Did you know Blair Renaud from Iris VR was working on a follow-up to 2016’s Technolust? Did you know it’s tentatively titled Technolust 2? And did you know that it features a flying airship and a cyberpunk city that’s basically dripping neon colors? Well, let me be the first to tell you that all three of those things are true!
Renaud sent a very, very early pre-alpha build of the game to see for ourselves and we came away extremely impressed with the visuals and sense of style. From head to toe Technolust 2 feels like it’s screaming Blade Runner, which is far from a bad thing. Check out a few minutes of footage up at the top of this post or here on YouTube.
We praised the original Technolust for its excellent storytelling in the early days of VR, specifically with regard to how meta its presentation of a world dominated by virtual reality might look like. The Extended Format update added a ton of new content as well as hand controller support. For the follow-up, it looks like this one will be a bit more action-packed.
In the game you play as a detective in a cyberpunk-themed dystopia. The flight seen in the video above is sort of like a gameplay sandbox for the player, but is also the core mechanic in a big chase scene in the game. Renaud’s focus is on providing a lot of things for players to do, like picking up side missions and finding secrets, even after the main story is over.
More bits and details about Technolust 2 can be found here and you can follow Renaud on Twitter to stay up to date. Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
Gritty cyberpunk dystopian virtual reality (VR) experience TECHNOLUST is currently listed as one of the ‘Must Haves’ on the Oculus Rift website, and the title has just had its price dropped to $19.99(USD)/£14.99(GBP) on the Oculus Store.
TECHNOLUST was originally launched for Oculus Rift back in May 2016, and received largely positive reception, garnering several awards, such as the 2016 Unity Vision AR/VR Award for Artistic Achievement, and two Proto Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Sound Design.
VRFocus also reviewed the title positively, saying: “TECHNOLUST is a more than respectable experience set in a captivating world. Though it has a number of flaws, it remains one of the most unique and interesting examples of indie development not just in VR, but in modern videogames as a whole. TECHNOLUST is a wonderful starting point for Renaud’s work in VR and a fitting reward for those who have waited to jump into the cyberpunk future promised by the arrival of this new medium.”
The title is presented in the form of a visual novel, where the player explores the dark, cyberpunk environments, interacting with various unusual characters and slowly uncovering a story involving mass suicides, A.I. revolutions and rogue mega-corporations. Gameplay involves two primary elements: Mini-games and puzzle solving, with several of the mini-games taking the form of classic arcade titles such as Space Invaders along with utilising many references to classic cyberpunk film and literature, as well as shout-outs that will be familiar to those who have been immersed in VR culture and industry for some time.
TECHNOLUST also recently introduced a large update that introduced support for the Oculus Touch and added a new quest line and several other bug fixes and performance improvements.
VRFocus will continue to report on sales and special offers for VR products and experiences.
The tale of the Oculus Rift’s crowdfunding campaign will go down in history as a monumental shift for virtual reality (VR). While the consumer adoption of the hardware has been slow – as many anticipated – modern VR simply wouldn’t exist without Palmer Luckey et al having made the jump to publicly display their wares years prior to launch. It was due to that decision way back in 2013 that today’s VR and augmented reality (AR) industries have generated so much buzz, and have had so much funding available.
However, the tides have shifted somewhat. Despite the likes of Oculus VR and OSSIC making things look easy, financing a project through a crowdfunding campaign was never truly a simple task. In the years since the Oculus Rift surpassed its funding goal by a staggering 875%, the VR audience has become wary; fatigued by demands on their wallet and demanding more than a simple idea to gain their support.
Blair Renaud, CEO of IRIS VR, has gained a reputation in the VR community for knowing how to steer a Kickstarter campaign from inception through publishing and beyond completion. Widely respected for his efforts in crowd-funding and the project that came of it, TECHNOLUST, Renaud recalls how difficult convincing an audience to part with their hard earned cash on a potential product is:
“Running a successful Kickstarter campaign isn’t just hard work, it’s a full time job. You have to a lot of research and build the campaign in the weeks (months?) leading up to launch, then run a full time public relations campaign once it’s live,” stated Renaud in communication with VRFocus. “Getting press is difficult, but necessary. Having a demo and a press kit is useful. You have to use every outlet at your disposal (Twitter, Reddit, Youtube, 4chan, etc.)”
