Satirical VR Shooter, The American Dream, Hits Quest Next Week

Satirical VR shooter, The American Dream, arrives on Quest next week.

Developer Samurai Punk will bring the game — which first launched on PC VR and PSVR back in 2018 — to the standalone headset on June 30. It will cost $14.99. Check out a trailer for the Quest version below.

The American Dream Quest Version Revealed

The American Dream pictures a reality in which America uses guns as tools for daily tasks. You’ll go through several scenarios like opening beer cans, playing catch and flipping burgers with the aid for firearms. The game is intended to be a satirical take on American gun culture.

We first reviewed the game in 2018, praising its unique premise though adding that it suffered from some pacing issues.

“Using VR’s unique potential to tell powerful and insightful stories with stark, reflective criticism is on display in ways we haven’t seen before,” we said. “The humor won’t land for everyone and the message will likely get misinterpreted or lost by some, but The American Dream raises questions that are absolutely worth discussing regardless of your stance on gun laws. This VR experience, despite the quirky visual style, is not for the faint of heart.”

Will you be picking up The American Dream on Quest? Let us know in the comments below!

July 8, 2018

Something For The Weekend: Sizzling Hot PlayStation VR Deals

It’s hot, but you all know that as the summer heat keeps up the pressure. So what better way to escape the heat then to lose yourself inside some immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences. VRFocus is back once again with another entry of Something for the Weekend, which brings together a number of different titles to help you find your next favourite title. This time we take a look at the PlayStation store to hunt down some of the best offers on PlayStation VR titles that cover a wide range of genres. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

2MD: VR Football

It comes down to the last two minutes of a match and it is up to you to make the wining score. Think you can do that? Well, in 2MD: VR Football you’ll have to. From developer Truant Pixel, players jump into the final two minutes of an American Football match and step into the shoes of a quarterback. Draw up a plan, call the shots, make the throw, hand-off or even just run for that last minute touchdown. It’s an intense, action packed two minutes.

2MD: VR Football is available now for £7.39 (GBP) down from the usual £9.99.

Headmaster Keeper

Headmaster

“All in all Headmaster is a well put together title that the majority of VR gamers will find enjoyable. It does feel a bit 2016 in its gameplay offerings, with VR having moved on leaps and bounds in terms of the depth of content available. Headmaster is a tongue in cheek experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously, supplying light hearted fun mixed with good physics, and that’s no bad thing.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Headmaster.

Headmaster is available now for £4.99 (GBP) down from £15.99.

Hex Tunnel

“Enter another dimension and master the elements to become a supreme being. With arcade, chaos and ultra modes in procedural stages ensures a unique experience. Avoid all surfaces and reach the exit to be victorious.”

Hex Tunnel is only £2.49 (GBP) down from £3.99.

Blasters_of_the_Universe_PSVR_Screenshot_3

Blasters of the Universe

“For those that’ve become rightly bored with wave shooters Blasters of the Universe offers that spark of light, reminding us why this genre became popular in the first place. The entire theme, visual aesthetics and gameplay make Blasters of the Universe a joy to play, just be prepared to swear and curse – possibly throw a controller – as that heart disappears because you didn’t see that one laser bolt soon enough.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Wrtier Peter Graham’s review of Blasters of the Universe.

Blasters of the Universe is available now for £6.49 (GBP) down from £11.99.

Konrad the Kitten

If you want to escape the everyday life and space time with a cute kitten then this is the title for you. Meet Konrad, the cute kitten that needs a helping hand and lots of love. Feed him, take him on a hot-air-balloon ride and keep him happy with a wide range of activities and tools to play with. Featuring a number of mini-games and a large range of accessories to dress Konrad up in, any fan of kittens is sure to have a blast with this title.

Konrad the Kitten is available now for £7.99 (GBP) down from £11.99.

