Vive Cosmos Headset Only, RIP Mobile VR & Win Arizona Sunshine on Quest! – VRecap

This week has seen the rise in PC VR numbers and the fall of mobile VR’s biggest platform, and we can’t forget the new releases. Let’s wrap up the week’s top stories!

https://youtu.be/4BpVHPYGJak

First up, HTC will be shipping Vive Cosmos Elite SteamVR headset by itself for $549, and existing owners can get a standalone faceplate for $199. We still have no word on Vive Cosmos Play, though!

Next up, mobile VR gets what seems like one of the final nails in its coffin with the discontinuation of support for Gear VR. Not only that, but you won’t be able to access films you’ve purchased on it or even download the Oculus app. Thank you for your six years of service, Gear VR.

We now have more accurate data to tell us about how many PC VR users there are on Steam thanks to the platform’s latest update to the Steam Hardware Survey. The number? 1 million!

As for this week’s releases, we have three big titles: Lies Beneath on Quest, The Morrigan gets a full release on Steam, and Good Goliath on PSVR and PC VR.

We’re giving away Arizona Sunshine codes for Quest! You can enter below for a chance to win – best of luck.

GIVEAWAY: Win A Free Copy Of Arizona Sunshine On Oculus Quest!

Want to know which others stories topped the week? We’ve got them here:

That’s all for now! Make sure to stay safe, stay inside, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on VR news.

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Review: Good Goliath

Some of the best videogames aren’t the ones which are overly convoluted, requiring dozens of hours before you can get anywhere, and it’s often the ones with the simplest mechanics which can be the most addictive. Virtual reality (VR) titles like Beat Saber or Tetris Effect have proven this time and time again, and now there could be another in Knocktwice Games’ first VR title Good Goliath.

Good GoliathGood Goliath has two core attributes which are always useful in a VR experience, energetic mechanics and highly interactive gameplay. With plenty of upper body motion combined with easy to pick up gameplay for that arcade action feel don’t let those cartoon graphics fool you, this is a bit of a workout.

The basic premise revolves around you being a giant, a good one in fact, hence the title. After what must have been a considerably long sleep you’ve awoken to find some rather angry little folks willing to wage war with your massive frame, throwing everything at you in a bid to take your hulking great ass down.

Naturally, that’s not going to happen because even if you’re a good soul you still need to protect yourself.  And so begins what is essentially a wave-shooter just without the guns, instead, throwing back the very items being lobbed at you in a sort of tit for tat.

Good GoliathThere’s no need to worry about movement as Good Goliath keeps you almost rooted to the same spot, with each level housed in a singular arena. Which makes for a comfortable experience whether you’re seated or standing. What you need to be able to do is catch stuff, hurl it back and dodge any incoming projectiles you don’t want to or can’t catch – such as fireballs.

As you don’t have any weaponry or defensive capabilities apart from two giant hands, killing the waves of attackers requires using their weapons against them. Pitchforks, barrels, wheels, cannonballs and even the littles folds themselves will come flying towards you at an ever increasingly rapid rate. So you have to think fast and react faster in Good Goliath, grabbing what you can and trying to hit as many enemies as possible. The throwing mechanics are well balanced enough so that even those with really poor throwing skills can hit something.

But this is the videogame in a nutshell. Catch and throw. The first few levels are entertaining enough as you get to grips with the mechanics but halfway through that repetitive feeling all wave-based titles get starts sinking in. There is a little variety here and there, the pirate levels allowing you to catch a cannon and then loading it with a shark offer humorous side notes alongside the baker who floats through levels holding a cake to replenish health.

Good GoliathWhat’s impressive about Good Goliath is the level of detail and polish Knocktwice Games has employed. Grab a villager or pirate and you’ll see them squirm in your hands, with nasty looking teeth and a face only a mother could love. The arenas themselves are also littered with secrets and stuff to break when you spot a moment in the carnage to use some ammo on the scenery. There’s always plenty going on so the completion of each level always feels like an achievement.

The best set pieces in Good Goliath are certainly the boss battles. Bosses are supposed to be big and these are huge, towering over your giant self. Going against foes like the Giant King or the Kraken-like sea monster actually offer a bit of a breather as you generally only need to worry about this one foe rather than loads of little ones.

