Category: The Walking Dead VR

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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Joins The Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition

Grab a screwdriver and stock up on supplies; The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is coming to the Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition on June 8th (final time TBC)!

Developer Skydance Interactive’s breakout hit landed on PC VR headsets back in January and lots of you fell in love with its physics-driven brand of zombie-smashing action. Just a few weeks back the game finally arrived on PSVR too with a rock-solid port. You’ll get no hints from us about what’s coming to this summer’s Showcase, but you’re sure to be pleasantly surprised.

Walking Dead VR Showcase

In case you didn’t know, our Showcases are a little like Nintendo Direct or PlayStation State of Play videos, just for VR! We’ll be announcing a bunch of cool new VR games and showing off new updates for some of your most anticipated titles. This year we’ll also be featuring some apps that go beyond gaming, too. You can catch the show streaming either here or over on IGN on June 8th – you won’t want to miss it!

Saints & Sinners rounds off our first week of teasers for the big show. On Monday, we confirmed that Fast Travel Games will be returning to this year’s event with the reveal of a brand new game. We’ll also be getting the latest look at Low-Fi, a new social VR experience named Play Bunker and, just yesterday, we confirmed we’ll be unveiling the release date for Panther VR. Big things await!

Just over two weeks to go, then. We’ll see you back here June 8th.

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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Devs ‘Open To’ Making A Sequel

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a big success, delivering an immersive adventure through a zombie-laden New Orleans that’s full of tense moments and action-packed gameplay. And according to developers at Skydance Interactive, it may not be the last time we get to see this brand of zombie-slaying in VR.

During a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) developers from Skydance Interactive were online to respond to various fan questions. One user asked if any other games were planned within The Walking Dead universe. While not outright saying they definitely would love to work on another entry, the response from developers certainly sounds positive:

Right now we are focusing on S&S content. We loved working in The Walking Dead IP so we would certainly be open to continuing that in the future.

Assuming the game sells well and does well for the studio, it seems like a sequel could definitely be in the cards, especially considering this is the most successful (especially critically) Walking Dead game in quite some time.

Also during the same Reddit AMA, Skydance confirmed they’re actively working on new content for the game in the form of updates, which could lead to some exciting new ways of exploring the apocalypse.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners just recently launched on PSVR with great results and the studio is also targeting a Q4 2020 release for the Oculus Quest version. We haven’t gotten a chance to try that version yet or see it in action, but judging by the quality of the PSVR version we have high hopes.

Let us know what you’d want out of a The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners sequel or follow-up down in the comments below and read or watch our review for more details.

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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners PSVR vs PC VR – A First-Class Console Port

I suppose I shouldn’t have doubted; much in the same way that Skydance Interactive defied expectations with the sheer quality of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners on PC back in January, it’s now done the same with a first-class port to PSVR.

Don’t get me wrong, the PSVR version of The Walking Dead definitely makes sacrifices to fit on the console; that’s unavoidable. But whereas some other ports to PS4 over the past few years have ended with less than favourable results, Saints & Sinners on PSVR keeps the core of the experience absolutely intact.

The Walking Dead: PSVR vs PC VR

Visuals

The first thing anyone will look to with a PSVR port is the visuals. And it’s true that this is the most noticeable difference with this version of Saints & Sinners but, thankfully, not by too much. Skydance has made smart revisions to ensure no one area of the game falls behind too much.

For sure, lighting effects and character models are scaled down in Saints & Sinners PSVR; you’ll notice meshy textures and and characters that don’t quite blend in with the environments like they did in the PC version. But nothing here is significantly worse than it was before.

One more troubling area is texture pop-in, which can be very noticeable in some areas of the game. In fact, there are times when the quick switch to a higher-resolution wall texture is more distracting than if the game had simply kept the blurrier alternative in place.

Performance

Visual sacrifices help keep The Walking Dead running smoothly on PSVR. Load times are noticeably long, but they were already lengthy on PC and they’re pretty infrequent as is. We haven’t got to a part of the game with larger hordes yet, but framerate and general performance hasn’t really taken a hit in what we’ve seen so far.

