Seneste anmeldelser af Kawaii_ET

Some of the best Physics interactions in VR right now!

[I'll follow up eventually with a revised post Early Access review, but as of right now these are more so my initial thoughts.]

Sport Mode is a primarily Sandbox focused experience so I was a bit worried that I would get bored of it quickly, but to my surprise it has become my latest addiction.

Everything feels hefty. Haptic Feedback is extremely well tuned (I play with Quest 2 + Link cable for reference). The gun, melee, and building mechanics are all very solid. Things can bug out when you start experimenting with wacky object and weapon combinations, but overall it is just a blast to mess around in.

This game is officially my new benchmark for Physics based VR games moving forward, and I think other developers should definitely be taking notes on this one.

I'm very excited to see what all gets added to the game over the course of Early Access. It's such a solid foundation not only for just a Sandbox, but also the Arena mode that is present in the game while not being fully fleshed out yet.

Fantastic price point. Loads of replay-ability if you're a Sandbox junkie. A showcase of how good VR Physics interactions can be, and totally worth the $10 asking price in my opinion.

If the trailers or gameplay clips you may have seen of Sport Mode caught your attention in any way I highly recommend giving it a try! You may be surprised at just how well made this game is. :)

UPDATE: I literally built a rocket powered car out of shopping carts and melee weapons. This is seriously one of the greatest VR games I've ever played. xD

https://youtu.be/TWhMV5QrGKU

I don't know why I've waited so long to review this game because I honestly love it. (TL:DR at the bottom)

I think it is totally worth it, but you have to set expectations accordingly going into it. The most recent Beta build of the game is great. Works fine on my Quest 2 with Link cable, but I've heard of other people having issues and the Main build of the game gives people a lot of problems. Also the demo (as of writing this review) isn't a good representation of what the game was or of what it is right now.

In my opinion the Physics Beta is the version of the game you want to be on for the best experience, and if you have an Oculus headset it's especially important since the Beta gives you the ability to launch in Oculus Mode.

The Beta has it's downsides. It's meant for testing purposes so things like Player Health are not implemented, and it's more so a sandbox experience with a few maps. Even then, I still have a blast running around and going HAM on enemies, jumping in slow-mo, and doing cool action stunts.

The long term goals for the game are a lot more ambitious than that though. So you could say in it's current state it's more of a framework for what's to come. They are building a foundation for the eventual story.

Hard Bullets developers have been putting in a ton of work, and are always receptive to feedback and bug reports/suggestions. Their Discord is the best place to stay up to date on how the game is evolving.

After 25 hours, I definitely am a believer in this project and the people working on it. Seeing them take a cobbled together concept and evolving it to a point where they rebuilt what they previously had from the ground up shows me that these devs really care about what they are creating.

My recommendation is to buy it. Opt into the Public Beta. See if it works well enough on your system, and give it a fair shake. You can always refund it if you don't like the first hour of messing around. Even then, I still think it's worth hanging onto. Early Access don't stay Early Access forever, and I'm sure the price will increase eventually.

TL:DR

The current Beta branch feels similar to Boneworks, but with actual gore. The game is heavily work in progress. Performance is not great. The developers have big plans for the future, and you should know going into it that this is not a final product. That said if you're looking for a physics sandbox to run around in and chop up/blow enemies to pieces, then this is the VR experience you are looking for.

Pros:
-Fun Guns (A big selection in Beta with more to come)
-Decent Melee Weapons
-Addictive Gameplay
-Slow Motion
-Ridiculous Amounts of Gore
-Beta Branch gets Regular Updates
-Good Price for Early Access
-Developers Listen to Feedback
-Spectator Camera (Beta Branch)

Cons:
-Buggy
-Needs a lot of Optimization
-The Main build is much worse than the Beta (So make sure to opt into the Public Beta)

I plan to update this review in the future when the game is sure to be even more evolved than what it is right now. I hope this has helped give a little insight into what Hard Bullet is. I am always a person who cares more about story modes and objectives... but they've managed to hook me with their addictive sandbox in much the same way that Blade & Sorcery did.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this was helpful!

It's like VTOL VR, but much easier to jump into and play!

I really liked the small amount I tried of VTOL VR. Definitely requires time dedication just learning how to start your aircraft though. Jetborne, on the other hand, throws you right into the action! It's all of the advanced VR motion controller inputs I loved from VTOL without being too simulation heavy.

