Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Sega's military-themed brawler Valkyria Revolution will hit North America for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in June, promising a new action-oriented focus for a series with turn-based origins.
The post ‘Valkyria Revolution’ launches stateside for PS4, Xbox One, Vita in June appeared first on Digital Trends.
At SXSW, Sega revealed that the previously untitled Project Sonic 2017 is called Sonic Forces, and Sonic Mania has been pushed from a spring to summer launch. Sega showed new clips of both titles, and they look great.
The post Sega: ‘Project Sonic 2017’ is now called ‘Sonic Forces’; ‘Sonic Mania’ delayed appeared first on Digital Trends.
A source close to Atlus USA has revealed that Sega may release an HD remaster of the cult-classic Shenmue games. This would be great news for fans, as currently the original games are only available on the Dreamcast and Xbox.
The post Sega may let you enjoy the original Shenmue games in HD with a remaster appeared first on Digital Trends.
Sega has reprinted the first four Yakuza games, meaning right now gamers can buy brand new copies of games that were originally hard to find. If reprinting old PlayStation 2 games turns out to be a success, other publishers may follow.
The post Sega has given the first four Yakuza games a limited reprint appeared first on Digital Trends.
Hello everybody and welcome back to VR vs. The VRFocus column where the one who doesn’t write that much (that’s me) witters on for about 800-1000 words on his thoughts on the state of play in the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tech spaces. For the past fortnight I’ve been turning the clock back, in a number of ways, to cover ten franchises that SEGA (they of the speedy blue hedgehog fame) would be foolish – FOOLISH I SAY – to not consider combining with VR down the line in some manner.
We’ve already had a number of familiar franchises like OutRun and some that you may not have initially considered such as Condemned. But with only four slots left which will make the cut? Which big names will be left out? I’ll give you a clue, Mr. T. Hedgehog is one of them.
I, for one, think that it’s about time outer space’s best news reporter was back out in the field covering another news story of galactic proportions. Now you might be wondering why I’m including Space Channel 5 in the list when we already have Samba de Janeiro, and especially when I’ve already discounted some franchises for being the same type of game; namely a driving title and shooting title? Well, whilst Space Channel 5 and Samba de Janeiro are similar in that they both have rhythm related game mechanics, they are operating with different intentions for those mechanics.
Whilst Samba is more a pure rhythm title, Space Channel 5 is more a memory game than anything else. Simon Says without the colours. Bop It in a short vinyl skirt.
Here though is where the addition of the 360 degree game play can again bring a fresh twist to an established idea. Not only do you become Ulala in this instance, but instead of moving the directional controller you are copying your opponent’s actions yourself, just as Ulala does. So you have that, but you also have the option to expand the command list a little and really mix things up. As opposed to getting instructions to go “left, right, right, left” what if you got “left turn, right, right turn, left”? Suddenly you’re not only dealing with 2D actions.
It’s an idea. And we’ve not seen a new Space Channel 5 in a lonnnng time. As Ulala herself would say, “Stay tuned!”
What happened to you Virtua Tennis? You used to be cool.
No really, Virtua Tennis 3 on console was all kinds of awesome, with longevity some devilish mini games and challenges and some pretty bang on game play mechanics. Then Virtua Tennis 2009 and 4 seemingly got a bit spooked by EA getting all… well, EA with the licences for likenesses and whatever it was that did happen during that time, it was all a bit of a mess after that. Some part of the magic was just… lost, as we’ve seen hide nor hair of one since 2011.
So why Virtua Tennis? Well this one is more cut and dry. We’ve seen many a tennis game, or tennis themed game already on VR be it for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or even the mobile platforms. But frankly none of them hold a candle to what Virtua Tennis was as a video game. Imagine the addictive game play brought to bear once more, but with the same level of attention to detail shown within a VR environment. The team from Sumo Digital (yes, I’m inviting you to throw money at them again) was very canny about what they could do on the mini games front. Something they replicated in SEGA Superstars Tennis, which, unsurprisingly was based on the Virtua Tennis engine. So the prospect of the Sheffield-based studio’s imagination being let loose in VR would whet the appetite of many a SEGA and tennis game fan.
Are there any cons here? Any VR related issues that may need to be addressed? Well, no. Not really. Tennis games are a proven commodity. Bonus points if the game lets you punch Duke and King in the face for being cheaty sods. If that kicks off a Virtua Fighter mini game then just give SUMO all the Game of the Year awards right there and then and be done with it.