Further to this, Renaud insists that communication with not just key influencers but also individuals amongst the community is hugely important. Crowdfunding is not simply a case of putting up a campaign and watching the dollars roll in.
“For the entire duration of the campaign, you have to be ready to answer every question posed to you on every platform (even the trolls!). This means waking up to a full inbox every day. On top of this, you should still be fleshing out the game and the campaign site, adding rewards, stretch goals and features.”
Of course TECHNOLUST’s successful campaign allowed IRIS VR to deliver the intended videogame experience across multiple VR platforms, but has also afforded Renaud the knowledge required for future crowdfunding endeavours: “When it’s all done you’ll feel like you can write a book on the subject when a publication asks you for a quote.”
IRIS VR’s success story has led to rapid expansion of the studio’s VR agenda, but others have left their backers less than satisfied. The Virtuix Omni was another success story at the time of funding, however even additional investment couldn’t prevent delays and the seemingly inevitable cancellation of international shipping plans. More daunting is Sixense’s constant moving of goal posts for the Stem controllers. Indeed, with Oculus Touch now a core component of the Oculus Rift package and HTC Vive’s Knuckles controllers and Tracker pucks looming, what need is there for a third-party motion-control device?
Delays are one negative aspect of a successful Kickstarter campaign, but these are projects that were funding a long time ago in the relatively short lifespan of modern VR. What about new projects? A recent campaign for a VR retail experience comes close to offering a unique perspective, but is clearly ill equipped for the challenge of convincing VR aficionados to offer their support:
“I want to create an application or experience that will give you the sensation of actually being present in a department store. You can see, feel and touch the items you want to purchase. Put them in your basket and purchase them all with virtual goggles,” reads the description of the campaign, simply entitled ‘Virtual reality shopping’.
A reasonable, if not particularly original, idea for the use of VR. However, when outlining the experience and hurdles that will be faced in the development of the project, campaign creator Jamie England offers no detail of her experience with VR, simply stating: “Risks are not getting the grocery industry to support the application. However I work in the grocery industry so I think any sale at home is good. There will be obstacles along the way.”
Development of the platform is arguably a bigger hurdle than achieving industry support at this point. There is no detail of England’s experience with VR or the development of applications, nor any information on the team she will be hiring. Furthermore, there is no imagery, no video content, no prototype available. England has an idea, but no concept for how this will develop. Sadly, this has resulted in the campaign achieving $0 USD of its reasonably small $50,000 target at the time of writing.
Essentially, the rules of VR crowdfunding have changed. There’s still plenty of room for a developer to get their idea noticed and even gain the support from key influencers needed to be successful, but a good idea is no longer enough. Reaching your goals on a crowdfunding platform should be considered a full-time job, and the support you need to give reaches beyond a Reddit post and e-mailing a few journalists. It’s a daily activity including constant updates, issuing of assets, interaction with those influencers and offering an early prototype of your work. Do this and your idea might just become a reality.
IRIS VR has today revealed the next virtual reality (VR) videogame that the studio is working on. A follow-up to the hugely popular TECHNOLUST, TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title) is a first-person roguelike experience featuring procedurally generated environments and encounters.
Deemed to be in the vein of NetHack, IRIS VR’s fourth VR videogame is set in the walled city of New Kowloon. The player will wander the cavernous alleys of New Kowloon trying to make a living on the streets. However, breaking the tradition of the genre, TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title) won’t emphasise the combat element of the videogame; instead allowing players to make their fortune however they see fit. Looting, hacking, crime fighting or opposing the authorities are all potential paths to wealth, if you feel you’ve adequately equipped your character to do so.
Working on the idea of procedural gameplay, TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title) will offer a different experience to each player, or with each individual playthrough.
