UploadVR’s weekly podcast, The VR Download, is LIVE on YouTube today at 10:30 AM PST (17:30 UTC)!
Unlike regular video podcasts, The VR Download is broadcast from a virtual reality studio! Our team are together in a virtual space, giving us many of the benefits of a studio even though we live on different continents.
Our Special Guest this week is Marko Permanto, a game designer and programmer on Budget Cuts 2! He’ll be joining us for the duration of the show, and at the end we’ll be interviewing him.
Every episode, you can watch The VR Download LIVE in virtual reality with an audience of other VR users on any major VR headset (including Oculus Quest and Oculus Go!), via the Bigscreen platform.
Click on the image above to subscribe to the event.
Show Structure
The show is hosted by our Operations Manager, Kyle Riesenbeck. Kyle was formerly the host of the Rev VR Podcast, a popular VR podcast back in the Oculus development kits era.
[Section 1] The News Discussion: our thoughts on the biggest VR news of the past week, one article at a time. You’ll hear our in depth behind the scenes thoughts on what’s happening in the virtual reality industry.
[Section 2] Release of the Week: the team talks about the VR games they’ve been playing this week and try to come to a consensus as to what is the most significant.
[Section 3] The Hot Topic: an in depth discussion of one big (sometimes controversial) industry trend, topic, or idea per week.
[Section 4] Special Guest Interview: a 1-1 interview with a significant developer, executive, or personality from the VR industry.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency delivers a robust and highly-polished sequel to one of VR’s original standout experiences. Read on to find out why we enjoyed it so much!
At its core, Budget Cuts 2 is a game about patience in more ways than one. It’s about waiting for the right moment to stealthily take down enemies, having the consideration to comb through levels to solve puzzles, and not getting too annoyed when a bug forces you to reset from a save point and lose some progress. See what I mean? Patience.
When we reviewed the first Budget Cuts in mid-2018 we were met with a game that struggled to meet its lofty and long-winded expectations. The original title from Neat Corporation was a key marketing inclusion of the HTC Vive itself in early 2016 with its free demo but didn’t fully release util over two years later and was still plagued by poor design choices in some key areas and a slew of troublesome bugs. Despite all of that though, it still had a lot of promise under the layers of setbacks.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency is a textbook example of how to do a safe sequel extremely well. It doesn’t dramatically rewrite the formula laid out in the previous game by any means, as it instead refines and expands what made the concepts so intriguing to begin with. And as expected, that all starts with the innovative movement system. Rather than just pointing and clicking to teleport, you have a teleporting gun. It works by firing a small orb that expands into a ring on the floor showing where you’ll appear. At the tip of your gun is a portal that you can look into to preview the location and even check out the surroundings to scope out your next move or make sure the coast is clear. You’ve gotta be careful though because enemies can see through the portal as well.
Combined with the physicality of sneaking behind objects, ducking around corners, and striking robots with projectile weapons and arrows, Budget Cuts 2 is one of the most gleefully active VR games I’ve played in quite some time. Even recent titles like Boneworks, which are founded on an intricate system of physics simulation, are fully playable standing still or seated. Budget Cuts 2 begs me to move around, dodge bullets, and hide behind boxes more than most VR games, save for maybe Espire 1: VR Operative and Unknightly. It’s a true stealth game that embraces its VR heritage.
Much of that could be said of the previous game too though, so the key question still remains: What exactly is different this time around, other than the setting and addition of a bow and arrow? The honest answer is not a whole lot, but it’s all a bit better. Environments feel larger and more open with lots of outdoor areas to explore, the world feels more realized instead of being confined to a repetitive office maze, and enemies seem smarter and less prone to suicidal tripping. The AI still isn’t perfect — I can close a door for a few seconds to apparently erase myself from their memory, for example — but it’s certainly a step up from before.
Since not a whole lot of the foundation has really changed here (it’s a full sequel crafted by two studios joining forces over the course of one year, what do you expect?) a lot feels the same — including some of the core issues. For example, one of the most common actions you take in Budget Cuts 2, just like its predecessor, is throwing an object such as a knife, dart, or other adoptive lethal device to take out robots. The problem though is that despite the small size and presumably light weight of these objects, they require significant throwing force on your part to actually toss them more than a couple of feet. Like, an unusual amount of force to the point that it’s not only immersion breaking, but it’s outright frustrating. The game seems to think I’m trying to toss a bowling bowl rather than a fork or coffee mug.
