the unspoken

December 18, 2017

The Unspoken Acolytes Update Shows That Insomniac Games Are Listening to Their Fans

Magic fiends will surely know Insomniac Games’ The Unspoken, the virtual reality (VR) videogame where players duel one another by casting spells. The PvP has been popular for multiplayer e-sport tournaments that use the Oculus Rift, but back at Oculus Connect 4 this year, Insomniac Games announced that The Unspoken would be receiving a major update that would allow players to play a narrative-driven single-player campaign set in Chicago. The free update to all players who own The Unspoken was released last week, yesterday and with the update comes a lot of new classes, story and world. VRFocus spoke to Chad Dezern, Studio Director at Insomniac Games, about the Acolytes update.

The Unspoken Acolytes image 1

The Unspoken: Acolytes goes into the untold story of Chicago’s secret spell-casting duels. When two of your fellow Acolytes mysteriously disappear you go on a mission to uncover why. The journey leads you into the underworld of Chicago, and takes you to neon alleys to battle demons, jump to vertigo-inducing rooftops to hidden sanctums. Players can choose from five different spell casting classes, each of them drastically changing the way in which the gameplay works and feels. Each class has different spells and players will have to strategically make the most of their environment to defeat demons and large-scale Wraiths.

Dezen explains that Insomniac Games have been wanting to create a magic videogame that was set in the real-world since 2006. When asked why they chose Chicago, Dezen says, “We have a few native Chicagoans on staff and we liked its potential as a Midwestern location that’s got a bit of weird history we can tap into. We were just taken by the idea this occult underworld and of all places, Chicago. Where you might not expect it.”

Insomniac Games know that The Unspoken has a strong PvP community and want to allow players to understand the history of why they’re dueling and what they’re fighting about. At the end up of the update, players will not only have learned new skills and improved their ability to cast spells but will also unlock several items you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get. When having played through the campaign, these players will be clearly marked and may have a few items you may not have seen before. There are plenty of videogames on sale and with Oculus’s Winter sale you can now purchase the videogame for £14.99 GBP, rather than £22.99. To find out more, watch the video below.

December 17, 2017

Something for the Weekend: An Oculus Winter Wonderland

With just over a week to go until Christmas those that are prepared might be sitting back this Sunday afternoon with a nice warm mug of mulled wine, happy in the knowledge all the presents are sorted. Or you might be in the same boat as everyone else, planned nothing, going on a mad flurry of shopping next weekend instead – nothing like doing everything last minute. Whatever you decide to do today, at some point you may want to grab your Oculus Rift and enjoy some virtual reality (VR) gaming. And with the Oculus Winter Sale in full swing a Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to play a new videogame. So VRFocus has chosen ten of the best that you should consider.

EVE: Valkyrie - Warzone art

EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone

Compatibility: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR

The granddaddy of VR space combat shooters, CCP Games’ EVE: Valkyrie originally launched back in 2016, and was one of the pioneers of cross-platform multiplayer across headsets. The Warzone update expanded that reach even further by including standard PC players in the ranks as well. Currently EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone has a 50 percent discount on the Oculus Store, dropping the price from £22.99 GBP down to £10.99.

Pinball FX 2 VR (W10 HMDs) - Epic Quest Table Screenshot

Pinball FX2 VR

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

Pinball FX2 VR is another 2016 original, featuring three core tables: Secrets of the Deep, Epic Quest and Mars. An additional five tables can be purchase via the Pinball FX2 Season 1 downloadable content, adding CastleStorm, Wild West Rampage, Paranormal, BioLab, and Earth Defense. Pinball FX2 VR is currently discounted from £10.99 down to £5.99.

Killing Floor: Incursion screenshot

Killing Floor: Incursion

Compatibility: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive

In Killing Floor: Incursion, players take on the role of an elite Horzine Security Forces soldier as they team up with allies to fend off the horrific hordes of monstrous creatures called Zeds, using a formidable arsenal of weapons including pistols, shotguns, blades and more. Players are able to freely explore their environment – although the levels do have a linear design to them – scavenging for weapons and ammo while searching for the best locations to fight the monster onslaught.

