Category: Wilson’s Heart

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Frustrain Is A Gorgeous Oculus Quest Thriller That Looks Like Wilson’s Heart

We still haven’t got Wilson’s Heart on Oculus Quest, but Frustrain looks like it could fill that void quite nicely.

Reddit user u/spxyz revealed work on this promising project over the weekend. In Frustrain, players solve puzzles onboard a fast-moving train. You explore different compartments, uncovering items and meeting a strange cast of characters. The gameplay video below carries a compelling rustic atmosphere. Gameplay-wise, it looks like the experience features highly-interactive environments.

But it’s really the presentation that really caught our eye. Frustrain’s gorgeous black and white art style features incredible shading and extra touches, like snow getting into the carriage if you open a window. Visually it definitely reminds us of Twisted Pixel’s ace Oculus Rift adventure, Wilson’s Heart. That’s good company to be in.

There’s still a lot to find out about Frustrain, though. So far we’ve only seen one small part of the game and we don’t know how much else there is to it.  How much of the game focuses on horror and how long will the overall experience be? We’ll be keeping tabs on development to find out.

The game’s been in the works a little while now, as older trailers like the one below confirm. We don’t know if it will be getting a full launch on the Oculus Quest store or will instead be arriving on SideQuest.

No word yet on Frustrain’s full release date, but the developer says we’ll see a PC VR version too. If you want to keep track of the game head over to its Twitter or Facebook pages.

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Hands-On: Defector Makes You The Star Of Your Very Own Mission: Impossible VR Adventure

Hands-On: Defector Makes You The Star Of Your Very Own Mission: Impossible VR Adventure

Editor’s Note: We’ve recently played an updated demo since this preview originally published on April 13th, 2018, and since the core mechanics (and our thoughts) are the same we’ve republished this hands-on once again. More coverage to come.

Becoming a secret spy is the ultimate fantasy for a lot of people. You get to drive fast cars, use special gadgets, and take down international crime syndicates with style and flair. Not to mention the awesome J.B. names like James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer. Defector, the latest VR game from Wilson’s Heart developer Twisted Pixel, taps directly into that fantasy to deliver a fast-paced thrill ride of an action game.

The closest thing to Defector I’ve seen in VR so far would have to be PlayStation VR World’s The London Heist, which is the basis for Blood & Truth, another upcoming PSVR-exclusive from the same London Heist team. What Defector does is take that core concept of being an action hero and layer it with heaps of espionage and branching missions.

The gameplay video above shows a great example. About a third of the way through the mission I’m presented with a decision: should I strap the parachute on myself and jump out of the plane to try and grapple onto the neighboring plane? Or should I shoot my way through the cargo bay and drive a sports car out of the plane like a complete badass? You get to see both outcomes if you watch the entire video.

Twisted Pixel was clear when I talked with them about the game that they want their missions to have real, meaningful branches that actually alter the course of the story and gameplay. While the overarching narrative will stay the same regardless, the path you take to each mission’s conclusions could be dramatically different — as mentioned above. This not only incentivizes multiple playthroughs (especially when considering each mission’s laundry list of bonus objectives) but it gives the player an increased sense of agency which is so crucial in VR games.

On top of that, Defector really did make me feel like a Mission: Impossible-esque spy. During dialogue scenes I can pull up a dossier full of information on my target to analyze their personality and weaknesses. How I handled conversations directly influences things and contributes to how the level might play out.

Even though my demo ended with me driving a car out of a plane (Fast & Furious style) the developers teased that it was one of the more tame levels by comparison. I’m not sure my heart rate can handle something much more intense than that. I could feel my adrenaline pumping and my stomach lurching as I plummeted towards the other plane after leaping from an expensive muscle car. Honestly there’s nothing quite like it in VR right now.

Ultimately it’s going to come down to how well the levels are balanced overall and what type of gameplay variety there will be. If every mission boils down to walk around under cover or hiding, take out some enemies, then executive a bombastic escape plan, it’s gonna get real boring real fast.

But I’ve got my fingers crossed that they have a few tricks up their sleeves. The gunplay felt good and accurate, requiring me to take cover in the environment and aim my shots well. The demo featured full smooth locomotion (a far cry from Wilson’s Heart’s pre-scripted teleportation spots) and once I enabled smooth turning it really opened up the possibilities for gameplay. In a way, it feels like the game Blood & Truth desperately wants to be but can’t.

