Solid Snake Voice Actor David Hayter Will be Phantom: Covert Ops’ Lead Villain

Phantom: Covert Ops - David Hayter announcement

nDreams’ upcoming virtual reality (VR) title Phantom: Covert Ops looks set to offer one of the most promising stealth experiences of 2020. Today, the developer has announced that the voice actor behind Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid, David Hayter will be voicing Phantom: Covert Ops‘ lead antagonist.

Phantom: Covert Ops

In Phantom: Covert Ops players are tasked with infiltrating a Cold War naval installation run by disgraced ex-Soviet General Zhurov (Hayter). The entire videogame takes place on water with players having to manoeuvre around in a kayak.

“Phantom: Covert Ops is a ground-breaking next-level VR game and one of the finest stealth games I’ve ever seen or been part of,” commented Hayter in a statement. “Without doubt, virtual reality brings a new level of immersion to gaming and to be a part of that was incredibly exciting.”

The kayak has a range of useful items within easy reach of the player, offering both stealth and loud approaches. A silenced sniper rifle and pistol to quietly take down guards, or an MP5 and C4 if they don’t want to be as subtle.

Phantom: Covert Ops

“Having someone of David’s calibre portray one of the main characters in the game speaks volumes about what we’re trying to achieve with Phantom,” said Tom Gillo, VP of Development at nDreams. “Oculus headset owners and fans of stealth games like Metal Gear Solid, will leap at the chance to take on this villain!”

Originally demoing Phantom: Covert Ops during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019, VRFocus’ first impressions found that: “What’s been shown has great promise” and could be “Potentially nDreams’ best VR game to date.”

nDreams previously announced that Phantom: Covert Ops will arrive on 25th June 2020 exclusive to Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift headsets. Take a look at the latest trailer below and as further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

‘Phantom: Covert Ops’ Taps ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Snake Voice Actor for Main Protagonist

Oculus exclusive Phantom: Covert Ops is on track for its June 25th release date on Rift and Quest, and today developer nDreams has announced that David Hayter, the English voice of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid franchise will voice the game’s lead villain, Nikolai Zhurov.

If it wasn’t clear enough from the name of the game, Phantom: Covert Ops is a stealth action game. And who more fitting to play the game’s lead protagonist than the voice of stealth gaming icon Solid Snake; David Hayter has voiced Snake in more than a dozen Metal Gear games dating back to the original Metal Gear Solid (1998).

In Phantom: Covert Ops Hayter plays the role of Nikolai Zhurov, an ex-Soviet General who wants to change the outcome of the Cold War.

Phantom: Covert Ops uniquely puts the player in a tactical kayak—no, we’re not joking, and in our preview of the game we found it’s actually a quite compelling bit of VR game design. nDreams says that the game’s story and missions will unfold over the course of a single night, as the player tries to stop Zhurov from executing a dastardly plan.

SEE ALSO
Hands-on: 'Phantom: Covert Ops' Boasts Smart VR Design and Big Potential

As for Hayter, who voices Zhurov, this actually won’t be the first time he’s acted for a VR game; he voiced the character Dr. Kloog in Oculus’ first-party developed Farlands which was an original Rift launch title back in 2016. And if you want to get technical, he actually voiced a “VR” game back in 1999… Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions (no, this wasn’t actually a VR game, it just dealt with VR subject matter).

But Phantom is certainly the biggest VR production that Hayter has yet been part of. Speaking to Road to VR, he said that he’s a longtime gamer himself and had actually played some VR before taking on the role, including going to The VOID’s Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, an out-of-home VR attraction.

Image courtesy nDreams

For Phantom, Hayter said nDreams sent him an Oculus Quest to try the game for himself. He found the kayak-based stealth action to be “a unique application of VR that I’ve never seen before,” and said the stealth vibe reminded him of Metal Gear.

Phantom: Covert Ops was originally set to release back in 2019, but was delayed into 2020. While the Coronavirus situation has delayed some games, luckily nDreams says that Phantom: Covert Ops is on track for its June 25th release date on Oculus Quest and Rift.

The post ‘Phantom: Covert Ops’ Taps ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Snake Voice Actor for Main Protagonist appeared first on Road to VR.

