XR Games and Sony Pictures announced a new shooter that puts you in the world of Zombieland, and it’s coming to all major VR headsets soon.
Called Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever, the single-player game appears to be a standard wave shooter that’s designed around a shooting-based race course, aptly named the ‘Zombieland Invitational’.
There’s slated to be an emphasis on leaderboards, gun variety, upgrades, perks, and enough non-original voice acting to shake a stick at. The game is also said to include a bullet time feature so you can bump up those headshot combos.
Image courtesy XR Games, Sony Pictures VR
Ignoring the fact that Zombieland VR is set to launch nearly two years after the last film, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), the game still feels a bit like a Johnny-come-lately.
The promise of “no wandering around, no atmospheric BS” is just too silly to believe. Virtual reality has been plagued with low effort wave shooters since motion controllers were even a thing, and trying to sell the lack of user agency, story, and atmosphere as a positive is pretty suspect.
In any case, we’re reserving our judgment until we see it for ourselves when it lands on Quest, Rift, SteamVR, and PSVR sometime this Spring.
Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever is a new House of the Dead-inspired shooter coming this Spring from Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and XR Games to Quest, PSVR, and all major PC VR headsets.
I don’t know many people that would say VR needs more zombie games or more wave shooters, but here we are anyway. It’s been about two years since the last film released, but we’re returning to the slapstick apocalypse like nothing has changed.
According to the press release, the developers are taking heavy inspiration from the likes of 90s-era light gun arcade games like House of the Dead and Time Crisis, which actually adapts well to the VR format. Many of the best early VR games were wave shooters, such as Space Pirate Trainer, and Crashland proved there is still untapped potential in that format.
The premise of Zombieland VR is that the four heroes from the film series are venturing into Silicon Valley to launch a zombie-killing race course. The characters will train you to complete the course as efficiently as possible using a slew of physics-defying super powers.
For example, when you get two headshots in a row in rapid succession time slows down letting you rack up more kills super fast. Promising an arsenal of powerful weapons like shotguns, assault rifles, and more there should be plenty of ways to take down the gruesome undead hordes.
Based on the footage, GIF, and screenshots above Zombieland VR certainly looks like it could have some fun tucked away between its bloody hands. We won’t have to wait long to find out since it releases for all major VR platforms this Spring.
When it comes to modern zombie movies the Zombieland franchise is one of the better ones, a nice mixture of over-the-top gore and a comedic narrative. Today, XR Games and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR) have announced Zombieland: Headshot Fever, an arcade shooter coming to most VR headsets this Spring.
Inspired by classic 90s light gun games like Time Crisis II and The House of the Dead 2, Zombieland: Headshot Fever is designed to be a fast and frantic single-player shooter where you don’t need to wander around, all the zombies come straight to you. All you have to do is take them all out as quickly as possible because time matters.
Featuring an ‘Adrenaline Mode’ activated after two quick headshots, it’ll allow players to rack up bigger combos and improve their times to get on the leaderboards. They’ll be able to unlock shotguns, revolvers, assault rifles and more weapons to find their perfect setup.
“With this VR game, we’re bringing the zombie apocalypse right to you in a totally new way while preserving the humour and wit of the hit movie franchise. Now ‘Zombieland’ fans can feel what it’s like to stare down an onslaught of Zombie hordes and make split-second gameplay decisions in order to blast their way to survival,” said Jake Zim, SVP, virtual reality, Sony Pictures Entertainment in a statement.
All four heroes (Tallahassee, Wichita, Columbus and Little Rock) from the movie franchise will feature. Little Rock will be voiced by Abigail Breslin from the Zombieland movies, Tallahassee will be voiced by Woody Harrelson’s brother, Brett, while Wichita and Columbus get VO actors approved by Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg respectively.
“Being trusted with bringing an iconic Sony Pictures franchise to life is extra rewarding and exciting when you’re a huge fan of Zombieland,” says Bobby Thandi, Founder and CEO of XR Games. “The Zombieland world is a no-nonsense kind of place, and to this end we’ve made one of the purest shooting games for VR. We handcrafted the content, upping replayability, and incorporated mechanics from racing games such as time splits so you know exactly how well you’re doing. It’s about practising ’til you’re perfect.
Zombieland: Headshot Fever is set to release this Spring for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and later for PlayStation VR. As further updates on the videogame are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Who doesn’t like a free videogame every once in a while? Gamers might be used to Games with Gold or PlayStation Plus freebies but they’re still paying for a subscription. British developer XR Games is offering copies of its title The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure for PlayStation VR. But you need to be quick the offer is limited.
