Beats Fever (PSVR) Review

Gun Club VR (PSVR) Review

Guns'n'Stories Bulletproof VR (PSVR) Review

Guns’n’Stories Bulletproof is a dynamic shooter and the latest game released by game developers MIROWIN for PSVR. Is it any good? Let’s begin our review.

Guns’n’Stories Bulletproof is western themed VR shooter set in alternate realistic take on the Wild West.  The story is told from the perspective of a grandfather, recounting his pseudo realistic memories of adventures from this past days.  The central plot is spread out across 3 acts, each with 3 sub-chapters and a final boss to defeat at the end.  The story is a high point of the game, as it doesn’t take itself seriously and weaves a tangled narrative of funny scenarios along the way.  Cutscenes are presented in the cinematic perspective with the player in first person view, seated in a theater, watching the video on a hovering movie screen in front of them.   

The voices of both the grandfather and grandson are heard during gameplay, giving more context of the events of story.  Often in comical ways, as you progress along the main campaign.

The game is played using 2 PS Move controllers in each hand simulating the use of dual firearms.  For the most part each level begins with you taking on wave after wave of enemies using revolvers in each hand, only be given a much more powerful gun near the middle of chapter completion.  The enhanced weapons are extremely fun to use as they range from enjoyable overpowered to comically ridiculous – but in a way.  The game can be played in a standing position or a sitting position.  There is no movement at all, as the player remains in a stationary position, with enemies approaching either from the right, left or center from entry points built into each set piece.  

Guns’n’Stories features a wide range of enemies from the standard mindless disposable minions, to the semi-bullet spongy heavy grunts, some “Mexicans” as pointed out in game and even flying drones.  Some enemies are easier than others to dispatch, with head-shots as expected being incentives.   

The graphics are sharp and with detailed textures, everything is well defined and whilst having a bit of a cartoon-ish aesthetic – the world also has a somewhat realistic feel to it as well.  There are various levels of difficulty which dramatically ramp up the intensity and challenge.  The entire game story line can be completed within 2 hours, but there is replay value for persons looking trophy hunt or attempt the bonus objectives.

In conclusion Guns’n’Stories Bulletproof is an enjoyable western style shooter – with an interesting narrative, scaleable difficulty and intrinsic replay value.  The game is currently available on the PlayStation Store for $19.99 and at that price you more than get what you pay for.  It’s definite pickup for persons who are into VR shooters. 

Richie's Plank Experience Announced for the PSVR

So on the European PlayStation YouTube channel we got an announcement of Richie's Plank Experience releasing on December 12,  2018.  No word on a North American PSN release or pricing but Richie's Plank Experience currently goes for $14.99 on Steam so we can expect similar pricings on that.


Richie's Plank Experience is short experience made for entertaining your friends and family.  It's a 80 stories high. Knees shaky, palms sweaty. Do you dare make it to the end? Richie's Plank lets you experience the thrill of doing the impossible.

RUSH VR (PSVR) Review

Rush VR is a game that takes on wingsuit racing in virtual reality.  The premise is simple, jump from the top and speed your way to the bottom.  The game was developed by The Binary Mill, who also released versions for Steam and Oculus devices.  From the moment you put the VR headset, you get an outline view from the perspective of if you were actually wearing a helmet.  This touch greatly adds to the immersion and pumps you up for what is to come.  In Rush VR, you race at high speeds down the sides of various locations, at different times of day and weather conditions.  You are encouraged to push yourself to the limit to increase your boost meter.  Your boost meter is a quick speed kick that can be activated when needed. 

Controlling RUSH VR (PSVR) Using PS Move Controllers

                                

The game features 80 tracks, spread across 4 environments, and dozens of wingsuits to unlock.  As well as game modes including Race to the finish, Time Attack, and Score Challenge. There is a single player campaign and online multiplayer which allows for up to seven players to take part at a time, in a race.