How in the name of Goro Majima’s epic dance moves has this not happened yet? I mean I can kind of understand a reason in-story as to why the latest instalment of the Ryū ga Gotoku franchise – better known to you and me as Yakuza – didn’t invoke the PlayStation VR. Mainly because the title, Yakuza 0/Ryū ga Gotoku Zero: Chikai no Basho, was a prequel and set in 1988.
That being said however, I would have thought Sony would be falling all over themselves to get SEGA in on the act with their most famous (Project Diva not withstanding, and besides we’ve already discussed that) Sony exclusive series. Yakuza’s main game action doesn’t lend itself to PSVR – at least in my opinion. Why is it on this list then if it is isn’t suitable? Well Yakuza, as players know, is in no way just about the story.
Yakuza‘s side missions and elements off the beaten track people know are a strange combination of Japanese culture and utter lunacy. Veering from taking Hostesses on trips to karaoke clubs to winning a chicken at a bowling club which you can then appoint a member of your staff.
No, REALLY.
The thing is it is those mini games, like bowling and karaoke and baseball and all the other things – well, maybe not ALL the other things – that Kazuma Kiryu and co. get up to that could really make the leap into VR. Frankly i’d like to see what would happen if Toshihiro Nagoshi got his hands on the tech. He’ll probably think of something no one has. With the series creeping up to the current times will we see a 50+ year Kazuma try and figure out the newfangled PlayStation VR in a Yakuza 7 or will something be created for PSVR after Yakuza 6 heads West? Time will tell if the Dragon of Dojima will get his virtual day.
“You what?”
Yup.
“You’re joking right?”
No. I’m not joking.
“What, no Super Monkey Ball?”
Nope.
“No Space Harrier?”
Nope.
“No Jack Lumber?”
No, but thanks for reading, Owlchemy Labs.
“Not even Seaman?”
NURSE! Another patient’s out of bed again!
I’m willing to bet you didn’t see this one coming. For those that don’t know of the title, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised, Derby Owners Club (DOC) is an arcade title predominantly found in the Asian markets, although it certainly received a strong . Originally released in 2009 you take on the role of both jockey and trainer as you work with your horse, race them and eventually retire them in order to take their attributes (and those of another horse, obviously) to breed the thoroughbred of your dreams. Horses were saved on cards, a bit like on some arcade racers like Initial-D you had a licence card you could insert.
This may sound a little nuts, but make no mistake – DOC was a huge hit in Japanese arcades and very popular in American arcades as well. People stayed there on the machines so long (up to 8 hours) and people waited so long to play that an actual reservation system and waiting lounges had to be introduced. We’ve all waited in multiplayer lounges to get a party – but actually waiting in a physical lounge for the chance to play an arcade machine? Unsurprisingly SEGA rather coined it in. Not just in drinks sales for those in the lounges either. In a game where half the time you are a jockey I’m positive there is some way to develop a VR related experience and make things more hands-on. This has the added bonus of a) revitalising the brand with a must-try experience, b) brings a much needed new money spinner to arcades and c) helps sell VR.
DOC is a game that rewards loyalty, and a new version could find customers rewarding VR with its loyalty too.
Well, that’s all ten and the end of a three-part (good grief) VR vs. There won’t be one next week as I will be on a medically required holiday from overdosing on SEGA these last few weeks. There may not even be one the week after that, again due to some much delayed time off, so in the meantime I’d like you to suggest the SEGA franchises you would like to see developed for VR in the months and years ahead. Also, which company should I turn my attention to next for a similar list? Suggestions in the comments please, and I will see you next time.
Hello everyone I’m back to talk virtual reality (VR) and the House of Hedgehog for another week. As you may recall last week on VR vs. I started a list of ten franchises (and one honourable mention) that would – in my opinion anyway – be great for the leap to VR. SEGA is of course no stranger to VR down the years, there was the SEGA VR for instance. A headset which was initially designed with the idea that it could provide support for not just the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis and the SEGA Saturn but the arcades as well. A project that would have seen a 1994 release date after being revealed at 1993’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event. This in itself is not to be confused with the SEGA Master System’s 3D Glasses that allowed you to play a number of titles in quote-unquote “3D”. Yes, such things existed.
But enough of the hardware of the past let’s get back into those games franchises, eh? What else, via way of a lick of virtual paint, could hypothetically make its way to modern VR? Well when it comes to SEGA sometimes you’ve got to make some tough choices (as any long time SEGA fan can probably tell you) and when it comes to this list there’s one or two games that could easily occupy the same space. Such a dilemma can be found with our next title, it was a tough decision in the end but let me explain my reasoning.
