Category: Firewall: Zero Hour

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Firewall Zero Hour is PlayStation VR’s Top Game in August

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has now released the top downloaded videogames for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR, revealing to probably no one’s surprise that First Contact Entertainment’s tactical first-person shooter Firewall Zero Hour  has clinched the top spot.

Firewall Zero Hour - Screenshot (E3 2018)

As usual no figures have been mentioned with the title knocking top ten regular Job Simulator from the number one spot it quite often achieves even after launching almost two years ago.

The rest of the PlayStation VR top ten for August is as follows:

  1. Firewall Zero Hour
  2. Job Simulator
  3. Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality
  4. SUPERHOT VR
  5. Killing Floor: Incursion
  6. Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
  7. Arizona Sunshine
  8. Electronauts
  9. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
  10. PlayStation VR Worlds

Firewall Zero Hour - Screenshot (E3 2018)

It’s easy to understand why Firewall Zero Hour achieved the number one position. The FPS has received rave reviews with even VRFocus giving the PlayStation VR exclusive a full five-stars, saying: “Firewall Zero Hour has managed to avoid many of the common pitfalls of VR online multiplayers and add its own interesting twist to the military FPS genre. The lobby system could use some improvements, but otherwise its a finely crafted title that will be of great interest to FPS fans.”

If you own a PlayStation VR and have so far resisted the temptation to purchase Firewall Zero Hour then you’re missing out on four vs four player action where teamwork and communication is key to winning the multiplayer missions. Players take on the role of a mercenary contractor, charged with protecting sensitive data in a laptop. There are nine map locations spread across Russia, the Middle East and the UK. Players will be able to use in-game currency to upgrade and customise their character.

While the videogame does support PlayStation’s DualShock 4 controller, and PlayStation Move (kind of), First Contact Entertainment has designed the gameplay to ultimately use the PlayStation Aim controller.

For any further updates on Firewall Zero Hour, keep reading VRFocus.

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‘Firewall Zero Hour’ Tops PSVR’s Most Downloaded Game List in August

Firewall Zero Hour (2018), the tactical team shooter from ROM: Extraction (2016) developers First Contact Entertainment, has apparently celebrated some serious notoriety since it launched late last month on PlayStation VR; Sony has ranked it the top most downloaded PSVR game of August.

What’s more, Firewall Zero Hour launched on August 28th, giving it only four days to vault to the top spot, surpassing long-time fan favorites Job Simulator (2016), SUPERHOT VR (2016), and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (2017) to name a few.

Notably, the only other game to launch in August was Survios’ Electronauts (2018), a supremely fun VR DJ’ing tool that lets you mix samples and create your own tracks without the fuss of actually being able to hit a steady beat. Launched on August 7th across PSVR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, the funky music-maker hasn’t appeared to have resonated with PSVR users with the same gusto as Firewall Zero Hour.

Here’s the full list below:

Image courtesy Sony

Firewall Zero Hour has been heavily featured by Sony since it was announced back at E3 2018, as it’s had significant air time on the company’s official PlayStation YouTube channel, detailing everything from how to properly defend and attack in the game, to hype-filled dev interviews overlayed with epic music. It’s also been available for public demo at some of the biggest gaming events, including E3 and Gamescom.

A dedicated PS Aim hardware bundle, priced at a not-so-intolerable $80—a mere $40 more than the game itself—might have had something to do with it too. Oh, and it’s a pretty great game too.

In our review, we gave Firewall Zero Hour a strong [7.9/10] for its deep focus on tactical gunplay, which we said “works especially well with VR’s heightened immersion.” Here’s a quick summary of what makes it great, and sometimes a little less great according to Road to VR’s Ben Lang.

“To succeed you’ll need to be able to do more than just aim—you’ll have to communicate and strategize with your team. With strong gunplay, randomized objective locations, and unlocks to chase, Firewall Zero Hour has a distinct allure for those looking for FPS immersion. That said, match pacing needs to be reworked to provide more gameplay with less downtime, locomotion is clunky at times, the post-death camera system feels unbalanced, and item unlocks won’t come without significant grinding.”

We expect it to have some serious staying power on the charts, so we’ll be looking forward to September’s list to see just how it fares. In the meantime, check out the full review here to learn more about what makes Firewall tick.

The post ‘Firewall Zero Hour’ Tops PSVR’s Most Downloaded Game List in August appeared first on Road to VR.

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Firewall Takes The Top Spot In US August PS Store Charts

Firewall Takes The Top Spot In US August PS Store Charts

August’s PlayStation Store charts are in and, unsurprisingly, First Contact Entertainment’s Firewall Zero Hour reigns supreme, at least in the US.