Flicking my wrist with a bit of forward momentum is all it should take, instead I’m risking shattering something in my room every time I try to take out an enemy with a thrown object. This was an issue we noted in the previous game as well and it seems odd that it’s persisted so directly here. Luckily after the first level you mostly switch to the bow as your main weapon for much of the game.
Another thing that’s persisted here is just how obtuse some of the “puzzles” seem to be. Rather than creatively applying unique puzzle scenarios that require out of the box solutions, you’ll instead be faced with obscure objectives like “Find the key code for the locked door, it’s on the train somewhere” from time to time and then forced to backtrack through the entire level trying to find what you must have missed the first time through. Carefully paying attention to the environment (and sounds!) is crucial.
Even though this is a marked improvement over the original Budget Cuts, it still has its share of bugs too. At one point I was supposed to toss a bomb off a train before it explodes, but I wasn’t able to so I died and reloaded in the room again. The timer was broke after that. Another time all of the enemy projectiles froze in the air issuing a steady stream of particle effects that completely tanked the game’s performance, slowing to a chug, forcing me to restart even though I was midway through the level. Nothing game-breaking, but still annoying. It made me a bit woozy too.
All that being said, it doesn’t take away from just how much fun Budget Cuts 2 is to play. Once you come to grips with the unique teleportation system and learn to use your real world body movements to pyhsically navigate levels, it’s a joyous experience. Robot AI is just good enough that if you’re in their line of sight (even above or below) at a surprising distance, they’ll probably start to recognize you requiring you to literally duck down behind a waist-high object or behind an air vent.
During one purely unique VR moment I was reminded of why I love playing VR games in the first place. I was faced with a robot packing a rocket launcher and riot shield so i didn’t stand a chance facing him head on with just a bow, a few arrows, and some knives. So I went above the ceiling tiles, dropped down, went down into an air vent, had to get down on my knees in real life, physically barrel roll across my floor on the ground when he almost spotted me through the air vent, slot my arrow while laying on my back, and then roll back into view just in time to shoot the robot in the calf. Then I just patiently waited for it to slowly bleed out (note: oil, not actual blood) until it died.
It doesn’t get much more satisfying than that in a VR game. Too bad my Rift S cord got tangled and I had to take off the headset to fix it before pressing on.
Comfort
Comfort options in Budget Cuts 2 are pretty limited, but that’s mostly because it’s designed to be comfortable from the get-go. There is no smooth locomotion at all and no stick turning that I noticed. You physically turn your body around and when you launch the game it asks if you’re playing 360 or 180. And when you teleport you can see a dot within your tracked space outline on the ground to denote where you’ll be standing. That’s it. Everything else is actual body movement.
Visually, it looks nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor save for the large outdoor areas. You can’t see the street usually, it’s just a foggy haze down below, but it still lends a grandiose atmosphere that was missing from the first game. The whole game is built as layers on top of layers so you’ll explore a skyscraper, then head out on the balcony to bounce across patios and roof tops, then go back inside to begin a new ascent. It provides just enough change of pace to keep things from getting stale.
Narratively it’s more implied than explicit, but the subtle environmental bits often earned a chuckle and smile in key areas. Taking the time to listen to the robot banter is enjoyable as well, as-is reading all of the signs and billboards. Just like everything else here, it feels more fully realized this time around.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency Review Final Verdict:
For all intents and purposes Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency is a bigger and better version of its predecessor in virtually every way. The scope is larger, the bow and arrow adds significantly more depth and strategy to combat, levels are designed more thoughtfully, there are fewer bugs and AI issues, and it all around feels like a more complete game. Budget Cuts 2 feels like the game that the original Budget Cuts wanted to be, but never quite lived up to. It’s not without its bugs and minor gameplay annoyances, but what we’ve got here is a clear example that there’s life in this IP as a franchise and we hope to see Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games work together again soon.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency releases December 12th, 2019 for $29.99 on both Oculus Home for the Rift platform and Steam for Rift, Vive, and Index headsets. There is also a bundle on Steam for Budget Cuts 1 and 2 together for $54, which is a 10% discount versus buying them each separately.
This review of Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency from Fast Travel Games and Neat Corporation was conducted on an Oculus Rift S using two Touch controllers via the Steam version.