Admittedly having a game with “cop” and “kill” in it isn’t going to win much in the way of good publicity, but this combination name should tell you everything you need to know about where I’m going with this. For you see when it comes to VR genres we have the ever popular (and increasingly railed against) wave shooter, and it just so happens that for SEGA two franchises – Virtua Cop and THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD*. I could give you very good reasons for both being on this list but I’ve gone with Virtua Cop. Why? Because put simply we’ve not had a Virtua Cop game for nearly fourteen years.
FOURTEEN FREAKING YEARS.
Yet people still think of the series fondly. HOTD on the other hand has had quite a few iterations, is a staple of SEGA’s All-Stars franchise and has proven itself to be an arcade mainstay. In other words, if you’re going to use VR to help elevate some old properties why not help the one that needs it more. Increase your viable library of characters. Increase the interest and hence their and your value. At the very least you’d raise some interest in getting some ports of the older titles going.
For VR the idea is simple. We have wave shooters, and the idea of having such a game where hiding behind some oh so handy barrel or outcrop of rocks isn’t 100% infallible makes it a far more frantic experience.
But what about the suffix? Well people familiar with HOTD will like as not recall the Wii game THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL. UK studio Headstrong’s entry into the series took the franchise, supposedly back to the very beginning before all the nonsense at Curien Mansion and into the shoes of rookie cop and series protagonist Agent G. Except things weren’t quite as people were used to with the game. OVERKILL took the franchise to 18/R-Rated territory by spoofing the grindhouse genre. Partnering the straight-laced G with foul-mouthed Detective Isaac Washington a man incapable of finishing a sentence without a s***, f*** or m***********. (Except, ironically, at times when it would technically be accurate. Long story.) In fact there were so many swears it actually held the world record for number of swears in a single game for some time. Eventually only taken out by Grand Theft Auto 4 I believe.
The video below features some… examples of this. You have been warned.
OVERKILL might not have set the world alight with sales but it, along with another SEGA title, Platinum Games’ MADWORLD, certainly held up the ‘adult’ end of the Wii gaming spectrum. It was later ported to PS3 and given extra levels, ported to mobile and eventually PC where it was converted yet AGAIN this time adding old SEGA favourite THE TYPING OF THE DEAD into the mix. Four games from one game. Not bad going, huh?
The point is OVERKILL was very tongue in cheek about the franchise’s own foibles, and that’s in a series that was already very self-aware. It was so fresh and different why not do a similar trick with Virtua Cop? Turn it into a self-aware parody of all those 80’s cop shows. Or even the 90’s, you meta humour all over the place then about old VR tech. Make it these two ridiculously out of touch cops dealing with endless suited gunmen in shades, ninjas and all the other light gun game staples who for some reason think this is perfectly normal. Make it Miami Vice on acid with a smart mouth and a stick up it’s ass. Make Virtua Cop but HOTD: OVERKILL.
In VR.
Then let me know so I can buy it.
Thanks muchly.
NiGHTS is a pretty deep franchise, if you did but know it, and one I have all the time in the world for. Not only do they have the most friendly fan base I’ve ever met, (no really, they’re all lovely) the game is fun, scary and promotes an array of ideas that would be very interesting to explore in VR. For a start there’s the obvious connotations of dreams and nightmares, and Sonic Team had no problem going dark. This shouldn’t be a massive surprise since in one of their games they once showed the moment a little girl gets shot for goodness sake**.
But NiGHTS isn’t just about dreams it is about the psyche itself. The original idea is based on the works of noted psychoanalysts Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. The ideya you collect are aspects of the Id – your personality traits. Hope, growth, intelligence, purity and lastly courage. Even their colours weren’t chosen randomly. The game deals with the topics of freedom, confidence, growing up, parental issues, loneliness, friendship, the idea of two people sharing the same experience and trust. NiGHTS is after all actually a Nightmaren – the bad guys. Trusting the person based on their actions and not on the preconception of where they were born is also something NiGHTS (particularly Journey of Dreams which has more of an outright story) touches on.
It is also about freedom and flight. So I want you to now imagine a first person NiGHTS game, one where you actually get to feel the simulation of flying, where you travel through a colourful level doing tricks and collecting… balls. And things. Now take that landscape with its SEGA blue skies and popping colours and what if we added a touch of Nevermind to it? What if the game reacted to your character’s welfare and became more dark and twisted the closer you came to running out of time or whenever you take a hit? It’s not that far fetched. The various levels in NiGHTS, the world of Nightopia is shaped by the Visitor (your character). The levels are given subtitles such as “The IDEAL”, “The POSSIBILITY”, “The CONFUSION” and are all based on relationships and aspects of their lives.