For the price as well, it's a steal. $10 gets you one of the best VR Flight Racing experiences available that can be played either alone or with friends. I would like to see them add a Race Against Bots option for the singleplayer eventually, but I'm really digging the Hot Lap mode where you set global leaderboard scores and race against the ghost of your previous best.

It has everything I could ever want from a VR Flying game. Nice snap to element laser for the main menu UI. Buttons you get to push, and a throttle and stick you actually grab onto in the cockpit. Spectator camera options. Jet color and pattern choices. A way to play solo. It's just VR Flight done right! On top of that there's support for Desktop users and even physical HOTAS.

If you want a flight/racing sim. This is the one to get. The learning curve is steep, but it's so much fun! :D Even though I've barely scratched the surface I can see myself pouring quite a bit of time into it.

A little gameplay from the single player mode (Keep in mind I'm still a noob):
https://youtu.be/uGOWZuE7Qy0

An incredible start to Early Access!

TL:DR Pros/Cons list at the bottom of the review.

This review will be subject to change as the product evolves and more content is added, but I wanted to share my initial thoughts on what's available right now. (Playing with Quest 2 via the official Oculus Link cable)

VRSkater is what I would consider to be the first real VR Skateboarding game on the market. It captures the feeling of being on a board and is a thrilling experience! The trick list isn't huge at the moment, but it satisfies most of the street skating tricks I enjoy. On top of that the tricks are actually challenging when in motion. Something I immediately loved about this game was the precision required by the player to execute things properly. You'll definitely want to play through the tutorials to get a feeling for the mechanics.

DEFICIT Games have, in my opinion, nailed it with their control scheme. Almost everything you do in the game is a combination of arm swings and button pushes which I think is brilliant! The triggers are utilized for braking and turning while the joystick serves as UI level input for menu access and re-spawning further back in the level when in Practice mode, or insta-bailing if you're doing a Run. Practice is a way for you to explore the level without consequence, while Run mode will penalize you for bailing. Run leaderboards are local only at the time of writing this, but they do plan to implement online ones as well!

Currently there is only one map with six more planned to be released over the course of development. It's a more linear downhill jam type of flow, but there are diverging paths with different obstacles to skate on or around. I don't see myself getting bored of the initial offering anytime soon as I still have so many great trick and line ideas I've either yet to try or haven't been able to master.

Even though the game is technically speaking a more "arcade" like experience, I can easily spend a half hour trying to dial in one very specific trick, combo, or line of tricks. That's been the main source of my enjoyment. VRSkater succeeds at making you work for the perfect landing, and it feels freaking awesome when you get it just right.

Graphically it's a very clean looking and immersive game. Nothing looks too low detail or out of place, and I really dig the aesthetic. On top of that the soundtrack is full of some really great songs from up and coming artists who deserve more attention! They all feel in line with what I'd expect from a skateboarding game, and I look forward to them adding even more.

If I had to be critical about anything at this point, it's that there isn't an input for body rotations. So you will have to physically rotate your body while in the air if you wanted to do something like a 180 or 360 body rotation. Not impossible, but definitely more work, and I don't think it counts towards score at all. Just for looks. That said I don't know a good way to add those kinds of rotations with an input that would make sense with the existing controls. So I do hope they have their own ideas of how they could do it.

Overall as a long time lover of skateboarding in general, I'd say the game is totally worth it! Especially if you've been craving a VR skating experience like I have. Updates will come, and the game will grow as time goes by. What's offered here is the foundation of a great game, which even in it's current state is going to take up so much of my time.

Pros:
-Spectator Camera
-Solid controls that make sense
-Visuals are pleasing to look at
-Soundtrack is great
-Addictive gameplay
-Polished for being in an Alpha state
-It feels like you're actually skating
-Map design is well done

Cons:
-Content/trick-list is limited at the moment (Not a con for me as I know it'll get more)
-Physically exhausting (Again, not a con for me since VR is my morning cardio)

If you love skateboarding or even have the slightest interest in the sport, I highly recommended picking it up and giving it a try for yourself! :)

TL:DR Pros and Cons list at the bottom of the review!

Alright, I know I don't have much playtime quite yet, but I'm writing this review to say... for the $14 sale price? This is an absolute steal. I'd even say the normal $20 price is well worth it.