Another one with big savings, Killing Floor: Incursion has a 50 percent discount on the Oculus Store, dropping the price from £29.99 GBP down to £14.99.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

As it’s Christmas it’s time to bring out the party games and one of the best local VR multiplayer’s is Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The idea is simple, one person wears the headset with a bomb to diffuse – but no idea how to – while everyone outside of VR has a manual with the instructions on how to complete each module.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is available on the Oculus Store for £6.99 rather than £10.99.

Blasters of the Universe

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

First-person wave shooters are very common in VR. One of the most recent to hit Oculus Rift – and one of the best – is The Secret Location’s Blasters of the Universe. Set in a neon rich, 80’s inspired universe, there’s a modular weapon system to unlock, helping you get through those difficult high stages.

Blasters of the Universe is available on the Oculus Store for £5.99 rather than £10.99.

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Tethered

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

Tethered is a strategy videogame casting players in the role of a Spirit Guardian looking to restore balance to the world. All the other guardians have been imprisoned inside ancient totems by an evil consuming the world, and by gathering enough Spirit Energy players will be able to free their fellow guardians. This is accomplished by aiding the inhabitants of the world, called Peeps, who in turn help the quest.

Tethered is available on the Oculus Store for £6.99 rather than £18.99.

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XING: The Land Beyond

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

For those that enjoy big puzzle adventures, White Lotus Interactive released its long awaited title XING: The Land Beyond back in September. The videogame is littered with environment-based puzzles which require powers and abilities gained along the way to solve them, such as rain and snow.

XING: The Land Beyond is available on the Oculus Store for £11.99 rather than £14.99.

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Wilson’s Heart

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

VRFocus’ first horror entry, Wilson’s Heart is a first-person thriller putting players in the body of Robert Wilson, a 1940’s hospital patient who makes a grim discovery upon waking up. His heart has been replaced by a mysterious device. As players wander the hospital they’ll discover increasingly maddening corridors, environmental hazards, and sinister inhabitants whilst trying to recover their heart and the reasons for this craziness.

Wilson’s Heart is available on the Oculus Store for £8.99 rather than £22.99.

The Unspoken Acolytes image 2

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

The ideal experience for those that want to wield magic like a powerful sorcerer, The Unspoken is a multiplayer combat title pitting players against one another around the world. The recent Acolytes update further enriches the experience with a single-player mode.

The Unspoken is available on the Oculus Store for £14.99 rather than £22.99.

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Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR

Compatibility: Oculus Rift

People tend to eat quite a lot over the festive period so you need a way of burning those excess calories off. So why not play a few games of table tennis on Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR. Racket Fury:Table Tennis VR features a range of single-player and multiplayer modes. Solo there are four cups to play through, pitting your skills against 16 AI opponents. While multiplayer is your classic one-on-one match of table tennis with players from around the world.

Racket Fury:Table Tennis VR is available on the Oculus Store for £5.99 rather than £7.99.

December 15, 2017

Single-Player Combat Sorcery Comes to The Unspoken With the Acolytes Update

During Oculus Connect 4 (OC4) in October, Oculus and Insomniac Games announced that popular magical combat title The Unspoken would be getting a major update, adding a single-player campaign to the title. That update has now gone live this week.

The Unspoken Acolytes image 2

The Unspoken: Acolytes is a free update for owners of the base videogame. The narrative-driven single-player sees you play a rising star of The Unspoken’s urban magic fight club in Chicago, climbing ranks as the city becomes unhinged. Two of your fellow acolytes have been murdered, and it’s up to you to investigate the connections and find the killer. To do this you’ll travel through neon alleys to battle demons, cross vertigo-inducing rooftops to fight towering wraiths, and explore Chicago’s hidden sanctums to uncover the truth.

Insomniac Games has designed The Unspoken: Acolytes with variable difficulty and selectable classes, whether you’re new to the title or an experienced spell caster. For new players, the chapter provides a suitable point of entry into The Unspoken universe – a way to hone skills before playing a competitive match. For those experienced players, the single-player offers respite from the one-on-one duels, so they may gain more insight into the world of The Unspoken – a deeper look at the history of spell-casting classes, the duel, and the Astral Plane itself – and in doing so gain rewards that feed into The Unspoken PvP mode.

If you don’t already own The Unspoken then don’t worry as today Oculus has begun its Winter Sale. There are plenty of videogames on sale with Insomniac Games’ title also included, retailing for £14.99 GBP rather than £22.99.

This is one of 30 updates to The Unspoken that Insomniac Games has delivered over the course of 2017, teasing: “more updates and more surprises just around the corner” in a recent blog posting. As the studio continues to do so, VRFocus will keep you updated.