Rush VR excels when it comes to giving you methods of control.  You can play with a DualShock 4, one or two PS Moves controllers, and multiple other combinations of these.  You can also control using head movements for steering, or by pointing to locations.  The most fun to be had, is obviously pretending to be Superman – with Move controllers each in hand and experiencing the feeling of speeding through the air at high speed. 

Competitors at base camp (RUSH VR - PSVR)

Rush VR is currently available on NA PSN for $24.99, with a limited time discount of 20% off for PS Plus members – bringing the price down to $19.99.   Rush VR is an enjoyable, and highly addicting title that is worth your time and is highly recommended that you pick this one up and try it for yourself. 

AFFECTED: The Manor (PSVR) Review

AFFECTED: The Manor is a passive horror gaming experience, released by Fallen Planet Studios.  In VR you navigate a creepy mansion at night, referred to – ominously as “The Manor”.

The experience is roughly 30 minutes long and would require you atleast 2 playthoughs in order to see both of the branching pathways and a third one if you want to 100% get all trophies as well.
AFFECTED: The Manor is a passive horror gaming experience, released by Fallen Planet Studios. 

In VR you navigate a creepy mansion at night, referred to ominously as “The Manor”.  The experience is roughly 30 minutes long and would require you atleast 2 playthoughs in order to see both of the branching pathways and a third one if you want to 100% get all trophies as well.

The experience begins with the player outside of the manor, allowing for the full size and scale of the structure to be fully observed before entering.  Once inside, doors will sequentially shut forcing the player forward along the route. 

This experience is definitely for fans of horror or for persons looking to be genuinely terrified in VR.  This hands down, was my most terrifying experience to date in VR.  You are warned at the start of the experience to expect jumpscares but this is little comfort for how well they are implemented to great effect.

The graphics are clear and textures are high resolution adding to realism of the experience.  You can play with either the dual shock 4 or with the PS Move controllers.  While playing with the Dual Shock 4, the light of your torch, corresponds with viewing direction.  Whereas, when playing with the Move controller, light from the torch is directed from the controller.

For those interested, there are 5 trophies to be collected.  2 of which are story related and the other 3 are time based.  Due to lack of free exploration, in order to achieve the time based trophies you will have to either loiter around “the manor” until the specified amount of time passes.  Unfortunately, gameplay time is not cumulative and if you want to get the 2 hour long explorer trophy, it has to be done in one sitting.

AFFECTED is an example of what it would look like if you were to combine the best part of Layers of Fear with the VR mode from Resident Evil 7.  The best way to describe AFFECTED: The Manor is as a premium haunted house experience in VR. 

The game is available right now on the North American PS store for $7.99.  It’s the perfect price for what you get and is a definite ‘must buy’ for anyone interested in the horror genre.

In Death (PSVR) Review

Based on the preview trailers, In Death may come across as yet another VR shooter with a medieval skin on top.  This is where you would be wrong.  I myself went into the experience with tempered expectations, but an open mind.  Needless to say, the game more than proved itself.  So should you give it a try? Let’s take a closer look in our review of “In Death” for the PlayStation VR (PSVR).

In Death is a VR first person shooter that puts you in a procedurally generated medieval world of floating ruins, in which you must defeat various enemies on your journey progressing forward.  From the start, you aren’t given any context or story points at all.  You are literally dropped at a starting point, given a bow and left on your own.  My first time playing, I was caught off guard, as there is no hand holding or objectives to guide you at all.  This strategy definitely did pay off on the part of the developers, in forcing players to hit the ground running and start figuring out the mechanics of the world for themselves.  That being said, this is means that story telling is non-existent, so those looking for any meaning narrative will be sadly disappointed.  What you can discover however, is the context of the world as you journey forward.   With each play session in game being referred to as the “afterlife” – This is because, as the title suggests, from this point you are journeying forward ‘in death’.

The game features various types of enemies that require varying amounts of hits to take them down, with head-shots being the most encouraged way of quickly dispatch enemies.    From the undead looking, zombie-like creatures called the abominations being easily dispatched with one hit – to flying enemies like the cupids that require a constant barrage of hits to be defeated. 

