Category: job simulator

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2017 Game Developers Choice Awards Introduces New Category for Best VR/AR Game

In March the 17th annual Game Developers Choice Awards will be taking place, welcoming back Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schafer as host for the sixth time. The organisers have also added a new virtual reality (VR)/ augmented reality (AR) category for this years awards, showcasing some of the best immersive entertainment.

The Best VR/AR Game category has five main nominations with several honourable mentions. Those that made the cut were Rez Infinite, Superhot VR, Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, Pokémon Go and Fantastic Contraption. Niantic’s Pokémon Go also made it into the Best Mobile/Handheld Game and Innovation Award categories.

superhot vr - first screenshots 8

Whilst pure VR titles appear in any other category, Drool’s Thumper, which wasn’t made for VR but does support PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, does feature in Best Audio and Best Debut.

The 17th annual Game Developers Choice Awards are held at the San Francisco Moscone Center during the 2017 Game Developers Conference (GDC) on 1st March. For the latest news on the event, keep reading VRFocus.

Full list of categories and nominations:

BEST VR/AR GAME
Rez Infinite (Monstars / Enhance Games)
Superhot VR (SUPERHOT Team)
Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives (Owlchemy Labs)
Pokémon Go (Niantic)
Fantastic Contraption (Radial Games / Northway Games)

Honourable Mentions: Thumper (Drool), Superhypercube (Kokoromi / Polytron Corporation), Batman Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), Space Pirate Trainer (I-Illusions), The Lab (Valve)

BEST AUDIO
Battlefield 1 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts)
Thumper (Drool)
DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Inside (Playdead)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)

Honourable Mentions: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Rez Infinite (Monstars / Enhance Games), Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine), Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic), Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks), The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)

BEST DEBUT
Heart Machine (Hyper Light Drifter)
Campo Santo (Firewatch)
ConcernedApe (Stardew Valley)
Drool (Thumper)
Night School Studio (Oxenfree)

Honourable Mentions: SUPERHOT Team (SUPERHOT), Numinous Games (That Dragon, Cancer), Giant Squid Studios (Abzu), Ghost Town Games (Overcooked), iNK Stories (1979 Revolution: Black Friday)

BEST DESIGN
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
The Witness (Thekla)
Inside (Playdead)
DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)

Honourable Mentions: Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Dark Souls III (From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic), Hitman (IO Interactive / Square Enix)

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME
Super Mario Run (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Clash Royale (Supercell)
Pokémon Go (Niantic)
Reigns (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
Pokémon Sun/Moon (Game Freak / The Pokémon Company)

Honourable Mentions: Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club), Severed (DrinkBox Studios), Deus Ex: Go (Square Enix Montreal / Square Enix), Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD / Nintendo), Imbroglio (Michael Brough), Swap Sword (AP Thomson and Diego Garcia)

INNOVATION AWARD
The Witness (Thekla)
Inside (Playdead)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)
Pokemon Go (Niantic)

Honourable Mentions: That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games), The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment), SUPERHOT (SUPERHOT Team), Thumper (Drool), Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)

BEST NARRATIVE
The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Inside (Playdead)
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)

Honourable Mentions: That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games), Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks), The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt), Kentucky Route Zero – Act IV (Cardboard Computer), Mafia III (Hangar 13 / 2K Games)

BEST TECHNOLOGY
Battlefield 1 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honourable Mentions: Inside (Playdead), Pokemon Go (Niantic), The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks), The Witness (Thekla)

BEST VISUAL ART
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)
The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Inside (Playdead)

Honourable Mentions: The Witness (Thekla), Battlefield 1 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), Abzu (Giant Squid Studios), Thumper (Drool), DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)

GAME OF THE YEAR
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Inside (Playdead)
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)

Honourable Mentions: DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks), The Witness (Thekla), Battlefield 1 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)

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Job Simulator Review – Making the Mundane Magical

Job Simulator Review – Making the Mundane Magical

The brain is weird. All it takes is a little bit of visual, audio, and physical stimulation and for all intents and purposes we can be tricked into believing that we’re in an entirely different place. What’s even weirder is when you combine all of those stimulations into making the brain think it’s somewhere familiar doing things it’s already familiar with, it starts to actually feel real.

In the case of Job Simulator, a funny and whimsical VR game developed by Owlchemy Labs, the places your brain takes you could be anywhere from such exotic places as behind the grill at a restaurant and at a cubicle in a boring office, all the way to under the hood in a car repair shop or even manning the cashier at a convenience store.