“I want to solve what I see as the biggest problem with VR games right now: content. The procedural nature of the game will keep people coming back. No two users will have the same experience,” stated Blair Renaud, CEO at IRIS VR, when speaking with VRFocus. “It’s in the same universe as Technolust, but not a continuation of any story. The first game was (without spoiling anything) rather self contained. That’s not to say there won’t be familiar faces, worn out places, etc.”
A multiplayer mode has also been suggested for TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title), however the videogame is still in the early stages of development, and as such it’s not yet been confirmed whether this co-operative gameplay element will make it into the final release version.
No details on which head-mounted displays (HMDs) TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title) is in development for are currently available, however TECHNOLUST itself has launched on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, with an interest having been expressed in bringing TECHNOLUST: Scanlines to PlayStation VR. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title) and other VR projects from IRIS VR.
It’s a healthy week of new releases across both Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear, with a combination of free and premium experiences you shouldn’t pass up. It goes beyond gaming with new comic books, travel experiences and, of course, more horror. Who could live without VR horror?
Technolust Extended Format, from IRIS VR
Price: $24.99 (Rift)
Dive back into the cyberpunk dystopian world of Technolust with this Touch-enhanced update. It adds brand new endings, lots of new content, and support for the Oculus Touch motion controllers, leveling this up to one of the best overall VR adventure titles thus far.
Recommendation: Re-download it if you played it already and definitely buy it if you haven’t yet. More info.
Nanite Fulcrum: Issue One, from The Spiraloid Workshop Company
Price: Free (Rift)
This might be the most ambitious stab at the VR comic book yet. Fulcrum is a Touch-enabled experience in which you can grab moving panels and move them around in an immersive environment. Paying tribute to the comic book fans’ love of collecting there are also 3D statues to pick up and interactive elements too.
Recommendation: Definitely worth checking out if you’re a comic book fan.
EVEREST VR, from Solfar Studios
Price: $14.99 (Rift)
Solfar’s mountain climbing experience finally moves from Vive to Rift, complete with Touch support, a lower price, and new features. EVEREST VR features a story experience in which you’ll witness some of the most crucial parts of climbing the world’s highest mountain. There’s also a Google Earth-style God Mode that allows you to explore every inch of it.
Recommendation: A great showcase of the scale and wonder of VR, but it’s not as deep and interactive as we’d hope. The lower price helps, though.
Syren, from Hammerhead VR
Price: $19.99 (Rift)
Syren is the debut horror game from a UK studio, offering a brief but brutal campaign of terror. You are alone in an underwater research facility, hunted by twisted monsters with very little to defend yourself with. You’ll need to search for a means of escape as you hide from enemies.
Recommendation: Touch owners with a taste for horror shouldn’t miss out on this one. Here’s our review.
The Harbinger Trial, from Wolf & Wood
Price: Free (Gear)
The developer of A Chair in a Room returns with a new episodic horror series on Gear VR, the first episode of which is free. You’ll explore the minds of disturbed mental patients, looking for evidence in criminal cases. It’s a chance for the developer to tell shorter, twisted horror stories that anyone can sample.
Recommendation: This is one developer you should show your support for. More info here.
Mondly Languages VR, from ATi Studios
Price: Free (Gear)
Another look into how VR can be used to help you learn new languages. You’ll have conversations with virtual characters that will correct you on things like pronunciation. There are 28 different languages to learn here including English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese and many more.
Recommendation: Definitely worth a look for those wanting to learn, plus it’s free.
Nuvision, from Retina Inc.
Price: Free (Gear)
The first installment in an intriguing new interactive 360 degree video series, Nuvision tells the tale of a future in which augmented reality has become an essential part of our every day lives. It’s an interesting concept, showing an interaction with futuristic AI.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of Black Mirror, we recommend checking this out.
2017 VR, from Tungsten Game
Price: $14.99 (Rift)
Another day of existence on planet Earth means another day with a new VR zombie shooter. This time around, in the case of 2017 VR, you can take the fight to the undead with friends by your side in a cooperative affair with a litany of weapons and a nifty skill system.