I've played a ton of melee combat games. Gorn, Blade & Sorcery, Hellsplit: Arena, Until You Fall, Battle Talent, Swords of Gargantua. All really enjoyable depending on what I'm in the mood for. Yet somehow, Swordsman is filling a void I didn't know I needed filled.

It slows things down a bit. Enemies are a lot tougher than in something like Blade & Sorcery or Hellsplit: Arena, but not quite as difficult as Swords of Gargantua, Until You Fall, or Battle Talent. The mechanics take a little getting used to, but feel great once you play into them correctly. This isn't a grab the enemy and punch them in the face game. It's all about timing your parries and striking weak points on the target. It feels almost more like a simulator, but in a good way!

One of the best recent additions is the optional Armor Physics modifier. I feel like it should be on by default, but it ramps the difficulty up substantially. So I get why it's off by default. Turn it on for the best experience imo.

The other newer addition and arguably one of the main things that made me pull the trigger on the purchase is the dismemberment that they've added. When combined with the Armor Physics being toggled on it's an incredibly rewarding feeling to actually sever a limb. It's not completely cheese proof, but you have to work for that finisher.

On the topic of Rewards. This is one of the few melee combat games that feels really fleshed out. You earn gold and skill points to unlock new armors, weapons, and level up your characters attributes. The story is a bit limited, but the developer seems dedicated to evolving and growing this game even more than they already have.

This is a VR GEM that is just in need of a bit more polishing. Enemies are a little jelly feeling with their reactions to being hit at times. Weapon control could be a bit tighter and less wobbly. Visually I really like the environments, though lighting, textures, and reflections could use a bit more ooomph. This is an Unreal Engine based game, but I did think it was Unity at first.

It's not a perfect game, but even with the flaws, I was having a blast playing it today. It's not often a game makes me sweat so much in VR.

I generally don't use number ratings, so I'll leave a Pros and Cons list (Keep in mind I'm not super far into the game):

Pros
-Smooth Turning option with speed adjust-ability
-An Options menu that would bring a good tear to any PC gamers eye
-A whole host of different modifiers to change how the game plays
-Challenging Combat
-Substantial feeling Rewards and Progression
-Animations are decent enough
-Wide Variety of Enemies and Environments
-Brutal Blood Effects
-Satisfying Dismemberment (With Armor Physics Modifier enabled)
-Enemies don't fall over (No awkward beat em up while they're on the ground moments)
-Ambitious Developer who seems dedicated to improving the game even more
-Good Voice Acting for the NPC's
-Great Music

Cons
-Physics based combat is wonky at times
-Enemies can stay a bit too grouped and their bodies wig out
-Enemy body hit reactions feel gelatinous pretty often
-You can't grab enemies (For me this is a Pro since I don't like when it's too easy to just toss enemies around)
-Weapon impacts are a bit weak, and don't sound the greatest
-Graphics could use a bit more shine. More detailed models, better textures, more reflective surfaces, etc

Swordsman won't be for everyone, but I can't stress just how much fun it is once you learn the mechanics and the rules of the game world. I look forward to improvements that are sure to be made in the future, but in the meantime there is a ton I've still yet to do in the game.

I'd say if you're on the fence about purchasing, it's at the very least worth giving a try. You can always refund if you don't like it, and the current price is so good that even if you don't like it in it's current state. There's a really good chance you may like it in the future when it's a bit more refined. I would easily recommend this game to any of my friends looking for something a bit different in the VR melee combat genre.

VRC team are actually stepping it up and implementing features that should've been in the game years ago. So I give them kudos for that.

I wish it didn't require the entire PCVR userbase slamming the review section to get these changes, but it is what it is.

VRChat is big now. It's no longer some little niche thing and that means pleasing investors comes before pleasing the users and creators. We still have a voice, but from here on out we have to speak up much louder. Otherwise our feedback will sit and stew in the Canny going unaddressed for ages.

As for EAC? I don't like it one bit. Load times are worse. Performance feels slightly worse. Overall it's like a band-aid rather than an actual long term solution to malicious users.

Moving in the right direction, but tripping every other step.

I really wanted to love this game. I wanted the updates and patches to make it better. I wanted to justify the 170+ GB of SSD space it was eating up, but I just couldn't.

Performance for me was pretty abysmal even after upgrading my i7 4790k to an i7 10700. Solved some of the problems, but my GTX 1080 could not keep up even when lowering resolution. I know using my Quest 2 via the official Link cable has been pointed out as the cause of the piss poor performance, but it really shouldn't be given the Quest 2 + Link cable was literally advertised in trailers leading up to the games release. Optimization is just bad, and there really isn't much justification for such awful performance.

