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: Mid-April PlayStation VR Savings

It is time once again to explore the PlayStation store to find some of the latest deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. To help you out VRFocus has put together some of the best deals to help you find your next favourite. As always be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

accountingplus

Accounting+

If you are a fan of Rick & Morty then you are sure to find enjoyment in Accounting+, a VR experience unlike anything you have seen before brought to you by Justin Roilan. Developed by Crows Crows Crows and Squach Games, Accounting+ is a weird title full of humor that invites players to interact with a number of colorful characters and complete numerous tasks and challenges. This includes playing with bombs, cutting characters open, playing the bone xylophone and many other bizarre activities.

Accounting+ is currently on sale for for £6.49 (GBP) down from £9.49 and recently added a new waterpark level.

No Heroes Allowed

No Heroes Allowed! VR

Real-time strategy (RTS) title No Heroes Allowed! VR puts players in the shoes of the God of Destruction who must work towards world domination with the help of your sidekicks Badman and Badmella. VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce previewed the title saying “No Heroes Allowed! VR’s story, as may be assumed from the title, sees the player cast as the bad guy. However the aesthetic of the videogame is perfectly designed for family-friendly gameplay” later adding “No Heroes Allowed! VR provides a compelling RTS experience unique to VR.”

No Heroes Allowed! VR is currently on sale for for £19.99 (GBP) down from £24.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 20%.

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Batman: Arkham VR

Become the Batman in this immersive experience that puts you into the shoes of the Dark Knight himself. Experience Gotham City through the eyes of the World’s Greatest Detective in an all new Arkham mystery. Think like Batman and utilize all the gadgets available to you in order to unravel a plot that could threaten the lives of Batman‘s closest allies.

Batman: Arkham VR is currently the low price of £11.99 (GBP) down from £15.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 25%.

The Inpatient screenshot 2

The Inpatient

“The Inpatient looks set to offer an experience completely different to its predecessor Until Dawn – they’re both set in the same universe – a far more tactile tale, where exploring the story is much more key. It might be because of the hospital theme but playing the demo instantly feels very reminiscent of Wilson’s Heart for Oculus Rift and that’s no bad thing. If Supermassive Games can create an engaging storyline and gameplay to go with the impressive visuals then PlayStation VR might have another hit on its hands.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s preview of The Inpatient here.

The Inpatient is currently on sale for £23.39 (GBP) down from £29.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 20%.

Sports Bar VR

Sports Bar VR

“Bringing the virtual pub experience to your living room. Sports Bar VR is the ultimate social experience available on PlayStation VR, featuring an awesome set of bar games, an incredible pool simulation and an amazingly detailed sports bar overflowing with fun and silly physics props. Join up with 12 of your friends to hangout and play some air hockey, throw a few rounds of darts or build an insane dominoes setup using books, chairs, bottles and whatever else you can find. Play with friends or offline against the AI, earn experience points and unlock a wide array of collectable hats and fun objects to add a bit of swagger to your VR style.”

Sports Bar VR is now only £7.39 (GBP) down from £14.99.

VRFC Screenshot_024

VRFC Virtual Reality Football Club

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 here.

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is available for only £7.39 (GBP) which is down from £14.99.

Psychonauts-ROR-009

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin

In this VR title players get to expereince an all-new adventure that takes players back into the mysterious and paranormal world of the Psyhconauts. Take control of Raz and carry on from where the first game finished on a journey to rescure the Grand Head of the Psychonauts. When things go somewhat wrong it is up to the player to not only save the kidnapped prisoner but also the rescue party themselves.

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin is on sale for £10.06 (GBP) down from £15.49 with PlayStation Plus members able to save an extra 35%.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR screenshot2

Crisis On the Planet of the Apes

“Five years since its outbreak, the “Simian Flu” has wiped out half of humanity and left other primates…changed. You are an ape with advanced intelligence, captured and held prisoner in a heavily guarded scientific facility as mankind desperately searches for a cure. Your mission: Climb, jump and shoot through the chaos of an apocalyptical world to escape with your fellow apes and return home at the crossroads of two species’ destinies.”

Crisis On the Planet of the Apes is currently on sale for PlayStation Plus members for £8.39 (GBP) down from £11.99.

Time Carnage

Time Carnage

Time Carnage is well-made, and is a fine, competent example of its genre, with some excellent music and sound design, though it ultimately fails to stand out amidst many other similar titles that litter VR videogame libraries. Shooting dinosaurs is still lots of fun, though.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty’s review of Time Carnage here.