The promotion is to celebrate XR Games winning a Northern Tech Award from GP Bullhound in the ‘Top 15 Northern Stars’ category, bringing the fun co-op experience to more players stuck at home.
“Since families are still facing varying degrees of lockdown measures across the world, we’d like to do our bit to help,” said XR Games’ CEO Bobby Thandi in a blog post. “How you might think? Well, we’d like to give away 500x free copies of Angry Birds Under Pressure VR.
That’s right, there are 500 copies of the PlayStation VR exclusive up for grabs, it’s just a case of fastest fingers first. All you need to do is fill out this form to nab yourself a code.
The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure arrived last summer, created in collaboration with Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Rovio Entertainment. Rather than pitting players against one another, they all have to work as a team to keep the submarine they’re in from breaking whilst scoring as many points as possible.
One player dons the PlayStation VR while three others use the TV social screen and DualShock 4 controllers to control Angry Birds characters. There are gameplay variances between the VR and non-VR modes so players can keep swapping around to mix the experience up.
In its review of The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under PressureVRFocus noted: “Developers have experimented with a number of social apps and videogames in VR, with one of VRFocus’ favourites being Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure, on the other hand, takes that camaraderie and puts a controller in everyone’s hand for some intense, vocal excitement.”
VRFocus will continue its coverage of XR Games, reporting back with the latest updates and announcements.
XR Games, the studio behind couch co-op VR game The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure (2019), has secured $2 million (£1.5 million) in a recent funding round, which was led by Praetura Ventures alongside existing investor ACT Capital Partners.
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Leeds, England, Angry Birds Movie 2 VR was its second VR game, coming after their first production, the Cardboard game All-Star Fruit Racing (2018). The studio said to start “several new strategic partnerships,” which includes one with an undisclosed LA-based production company.
The investment is earmarked to help the studio expand its games portfolio through new projects with Hollywood film studios and world-famous media and entertainment companies, the company says is a press release. XR Games previously worked with Sony and Rovio to create its Angry Birds-themed VR title.
“We are incredibly excited about Praetura’s investment in XR Games. Not only do they share our vision for growth, they are committed to supporting our ambitions and can provide strategic support alongside an injection of capital,” said Bobby Thandi, founder and CEO of XR Games. “This was a really important factor when choosing our next investment partner and their support represents a significant milestone for our business. Together we will be able to grow our team and continue to build partnerships with major movie studios to capture new opportunities moving forward.”
Thandi’s team includes non-executive director Jason McGann, an industry veteran of 30+ years’ experience, and co-founder of Rockstar Leeds (formerly Möbius Entertainment Limited) where he worked on titles such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006), Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005), and Star Wars: Episode I – Obi-Wan’s Adventures (2000).
As part of the deal, Praetura Ventures director Mark Lyons will join the board as a non-executive director.
The latest funding round brings the company’ total investments to around $4.6 million; Australian venture capital firm Global Merces made a $2.6 million seed investment in XR Games from its Media Fund back in January 2018.
Whether you’re an experienced designer, programmer, engineer, or maybe you’ve just been inspired after reading VRFocus’ articles – either way, you have stumbled across the weekly VR Job Hub. The vacancies listed here are usually located worldwide (although not this week), from major companies to humble indie developers – the one thing they all have in common is that they are all looking for new staff.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
During the summer British virtual reality (VR) developer XR Games released its biggest videogame to date in the form of movie tie-in The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressurefor PlayStation VR. To continue its investment in immersive videogame development XR Games has announced the closure of a funding round, securing £1.5 million GBP in the process.
The funding round was led by Praetura Ventures which is committed to providing capital and support to early-stage businesses across the north of England. Additionally, existing investor ACT Capital Partners returned to support the round.
XR Games will be using the investment to expand its videogame portfolio through new projects with Hollywood film studios, embarking on several new strategic partnerships, including one with an LA-based production company. The studio also aims to increase its capacity for work-for-hire contracts and expand its team in Leeds
“We are incredibly excited about Praetura’s investment in XR Games. Not only do they share our vision for growth, they are committed to supporting our ambitions and can provide strategic support alongside an injection of capital,” said Bobby Thandi, founder and CEO of XR Games in a statement. “This was a really important factor when choosing our next investment partner and their support represents a significant milestone for our business. Together we will be able to grow our team and continue to build partnerships with major movie studios to capture new opportunities moving forward.”
Bobby Thandi, CEO, XR Games
“Virtual reality gaming is a multibillion-dollar industry set to grow significantly within the next five years and as technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, XR Games is well placed to keep pace with this demand. Bobby has built a strong business that places consumer experience and client partnerships at its core, and it is a fantastic example of the talent and capability we have here in the north. It’s our mission to provide businesses just like XR with the finance and support they need to deliver great things and that XR Games will firmly establish a foothold at the forefront of the VR gaming industry,” adds Mark Lyons, director at Praetura Ventures.