When it comes down to it, Good Goliath is all about highscores and that’s what’s going to keep players coming back. Killing several enemies gains you a multiplier and making it through a stage quickly or having taken no damage gains bonus points. Plus you don’t like the normal hands there are others to unlock, swapping those digits for tentacles or some bony fingers.

There’s no doubt that Good Goliath is fun in short sharp intervals, drawing you in with its colourful designs and pick up ‘n’ play mechanics. Nine levels might not sound many but you should get a good few hours of gameplay as they are subdivided with checkpoints because of their length. This is rinse and repeat gaming so the gameplay isn’t exactly deep but it’s still mostly enjoyable, great for those looking to steer clear of RPG style titles.

60%

Awesome

  • Verdict

Good Goliath Review: Painfully Simple Giants

Good Goliath has you playing the role of a, well, Good Goliath. If you’re curious about whether this game on the other hand, you’ll just have to read our review below.

You’ve fallen from your home and landed on a world full of really angry short people who want to hurt you because they’re intensely jealous of your ability to reach the top shelf. As such, they’ve all decided to throw pitchforks, barrels, and wagon wheels at you. 

You, being the Goodest of Goliaths, only defend yourself by catching the things they throw at you and tossing them back where they came from. That’s the basics of Good Goliath, and honestly, it’s the vast majority of the gameplay. There are a few other little mechanics sprinkled throughout the levels, but you’ll mostly just be doing a bit of the old catch and release. 

VR has come a long way since its inception. We’re long past basic tech demo-style experiences that show off the cool way you can use your hands in VR like catching objects and throwing them. Well, at least, that’s what I thought. Clearly, I’m wrong though because as much as Good Goliath has its moments, it rarely feels like more than a very basic demo of what VR can do. 

Your hand movements are limited to moving them around and opening and closing them. Those are your interactions. For example, you can’t point; I know it’s an odd complaint, but come on, we can do better here. You just catch the things thrown at you and throw them back. Sometimes you catch a bowling ball, sometimes you catch a cannon, but there’s so little aside from the basic actions that it’s hard to even justify the differences. 

good goliath gargoyle enemy

Even your defensive options are very basic; you just make sure you move your head out of the way. It’s fine to have simple controls, but you can’t even move. The whole thing just feels a little bit bare-bones. The good news is that I’m pretty sure the character model is two disembodied Rayman hands and a big old beer belly, at least that’s what the shadows show. 

It’s not that Good Goliath is bad, just that there isn’t much going on. I ended up finding my own entertainment in several levels. I tried catching every single halberd thrown at me in a flurry at one point, it went fairly well, but I did end up pulling a couple out of my chest. I also kept one of the knights I caught alive to slap him in the face occasionally and use him as a shield, that went a lot better. 

My favorite thing to do was to catch a weapon thrown at me and then use it to strike the others out of the sky like Zorro. It didn’t advance the game at all, and there was no reward for doing so, but it was cool, and sometimes you have to make your own fun. 

good goliath grabbing a pirate gameplay

The one thing that is genuinely great in Good Goliath is the boss fights. Each one feels like the best kind of throwback to the classic era of video game bosses. You have multiple stages to work through with an ever-increasing number of things to dodge, weapons to catch, and trick shots to land. The game is never better than when you’re fighting some monstrous enemy, and that’s the case with the bosses. 

The writing is also quite entertaining. The narrator does a good job of keeping your attention and has a wonderful tone of voice for this kind of work; he also does a good job when it comes to comedic timing, allowing for some funny, if somewhat predictable, story moments. 

It’s entertaining, and it’s fun at points, but it’s all so very basic. The interactions don’t match up to those available in so many VR titles, and I don’t even mean Half-Life: Alyx, that would be an intensely unfair comparison. I mean other indie titles, the smaller ones. Good Goliath has been designed to be easy to play and good for new users, and it is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean things have to feel so sparse when it comes to the gameplay. 

Good Goliath

Good Goliath Review Final Verdict

Good Goliath does what it sets out to do; it’s a simple VR game with an arcade flavour and easy to learn controls. It’s accessible, and that’s good, but it’s also very basic, and that’s bad. The moment to moment gameplay can often feel frustrating as you simply duck and dodge incoming objects and throw them back, but in the boss fights it gives you a glimpse of the technical skill and excellent design that the team is capable of. If Good Goliath had of been a boss rush only game it would be far easier to recommend, but it’s sadly just a little too limited to be worth your time if you’ve played much else in VR.


