Virtual reality (VR) faced a lot of detractors in the early days of its resurgence as a consumer technology. While some of those have come around as the hardware has improved it seems Take-Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick still isn’t sold on VR or its effect on the videogame industry.
In an earnings call this week Zelnick was highly sceptical of current trends, from the use of the word metaverse continually used by companies like Epic Games and Roblox to cryptocurrencies and immersive tech like VR and augmented reality (AR).
When discussing the metaverse subject and how Take-Two’s properties like Grand Theft Auto Online or Red Dead Online might transition he said: “I’m always allergic to buzzwords. The buzzwords of VR didn’t get this industry too far and AR hasn’t improved matters either,” reports GameBeat. “3D hasn’t done much for us. What moves the dial in our business is amazing creativity, great characters, great stories, great graphics, great gameplay. The ability to enjoy those experiences with other people all around the world. That is what really matters.”
So don’t expect Take-Two Interactive to be actively pursuing VR or AR if the boss has such distaste for the technology, even after all these years. But that’s not to say its subsidiaries won’t. The publisher owns Rockstar Games creator of Grand Theft Auto and L.A. Noire.Back in 2017, the studio – in conjunction with Australian developer Video Games Deluxe – released L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, a very well-received videogame at the time.
Last year Video Games Deluxe revealed in a job posting that it works “exclusively for Rockstar” and that it was hiring for another VR project which is going to be “a AAA open world title.” Currently, no further details have surfaced regarding the project. Thankfully, Video Games Deluxe and Rockstar don’t share the same opinion as Zelnick so hopefully more info will be released during 2021 for that VR title.
His opinion of AR is also in stark contrast to many major companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google who are heavily investing in the technology. Slightly more understandable from a videogame perspective as AR tends to be seen much more as a tool rather than an entertainment medium. Should Take-Two Interactive decide to delve deeper down the VR rabbit hole, VRFocus will let you know.
Thanks to a recent job listing on Linkedin it has come to light that Video Games Deluxe, the Australian developer behind Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is now working on a new virtual reality (VR) project which is set to be “a AAA open world title.”
The studio is currently looking to expand its team by hiring for a number of positions including Senior Game Play Programmer, Game Designer and Senior Animator.
Whatever the project is Video Games Deluxe is making it for Rockstar rather than its own independent title, continuing the collaboration between the two companies. “2020 marks our 7th year of working exclusively for Rockstar in Sydney and we are excited to taking on this ground breaking project,” notes the Linkedin post.
Obviously, putting Rockstar Games and “AAA open-world” in the same sentence would make anyone think of a possible Grand Theft Auto V tie-in, especially as the title is getting a new lease of life on PlayStation 5. Interestingly, the Senior Animator role does note the applicant: “will be working with characters, vehicles, weapons and general props.”
If it’s not a port of an existing videogame then Video Games Deluxe could be working on a brand new IP funded by Rockstar. In any case, no further details exist at this time.
Thanks to L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files Video Games Deluxe has shown it is adept at making VR experiences. The title originally arrived back in 2017 for HTC Vive before being ported to Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. VRFocus gave L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files a full five-star rating in its review, saying it: “presents an unwavering argument for VR as a compelling entertainment medium, and should be welcomed as a yet another stepping stone to true presence in digital worlds.”
As further details come to light regarding Video Games Deluxe’s new VR project for Rockstar Games, VRFocus will let you know.
The rumors are true; LA Noire: The VR Case Files is coming to PSVR.
The port of the divisive Rockstar game was just confirmed during Sony’s State of Play broadcast. And it’s out today! (UPDATE: We originally said it’s out now but it’s not live on the PS Store yet. Apologies!) Back in August we reported on a PEGI rating for the game which all but confirmed its existence.
LA Noire The VR Case Files first released on PC VR headsets a few years back. The game plays like an abridged version of the original, hand-picking a few of the original missions and adapting them into VR. You play as Detective Cole Phelps, solving cases across his entire career.
Though LA Noire first released years before a VR headset, the game’s core concepts make surprising sense for the platform. Along with fist fights and shoot outs, the game uses detailed facial scanning to bring elicit emotions to characters in the world. You have to study their reactions to questions to try and solve your case. It works quite well in VR, and the motion controls are well suited to the experience too.