Defector has the potential to set the tone for the next coming wave of VR-only titles. In an era that’s currently dominated by VR ports of non-VR games (LA Noire, Skyrim, Fallout 4, Resident Evil 7) it will be interesting to see if a built-for-VR first title like this has enough juice to command the discussion for longer than just its launch week. At least it isn’t another wave shooter.

Defector is slated for a 2018 release exclusively for the Oculus Rift with Touch. Let us know what you think of the game so far down in the comments below! And for more on Twisted Pixel’s work in VR, read (or watch) our Wilson’s Heart review right here.

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Oculus Rift: Neuer Exklusivitel Defector für PAX East angekündigt

Zur Feier des zweijährigen Jubiläums der Oculus Rift bietet Oculus aktuell diverse Vergünstigungen, Aktionen und Gewinnspiele für Besitzer der VR-Brille an. Neben den Feierlichkeiten kündigte das Unternehmen einen neuen Exklusivtitel von Entwicklerstudio Twisted Pixel Studios (bekannt für Wilsons’s Heart) an, der erstmals auf der PAX East 2018 debütiert. Bisher wurden lediglich der Titel Defector sowie ein Logo bekannt gegeben.

Defector – Neuer Exklusivtitel für Oculus Rift wird auf der PAX East 2018 enthüllt

Jason Rubin, Vice President of Content bei Oculus, kündigte für das Jahr 2018 eine neue Firmenpolitik zur Veröffentlichung von VR-Titeln an: So lautet das neue Motto Qualität statt Quantität. Entsprechend erwarten uns dieses Jahr zwar weniger Rift-Exklusivtitel, dafür sollen diese jedoch „größer und besser“ sein als bisherige Veröffentlichungen.

In diesem Sinne kündigte das Unternehmen neben den derzeitigen Feierlichkeiten zum zweijährigen Jubiläum der Oculus Rift, in einem Blogpost einen neuen Exklusivtitel für die VR-Brille an: „Die Leidenschaft der VR-Community inspiriert uns und wir freuen uns, euch zukünftig weitere Meilensteine vorstellen zu dürfen. Im Laufe der Feierlichkeiten zum Jubiläum der Rift solltet ihr ein Auge auf die PAX EAST werfen, um die Veröffentlichung eines neuen Titels aus den Oculus Studios aus erster Hand mitzuerleben. Das Entwicklerstudio Twisted Pixel Games präsentiert darin ein originelles Spielkonzept, das ihr nicht verpassen solltet.“

Das neue Spiel Defector von Entwicklerstudio Twisted Pixel Studios soll erstmals auf der PAX East 2018 vorgestellt werden. Mit Wilson’s Heart präsentierten die Entwickler bereits ein gelungenes Psycho-Thriller-Adventure in Grautönen mit spannender, immersiver Geschichte und gruseligen Schockmomenten. Neben Logo und Titel sind bisher noch keine weiteren Informationen zum anstehenden Spiel bekannt.

Wilsons Heart

Die PAX East findet vom 5. bis zum 8. Mai 2018 in Boston in Massachusetts statt. Wir werden euch über Neuigkeiten zum Exklusivtitel auf dem Laufenden halten.

(Quellen: Oculus Blog | Road to VR)

Der Beitrag Oculus Rift: Neuer Exklusivitel Defector für PAX East angekündigt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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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

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

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.

 Tethered - Screenshot18

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.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 3

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.

 Wilson's Heart_E32016 (2)

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

The Unspoken

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.

Racket_fury_screenshot5

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.

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Halloween Fright Night: 5 Screamingly Good VR Horror Titles

Horror videogames were never that overly scary when played on a monitor or TV screen as you could always see the world around you and look away if things did get a bit too intense. With virtual reality (VR) however the genre found a natural home, able to envelope you in decaying mansions or howling woods, dialling that feeling of fear and dread up to eleven. Every noise or flickering shadow taunting you with the prospect of some nasty beastie suddenly appearing to gnaw your face off. So as its Halloween, and in the spirit of all things spooky, VRFocus has compiled a list of some of the best titles to play this evening to scare the living sh*t out of you. Have fun and remember, don’t look behind you.

Resident Evil 7 biohazard

You can’t really have a list of horror videogames without having Resident Evil somewhere in among them all, and the latest version which launched at the beginning of the year is one of the best.

Once again set in a creepy house, Resident Evil 7 biohazard features the ever so lovely Baker family who are there to make your life a misery – or kill you preferably – as you look for a way out of the madness.