Recommendation: If you’re bored of existing coop shooters, or want more zombies, then 2017 VR isn’t a bad bet. It’s also not exactly an original idea at this point.
InMind 2 VR
Price: $4.99 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
Have you ever wondered what the inside of a brain looks like? InMind 2 VR isn’t exactly a simulation of a brain’s activity, but it gives a psychedelic glimpse at what that might look like as you witness a teenager’s evolution to adulthood. It’s a charming adventure inspired by Disney Pixar’s Inside Out from the creators of InMind and InCell.
Recommendation: Definitely worth a download for fans of InMind, InCell, or other cerebral adventure games.
The Art of Fight, from Raptor-Lab
Price: $24.99 (Rift)
This one has been around in Early Access for a while but is finally getting the full release treatment this week. It’s a super fast-paced 4v4 shooter with some light parkour and melee combat elements. It channels inspiration from games like Counter-Strike to deliver one of the most intense VR multiplayer shooters around.
Recommendation: If you’re fan of intense VR shooters like Onward and Battle Dome, you should add this to your library.
CuVRball – Unlimited Play DLC, from Hypergolic Games
Price: $14.99 (Rift)
In a strange move, this DLC is priced just as high as the core CuVRball game itself and all it does is allow you to play for as long as you want. The regular game is a decent take on a racquetball-style VR game in Early Access, so it’s not a bad concept in and of itself.
Recommendation: This should have been a free update to the base game, not something that asks players to pay double overall.
Munch VR, from Mostly Harmless Games
Price: $14.99 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here: you can now finally control a fish in VR as you force it to eat other fish and grow larger over time. Explore the ocean to become as large as possible, but avoid the bigger fish or else you’re someone else’s dinner.
Recommendation: Cute and fun, but we’d recommend waiting on a bigger sale.
TRESPASS – Episode 2, from vROTEIN Inc.
Price: $15.99 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
Assist Samuel Rodriguez through a collection of environments and puzzles as you seek clues and complete tasks in TRESPASS – Episode 2. You’ll work through calm moments and exciting scenes as you try to escape your predicament.
Recommendation: An action intense escape experience that improves on the previous episode. A bit pricey, but worth it if you tried Episode 1.
Bocce Beach, from Funly, LLC
Price: $6.29 (Currently Discounted)
In Bocce Beach, you can transport yourself to your own island paradise and play a game of Bocce. The game also features real-time commentary of your experience and Bocce rankings.
Recommendation: Unless you just absolutely need that Bocce fix, pass on this one.
HOMEBOUND, from Quixel
Price: $7.19 (Currently Discounted)
HOMEBOUND puts you into a chaotic and seemingly hopeless situation as you careen through the cold void of space toward Earth. Take on a time-attack across three levels or just enjoy the free-roam mode and take in the sights.
Recommendation: Visually appealing but can be uncomfortable for some. Approach with caution.
Treehouse Basketball, from Treehouse
Price: Free
In this minimalist casual experience, shoot a few free throws or play a time challenge to test your basketball skill.
Recommendation: Disappointing lack of net physics, but otherwise a pretty and free shoot-around.
THOSE DAMN ALIENS! VR, from Deceptive Games Ltd.
Price: $6.39 (Currently Discounted)
Grab your weapons and get ready to fight off the alien invaders of your space ship in THOSE DAMN ALIENS! Take on waves of enemies in either a campaign or survival mode with multiple weapon types and climb up the competitive leaderboards.
Recommendation: Inexpensive wave shooter but there are better options. Pass on this one unless you really want to shoot aliens.
Emmerholt: Prologue, from Oneiric Entertainment LLC
How do you make an already great game even better? Simple: You add Oculus Touch motion controller support, expand the ending with more possibilities, add a dense mini game, and incorporate brand new gameplay and storytelling elements. Instead of just packing in more content for the sake of it, this Technolust [Review: 8/10] update feels more like a free content expansion than a minor patch — and it’s a very good one at that.