The 4 vs 4 multiplayer shooter, which is exclusive to Sony’s headset, came in at the top spot in the US iteration of the charts. Firewall has been on a lot of PSVR owner’s wishlists for a long time so we always thought it’d perform well, though the game’s late month release (August 28th) does make it slightly more impressive. It also helps that it’s, y’know, really good.

These charts only represent what’s sold on the PS Store itself and doesn’t include boxed copies. Firewall also came in a physical bundle with the Aim controller, which represents the best way to play the game, and came in 11th in the UK software physical charts earlier this week.

Over in the EU First Contact didn’t quite finish first. Crytek’s Robinson: The Journey and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality took the No. 1 and 2 spots respectively, which is no doubt down to a Summer Sale that discounted both games. Firewall came in third and the usuals like Superhot and Job Simulator filled out the top 10.

Back in the US, Survios’ Electronauts, one of the other big PSVR launches of the month, managed to reached the eight spot and was only sold digitally, it didn’t appear in the EU charts.

We’re expected the Firewall train to keep on chugging in September, though big releases like Creed: Rise to Glory will no doubt put up a fair fight. What do you think is going to come out on top?

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Firewall Zero Hour Has A Major Signal Modifier Exploit Problem

Firewall Zero Hour Has A Major Signal Modifier Exploit Problem

Firewall Zero Hour is the real deal. We praised the fantastic tactical shooter in our full review, especially when played with a talkative team using a PS Aim Controller, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for the PSVR shooter. Personally, it’s eating up a ton of my free time on weekends and evenings.

As you level up you’ll start to unlock better gear that enables brand new strategies you may not have seen in your first dozen or so levels. Specifically, at level 21, you unlock the Signal Modifier. This gadget, which can be taken in place of a grenade slot, can only be used on the Defending team. What you do is place the modifier (a beeping rectangle that looks a bit like a WiFi Router) on a surface somewhere near the laptop. It prevents the Attacking team from hacking the laptop unless they destroy the modifier first.

Frankly, it’s a great little device that adds a really tense extra layer to the end of matches as you frantically search for it all around and near the laptop. But just a week removed from Firewall’s launch, players are already finding ways to exploit the device.

Since you can get creative with where you place it, you really have to think outside the box as an Attacker. Most of the time you won’t spot it out in the open, but instead hear it behind a cabinet, under a desk, or on a totally different floor of the building. Saving a grenade for that last moment to try and blow it up is a wise strategy. This isn’t inherently a problem though — it encourages creativity — but when combined with the game’s rule that as soon as all Defending players die you’ve only got a minute left as the Attacking team, it becomes a major problem. PSVR Frank alerted us to the issue just last night via DM.

This means that, if you’re Defending, an almost fool-proof strategy (depending on the map size) is to place a signal modifier and then immediately have everyone throw down grenades or blow up mines to commit suicide. Now, with all four Defenders dead, the timer is set to only one minute and the Attackers have to bypass the access point, find the signal modifier, destroy it, and hack the laptop — all while starting on the other side of the map.

It’s a bit ridiculous.

We’re pretty confident that this issue will be addressed, hopefully sooner rather than later, seeing as how the developers at First Contact have already fixed some of the networking issues from the title’s launch week.

Have you ran into this issue before? How are you enjoying Firewall Zero Hour? Make sure and check out our tips for getting started and let us know what you think of this issue down in the comments below!

Featured Image: PreOrigin Gaming

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Firewall Debuts Just Outside Of UK Top 10 Games Sales Charts

Firewall Debuts Just Outside Of UK Top 10 Games Sales Charts

GFK has published its weekly software charts for physical sales of games in the UK over the last seven days and the newly-released Firewall Zero Hour seems to have performed pretty well.

The multiplayer shooter, which is exclusive to Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset, debuted just outside of the top 10 in the 11th spot. Given that the rest of the list is filled with games releasing on platforms with well over 10 times the three million units PSVR has sold, that’s pretty impressive to us. For context, it’s only two positions behind another big release this week, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, which came in ninth.

Firewall was included in part of a £199.99 bundle in the UK that also came with the headset and a copy of PlayStation VR Worlds (which came in at 13th), which very likely helped the game climb the charts. There’s also enough bundle that packs in the rifle-shaped PlayStation Aim controller, which offers the best way to play the game.