This is the first Resi videogame completely played from a first-person perspective – which ideally suits VR – with players wandering the rooms and corridors of this dilapidated building picking up the usual weapon items and herbs.

Exclusive to PlayStation VR – for the first 12 months at least – there have been a couple of DLC releases to expand the content, giving players plenty of hours of jumps, scares and shooting action for their money.

Resident Evil 7 - Family

Don’t Knock Twice

Coming from British developer Wales Interactive, Don’t Knock Twice is a partial movie tie in with a horror flick of the same name with starred Katee Sackhoff. The videogame doesn’t use much from the movie, just its basic story outline of a mother trying to save her daughter from an evil witch.

Another horror videogame set in and around a dark mansion, you might be surprised to see Don’t Knock Twice on this list as it only gained three stars in VRFocus’ review. But that doesn’t mean it should be over looked.

While relatively short and with some parts of the experience a little frustrating, one thing the studio managed to nail is the atmosphere. As you explore there’s never really a moment where you feel at ease, the wind whistles outside the windows, candles flicker and dance up the walls and there’s one or two jump scares to really spook the unwary.

Another good reason to take a look is that Don’t Knock Twice is multiplatform, available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.

Don't Knock Twice Screenshot 10

Killing Floor: Incursion

Moving away from creepy atmospheric horror to something a bit more action packed, there’s Tripwire Interactive’s Killing Floor: Incursion for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Killing Floor: Incursion is a monster filled action romp, that starts off in some dark deserted woods then as the levels progress you travel the world fighting creatures in sewers and on roof tops. For those that like a good scare this may not be quite down their street as the title is more action orientated, however this does mean the entertainment factor is high, with plenty of guns to choose from, bosses to kill and heads to dismember.

Killing Floor: Incursion screenshot

Wilson’s Heart

An Oculus Rift exclusive, Wilson’s Heart is an interesting mix scares, story driven adventure and comic book style aesthetics. It certainly doesn’t offer the same freedom as the other titles previously mentioned – there’s no free roaming – with movement handled by point to point teleportation, which makes it easier to handle for those that suffer with VR nausea.

Players find themselves 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 features plenty of brain taxing puzzles with several action sequences thrown in to mix up the pace, making for one of the most innovative experiences for Oculus Rift.

Wilson's Heart

Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul

Last but not least is VRWERX’s ­Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. This is quintessential horror much like Don’t Knock Twice, with the entire experience making you feel utterly helpless and alone, two ingredients that certainly up the scare factor.

There’s no guns or action like Killing Floor: Incursion just you and a very haunted house. ­Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul is one of those VR experiences you might have seen on YouTube where players suddenly get scared, crumpling to the floor.

Based on the hugely popular Paranormal Activity motion-picture series the videogame arms players with just a flashlight, as they explore what appears to be an average looking suburban home before struggling to survive the terror that begins to hunt them.

Paranormal Activity The Lost Soul screenshot

So there are VRFocus’ suggestions. It’s more than likely this list may have missed off one of your favourites – there are a lot of VR horror titles out there – so why not tell everyone in the comments section below. Additionally, if you’ve got an Oculus Rift or Gear VR then there’s a Halloween sale currently going on to save yourself some cash.

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Oculus Creep Into Their Store’s Crypt, Return With Gear VR And Oculus Rift Horror Sale (Updated)

The temperature is getting colder, the nights are getting darker, and there’s more than a few unsavoury noises coming from beyond the foggy darkness. It’s the witching hour draws near and Halloween is just a short while away.

Throughout the few couple of weeks we’ve been keeping you up to date constantly on all the latest Halloween related updates, be they related to new content as we’ve seen today with Luden.io’s pumpkin-filled update for city destruction sandbox videogame VRobot. Limited time bundle deals, as we’ve seen from HTC Vive adding Star Trek: Bridge Crew into the sales deal for a short time. New releases such as OBSCURA, The Exorcist: Legion VR and Stifled. Even augmented reality (AR) videogames are getting in on the act with Scooby-Doo Go, another dog – this time a ghostly one – in the form of Bydo’s Return and of course the inevitable update from Niantic Labs for Pokémon GO.

For Oculus themselves they have several items in the offing; including Echo Arena‘s 2017 Halloween Bash, with the VR multiplayer title receiving a makeover with mysterious sights, new costume options to customise your avatar and a number of spooky and peculiar holiday-themed toys for you to play around with – if they don’t decide to play with you, that is. There’s been a small focus on re-advertising some fright filled experiences as well, with the likes of ABR VR receiving a new trailer upload on Oculus’ YouTube Channel.

