Single-player first-person shooter Crisis VRigade 2 launched as a Steam Early Access title last month, maturing the franchise from the 2018 original. Developer Sumalab announced this week that Crisis VRigade 2 will be coming to PlayStation VR next week as well as mentioning an Oculus Quest version in the works.
Sumalab co-founder Diego Martin took to Twitter this week to confirm Crisis VRigade 2‘s launch on Tuesday 14th July for PlayStation VR. He also noted that the videogame will support the PlayStation Aim controller to enhance the gameplay experience.
Responding to a tweet, Martin also confirmed development is underway on an Oculus Quest version, although there’s still a way to go: “It’s early for rejoicing, but we’ve made some promising advances with Quest version.” It’s not surprising that Sumalab has its eyes on the standalone headset due to its continued popularity and the sales revenue figures Facebook keeps releasing. For the time being Oculus Quest owners can still play Crisis VRigade by sideloading it through SideQuest.
Crisis VRigade 2 is expected to be in Early Access for PC VR headsets including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index for the next six months. The sequel has moved away from the original’s low-poly style, creating a more realistic shooter in the process. In its current state, the entire campaign is playable, designed around physical gameplay, plenty of weapons and boss fights. It still retains the difficulty for those looking for a challenge.
As development continues Sumalab plans on making the whole experience ‘more dynamic’ as well as adding a multiplayer co-op feature. In its most recent update Crisis VRigade 2 has seen the AI improved, the difficulty curve smoothed out and support for bHaptics’ TactSuit range added.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Crisis VRigade 2 as Sumalab releases further updates for the tactical FPS and continues its platform expansion support.
Crisis VRigade 2 doesn’t have a release date yet, but the latest teaser trailer shared on Twitter by Sumalab co-founder Diego Martin. Check it out right here:
We don’t know a lot about Crisis VRigade 2, but taking even a cursory glance at the footage and screenshots compares to the original shows a dramatic difference. The entire art style has been transformed from a low-poly bright and colorful design, a la Job Simulator, to something much darker, gritty, and realistic. At first glance, I thought it was footage for new content in Blood & Truth or something along those lines. Kudos to the team at Sumalab, it looks very impressive.
From what we’ve seen this will still be a cover-based shooter more than likely, so the gameplay will likely expand and evolve from that, rather than dramatically shifting tones like the art style did.
According to the Steam page:
Crisis VRigade 2 is a virtual reality action filled first person shooter that lets players take on the role of a SWAT trooper. Duty calls again! Crisis VRigade 2 take up the baton of the first chapter and take it to the next level: more action, more shootouts, more weapons, more difficulty, more blood, more everything!
Judging by the hashtags in Martin’s tweet above, this one will likely come to the same platforms once again, including Steam, Oculus, and PSVR. There is no date but the tweet does say “soon enough to entertain your isolation” implying it will release during the international lockdown periods in effect as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a Steam page with more details as well. It’ll be in Early Access initially “for up to 6 months” before a full launch.
After two rejections from Facebook and procuring nearly 80,000 downloads for Oculus Quest anyway, the developers of Time Crisis-inspired Crisis VRigade are seeking community support as they launch a co-op mode.
The new pay-as-you-want Itchio store page for the free SideQuest game coincides with the launch of a cooperative mode. You and a couple partners can take on Crisis VRigade’s three challenging levels together. The developers say it includes full co-op across all platforms, so players on PSVR or PC VR could partner up with a player on Quest.
Check out gameplay from the first level in co-op mode below. I played on my Oculus Quest in California with our writer Harry Baker on his Quest in Australia. Taking cover together behind walls, police vehicles, desks and more, we found it to be one of the best things we’ve played from SideQuest and a true joy in co-op. We used Quest’s party chat to communicate but barely spoke because of the intense gameplay. We also moved so much we ended up drawing our Guardian walls to the absolute maximum of available space in our homes.