Solid Snake Actor David Hayter Returns To Stealth In Phantom: Covert Ops

Huh, Phantom: Covert Ops?!

That’s right, the legendary voice of Solid Snake himself, David Hayter, is appearing in nDreams’ upcoming VR stealth game, which we’ve already compared to the Metal Gear Solid series. Hayter will be playing General Zhurov, the ex-Soviet antagonist that runs the rogue Cold War-era naval installation that players infiltrate by kyack in the game. Whereas gamers are used to bringing Hayter along for the ride as they take down Metal Gear (except for Metal Gear Solid 5 but we don’t talk about that), this time they’ll be facing off against him. Check his work out in the new trailer below.

“This is sort of the gamer’s opportunity to take on Solid Snake now that he’s older and gone completely insane,” Hayter told me in an interview last week.

“It’s funny,” he later added, “my whole career I played heroes. I was Solid Snake, I was Captain America. And when I turned 40 it all turned to villains.”

nDreams itself sought out Hayter for the role as a nod to stealth gaming’s past. For the actor and screenwriter, it was a chance to not only return to a beloved genre but to try VR itself; the studio sent him an Oculus Quest. “You really feel — I hope they don’t mind me saying this but you really feel like Solid Snake in that kyack and moving through. So the ability to take on the antagonist role and shut that down was really fun and interesting. And I felt like this was a nice launching pad into the next-generation of what stealth games were going to be.”

It’s not actually Hayter’s first VR role; he appeared in episodic stealth series Republique, which was ported to VR a few years ago, and also had a little-known role in Oculus Rift launch app, Farlands. But this will be his biggest appearance in a native headset game yet.

“I did know that a lot of the character was going to come through in public address systems that are sort of barking orders,” he said. “So I will say it was a pretty extreme performance that took a lot out of me. I had to dominate this world, it’s like being the voice of God in this game.”

Now that he’s self-isolating like the rest of us, Hayter has been checking out a lot more of what VR has to offer. “I’ve been using it quite a bit,” he said. “I got The Room, which is so beautiful and amazing. My daughter and I do a lot of escape rooms and I got that. I’m about to get A Fisherman’s Tale, I haven’t tried that yet but it looks amazing. Vader Immortal was stunning, and playing in the lightsaber dojo quite a bit.”

Phantom: Covert Ops releases on June 25 for Oculus Rift and Quest. Check back soon for more coverage of the game.

The post Solid Snake Actor David Hayter Returns To Stealth In Phantom: Covert Ops appeared first on UploadVR.

Phantom: Covert Ops Hits Quest + Rift In Late June

Summer just got sneakier; the Phantom: Covert Ops release date is here, and it’s coming to the Oculus Quest and Rift platforms on June 25.

Phantom: Covert Ops Release Date Revealed

Facebook confirmed the news as part of its Game Developers Showcase taking place in lieu of GDC this week. Phantom will be releasing on both platforms at the same date, which is good news considering other Oculus Studios-published projects like Lies Beneath are releasing on Quest first. Phantom had originally been aiming to release late last year but, obviously, that didn’t quite happen. It’s already available to wishlist on both the Quest and Rift stores, though.

Phantom is a promising stealth game in which players infiltrate a hostile facility by kayak. Over the course of the game, you’ll paddle downstream, avoiding spotlights, taking cover in reeds and picking off enemies from afar. The game has a full campaign, too. Check out the new trailer below, which shows Oculus Rift gameplay and promises plenty of explosions. It’s captured on Rift but, rest assured, the exact same content is on Quest.

We’ve been hands-on with the game a few times now and we’ve got high hopes for it. The kayak setup makes for a perfectly immersive experience, with little to remind you of the real world. What remains to be seen is just how well the game can retain that immersion throughout the campaign, and how other elements like the AI — a sticking point for a lot of VR stealth games — hold up.

Are you happy with the Phantom: Covert Ops release date? Or do you wish it was arriving sooner? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Phantom: Covert Ops Hits Quest + Rift In Late June appeared first on UploadVR.

nDreams’ Phantom: Covert Ops Dated for June Launch, new Trailer Drops

Part of VRFocus’ Most Anticipated VR Games Coming In 2020 nDreams’ stealth title Phantom: Covert Ops was originally slated for a late 2019 launch. Today, as part of Facebook’s Games Developers Showcase this week nDreams has announced that Phantom: Covert Ops is now slated for a June launch for Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift.