ABE VR screenshotThe best news for Oculus Rift owners though must surely though be the newly announced Halloween sale which has, for the second year in a row, now gone live on the Oculus Store. Seventeen Oculus Rift along with sixteen Samsung Gear VR videogames and experiences have been reduced in price for a limited time.  The full list is below.

Oculus Rift:

Gear VR:

There will no doubt be more Halloween related updates coming soon, be sure to stay informed by checking back regularly with VRFocus.
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Horror Awaits as Oculus Holds Friday 13th Sale

If you didn’t realise already today is the most ominous of days, Friday 13th. If you happen to own an Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR however then there’s no need to fret, in fact you can celebrate as Oculus has decided to mark the occasion by discounting a bunch of scary videogames to immerse yourself in.

There are 15 titles on discount across each platform for one day only featuring some of the best horror available for the platform. From psychological thrillers to all out gun toting action experiences, there’s something for everyone – if you can handle it.

Wilson's Heart_E32016 (2)

On offer today for Oculus Rift there’s:

While for Gear VR there’s:

  • Death Horizon – £2.75
  • Drop Dead – £3.99
  • Affected: The Manor – £1.11
  • Into the Dead – £3.49
  • The Hospital: Allison’s Diary – £1.11
  • The Cathedral: Allison’s Diary – £1.49
  • Dead Secret – £3.99
  • Witchblood – £2.99
  • Deadhead VR – £1.11
  • Darkdays – £2.99
  • Zed Shot – £1.11
  • Sammy – £1.99
  • Dreadhalls – £1.99
  • The Rabbit Hole – £1.11
  • Bad Dream – £0.79

And that’s your lot. For more deals and discounts on Oculus Rift and Gear VR, keep reading VRFocus.

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10 Oculus Exclusives HTC Vive Owners Should Play Using Revive Hack

Thanks to ReVive, a hack that lets SteamVR-compatible headsets play Oculus Rift exclusives, anyone with an HTC Vive can enjoy a number of unofficially supported games from the Oculus Store. Here we take a look at 5 of the games you shouldn’t miss—of course with the appended “buyer beware” warning that the Revive hack caries with it.

For non-Rift owners, losing access to a game you bought on the Oculus Store isn’t likely at this point, but it’s not something you should ignore either. Back when Oculus modified their DRM in a way that prevented Revive from functioning, thus blocking Vive users from playing Oculus games in their library, community outcry over the decision eventually led Oculus to reverse that particular stance on DRM, saying that in the future they wouldn’t use headset verification as part of the platform’s security protections. Despite the risk, we still think these Oculus exclusive games are worth playing.

Before you start, download Revive here and don’t forget to check out all the games on the Revive compatibility list.

Robo Recall

People used to think that fast-paced, high-action games would be too disorienting for new virtual reality users, but in Epic Games’ Robo Recall (2017), you can teleport around at full speed as you blast away at the game’s evil (and hilarious) robot army. If being able to tear your enemies literally limb from limb and beat a robot over the head with their own dismembered arm isn’t astounding enough, the level of detail and polish put into this game will make you reassess what’s possible in VR. This is another Touch freebie you’ll have to pay for as a Vive user, but at $30, you’d be hard-pressed to find something with this level of polish at this price on Steam.

Find out why we gave Robo Recall [8.5/10] in our review.

‘Robo Recall’ on Oculus Store

Lucky’s Tale

You can probably burn through this charming, family-friendly 3D platformer in a weekend—providing you’ve got a gamepad on hand—but at exactly zero dollars, Playful’s Lucky’s Tale (2016) is an easy sell. As one of the first third-person games for Rift, Lucky’s Tale helped define the Xbone Gamepad-era of VR gaming that Oculus is leaving behind now that the controller is no longer being bundled. Whether you’re racing with Lucky through lush trees, dodging swamp pits, battling menacing bosses, or mastering mini-games, youʼll feel like you’ve truly gone inside the world of a video game thanks to the magic of VR.

‘Lucky’s Tale’ on Oculus Store

Dragon Front

With a fantasy-meets-WW2 setting, this collectible card game takes place on a 4×4 grid battlefield featuring rampaging giants, intimidating war-machines, and soaring projectiles. As a freemium game from High Voltage, there’s still plenty of opportunity to play an exciting single-player campaign if collecting (and buying) card packs in multiplayer isn’t really your thing.