October 11, 2017

The Unspoken: Acolytes Introduces Single-Player Experience

Insomniac Games’ ‘magic fight club’ title The Unspoken has proved popular among Oculus Rift users, even managing to be featured in the fledgling virtual reality (VR) e-sports scene. Now the multiplayer is going single player, with the addition of a single-player story campaign titled The Unspoken: Acolytes.

Announced at the Oculus Connect event in San Jose, where attendees will be able to try out a playable demo, The Unspoken: Acolytes puts the player in the shoes of a newcomer to the world of magic. As such, users will delve into the hidden world of Chicago’s mages and their deadly spell-casting duels.

Players will face not only fellow magic users, but also demons and wraiths, learn to traverse the rooftops of the city and sneak into hidden sanctums as well as channel arcane power to cast over thirty types of spells, from lifting cars to firing off bolts of lightning or even seeing into the future.

The Unspoken: Acolytes is designed with variable difficulty to present a challenge to new players as well as those experienced at the PvP experience of The Unspoken. As such, the expansion can act as a point of entry for players who wish to learn how to play before getting involved with PvP.

In addition, rewards in the single-player will feed into The Unspoken PvP. The Unspoken: Acolytes will be available as a free update for existing players of The Unspoken, or available alongside the purchase of The Unspoken PvP experience.

The Unspoken: Acolytes will be available sometime later this year. The announcement trailer is available to view below.

VRFocus will bring you further updates on The Unspoken as it becomes available.

October 10, 2017

Echo Arena: Erstes VR-eSports-Turnier am 11. Oktober auf dem OC4

Während des Oculus Connect 4 (OC4) –Events findet am 11. Oktober 2017 dank einer Kooperation zwischen Oculus, ESL und Intel die erste offizielle VR-eSports-Veranstaltung weltweit statt. Im VR-Titel Echo Arena treten die besten Spieler der Welt gegeneinander an, um Preise in Höhe von 200.000 US-Dollar abzustauben. Das Event wird auf Twitch per Livestream übertragen und von bekannten eSportlern moderiert.

Echo Arena – Erstes offizielles regionales eSports-Turnier in VR

Im ersten regionalen VR-eSports-Turnier auf dem Oculus Connect 4 (OSC4) treffen die besten Spieler aus Echo Arena aufeinander, um Preise in Höhe von 200.000 Dollar zu erhalten. Die Einladungen zur Veranstaltung erhielten nur die besten 24 Spieler der ESL-Rangliste des Spiels. Unter den Teilnehmern finden sich auch bekannte Namen aus anderen eSports-Titeln, so ist beispielsweise iShiny darunter, ein professioneller Spieler des Blizzard-Shooters Overwatch. Der etablierte CS:GO-Spieler Steph „missharvey“ Harvey wird die Veranstaltung moderieren.

Die Spieler treten in Teams gegeneinander an und kommen per K.-o.-System in die nächste Runde. Im Viertelfinale treffen je zwei der acht Teams aufeinander, wobei nur vier davon in das Halbfinale einziehen. Dies setzt sich im Halbfinale mit den übrigen Teams fort, bis im Finale die besten zwei Mannschaften um den Sieg kämpfen. Die Gewinner erhalten neben den besagten Geldpreisen eine Qualifikation zur Teilnahme am internationalen Wettbewerb. Das Turnier soll im nächsten Jahr in Kattowitz in Polen stattfinden.

VR-Challenger-League-OC4-Oculus-Intel-ESL-Echo-Arena

Die VR Challenger League von Oculus, ESL und Intel ermöglicht Spielern der VR-Titel Echo Arena und The Unspoken in Europa und Nordamerika die Qualifikation an offiziellen Offline-Wettbewerben und -Turnieren. Dafür müssen die Spieler innerhalb der internen Rangliste aufsteigen, indem sie in kleineren Cups gegeneinander antreten. Wer Interesse hat, kann sich hier anmelden und zukünftig selbst teilnehmen. Weitere Offline-Turniere finden an folgenden Terminen statt:

ESL One Hamburg – 28. und 29. Oktober
IEM Oakland – 18. und 19. November
DreamHack Winter – 30. November bis 3. Dezember

Wir sind gespannt darauf, wie die Teilnehmer abschneiden und welchen Einfluss der wachsende VR-eSports-Markt auf die Entwicklung der VR-Industrie haben wird.