‘In Death’ is an unforgiving, and extremely challenging first-person shooter.  Each play session is treated as one complete journey through the “afterlife” – the point at which you die is the end of that journey, there is no continuing afterwards.  You then restart, back at the starting place called “Sanctuary”.   This is most frustrating for boss encounters, as death means you must play your way back to the boss fight, entirely from the beginning.   

Floating Ruins (In Death PSVR)

Three Abominations about to attack (In Death PSVR)

The game allows for use of either the Dual Shock 4 or PS Move controllers – it also allows for full movement locomotion, with snap turning at various angles of rotation.  The dual shock 4 allows for greater efficiency and simplicity while playing – whilst the PS Move are more immersive.  Using the Dual Shock 4, you reload and fire your arrows with the right trigger, whilst changing your arrow types with the right shoulder button.  The left Trigger is used for teleportation and left shoulder button activates the shield for blocking incoming enemy attacks.  The left and right analog sticks are used for locomotion and rotation respectively, with the D-pad being used for directional dashing.  Despite having PS Move support, my preference in this case was the Dual Shock 4.  If this was a stationary shooter, the PS Move controllers would be perfect, but the added complexity of full locomotion, shooting and dodging was beyond the design capabilities of the Move controllers and was more of a disadvantage while playing.   In which case I opted for the Dual Shock 4.  In this case, I suggest trying both control methods – then deciding which method works best for you.

Unfortunately for all its good points, the game’s biggest stumbling point is in the sound design.  It starts on a high point with low toned, religious themed music – setting the atmosphere.  Fitting well into the narrative of being in a Christian inspired interpretation of purgatory and the afterlife.  But after this, it sadly falls flat.  There is no background music in game, which is not a negative for me as I prefer not having background in most cases – however, some may find the silence not to their liking.  The real issue is the lack of proper sound effects for the enemies.  Enemies approach silently with no audio cues, which prevents the player from being able to listen for enemy footsteps or noises.  This allows enemies to sneak up from behind unnoticed until they attack.  In fact, the only sound effects you will be hearing constantly is the clanking of weapons before and during attacks and the death cries of enemies when they are defeated.

Anakim the Abomination - Boss Fight (In Death on PSVR)

Holding crossbow (In Death PSVR)

All in all, after spending many hours roaming the medieval floating cathedrals, secret dungeons and tortured infernos of “In Death”, it has without a doubt earned a spot of being one of the best PSVR titles I have played to date.  Its premise is not for everyone, and it does have a few minor issues, but for those who are interested - it is a definite buy.  We give In Death on the PSVR a 4.5 out of 5

Déraciné (PSVR) Review

Déraciné is the latest VR exclusive game from the creators of the Dark Souls franchise ‘FromSoftware’.  The game is about the story of a fairy that is summoned by one of the children of a boarding school.  You are the invisible fairy and it’s your job to interact with the people and objects in the world to achieve certain outcomes.

In European folklore, a Deracine is a person who is take from their home to another place.  This ties into the narrative of the game – as it includes pieces of folklore in its storytelling.

From the start you will realize that Deracine is not for everyone. The mystical approach, and heavy focus on storytelling is very different from the previous games the studio became well known for.  If you are not put off by this and decide to take the journey however, you might enjoy what the game has to offer.

You progress the story by teleporting around the world and interacting with objects. Thankfully the puzzles are fairly simple and exploration is encouraged.  The graphics of the world is crisp and clear. Environments and objects look great in VR and everything has a natural tone from the ambient lighting.  

The game soundtrack is heavily low toned, with looping melodies.  It matches the style and feeling of the world very well.  Deracine can feel like a point-and-click adventure to some people, but the choice to make it only playable in VR was a good one.  As playing in VR allows the player to better connect with the characters and experience the story of the world more fully.

Sadly, there are some bad points about the game as well.  Some of the puzzles don’t make much sense and can become annoying trying to figure out what they require you to do.  Persons who aren’t fans of teleportation movement will not be happy, as there is no free movement.  And lastly, the game is not very long but once you see everything – there is little interest to go back see play it again. 

