Propagation: Paradise Hotel creates not only a fantastic VR title, but also a great horror game in its own right. It takes the old-school Resident Evil formula and adds an extra layer of immersion. Propagation: Paradise Hotel is genuinely scary and engaging, but its short runtime, occasional jankiness and incomplete story are holding it back from being a truly great game.
Meet Your Maker‘s well-realised and unique concept combines two distinctive gameplay styles together. Building bases and raiding others’ creations is a lot of fun, but I do question the longevity of the game thanks to its lacklustre story and progression system. What we have available right now is indeed interesting, with an addictive gameplay loop that is off to a promising start, but it’s a bit lacking in variety.
Ravenbound is a game filled to the brim with unique ideas. It marries the open world and roguelike/lites genres in an interesting way, but doesn’t quite hit the mark, and feels incomplete at almost every step. The open world feels unnecessarily massive, but with very little to do. It’s also filled with annoying bugs. It’s a shame because the concept and combat are surprisingly strong, making this misstep hurt even more.
Once you get over that initial wow factor that Hubris brings in, with one of the most beautiful and detailed worlds in VR to date, it doesn’t offer much else. The combat is shallow, the exploration can be inconsistent, and the story isn’t engaging at all. If all you want is to see what VR is truly capable of on a technical scale, then it might be worth picking up on sale. Or if the updates continue and the game is keeps improving.
When the Resident Evil 2 Remake was released back in 2019, I believed the series had peaked and that it couldn’t get any better. I was completely wrong. The Resident Evil 4 Remake takes everything that worked about the original, taking away the few things that didn’t work, and then bringing in some modern features to create an entirely new masterpiece. Finding a perfect balance between new and old. This is for everyone to enjoy.
If like myself you’ve never played Not For Broadcast, and if you happen to own a VR device, then you are in for a treat. This might possibly be the ideal way to experience this sleeper hit from 2022. Not For Broadcast VR is a darkly humourous FMV game that puts you right in the middle of a propaganda wheel. It’s a textbook example of a VR conversion that makes excellent use of the technology in question to immerse you into its unique story.
For many far of the franchise Fatal Frame Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has been an incredibly long time coming with the first time it’s launched officially outside of Japan. Providing one of the series’ most compelling stories; ambitiously weaving the adventures of four protagonists. Unfortunately, some gameplay issues hold it back from being a true classic. With Fatal Frame finally back in the spotlight there is hope for more.
It might have a compelling concept, but a good premise just isn’t enough to carry an adventure by itself. The game suffers from really lacklustre visuals and a gameplay loop that just left a lot to be desired by the end of its runtime. A bit disappointing, considering how solid its predecessor was.
Wanted: Dead is certainly an interesting game that won’t be for everyone. It’s full of jank, isn’t particularly well designed, and often feels incomplete. However, it is a good time, and I had a blast with it despite its flaws, and it left me wanting more by the time I was done.
EA Motive has done an excellent job recapturing the magic of the original game, whilst expanding and improving on several key areas. Managing to take what was already a superb game and make it even better. Although, a couple of extra tweaks really could have brought it to the next level. The Dead Space remake stands up there with Resident Evil in “how to do a remake”, and it’s one that I highly recommend for fans and newcomers alike.
What a disappointing way to dive in head first into a new series. Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a stain on the history of a franchise that has a pretty solid cult following. While it does feature some decent combat, that alone doesn’t make up for its myriad of issues, such as the lacklustre story, bland world and incredibly poor visuals that look like they are from the PS2 era at the very best. It could have been great if more care had been put into it. As it stands, I just simply cannot recommend it.
The Callisto Protocol has all the right ingredients for what could have been a phenomenal action-horror experience. Sure, it was still a great time, but repetitive combat and enemy designs mixed with a lacklustre story leave for a somewhat underwhelming experience but one that was dripping in atmosphere and phenomenal visuals. It’s not a disappointment per se, but maybe wait for a discount before tackling this one.
BLACKTAIL is one of the biggest surprises of the year. It’s a game that pulled me into its mysterious and beautifully crafted world, filled with plenty of mysteries to discover. BLACKTAIL is a constantly engaging experience with only a few minor drawbacks.
This shift back to the franchise’s original premise makes it a much more compelling game, albeit one that is steeped in a lot of the same issues. Despite being a huge improvement, it’s unfortunate Hello Neighbor 2 can’t find its footing, as it stumbles from one encounter to another without any real cohesion.
Espire 2 is exactly what I want in a VR game. A stealth infiltration game that makes you feel like a badass. It has some fun sandbox-like environments that showcase some of the best VR gameplay I’ve had the pleasure of playing. However, it’s not perfect thanks to a lacklustre story, terrible AI, and muddy visuals. Despite those issues, it’s still very much worth your time.
Signalis pretty much perfects this new wave of retro survival horror. It has a surprisingly engaging world that just pulls you in and never lets go. If you are a fan of the genre this is an absolute must-play. Signalis is easily one of my favourite games of this year.
The Winters’ Expansion feels like a victory lap for this era of Resident Evil. It closes the story with a smaller and more personal end to Winters’ storyline. Going through the same locations as the base game may feel cheap, but just enough has changed to justify it and the inclusion of third-person and expanded mercenaries means that there’s plenty of stuff to do here.
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a game that shows its age in a ton of different ways: from its rough graphics, janky controls, and bizarre structure. However, it’s a game with charm and it provides a gameplay experience that I don’t think I have ever seen before. It combines action game genres into a fast-paced, janky stealth experience. If you can overlook a lot of its flaws, then I would actually recommend checking it out if it goes on sale.
Undetected is not amazing, but it is a surprising game in the best of ways. If you are a fan of the old-school Metal Gear Solid games and are tired of replaying Snake Eater for the millionth time, then it would be worth checking this game out. It’s a well-designed stealth action game, and impressive for what’s probably very low-budgeted, but it’s not perfect and it does lose steam in its second half.
Bonelab lays the foundation for the future of VR gaming. It is an immersive playground experience that highlights some of the best aspects of this burgeoning technology. Unfortunately, it also brings out some of its worst elements, namely nausea and a pitiful amount, and it’s just that, a foundation for more content down the line. I expect Bonelab to have an incredibly fleshed-out future with updates and mod support, but that’s not its present state, and there’s absolutely no guarantee that it will receive said expected amount of support later down the line. It’s an incredibly tough game to recommend in its current state, sadly enough.