Controls

Of course, one of the real hurdles for any PC VR to PSVR port is adapting to PSVR’s limited tracking and Move controllers. Fortunately Saints & Sinners really doesn’t struggle with the 180 degree tracking thanks to thoughtful implementation of movement on Sony’s motion controllers.

Much of Saints & Sinners’ UI is physically-based (over the shoulder reaches for inventory, hip holsters etc), removing a lot pressure on the buttons and lack of sticks. When you do need to use then for movement, the game utilizes, for my money, the best style of control, which is to treat the left Move controller like an analogue stick of its own.

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So there you go. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners sets a high bar for PSVR ports this late into the headset’s life cycle and proves there there’s still gold to mine on the ageing headset. If you have a PC then, obviously, that’s still the best way to experience the game, but console owners shouldn’t feel cheated with this first-class port.

Of course, the real challenge will be getting the game to fit onto Quest, which Skydance is working on next. If it can pull that off too, Skydance will have a VR hat trick on its hands.

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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Will Get New Content

Good news for those of you that haven’t hit your zombie-killing quota for the year; The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is getting new content.

Developer Skydance Interactive confirmed as much in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit following the launch of the game on PSVR this week. Asked if the game might get story-based DLC, Narrative Designer, Ben Fuhrmann replied: “The team is working on new content for the game as we speak! Between S&S support and the Quest port of the game we will be staying very busy indeed!”

Note that Fuhrmann himself didn’t specifically say the words ‘story’ or ‘DLC’, so this could be pretty much anything. That said, we’d certainly love to see more campaign-style gameplay for the game, which remains one of our favorite releases of 2020. But we’d also welcome new survival modes and the like to pad out what’s already there.

Fuhrmann also declined to share how the new content would arrive, adding: “We don’t have specific details on that yet. All I can say at this stage in development is that it’s going to be very fun!”

As the developer earlier noted, though, the game is currently in the works for the Oculus Quest after surprise-launching on PSVR on Tuesday. That will be a challenging port for sure, and we don’t know if this new content will release before or after its arrival.

What would you want to see out of new content for The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners? Let us know in the comments below!

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Walking Dead Dev: VR Physics Standardization Will Lead To ‘Second Generation’ Games

The creators of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners belives its work with VR physics, along with other projects, will lead to a “second generation” of VR games.

Skydance Interactive chief technologist and co-founder Peter Akeman said as much in a recent interview with VentureBeat (see below). “Let’s take three titles that just launched and do physical things,” Akeman said. “Let’s say Boneworks, we’ll take Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, we’ll take Half-Life. All of us have games where we’re interacting with physical objects. Each one of us had to solve that problem on our own, in isolation. It’s like the early days of 3D where no one had done it and everyone was at home writing their own graphics engine.”

But, now that games with those basics are releasing, Akeman believes the next generation of VR games will go even deeper.

“So everyone is inventing the basics now, but then they’re out there and once they’re out there and a few different kicks have been had at it, these things are gonna standardize,” he explained. “And what you’ll then see is you’ll go from Quake to Half-Life, to put ancient metaphors to work here. Once the vocabulary of shooters gets developed, you’ll see a story emerge, you’ll get second-tier gameplay and deeper stuff emerging and I think the same thing’s going to be true here where, as the basic vocabulary gets laid down, we’re going to see second generation product that evolves and takes much deeper hand-play. It’s built on top of those mechanical rules that become standardized and people become familiar with.”

We’ve written along the lines of what Akeman is talking about before. The advances these games make in terms of physical interaction is unlocking a new type of native VR right before our eyes. The question is where it goes from here; can developers unlock this same potential on more accessible, lower-powered headsets like Oculus Quest? Saints & Sinners is coming to the platform and a Boneworks spin-off is in the works, so hopefully, we’ll have an answer soon.

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After Playing ‘Half-Life: Alyx’, Check Out These 5 VR Games

You’re still burning through Half-Life: Alyx (2020), but if you’re wondering where to go after playing one of the highest-rated VR games to date, you may do well to jump into these five ‘guaranteed fresh’ VR titles next.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a slightly tuned-down RPG that’s just begging to be bigger in size, although it didn’t bite off too much in its quest to deliver an engrossing story, excellent physics-based zombie killing action, and an immersive atmosphere that feels as gritty and deadly serious as The Walking Dead comic books.