The feeling of flight and a bit of psychology. Sounds interesting?
We all know that driving games can be translated over to VR, some of which can be done very well indeed. But what about SEGA? It has a number of driving franchises that you could port. But All-Stars Racing was never going to be on this list. SEGA Rally was a distinct possibility but no, I turned down that too. Initial-D was a strong contender considering its arcade longevity and popularity specifically in Japan. But ultimately the choice to fill this spot can only be OutRun.
So why OutRun over SEGA Rally let’s say? Because SEGA Rally is a game and OutRun is both a game and wish fulfillment.
OutRun has, for decades, been not just about the game but about going as fast as possible in a sweet looking ride to impress the girl. About owning a Ferrari and being the personification of cool. It sells you a fantasy, one that gives tremendous satisfaction. A ‘long-medium right’ done well is one thing, but it doesn’t match slamming the steering wheel to full lock as you drift around a car and through a narrow gap between two buses in your Testarossa (or a British racing green Ferrari F40 if you’re me). It just doesn’t.
Taking a first person viewpoint and actually living the ride would be quite something. But there’s another reason VR would be an interesting mechanic for OutRun. Do you not remember you have a passenger in your car? A passenger who is very… needy in her desire for you to GO FAST! KEEP PASSING CARS! DRIFT MORE! ETC! As she either falls in love with you or, you know, violently attacks you because you clipped a barrier. If you’re actually in the car with her it gives the game an extra dimension as you’ve got to check how your would be lady (or gentleman – I think some choice on who your passenger and driver is should definitely be included at this point) friend is reacting to the ride. They also in doing such act as a distraction, and OutRun is always a balancing act – particularly in Heart Attack Mode – of balancing speed and safety.
For me it’d be a very interesting mechanic to explore.
That’s all for this week. Next week we round off the list some more games including one I suspect none of you will have guessed is on my list. Until then!
* Old SEGA employee note: For some reason THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD is always supposed to be shown in capital letters in SEGA materials. It’s part of the branding guidelines. If you see any SEGA official messaging with the game not in upper case it has actually been done wrong. #TheMoreYouKnow
** In Shadow The Hedgehog the moment young Maria Robotnik is fatally shot by government soldiers sent to wipe out the ARK facility is actually shown in the light of Shadow’s eyes at the end of a flashback. That’s messed up, Sonic Team.
Hyperkin has unveiled new Xbox One controllers that look like the love child of a normal Xbox One controller and a Sega Genesis gamepad. It's small and for the retro-focused gamer.
The post Hyperkin’s new retro-focused Xbox One controllers fit the nostalgia bill appeared first on Digital Trends.
Sega has uploaded a ton of music onto Spotify, allowing gamers to listen to classics from games like NiGHTS into Dreams, Out Run, Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio, Galaxy Force, and Alex Kidd.
The post Sega graces gamers with massive selection of music on Spotify appeared first on Digital Trends.
Welcome to another edition of VR vs. The weekly VRFocus column where the ‘other one’ from the site talks about most anything and everything to do with virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) or some crazed combination of the three. Today we’re continuing a thread begun last week in the final part of my three-week feature into what may lie ahead in 2017. There I mooted the idea that of all the studios currently involved within VR, certainly from a gaming perspective there is one that is conspicuous by its absence. SEGA. Yes, yes, I know there are Hatsune Miku games but as I pointed out at the time Hatsune Miku and the vocaloid bunch ultimately aren’t SEGA property and aren’t a traditional franchise. They aren’t one recognised within their All-Stars series for instance – and whilst that isn’t a qualifying marker for this list considering how big the Project Diva series is and how iconic a figure Miku is in Japanese culture certainly, you’d have thought SEGA would make more of a deal out of things than they have were she theirs. So on that basis, scrub those out PSVR games off your mental tally.
Updated total? Zero.
This is unusual for SEGA. Historically SEGA (at least in the third-party era) have rushed in to support whatever new technology comes along. Do you by any chance remember the EyeToy, Sony’s camera accessory for the PlayStation 2? Yes? No? There weren’t exactly a whole heap of games for it. But SEGA were there with the original SEGA Superstars to fly the flag. They supported the Kinect they fell into bed with Wii U pretty quickly, etc, etc. For SEGA to not have had one of its more noted franchises in the West ready to rock and roll when VR came to retail, certainly the PSVR, was pretty unusual. (Again, discounting the leek-swinging singer lady.)