As XR Games continues its expansion, announcing more VR titles in the process VRFocus will let you know.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure is the latest VR game featuring Rovio’s classic characters. We take a deep dive to see if it’s worth your time in our full review below!
As the mobile gaming world moved beyond the once formidable Angry Birds and found new juggernauts like Pokemon Go and Fortnite, the far-flung fowl got busy building their own multimedia empire with movies, mash-ups, and all sorts of spin-offs to keep the birds pop culturally relevant. In that spirit comes their latest effort and movie tie-in, The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a quick cash-in, but in reality it’s an enjoyable, if brief and somewhat flawed, VR game designed for the whole family.
Under Pressure pairs the feathered and furious with their pig frenemies and takes them deep under the sea in a frantic and surprisingly well-designed asynchronous multiplayer game. In Under Pressure, player one will wear the VR headset playing a pig and operate a giant magnet while overseeing each level from an isometric view above. Meanwhile, optional players 2-4 can join in as the birds below who help perform the hectic treasure hunts by repairing machines, converting low-level treasures to more lucrative types, crafting and loading ammo, and clearing the deck of any obstacles, like TNT crates and junk that washes up with the loot.
The end result is the same sort of funny stress you find in Overcooked! or Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime where players’ assembly lines can be undone by increasingly out of control mission parameters. Under Pressure impressively piles on new mechanics with every level. Early simplistic layouts of the submarine eventually give way to more labyrinthine designs that offer tricky shortcuts, demanding players young and old will not only need to master the controls, but weigh risks versus rewards constantly in any given level.
Timing is everything, and any flock not willing to work cohesively will quickly find themselves sunken. The goal is to collect enough treasure to max out with three stars and in later levels it will take something close to perfection. Like those aforementioned titans of co-op, Under Pressure is not meant to be bested in one go. The brief nine-level story mode can be one-starred in about two hours, but to see the bonus modes after that, you’ll need many more stars than the bare minimum.
Those bonus modes continue to throw in new mechanics too, which extends the life of the game and gives a great reason to improve earlier scores. It’s a bit strange how it’s all sorted, with the four modes being Story, Bonus, Challenges, and Extra, it seems like those latter three are all really the same thing in name, and conceptually all four are really part of the same progression anyway. Beyond stars unlocking more levels, there’s little reason to return to the game. Cosmetic items like new hats can be earned but that’s as far as that goes. Still, for the arcade-hearted players, three-starring every level will be a fun and difficult challenge. At times, it can seem perhaps too difficult given the target audience, meaning some later levels may stay forever locked, but like those games it’s inspired by, half the fun comes in the humorous failures that are guaranteed to arise in any group.
One of the clearest signs of Under Pressure being greater than the shovelware some may assume of it comes via its sound design. Every action by players or by the world the players react to is cleverly instructive. With so much going on at all times, you could easily get lost in the chaos, but audio cues tip off when important events are unfolding, like when treasure is within reach, when TNT has come aboard the sub, or when you’ve got 30 seconds left to finish stacking your loot or clearing the deck. Each chime or whoosh becomes its own tuning fork for the players who become Pavlov’s birds almost subconsciously taught to do what needs to be done and urgently so.
While the game is designed for and obviously better in co-op, you can play it solo too. In this mode, the VR player can swap between the magnet-equipped pig and a bird below, but with just one deckhand and the inability to easily multitask, it’s the inferior way to play. On top of that, head tracking often went awry when playing solo in my experience. Swapping between pig and bird meant my view and aim was poorly misaligned when trying to use the magnet again. It’s as quick a fix in Under Pressure as it is with any PSVR game — a brief hold of the Options button will set you straight — but when it happens so often in a game where every second counts, it grows to become borderline inexcusable.
As there’s no walking to be done in first-person, the game avoids those nausea-inducing moments which drag down some other VR experiences. I never felt even a moment of dizziness or trouble outside of the head-tracking failures when I played alone, and even those disappeared when I played in co-op.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure Trailer:
The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure Review – Final Verdict
The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure borrows not from the forgotten heap of licensed tie-in games of the past and instead looks to mimic some of co-op gaming’s recent hits. It does so admirably and comes out as a game surprisingly worthwhile if you’re playing in co-op. When flying solo, persistent issues hamper the game, but with a flock of friends or family, it’s a happily hectic and cleverly built game for the VR player and their sidekicks alike.