VRFocus brings you another list of virtual reality (V)R titles being released over the course of next week. Following on from last week’s mainly Oculus Quest-focused list, this week users can look forward to every leading headset having at least one new title. Make sure to check out our accompanying video to get a mini-preview of each title’s gameplay.
Fujii – Funktronic Labs
From the developers of Cosmic Trip and Starbear Taxi, comes a new VR adventure. Funktronic Labs present Fujii, a new musical gardening universe where players collect seeds to grow musically activated rare plants. Explore magical organic outdoor landscapes, all accompanied by an interactive soundtrack by French artist Norman Bambi.
Supported platforms: PlayStation VR
Launch date: 10th December
Boneworks – Stress Level Zero
Boneworks is a VR adventure developed and published by Duck Seasonteam Stress Level Zero. Using a variety of weapons and tools, take down enemies and try to solve various puzzles which are all based on hyper-realistic physics. Designed to fully make using of VR’s immersive technology, Boneworks encourages you to play and interact with the world and its many possibilities.
Welcome to the vibrant, colourful world of vacation island. A sequel to the hit 2016 title, Job Simulator, Owlchemy Labs released this sequel, Vacation Simulator, back in April 2019. Previously only available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR users, next week Oculus Quest owners can also join this world run by robots to enjoy the ultimate vacation experience. In a total opposite environment experienced in Job Simulator, users can interact with almost anything around you in a videogame featuring endless mini-games.
Budget Cuts 2 – Neat Corporation & Fast Travel Games
Neat Corps and Fast Travel Games have teamed up to create a sequel and self-contained follow up to the much-loved VR title Budget Cuts. In Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency, it is your mission to stop robots taking over the human workforce and forcing humanity out of existence. Featuring brand new environments, enemies, gadgets and challenge types.
A VR videogame revolving around all things to do with food, compete with users around the world in over 8 different stages of food-themed minigames. Currently, in Early Access, TOMATOVR is looking to feature more stages and additional features for the final version, involving the VR gaming community with the use of a public Trello board and Steam Community forums to get feedback from as many users as possible.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency is slated to arrive December 12th on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Valve Index. Although we got a chance to go hands-on with an early level of Budget Cuts 2 at Gamescom this year, which revealed a new crossbow to the series, the official launch trailer has dropped, and now we know a bit more about how the game has changed.
There’s a few new gadgets seen in the trailer, namely some sort of X-ray vision mod for your seeing glass attachment, grenades, and if the end of the trailer tells us anything, there’s also melee. In the first game, you could technically stab a guard-bot, but that really wasn’t the knife’s main function.
If anything, the sequel looks to include more opportunity for what may be less-than-stealthy combat too, as loads of the guard robots appear to assault you head on.
Here’s what Neat Corporation says about Budget Cuts 2:
TransCorp is about to optimize humanity out of existence, and you must find a way into the belly of the beast to stop their vicious budget cuts. Fight your way through a multitude of new environments and robotic enemies; find new tools and allies along the way. Put an end to the notion of ultimate efficiency before it puts an end to us. Budget Cuts 2 is the conclusion of the adventure you started in Budget Cuts, but is also a self-contained game and easy to get into from a new player’s perspective.
Store pages are already up for Budget Cuts 2; you can wishlist it on Steam (Vive, Rift, Index), and pre-order via the Oculus Store (Rift) for $30.
There are myriad of virtual reality (VR) videogames coming in December, one of the biggest being Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency by Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games. As there are only a couple of weeks until the big day arrives the pair have just unveiled the videogame’s launch trailer.
Get ready for some more sneaky times as Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency is going to be bigger and more audacious. Neat Corp has kept a lot of the locations under wraps until now, the trailer showcasing missions on trains, inside giant warehouses and across rooftops.
Of course, one new addition that does feature prominently throughout is the bow. You can still pick up knives and other sharp implements to takeout guards nearby, but for when you need that extra distance the bow is now on hand for some deadly kill shots – or even simply distracting guards. Most of the bow’s mechanics will largely be down to Fast Travel Games, which know a thing or two about the weapon thanks to Apex Construct.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency has been designed as a standalone experience so you don’t need to have played the original to dive straight into the action. For those that have played the Budget Cuts and made it out of the TransCorp office alive the story will continue, finding even more robots being used for menial jobs.