Pirate Flight (VR)

What if you could be a pirate and fly through the skies? Well, in Pirate Flight (VR) you can do just that. Designed to be an accessible title for anyone to play, players will be able to fly, race, and shoot across three worlds and 90 missions. With no landing or complex controllers, flying has never been so simple. The title also includes dragons so really, what more could you want?

Pirate Flight (VR) is available now for Oculus Go for £7.39 (GBP) down from £11.99 with an extra 10% discount available for PlayStation Plus members.

Island time VR 5

Island Time VR

“After a ruckus journey at sea, you are shipwrecked on a tiny island. Using your wit, ingenuity and the advice of your new buddy, Carl the Crab, you’ve gotta find a way to keep yourself from starving and survive as long as possible. Craft tools, fend off creatures, try to signal an airplane… or you could just give up and die? …Maybe, just enjoy the sunset while you can. Almost makes you forget that you’re in a desperate struggle against your own mortality.”

Island Time VR is currently £6.49 (GBP) down from £11.59.

The American Dream

“There’s so much to like about The American Dream that it feels like nagging when pointing out its faults. Some of you will love its humour and points of view on guns, but many will notice there’s not a massive amount to do, with hidden stars on each stage the only real reason to give it another go. There’s no doubt that The American Dream’s commentary on American gun culture will rile some, particularly at this point in the political landscape, nevertheless as a VR experience it’s certain worth your consideration.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of The American Dream.

The American Dream is currently on sale for £11.99 (GBP) down from £15.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 25%.

Ultrawings

Jump in and take to the skies in this open world experience where you’ll pilot multiple aircraft to complete a variety of missions and challenges. Pop balloons as you fly through the air, snap the best photos, execute perfect landings and flt courses to earn the highest score. If you want to feel the thrill of flying high in the air then Ultrawings is for you.

Ultrawings is currently available for £8.99 (GBP) down from £17.99.

Skyrim VR: VRFocus' Adventuring Life screenshot

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

“The achievement made by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is one by way of both hardware and design to capitalise upon this. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR’s level of immersion is simply fantastic, and while Bethesda Softworks could well have gone the route of DOOM VFR and created a shorter spin-off experience, developing a brand new The Elder Scrolls instalment specifically for VR would have taken many years and far too much in the way of resources for what is still a nascent audience. As it stands some may find the price point of the videogame a bitter pill to swallow, but for those who dreamed of a truly immersive role-playing experience, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is simply the best opportunity available today.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is available now for £32.49 (GBP) down from £49.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 35%.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

July 5, 2018

The American Dream Gets ‘High Fidelity American Mode’ For July 4th

Okay I realize we’re getting to this one a day late, but the update is still there, so cut us some slack.

Samurai Punks’ excellent satirical VR adventure, The American Punk, just got an update to celebrate America’s independence. The game, which puts players in a world in which all of life’s daily problems and chores are solved with the help of guns, now features what the developer describes as a “high fidelity American mode”.

Based on the trailer above, we’re pretty sure all this mode does is replace every texture in the game with the American flag and swap out all the dialogue for just getting people to say “America” over and over again. Seems fitting, no?

Elsewhere the patch addresses some more minor fixes. We still absolutely recommend picking up The American Dream. “The humor won’t land for everyone and the message will likely get misinterpreted or lost by some, but The American Dream raises questions that are absolutely worth discussing regardless of your stance on gun laws,” we said in our review. “This VR experience, despite the quirky visual style, is not for the faint of heart.”

Tagged with: The American Dream

The post The American Dream Gets ‘High Fidelity American Mode’ For July 4th appeared first on UploadVR.

July 4, 2018

The American Dream Celebrates Independence Day With New Patriotic Update

As the fireworks whistle through the sky, and American flags are unfurled across the USA in preparation for the celebrations of the 4th July, developer Samurai Punk are adding their own cheeky flavour to the festivities with an update to its satirical virtual reality (VR) shooter, The American Dream.

The American Dream is a darkly humorous parody of American culture and stereotypes. Set in an apparently idyllic World Fair, the title takes users through an on-rail exploration of gun culture by forcing players to attempt to complete everyday tasks like cooking using only a gun.