(Quellen: VR and Fun | ESL | Oculus)

Der Beitrag Echo Arena: Erstes VR-eSports-Turnier am 11. Oktober auf dem OC4 zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

September 18, 2017

VR Esports Tournament Comes to Brighton, UK

Esports is gradually taking off in the UK. Esports tournaments have been a fixture in Japan, Korea, the US and parts of Europe for a while, and are now popping up in the UK as well. Some events re even combining Esports with virtual reality (VR) as is the case for an upcoming tournament where players will compete in VR title The Unspoken.

A small team at Brighton-based start-up company GOVR will be hosting a tournament at The Prince Albert in Brighton, a venue well-known in the music scene for its history of great performances and atmosphere.

Mark Bou Mansour, co-founder of GOVR, said: “For most people, high costs are still a serious road block to getting into virtual reality which means the future of virtual reality is getting shaped without them. That doesn’t sit right with us at GOVR. We have three rules for VR: make it easy, make it cheap, make it social. Events like this tournament bring everybody and anybody excited about virtual reality together, from first timers to core gamers to developers and local businesses. And it’s loads of fun too.”

The Unspoken was created by Insomnia Game for the Oculus Rift as a VR competitive title where players could face each other in magical duels, learning various types of magical spells and pitting them against one another in a way that blends traditional fighting games with the fluidity of VR motion controls.

The Unspoken Esports tournament by GOVR will form part of the Brighton Digital Festival taking place during September and October, which is designed to celebrate the creativity and culture of the city.

The main tournament is due to take place on 24th September, 2017. Further information can be found on the GOVR website.

VRFocus will continue to report on VR Esports events.

August 25, 2017

VR Challenger League Makes Rules Changes

The VR Challenger League is the first recognised Esports league dedicated to virtual reality (VR) esports. At present, the VR Challenger League offers contents based on VR titles The Unspoken and Echo Arena. The League has just introduced some changes to improve the league for its players.

The VR Challenger League has been gathering feedback from the community and have determined that for its upcoming Week 7 Cups, the times and dates have been changed so that North America and Europe will compete on Saturdays instead of during the week. The organisers hope this will allow more players to enter. For a similar reason, the bracket size is being lowered from 16 to 8. Duels will now be Best of Three-style matches, which means that the maximum number of rounds that can be played can go as high at 9. The loser of the first match will choose the arena for the next match, while the client or lower-seeded player will still select the arena for the first match.

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The VR Challenger League is organised by Insomniac Games, the developers behind The Unspoken, one of the titles used in the league. The Unspoken is a PvP title where players enter a magical realm where they must learn how to use powerful spells to throw at their enemies, in a fantasy take on Fight Club. Insomniac Games have been using the VR Challenger League and the feedback from the esports community to further developer and improve the title, and are currently seeking opinions on how players are currently finding The Unspoken to play.

Further information on the VR Challenger League and the new rules changes can be found on the official website.

VRFocus will continue to report on new developments within the VR sector.

July 28, 2017

inVokeR Channels The Unspoken For 1v1 VR Wizard Duels

When we spoke to Insomniac Games about The Unspoken, their “urban magic fight club” wizard dueling game that released exclusively for the Oculus Rift and Touch on Oculus Home last year, they told us that when they first tried VR, the thought of throwing a fireball was one of their first and strongest desires. We heard similar sentiments from inXile, developers of The Mage’s Tale. Clearly the team at 8th Shore Inc. felt the same and that’s precisely why they’ve created their own magic dueling game, inVokeR.

From the jump the inspirations are quite clear. Just like The Unspoken, inVokeR is a 1v1 magic dueling game so it’s bound to garner a lot of comparisons. You can see it in action in the trailer below:

However, there are a lot of differences as well. For starters, stages appear to be a lot more varied in inVokeR and they don’t force you to teleport between pillars. You actually have to move and dodge more subtly and stand your ground. Furthermore, and most obviously, is that inVokeR is built from the ground up to work on both Vive and Rift, whereas The Unspoken is an Oculus Home exclusive.