VRFocuspreviewed Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvencyat Gamescom 2019 saying: “The collaboration between Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games certainly seems to be paying off, with Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency offering a greatly improved experience. With a launch expected later this year the sequel turnaround has been quite rapid, however, the quality of the videogame shown didn’t feel rushed.”
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvencyis slated for release on 12th December 2019, supporting Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index headsets. Check out the new trailer below and for further updates of the videogame, keep reading VRFocus.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency, the sequel to Neat Corporation’s 2018 stealth adventure game, is officially arriving on PC VR headsets in December.
Update (October 24th, 2019): Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency is slated to arrive on December 12th, coming to Steam (Vive, Rift, Index), and the Oculus Store (Rift) at $30.
Since the game’s June reveal, we’ve had a chance to go hands-on with Budget Cuts 2. If you’re looking for a written version, head over to our write-up. If you’re looking for gameplay, check out our nine-minute gameplay video from Gamescom this year.
The original article announcing the game follows below:
Original Article (June 10th, 2019): Called Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency, the game is said to arrive on SteamVR headsets sometime in 2019.
Here’s how Fast Travel Games describes Budget Cuts 2 on the game’s website:
TransCorp is about to optimize humanity out of existence, and you must find a way into the belly of the beast to stop their vicious budget cuts. Fight your way through a multitude of new environments and robotic enemies; find new tools and allies along the way. Put an end to the notion of ultimate efficiency before it puts an end to us.
Image courtesy Neat Corporation, Fast Travel Games
Fast Travel calls Budget Cuts 2 both “the conclusion” to the adventure started in Budget Cuts, but is also a self-contained game positioned to appeal to new player’s of the franchise.
In the trailer, linked above and below, it appears the franchise is making strides to leave the indoor office space which made up the totality of the first game, instead visiting larger and more open environments.
A new weapon can also be seen, a bow that lets you get in longer, more precise shots in comparison to the sharp-thing-throwing mechanic of the previous title.
The studios have also created a Steam page (link not yet live) so you can wishlist the game.
There are some exciting stealth-style videogames currently in development for virtual reality (VR) headsets including Espire 1: VR Operative, Phantom: Covert Ops and Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency. The latter of the three is certainly the least serious offering a comical take on running around being some elite operative. Continuing the story from the 2018 original, VRFocus caught up with the Neat Corp team to find out more.
For the development of Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency Neat Corp teamed up with fellow Swedish VR developer Fast Travel Games. This meant that the team behind Apex Constructcould help with one of the most crucial (and newest) elements of the sequel, a bow.
VRFocus has mentioned on previous occasions that the bow mechanics in Apex Construct are rather good and they’ve been transferred over to Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency. The original Budgets Cuts had weapons to destroy the robot guards, but this time you can be even deadlier at range. Not only that but you can retrieve those valuable arrows from the cold metallic corpses so you never have to run out.
Really what you want to do (I’ve you’ve managed to miss them) is take a look at the 20 mins of gameplay video VRFocus recorded at Gamescom 2019 and how awesome our skills are (they’re not!), or read the in-depth preview to see what VRFocus thought. As a taster: “The collaboration between Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games certainly seems to be paying off, with Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency offering a greatly improved experience. With a launch expected later this year the sequel turnaround has been quite rapid, however, the quality of the videogame shown didn’t feel rushed.”
In the interview with VRFocus Neat Corporation’s Olle Axelsson some of the new features players can expect to find – not just the awesome bow – as well as how the project aims to improve on the original.
Thanks to Fast Travel Games hosting the VR Games Showcase during Gamescom 2019 last month all the developers in attendance not only showcased new and upcoming virtual reality (VR) titles, but they also handily recorded all the gameplay footage. All of which VRFocus has lovingly showcased over the last few days. Today, it’s the turn of Neat Corporation’s Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency the sequel to 2018’s stealth experience.
In VRFocus’ longest gameplay video from the event, there are over 20 minutes of embarrassing footage as we try to make it across the rooftops, taking down as many sentry robots as possible whilst showcasing some deadly bow skills.
If you’ve played the original Budget Cuts then you’ll know all about the teleportation gun, firing a blue blob around corners, into vents or anywhere else as you tried to avoid confrontation at all costs, grabbing a pair of scissors when in peril. In Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency stealth is still a factor but now you can be a lot more aggressive thanks to a new bow, care of Neat Corp’s partnership with Apex Constructdeveloper Fast Travel Games.