The new updates includes the ‘American Mode’ free for all users, which revels in patriotic pride and enjoy all things American, like gun, flags eagles, and of course, even more guns. The new update features a typical 4th July celebration, where players will need to use the only tool you ever need, he trust gun, to flip burgers on the barbecue, open a beer and light off fireworks.

VRFocus previously gave their verdict on The American Dream in a review, where it was said: “Yet this is a videogame about guns, and as such every interaction in the experience requires you to shoot something or at least hit it with a pistol. There’s no need to worry about ammo as the chair/cart that you’re sat in has an infinite amount of ammo. Once your gun is dry just hit the button on the arm rest and a slow motion sequence begins, firing a clip into the air for you to catch with the gun. It’s a novel mechanic that’s fun to begin with, but at certain points in the title when things get a little more frantic it can be slightly haphazard, missing clips if you don’t get the gun just so.”

The American Dream screenshot

The Trailer for the new update is available to view below. As always, VRFocus will continue to keep you informed on new updates and additions to VR titles and experiences.

March 16, 2018

The Biggest Rift, Vive and Windows Releases For The Week 03/11/18

It’s pre-GDC week, but there’s still a lot of interesting new releases to talk about for PC VR today. There’s a little something for everyone from shooters to commentary on shooters and games that aren’t shooters at all. Oh the variety!

If you missed last week’s releases they’re here. And don’t forget that UploadVR has a Steam community group, complete with a curated list of recommendations so that you don’t have to waste any money finding out what’s good in the world of VR. We also have a top list of the absolute best Oculus Rift and HTC Vive games at the corresponding links.

Payday 2: VR, from Overkill
Price: $44.98 (Rift, Vive, DLC Free)

After months of testing the full version of Payday 2 VR is finally ready to go. Grab your Rift or Vive and jump into a series of high-stakes bank heists with up to three friends. Take on different jobs as you fend off the police and score big. The straight adaptation of the regular game makes this one of the biggest VR titles available right now, and there’s even cross-platform play so you can team up with normal players.

The American Dream, from Samurai Punk
Price: $19.99 (Rift, Vive, currently discounted)

A wonderful piece of VR satire. In The American Dream the country has come to the point in which it uses guns for basically anything you can think of: flipping burgers, gardening, even shooting the holes into bagels. But doesn’t all of this madness come at a price? Find out in one of the most intriguing VR releases to date.

Here’s our full review.

Welcome to Light Fields, from Google
Price: Free (Rift, Vive, Windows)

One of the most technologically stunning VR experiences we’ve seen in a while. Welcome to Light Fields provides a showcase of light field technology, highlight how it can render real-world environments with photo-realistic accuracy. It offers several scenes for you to jump into and look around. If you’re interested in the future of VR experiences then this is an absolutely essential demo.

VRFC Virtual Reality Football Club, from Cherry Pop Games
Price: $19.99 (Rift, Vive)

The developer of Sports Bar VR returns to tackle the tricky task of bringing soccer (or football, for all the people that know what’s real) to VR. This doesn’t use Vive Trackers but instead comes up with its own solution using motion controllers to simulate the beautiful game. It’s an Early Access release right now.

Tagged with: The American Dream

March 16, 2018

Having Guns of Fun Playing The American Dream

One of the most interesting looking virtual reality (VR) titles to be launched this year is Samurai Punk’s dark satire on American gun culture, The American Dream. Essentially an on-rails first-person shooter (FPS), there’s far more to the videogame than meets the eye, poking fun yet answering serious questions about people’s love of the gun, a creation designed for one thing, killing. Naturally, VRFocus had to get a closer look at The American Dream, recording this gameplay video of a couple of the levels. The American Dream art

The main joke behind The American Dream is the focus on gun manufacturers and how they like to portray their weapons as a vital tool that every homeowner (American Patriot) needs. So Samurai Punk has taken this idea, sprinkled some Australian humour on it, and created a VR experience that can be sharply witty at points, and very dark in others.