As we mentioned before, the game is not for everyone.  Many will be turned off by this type of game from the start, but if you are willing to commit and pick up this title for the $29.99 asking price there is an experience in Deracine for you to enjoy.

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow (PSVR) Review

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is 360 degree wave shooter with you in the command seat.  Its operations are simple – fight off waves of enemies approaching from all directions.  The goal of each stage is to defend your position from the oncoming attackers.  Depending on the type of enemy, the force required to take them out will vary.  Some enemies approach on foot, making it easy to take them out with simple gunfire, while others come in various vehicles such as jeeps, trucks and ships requires more fire power.

The game graphics are not the best.  In the VR mode is clear enough to see what is going on but the general world is a jagged mess.  The best approach to playing Heavy Fire would be for short intervals, because anything beyond that point and the game becomes a repetition of doing the same thing over and over once you master it. 

There are a variety of stages to battle on, each with a daytime and nighttime version.  There are no boss battles at the end of the stages, which is a disappointment.  The game itself is not very challenging but you can feel overwhelmed when there are many enemies approaching at all sides.  There is a demo available on the PSN store if need to decide if this title is something you might enjoy or not. 

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow’s biggest problem is its price.  The game sells for $19.99 for the standalone basic game and $9.99 for the VR mode.  That makes the complete package a total of $30.00.   For that price, it can be hard to justify purchases the game when you compare it to other games of similar prices that offer greater value.  

Home Sweet Home (PSVR) Review

Home Sweet Home is a heart stopping journey down the halls of a twisted nightmare.  But the question is, is it worth your time? Let’s find out in our review of Home Sweet Home for the PSVR.

Home Sweet Home is a game that tells a story of a wife that has gone missing, and a husband’s journey to find her.  One night, Tim wakes up in a seemingly abandoned building instead of his home. While trying to escape, he’s hunted by a hostile female spirit.  Her approach is made even more terrifying by her constant wailing and the disturbing clicking sounds she makes with her box cutter.  The player not only has to focus on stealth, but also solve puzzles and investigate their surroundings to unlock the mystery of what exactly is going on.

The events of the story take place in Thailand, and feature many interesting cultural beliefs and mythology.  The game explains its backstory along the way by use of ‘collectibles’ such as logs, diary entries, and newspaper clippings - that give details of past events in the story. 

Graphics are crisp and clear, and the world is highly well detailed.  My main complaint is with some of the character models, specifically of the humans in the game.  While the demonic creatures and monsters look fearful and as realistic as could possibly be, the human characters seem to just miss the mark.  Often looking odd and sometimes unnatural in the greater context of the world.  

The game can be played in TV-Only or VR mode, but to get the most immersive experience – obviously the VR mode should be played.   For the most part, the majority of Home Sweet Home is extremely straight forward.  The most frustrating part is getting stuck on some of the puzzles.  Some puzzles give no context and can become rage causing-ly difficult.  Requiring the player to search the environment for hints and then using trial and error to hopefully find the solutions. If not give up all together and seek a walkthrough online.

"Box cutter" dead girl from Home Sweet Home (VR Game)

The game does its best to keep you the player always on edge. The environments often shift and change as you turn around.  Sometimes moving through a doorway can take you to a different world than the one you entered.  Avoiding enemies feels like playing hide and seek.  Waiting for the enemy to move out of sight before rushing onto the next progression point.  I have learned first-hand that attempting to sprint your walk through to the end of a level doesn’t work.  At times it can feel like an extreme test of patience to sit wait and wait- as your heart pounds out of your chest to be sure it is safe before progressing forward.

The sound design in Home Sweet home is amazing.  The music changes and sound effects give clues for when danger is approaching.  As mentioned before, you are alert to danger when the ghost girl is nearby auto cues as well as the sounds of her haunting cries and footsteps.    The only major stumble is the voice acting, as some parts can be laughable funny with how bad it is. 