It’s a great title to jump into next if you’re looking for more gunplay and zombie-ganking action. Upgradeable weapons are a big plus. Check out why we gave it [9/10] in our full review.

Steam – Oculus Store (Rift) 

Boneworks

You might think of Boneworks as a Half-Life VR game before any such title was released, at least that’s what it feels like given its zombies, mechanical head crabs and copious crowbar action. Although it’s light on the story and sometimes challenging in the comfort department, this physics-driven game can be truly magical when it works just right.

Detailed weapon interactions and enjoyable slow-motion shooting are a big attraction, with its Arena and Sandbox modes offering up a great opportunity for extended gameplay. Check out our full review here.

Steam

Until You Fall (Early Access)

Ok, so it isn’t a zombie shooter in the slightest, but Until You Fall’s quality speaks for itself. It’s a pretty impressive hack-and-slash game that will send you through procedurally generated rogue-lite dungeons. You’ll battle your way through a string of rooms populated with enemies of increasing difficulty using your own two hands.

Until You Fall successfully fuses VR sword combat with meta-game elements in a way that no other VR title has yet managed. Check out our early access review here.

Steam

In Death

In Death is an extremely difficult roguelike bow-shooter that is both extremely well realized and frustratingly hard. If you’re into punishment, the seemingly infinite number of Purgatories that await ought to get you at least a little bit excited, because In Death promises a constantly increasing level of difficulty along with cool unlocks as you die time and time again. Expect to put in a lot of time into your permanent sojourn in Purgatory to get the most out of it.

High visual polish and a varied swath of enemies are sure to keep you on your toes in a way even the most difficult HLA enemies can’t. Check out why we gave In Death [8/10] in our full review.

Steam – Oculus Store (Rift) – PSVR

Red Matter

Too much violence in your life? If you dig the puzzles and rich atmosphere of Half-Life: Alyx, Red Matter will probably be up your alley. As an adventure puzzle set in a soviet-style retro-future universe, there aren’t any enemies to shoot, only puzzles to un-puzzle as it were. Red Matter really does a great job of showcasing impressive worldbuilding that still stands head and shoulders above many of its contemporaries.

Make sure to read up on our review to see why we gave it [8.3/10].

Steam – Oculus Store (Rift, Quest) – PSVR

You may also like…

  • Fallout 4 VR – Enter the Wasteland in VR. Top-tier GPUs only. Menus and looting sucks, but where else are you going to nuke a village in VR?
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR – Fus-Ro-Dah! Melee isn’t as great as it should be, and menus are a complete holdover from the flatscreen version, but the world of Skyrim is breathtaking nonetheless.
  • Blade & Sorcery – Full-on physics simulator with no story, but awesome array of weapons and ample opportunity to stab people literally through their heads.
  • Robo Recall (Rift & Quest) – Arcade-style shooter from Epic Games that holds up super well, even three years after being released for Oculus Touch in 2017.
  • Lies Beneath (Quest) – A new shooter on Quest that definitely delivers on visual polish, atmosphere and shooting fun as you traverse through a dark, comic book-inspired world filled with demons.

What would you suggest to a VR newcomer looking for suggestions after Half-Life: Alyx? Let us know in the comments below!

The post After Playing ‘Half-Life: Alyx’, Check Out These 5 VR Games appeared first on Road to VR.

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The Walking Dead, Gorn Devs Provide Updates On PSVR Ports

Two of the most anticipated PSVR ports on the horizon seem very close to release.

Both the developers of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Gorn provided updates on their respective ports this week. For The Walking Dead, Skydance Interactive tweeted a message to assure that the team was “adjusting as best we can” to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the team also stressed “we’re working out hardest to get Saints & Sinners out to you on PSVR this Spring.”

The game won’t be making its initial Q1 2020 release window, but hopefully it won’t be delayed too much further. The Walking Dead is one of our favorite PC VR games of the year, so we’re really looking forward to its PSVR release. A Quest version will follow after that.

Gorn, meanwhile, seems a little closer to release, as it’s currently trying to pass Sony’s certification system. Developer Free Lives is currently fixing some feedback from its first pass, but stresses that release is “close”. However, as the developer and Sony’s certification team are now self-isolating, it might take longer. People have been waiting a long time on this one, so it’s good to hear that release is nearing.