Final Score: :star: :star: 2/5 Stars | Disappointing

good goliath pro con list review

You can read more about our five-star scoring policy here.


Good Goliath releases March 31st for PSVR, Oculus Home, and SteamVR. This review was conducted on an Oculus Rift using the Steam version of the game.

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The VR Game Launch Roundup: Combat Boredom With These new Titles

VRFocus brings you another list of virtual reality (VR) videogames for users of all leading headsets to enjoy over the next week. Make sure to check out the accompanying video for a preview of each title’s gameplay and make sure to follow all our social channels to get further updates including reviews, re-releases and possible expansion packs.

Orders Of Magnitude – Ouroboro Soft Inc.

In this educational virtual reality science experience, learn about the whole observable universe at multiple scales. Explore everything from a tiny atomic nucleus to the whole Milky Way, all there to be explored. Featuring data taken from various scientific databases, users can visualise galaxies and stars as well as delving deep into human brain and DNA atoms.

Lies Beneath – Drifter Entertainment

From White Door Games, the studio behind Robo Recall: Unplugged and Gunheart, this new horror survival videogame is set in the town of Slumber, Alaska. College student Mae is on a mission to save her father from the townsfolk and creatures who have infected her hometown. You must fend off hordes of these monsters with your arsenal of various weapons, including shotguns, knives and explosives while solving various puzzles along the way. Also coming to Oculus Rift 14th April.

Good GoliathGood Goliath – Knocktwice Games

In this wave-based arcade-action title, you play as a weaponless gentle giant who has woken from a slumber and must defend himself using any surrounding objects. Throw, catch and dodge any obstacles thrown at you in this storybook-style comical world featuring a full campaign.

Final Assault – Phaser Lock Interactive

Quick thinking is essential in this World War 2-themed action title, where you must command your troops as they enter into massive battles on land in tanks and in the air with dog fights. Previously released in 2019 on other leading headsets, VRFocus awarded the PC edition a 4/5.

  • Supported Platforms: PlayStation VR
  • Launch Date: 31st March

Final AssaultGuns’N’Stories: Bulletproof VR – MiroWin

This action-packed western-style shooter fully immerses you into a Wild West setting as you encounter and fight off a series of cartoonish enemies. Duel wield various classic and modern weapons and move quickly avoiding incoming bullets in a series of detailed and varied locations.

Giant Combat VR Game Good Goliath Releases March 31 For PSVR And PC VR

Earlier this month we learned about an upcoming giant combat game called Good Goliath from Knock Twice Games. Now, we know it’s coming very soon later this month with a release date of March 31 on PSVR and PC VR headsets like Rift, Vive, and Index.

In Good Goliath you take on the role of an enormous giant in a storybook world where you find yourself under attack by dozens of tiny little enemies flooding you in hordes. You’ve got to fight back against the constant waves across a variety of bright and colorful levels.

The finale for each world results in a huge standoff against a giant boss that’s even bigger than the player’s goliath. Watch the trailer to see glimpses of it in action:

Here’s what the canned PR email description has to say about the game:

In Good Goliath, players are the giant and battle against hordes of pitchfork wielding villagers, cavalry mounted soldiers, and even flying devilish imps. With wave-based tower defense gameplay where players are the tower, catch and dodge pitchforks, barrels, and other weapons as they are launched even grab some of those tiny villagers out of the air as they launch themselves and use them to knock out their friends! Battle armies of bitty foes, formidable mini-bosses and colossal monsters as you play this arcade-action experience. From castle mountain tops, shark-infested pirate islands and creepy caverns, unleash the powerful thrill of being giant in Good Goliath.

As stated, Good Goliath releases on PSVR, Rift, Vive, and Index this March 31st. For more details, check out the developer’s official website or the game’s Steam page.

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Good Goliath Stomps Onto PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift & HTC Vive This Month

Knocktwice Games revealed its first virtual reality (VR) title Good Goliath last week, promising some giant-sized gameplay. Today, the studio has confirmed a launch date for multiple platforms, with the videogame set to arrive at the end of March.

Good Goliath

As the name suggests this isn’t some little doll-house sized experience – unless you count all the little people running around. In Good Goliath, you play a friendly giant in a storybook world who has just awoken from a nice long nap to find themself being attacked by angry hordes of people.