Home Sweet Home is fairly short, and can be completed in approximately 5 hours.  This time can be longer if you try to get all collectables hidden throughout each level.  All in all, the game is an enjoyable horror experience.  The Thai mythology and setting is very interesting and there are truly scary moments to enjoy.  The game is available right now on the PSN store for $29.99.  Be aware however, that this is only episode 1 – the story is set to continue in futures episodes but no release date or additional is available at this time.

Paper Dolls (PSVR) Review

Paper Dolls seeks to tell a story by combining traditional Chinese cultural with western style horror elements.  From the minute you start playing the game you are alone, but you never truly feel alone.  There is always the feeling that something or someone can jump out at you.  While jump scares are kept to a minimum throughout the experience, strange noises and the eerie environment does an amazing job at keeping you fully immersed.   The game does very little hand holding, you are expected to find your way around the temple – solving various puzzles and progressing the story-line.

Movement in the game is achieved either using the Dualshock 4 or the PS Move Controllers.  The developers have created what they call an “anti-motion sickness system”.  It attempts to allow full player locomotion and movement, without causing much discomfort.   Forward movements are done by pulling and releasing the triggers in a sequential fashion, almost like imitating walking using your fingers.  Left and right turning is done by double tapping the corresponding trigger for the direction you want to turn. 

 This method of movement will take some getting used, and even then it will never feel like second nature.  I had some problem adapting to it at first, but after a couple of minutes I was able get the hang of it.  I must admit however, for someone like me that is prone to motion sickness from full locomotion in VR games - this movement system gave some improvement in preventing motion sickness.  But it’s not perfect and can be very annoying to use at times.

Throughout the course of the game you will come across several ghosts, of which you are reminded to not fight them but instead run away with a chance to seal them away later on.  The story is very shallow and is lacking much depth.  

All in all, if you are interested in Horror games with a focus on Chinese culture and traditions, then this is worth a try.  However, be warned that with equal amounts of enjoyment from Paper Dolls, you also get equal amounts of frustrations. 

Downward Spiral: Horus Station Review

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is the debut title from developer 3^RD  Eye Studios described as a “mysterious and atmospheric zero gravity thriller.”

From the start you are put aboard the Horus Space Station, weightlessly floating with all systems in emergency mode.  There are no introductory cutscenes, no opening musical scores or narrative exposition from the start.  You are forced to get accustomed to the navigation mechanics hands on.  Using the dual shock 4, each analog stick represents an arm.  Movement is achieved by pushing the analog stick in a specific direction then pulling back to create movement momentum.   Whilst movement for move controllers allows you to use each hand while floating in zero gravity and propel yourself around.  The feeling of being able to propel yourself is one of the best parts of the game as it is enjoyable, if not a bit scary when you pull yourself forward with too much force go off hurdling out of control.

Downward Spiral can be played both in VR and Non-VR, with a normal campaign mode and an exploration mode.  The exploration mode allows you to wonder and explore around the Horus Station with having to worry about being attacked by enemies.   There is very minimal on story to almost none at all.  This is not a problem as the eerie atmosphere and haunting silence drive you to want to find out more about what happened to result in things being the way that they are.

Gameplay graphics are clean and visually pleasing in VR but nothing exceptional, but it does achieve the goal of making you feel like you are aboard a drifting space station.   Sound design is on point as the often lack of musical score at points in time allow for the monotonous hum and beeping of the machines to set the stage of believability that you are actually alone, drifting in outer space.

The greatest downside of the game is the sometimes overwhelming monotony that sets in at the half way point.  Rooms start to blur together as the feeling of “been there, done that” starts to set in.   Downward Spiral is not for persons looking for high action, space adventure with an intriguing narrative.  Instead, it should be viewed as a slower pace, “experience” aboard a space station in the midst of distress.   

We give Downward Spiral: Horus Station on the PSVR a 6 out of 10. For the point of view of being a Dead Space inspired walking simulator, there is fun to be had with tempered expectations.