‘Dragon Front’ on Oculus Store

Dead and Buried

There’s plenty of gun slinging fun in this Western-inspired multiplayer shooter. Darned tootin’ if you can rob a runaway train, defend from zombie hordes, or battle it out in an old saloon—of course with your trusty six-shooters by your side (and a stick of dynamite for good measure). While this is free to Touch owners upon activation, if you’re looking for a well-rounded little shooter with a cowboy flair, the $40 sticker price may fit the bill.

‘Dead & Buried’ on Oculus Store

Esper: The Collection

Esper: The Collection gives you access to Esper (2016) and Esper 2 (2017)—two finely-crafted and ultimately intriguing puzzlers that give you psychic abilities to solve increasingly challenging tests. As an agent of ESPR, an organization set up to deal with the outbreak of telekinetic powers, you travel to exotic locations (not just your desk); solve puzzles, discover secrets, stop villainous plots, and fall unconscious multiple times. Interact with an array of characters, voiced by notable actors, Nick Frost, Lara Pulver, and Sean Pertwee, and Eric Meyers. Since you’re using your telekenetic powers, this isn’t a game that’ll use Vive controllers to their fullest, but it’s still a great options if you’re looking for a more passive, seated experience.

‘Esper: The Collection’ on Oculus Store

Lone Echo & Echo Arena

Two of the most well-received Oculus-funded games—both the campaign mode Lone Echo (2017) selling for $40 and the free multiplayer mode Echo Arena (2017)—are easy for Vive users to play thanks to the games’ native 360-degree setup. If you’re skeptical of the zero-g locomotion scheme, we suggest grabbing Echo Arena first, which doesn’t require Touch activation to nab for free. Either way, you’ll be amazed at how comfortable and immersive flying through space can really be in the first-person (i.e. not Adr1ft).

Find out why we gave Lone Echo [9/10] in our review.

‘Lone Echo’ on Oculus Store

‘Echo Arena’ on Oculus Store

Wilson’s Heart

Wilson’s Heart is a gritty first-person thriller from Twisted Pixel that jaunts through gads of sci-fi tropes ripped directly from the silver screen. As one of the most beautiful and visually cohesive VR games out for Touch, the game takes you through a black-and-white universe as experienced by Wilson, a hospital patient recovering from a curious surgery that has replaced his live-beating heart with a strange machine. Ripping it from your chest, you find it gives you a growing number of abilities to help you not only fight against your personal demons, but also some very real ones that have passed into the world thanks to experiments done by the brilliant, but clearly insane Dr. Harcourt

While falling into some overly campy territory, garnering it Wilson’s Heart a [7/10] in our review, the game is definitelty worth a play-through if you can find it for cheaper than its $40 sticker price.

‘Wilsons Heart’ on Oculus Store

Chronos

Don’t say we didn’t tell you *not* to button-mash your gamepad before stepping into Chronos (2016), a third-person adventure by Gunfire Games. Slashing at enemies with the long-trained penchant for beat-em-ups will get you exactly nowhere in this Zelda-inspired, Dark Souls-ish-level of difficulty game where dying in the game physically ages your character. Starting out with either an axe or a sword, you leap through a multi-dimensional transport crystal to hunt down a dragon that has ruined your world. As an interesting mix of high-fantasy and a retro post-apocalyptic world, Chronos gives you plenty to gawk at, and even more to worry about as you hack and slash your way through dimensions.

Sitting at 4.5/5 stars on the Oculus Store, it’s a score we can easily get behind.

‘Chronos’ on Oculus Store

Edge of Nowhere

Edge of Nowhere (2016) is a third-person VR survival horror game created by Insomniac Games that strands you in the icy wasteland of Antarctica, leaving you with only a pick-axe, a shotgun, and some rocks to defend yourself against a bloodthirsty ancient species that lurk inside the snowy caverns. The lack of supplies makes for tense gameplay and forces the players to be creative and conserve resources, creating tense moments when you’re forced to decide whether you should use that last shotgun shell and blow the head off the horrible beast lurking nearby or just try the more risky route and sneak past. As a gamepad game

Find out why we gave Edge of Nowhere one of our highest ratings at [9.5/10] in our review.

‘Edge of Nowhere’ on Oculus Store

What’s your favorite Revive-able Oculus exclusive? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 10 Oculus Exclusives HTC Vive Owners Should Play Using Revive Hack appeared first on Road to VR.