It may not sound like much, but taking these seemingly menial tasks, these boring jobs that no one ever dreams of having but everyone knows are necessary to make the world work, and applying a generous dose of humor and personality, is all it takes to turn something mundane into something magical.

In the world of Job Simulator, you take on the role of someone going through a series of simulations that are designed to mimic what it was like for average, ordinary humans to attend and perform their daily duties at one of four different jobs: Auto Mechanic, Gourmet Chef, Store Clerk, and Office Worker. In this world robots have replaced humans, so there is no need for these now-irrelevant careers, which leaves Job Simulator to serve as a portal to the past.

Job Simulator will earn its place as not only a hilarious game to boot up for a quick laugh, but also as one of the best ways to introduce someone to VR for the very first time.

Each scenario is so full of humor and gushing with infectious charm that it’s hard not to simply play through each job all the way from start to finish without stopping. Overall, each experience averages at about an hour in length, especially if you’re like me and like to take a few breaks between tasks to mess things up and cause a ruckus. But a big part of the fun has less to do with how quickly you can tear through each individual occupation, and more to do with how creative you can get with your environment.

For example, my favorite job is probably the Gourmet Chef. One reason is because it is one of the best displays of all of the game’s systems working together in unison, such as the interactivity of picking up and manipulating objects, mixing things together, changing temperatures, and much more. But even more so than that, I love this level because I like seeing how the fish across the room react to the different things that I can toss into their tank.

Each environment has little Easter egg moments like this – such as the basketball hoop that shoots confetti when you make a basket with an object on the office level – so they’re just as fun to poke around in as they are to actually complete. A great feature is that if you want to jump to a specific section of a job, from the main hub area, you can easily start at any section you want without issues.

Read More: Why A Cup Of Coffee In ‘Job Simulator’ Took 850 Hours To Make

While I’ve mentioned it before, it deserves mentioning again: Job Simulator may very well be one of the funniest games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Your instructor is always babbling off to the side or behind you about something and making random side comments that elicit laughter. Above all else, Owlchemy clearly put forth a great deal of effort to make sure that not only does the liquid work correctly, but also that each and every ounce of content is brimming with a unique sense of personality.

Watching other people play Job Simulator for the first time is also a special experience. Since the physics and interactivity do such a wonderful job of recreating each occupation, it’s the type of game that doesn’t require a tutorial at all. All I had to do was hand the controllers over and strap the headset on and the other person could immediately start following instructions.

Need to get an item out of the refrigerator? Open up the door and grab it. Need to grab a wrench or other item that fell on the ground? Walk over or lean over and pick it up. It’s easy to play precisely because of how intuitive and natural everything is. There’s no pesky gamepad separating you from the world you’re viewing. Instead, you’ve got two discrete controllers in your hand that provide you with the motion tracking and haptic feedback necessary to trick your brain into believing you’re actually filling up that slushie for Mr. Robot across the counter.

Thankfully, Job Simulator is the least accurate simulation game I’ve ever played.

Since motion tracking technology is far from perfect, there were still moments of frustration occasionally. Pulling levers seemed to be particularly difficult for the sensors to detect, as I noticed I had to often try several times to get a lever to work properly. Every now and then my hands wouldn’t really work properly or objects would clip into other objects causing some craziness. But luckily the tongue-in-cheek tone makes every bug or minor issue appear as just another quirk of the game rather than a glaring issue.

Once you finish each job, you’re free to pick and choose where to jump back in and play around further. Many of my favorite moments came from when I was replaying levels to goof around, as opposed to when I played them “correctly” the first time around. However, I do wish there was a bit more content in the final package. At least one or two more jobs would have been nice, or a more sandbox-type mode that let me move around the locations and interact with more objects. Ultimately, I just wanted more.

 

Update: Since release on the HTC Vive, Job Simulator has since been ported to the PlayStation VR (as a best-seller, no less) and the Oculus Rift with Touch. On each of these other platforms, the environment layouts have been slightly altered so as to allow you to reach everything you need with minimal room-scale movement. Tracking is always a bit bothersome on PS VR, with its single front-facing camera, but the game is fully playable and enjoyable. On Oculus Rift with Touch, we recommend one of the experimental 360-degree setups to get the full experience, but two front-facing cameras should allow you to enjoy the majority of the game.