The game is passable graphics wise. There are times it looks great, and others when you feel like you're playing a PS3 game ported to VR. I didn't go in expecting Half-Life: Alyx level visuals (A game that runs and looks great for me), but I was at least hoping the up close detail of objects would be consistent throughout. The fact that this game launched with minimum specs that matched the recommended is an atrocity. I'm not sure who over at Respawn and or Oculus thought it would be okay to launch a PC VR game with practically no graphics options to speak of. The resolution scaling was a spit in the face as anything below high or default resulted in a blurring mess. I've tried on beer goggles clearer than what I saw at the low setting to be honest. It looks like 2017 VR when at it's best and 2010 console at it's worst.

Gunplay and enemy deaths are great, but that's where the fun begins and ends. Gameplay is about what you'd expect from a VR shooter. The level design feels half assed, and I had very few moments where I was blown away by a mechanic or something the game wanted me to do. These are the people who brought us the masterpiece that was TITANFALL 2 FOR CHRIST SAKE! What even happened here Respawn? What is this? Four years of not paying attention to what anyone else was doing in the VR scene to make shooting feel good and enemy ragdolls look decent. Object interactions are terrible. Your hands phase through walls. Most of the time when you go to grab something you'll grab what's next to it (no actual physical contact mind you, it just sort of appears in your hand).

Cutscenes are entirely unimpressive and facial animations are strange looking to say the least. The story has some emotional beats writing wise, but you'll be distracted by the poor visuals, being stuck in place unable to move, and PS1 tier transitions for loading screens. This almost feels like something I'd go to an arcade to play if I'm being brutally honest.

In the end, it's not even a wait for sale for me. It's a wait for price cut and complete enhancement and improvement of the game as a whole. Which I highly doubt is going to happen. Pick up a couple indie VR titles with Positive reviews and support developers who are actually trying to push VR forwards. I guarantee you'll have a smoother more enjoyable experience elsewhere, and for substantially cheaper.

After 8 hours with the game I would not call it Above and Beyond. A more fitting title is Below and Behind. Facebook wasted a lot of money on this title. Which is the saddest part. Independent developers living off literal crumbs are doing better work than "AAA" studios right now. The pandemic was most assuredly a roadblock, but this was in development for years. The launch feels more like an Early Access. An Alpha build.

I don't want Respawn to give up on making VR titles, but next time. Expecting quite a bit better than what's been delivered here for $60.

Went into Phasmophobia like "Meh, this is pretty low budget looking. I'm sure it won't be that scary", and came out saying "I never want to touch this game again".

10/10

The most terrified I've ever been in VR.

Wow. Just... wow.

I finished my first play-through and I'm incredibly impressed and moved by this game. The most beautiful thing I have experienced in VR to date, and it literally brought me to tears at one point. I can't wait to go through it again to get all the achievements and unlocks I missed the first time around. Definitely a world I will be returning to for both the story and the sandbox mode.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I highly suggest at least giving the demo a try. If that small slice intrigues you the way it intrigued me then consider making the purchase!

This is going on my list of must play VR titles for when friends need recommendations. I look forward to seeing more from these developers in the future. Really great stuff here that makes owning a Virtual Reality headset worthwhile.

Pros:
-Smooth Locomotion and turning options
-Awesome physics simulations
-Gorgeous yet simplistic visuals
-Incredible soundtrack and audio design
-Immersion that was off the charts for me
-Post story content/incentive to replay chapters
-Loveable Paper Beasts

Cons:
-I didn't want the story to end so soon

I absolutely love this game! It's a Masterpiece.

If you're a die hard fan of the Half-Life series and played Alyx then this is definitely worth picking up! It's a bonding experience of sorts and makes you feel a bit closer to a company that's usually seen as somewhat mysterious. Valve really does have a passionate group of artists who operate much differently than any other AAA development studio. This was incredibly insightful, easy to digest, and so well paced that I didn't realize I'd been reading for 3 hours straight. There's more than just text as well. A lot of really awesome concept art, videos, and interactive elements. I loved it!

A really well written storybook from someone who truly has a passion for Half-Life. Great work on this Geoff! Also thank to the team that helped assemble the experience. This was well worth the price of entry for me. :)