This week I also interviewed in our virtual studio Spain-based Sumalab developer Diego Martín about the rejections from Facebook, how it affected them, and how community support via the Itchio page for the title could affect their plans going forward. Right now, they’re planning a sequel that’ll take the work they’ve done with the first Crisis VRigade and build on it with a focus on Steam and PSVR first. That said, how much support they see from the VR community to their Itchio page for the original game on SideQuest could affect their plans for the sequel.
Check out the interview:
If you’re in social isolation due to the Coronavirus, then, Sumalab just released a pretty entertaining way to take out some bad guys with friends on all popular VR headsets, and it side-stepped approval from Facebook in the process. PC VR players can find it on Steam here.
Sumalab, a Spain-based indie studio, today released a model train game called TrainerVR (2017) which lets you snap together train tracks, set up little towns, and play with trains to your heart’s content (and all in room-scale VR).
Modeled after wooden train sets, TrainerVR lets you create everything from simple tracks to an elaborate rail network by placing tracks, trains, cars, houses and track switchers—pretty much everything that comes with a BRIO train set—wherever you please. Since it’s virtual reality though, you’ll never be short on pieces as you grow your creations in size and complexity like you never could as a kid.
The best part? You don’t have to clean up when you’re done either (yes, you can smash your creations like Godzilla too).
TrainerVR was developed for both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, andis currently for sale on Steam at a 30% discounted price, bringing it down from $15 to $10.50 for a limited time.
While it may be missing out on some features that might render it more appealing to a wider audience, like rideable trains and more interesting terrain than a simple white background, early reviews are promising, making for what appears to be an honest-to-goodness blast from the past.
And so it came to be that the last edition of Something for the Weekend before Christmas falls appropriately enough on Christmas Eve. So if you’re still unsure as to what to get yourself, are looking to get something new for the family to enjoy as they try out virtual reality (VR) over the holidays or you’ve suddenly realised that you’ve forgotten someone and you need to get them a present sharpish a purchase on Steam might just be the ideal present buying get out of jail free (Christmas) card.
Also, before we look at some of the VR titles available a reminder that you can set the date for when people receive your gift as well so it doesn’t have to show up immediately. Look in to the options when you purchase.
Anime Girls VR
Compatibility: HTC Vive & Oculus Rift
There’s not exactly any way to sugar coat this one. Yes, Anime Girls VR is a videogame. Yes, it features anime girls. Yes, the content is… exactly what you think a game called Anime Girls VR would end up being about. It possesses the nudity tag on the Steam listing. Say no more, eh? Get to know middle school teacher Yoko, maid Mizuka and sport loving Kaori all of which love to dance. According to the publishers you’ll need to go some to keep up with them.
If you’d like to take a waifu home this Christmas, Anime Girls VR is currently at 20% off until December 30th 2017, and you can get it now at £7.43 (GBP) as opposed the usual £9.29.
TrainerVR
Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift
The first thing to say about this one is that no, despite the name this is nothing to do with physical fitness.
When I was very young the toy I wanted most of all was a BRIO train set. If you’re not familiar with the name BRIO are the makers of the wooden train set with the grooves in the wooden track pieces (sort of an inverted track). Nowadays there are all kinds of knockoffs of it around the place but BRIO are the originals. TrainerVR give you your own virtual train set in that BRIO-style. Not only that but the whole thing is physics based, so if you want to create a steep incline your train will struggle. Also if you lose your temper the entire thing can be flung to the four winds.
An Early Access title from developers sumalab, until December 30th 2017, TrainerVR is available at a30% discount. Bringing the total to £7.97 (GBP) from £11.39.
Little Einar
Compatibility: HTC Vive
Released onto Early Access only yesterday by developers MADBones Games, Little Einaris currently available for £8.09 (GBP) from £8.99 and will in the future be coming to Oculus Rift also.
“This release comes with seven levels with the last three of the chapter to fast follow. The intention is to incorporate feedback into the last few levels and go through an optimization pass before moving into chapter 2, chapter 3 and eventually full release.” Explain MADBones Games. “While developing Little Einar, we wanted to rekindle the old school feeling of retro video games without creating a retro game. The classic experience of a side-scrolling platformer is revitalized in VR. We hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your feedback to make Little Einar better.”