We gave LA Noire: The VR Case Files 8/10 in our review. “Interrogations, crime scenes, and action moments all feel great, but they’re too few and far between with only seven total cases,” David Jagneaux wrote. “But given the scope and abbreviated implementation of one of gaming’s most unique properties, LA Noire VR is an absolutely riveting adventure.”
Elsewhere, HTC recently suggested to us that Rockstar is “not done” with VR. Hopefully that means we’ll see some new VR games from the GTA developer in the new year.
Get Phelps on the case; it looks like LA Noire: The VR Case Files is finally coming to PSVR.
This abridged adaptation of Rockstar and Team Bondi’s divisive detective game hit PC VR headsets in 2017. It took a choice selection of cases from the original game and directly translated them for headsets. As with most high-end PC VR games, we’ve since been waiting for confirmation of a PSVR version. This week, the European games rating board, PEGI, gave a PS4 version an 18 rating.
While not official confirmation, it does make an impending announcement likely. It’s surprising it’s taken this long but, then again, porting to the less powerful PS4 hardware can be an intense and costly process.
If true, we’d hope to see the PSVR version arriving later this year. PSVR’s had a strong 2019 thus far with releases like Blood & Truth and, from tomorrow, No Man’s Sky. That said, we don’t really know what’s coming for the rest of the year aside from Iron Man VR.
This would certainly make a worthy addition to the line-up. We gave LA Noire: The VR Case Files 8/10 in our review. “Interrogations, crime scenes, and action moments all feel great, but they’re too few and far between with only seven total cases,” David Jagneaux wrote. “But given the scope and abbreviated implementation of one of gaming’s most unique properties, LA Noire VR is an absolutely riveting adventure.”
When a new entertainment platform arises, one method of testing the waters is to take something popular and create a spin-off for the new platform, to see if fans will follow. Alternatively, a spin-off can let you test out new ideas and mechanics with less risk, something that is particularly true for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). VRFocus examines a few examples of franchises that have now crossed into a more immersive world.
ARK Park
ARK: Survival Evolved attracted immediate attention when it was first revealed, with its fantastically detailed open world and, of course, the perennial fascination that human beings seem to have for dinosaurs. So when Snail Games revealed its VR spin off, there was much interest. This is especially true for players who like a more relaxed experience, since ARK Park has a more gentle, exploratory approach than the title it was originally based on.
The Walking Dead: Our World
Despite many people believing zombie-based media is at saturation point, The Walking Dead has continued to be incredibly popular. Originally starting as a comic book, it was then adapted into a TV show in AMC, where its popularity exploded. The Walking Dead: Our World is still awaiting its official worldwide release, but anticipation for the location-based AR experience is high.
Pokemon Go
Pokemon is a worldwide phenomenon, so it was originally something of a surprise that a tiny company like Niantic Labs were the ones chosen to create the AR mobile app for the franchise, Pokemon Go. Despite repeated technical issues, this still seems to have done fairly well, single-handedly raising the profile for AR around the world.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files
L.A. Noire was a very impressive release for its time, with its groundbreaking facial scanning and animation technology that tried to create a realistic and absorbing world for the player. As such, it seems like a natural fit for VR. Though the entire game content isn’t available in VR, seven cases are available to solve in VR, with a complete makeover to take advantage of the immersive technology.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
The original Psychonauts came out in 2005, and despite its originally disappointing sales figures it quickly gathered a core of dedicated fans and garnered a reputation as a cult classic. An unexpected Twitter conversation led to talks of a sequel, and also to the creation of a VR ‘mid-quel’ Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruinthat was originally released on PlayStation VR before getting posted over to SteamVR earlier this year.
Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep
Plenty of Final Fantasy fans viewed the epic road trip of the four pretty boys as something of a return to form for the series, which had been flagging somewhat. Many players sank somewhat more time than is wise into the fishing mini-game. Apparently aimed at those players, that fishing mini-game got the VR treatment in Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep, resulting in some surprisingly absorbing gameplay.
Killing Floor: Incursion
Killing Floor started life as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, first seeing life in 2005 before getting an upgrade to a standalone commercial release in 2009. It later received a sequel in 2016. Both the original and its sequel were examples of the ‘wave shooter’ that gained popularity in VR, so a conversion to the VR platform seems like a logical choice. Killing Floor: Incursion was born in 2017, originally for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive before being ported to PlayStation VR this year.