When we first revealed that IRIS VR was working on a new Touch update for Technolust, details were sparse. The teaser trailer (included below) showed the player controlling a pair of green, neon hands, riding a motorcycle, and doing other activities that were clearly not in the core game. Since then we’ve learned more about what’s actually included and that it’s new name is now Technolust Extended Format.
“The expansion not only adds support for Oculus Touch but extends the original story with an entirely new questline allowing players to jack-in to the games digital inhabitants and experience their recent memories,” explains Blair Renaud, CEO of developer IRIS VR. “A mysterious new location (called the Wreckshop) has opened up across the street from your apartment. It’s owner (a being known as Halfjack) has a gift for you. A new protocol that allows you to re-live the memories of androids by jacking into a port located near the base of their necks. All he asks in return is that you share what you find. You must unravel a mystery and learn the secrets of the analog and the digital. The game now includes alternate endings, a new fast paced Road Rash inspired mini-game where you bash, throw and shoot enemies, new collectables, achievements, new tracks and much more.”
Adding Touch support is a great way of keeping adventure games alive and relevant in the age of VR and motion controllers. It can elevate existing games like The Assembly [Review: 7/10] but isn’t always enough by itself if the core experience isn’t compelling, such as with Loading Human: Chapter 1 [Review: 4/10].
Have you tried the new Technolust Extended Format update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
IRIS VR’s TECHNOLUST has been a mainstay of the early adopter virtual reality (VR) audience since the success of its Kickstarter campaign back in 2014. In that time, the development team has launched the videogame on both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive and announced the launch of a major content update, designed for motion-controller input, now set to arrive ‘within the next week’.
The new content will act as an expansion to the existing campaign, standing alongside from the core experience under the name ‘Technolust: Extended Format’. Oculus Rift owners who have already purchased Oculus Touch should have the motion-controllers connected when launching the videogame as TECHNOLUST will automatically detect their presence.
“There’s content in the expansion that is only accessible with Touch, from the extended story to a new Roadrash like motorcycle game,” states Blair Renaud, CEO of IRIS VR, when talking with VRFocus. “The original story has been updated a bit, but you’re only getting part of the story if you play with a gamepad. Besides, nothing beats walking down the street holding a ghetto blaster to your ear and swatting flies.”
Renaud revealed to VRFocus that Technolust: Extended Format will launch within the next week and will be available for free to all existing owners of TECHNOLUST. Those who purchase the videogame after the release of Technolust: Extended Format will receive all existing content for $24.99 USD.
In addition to these details, Renaud revealed future potential for Technolust: Extended Format, discussing the exclusivity of the videogame: “Currently it’s exclusive to Oculus Home, but if reaction is good, I have plans to port to PlayStation 4.”
VRFocus has been hands-on with Technolust: Extended Format and will bring you a detailed preview in the very near future, as well as keeping you updated with that potential PlayStation VR port.
The Oculus Rift is amazing. And this month it got even more amazing. Oculus Touch released on December 6 and boy, oh boy, did it bring some fantastic games along with it. In the face of such an incredible innovation we realized we had to update our top Rift games list to include these new offerings.
We’ve got nine games in particular for you that we think are the absolute best games this system has to offer in the post-Touch era. Before we get started there are just a few caveats. We will not be including the original pack-in titles like Lucky’s Tale and EVE: Valkyrie for consideration — even though both are great games — because they already came with most headsets. We’re also not including simplistic free experiences such as Farlands, First Contact, or Oculus Dreamdeck.
Titles on this list are in no particular order, they’re all recommended equally. Let’s get started!
Windlands
Windlands is great. No, let me try that again. Windlands is amazing. Still not good enough? Okay, one more try. Windlands is so good that if I didn’t have certain people in my life willing to say “Hey man, we haven’t seen you in a while” or “You do know you need to wash your clothes right?” I would probably still be playing it right now.
Developed by Psytec Games, Windlands is a title that provides everything VR gaming needs right now. Addictive gameplay? Check. Beautiful visuals? Check. Compelling atmosphere? Oh yeah. And to top it all off Windlands now comes with a free Touch update that transitions the already mesmerizing, gaze-based grappling hook gameplay into a hand-controlled experience. This is the closest we can get to being Spider-Man people.
