Virtual reality is coming, and general opinion on the tech is divided. While those who have experienced the likes of the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus have come away impressed with the level of immersion they can provide video games with, many are still not sold on the idea that the headsets will prove to be as popular as their developers hope they’ll be.
While there is the possibility that the Oculus and Morpheus will slink off into obscurity following their release, we hope that’s not the case as there are plenty of games we can’t wait to experience using the tech. Here are the top 10 virtual reality games we can’t wait to get our hands on, and that might convince skeptics to strap on a VR headset:
Top 10 Virtual Reality Games That Will Convince You to Strap On a VR Headset
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10. Paranormal Activity VR
Platforms: Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus, HTC Vive
The Paranormal Activity films may have got progressively worse, but as the sixth and allegedly final movie will make its way into theaters later on this year, the story will be continued in virtual reality with Paranormal Activity VR.
Not much is known about the game at this point, but considering the found footage style of the film series it is expected that it will adopt a similar format, and see the player roaming around some creepy house whilst being pursued by a demon. Yes, the films are shit, but they contain the perfect formula for a horror game, a genre which has proved to be incredibly popular on the Oculus Rift thus far.
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9. Edge of Nowhere
Platform: Oculus Rift
Sunset Overdrive creators Insomniac Games' next release will be the Oculus exclusive Edge of Nowhere, a game which combines the mountaineering of the Uncharted series with the survival-horror genre to create a unique experience for the virtual reality headset.
Edge of Nowhere is also notable due to it favoring a third-person viewpoint, with the user's head controlling the camera. It's an odd setup but one that has impressed those who have played it, as has its focus upon the dwindling sanity of the player-character as they find themselves coming up against a variety of monstrous creatures, leading to hallucinatory scenes that could well see this becoming one of the most unsettling games on the Rift.
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8. The Deep
Platform: Project Morpheus
We've only seen a short demo of The Deep thus far, but it has one thing that puts it above many of its virtual reality contemporaries - a shark. Not enough games involve sharks, and developers Sony London Studio's have recognized this, putting the ocean's greatest predator into their game and creating what looks to be one of Project Morpheus' intense experiences.
With the demo taking place within the claustrophobic confines of a diving cage, the player-character is forced to watch as a Great White attempts to break its way in, gnawing on the cage's bar and generally making a terrifying nuisance of itself. It seems that the full game will have the player actually leaving the cage and engaging in a horrifying game of hide 'n' seek with the beast.
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7. Rigs
Platform: Project Morpheus
While Sony didn't focus too much on the Project Morpheus during its E3 2015 press conference, they did set aside some time to showcase a trailer for Rigs, an upcoming mech-based first-person shooter that bears more than a passing resemblance to Monday Night Combat.
While many early VR titles appear to reside within the horror genre, Rigs goes in a completely different direction and instead offers up a fast-paced and frenetic shooter that, if the Project Morpheus sells well, could wind up being its most-played title given its focus upon online multiplayer.
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6. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Platform: Gear VR
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is one of the most unique virtual reality games we've seen so far. Handing one player the mighty task of defusing a bomb and the other the task of reading from a long list of instructions regarding exactly how to defuse said bomb, indie studio Steel Crate Games' little oddity makes for an intense experience that is only heightened by the addition of virtual reality.
While it may be overlooked in favor of more bigger budget, elaborate VR games, this Gear VR title - which will also be making its way to other virtual reality platforms in the future - is shaping up to be one of the very best uses of the tech.
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5. Time Machine
Platform: Oculus Rift
Time Machine is an odd new direction for Papo & Yo creators Minority Media, with them going from an affecting tale of a child dealing with a parent's alcoholism, to a game which involves floating about with underwater dinosaurs.
But Time Machine is shaping up to be a unique addition to the Oculus Rift's line-up, with it offering a mix between Pokemon Snap and Jurassic Park. The game tasks you with travelling back in time in order to scan prehistoric, underwater predators, with the catch being that you cannot cause any harm to these creatures as doing so will cause a tremendous rift in time. Armed with the ability to slow down time for a few fleeting moments, you must get up close with these deadly creatures, scan them in order to learn more about them and then report back to the game's present day, where that information is being used to provide tourists with more knowledge regarding the monsters of the past.
Time Machine is certainly one of the more intriguing VR games on the horizon, and we can't wait to see what Minority have got up their sleeves for it.
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4. Minecraft Hololens
Platform: Microsoft Hololens
There's still a lot of debate surrounding Microsoft's Hololens and whether its consumer build will actually be able to live up to the on-stage demonstrations we've seen at the likes of E3. While that's a question we cannot answer right now, based upon what we saw of the Hololens version of Minecraft, if it does live up to the hype then it's going to provide an incredible new way to play Mojang's ultra popular sandbox game.
While Hololens is technically an augmented reality device, meaning that it displays computer-generated images on top of real-world images, it'd feel unfair to leave the Hololens version of Minecraft off of the list due to just how good it looks (and hey, it requires a clunky headset, so that's close enough!) We're eager to see if Microsoft's vision for the game matches its final build, and we look forward to being able to watch over our Minecraft worlds like a mischievous God.
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3. Kitchen
Platform: Project Morpheus
Kitchen is the name of a VR demo produced by Capcom, and it was the talk of E3. While there is no footage of the game, nor any screenshots, those who have played it have claimed it to be among one of the scariest experiences they've ever had, and this has inevitably piqued our interest.
With Capcom being incredibly tight-lipped about the demo, we don't know what to expect when we finally do get our hands on it. Given people genuinely cried after playing it at E3, this only stands to make us more excited.
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2. Robinson: The Journey
Platform: Unknown
It's impossible to not be excited for a virtual reality Crytek game, and Robinson: The Journey will likely be one of the best-looking VR releases we get our hands on, making use of the famous CryEngine in order to transport players to a faraway land filled with dinosaurs and other such marvelous sights.
Little is known about the game thus far, but it's certainly in capable hands and, judging from the short teaser the company produced featuring a terrifying T-Rex, it could become one of the biggest selling points for gamers when it comes to VR.
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1. EVE: Valkyrie
Platforms: Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus
Undoubtedly the most heavily anticipated virtual reality game, EVE: Valkyrie is shaping up to be the title that bridges the gap between hardcore PC gamers and VR, with the intergalactic dog-fighting game set to take place within the vast world of EVE.
However, unlike the hugely popular EVE Online, Valkyrie looks set to be far more accessible and will even be coming to the PS4, offering console gamers a taste of its expansive universe. Everything we've seen of the game thus far looks great, and it could prove to be a major boon for the popularity of VR and help both VR headsets shift units on their respective launch days.