Either way, you’re getting one of VR’s very best games and it’s now available on all three major headsets.

Final Score: 8/10 – Great

Thankfully, Job Simulator is the least accurate simulation game I’ve ever played. The last thing people want to do is come home from work only to put on a clunky headset to go right back to work again. Fortunately, Job Simulator’s interpretation of various mundane professions is anything but boring. From now until the end of time, I imagine Job Simulator will earn its place as not only a hilarious game to boot up for a quick laugh, but also as one of the best ways to introduce someone to VR for the very first time.

Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.

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Owlchemy Seeks Beta Testers For New Mixed Reality Solution

Owlchemy Labs Adds Incredible Transparency and Lighting To Mixed Reality Solution

Mixed reality is one of the most impressive uses of virtual reality technology we’ve seen so far. By using a green screen and inventive camera setup, users can project the game world to the screen and let it surround the player — as if they are actually standing inside the VR experience itself. This not only looks great in video, but does a wonderful job of communicating what it’s like inside the headset.

Back in October, Owlchemy Labs, the developers behind the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Job Simulator and upcoming Rick and Morty VR game, announced their plans for iterating and improving on mixed reality capture technology. Now today, they’ve announced the follow-up to their developments, which includes incredible dynamic lighting, automatic green screen bounding, and transparency features.

UploadVR reached out to Owlchemy Labs CEO, Alex Schwartz, about these new features and how they will work with other non-Owlchemy games and applications. “It can be dropped into any app with zero integration and will work for any 3D content in Unity. At this moment we’re looking for people to try it out in a closed beta and the licensing model is yet to be announced.”

You can apply for the Owlchemy Labs mixed reality private beta right here.

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Nominations for Best VR Game at The Game Awards Announced, Includes EVE: Valkyrie and Job Simulator

In a couple of weeks time the annual Game Awards will be taking place in Los Angeles. One of the biggest industry events on the calendar, the awards feature the latest and greatest videogames from around the world. All the nominations have now been announced, with the Best VR Game category featuring some well known titles.

Five virtual reality (VR) videogames have been selected for the category award, these are: Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE), EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games), Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs), Rez Infinite (Enhance Games) and Thumper (Drool).

The Game Awards logo

With all the VR titles currently available over several platforms, it seems the PlayStation VR is doing very well. While EVE: Valkyrie and Job Simulator do appear on other headsets the other three are purely exclusive to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) head-mounted display (HMD).

But VR and augmented reality (AR) titles aren’t just confined to one specific category. Pokémon GO from Niantic appears in Best Mobile/Handheld and Best Family Game, while Rez Infinite and Thumper reappear in Best Music/Sound Design.

“The Game Awards is all about celebrating the state of video game art,” said Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards producer/host.  “In just a few short weeks we will recognize the most outstanding games of 2016 in unexpected ways, and preview the most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond with the longest, most in-depth world premieres we’ve ever attempted — including surprises and new game announcements.”

VRFocus reported on The Game Awards earlier this month, when it was revealed that VR specialist broadcaster NextVR would be live-streaming the event via its app on Samsung Gear VR.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of The Game Awards, reporting back with any further announcements.

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Watch Out, No Time To Relax, There’s Jobs To Do In Job Simulator

If you’ve received your PlayStation VR headset this week then you’ll have likely dived straight into the demo disc to tryout the selection of titles available. For US and European customers there was a difference in the amount available, the US got 17 titles while European customers only got 8. Sony Interactive Entertainment rectified this somewhat by making the other videogames available to download from PlayStation.Store. One of the titles included was Owlchemy Lab’s Job Simulator, if you’ve not tried it yet take a look at the launch trailer below to see what its all about.

Job Simulator originally launched for the HTC Vive on its arrival, being bundled with the head-mounted display (HMD) for early adopters, but its now been taken off the bundle list.

As the name suggests Job Simulator tasks players with completing various tasks in particular settings. Set in the future robots have taken over most menial tasks and the human populace has forgotten just what previous generations used to do.

There are several jobs to complete with the title a great introduction into virtual reality (VR). The jobs include being a car mechanic in a workshop, where engine parts like spark plugs and the filter can be removed, cars resprayed and so forth. There’s also Office Worker, Gourmet Chef, and Convenience Store Clerk to complete.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of PlayStation VR, reporting back with any new updates.

