TGS 2015: PlayStation VR Turns You Into a Mech Warrior - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 21 September 2015 / 5,046 Views
My biggest disappointment attending TGS last year was that I was unable to demo PlayStation VR (then codenamed Project Morpheus) due to the overwhelming and inexhaustibly long lines. However I now realize that this was a blessing in disguise because at this year’s TGS I got to try out a much more complete (yet still unreleased) version of Sony’s latest peripheral and the results were inspiring. I think with modern VR we have finally reached a level of immersion that effectively takes you out of the time and space of your current surroundings and transports you somewhere completely new.
I was initially simply grateful that the PlayStation VR headset could fit over my large head and unconventional hairstyle. The length is adjustable from both the front and the rear. I required assistance from the booth attendant to get everything in place though, especially the headphones. You have to make adjustments until the screen in front of you is properly in focus, either by manipulating a dial or manually pulling the device into position on your face. The resolution is not as high as it would be for an ordinary HD title on a full-sized screen but the level of detail is convincing and immersive enough that your brain will eventually tune out the tiny black lines streaking down the screen.
The game I played was RIGS: Machine Combat League, which is developed by Guerrilla Cambridge. Once I entered the 3D world of the game the illusion was compelling. I had 360 degrees of vision in a large robotics laboratory with a very high ceiling. Even if I looked behind me there was something rendered. I looked down at my body as much as the hardware would allow and saw that my character wore an armor-like, metal-plated suit. The demo at the booth was setup for 3v3 style online multiplayer, so even if I couldn't see them, I played alongside 5 other human players immersed in the same virtual reality based world.
You'd have to be ice cool not to feel a palpable sense of excitement as you first step into the pilot seat of your personal mech; a process which is as engrossing as it is entertaining. It culminates in your ascent into the arena, which dramatically greets you with a bright, shining light.
The demo showed off the Power Slam game mode, which is like a cross between deathmatch and basketball. Your objective is to collect golden power orbs that send your mech into overdrive. While in overdrive your rig will regenerate health more quickly, move faster, and attack more powerfully. Being in overdrive also allows you to jump through a large hoop in the center of the map which is how you score the points necessary to win the game.
There are both defensive and offensive aspects to the gameplay. For instance, you can tend the goal and try to knock back opponents in midair to prevent them from scoring. On the other hand the fastest way to get into overdrive mode is by blast the opposing team’s members to pieces, resulting in dropped golden orbs that you can then collect.
You control the first person camera and aim by moving your head, which takes a bit of getting used to. The game renders your mech controls in the approximate position you would likely hold your DualShock 4 while playing. The X button is used to jump, while square, triangle, and circle cycle between the attack, repair, and overdrive mode for your mech. The L2 button is used to shoot. The developers have tried to ensure that the controls are as simple as possible, which makes sense because you won’t be able to look at the controller while you're playing and thus have to rely on muscle memory and intuition to react appropriately within a split-second.
Your weapons include rockets, lasers, and plasma cannons. The visuals are very bright and futuristic, with bright primary colors contrasting well against the backdrop of sterile white and gray mechanical structures. The demo was divided into four rounds with a break for half time in-between. Though I was still in awe of the technological immersion I momentarily snapped out of it long enough to focus on the actual competition and help my team win by scoring goals and blasting other bots away with airborne missile strikes.
Whether RIGS would be a special experience if it were a traditional FPS without the sheen of fancy new virtual reality technology surrounding it is a question I cannot answer just yet. As it stands, though, RIGS and PlayStation VR complement each other well, even though both are still months away from release and are still subject to further refinements. Pulling off the device for the first time it took a few seconds to readjust to my surroundings.
My next interaction with PlayStation VR was for another mech-based title but the effect was much less stimulating. Aquarion Evol is based on the anime of the same name. Though I was handed two PlayStation Move controllers to play with, the tech demo offered little in the way of interactivity. What I was able to surmise from the Japanese language cutscenes is that I was a new pilot being placed in my giant robot and taken out for my first mission. The game world was rendered in three dimensions but the characters were all depicted in hand drawn 2D animation. There was much fanfare getting into my mech, including a scene where a female transformed into a new outfit in a manner reminiscent of Sailor Moon. The best part of the demo was the sensation of ascending to the top to reach the cockpit, which speaks volumes really.
Once out on the mission, I was led out into a metropolitan city environment. The game then prompts you to move your head and look upward at an enemy mech in the sky. Once you've locked onto the target you're told to extend your right hand forward (as if punching) while gripping the move controller. With a noticeable delay, my mech’s arm extended forward and chased the enemy who tried to flee before reaching and ultimately destroying the target. The demo ends rather abruptly at that point. Needless to say that my second experience with VR was far less fulfilling than the first, but Aquarion Evol seems as if it is still in the very early stages of development.
Another Tokyo Game Show has come and gone and we still have no concrete release date or price for PlayStation VR. You cannot blame Sony for taking their time with this project, however, as proper execution will be crucial to the success of Virtual Technology and its application in gaming. For now, Sony is saying that it plans to launch PlayStation VR in the first half of 2016.
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I really want to try Rigs. It looks like a lot of fun.
It sure does seem like a fine game
Coming from the creators of Killzone Mercenary I wouldn't expect any different. They well and truly nailed that and it looks like they're doing it again with a completely new IP for when VR begins to become properly viable for the video games community.
*waiting
*waiting
Awesome writeup. VR definitely has my interest but quality software will be a must. Will definitely try out RIGS when I get the chance.
I want to try it out.
IMO, games that take place in cockpits like this and Valkyrie are best suited to the current VR tech since the in-game character is seated and using a physical control setup of some sort as well. So you don't have to deal with the issues of immersion being impeded by the contrast between the player sitting and holding a controller and the character standing, running, and holding a gun/swinging a sword.
I don't find VR gaming interesting at all. However, with dat being said, I'm wasting for "Summer Lession", lelelel!
Do they have any photos of how it looks in game?