The weekend is here and with the Steam VR Spring Sale still in full swing it is time to find something for the weekend. To help you out VRFocushas put together some of the best virtual reality (VR) deals from the Steam VR Spring Sale to make finding your new favorite even easier. As always be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.
STAND OUT : VR Battle Royale
“Stand Out is the ultimate fight for your life. You will be parachuted on a wide island and you will have to explore your surroundings to find weapons and equipment to fight for your survival. Use vehicles to move faster and keep an eye on the deadly barrier that shrinks the battleground during the game and forces the players to murder each other. Only one will remain.”
If you are wanting to grab yourself a bargain that features a lot of shooting then you will want to pick up the Serious Sam VR Bundle. This package contains Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter, Serious Sam VR: The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE. Each of these titles will have you running, gunning and fighting against endless hordes of enemies in true Serious Sam style.
Serious Sam VR Bundle is currently on sale for for £36.26 (GBP) down from £120.96. Each title is available separately for around £15 as well.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files
“it’s that believability that makes L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files one of the most immersive VR videogames to date. As with most releases on modern VR hardware, it’s easy to pick flaws in the videogame due to the control systems and lessened visual quality, but to do so would be to ignore the huge leap forward L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files makes in the creation of a real-world playground. The delivery of unique characters impresses a sense of urgency, empathy and often distain unlike any other videogame experience, playing into the strengths of the VR medium by placing the player face-to-face with convincing digital human beings. L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files presents an unwavering argument for VR as a compelling entertainment medium, and should be welcomed as a yet another stepping stone to true presence in digital worlds.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files.
The VR version of Croteam’s critically acclaimed first-person puzzle title in the tradition of philosophical science fiction. You will find yourself in a strange, contradictory world of ancient ruins and advance technology. Tasks by your creator with solving a series of increasingly complex puzzles, you must decide whether to have faith or to ask the difficulty questions: Who are you? what is your purpose? and what are you going to do about it?
Have you ever wanted to carry out the prefect heist? Well, with PAYDAY 2 you can do just that. The title recently made the PAYDAY 2: VR mode free and a part of the main game meaning anyone with a VR headset can download the DLC and jump right into the VR mode. With up to four players carrying out each heist, you can expect to experience tense, action-packed moments throughout the title.
The Fruit Ninja phenomenon comes to VR with the release of Fruit Ninja VR, bringing the fruit-slicing action title to a new level. Jump in and get slicing as you play through a number of different gamemodes making use of not just one but two swords. Can you earn the highest score and become the Fruit Ninja master?
Fruit Ninja VR is available for only £7.14 (GBP) which is down from £10.99.
Battlezone
“Battlezone is arcade VR action at its finest, with options galore allowing players to uniquely hone their combat strategies. With both extensive single-player and multiplayer modes there’s enough here for countless hours of gameplay, so you can comfortably sit cocooned inside these rolling machines of destruction and never get bored, because quite frankly, it’s too much fun. PlayStation VR owners have been enjoying Battlezone for months, if you own an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive you don’t need to have second thoughts about this, Battlezone is one of the best VR titles out there” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Battlezone.
Battlezone is currently over half price on sale for £14.99 (GBP) down from £29.99.
GORN
“GORN is a ludicrously violent VR gladiator simulator, made by Free Lives, the developers of Broforce and Genital Jousting. Featuring a unique, fully physics driven combat engine, GORN combatants will be able to creatively execute their most violent gladiatorial fantasies in virtual reality. Savagely strike down an infinite supply of poorly-animated opponents with all manner of weapons – from swords, maces, and bows to nunchuks, throwing knives, massive two-handed warhammers or even your blood-soaked bare hands. The only limits to the carnage are your imagination and decency, in the most brutal and savage VR face-smashing game ever produced by man.”
GORNis currently on sale for £11.24 (GBP) down from £14.99.
VTOL VR
“VTOL VR is a near-futuristic combat flight game built specifically for Virtual Reality. You are the pilot of an AV-42C, a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capable vehicle that can perform transport, air to surface, and air to air combat roles. Take on a wide array of challenges that will put your flight skills, situational awareness, and combat tactics to the test.”
VTOL VR is currently only £6.79 (GBP) on sale from £7.99.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew
“While Star Trek: Bridge Crew definitely appeals to the core fan base – Ubisoft has added the original USS Enterprise in there as well – non Star Trek fans of the franchise will also find something to like about the title, especially with a few mates playing. The production values are top notch making Star Trek: Bridge Crew one of those rare VR experiences that feels like a AAA title, and likely part of most VR gamers’ collections.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
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.