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Owlchemy Labs Teases New In-Engine Mixed Reality Tech

Owlchemy Labs, the studio known for the genre-defying game Job Simulator, have cooked up a new way of doing mixed reality that not only promises to be more realistic, but is sure to grab the attention of VR streamers and content creators alike. They’re calling it ‘Depth-based Realtime In-app Mixed Reality Compositing’. It sounds complex, but it seems to simplify the entire production pipeline.

Green screen VR setups have littered expos ever since Northway Games teased mixed reality integration in Fantastic Contraption earlier this year. Requiring little more than a green sheet, an external camera and a few other bits and bobs (Northway published a step-by-step guide), the results are easy to see:

The video above however is the result of extensive polishing and after effects like rotoscoping to correctly occlude items, making it appear that the player is in 3D space instead of flatly sandwiched between the foreground; the contraption, and the background; the virtual environment.

owlchemy-labs-mixed-reality
image courtesy Owlchemy Labs

Owlchemy Labs recently teased a new in-engine method of putting you in the middle of the action, correctly occluded, that promises to eliminate extra software like Adobe After Effects or composition software like OBS from the equation.

They do it by using a stereo depth camera, recording video and depth data simultaneously. They then feed the stereo data in real-time into Unity using a custom plugin and a custom shader to cutout and depth sort the user directly in the engine renderer. This method requires you to replace your simple webcam with a 3D camera like the ZED 2K stereo cam—a $500 dual RGB camera setup that importantly doesn’t use infrared sensors (like Kinect) which can screw with VR positional tracking. But if you’re pumping out mixed reality VR footage on the daily, then the time savings (and admittedly awesome-looking results) may be worth the initial investment.

Owlchemy says you’ll be able to capture footage with either static or full-motion, tracked cameras, and do it from a single computer. Because the method doesn’t actually require a VR headset or controllers, you can technically capture a VR scene with multiple, non-tracked users.

“Developing this pipeline was a large technical challenge as we encountered many potentially show-stopping problems, such as wrangling the process of getting 1080p video with depth data into Unity at 30fps without impacting performance such that the user in VR can still hit 90FPS in their HMD,” writes Owlchemy. “Additionally, calibrating the camera/video was a deeply complicated issue, as was syncing the depth feed and the engine renderer such that they align properly for the final result. After significant research and engineering we were able to solve these problems and the result is definitely worth the deep dive.”

The studio says it still needs more time to complete the project, but they “have plans in the works to be able to eventually share some of our tech outside the walls of Owlchemy Labs.” We’ll be following their progress to see just how far reaching it becomes.

The post Owlchemy Labs Teases New In-Engine Mixed Reality Tech appeared first on Road to VR.

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US PlayStation VR Demo Disc Includes 17 Games

Last week VRFocus reported on the reveal that eight titles would be included in the PlayStation VR demo disc that comes with every headset. Now it’s been revealed that that particular demo disc is for European customers as a new content line-up has been announced for US and Canadian customers.

This new demo selection ups the content available quite considerably, jumping from 8 to 17 videogames. The same 8 as the previously announced disc are included but now the content line-up looks like this.

battlezone new features

Allumette (Penrose)

Battlezone (Rebellion)

DriveClub VR (SIE WWS)

EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)

Gnog (KO_OP)

Harmonix Music VR (Harmonix Music Systems)

Headmaster (Frame Interactive)

Here They Lie (SIE WWS)

Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)

PlayStation VR Worlds (SIE WWS)

Resident Evil 7 biohazard — Kitchen Teaser (Capcom CO., LTD.)

Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)

Rigs: Mechanized Combat League (SIE WWS)

Thumper (Drool)

Tumble VR (SIE WWS)

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (SIE WWS)

Wayward Sky (Uber Entertainment)

Within (Within)

The announcement on PlayStation.Blog does state: “The demo disc will also be available for download at PlayStation Store for free after PS VR launches.” So for customers in other territories there may still be a chance to get hold of the demo content, but there’s not guarantee at present.

Today’s been a PlayStation VR rich news day with Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia (SIEJA) holding its 2016 PlayStation Press Conference prior to the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) this week. There’s been more details released on previously announced titles such as Summer Lesson, Cyber Danganronpa VR: Class Trial and Joysound VR, with a couple of new reveals like: V! What Did I do to Deserve This, My Lord? R, Headbutt Factory and Granblue Fantasy.

As TGS 2016 gets underway VRFocus will bring you all the latest VR news from the show.