Phantom: Covert Ops

The videogame is set to offer one of the more unique virtual reality (VR) experiences of 2020 as it takes place entirely on water, with players having to manoeuvre around in a kayak. The idea behind this was comfort, offering action-oriented seated gameplay with locomotion controlled by paddling through the water.

Looking like Call of Duty on water, the gameplay revolves around stealth, having to infiltrate a Cold War naval facility to prevent a rogue militia from launching a global attack. As some sort of elite special forces soldier, your kayak is well equipped for the task ahead with weapons and tools all within easy reach. There’s a silenced sniper rifle to take down those guards nestled away in towers or a silenced pistol to quieten those nearby enemies as you hide within the reeds.

Subtle doesn’t always work and there will be times when you need to take out objectives with something a little more destructive than bullets. So you have a nice stash of C4 available to blow stuff up when necessary as well as an assault rifle when being quiet isn’t required.

Phantom: Covert Ops

When VRFocus first previewed Phantom: Covert Ops during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 we thought that the videogame showed great promise and could well be nDreams’ best VR experience to date. With only one level playable with was mainly due to the intuitive locomotion system which made paddling around the waterlogged facility straight forward, slowly slipping under bridges or simply pushing away from the side. Journey for Elysium is another title which uses rowing for some sections, just not quite as well.

Phantom: Covert Ops is scheduled to arrive on 25th June 2020 exclusive to the Oculus platform. Take a look at the latest trailer below and as further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

VRFocus’ Most Anticipated VR Games Coming in 2020

It has been quite an incredible year for virtual reality (VR) fans. Headsets like Oculus Quest, Valve Index and Vive Cosmos have arrived while developers have continually surpassed the quality of content available. So now it’s time to look ahead and into 2020. With plenty of exciting content coming in the next 12 months VRFocus looks at some of the most exciting prospects.

Half-Life: Alyx

The one videogame pretty much all VR gamers are looking forward to, Valve’s addition to the Half-Life franchise is going to be a dedicated VR experience. Supporting PC VR headsets – free for those who own Valve Index – Half-Life: Alyx will be set between the events of 1998’s Half-Life and Half-Life 2 (2004).

You take the role of Alyx Vance as she and her father secretly form a resistance against the mysterious alien race known as The Combine currently occupying planet Earth. Set for an official launch in March, Half-Life: Alyx looks stunning from the screenshots released so far and could become the VR game of the year.

Half-Life: AlyxThe Walking Dead: Saint & Sinners

Currently being developed by Skydance Interactive as an official tie-in to AMC’s TV Show, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is going to be a gory, zombie-filled, shooter. With its own unique storyline set within New Orleans, the videogame will task players with having to deal with constant threats of violence, disease, and famine, with threats coming from both the zombie and human population alike.

Being able to wield an assortment of ranged and close-combat weaponry, players will be able to inflict some brutal damage in their bid to survive, whilst also making life and death decisions which affect the narrative. There won’t be too long to wait either, as the launch date of 23rd January has already been confirmed.

The Walking Dead: Saints & SinnersThe Walking Dead Onslaught

Can’t get enough of the undead and using shotguns to decapitate them? Well, you’re in luck as VR specialist Survios (Battlewake, Creed: Rise to Glory, Electronauts) is also working with AMC on a Walking Dead videogame. The Walking Dead Onslaught was originally due for release in 2019 but the studio pushed it back to improve the experience.

Offering a single-player campaign which also has its own unique storyline, VRFocus previewed the title at the Electonic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019, finding that: “The Walking Dead Onslaught looks like it’ll provide a fairly brutal zombie gameplay experience for fans of titles like Arizona Sunshine.” There’s no launch date at the moment but Survios has always produced high-quality VR titles so its one to keep an eye on.

The Walking Dead OnslaughtLone Echo II

Before Half-Life: Alyx was announced, developer Ready at Dawn had the most anticipated sci-fi experience arriving in 2020, Lone Echo II. An Oculus Rift exclusive, the original from 2017 set a new benchmark in both visual and gameplay design for VR experiences. However, the sequel has a lot more competition now and expectations are high.