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The Best Oculus Rift Games of 2017 So Far – Star Trek: Bridge Crew & Wilson’s Heart

Continuing VRFocus’ look at the best virtual reality (VR) videogames to have been released over the course of 2017, it’s time to move away from first-person shooters (FPS) and delve into two different worlds, one a sci-fi legend, with a legion of fans around the world who want to ‘boldly go’ on a space adventure, of course it’s Star Trek: Bridge Crew. And the other, a dark psychological horror built in-house at Oculus Studios, Wilson’s Heart.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

For most readers this videogame should need no introduction. The latest release from Ubisoft – created by the publisher’s studio Red Storm Entertainment – Star Trek: Bridge Crew was officially unveiled at the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with some of the actors from the films and TV series donning Oculus Rift’s to board a virtual starship called the USS Aegis.

Launched in May, Star Trek: Bridge Crew features both single-player and multiplayer options – although VRFocus did state in its review that the videogame was all about the multiplayer. You get to play in one of four roles, Captain, Helm, Tactical or Engineering, each with its own particular job to do. Once chosen, you and your teammates then head out into space to complete a variety of missions.

While most other multiplayers put you in combat with everyone – or at the very least teams – Star Trek: Bridge Crew really ties four players together in a way other VR experiences don’t. It’s vital that players communicate and work as one to succeed as certain ship functions have to be activated by more than one person.

Fans of Star Trek will love the title, but even those who aren’t will certainly find a unique gameplay experience within.

Star Trek Bridge Crew bridge

Wilson’s Heart

No best of VR would be complete without some sort of horror title in the mix. VR’s unique immersive qualities suit the genre down to the ground, expertly delivering a palpable sense of fear. And so VRFocus would like to introduce Wilson’s Heart, a story driven descent into a psychological thriller by Oculus Studios.

Arriving in April, Wilson’s Heart tells the story 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. Playing as Wilson, you then have to wander the hospital discovering increasingly maddening corridors, environmental hazards, and sinister inhabitants whilst trying to recover Wilson’s heart and the reasons for this craziness.  

With film noir feel to proceedings, Wilson’s Heart is completely in black and white, making it seem that much darker and foreboding. It’s one of those videogames that some players might not be to keen on trying but VRFocus would still recommend you do.

Being such a story driven experience, you’re not given free reign to just wander where you please. You can only teleport to certain locations – in front of a door, next to a desk, for example – in a effort to move you through the story. When VRFocus reviewed the title we said: “Wilson’s Heart is good, even very good at points. Expertly mixing its story, sound and visual aesthetics into a solid experience that’ll draw you in and keep you engrossed for hours.”

Wilson's Heart


Best Oculus Rift Games of 2017 So Far

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Wilson’s Heart Is Getting Full 360 Degree Tracking Support

Wilson’s Heart Is Getting Full 360 Degree Tracking Support

It seems like every time Oculus releases a major Studios project support for 360 degree setups is something of an afterthought. That was the case with Epic Games’ Robo Recall, and last month’s excellent psychological thriller, Wilson’s Heart, lacked 360 support too. But that’s changing soon.

Developer Twisted Pixel recently took to Reddit to explain that, while the game had been built with front-facing setups in mind, the team would soon release an update that would allow players to fully look around their surrounding environment uninterrupted. The developer specifically noted, however, that this does not mean Wilson’s Heart is getting room scale support; you’ll still need to be rooted to the spot to actually play the game, otherwise the camera blurs.

360 degree setups on Rift ideally use three sensors. Rift and the Touch controllers come with one each, so people have to buy a third if they’re looking to access this option. Since Touch’s launch in December 360 setups have been labelled as ‘experimental’ by Oculus, though last week the company launched the public test for its latest software update, 1.15, which removes that branding, and the full release is expected to do the same.

“We went about designing the game the way we did with the intention that everyone could play it (and for most of development, the 360/3 sensors were not an option that was available) and not get lost, frustrated, or have motion sickness,” the developer noted. “Just that they could focus on being in a cool environment and feel like they were in the shoes of another person. Unfortunately, just disabling the blur/out of body effect is not a great option, as we would need to redesign several areas of the game that would not work the same anymore (interacting with other characters in particular.)”

We loved Wilson’s Heart, awarding it 9/10 upon release. 360 support hasn’t been dated just yet but you should definitely be on the lookout for it.

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