How has the developer taken this to the extreme, well the video neatly addresses some of those questions by showcasing two stages. In the first VRFocus had to feed a baby, so using just a pair of pistols and plenty of bullets chopped up some fresh produce which went into a giant mixer. Then in the second area, it was time to do a spot of fishing using a trusty bolt-action rifle – no need to wait for a bite! To be honest these levels we’re fairly tame in comparison to some of the stages, which included giving people haircuts with a machine gun, changing baby’s nappy, or setting the mood for some late night action with a pump action shotgun.

With 20 stages to play though you can be certain things can only get weirder (and funnier) as the videogame progresses, just remember this is definitely not one for the kids. Check out the video below, or head on over to VRFocus‘ review of The American Dream to find out more. As always, keep coming back for more gameplay videos from VRFocus.

March 15, 2018

Review: The American Dream

Gun culture can be a sensitive issue in some countries, with America well known for its stance, while other such as the UK and Australia have all but outright banned them due to shooting atrocities. Taking a darkly satirical look at the US’ love of guns is The American Dream by indie studio Samurai Puck, a virtual reality (VR) title that aims some cutting wit whilst providing some bizarre shooting gallery gameplay.

Set in the 1950’s during a World Fair, The American Dream takes you on a ride created by gun manufacturers to show you how awesome their weapons are, and how they can be used for everyday tasks. Set across individual rooms, each level encompasses a period of time in the idyllic life of an American Patriot. Starting as a baby you progress through childhood, adolescence, getting your first job, marriage, having kids and so on.

Yet this is a videogame about guns, and as such every interaction in the experience requires you to shoot something or at least hit it with a pistol. There’s no need to worry about ammo as the chair/cart that you’re sat in has an infinite amount of ammo. Once your gun is dry just hit the button on the arm rest and a slow motion sequence begins, firing a clip into the air for you to catch with the gun. It’s a novel mechanic that’s fun to begin with, but at certain points in the title when things get a little more frantic it can be slightly haphazard, missing clips if you don’t get the gun just so.

From your fixed on-rails position you’re tasked by a talking dog to complete various challenges to move on. Given the nature of The American Dream things are taken to ludicrous proportions, which range from the weird to downright funny. Cooking burgers, well a quick shot will flip them, or how about changing baby’s diaper, yup that requires a bullet to sort. Going fishing? Nobody uses a fishing rod, it’s all about your trusty bolt action rifle. And it’s like that for most of the videogame, which is great at first yet after an hour or so the repetition does start to grate a little.

The American Dream screenshot

Naturally there’s a mixture of guns, but nowhere near as many as you’d expect. Pistols are the standard weapon of choice, with certain levels allowing you to swap them out for a shotgun – that spits fire when pumped enough times – or the rifle for those distance shots. Each area is tailored to these guns so there’s no swapping weapons, this is very much a fixed ride where choice is limited.

And it’s that limited choice that can make The American Dream seem constrained, almost to the point of frustration that you can’t do more. Because what it does do is fantastic at points, the interwoven narrative, the stellar voice acting of Michael Dobson, and the wonderful graphical style all point towards a VR title expertly put together by Samurai Punk.

There’s so much to like about The American Dream that it feels like nagging when pointing out its faults. Some of you will love its humour and points of view on guns, but many will notice there’s not a massive amount to do, with hidden stars on each stage the only real reason to give it another go. There’s no doubt that The American Dream’s commentary on American gun culture will rile some, particularly at this point in the political landscape, nevertheless as a VR experience it’s certain worth your consideration.

80%

Awesome

Verdict

March 14, 2018

The American Dream Review: A Mirror In The Face Of Gun Culture

The year is 2018 and The White House of the United States of America is still convinced that video games directly lead to violent behavior. They’re so convinced in fact that they met with lobbyists and CEOs to talk about it all and even made a highlight reel of some of the most violent scenes in modern gaming to support that argument.