Lone Echo II was supposed to be a 2019 release, the studio announced in the summer that a Q1 2020 launch window was now taking place. Thus putting it in direct competition with Valve’s epic. The sequel continues the story of Captain Olivia Rhodes and your robot character Jack who’s there to protect her. Having previewed Lone Echo II it looks like fans won’t be disappointed.

Lone Echo 2Medal of Honor: Above & Beyond

One of the surprise announcements from Oculus Connect 6 (OC6) in September 2019, Respawn Entertainment finally revealed its first VR title originally hinted at during OC4. Bringing one of its most popular franchises to VR, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond takes players back to World War II, as an Allied agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

Tasked with completing a tour of duty across Europe to disable the Nazi war machine, the title will feature both single-player and multiplayer modes offering historically accurate settings, weapons and other items. Mixing up both first-person shooter (FPS) action with puzzles, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond proved to be an enjoyable experience when VRFocus previewed the title. There’s no release window during 2020 just yet.

Medal of Honor: Above and BeyondLow-Fi

Coming from the indie team behind Technolust, Low-Fi first emerged on Kickstarter looking to raise $60,000 CAD to fund this cyberpunk adventure. The crowd-funding campaign easily hit the target within four days, raise over $100,000 CAD in the process.

Designed to be a massive open-world sandbox inspired by films such as Blade Runner and Robocop, Low-Fi puts players in the shoes of a police officer recently transferred to a crime-ridden section of city-block 303. Here they can keep law and order, solving crimes and advancing narratives or delve into the seedy underbelly of the city, taking bribes, framing innocent people and hanging out in casinos. A fully finished version is expected to arrive towards the end of 2020.

Low-Fi screenshot2

After the Fall

The next big title from Vertigo Games (Arizona Sunshine, Skyworld), After the Fall is another FPS filled with monsters to shoot and guns to upgrade. Taking place in Los Angeles 20 years after an apocalypse began a new ice age, you need to survive this harsh winter environment scavaging what you can whilst killing as many Snowbreed as possible. These horrible creatures were once human but thanks to designer drugs mutated into foul beasts.

Set to offering both single-player and co-op multiplayer modes, After the Fall will be an action-packed experience where you can build weapons, armour and other gear from found items. Vertigo Games has yet to announce when in 2020 After the Fall will arrive, so in the meantime check out VRFocus‘ preview.

After The FallIron Man VR

One of the first VR videogames announced during Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) State of Play broadcast in March, Iron Man VR is possibly PlayStation VR’s biggest exclusive coming in 2020. Putting players in Tony Stark’s iconic suit whilst playing the character himself, players will be able to fly, shoot and punch just like the Marvel superhero, in what could be the best Iron Man videogame to date.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR is scheduled for worldwide release on 28th February 2020 with pre-orders available.

Iron Man VR

Paper Beast

Another PlayStation VR exclusive, Paper Beast looks set to offer one of the most intriguing and original experiences to come to the headset next year. Created by French studio Pixel Reef, Paper Beast is the work of legendary designer behind  Another World and From Dust, Eric Chahi.

Designed to be a playful exploration videogame, Paper Beast is set in the world of big data, born within the vast memory of data servers.  Here players will find strange creatures and an everchanging landscape, with a non-verbal narrative to follow. Players can not only interact with the creatures they find but also the terrain, solving puzzles in the process. Paper Beast is due out soon, with a Q1 2020 window now in place.

Paper BeastThe Room VR: A Dark Matter

A multiplatform title which was revealed during OC6, The Room VR: A Dark Matter continues Fireproof Games’ award winning series The Room. Designed specifically for VR, this version is set in the British Museum, London, circa 1908. The storyline revolves around the disappearance of an esteemed Egyptologist prompting a police investigation.

Players will be able to explore cryptic locations, examine gadgets and discover an otherworldly element blurring the line between reality and illusion, fantastic for any puzzle fan. A launch will be taking place early 2020 for headsets including Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality.