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The 9 Best Vive Games to Play Right Now

The 9 Best Vive Games to Play Right Now

Now that the HTC Vive has been out for a while, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of content flow onto Valve’s flagship VR headset. Hundreds of games live on Steam with HTC Vive support, although it’s worth clarifying that the majority of them offer very little in the way of engaging content beyond a simple gameplay mechanic that’s fun for 30 minutes.

As a result, we feel the need to provide a definitive source with an up-to-date list regarding the very best Vive games that you can play right now. We’ll keep an eye on the VR gaming landscape and update this list over time, as appropriate, to better represent what’s available.

Obviously, it goes without saying that the first three Vive games you should play are the original three that came bundled with the Vive’s very first preorders: Tilt Brush, Job Simulator, and Fantastic Contraption. While Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption may not be bundled any longer, they’re still awesome demonstrations of what VR can accomplish by focusing on very specific concepts. Additionally, The Gallery, and Zombie Training Simulator, are included with all current Vive bundles, and also deserve recognition as being excellent games in their own right. And Google Earth VR is one of the best apps period, but it’s not really a game technically.

But this list is focused on games you don’t have access to out of the box. If you just got a Vive or are cruising for something to play, you already tried the bundle games. You want something more. And that’s where this list comes in.

None of these games come bundled with the device, prices will likely change depending on which week or month you’re reading this list, and chances are they’ll all receive updates and patches making them even better than they are today. But the fact remains that at the time of writing, these are the 9 must-play Vive games available right now, in no particular order.

The Lab

Not only is The Lab free to download and specifically created by Valve for the HTC Vive, but it’s also one of the best demonstrations of not just VR, but room scale as well. Instead of masquerading as a glorified tech demo pretending to be a real game, it’s just a collection of short demo experiences. Each of them focus on something specific and really show you how much potential exists for developers in the future.

Longbow, for example, puts you atop a castle wall as an archer that’s tasked with shooting invaders. It sounds simple but it’s incredibly addicting. Then there’s Xortex, which is a clever twist on the classic shoot ‘em up genre that puts you in control of a ship in 3D space as you move and zip around by dodging and shooting lasers from every direction.  It’s free and it’s super high-quality, you’d be crazy not to download this one immediately.

Raw Data

Raw Data is what happens when a group of game developers get together and posit a virtual world where all of the protagonists get to be super-powered, cyborg-killing, badass heroes. It can be easy to brush this one off as “just another wave shooter,” but that would be a gross oversimplification of the game. You don’t just face off against robots and call it a day, but instead move around the environment and set up defenses, dodge attacks, and more.

What makes Raw Data so great though is that you’re not just fighting these robots by yourself, but you can do so in cooperative multiplayer with friends or random people over the internet. The multitude of different classes — such as a pistol-wielder and sword-wielder — lend a lot of variety to the experience. With more classes coming, as well as more missions, powers, and enemies, this is easily one of the most polished and robust Early Access VR titles on the market.

Vanishing Realms

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play D&D with a hint of Zelda in VR? Then look no further because Vanishing Realms could very well scratch that pesky itch. On the surface, it’s a relatively bare bones dungeon crawler with some light exploration and puzzle elements, but where the game really shines is when you’re thrust into combat.

Using the Vive’s motion controllers and room scale technology, you maneuver around the environment to dodge enemies and attacks and can even swing your sword and block with your shield all using real-life 1:1 motion tracking. Hear a bow string twang from behind? Spin around and block the arrow with your shield. Duck behind cover and cast spells at enemies. You can do it all in Vanishing Realms.

Onward

This is the hardcore VR shooter for hardcore VR gamers. If you grew up playing games like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, SOCOM, and other similar tactical military shooters, then you’ll feel right at home in Onward. It has much more in common with the grueling teamwork of those games than the run-and-gun hip firing found in modern shooters like Call of Duty, and it was all created by one guy.

From holding your rifle with both hands and using your walkie talkie on your shoulder, to pulling out your knife to sneak up on an opponent, Onward is the visceral, realistic VR game many people have been waiting for. It uses full roomscale tracking with motion controllers and artificial locomotion attached to the trackpad — no teleporting here. The community is healthy and fun, making this one of the clear standout titles for the HTC Vive so far.