But that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of opportunities for SEGA to embrace VR and thrown a bone to its more beloved franchises. It’s one of the sad truths about SEGA that their most iconic of series, with the exception of the fast spiky one, have never exactly been humongous successes financially. Still, why not use some of them and maybe give them a new lease of life outside of a new racing game? (No, really SEGA. It’s time for Transformed 2. Throw some money at SUMO Digital, will ya?) It’s also not like we don’t know SEGA aren’t messing around with VR either. Both SEGA Europe (SOE) and SEGA America (SOA) revealed their ownership of VR headsets (HTC Vive and PlayStation VR for SOE and Hololens for SOA) thanks to community videos. Never reveal you’ve got any kit you’ve not announced you’re working with as you’re either giving something away or starting unnecessary rumour. So yeah, way to keep that under wraps chaps. A+ work.
So let’s get things underway. As before I must point out that I used to work for SEGA for several years and worked on a number of the franchises listed that I’ll be bringing up. It was some time ago now, but I’m reliably informed that if I don’t do that the world will apparently end. We begin first with an honourable mention which will upset you by not being on the list proper.
It’s just not going to happen folks. Many have said the masterfully creepy atmosphere of “SEGA’s Good Alien Game” – tho everyone forgets they also did an Alien game on the DS in that discussion – was a perfect match for a full and proper adaption into a VR experience. The scare factor would be immense, obviously. As it’s bad enough being stalked by a Xenomorph without actually looking down at your chest as its tail pushes through it to kill you. As much as we’d all like it to, the economic factors involved just mean Alien Isolation is a non-starter for Creative Assembly to even get involved in really. Boo-urns.
However, speaking of Creative Assembly…
It’s one of gaming’s little quirks that one of console gaming’s most well known names is the publisher that is in actuality one of PC Gaming’s powerhouses. Between Sports Interactive’s Football Manager series and Creative Assembly’s Total War franchise SEGA have an commanding grip of the PC chart, one would go far to say dominance at some points in the year. If you have lived in a hole for the past couple of decades, Total War is a series of real-time strategy games that takes keen players take on the role of General in various eras of time. Replaying notable battles and playing tactical hardball with history. Whether it’s the Medieval period, the time of Rome, the rise of Napoleon or the era of the samurai there’s plenty to do. Heck, you can even throw history right out the window now and enjoy some Warhammer in your Total War.
Total War has always been about getting stuck in to battles. The planning, the preparation, the implementation and the execution. The buck stops with you, and as the series has developed the control system has allowed you to get ever deeper into the action. You can even follow individual soldiers. It’s such a well developed system that there’s even been a BBC game show (essentially) based on playing the series. One that’s recently had something of a comeback.
So with this in mind how would VR make Total War better? Control.
Now, considering what I’ve just written you might be wondering what I’ve been talking about since I’ve just been praising the system. But you can always improve and everyone and anyone who has played Total War has always had periods where the game just won’t place units right or you can’t get the camera in jussssst the right position. Now imagine you are in the map as opposed to looking at a 2D surface. Imagine you were, with your motion controllers able to to manipulate your units and your surroundings just so. How much easier and dynamic and engaging an experience that would bee if you brought a touch of Minority Report to proceedings.
Heck, can you imagine a Hololens version of Total War? With you waging battles from your sofa over your coffee table, and manoeuvring your archers onto the high ground of the TV unit? That’d be amazing.
Break out the Bellini boys and girls!
When I first saw the HTC Vive controllers my first thought, partly because of how they were being held and moved at the time, was that they kind of looked like maracas. And there’s only one game that invites you, without a hint of suggestiveness, to get your maracas out. Samba de Amigo first burst onto the scene on SEGA’s much loved Dreamcast and was actually developed by Sonic Team if you didn’t realise it. It also came out as an arcade experience before next surfacing on the Nintendo Wii. The game plays with you in amongst a vibrantly coloured carnival, armed with your maracas you control Amigo, one of SEGA’s two monkey mascots (the other being Super Monkey Ball‘s AiAi, strangely the two have never been seen as rivals in the Superstars/All-Stars titles. Which has always puzzled me.) You move and dance along to a selection of upbeat tracks, shaking your controllers in time to the beat and occasionally having to strike a pose. It’s a simple enough title, and well and truly puts the party into party game.