The Room VR: A Dark MatterPixel Ripped 1995

Having begun with Pixel Ripped 1989, creator Ana Ribeiro and Brazilian studio ARVORE plan to make several sequels with Pixel Ripped 1995 being the next. Each one is a sort of homage to gaming of that era, mixing VR environments with some retro gameplay.

The first title was a delightful experience with Pixel Ripped 1995 promising more of the same, now stepping into the 16-bit gaming era. The narrative continues where players have to fight an evil goblin called the Cyblin Lord. This time players are David, a 9-year-old kid from New Jersey who must defeat the evil villain. Currently, Pixel Ripped 1995 doesn’t have a date or window for launch in 2020, so take a look at VRFocus’ preview from OC6 for a little more info.

Pixel Ripped 1995Phantom: Covert Ops

As is quite often the case videogame launches get pushed back and nDreams’ Phatom: Covert Ops is no different. Another title expected in 2019, the British VR developer announced the decision to delay the release until the new year to polish the experience.

From what VRFocus has seen already Phantom: Covert Ops looks very promising, with the core mechanic being that you’re a stealth operative working solely from a kayak. One of the reasons for this idea was gamer comfort, in a seated position you need to paddle to move anywhere, whilst a range of weaponry including a silenced pistol, rifle and C4 are all close to hand for carrying out missions. Once again there’s no solid date for Phantom: Covert Ops’ launch in 2020 so you’ll have to make do with this preview for a little more detail.

Phantom: Covert Ops

15 VR Games We Can’t Wait to Play in 2020

We loved 2019 for its bounty of VR games and emphasis on new hardware, but 2020 is looking to bring a host of big budget titles and polished indies alike that should not only keep us all happily strapped into the headset, but attract a steady flow of new users to VR in the process too.

Here, we take a look at our top anticipated VR titles coming to the full gamut of platforms out there, which includes SteamVR headsets (Rift, Vive, Windows MR, Valve Index, etc), Oculus Quest, and PSVR.

Note: PlayStation 5 is set to arrive for holiday season 2020, which ought to arrive with a bevy of new games for the backwards compatible PSVR. Sony hasn’t announced the second iteration of PSVR yet, so we’re hoping to learn more about awesome PSVR platform games soon.

Half-Life: Alyx

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets
  • DeveloperValve
  • Release date: March 2020

Studio description: Half-Life: Alyx is Valve’s VR return to the Half-Life series. It’s the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Playing as Alyx Vance, you are humanity’s only chance for survival.

Iron Man VR

  • Platform: PSVR
  • DeveloperCamouflaj
  • Release date: February 28th, 2020

Studio description: Don the PlayStation VR headset to suit up as the Armored Avenger in an original Iron Man adventure! Using two PlayStation Move motion controllers fire up Iron Man’s Repulsor Jets and blast into the skies with an arsenal of iconic Iron Man weapons at your fingertips. Face off against Iron Man’s greatest foes in high stakes, action-packed battles. Upgrade tech in Tony Stark’s garage to customize Iron Man’s sleek suit and awesome abilities.

After The Fall

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets, PSVR
  • DeveloperVertigo Games
  • Release date: 2020

Studio description: Explore the remains of a civilization ground to a halt in an alternate 1980s, craft a range of ranged and melee weapons, and wield devastating powers with real-life movements. Go solo or join up with players worldwide as you face relentless hordes and colossal bosses in a bid to take back the city.

Phantom: Covert Ops

  • Platform: Rift, Quest
  • DevelopernDreams
  • Release date: 2020

Studio description: Dispatched into hostile wetlands in your tactical kayak, utilise military weapons and equipment to evade and neutralise the enemy threat. Engage your targets lethally or infiltrate unnoticed from the shadows: it’s your mission to execute your way. Phantom: Covert Ops is stealth action redefined.

Lone Echo II

  • Platform: Rift
  • DeveloperReady at Dawn
  • Release date: Q1 2020

Studio description: Jack and Liv are back in Lone Echo II. Return to the rings of Saturn in this highly-anticipated sequel, to unravel the mysteries of Lone Echo and journey deeper into space – past the very boundaries of time itself.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond

Studio description: Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is an action-packed and incredibly immersive VR experience set in World War II, where you step into the boots of an agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in war torn Europe. A deep single-player campaign takes you through historic events on land, air, and sea, sabotaging Nazi bases, subverting enemy plans, aiding the French Resistance, and much, much more.