Playing a board game with friends and family is a time-old tradition, with plenty of people out there probably able to remember tense games of Monopoly after a good meal. The digital age has dampened that spirit for this pastime somewhat, but at the same time helped it evolve and find a new audience. Thanks to features like PlayStation VR’s social screen that gaming essence has made it’s way to virtual reality (VR), in the form of The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure.
Developers have experimented with a number of social apps and videogames in VR, with one of VRFocus’ favourites being Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure, on the other hand, takes that camaraderie and puts a controller in everyone’s hand for some intense, vocal excitement.
The videogame is based on the recent movie, complimenting the cinematic release should you have seen it (it’s not actually necessary). The gist goes that the Angry Birds and the Pigs have called a truce to their fighting because of a new threat. In the process of dealing with this menace both groups end up on a submarine, and this is where the videogame takes place.
When it comes to the classic Angry Birds style mechanics from the mobile games the only inclusion is on the VR side, with players controlling the catapult. The aim is to keep the submarine in decent condition to complete the level, whilst scoring as many points as possible. And to do that you’ll need cooperation and decent communication – there’s no lone wolfing it here. That’s because what the VR player sees is different from what’s shown on the TV, offering a nice dynamic which keeps play interesting.
As the VR player you’re the captain and therefore the one in control. You get an entire overview of the play area where your teammates are running around, able to help them by activating certain areas and picking stuff up (including them). Because you’re at a fixed central position manning the catapult there’s no movement to worry about, offering a comfortable experience allowing everyone to take turns in VR. Plus, as the captain, you’re also able to see outside. This is highly important as you’ll need to collect treasure for points, whilst destroying obstacles that could damage the sub.
On the flipside, to collect or destroy anything outside your crew needs to build it and place it in the correct area. However, there’s far more going on than just those couple of items, and as the levels progress can become an absolute haze of tasks for the social players to organise and complete. And this is where The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure really hooks you, it’s a ballet of Angry Birds mayhem because all the individual tasks are just so well intertwined with each other.
Developer XR Games has created a synergy to the whole experience, where everyone is sat on the end of their chairs/sofa trying to feed boxes into machines, TNT into a disposal pit and much more. All the while talking (or shouting) when something is about to go wrong, or unified relief when it all goes right. Completing the harder levels almost calls for a high five each time because everyone is so engrossed in the gameplay and invested in the outcome.
It’s like one of those team-building exercises companies go on – just without the tedium and more fun. In fact, The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure would be far better at bringing colleagues together than any number of faux entertainment activities some workplaces insist on engaging in.
In total there are 30 levels to play through. This may not seem like a lot but they do get tough quite fast. Not too much that they get frustrating, yet in classic Angry Birds fashion achieving those all-important three golden stars can prove to be elusive.
XR Games has ensured that should your home be empty and everyone’s busy you can still play the title in solo mode. But to be honest you’re best sticking to a solid single-player adventure for those times. Save The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure for what its good at, all-round multiplayer enjoyment suitable for most ages and abilities.
Yesterday, The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure videogame arrived exclusively for PlayStation VR via the PlayStation Store. One of the unique qualities of owning the headset is the possibility of buying titles as a physical disk – something no other virtual reality (VR) headset provides – and with The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure being a big IP launch, a retail store version will arrive in September.
Developer XR Games teamed up with Perp Games to make the physical copy a reality, with European locations seeing a release on 6th September. In North America, the launch will take place on 13th September.
Working with Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Rovio Entertainment, XR Games wanted to create a local co-operative multiplayer for all the family, where one player dons the PlayStation VR while three others use the TV social screen and DualShock 4 controllers.
The aim of the videogame is to run and protect a submarine with the VR player the captain and everyone else the crew. Red and the other Angry Birds team up with the Pigs to take on a common enemy, needing to keep the submarine in motion. All of which means players are tasked with doing repairs, crafting torpedoes and storing treasure.
“At Sony Pictures Virtual Reality, we believe that VR should be social, cooperative and fun. We’re excited about XR Games’ unique take on The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR game because friends and frenemies alike can team up and work toward a common goal. I dare anyone to play this game and not have a blast,” said Jake Zim, SVP, Virtual Reality, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“VR is an exciting medium, but there are not yet enough games that can be enjoyed with family and friends in the real world,” said Bobby Thandi, Founder and CEO at XR Games. “We saw an opportunity to introduce new players to PS VR by making a game in which VR and TV players have different viewpoints and responsibilities within the same funny, team-spirited game.”
As mentioned, the digital version of The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure is available, with The Angry Birds Movie 2 already out in the UK – the North American theatrical release takes place next week. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