VR needs more games like that I think. More games that are just full on fun and colours. It’s why Balloon Chair Death Match got people excited, it was a simple premise and it looked fun. Job Simulator is the same. Bright colours and positively oozes fun. Yes, we can all enjoy a nice serious game with high stakes, but in dammit we all just want to be silly sometimes. Samba allows you to do exactly that. Now, what I’m essentially asking you is to imagine this in VR. Please watch the video below as in this instance it is important to what I’m writing about.
A warning before you do however; if you are wearing headphones please turn them down. There’s some loud audio distortion on the video from the outset.
Just look at this man. Look how bloody happy he is. He doesn’t care he’s in the middle of an arcade, he doesn’t care he has a crowd. He’s just going for it: a master at work. Nevermind your beloved Salt Bae (a reference I realise will date this article terribly), in your heart of hearts you wish that were you. You wish you were as cool as the Samba Bae.
Now I’m waving any potential wire-based issues here. Forget ’em. Let’s lay it out. You put on the headset and you step into a party; a “Carnaval de VR”. Everyone around you is interacting with you. The movement is infectious. You are the centre of a mass celebration with bouncing creatures and an equally bouncing musical beat. You have motion tracking controls. You wave them about in time to the music. It’s escapement, elation, exercise and fun. Now we bring things up to date with the new technology and throw in a dash of evolution to the game as well. Unlike before you can use the sensors or PlayStation camera to fully track your movements. All of a sudden Samba can have a touch of Dance Central in it, evolving it into a bit more of a full body game with one stroke. You have greater accuracy than ever before on the controllers, the game can actually see you for the first time and you get one of the most smile inducing experiences on VR. As an added bonus it gets to be a game franchise fully realised on VR, something people are clamoring for.
Yo SEGA. You’ve got my number. Call my people (me) and let’s make this happen. I’m totally open to being Producer on this thing. SAMBA! Du du de-du du-du du de-du…
There’s a very good chance you don’t remember Condemned: Criminal Origins. There’s an even better chance you’ve never played it or Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Which is a pity really. Condemned is a first-person experience which puts you in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, a police officer investigating a murder which slowly takes him down a path to discovering secret societies, mysterious entities, encountering nightmarish visions and the city falling into the grip of madness. Both games are a twisted mix of dark menacing settings, genuine scares that mess with play on psychology and improvised combat usually involving whatever Ethan can get his hands on. It’s frantic, up in-your-face stuff and perfect for VR with the combat emphasis on melee.
It’s not just that though. The first Condemned game especially has you dealing, within your role as a police investigator, a number of different crime scenes. These are technical, and involve you hunting for clues, such as finger prints and making deductions. What Condemned is, is what I suggested it could be back at E3 2016. It could be the Batman VR game you’ve always wanted but combined with all the best twisted bits of Resident Evil VII.
We’ll just ignore the bit about shouting people to death from number 2. (Check out my good friend John’s Let’s Play of Condemned 2 to see what I mean.)
That’s all for this week. On next week’s selection of titles we’re embracing freedom in a couple of ways and I use the term “wave shooter”. Which will probably annoy people. Until then…
When it comes to video game social media it would be difficult to think of another account that has had as much impact than that for the Sonic The Hedgehog brand. The Twitter account – run by SEGA of America (SOA) – has, over the last 18 months almost deliberately eschewed actual news updates in favour of off-the-wall content and ever increasingly bizarre meme-based antics.
Their latest video, seen below, features the character ‘Sanic’. An infamous awkwardly drawn representation of Sonic made famous in fan art ‘running’ across the SOA offices as a joke virtual reality (VR) experience. Intentionally or unintentionally, it is somewhat reminiscent of the Young Conker experience revealed almost a year ago to much negative reaction. Indeed, the trailer for that has (at the time of writing) over 28,000 dislikes against only 1,757 likes.
What is more interesting however is that it does out that SEGA not only have a Hololens, as seen in the beginning of the video but they are, apparently, experimenting with it. The social media team did however preemptively pour cold water on the prospect of a Sonic VR (or even, heaven help us, a Sanic VR), commenting in the video’s description that “Sometimes, you get a shiny new toy to make vidja games on. Sometimes, you let the social team get their hands on it. We do not apologize.”
That said, few games studios have showed they possess the very expensive kit, and it does make you wonder just what else SEGA might be using it for. Coincidentally, next week’s VR vs. column is already confirmed to be relating to SEGA, and will be discussing potential franchise that could make the leap to VR and/or AR.
VRFocus will of course bring you news of SEGA support for any of current crop of headsets as it is announced.