Rockstar Games’ LA Noire: The VR Case Files finally came to the Oculus Rift last week via both the Oculus Store and a patch on the Steam version of the game. However, the update actually made the game unplayable for some, but now it’s been fixed.
Over on Steam, several players noted that the game was now crashing on Vive since the release of patch 1.03 (which is a little ironic considering that’s what Rift users have been experiencing since launch last December). Fortunately, Rockstar has been quick to address this issue, and yesterday released update 1.03.1. We haven’t seen any reports of continued issues so far, so it sounds like the issue may have been addressed.
The update arrives just in the nick of time, too, as tomorrow many new Vive Pro owners will get to experience the game with the headset’s 3K display.
Now we’re just waiting to hear if the game might make it over to remaining major VR headsets, like Microsoft’s Mixed Reality line and, of course, Sony’s PlayStation VR.
The HTC Vive will soon be approaching the second anniversary of its consumer launch, and as such there’s been a practically literal flood of software made available for the head-mounted display (HMD) over the past 12 months. Sifting through Steam and Viveport to find the best videogames available can be a tiresome task, and so VRFocus has compiled a list of the movers-and-shakers from 2017.
The below selection of videogames, in no particular order, represents the best that the HTC Vive has to offer. From AAA releases to indie titles that managed to latch onto a unique facet of virtual reality (VR), offer a huge and diverse playscape or a compelling, immersive experience, the HTC Vive’s portfolio of videogames has never looked better.
Fallout 4 VR – Bethesda Game Studios
While many have found the control systems and graphical quality of Fallout 4 VR questionable, there’s no denying that Bethesda Game Studios has delivered one of the most enduringly compelling virtual worlds. The wealth of exploration and interaction opportunities offered in Fallout 4 VR is second-to-none, including Bethesda Game Studios’ own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, which launched on PlayStation VR in November 2017.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files – Rockstar Games
The most recently released title in this selection – and the last AAA VR release of 2017 – L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is the antithesis of Fallout 4 VR. While it’s true that L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files features a free-roaming open world, the substance in the videogame isn’t about your interaction therein, but rather with the characters you meet along the way. Not quite to the point of developing relationships, but arguably one of the greatest role-playing experiences as the player is cast as a detective and must interrogate both witnesses and suspects to solve each of the included seven cases.
DOOM VFR – Bethesda Game Studios
Bethesda Game Studios’ other big VR title for HTC Vive, DOOM VFR proposes the exact opposite first-person shooter (FPS) gameplay formula to Fallout 4 VR. While Fallout 4 VR is based entirely around its open world setting, DOOM VFR presents tight-knit corridors and a linear path to its gunplay. In accordance with that tighter construct however, DOOM VFR is arguably the best FPS yet seen in VR, holding strong against Epic Games’ Robo Recall.
Manifest 99 – Flight School Studio
A surprisingly successful experience that blurs the line between videogame and interactive film, the heavily stylistic approach to Manifest 99’s visual design is as intriguing as the story it tells. The player interacts with the world through variable teleportation options, each offering a unique perspective of the events unfolding. This results in an adventure that can be experienced at your own pace; Manifest 99 isn’t a film that continues when you look away, it’s a story in which you are a key character.
Bloody Zombies – Paw Print Games
Bloody Zombies broke out of the mould by forcing old school videogame mechanics headfirst into a brand new medium. A side-scrolling beat-‘em-up akin to Final Fight or Streets of Rage, Bloody Zombies offers four-player co-operative gameplay regardless of how many players own a VR HMD. The added advantage of playing a 2D videogame in VR is depth – both in terms of gameplay and into the world – as using a HMD allows players to cast their view around the landscape, finding additional paths or hidden secrets not visible on a 2D monitor.
Blasters of the Universe – Secret Location
Wave shooters in VR are two-a-penny, so what makes Blasters of the Universe any different? Well, it has a storyline – an actual, genuine story with plot twists – behind the frantic shooting action. It also features a huge variety of customisable weaponry, noted as one of the videogame’s best features in VRFocus’ review of Blasters of the Universe, which is based on an inventory built from unlockable components. Thus, there’s also a progression system accompanying that storyline. Blasters of the Universe isn’t just a highscore chase; it’s a videogame with genuine depth.
