some significant performance problems that do detract from the experience. Budget Cuts could be elevated from good to utterly brilliant if it is given a little more time in the oven to bake in and correct the issues.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty’s preview of Budget Cuts.

Budget Cuts is available for only £19.99 (GBP) right now on sale from £22.99 for Oculus Rift.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

Budget Cuts, Beat Saber, Skyrim Among SteamVR’s ‘Top-Selling’ Games Of 2018 So Far

Budget Cuts, Beat Saber, Skyrim Among SteamVR’s ‘Top-Selling’ Games Of 2018 So Far

As part of its Summer Sale, Valve has published a list of the top-selling VR games of 2018 thus far, and there are some new faces included.

As with the list shared at the end of 2017, games are split into four brackets: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. However, Valve stated that the previous list was ‘measured by gross revenue’. This list apparently consists of the ‘top-sellers, most played and new releases’, so it’s not actually clear if all the games in a certain bracket had similar sales. We’ve reached out to the company for clarification.

For the Platinum section, new faces like Beat Saber, Budget Cuts, OrbusVR and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR are included. We do know that Beat Saber managed to sell over 100,000 copies in less than a month of its Early Access launch. The rest of the Platinum section is filled with the usual suspects: Pavlov VR, Job Simulator, Arizona Sunshine, Fallout 4, Hot Dogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Onward, Superhot VR and Gorn.

There are some worthy games in there. Like everyone else, we adore Beat Saber and Skyrim VR. We weren’t hugely keen on Budget Cuts, though it’s still good to see a developer that bet it all on VR having success.

Survios’ Sprint Vector and Mixed Realms’ Sairento VR are the only truly new titles in the Gold section, which also includes the likes of Tilt Brush, Rick and Morty, I Expect You To Die and The Talos Principle. Silver, meanwhile, features critical darling, Moss, which only launched a few weeks back. It’s joined by The Mage’s Tale, In Death and a number of other familiar faces like Doom VFR and LA Noire.

There are some notable inclusions in the Bronze section, too, like excellent Early Access shooter, Compound, and the promising Primordian. Oddly enough The Mage’s Tale is included in this section too, which we’ve also asked Valve to clarify.

We’ve still got another six months left of 2018 and lots of big games we’re still looking forward to. What releases will be able to climb into these lists by the end of the year?

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Budget Cuts im Test

Wir berichteten erstmals im Jahr 2016 über das VR-Stealth-Game Budget Cuts, das bereits damals große Erwartungen bei uns erweckte. Obwohl das Spiel eigentlich noch im gleichen Jahr erscheinen sollte, zog sich der Release aufgrund von diversen Komplikationen bis zum 14. Juni 2018. Seit gestern ist der VR-Titel für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive auf Steam und im Oculus Store erhältlich, was wir als Anlass nahmen, den spannenden Sci-Fi-Titel einmal genauer unter die Lupe zu nehmen.

Budget Cuts – Rationalisierung im Zeitalter der Roboter

In der dystopischen Zukunft von Budget Cuts werden menschliche Arbeitskräfte zunehmend durch Roboter ersetzt. Der Name des Titels ist also Programm: Geld muss eingespart werden, was euren Job bei TransCorp deutlich gefährdet. Obwohl ihr als fleißiger Mitarbeiter beim Abstempeln von Dokumenten absolut keinen schlechten Eindruck hinterlassen habt, verunsichert euch ein verhängnisvoller Anruf. Demnach könntet ihr als das nächste Opfer der Abteilung für Human Resource gemeldet werden, weshalb ihr euch auf eine gefährliche Mission durch die Bürokomplexe des Multikonzerns begebt. Dabei gilt es den Sicheitsrobotern aus dem Weg zu gehen, um unbeschadet davon zu kommen.

Zum Glück müsst ihr euch nicht alleine auf die halsbrecherische Reise begeben. Praktischerweise unterstützt euch Winta stets telefonisch mit hilfreichen Tipps über euer nächstes Ziel. Die Verwendung der Telefonhörer alter Faxmaschinen versetzt euch zusätzlich direkt in das passende Agenten-Feeling. Gute Englischkenntnisse sind dabei allerdings Pflicht, um die sonst recht klaren und kurzen Anweisungen auch zu verstehen und nicht orientierungslos durch die Gegend zu teleportieren. Kleine Erkundungstouren durch die weitläufigen Bürokomplexe wären eigentlich gar nicht so schlimm, wenn es in den Schubladen und Schränken abseits des vorgegebenen Storywegs nicht so wenig zu entdecken gäbe.