We’re not surprised to see Firewall doing well; the First Contact Entertainment-developed shooter has been long-anticipated by the PSVR community, and we think it’s absolutely brilliant. In our review we said that the game “defies the odds by delivering a multiplayer-focused VR shooter that actually lives up to its potential. If you don’t have a PS Aim controller yet, then you should buy one for this game even though it technically supports DualShock 4 as well. If you don’t have a PSVR headset yet, then you should buy one for this game.”

Now the only question is what kind of lasting power will the game have in the charts?

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New Launch Trailer Showcases Firewall Zero Hour In Action

The wait is finally over and the much anticipated virtual reality (VR) tactical military shooter for PlayStation VR, Firewall Zero Hour, has now released inviting players to instense four-versus-four multiplayer action. To mark the the launch of the title, the team at First Contact Entertainment have released a new trailer showcasing a number of the games features in action.

Firewall Zero Hour - Screenshot (E3 2018)

The new launch trailer, which you can view below, comes following a number of other trailers which were released to help prepare players for the tactical first-person shooter (FPS) title. This includes a detailed look at some of the maps and mercenaries within the videogame along with another exploring the ways in which the team were making the experience as immersive as possible.

In Firewall Zero Hour two teams of four go up against each other to attack or defend a laptop that houses vital information. Picking from 12 experienced mercenaries each with unique abilities and playstyles, players will need to learn the maps, weapons and equipment in order to work as a team and complete their objective. With a number of different options available to players on how they prepare and fight within a match, it will be the team that is more prepared and works together that sees victory.

Firewall Zero Hour - Screenshot (E3 2018)

Built for PlayStation VR, Firewall Zero Hour also leverage the immersive power of the PlayStation Aim controller to give players a more realistic experience. This means that they can aim with better accuracy, lean from behind cover to attack and even blind fire for added tactical opportunities and immersion.

VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty reviewed Firewall Zero Hour praising it highly saying: “Firewall Zero Hour has managed to avoid many of the common pitfalls of VR online multiplayers and add its own interesting twist to the military FPS genre. The lobby system could use some improvements, but otherwise its a finely crafted title that will be of great interest to FPS fans.”

You can see the launch trailer for yourself below and for all the latest on PlayStation VR, Firewall Zero Hour and developer First Contact Entertainment in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

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The Biggest PSVR Releases Of The Week 08/26/18

The Biggest PSVR Releases Of The Week 08/26/18

The big week is finally here! First Contact’s Firewall Zero Hour is now available on PSVR. But, as it turns out, that’s far from all that’s releasing on the headset this week. We’ve also got a suite of other big launches, each of which looks worth your time in their own right. This has to be the best week for PSVR launches since the headset itself came out two years ago.

Firewall Zero Hour, from First Contact Entertainment
Price: $39.99

The long-anticipated multiplayer shooter from the makers of ROM: Extraction is finally here. Firewall Zero Hour is an intense 4 vs 4 shooter that makes great use of PSVR’s Aim controller as players must strategize in attack and defend-style missions. This is a fast, frantic explosion of a VR game and absolutely one to pick up (it also works with the DualShock 4).

Bow to Blood, from Tribetoy
Price: $29.99

Bow to Blood is a fascinating mix of arena-based combat, ship micromanagement and relationship simulation. You’re a part of the Bow to Blood tournament and must fight your way up through the ranks over the course of seven events, making sure to keep other players happy in order to avoid being voted off. The unique mash-up of systems absolutely makes this worth checking out.

Torn, from Aspyr
Price: £29.99 (currently discounted)

An intriguing puzzle game with first-rate production values, Torn is a great VR debut from Aspyr. You explore the deserted mansion that once belonged to an inventor, uncovering his life’s work and just maybe discovering where he disappeared to. Engaging, if simplistic puzzles set a great pace and the writing is top notch, though the story suffers in the second half.

Catch & Release, from Metricminds
Price: $19.99 ($17.99 for PS Plus members)

If action isn’t your thing then how about a spot of VR fishing? Catch & Release is a relaxing fishing game in which you head out on a boat and snooze away the hours trying to get a good haul. We haven’t played it yet but the gorgeous visuals and soothing atmosphere definitely make it seem inviting.

Viking Days, from Naked Money
Price: $4.99

If you’re looking to save a little this week then Viking Days’ $4.99 certainly hits the right note. Also good news: This isn’t just a wave shooter! Instead its an appealing collection of mini-games, all designed to live out your Norse dreams. We especially like the look of the canyon-crossing level.