LOW-FI

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets
  • DeveloperIRIS VR
  • Release date: late 2020

Studio description: You’re the sheriff of cityblock 303, a retro-futuristic cyberpunk slum where the only inhabitants of note are other “low-fi”. Humans too poor to jack into the platform, and rusting old robots that didn’t achieve the intelligence singularity. What you do with your time is up to you. Are you a good cop, hotshot?

Vertigo 2

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets
  • Developer: Zach Tsiakalis-BrownErrol Bucy
  • Publisher: Zulubo Productions
  • Release date: 2020

Studio description: Vertigo 2 is a single-player VR adventure. Explore the depths of the vast Quantum Reactor as you descend to finish your journey home.

Sniper Elite VR

Studio description: A dedicated VR stealth-action experience from the makers of Battlezone and the BAFTA-nominated Sniper Elite 4, in partnership with Just Add Water. Fight for the Italian Resistance in a daring mission to rid World War 2 Sicily of the Nazi U-boat menace.

Solaris: Offworld Combat

Description: Solaris: Offworld Combat is a multiplayer team shooter developed by First Contact Entertainment, the studio behind Firewall Zero Hour (2018). The studio is still extremely tight-lipped, having only revealed the trailer above.

Firmament

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets, PSVR, PC, PS4
  • DeveloperCyan Worlds
  • Release date: July 2020

Studio description: Firmament is a resplendent fantastic steampunk journey — a monumental voyage through diverse and curious realms with the ever-present assistance of a helpful clockwork adjunct, and the deep and moving instruction and emotional chronicles of an ethereal mentor.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets, PSVR
  • DeveloperSkydance Interactive
  • Release date: January 23rd, 2020

Studio descriptionSaints & Sinners is a game unlike any other in The Walking Dead universe. Every challenge you face and decision you make is driven by YOU. Fight the undead, scavenge through the flooded ruins of New Orleans, and face gut-wrenching choices for you and the other survivors. Live The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead Onslaught

  • Platform: SteamVR headsets, PSVR
  • DeveloperSurvios
  • Release date: 2020

Studio description: Fight your fears head-on in The Walking Dead Onslaught, the official VR game of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Experience an all-new exclusive TWD story, defend yourself with real-motion melee and ranged combat, and confront both the horrors and humanity of the apocalypse.

Population: One

  • Platform: SteamVR, Quest
  • DeveloperBigBox VR
  • Release date: 2020

DescriptionPopulation: One is an upcoming battle royale shooter from the studio behind VR indie hit Smashbox Arena (2016). Although it may be late to the table, as its been delayed from its original early 2019 launch window to a vague ‘2020’ release date, we’re still looking forward to what promises to be a capable, clever, and solid battle royale shooter in VR.

Paper Beast

  • Platform: PSVR
  • DeveloperPixel Reef
  • Release date: Q1 2020

Studio description: Paper Beast is a playful exploration game set in a colorful ecosystem born out of big data. Undertake a virtual journey of discovery through an immersive and poetic gameplay experience.


Have me missed anything important to you? Let us known in the comment section below!

The post 15 VR Games We Can’t Wait to Play in 2020 appeared first on Road to VR.

‘Phantom: Covert Ops’ Coming to Rift & Quest in Late June

Phantom: Covert Ops, the unique kayak-based VR shooter from nDreams, is officially headed to Rift and Quest in June. If you were wondering what the game looked like on Rift, check out the new release date trailer nDreams just dropped.

Update (March 18th, 2020): nDreams and Oculus today announced that Phantom: Covert Ops is officially heading to the Quest and Rift platforms on June 25th.

The studios also released a brand new trailer, which we linked below:

Original Article (November 28th, 2019): Although gameplay on both Quest and Rift is identical, game director Lewis Brundish says in an Oculus blog post, “[when it comes to visuals, however, we wanted to make the most out of each of the headsets’ unique strengths.”

nDreams say the trailer was captured using Rift. If the footage is representative of what people with greater than minimum spec will see, the studio has clearly had their work cut out for them. In short: it looks awesome.