A Chair in a Room: Greenwater

What does it take to scare you? I don’t mean to make you jump in surprise from something that pops up as you round a corner in the darkness, or a loud noise that catches you off guard. I mean what does it take to really, really frighten you? The kind of scare that leaves you thinking about it after you take off the headset and stop playing the game. That answer is likely very different for everyone, but for me, the answer is A Chair in a Room: Greenwater.

Everything from the pacing, to the foreboding sounds and atmosphere, all the way to the twisted story of mental illness and terrifying captivity, A Chair in a Room: Greenwater is one of the scariest games I’ve played on the HTC Vive. Instead of relying on cheap jump scares, it builds a suspenseful narrative that concludes in a breathtaking ending. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a great example of what’s possible with the horror genre in VR.

The Brookhaven Experiment

You’ve probably heard about it or seen it before, as The Brookhaven Experiment has become synonymous with, “Hey! Watch this person’s ridiculous reaction to fake stuff in VR!” But the great thing about The Brookhaven Experiment is that if you look beyond the silly reaction videos and dig into the meat of the game, what you’ll find is one of the most satisfying (albeit terrifying) VR experiences currently on the market.

You can plow through the game’s Survival mode, completing waves as they get progressively harder and more intense, as well as the Campaign mode, which features a pseudo-plot and voice acting to push the story along. Between waves you’ll upgrade your weapons and prepare for the onslaught of more zombies, crawlers, and other creepy beasts. It sounds simple, but the slowly building dread you’ll face as you spin around searching for that last zombie — just as your flashlight dies — is truly unnerving.

Rec Room

You’ve got no excuse for not playing Rec Room. This whimsical gym simulation, complete with dorm rooms, a communal area, and tons of activities, is not only free to download and play for all Vive users, it’s also one of the most engaging experiences you can try in VR to date. When you first log into the world, you’ll start in your dorm room, alone, to get your bearings. Pick out your clothes, choose your appearance, and establish a bit of your virtual identity before meeting your peers.

From the main lobby, you can walk around and chat with other players, complete with high-fives, fist bumps, and incredibly emotive faces. Activities range from an exciting game of Paintball, Table Tennis, Dodgeball, and more. The premise is simple, but the execution is so loveable and on-point that it’s impossible to not play Rec Room with a smile on your face. It reminds us of the reasons we enjoy(ed) going to school: hanging out with friends.

Island: 359

It’s really a damn shame. But it seems like, in the year 2016, people have mostly forgotten how terrifying dinosaurs can be. They’ve been replaced mostly with zombies as the go-to monstrosity of choice, but little else can match the ferocity and terror from the roar of a towering T-Rex. That’s something that Island: 359 not only captures, but revels in from start to finish. It may currently only be a fraction of its planned vision, but it’s already delivering on much of its core promise.

In Island: 359, you’re a mercenary dropped into a dangerous tropical jungle on the hunt for big, bad dinos. You’ll be tasked with venturing into the depths of the sprawling tree-laden wilderness — a massive area — complete with free quick-sprint teleportation movement. With a litany of guns, items, and other upgrades to find, you’ll spend your time upgrading as you advance through the jungle. But be careful: your bounty won’t count if you can’t make it back to the chopper for evacuation.

Redout

This is WipeOut for the modern age. It’s a shameless imitation that does everything right and excels at its copy of Sony’s first-party racing title, updating it for 2016, and adding VR support to boot. It may not be a VR-only title like most of the others we tend to cover at UploadVR, but it’s still one of the best games you can play right now on the HTC Vive.

The speed is indescribably intense and the sheer breadth of content is refreshing for an industry that seems riddled with tech demos and brief experiences. Redout came out of nowhere to offer the speed, thrills, and intensity that the market was craving. Definitely grab this one if you haven’t already.

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11/24/16 Update: Battle Dome and Hover Junkers have been retired from this list and replaced with Onward and Redout. 

8/30/16 Update: The Gallery was moved into the ‘bundle’ paragraph at the start of the article, while Unseen Diplomacy, Space Pirate Trainer, and #SelfieTennis have been retired. The list has also been expanded from 7 games to 9, opening up 2 new spots. In the 5 total vacant slots, we’ve added Raw Data, A Chair in a Room: Greenwater, Island: 359, Battle Dome, and Rec Room.

This article was originally published on 4/13/16.

Editor’s Note: Another version of this list, specifically focused on multiplayer games, has been retired and will no longer be updated. This list is our definitive collection of the overall best Vive games we’ve identified as of the last time the list was updated.

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