13 upcoming VR games you'll want to play
Peeking into the future
Virtual reality is here. Sorta. People have Oculus Rifts and HTC Vives and the PlayStation VR is just around the corner.
But while there are some great games you can play right now, the real good stuff is on the horizon. Developers are still figuring this out and we'll need to wait for the most amazing experiences.
And that's what we've got here: 13 upcoming VR games from the end of 2016 and into 2017 that you should care about.
Resident Evil 7
PS VR - out January 2017
Horror games and VR should work together in pant-crapping harmony. And Capcom's going all in, promising that its first-person spook 'em up Resi 7 will be entirely playable in VR.
Don't expect a crazy action movie like the most recent Resident Evil games: this one is gonna be dripping with fear and dread. Sounds fun. It's exclusive to PS VR for a year and then should come to other headsets.
Robinson the Journey
PS VR - 2016 maybe
Crysis maker Crytek is having another stab at VR, with an ambitious sci-fi adventure about a young boy on a planet filled with dinosaurs.
It looks like you'll be doing all sorts of little tasks and science projects, while fending off giant prehistoric lizards who want to eat you. Except Lica - a cute raptor you keep as a pet and ally.
Farpoint
PS VR - 2017
Look, you gotta have a few shooters. Virtual reality may (may!) usher in a new landscape of unique experiences and genres but we're still going to need to shoot things with guns from time to time.
Luckily, we've got Farpoint: a lavish FPS made for Sony's absurd gun peripheral. You actually move about with the gun's analogue stick, but everything else - aiming, firing, and even changing weapons - is done through natural gestures.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
PS VR - 2016
A VR version of a bonkers platformer set inside the recesses of peoples's minds sounds like a first class city to puke city. Thankfully, Rhombus of Ruin isn't that.
It's a first-person puzzle game where Raz uses his psychic powers to solve conundrums.
And instead of walking about, or teleporting, Raz can get about by using clairvoyance to see the world from the perspectives of other characters. Smart.
GNOG
PS VR - 2017
Okay, so imagine The Room but instead of a lavish puzzle box you're opening up the head of a weird monster and poking around inside.
Don't worry: you don't find gross brains and giblets. Each head is filled with whimsical secrets and silly mechanisms for you to poke and prod. It's trippy, funny, and ultra charming.
Summer Lesson
PS VR - English version TBA
If you thought Japanese games were a bit weird, wait until you see them in virtual reality. Summer Lesson has you communicating with a schoolgirl, nodding and shaking your head as she asks you questions about her homework.
It's out soon in Japan but there's no word yet for an English release.
Superhot VR
Oculus Rift - 2016
If you haven't played Superhot, you are in for a treat. It's a crazy action game where time only moves when you do, which essentially turns you into a super hero capable of the most bodacious feats.
It will retain the stylish low-poly models and minimalist colour palette but the game itself is being remade from the ground up to focus on VR. One cool feature: proper 3D audio so you can even hear bullets whizzing through the air.
Raw Data
Oculus Rift and HTC Vive - 2016
Another shooter now, but this time you're not moving about all over the place. Instead, you and a friend (playing co-op over the web), get settled in for a last-stand showdown against a waves of enemy androids.
You can fire guns, throw up defences, and use nanotech powers. And then turn around and communicate to your pal through body language and gestures. It's in early access now, but we're looking forward to seeing how this one evolves.
Budget Cuts
HTC Vive - 2017
Budget Cuts is perhaps best described as Portal with espionage and assassinations. So you're sneaking around a facility, using a crazy movement system to work your way past robots and other such defences.
While you can walk around a bit, you make big movements by opening up a wormhole. This works like a tennis ball which means you can bounce it off walls and down vents for trick shot teleportation.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PS VR - November 29th
Star Trek doesn't have a good history with video games, but Bridge Crew might just be the game to make Trekkies soil their Starfleet uniform.
You and a group of pals don your VR headsets and become the crew of a big ol' spaceship. You'll work together, performing tasks to finish missions like you're playing the most polite version of Spaceteam ever.
Wilson's Heart
Oculus Rift - 2017
How's this for an elevator pitch? "Wilson's Heart is an immersive first-person psychological thriller set in a 1940's hospital that has undergone a haunting transformation"
I'm most intrigued by how a VR game will work in black and white. Will it be liking stepping into a noir film? Personally, I can't hardly wait. Plus, it's by the twisted minds behind Splosion Man.
Stage Presence
Oculus Rift - 2016 maybe
Here's a unique one. Stage Presence is about being a performer on stage, and trying to win over a crowd of people with nothing but your voice.
Which sounds daunting. But that's nothing compared to playing the game on Twitch and having a real group of people control the crowd. Don't worry, I'm sure anonymous people on the internet will be nice to you.
Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality
HTC Vive - Dunno
One of the most interesting VR games is Job Simulator: a silly, knockabout comedy game from Owlchemy Labs.
Turns out, the creators of the whacked out cartoon Rick and Morty loved the game and, hey, now the two teams are making sweet sweet… VR games. It will have the characters from the game and who knows what else.