Just in case you’re wondering, here’s a look at the previously released Oculus Quest gameplay teaser for comparison’s sake.

Among a difference in texture, lighting, and water quality, you’ll notice the Quest gameplay teaser quotes it as coming in 2019. This has been updated in the new Rift gameplay trailer, which advertises a 2020 release date.

If you’re skeptical about whether a boat-based stealth game is going to be cool or not, you may want to check out our hands-on, where Road to VR’s Ben Lang got to strap into a Quest demo of the game.

SEE ALSO
'Espire 1: VR Operative' Review – Solid Snake, But Rough Around the Edges

While Lang thinks the kayak part sounded a bit ridiculous at the time, his demo left him pretty impressed, as the boat mechanic is, according to him, “actually a genius bit of VR design which affords the game an immersive locomotion and interaction system that has huge potential.”

We’re hoping Phantom’s launch date pushback isn’t too deep into 2020, although Brundish admits they’ll be sharing more in the months ahead.

The post ‘Phantom: Covert Ops’ Coming to Rift & Quest in Late June appeared first on Road to VR.

Phantom: Covert Ops’ Oculus Rift Debut Is Looking Sharp

So far all we’ve seen of nDreams’ stealthy VR title, Phantom: Covert Ops, is Oculus Quest gameplay. What about Rift fans? We want our high-fidelity tactical kayak gaming!

Well look no further than the trailer below.

This is the first footage of Phantom running on the PC VR headset. It just debuted at our Holiday VR Showcase. This is the exact same game as the Quest version, but you’ll be treated to nicer visuals, courtesy of the PC running your headset. We’ve also got a few screenshots of the Rift version below, too.

In Phantom, players must infiltrate enemy bases, sneaking past baddies and sabotaging targets. The twist is that you do all of this from the comfort of a kayak. Yep, the entire game is set on water; you paddle downstream, avoiding spotlights and taking shortcuts. We’ve been hands-on with it a few times now. We love the focus on immersion granted by the seated design and it’s fair to say it’s unlike any over VR game we’ve played in that regard.

Phantom_Screenshots_Rift_01 Phantom_Screenshots_Rift_01 Phantom_Screenshots_Rift_01 Phantom_Screenshots_Rift_01 Phantom_Screenshots_Rift_01 Phantom_Screenshots_Rift_06

Questions still remain about the quality of the game’s AI, a factor that let down sneaky competitor Espire 1 earlier this month. Still, Phantom now has the chance to steal the stealth crown for itself. Will it step (or swim) up to the challenge?

As you might have seen during the Showcase, though, Phantom won’t quite be making its original 2019 release window. The game’s now due for release sometime in 2020. We’ll bring you more updates on that when we have them.

The post Phantom: Covert Ops’ Oculus Rift Debut Is Looking Sharp appeared first on UploadVR.

Sneak In For A Phantom: Covert Ops Update At The Holiday VR Showcase!

We’ve got a sneaky surprise for you at our Holiday VR Showcase next week. That’s right, we’ll have an update on Phantom: Covert Ops!

This new stealth game from UK-based nDreams remains one of the most intriguing uses of VR on the horizon. You’re tasked with infiltrating enemy bases, taking out targets and extracting undetected. The twist? You do all of this from a kayak. Every level sends you downstream, using motion controllers to paddle through water to reach your goals. You’ll need to take over in reeds, avoid spotlights and occasionally fight back with an assortment of weapons.

We’ve been hands-on with the game a few times. More than anything, we’re struck by how immersive the experience is, and we think you’ll agree.

We’ll have some great updates for you at the show. Firstly, we’ll have the first footage of the game running on the Oculus Rift. Until now, we’ve only seen the game on Oculus Quest, so you can look forward to seeing how nDreams is using the added power of a PC. We’ll also have some information regarding the game’s release window, so you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for this segment.

Phantom joins Budget Cuts 2 and Sentenced as one of our revealed games for the Showcase so far. We’re going to have plenty more to talk about in the days leading up to the show, too. So make sure to be here on Wednesday, November 27 at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm GMT. We’ll be bringing you our digital showcase right there and then. We can’t wait to see you there!

The post Sneak In For A Phantom: Covert Ops Update At The Holiday VR Showcase! appeared first on UploadVR.