What truly makes Windlands amazing however is that it’s not just an amazing video game, it’s an amazing virtual reality video game. It could only work in VR. A game where you swing around like Spider-Man in first person piecing together the mysteries of an ancient world sounds fun in 2D, but in VR on the Rift it becomes something else entirely: legendary.
Note: This game is also available on the HTC Vive but I prefer to play it on the Rift. You do a lot of quick head movements in this game and the Rift’s lighter headset and ergonomic design make that experience a lot more enjoyable. The Touch controllers also feel more comfortable.
DiRT Rally
D1RT Rally is officially bumping Project Cars off of this list as our number one racing game for the Rift. Don’t get me wrong, Project Cars is beautiful and impressively immersive but DiRT edges it out with grittier gameplay that feels perfectly suited for the unique benefits of a VR headset.
The white-knuckle turns and moment-by-moment decision making that take place in DiRT Rally‘s off road races translate beautifully into VR. Every last second hairpin turn or horrifying rollout is felt inside that headset. This makes every victory feel satisfying, electrifying, and hard won. Combine this with a steering wheel accessory and you’ve got yourself a recipe for never seeing your children again.
And always remember: don’t cut.
The Climb
If you read about The Climb on paper it’s not going to do the game much justice. Sentences like: “You look around to place a set of disembodied hands on a mountain and grip handholds by holding down the shoulder buttons,” do little to capture the heart pounding exhilaration that The Climb provides.
The original, gamepad control scheme, despite some finicky moments, brilliantly immerses you in a rock climbing mindset with just two buttons. I held on to those triggers tighter than Rose held onto that floating door in Titanic that could clearly fit two people.
Now The Climb also has a free Oculus Touch update which makes scaling these facades more immersive and engaging than ever. Trust me, if you fall in The Climb, you will definitely remember it. You feel so one with nature in this game as well, which is an odd, but wonderful, thing for a video game to be able to do. So now you can tell your mom you don’t need to go outside. You have The Climb.
The Unspoken
Before The Unspoken we were skeptical how real-time, online multiplayer would work for the Oculus Rift. After, The Unspoken we know the answer: it freaking rocks.
The Unspoken is the third game in Insomniac’s trilogy of VR titles for Rift this year. It puts you in the Chuck Taylor’s, scarf, and trench coat of a modern sorcerer trying to evade a shadowy cabal in the dark streets of Chicago. Despite its loose story, The Unspoken is entirely an online multiplayer game (with the exception of a few, limited, offline practice modes).
You’ll spend your time choosing between three unique classes, customizing a load out of spells and artifacts, and perfecting your technique on the battlefield. The Unspoken is addictive and fun with a fantastic use case for the new Touch controllers. Whether you’re hurling a fireball or levitating a police car, it all feels natural and exhilarating on Oculus’ new platform.
Matchmaking also happens within seconds rather than minutes which was a major pre-launch concern for this game. Dive in, master your magic, and see if you’ve got what it takes to be named the greatest VR wizard in the world.
Arizona Sunshine
If you’ve ever sat around with your friends and played, “How would we survive the zombie apocalypse?” then Arizona Sunshine is a must play. Developer Vertigo Games transports you directly into the sun bleached deserts of Arizona. The landscapes would be quite beautiful if they weren’t crawling with legions of the undead.
Armed with only a handful of firearms you’ll need to scavenge for food, ammunition, and shelter as you make your way through the infested landscape in search of refuge from the endless hordes. Arizona Sunshine‘s gameplay is visceral and satisfying with a wonderfully voiced protagonist and a story that makes you feel the desperation that comes at the end of the world.
There are also difficulty modes that scale the zombie damage and ammo scarcity. These culminate in the almost impossible to beat “Apocalyptic Mode” which will make you think hard before taking every shot. The online horde mode is a blast with friends and the gunplay and reload mechanics keep you feeling actively involved in your own survival.
In a market flooded with Zombie shooters Arizona Sunshine stands a decapitated head and shoulders above the rest.