The duels in inVokeR feel more like a Harry Potter duel where two wizards stand toe-to-toe across an arena, rather than jumping around to different points in the map. It actually feels similar to Sparc as well, which is reminiscent of Tron disc battles. You can even ricochet spells off of the ground and surrounding area as well.

inVokeR is a simple game made by a small team but it has a lot of potential. It’s only in Early Access right now and just launched last week so there is still a lot of room for expansion and improvement. If you’re interested you can check it out on Steam for Rift or Vive at a price point of $14.99.

Let us know what you think of the game down in the comments below!

Tagged with: invoker, magic, The Unspoken

July 12, 2017

vSports – Eröffnung der VR Challenger League mit Echo Arena und The Unspoken

Nachdem Oculus im letzen Monat die VR Challenger League ankündigte, dem bis dato größten Virtual Reality eSports Event, machte die VR-Facebook-Tochter nun publik, dass die ersten Paarungen online zur Anmeldung freistehen. Zusammen mit Intel und der ESL fördert Oculus die neue Art des Virtual Reality Sports und versucht die Massen von Virtual Reality zu begeistern. Der Begriff vSports könnte sich schon bald etablieren.

Jetzt teilnehmen – VR Esports League: VR Challenger Brackets ab sofort geöffnet

Die drei Hauptveranstalter ESL, Intel und Oculus lassen es sich nicht nehmen, dem Event einen ordentlichen Preispool zu verpassen. Preise im Gesamtwert von mehr als 200.000 US-Dollar warten auf die Gewinner. Erst Online, dann sowohl in Nordamerika, als auch in Europa können Spieler an der Veranstaltung teilnehmen.

Die Spiele, die gespielt werden, sind The Unspoken und Echo Arena. Während man in ersterem Spiel mit Magie und taktischem Kalkül gegnerische Zauberer bekämpft, fliegt man in Echo Arena in futuristischen Arenen schwerelos umher und schleudert Disks in gegnerische Tore.

Echo Arena und The Unspoken im vSports Fokus

Ab heute können sich also Onlineteilnehmer für Qualifizierungsrunden anmelden. Wer erfolgreich ist, kann dann in die lokal ausgetragenen regionalen (Zwischen-)Finals vorrücken. In Deutschland ist lediglich Hamburg Austragungsort. Hier wird vom 28. bis 29. Oktober in der Barclaycard Arena gefighted. Folgende Termine und Örtlichkeiten sind gesetzt.

Oculus Connect (San Jose), 11. – 12. Oktober
ESL One Hamburg, 28. – 29. Oktober
IEM Oakland, 18. – 19. November
DreamHack Winter (Las Vegas), 30. November – 3. Dezember

Diejenigen, die auch diese Qualifizierungsrunden überstanden haben, reisen nach Katowice nach Polen. Hier finden dann, in mitten des weltgrößten IEM Katowice Gaming Wettbewerbs (25. – 26. Feb. und. 3. – 5. März), die finalen Virtual Reality eSports Paarungen der VR Challenger League statt.

Um sich für die online Qualifikation zu registrieren und weitere Informationen zu erhalten, sollten die zukünftigen VR eSportler vr.eslgaming.com besuchen.

(Quelle: Oculus)

Der Beitrag vSports – Eröffnung der VR Challenger League mit Echo Arena und The Unspoken zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

June 17, 2017

Oculus Begins ‘Summer of Rift’ Sale, $100 Credit for Rift & Touch Bundle Buyers

Oculus have announced they will be offering up to 60% price reductions on over 30 titles across the Oculus Store for the Rift and Gear VR from June 16th until July 5th. In addition, between now and June 24th, customers purchasing a Rift and Touch bundle will receive $100 in Store credit.

Detailed on the official Oculus blog, the ‘Summer of Rift’ comprises more than just a sale – there will be special events, game launches and announcements too. While no specific prices have been revealed, the team are promising bundles for The Unspoken, SUPERHOT VR and The Climb for the Rift and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Rangi, and Dark Days for Gear VR. Price cuts to Oculus Touch game Wilson’s Heart and Gear VR’s Anshar Wars are also expected.

It’s a great time to buy Rift and Touch hardware, as the $100 Oculus Store credit could provide newcomers with a serious library from the outset, adding to the bundled titles you get for free, such as Dead and Buried, Medium, and Robo Recall. Amazon is participating in the deal across five territories, plus Best Buy and Newegg in the US, along with FNAC in France, MediaMarkt, Saturn, and Caseking in Germany, and Scan and Game in the UK.