REZ Infinite – Enhance Games
REZ Infinite is simply the way REZ was always meant to be played. Enhance Games looked back at the much loved Dreamcast classic and decided that modern technology could bring something new to the experience; and they weren’t wrong. REZ Infinite redefines the rhythm-action genre and even – according to designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi – holds a key to what could be coming next from Enhance Games.
Cosmic Trip – Funktronic Labs
Funktronic Labs has taken the real-time strategy (RTS) genre and turned it on its head. Conducting all of the action from a first-person perspective, Cosmic Trip makes the player feel like less of a god and more a commander on the battlefield lining-up with the grunts and cannons. According to the RTS mainstays, players must balance the gathering of resources with the development of new aggression properties, and Cosmic Trip places you at the centre of all your survey.
Battlezone – Rebellion Studios
Originally a PlayStation VR exclusive, Battlezone came to HTC Vive in good form. Arguably still one of the best action videogames in VR, UK-based Rebellion Studios positioned a steep learning curve next to an open campaign progression system, customisable inventory and four-player co-operative gameplay. Piloting a neon tank has never been more fun, and rarely has modern VR.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality – Owlchemy Labs
Rick and Morty is an irreverent commentary on many of the ills of modern society and alternative culture. Adapting this to a videogame could’ve proven a difficult task – VR or otherwise – as there’s a depth in the humour that could be irreparably lost in trying to make a linear, passive experience more open to player interpretation. So who better to adapt the franchise than Owlchemy Labs, a studio which had already proven its ability to achieve the exact same goals with the hugely popular Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives? Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is a videogame that’s hard to define by genre, and instead argues to be defined by experience; and in that Owlchemy Labs has crafted a VR compelling slice of VR.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files released on the HTC Vive last week via Steam, but its hefty system requirements mean that only players with the very best PCs will get to enjoy the experience to the full extent. But developer Rockstar Games is looking to change that in the near future.
Following the game’s launch, Rockstar confirmed to UploadVR that the team will be “broadening the requirements in the coming weeks”. Right now the game demands a minimum of a GeFore GTX 1070 graphics card, 8 GB RAM and an Intel Core i7-4790K CPU. Vive’s official recommended specs, meanwhile, set the bar much lower asking for a GTX 1060 card, 4 GB RAM and an Intel Core i5-4590 processor. There’s bound to be people that bought low-end VR ready PCs that won’t be able to play the game, then.
As Rockstar noted at release last week, the game also has troubled running on AMD hardware, so we’ll hopefully see those issues resolved too. Rockstar didn’t get into specifics as to what will be updated and when, but hopefully more of you will be able to check the game out early in the new year.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files allows you to step into the shoes of Detective Cole Phelps and solve seven cases originally seen in the main game first released on PS3 and Xbox 360. We’re very fond of the game, awarding it 8/10 in our review.
What makes a good VR game? The answer to that question varies depending on who you ask, which platform the game is running on, and what the game in question’s actual intentions are. I’d hold a game like Rec Room to a different standard and criteria than I would a game like Skyrim VR, for example. But when it comes to evaluating a game’s mechanics vs. its sense of presence, immersion, and scale, it gets tricky. LA Noire: The VR Case Files is the most recent reminder of this nuance.
For all intents and purposes, LA Noire VR is one of, if not the, largest and most detailed sandbox worlds we’ve seen in VR to date. With eightsquare miles of meticulously crafted 1940s-era Los Angeles all represented, you can walk around the streets for hours and not see every corner of the city. It took me over 20 minutes to drive from one of the early mission locations to the center of Hollywood Boulevard. That’s pretty massive.
In LA Noire VR you take on the role of LAPD detective Cole Phelps, who is portrayed both physically and in dialog by actor Aaron Staton (Mad Men). The original non-VR game was developed in partnership between Team Bondi and Rockstar Games for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC back in 2011. Since then it’s been remastered for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, with this most recent VR iteration serving as a spin-off of sorts.
LA Noire VR does not include the entire game but is instead a collection of seven hand-picked cases that were rebuilt from the ground-up specifically to serve as the most effective showcases for VR integration. In the game you’ll explore crime scenes, collect evidence, interrogate witnesses, chase down criminals, and even engage in intense fist fights and firefights around downtown 1940s LA.