This isn’t a fictional universe: it’s real life.

During a time in which America is embroiled in a contentious debate over the necessity and utility of openly available firearms following a slew of public shooting tragedies, video games find themselves at the center of it all. In that regard, The American Dream, a VR game from developers Samurai Punk that uses dark humor and wry sarcasm to address this very issue, feels about as politically topical as you can get — for better and for worse.

The premise of The American Dream is that you’re using VR to see a “brighter future” in which guns rule all aspects of life. You remember the classic kid comment of, “Well if you like ___ so much, why don’t you marry it?!” This is that, turned into a game, focused on guns. The idea is that if American society is so obsessed with guns that we can’t even relinquish them in the face of national tragedies, why don’t we just evolve to using them in all aspects of our lives?

So that’s what happens here. Each level of The American Dream is a different scene from a different phase of a typical American’s life. You see things from the POV of a baby in a crib as a mother points a gun at your mouth to feed you cereal, you’ll use a gun to shoot burger patties and make them flip on the grill, and even later on to take care of gardening frustrations in the backyard. After an hour or two the gameplay mechanics themselves start to feel increasingly repetitive which, to the developers’ credit, is part of the point — but that doesn’t make it any less monotonous to play after a while.

If all that sounds a bit ridiculous then, yeah, that’s on purpose. It’s supposed to be this totally outlandish and absolutely bonkers representation of gun culture as a method of revealing the absurdity of it all in the first place. It’s harsh commentary by way of parody. Something tells me Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the creators of South Park) would get along just fine with Samurai Punk’s writers.

The situations that you play through do a good job of maintaining a consistent tone, but it comes at the loss of communicating its message. This is a tricky topic and the developers don’t want to preach at the player, but a little more direct commentary or more overt criticism would have helped solidify the game’s purpose more strongly.

Everything is narrated by your trusty all-American dog companion, Buddy Washington, as you progress through each of the over 20 different vignette stages. While they may lack a real narrative thread connecting them all together, the tone and focus of each stage evolves as you delve deeper into the game’s “simulation” of America.

Over the course of the game, which should last most players about four or so solid hours, I found myself laughing quite a lot. My sense of humor lines up well with the writers and I’ve always been a fan of this sort of dark, sardonic take on otherwise heavy topics that typically avoid parody.

What really makes The American Dream work though, on a purely fundamental level, is the subtly of it all. The first hour or so of the game is purely silly with lots of direct jokes and witty humor, but by the time you reach the end things start to take on a much darker tone. Smiles on my face became grimaces and my occasional breaks from VR became breaks from my own mind. I’m not a gun nut by any means, but as someone that was born and raised in Texas, The American Dream is a game that forced me to reflect on certain things that I’d otherwise never have given a second thought.

Given some of the pacing issues and the partially inconsistent tone/messaging, I think The American Dream may have been better served to be just a bit shorter. Some of the stages feel unnecessary and don’t actually contribute to furthering the game’s message at all. For games like this all of the content needs to either communicate the core principles clearly or provide real gameplay entertainment and there are chunks of this experience that feel included for no reason other than padding the length.

I’m all for games taking stances on important cultural and political topics. Some of the most moving pieces of entertainment I’ve ever enjoyed have been video games and I see no reason why developers can’t use the medium to start hard, important conversations — especially in VR. The American Dream, more so than any other game I’ve played, really asked me to look at myself in the mirror and investigate my own personal relationship with guns and gun culture on a more intimate level.

Final Score: 7/10 – Good

The American Dream’s dark, sardonic commentary about America’s gun culture comes at a poignant time in the country’s history. I hate having to put a numbered score on a game like this, but here I am anyway.

Using VR’s unique potential to tell powerful and insightful stories with stark, reflective criticism is on display in ways we haven’t seen before. The humor won’t land for everyone and the message will likely get misinterpreted or lost by some, but The American Dream raises questions that are absolutely worth discussing regardless of your stance on gun laws. This VR experience, despite the quirky visual style, is not for the faint of heart.