PSVR fans have a lot to look forward in the future, then. Aside from these two, the long-awaited port of Form hits the platform next week and Iron Man VR arrives in May.

Will you be picking up The Walking Dear or Gorn on PSVR? Let us know in the comments below!

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‘The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners’ Among Steam’s 20 Top-selling Games Released in January

The Walking Deal: Saints & Sinners (2020), a VR game based on The Walking Dead comic book series, had its fair share of success when it launched on PC VR headsets late last month. Now, it appears Skydance Interactive’s zombie-slaying thriller can add another notch to the handle of its bloody baseball bat.

Valve today published a list of its top 20 best-performing games which were released in January 2020, and as luck would have it The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners finds itself among titles such as Warhammer Underworlds: Online, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, and indie hit Not For Broadcast.

Keep in mind, Valve measures monthly top releases by revenue generated during the first two weeks after launch, and not overall success during the month, which ostensibly helps put its ranking system on more even footing.

Valve also apparently doesn’t want to create too much rivalry (and/or bragging rights among developers), as it lists the top 20 by release date and not relative financial performance. Here’s the full list:

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners has not only garnered positive user reviews across both Steam and the Oculus Store, but also nabbed a resounding [9/10] in our full review. If you’ve never played before, here’s a quick summary from our spoiler-free review linked above:

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a slightly tuned-down RPG that’s just begging to be bigger in size, although it didn’t bite off too much in its quest to deliver an engrossing story, excellent physics-based zombie killing action, and an immersive atmosphere that feels as gritty and deadly serious as The Walking Dead comic books.

Check out the trailer below for a better idea of what Saints & Sinners has to offer:

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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Makes Top Steam Releases List for January 2020

Valve released the list of top Steam releases for January 2020 and Skydance Interactive’s The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners made the cut — the only VR title to be featured on the list.

The monthly Top Steam Releases list looks at the top 20 games released on Steam each month. To determine the list, Valve says they “measure monthly top releases by looking at revenue generated during the first two weeks after launch.” The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners released at the end of January, and so should have made the list based on its revenue from two weeks starting at the end of January and bleeding into February.

Saints & Sinners flew somewhat under the radar before release, but post-release its become a clear VR hit with fans and critics alike. In our review, we wrote that “despite its minor issues like relatively boring environments, repetitive mission structure, and human AI that leaves a bit to be desired, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is easily the best zombie game in VR to date.”

The game is available at the moment for a slight 10% discount as part of the Humble VR Sale. Buying the game on the Humble Store will grant you with a Steam key to redeem on your Steam account, but you’ll have to get in quick, as the sale only lasts for just under 2 more days. While you’re there, you might also check out the Humble VR Bundle, which grants stunning value on some classic and iconic VR games.

Did you pick up Saints & Sinners already, or were you planning on fighting your way through the zombie apocalypse this month? Let us know in the comments.

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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Now Allows Physical Crouching By Default

Another update to The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners has enabled physical crouching by default, which was not originally an option at launch.

A controller-enabled crouch via a button press was initially the only option for Saints & Sinners players, which meant that the virtual world moved with you in a 3-DoF-esque fashion if you tried to physically crouch while playing.

Here’s a full list of the fixes and updates in the latest 2020.02.0-158143 version of the game:

walking dead vr saints and sinners patch notes physical crouchingWhile the game was met with a generally positive, if not pleasantly surprised, reception upon launch, the bizarre lack of physical crouch support was noted by many online, as well as in our own review. However, developers Skydance Interactive were quick to respond to the community and added in an alpha version for physical crouching support in a hotfix patch just days after the game’s launch.

However, the alpha version was not enabled by default and actually had to be enabled outside of the game, by editing the game’s setting files on your computer. So while the fix was there in an early stage for those who knew about it, there were no doubt many who still weren’t aware of the option. As of the latest update, Saints & Sinners’s physical crouching support has progressed to beta and is now enabled for all players by default.

The Walking Dead was perhaps one of the franchises we least expected to produce an amazing VR game, however we were really impressed with Saints & Sinners in our review. Have you been enjoying the game? Let us know what you think down in the comments below.

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