Time Carnage is currently only £12.79 (GBP) for PlayStation Plus members down from £15.99.

Carnival Games VR logo

Carnival Games VR

Finally this week is the title all about enjoying the carnival. In Carnival Games VR players are able to take part in 12 different mini-games and earn tickets to win fun virtual prizes or unlock additional activities to complete. Whether it’s scaling a castle in Climbing Wall, rolling for a high score in Alley Ball or shooting basketballs in Swish – there is something for everyone in this title.

Carnival Games VR is available for only £11.19 (GBP) right now on sale from £15.99 with an extra 30% saving for PlayStation Plus members.

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

The Biggest PSVR Releases Of The Week 04/01/18

The Biggest PSVR Releases Of The Week 04/01/18

If, like us, you’re still playing Wipeout VR, then you might not be too interested in this week’s releases. That said, there are a few that you should definitely give a look.

If you missed last week’s releases, you can see those here. UploadVR also launched the ‘UploadVR PSVR Community’ on PlayStation 4! Join up, find other gamers to play with, and engage in discussions with them. Also, don’t forget to check out our list of the 9 Best PlayStation VR Games if you need any extra inspiration.

Island Time, from Flight School Studios
Price: $15.99 (Rift, Vive)

Island Time is a charming little survival game in which you find yourself on a stranded patch of land trying to eat enough food to stay alive. You combine items to make tools that make it easier to catch fish and steal coconuts. It’s a pretty intriguing concept, though the game is sadly a little short on content.

Our full review.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR, from FoxNext
Price: $14.99 (Rift, Vive)

Everyone’s favorite monkeys get their own VR game, tying into the recent film trilogy. Crisis is a short experience in which you play as one of the intelligent apes, captured and being tested on in a human facility. It’s your task to escape, which will involve clambering up pipes and gunning down enemies. It’s a little short and repetitive, but a fair amount of fun.

Our full review.

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It’s Time to Save the Day in Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR

Yesterday FoxNext and Imaginati Studios launched the first ever virtual reality (VR) experience based on the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR. Supporting PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift (which VRFocus used) it time for another gameplay video to give you a brief look at the first part of the experience.

The videogame is set in the new Planet of the Apes universe between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes films. In it you play one of the apes which has been captured by military personnel and taken to a heavily armed base, as humanity search for a cure for the Simian Flu which as killed millions.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is all about using your evolved ape skills to escape the base with a few of your buddies, clambering up walls, swinging from pipes and taking down a hostile helicopter with a machine gun that’s been left laying around (handy that!).

As you’ll see, the gameplay video features the first half of Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR so not to spoil the end action sequences. This is all about learning those walking and climbing controls – there’s no teleportation here – where you have to swing your arms to walk, both together to jump and climbing is well climbing – so long as the ledge/pipe is highlighted then it’s good to grab.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR screenshot3

As you’ll see in the video – and VRFocus noted in the review – Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is very linear. Don’t expect to free climb wherever you damn well please, the developers have a story to tell and there’s no way round that. On the other hand you’ll soon be gunning down hostiles with your M16 or shotgun – both of which attach to your hairy back in someway – in no time.

Crisis on The Planet of the Apes VR is available to purchase now for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, being sold for £11.99 GBP on PS Store, £10.99 on Oculus Store and on Steam there’s a 33 percent discount, dropping the price from £11.39 down to £7.63. For any further updates on Crisis on The Planet of the Apes VR, keep reading VRFocus.

Review: Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR

Blockbuster films and videogame collaborations have never had any easy history, generally because the content is rushed together in the hope of being a cash cow for all involved, resulting in some below average (horrendous) titles coming to market. Even with virtual reality (VR) still in its infancy there has already been some good and some not-so-good experiences seeing the light of day. The latest comes from FoxNext and Imaginati Studios with Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR, and it’s safe to say this is one of the better ones.

With 20th Century Fox rebooting the Planet of the Apes franchise Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR sits in between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes films. So the Simian Flu has wiped out a massive portion of humanity with those left living in little pockets of the globe. Of course there’s a military base somewhere still performing experiments trying to find a cure by rounding up evolved apes to test on. This is where the Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR starts, entering the base, with the only goal being to escape its confines.