Obduction
Obduction is the game that gave me my new fear of windows. Developed by Cyan, Inc. — the makers of the legendary PC title, Myst — this title brings exploration and storytelling to new heights for VR gaming in general.
In Obduction you find yourself exploring a ghost town that seems plucked straight out of the old west. The only catch? It’s on an alien planet and you have no way to get home. So begins hours of discovery, mystery, and intriguing puzzles.
Obduction is a thinking players game. If you want to blow things up or shoot big guns then this may not be the title for you. But if you’re hungry for an adventure you’ve come to the right place. But don’t forget: nothing is ever as it seems.
Dead and Buried
Let’s move from a metaphorical Ghost Town to a literal one. Dead and Buried, the first full game developed outright by Oculus Studios, is a multiplayer, online shooter with a twist: you’re already dead. You’ve been brought back to life by a mysterious specter to, as he puts it, “take out some bad guys…or some good guys.”
D&B has a wealth of game modes for you to explore including team shootouts, quick draw contests and cops-and-robbers style heists. There’s a variety of weapons and cover strategies to play with in each mode so grab a few friends and settle the ghostly west with your brains, your brawn, and plenty of hot lead.
Edge of Nowhere
Insomniac is one of the most prolific gaming studios operating today with massive hits like Ratchet & Clank, Spyro, and Sunset Overdrive in its catalog. Edge of Nowhere is Insomniac’s first foray into the world of VR gaming and represents one of the few titles for the Rift developed by an established AAA developer.
Edge of Nowhere is a psychological, third person thriller that will take you to the limits of not only the freezing arctic, but of your own sanity as well. Expect a few frights and an unforgettable VR experience when playing this one. It’s not to be missed.
Damaged Core
In Damaged Core you play as an artificial intelligence who’s job it is to possess enemy robots and use their unique weapons and skill to defeat the evil “Core” and save the human race. In my opinion, it’s very nearly a masterpiece, and it is the best reviewed game on UploadVR to date. Despite requiring a gamepad to play, the game’s core robot-jumping mechanic (pun intended) creates a deeper sense of freedom and immersion than most “room scale” titles I’ve tried.
Combine that with incredible visuals, an engaging story, and interesting characters and you get one of the most complete and impressive VR titles on this or any platform.
Now stop reading and start playing!
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12/26/16 Update: This list has been updated by adding DiRT Rally, Arizona Sunshine, Obduction, The Unspoken, and Dead & Buried. To make room for these games, we’ve removed Technolust, Project CARS, Blaze Rush, Air Mech Command, and Defense Grid 2.
8/30/16 Update: The list has been expanded from 7 games to 9, opening up 2 new spots. Edge of Nowhere and Damaged Core are the two newly added titles.
This article was originally published on 05/03/16.
Further to this, Renaud insists that communication with not just key influencers but also individuals amongst the community is hugely important. Crowdfunding is not simply a case of putting up a campaign and watching the dollars roll in.
Essentially, the rules of VR crowdfunding have changed. There’s still plenty of room for a developer to get their idea noticed and even gain the support from key influencers needed to be successful, but a good idea is no longer enough. Reaching your goals on a crowdfunding platform should be considered a full-time job, and the support you need to give reaches beyond a Reddit post and e-mailing a few journalists. It’s a daily activity including constant updates, issuing of assets, interaction with those influencers and offering an early prototype of your work. Do this and your idea might just become a reality.
Deemed to be in the vein of NetHack, IRIS VR’s fourth VR videogame is set in the walled city of New Kowloon. The player will wander the cavernous alleys of New Kowloon trying to make a living on the streets. However, breaking the tradition of the genre, TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title) won’t emphasise the combat element of the videogame; instead allowing players to make their fortune however they see fit. Looting, hacking, crime fighting or opposing the authorities are all potential paths to wealth, if you feel you’ve adequately equipped your character to do so.
A multiplayer mode has also been suggested for TECHNOLUST: New Kowloon (working title), however the videogame is still in the early stages of development, and as such it’s not yet been confirmed whether this co-operative gameplay element will make it into the final release version.