 

Watch Downward Spiral Horus Station Review

Downward Spiral: Horus Station - Screenshot 1

Downward Spiral: Horus Station - Screenshot 2

Downward Spiral: Horus Station - Screenshot 3

Downward Spiral: Horus Station - Screenshot 4

Blind (PSVR) Review

Blind is the latest game from Tiny Bell Studios.  In it you navigate through the darkness of a mysterious mansion, trying to get to your brother who you believe is also being held captive there as well.   The game begins with a cutscene of the main character and her younger brother driving along a road at night in the pouring rain before a sudden flash of lightning strikes and you get to see the image of a man standing in the middle of the roadway.

After you take control of the main character named Jane, she is told by a disembodied voice that she was involved in a car crash and has lost her vision.  It is from this point you are set free to roam the creepy mansion on your own.

The world you explore in Blind is high contrasted with most objects and figures only appearing as visible outlines.   The premise of blindness is used to great effect here in its presentation.  Sight is mainly achieved through echo location so sound is an important part in being able to reveal your surroundings for navigation.  Despite the well implemented visual aesthetic of the world, the navigation leaves a lot to be desired.  The game works best with the motion controllers for navigation.  With forward and back movements mapped to the left controller and rotational turning mapped to the right.   This unfortunately is not perfect, due to the fact that the button layout on the move controllers not being designed for such purposes.  In most cases you end up pausing the game unexpectedly by hitting the wrong button.

As you progress you are explore the mansion guided by the mystery man, you literally stumbled through the darkness slowly unraveling pieces of the story by completing various puzzles.  Despite the puzzles themselves not being very difficult, frustration can occur from a combination of trying to find the solution in the dark, and trying to make enough noise to trigger echos to see what you are doing at the same time.

The biggest shortfall of Blind however, lies in its lack of substance below the surface.  Once you get a hang of the basic mechanics of the game and begin to progress deep into the narrative you realize there is not much depth.  This becomes clearly obvious the more you progress beyond reaching the final conclusion.

All in all, Blind on the PSVR was implemented well, but with a few minor issues.  The visual style works well and it offers something we haven’t seen before in VR.  

Watch on Blind | PSVR Review

Blind (PSVR) Review - Screenshot 1

Blind (PSVR) Review - Screenshot 2

Blind (PSVR) Review - Screenshot 3

Unearthing Mars 2: The Ancient War PSVR Review

Unearthing Mars 2: The Ancient War is a futuristic first-person shooter developed by Winking Entertainment.  A sequel to the first Unearthing Mars released in 2017. 
This time around, all aspects of the original are improved, especially the graphics and many of the gameplay mechanics.   This is seen in the stunning visuals and highly detailed character models.  Sadly, for all of its positives - there are many shortfalls as well that keep Unearthing Mars 2 from reaching its full potential.

The large sense of scale, especially in boss battles and facing larger enemies is truly impressive.  Moments such as these can be very intimidating in your first encounter.  The game’s opening sequence is of particular note, as we are first greeted with some of the best character models even seen of any game on Playstation VR thus far.  Unfortunately, the visual design is very inconsistent as moments later you are greeted with some of the worst graphics right after. 

Combat is straight forward, with you simply taking out wave after wave of a handful variety of enemies, before progressing to the next level and doing the same all over again.  You get a handful of gun to use but generally all feel pretty much the same with minor changes to their rates of fire. 
There are 10 levels broken up in to chapters.  Each chapter taking approximately 10 – 20 minutes to complete. There is not much in the way of replay value as the story is highly forgettable and the voice acting is not the best.   

All in all, we give Unearthing Mars 2: The Ancient War a 5/10.  It’s great for an occasional quick pick up and play enjoyment so often but lacks any further depth that would make you want to replay multiple times.




Watch Unearthing Mars 2 The Ancient War PSVR Review & PS4 Pro Gameplay Footage

Unearthing Mars 2 - PSVR Screenshot 1

Unearthing Mars 2 - PSVR Screenshot 2

Unearthing Mars 2 - PSVR Screenshot 3

TRANSFERENCE Review on PSVR