During the first livestream we did for LA Noire VR the size of the game world hit me hardest when I decided to look at the full map. After walking around for a few blocks, just to explore, I decided to look up where Hollywood was located. After scrolling the map upwards for several seconds it really hit me: eight square miles is a lot of room.
I hopped in my car, turned the ignition, put my hands on the wheel, and hit the gas. After driving for over 20 minutes I finally reached the center of Hollywood Boulevard and I had to navigate there using a map and environmental landmarks. I’ve never done anything like that in a VR game before and it’s a tantalizing tease of what the future of VR games could be like.
As massive and sprawling as this recreation of LA may be though, it’s noticeably empty. The original game featured a collection of side missions and street crimes to respond to, which lent a certain degree of unpredictable life to the atmosphere. In LA Noire VR, none of that extra content is present. You could drive in circles all around the city if you wanted, but it’d be aimless and pointless.
Since you’re only playing seven hand-picked cases as entirely standalone experiences, they’re not really tied together with any sort of greater narrative thread. When you finish a mission the game reloads you at the start of the next case. You don’t spend time turning in assignments or doing things between missions. It’s almost like a “greatest hits” auto-playlist through specific portions of the game’s content rather than a trueopen world game.
Other than the seven linear, pre-defined missions, it’s a shockingly empty and lifeless world even if it does let you drive around at your leisure which is a real shame. The characters individually as animated pieces of digital code come to life like few other VR games have been able to accomplish (only Lone Echo really comes to mind) with incredible facial animations, but before long they all feel the same. They’re just different clothes and different faces all representing the same aimless, robotic wandering of the city.
And as what can only be assumed is a VR comfort decision, the team at Rockstar Games left out a lot of movement-based animations. If you activate a ladder for example, instead of actually climbing up the ladder, the screen fades out and then fades back in with you at the top. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if it didn’t happen all the time when you enter and exit cars or buildings, use stairs and ladders, or crash into things while driving. It’s jarring and takes me out of the experience completely.
During the interrogation scenes is when LA Noire VR really comes to life. Getting up close and personal with violent criminals as they try to lie their way out of scenarios and dance around topics is incredibly intense. Using your notepad (as in actually holding the notepad with a pencil that lets you scribble and select topics) you can mention pieces of evidence and even accuse them of lying or committing crimes.
Navigating the minefield of conversation is a big part of what makes LA Noire VR so immersive. I often found myself getting so worked up that I’d belt out responses and questions before my character ever had the chance to as if the NPCs were really standing right in front of me. Mastering the art of reading faces and voices is crucial and really does make you feel like a detective.
All of the other pieces of the game such as driving, fighting, and exploring crime scenes feels fine, but never quite measures up to the interrogation moments. Shooting, in particular, is great since each scene has a ton of cover to duck behind and use. Pumping a shotgun to reload and then popping up from behind my police car to blast a robber in the face fulfills a very specific carnal desire like few games can.
LA Noire VR features a handful of locomotion systems too, which is nice to see. You can either just look at points of interest and click the right trackpad to have your character switch to third person as they walk there, or you can aim an icon that sends your character walking to a defined spot, also in third person. Alternatively, you can use an arm-swinging locomotion system or a more traditional smooth movement arrangement.
I found myself using the arm-swinging locomotion mostly because it added to the sense of realism in the game world to slowly swing my arms as I walked down the street and explored crime scenes. However, it was a bit wonky and didn’t always let me move in the direction I intended.
In terms of length it lasts a fair number of hours, maybe 8-10 total, but you can easily expand that if you spend some time exploring the city as a whole or cut it down if you don’t explore much. There are also brand new collectibles in this version of the game in the form of novels and badges spread out across the entire city.
LA Noire VR is a tricky game to evaluate because it breaks so much new ground. Whereas games like Skyrim VR and Fallout 4 VR may have slightly larger game worlds, arguably, that are full of things to do and see, it’s a very different setting. With LA Noire, Rockstar Games has realized one of the most elaborate modern-day settings in VR date.
LA Noire VR is a special kind of VR game that we’ve yet to see on any platform. With a massive, sprawling open world that’s laid out before players, waiting to be explored, the sense of scale is wonderful — even if the world itself is empty and lifeless. Interrogations, crime scenes, and action moments all feel great, but they’re too few and far between with only seven total cases. But given the scope and abbreviated implementation of one of gaming’s most unique properties, LA Noire VR is an absolutely riveting adventure.