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Firewall Zero Hour Devs Are ‘Currently Working On’ Fixes For Squads And Host Disconnects (Update)

Firewall Zero Hour Devs Are ‘Currently Working On’ Fixes For Squads And Host Disconnects

Update: Since this story originally published at 1PM on August 31, 2018, First Contact has issued two patches for Firewall Zero Hour. Patch notes for 1.01 indicate a focus on “General improvements for stability and performance” and notes for 1.02 indicate “various bug fixes.” It’s unclear if either or both patches are related to the issues communicated in today’s blog post down below, but it seems likely.

Original: According to a new blog post today from First Contact Entertainment, the Firewall Zero Hour developers are “currently working on” fixes for two major issues that have been hot topics with the community all week: squads getting split up during match making and host disconnect issues.

In the blog post, the developer explains that they’re “working on various bug fixes and improvements” to the game and specifically names those two issues. As it stands right now, if you make a squad with your friends and join public matchmaking, then there is a chance that your squad can get split up and assigned to opposite teams. Obviously that’s an issue. Private matches seem to work fine if you have a big enough group, but you can’t earn XP that way. It’s good to see this issue is top of mind since it literally hinders people from playing with friends.

The other most prominent networking issue facing the game this week has been frequent disconnect problems. As explained in the blog post:

“We currently use a peer-to-peer format, so please be aware that it is possible that quitting early may affect everyone else’s game. We are working on improved in-game messaging and a way to protect the loss of progression (crypto and XP) for players when this happens.”

Ideally we’d love to see the team adopt a dedicated server system instead since that will improve connection quality and prevent this issue, but at the very least establishing a host migration system so that even if the selected host leaves the matches can continue would be great.

Since the game just launched a mere few days ago, seeing the developer already directly address major concerns is a great sign. However, we don’t have any idea when these updates will be rolling out or what the specific roadmap for future plans looks like. There are still other issues with the game worth addressing as well, such as extended loading screens, the lack of a round system to cut back on downtime, and more.

All that being said, Firewall Zero Hour even in its current state is an excellent game and a must-have for all PSVR owners. This feels like a serious system seller and we praised the title in our review.

Don’t forget to read our tips guide and let us know what you think down in the comments below!

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Review: Firewall Zero Hour

The first-person military shooter remains one of the most popular videogame genres on the planet, played and enjoyed by millions of people all over the world, particularly in multiplayer. It was therefore inevitable that such a title would eventually hit the PlayStation VR, in the form of Firewall Zero Hour.

Though Firewall Zero Hour supports both the PlayStation Aim controller and Dual Shock 4, the review was conducted with Dual Shock 4, since it is the ubiquitous controller, and many users still won’t be equipped with a PlayStation Aim controller.

Firewall Zero Hour - Screenshot (E3 2018)

Firewall Zero Hour has two modes, a virtual reality (VR) ‘training mode’ that essentially acts like a wave shooter, with increasingly tough robots charging towards you. This basically exists to let you get a feel for the controls and the weapons, as the emphasis is very much on the multiplayer.

The Contract mode is a 4v4 PvP, with other players take a role in your little team as you take a role as either defender or attacker. Right from the outset, it becomes obvious that communication is essential. Luckily, every PlayStation VR comes with a microphone, so its fairly easy to engage with your team, to make plans, point out enemies or give orders.

Of course, whenever you have lots of people online, you are going to encounter the occasional person who won’t play ball, or groups that descend into squabbling. Curiously, most of the players encountered were reasonably polite. Its also worth noting that Firewall Zero Hour has a fairly robust and active online community as of time of writing, so it has so far avoided the pitfall of many other multiplayer titles.

Using the Dual Shock 4 controller is a little awkward. Though it maps as a motion controller, it feels a little counter-intuitive to use, particularly when using a two-handed weapon, and it can be uncomfortable for long periods. Movement is primarily handled using smooth locomotion, and though it feels a little slow at times, it mostly works well without giving a sense of disorientation.

Firewall Zero Hour - Screenshot (E3 2018)

Combat is where Firewall Zero Hour really shines, as you would expect. Everything feels immersive and real, there’s some lovely animations at work, and the graphics in general look polished and well-handled. The guns have been modelled to have realistic recoil effects, so compensating for this becomes second-nature after a while, and switching to a different weapon means you need to learn how it behaves so you can get the best out of it.

Playing Firewall Zero Hour in any mode – even solo training mode – nets you in-game currency that can be spent on upgrades, such as new guns, skins and abilities and this progression is fairly nicely handled, giving out just enough at a time to make you feel more powerful without suddenly making you overpowered.