The American Dream is available as of today on Rift, Vive, and PSVR for $19.99. Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.

Editor’s Note: Please keep the comments civil and respectful. We know that this is a sensitive topic and it’s impossible to discuss this particular game without also engaging in a discussion about guns in general.

Tagged with: Samurai Punk, The American Dream

March 13, 2018

The American Dream: Feuer frei für Rift, Vive und PSVR

Das australische Entwicklerstudio Samurai Punk veröffentlicht am 14. März ihre dystopische VR-Alltagssimulation The American Dream für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive und PlayStation VR (PSVR). Im satirischen VR-Titel übernahm die Waffenlobby das Amerika der 50er Jahre, wodurch ihr euren kompletten Alltag durch die Nutzung von Schusswaffen bewältigen müsst.

The American Dream – Der Traum eines jeden Waffennarren

In The American Dream werdet ihr in eine dystopische Version von Amerika in den 50er Jahren versetzt, in der die Waffenindustrie dafür sorgte, ihre Produkte als wichtigstes Existenzgut zu verkaufen. Dementsprechend verändert sich die Perspektive der Menschheit auf die Schusswaffen und sie werden zum unverzichtbaren Begleiter für den Alltag.

So werden praktisch sämtliche Tätigkeiten durch das Abfeuern diverser Feuerwaffen gelöst. Egal, ob zur Vorbereitung des Barbeceues, zur Erziehung des Kindes oder zum Bewältigen des Haushalts – eine Pistolenkugel genügt, um sämtliche Probleme zu beseitigen. Dabei durchlauft ihr typische Alltags-Situationen wie den Besuch des Abschlussballs als Teenager oder die tägliche Arbeit am Fließband als Versorger der Familie. Damit für genügend Abwechslung gesorgt wird, stehen euch unterschiedliche Modelle innerhalb des Waffenarsenals zur Auswahl. Von Pistolen über Schrottflinten bis zu Gewehren dürft ihr eure Zielsicherheit in den verschiedenen Situationen mit den Waffen auf die Probe stellen.

Die Entwickler nehmen mit ihrer satirischen VR-Alltagssimulation also die Waffenvernarrtheit der Amerikaner gehörig auf die Schippe. Als Vorgeschmack könnt ihr den im letzten Jahr veröffentlichten Trailer zum 4. Juli – dem amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitstag – begutachten, der den Patriotismus der Amerikaner beim Vorbereiten der Festlichkeiten innerhalb des Spiels in den Fokus setzt.

The American Dream soll morgen am 14. März für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive auf Steam sowie im Oculus Store für 19,99 Euro erscheinen. Die Konsolenversion für PlayStation VR (PSVR) soll ebenso an diesem Tag erscheinen.

(Quellen: Samurai Punk | Upload VR | Video: Samurai Punk Youtube)

Der Beitrag The American Dream: Feuer frei für Rift, Vive und PSVR zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

March 12, 2018

Watch This Incredibly Patriotic Launch Trailer For The American Dream

The American Dream by Samurai Punk is just around the corner with a March 14th, 2018 release date set for later this week on PSVR, Rift, and Vive. We’ve been following the game for quite some time now with our first hands-on happening all the way back a year and a half ago at PAX West 2016.

In The American Dream you experience a fictional, dystopian future in which guns rule every aspect of our lives from driving, cooking, and even dancing around high school gymnasiums. The Australian-based game developer is crafting the game as a parody of American gun culture by taking situations to their extreme to ideally help expose issues in modern society.

With such a strong message, the game lightens its mood by employing multiple silly scenarios, comical voice acting, and a heavy dose of sarcasm. We definitely get a strong South Park-style vibe from this one.

You can see the final launch trailer for The American Dream up above and check back here on Wednesday (March 14th) morning for our full review.

Let us know your thoughts so far down in the comments below!