It’s not just the bow that’s been added with Neat Corp including a much wider variety of environments as well as enemies to deal with. The aim is to expand the gameplay variety, keeping what made the original great whilst enriching the universe.
To see what VRFocus thought about the title take a look at the Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency preview which noted: “The collaboration between Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games certainly seems to be paying off, with Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency offering a greatly improved experience. With a launch expected later this year the sequel turnaround has been quite rapid, however, the quality of the videogame shown didn’t feel rushed.”
Take a look at the gameplay footage from Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency below, or head on over to VRFocus’other gameplay videos from Gamescom 2019 including The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets,Acron: Attack of the Squirrelsand Down the Rabbit Hole. The title is expected to launch later this year for PC VR platforms like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index. As further information is released VRFocuswill keep you updated.
Neat Corporation released its first virtual reality (VR) title Budget Cuts last year after several delays, receiving a mixed response. A stealth-action experience using a rather unique teleportation system, the studio has teamed up with fellow VR developer Fast Travel Games for follow up title Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency. From what’s been shown so far the project is already coming along very well.
Demoing the title at Gamescom 2019, Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency still offers the same sneaky abilities as before, with a teleportation gun which can be fired around corners whilst offering a handy window to check for guards. You can also continue to kill robot guards by throwing scissors or any other sharp object at your disposal.
What has changed though is the inclusion of a rather deadly bow. This is no surprise as Fast Travel Games created Apex Construct, which just so happens to have some of the best bow mechanics found in any VR videogame. The bow almost feels like it has been directly lifted from Apex Construct, with a beautiful motion to drawing back the arrow and a satisfying and powerful thump when it hits a target.
The arrows look like crossbow bolts for some reason yet do behave like standard arrows once loaded into the bow. One notable difference between the two bows is the fact that in Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency you can’t liberally fire off arrows indiscriminately, they are valuable and in short supply. Which means every shot needs to count, especially as the level being demoed took place outside on the top of skyscrapers so it was very easy to lose arrows. On the plus side – and a very nice little feature – the arrows can be reclaimed from walls or heads they’re wedged into.
So killing stuff was easy and a lot of fun. What was a bit finicky and not so efficient was the menu system between the main items. So there’s the bow, the teleportation gun and the grab tool as your primary tools. Naturally, you want the bow out at all times, but this then means sacrificing one of the others. Movement is fairly key, especially when spotted by a guard. On the other hand, you can’t fire the bow without the grab tool. Hence there’s a choice to be made – and no strafing – with a slightly high learning curve for new players.
Which means you kind of need to find your own formula and preference when handling Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency. This creates very methodical gameplay so that there’s very little barrelling into a dangerous situation, and if that does happen then death tends to be inevitable as one-hit means it’s all over.
The collaboration between Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games certainly seems to be paying off, with Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency offering a greatly improved experience. With a launch expected later this year the sequel turnaround has been quite rapid, however, the quality of the videogame shown didn’t feel rushed. As long as Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency has enough content for a robust experience then this is one to look forward to.
Gamescom 2019 is still in full swing, and while the massive halls at the Cologne-based gaming expo are predictably filled to the brim with non-VR games, there’s been a number of interesting VR titles to pop up here, including Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games’ upcoming sequel to the humor-filled stealth assassin adventure Budget Cuts (2018), Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency.
At some point this year, Budget Cuts 2 is slated to toss PC VR users back into the guts of TransCorp, the faceless conglomerate made famous in the original. However this time around you’ve got a new piece of kit besides the hand-thrown knives—a bow and arrow for long-distance assassinations, complemented by larger environments where you can practice your ninja skills.
The full demo was around 15 minutes long, although for the sake of brevity I sped up a section where I forgot to properly arm myself with arrows, and also edited out one of my boring and senseless deaths.
You’ll also probably notice that I’m fuffing about with some of my tools too. The reason: the bow and arrow is the game’s first two-handed weapon. Up until now, you were able to teleport around using one hand, and have a knife ready in the other, although having a bow in one hand and a teleport gun in the other decidedly makes the old switcheroo a little more difficult at first blush.
If you’re looking for more impressions, make sure to check out our hands-on article too. There’s still plenty to peel back about Budget Cuts 2, and I personally can’t wait to get into a more expansive demo to see what new enemies, environments, and puzzles the team has in store.
Food Factory VR – TOMATOVR