For the first half of the experience Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is all about getting used to being an ape and the various running, jumping and climbing all of that entails. While the climbing sections are fluid and easy to navigate, with highlighted ledges and pipes to traverse the same can’t be said for the other two. The title is as linear as you can get in a VR experience, there’s no exploration with multiple routes or any puzzles to solve as the walking mechanic is a mixture of point-to-point teleportation and arm swinging – like that found in Sprint Vector. A white ape silhouette will appear which you then have to swing your arms to move to. While its design is crafted around helping you tune into the character its actual operation is far clunkier than it is fluid – especially in the latter sections being chased by a helicopter. And if you’re not exactly on the right spot the next highlighted location doesn’t appear until that extra inch or so is moved.

Thankfully in the action oriented latter sections where you get an assault rifle and shotgun this system is replaced by a red ape silhouette which can be quickly dashed to. This is great for jumping from cover to cover, grabbing new ammo magazines and continuing the fire fight. Another neat little feature is the ability to grab cover to hide – good for those players with bad knees – so you can dip in and out with relative ease.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR screenshot3

It’s easy to see the high production values in Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR. Levels look impressively grim and dilapidated, and the animations on both the humans and apes certainly help to make it a suitably immersive experience. The same goes for the audio, with the final helicopter section of particular note as it sweeps around overhead.

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.

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PlayStation VR Offers Pre-Order Discount for Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR

A couple of days ago 20th Century Fox announced virtual reality (VR) experience Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Scheduled to launch in April 2018, for PlayStation VR owners at least, pre-orders are now available offering a 33 percent discount. 

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR screenshot2

The discount on PlayStation Store is open to all PlayStation owners – not just those with PlayStation Plus – dropping the price from $14.99 USD down to $10.04. There’s one small cravat, the offer only seems to be listed on the US store, currently there’s no listing on the European store.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is based on the new rebooted version of the iconic franchise, set between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes films. If you’ve seen the films you’ll know that the Simian Flu wiped out half of humanity over five years whilst evolving primates. In the videogame players take control of an ape with advanced intelligence, captured and held prisoner in a heavily guarded scientific facility as mankind desperately searches for a cure.

Known only as Specimen 139, they’ll need to free themselves and their fellow apes in a bid to return home to Caesar,  climbing, jumping and shooting their way through the chaos of this newly created apocalyptic world. As you play an ape you’ll also get to move like one. Imaginati Studios has created a system where players will need to swing their arms in the real world just as an ape might move. And that also goes for combat, grabbing a piece of cover with hands to move in and out of cover..

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR_screenshot

“The Apes franchise supplies the perfect opportunity for players to become part of an apocalyptic world from the perspective of a different species for the first time ever,” said Martin Alltimes, CEO, Imaginati Studios. “We wanted to balance visceral combat with a plot-driven narrative that leaves you questioning your innate allegiance to humanity.”

As for the PC version, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is listed on Steam and Oculus Store but there are no pre-order options available. If they do appear, VRFocus will let you know.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR Coming This April

Last year 20th Century Fox’s Foxnext VR Studio and UK-based Imaginati Studios announced a virtual reality (VR) project based on the Planet of the Apes franchise. Today, the companies have revealed the first details alongside a gameplay video for Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VRwhich is scheduled to launch in April 2018.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR_screenshot

Supporting HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is a first-person experience set between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes films. With the Simian Flu wiping out half of humanity over the previous five years whilst evolving primates, players take control of an ape with advanced intelligence, captured and held prisoner in a heavily guarded scientific facility as mankind desperately searches for a cure.

Players will need to climb, jump and shoot their way through the chaos of an apocalyptic world, escaping with your fellow apes in a bid to return home to Caesar.

“VR has always held the promise of bringing together the cinematic storytelling of film and the deeply immersive interactivity of games. ‘Crisis on the Planet of the Apes’ VR takes this potential to the next level,” said Foxnext VR Studio senior VP and GM Brendan Handler, reports Variety. “We set out to give the fan a lead role in this dark Planet of the Apes world – to feel the ape’s strength, power and movement as he fights his way to safety.”

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR screenshot1

This isn’t the first VR experience from Foxnext, with the studio having released Alien: Covenant In Utero in 2017 and The Martian: VR Experience during 2016. More recently Foxnext is behind the Isle of Dogs VR experience in collaboration with Felix & Paul Studios which is getting an exclusive release on Google Pixel and Pixel 2 via Google Spotlight Stories.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR will be released through the usual channels for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR on 3rd April 2018. For any further updates on the videogame, keep reading VRFocus.