It should be noted that you don’t get ‘lives’. If you die during a mission and your teammates don’t revive you, you are dead. However, death has its advantages. You can float around peeking at the cameras placed through the map, and – crucially – you can still speak with your living teammates. This means having a dead team member can actually be an advantage in some circumstances.

Firewall Zero Hour has managed to avoid many of the common pitfalls of VR online multiplayers and add its own interesting twist to the military FPS genre. The lobby system could use some improvements, but otherwise its a finely crafted title that will be of great interest to FPS fans.

100%

Awesome

  • Verdict
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[Update] Firewall: Zero Hour für PlayStation VR (PSVR) und im Bundle erschienen

[Update vom 29. August 2018]:

Firewall: Zero Hour für PlayStation VR (PSVR) ist nun offiziell im PlayStation Store für 39,99 Euro erschienen.

Bei Amazon präsentiert Sony zudem ein Bundle mit PlayStation VR (PSVR), Kamera, VR Worlds Voucher, Firewall: Zero Hour und Aim Controller für 299 Euro.

Ein Bundle mit Firewall Zero Hour und Aim Controller steht ebenso für 109,99 Euro zur Auswahl.

[Originalartikel vom 03. Juli 2018]:

Der VR-Multiplayer-Shooter Firewall: Zero Hour für PlayStation VR (PSVR) erhält ein Veröffentlichungsdatum und soll am 29. August 2018 in Europa erhältlich sein. Zusätzlich zur Ankündigung wurde ein neuer Gameplay-Trailer für die wartenden Fans veröffentlicht. Die Vorbestellungen für den actionreichen Titel wurden bereits im PlayStation Store eröffnet.

Firewall: Zero Hour für PlayStation VR (PSVR) ab 29. August erhältlich

Erst vor kurzem gaben die Entwickler/innen von First Contact Entertainment bekannt, dass Firewall: Zero Hour nicht mehr lange auf sich warten lässt. Nun gibt es einen weiteren Grund zur Vorfreude, denn die Verantwortlichen veröffentlichen den Release-Termin des begehrten VR-Titels. Demnach erscheint der VR-Taktik-Shooter am 29. August für PlayStation VR (PSVR).

Innerhalb des First-Person-Shooters müsst ihr in Vier-gegen-Vier-Gefechten gegen eure Kontrahenten antreten und ein kniffeliges Missionsziel erfüllen. Entweder agiert ihr als Aggressor, um sensible Daten zu stehlen oder schlüpft in die Rolle des Verteidigers, damit ihr die Übernahme durch das gegnerische Team verhindert. Doch wer denkt, dass pure Feuerkraft dafür ausreicht, der irrt sich gewaltig. Der VR-Titel setzt auf teambasiertes Gameplay mit Fokus auf Strategie und Teamwork. Ohne die richtige Kommunikation mit euren Mitspieler/innen werdet ihr kaum Erfolge einfahren können.

Fire-Wall-Zero-Hour-PlayStation-VR-PSVR

Trotzdem gibt es reichlich Ausrüstungsgegenstände, Sturmgewehre, Schrotflinten und Sprengstoffladungen. Aus einem großen Waffenarsenal dürft ihr die Feuerwaffen auswählen, die am besten zu eurem Spielstil passen. Diese kommen dann auf insgesamt neun verschiedenen Karten zum Einsatz. Das Setting der verschiedenen Maps ist in Russland, dem Vereinigten Königreich und dem Nahen Osten angesiedelt. Für erfolgreiche Missionen gibt es als Belohnung die In-Game-Währung Crypto, die für weitere Extras eingetauscht werden kann.

Neben den Multiplayer-Kämpfen dürft ihr eure Fertigkeiten in einem Trainings-Modus alleine oder gegen die KI optimieren. Zur Steuerung steht, je nach Vorliebe, der DualShock-4-Controller oder der PlayStation-Aim-Controller zur Auswahl.

Firewall: Zero Hour für PlayStation VR (PSVR) ist ab 29. August im PlayStation Store erhältlich. Die Vorbestellungen sind bereits eröffnet. Als besonderes Angebot erhalten Vorbesteller ein Paket mit exklusiven Bonusinhalten. Das Paket beinhaltet einen freischaltbaren Charakter, spezielle kosmetische Ausrüstung, einen EP-Booster, zusätzliche In-Game-Währung und mehr.

(Quellen: PlayStation Blog | Videos: PlayStation Europe Youtube)

Der Beitrag [Update] Firewall: Zero Hour für PlayStation VR (PSVR) und im Bundle erschienen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!