Whilst you might not be evil you are still being attacked and kind words aren’t enough in this situation, action is required. So it’s time to put those overly large muscles to work and defend yourself against not only tiny terrors but all manner of devilish foes.

Nine levels are filled with waves of opponents, from pitchfork-wielding villagers to cavalry mounted soldiers, and even flying imps. Based around tower defence gameplay where you’re the tower, you’ll need to catch and dodge pitchforks, barrels, and other incoming objects to use as weapons. Those tiny villagers will even fling themselves through the air to attack you, great for plucking out the sky and returning them from whence they came, using them to knock out their friends.

Good Goliath

All this arcade-action isn’t confined to the diminutive enemy either. Formidable (not so mini) mini-bosses will appear to mix up the gameplay while a colossal monster awaits you at the end of each level which can range from castle mountain tops to shark-infested pirate islands and creepy caverns.

It’s not just enemies you need to keep an eye out for either. Levels will be littered with objectives to unlock and secrets to find, with hidden treasure stored inside breakable structures. At some point in amongst all the fighting you’ll likely need to top up your health. Luckily, there’s a friendly neighbourhood baker who just happens to float through levels with some nutritious cake to perk you back up.

Knocktwice Games will release Good Goliath for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on 31st March 2020. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.

Giant Sized Escapades Await in Good Goliath This Spring

When it comes to the portrayal of giants in adventure videogames they tend to be on the receiving end of a hero’s pointy sword, lumbering great colossal beasts that cause havoc in their wake. Knocktwice Games’ upcoming title Good Goliath is no different in that respect, there’s just the small matter of you playing the giant. 

Good Goliath

The backstory goes that you’ve awoken from a nice deep slumber only to find hordes of tiny people attacking you for no reason other than your size. So naturally, you do what any giant would do in this situation, use your hands to start dispersing them – picking them up and seeing how far they can fly.

Good Goliath is styled around wave-based tower defence gameplay, with you as the tower. You’ll have to deal with a range of enemies from pitchfork-wielding villagers and cavalry mounted soldiers to flying devilish imps. You can use anything within reach as a weapon, grab a barrel flying through the air and fling it straight back or use those villagers’ pitchforks against them.

It isn’t purely little foes you’ll have to deal with either. As the screenshots showcase there will be formidable mini-bosses and colossal monsters to contend with, from fire-tossing flying witches to boulder throwing giants. With a full campaign offering 12 levels, each world culminates in a standoff against monstrous bosses which can be even larger than you.

Good Goliath

Suitable for standing or seated gameplay, alongside all the arcade action there will be special objectives to unlock and secrets to find, so it’s best to keep an eye out for breakable structures to find hidden treasure. In amongst all the chaos is a friendly neighbourhood baker who floats through levels with some cake to top up your health.

Good Goliath is slated for a Spring 2020 launch supporting PlayStation VR, Oculus and HTC Vive platforms. Take a look at the first gameplay video below and for further updates keep reading VRFocus.

Good Goliath Is A PSVR And PC VR Game With Giant Combat

Remember Giant Cop, the VR game about patrolling the city streets as, well, a giant cop? Good Goliath is a little like that, if it had a fantasy setting and, instead of protecting people, you used them as weapons. Pretty similiar, then.

Announced today from San Diego-based Knocktwice Games, Good Goliath pits you against a race of deadly giants and monsters, though you yourself are massive too. Minions charge at you and you can pick them up, throw them around and use them as projectiles against other foes. Check it out in the trailer below.

As you can see, Good Goliath is a polished-looking game with plenty of humor to it. At one point you’re catching sharks out of the air, in another you’re bowling enemies down with giant balls. It’s a game that wants to utilize VR’s amazing sense of scale, and that goes both ways. Some of the bosses seen in the trailer, like the Kraken, seem absolutely massive.

Knocktwice is promising a story-driven campaign with 12 levels and unlockables. This looks like it could be a bit of fun, even if the concept isn’t especially new anymore. Plus we’re very fond of the game’s visual style and character design. Maybe not a Half-Life killer, but not everything has to be, does it?

Good Goliath is due on PSVR and PC VR (specifically Rift and Vive) headsets in spring 2020. There’s no mention of a Quest version at this point in time. Stomp on over to the comments to let us know if you’re interested.

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