Light Strike Array
Compatibility: HTC Vive
Our last Early Access title for a while, Light Strike Array is a room-scale action strategy videogame by developers Unwieldly Systems.
In Light Strike Array two teams (Bands) battle over a mysterious resource called “salt” – we’re pretty sure it isn’t actually just salt – you’ll need to mine it and gather your strength up if you’re going to take on your opponents. The end of the game is to take your crystalline ‘Shards’ and destroy the enemy’s Heart. You’ll need to first wear down the protective shield that surrounds it, however, and the shield referred to as a ‘cornoa’ is more than capable of obliterating the light that makes up your crystal soldiers.
What would Christmas be like without a little blood and gore, eh? Um… well, actually just peachy, thanks. But GexagonVR’s puzzler Nevrosa: Escape isn’t exactly about bringing cheer to the world.
GexagonVR describe it as “an escape room game with horror and action elements, where you are trying to find your way out of laboratory through solving puzzles while being locked with a strange creature. Mystical machines, old family curse and various endings depending on your ways of play.”
Nevrosa: Escapeis available at a rather generous 40% off – £8.99 (GBP) from £14.99 – until December 29th.
Tactera
Compatibility: HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality
If there’s one developer we have remained consistently impressed by on VRFocus it would be E McNeill. Other VR titles Darknet and Skylight have both performed well in reviews with the latter already featuring once on the site this week as part of our Best Gear VR Titles Of 2017 list.
In our Gear VR review of Tactera from last year we explained how the videogame felt like to play: “Tactera actually plays out in two phases: grand battle strategy and real-time combat. The player is first greeted by a grid-based map which plots their advance on enemy territory, taking it in turns to deploy troops and move across the map until combat is initiated. Once enemy units meet yours, the player may choose one of the combat instances (if more than one occurs simultaneously) to play in direct command of, whilst others will be simulated. While still learning the ropes this may seem like an unfair advantage on behalf of the AI enemy, however once some knowledge has been attained planning and forethought will avoid any unnecessary weakness in your strategy.”
Developed for VR, but playable out of it if you like, in Red Chain Games’ Boxed In you need to clear the various rooms of multicoloured blocks which can appear from above, the left or the right. There’s 36 variations of play and it’s a good title for those of you looking for a casual gameplay experience this Christmas.
“Quantized is an audio reactive, procedurally-generated sensory experience. Play your own local songs to generate a fun, exhilarating musical journey.”
A videogame by developers Chris Mahoney and Kenny Bier and published by Abstractron, Quantized has a 15% discount on its regular price of £10.29 until December 28th. Meaning you can pick it up for only £8.74.
And finally, whilst it is a Steam week here on Something For The Weekend, here’s a bonus couple of entries for our PlayStation VR owning readers.
Virry VR: Feel the Wild
Bafta award nominated experience Virry VR: Feel The Wild is currently on promotion on the US PlayStation Store for $3.99 or $1.99 for PS Plus users – a 60% and 80% saving respectively on the regular price.
Filmed on location in 4K, get up close with lions, elephant and a zebra, you can even wallow in a mud bath with a rhino. That or take in some of the more tranquil sights as you take a virtual safari down an African river.
The discount is part of a PS Store Flash Sale. Whilst there’s not many PSVR titles in there is another PlayStation VR entry which will definitely be of interest to people…
“PlayStation Move arguably increases immersion in the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR ten-fold. The realism of interaction and combat is a huge part of VR, and this is no different here; reaching out to grab an item, swing your sword, draw an arrow to your bow, or cast your spells. It all simply makes much more sense when it’s your hands doing the work.”
It might be an older title given a fresh lick of paint but it remains one of the most in demand PlayStation VR titles this holiday season.
Up until January 2nd 2018 you can journey back to Tamriel for 33% off. Based on the US store, with the price at $40.19 (USD) from $59.99.
TrainerVR
Little Einar
Light Strike Array
Nevrosa: Escape
Tactera
Boxed In
Quantized
Virry VR: Feel the Wild