Fortbewegungsmethode, Inventar und Stealth-Gameplay

Budget Cuts Fortbewegung

Zur Fortbewegung setzt Budget Cuts auf Teleportation durch Portale, die man mithilfe einer Pistole erschaffen kann. Dafür feuert man mit der Waffe auf das gewünschte Ziel und springt an die Stelle, an der die Kugel liegen bleibt. Als die erste Demo-Version des Spiels im Jahr 2016 erschien, war diese Idee noch nahezu einmalig. Heutzutage funktioniert die Fortbewegungsmethode zwar immer noch gut, setzt sich jedoch nicht mehr sonderlich von anderen Spielen ab. Besonders an manchen Stellen hätten wir uns lieber eine Mischung auf Teleportation und freier Fortbewegung gewünscht, um kleinere Distanzen unkomplizierter zu überwinden. Die Bewegungsmethode passt jedoch generell gut in das Setting des Spiels.

Das Inventar-System sowie das Wechseln der Waffe benötigt dagegen etwas mehr Zeit und Übung, bis die Funktionsweise in Fleisch und Blut übergegangen ist. Zwar ist das Inventar übersichtlich gestaltet und auch der Waffenwechsel fühlt sich gut an, dennoch haben wir uns innerhalb der ersten Stunde häufiger verklickt, was in brenzlichen Situationen durchaus problematisch werden konnte. Allerdings verinnerlicht man die Anordnung und Prozesse mit der Zeit und das Spiel geht generell eher verzeihlich mit Fehlklicks um.

Budget Cuts HTC Vive

Insgesamt ist der Stealth-Titel nur wenig auf Action ausgelegt. So seid ihr stets mit nur wenig Equipment ausgerüstet, weshalb ihr euch nicht einfach durch die Roboterscharren durchballern könnt. Zwar ist es uns selten gelungen, auch mit der “Kopf durch die Wand”-Strategie zu überleben, dennoch seid ihr besser beraten, an den Sicherheitsrobotern vorbeizuschleichen. Doch dabei ist Vorsicht geboten, denn bereits ein Treffer reicht aus, um euch zum letzten automatischen Speicherpunkt zurückzuschicken.

Hardware-Voraussetzungen

Wenn ihr euch Budget Cuts zuzulegen wollt, solltet ihr vorher unbedingt überprüfen, ob eure Hardware das Spiel auch zufriedenstellend stemmen kann. Insbesondere die Version von Oculus Home leidet derzeit noch unter starken Performance-Problemen. Die SteamVR-Version soll dagegen bereits mit einer GTX 1060 flüssig laufen. Ein Hotfix für die Oculus-Version könnte allerdings bereits in den nächsten Tagen erscheinen. Entsprechende News findet ihr natürlich direkt auf unserer Webseite.

Fazit

Budget Cuts Oculus Rift

Abschließend bleibt festzuhalten, dass Budget Cuts ein tolles Stealth-Game ist. Zwar mag die grafische Gestaltung recht simpel sein, dafür darf man im Gegenzug mit zahlreichen Objekten interagieren, was die virtuelle Welt deutlich realistischer macht. Wem Stealth-Gameplay mit reichlich Schleichaktionen durch Büros und enge Luftschächte zusagt und gelegentliche humoristische Einlagen ein Lächeln auf die Lippen zaubert, der kann bedenkenlos bei der Steam-Version zugreifen. Solltet ihr jedoch mehr Action suchen und es bevorzugen euch mit gezogener Waffe durch Gegnerhorden zu feuern, dann solltet ihr lieber ein anderes Spiel suchen.

Stark
  • Tolle Immersion
  • Agenten-Feeling mit einer Prise Humor
  • Mehrere Stunden spannender Content
  • Portal-Teleportation
Schwach
  • Stealth-Zwang
  • Technische Probleme und Ladezeiten
  • Mechaniken nicht immer intuitiv
4 / 5

Der Beitrag Budget Cuts im Test zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Budget Cuts Launches On Oculus And Steam

Budget Cuts Launches On Oculus And Steam

One of the most anticipated VR games — Budget Cuts — is now available on Steam and the Oculus Store.

The stealth game that sees you lurking around hallways to throw knives into unsuspecting robots is now available to buy after multiple delays. The game is priced around $30 but launches at a 10 percent discount.

A lot of people who bought VR headsets early on were so impressed by the original Budget Cuts demo in 2016, it seems many will pick up this game no matter what review score we add to our official review. We’re hopeful the leaders at Neat Corporation — a small indie studio — choose to share sales milestones as it could be useful information to other developers interested in making a VR game. Indie favorite Beat Saber cleared 50,000 copies at $20 each in a week, and 100,00 copies in a month. It took H3VR two years to sell 100,000 copies priced at $20 each from the launch of hand-controlled VR in 2016 to this year. Budget Cuts is priced higher than those other games, so it doesn’t need to sell as many copies as those others to clear the same revenue milestones.

We’re in the midst of E3 coverage right now but as soon as we get back to our headsets and play through the released game we will update our review. In the meantime, we’ll be watching for reports on Twitter and, if you pick up the game, please share in the comments what you think of it.

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