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I would love to play Astro Bot. By all accounts it's an amazing game.

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Think I might just wait for v2 on the PS5. None of the games scream must play now!

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21 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Think I might just wait for v2 on the PS5. None of the games scream must play now!

Not even Astro Bot? The thing is rated incredibly high. Looks like a fantastic, colorful platformer. Moss is another game which is well regarded and that I would love to play.

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11 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Not even Astro Bot? The thing is rated incredibly high. Looks like a fantastic, colorful platformer. Moss is another game which is well regarded and that I would love to play.

I'm sure I'll get round to playing Astro Bot eventually but I'm in no rush and it doesn't look the kind of game that I need to buy a VR headset for. Plus I'm sure the next hardware revision will be a lot better, whenever that happens.

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I finally took the plunge and snapped up a PSVR today. I pretty much bought it for Astro Bot and I'm happy to say that I'm not disappointed at all.

The unit itself is surprisingly comfortable and I'm happy with the quality of the image. I know a lot people who have experienced VR on PCs generally dislike the drop in image quality when playing on a PSVR but seeing as this is my first experience with any VR headset, I'm more than happy, especially for the price point. Ignorance is bliss. :p 

The setup was stupidly fast. Given how many wires they are I was expecting it to be a bit of a nightmare to put together but I was up and running in under 10 minutes.

As for the game.....WOW! Absolutely mind blowing. I fell in love with it straight away and I was laughing out loud loads of times purely out of sheer joy of what was happening on screen.

The game is just so full of charm. The way Astro has time to give you a little wave, despite being in danger himself, brings a smile to my face everytime I see it. The other robots that you rescue also have their own little quirks that I find humorous as well.

With this being my first VR experience it did take some getting used to. For example, I kept trying to use the analogue stick to move the camera. At one point I couldn't see around the corner and was thinking "How the hell am I supposed to see where I'm going?" Then it dawned on me...move my head as if peeking around the corner. Genius! :D Same kind of thing happened when Astro was running above me. I was having difficulty balancing him on some beams but then I just stood up and I could instantly see the walkways much easier.

The way the game uses the Dualshock 4 controllers various features is fantastic. The touchpad  is used in a lot of really unique ways but none of them are intrusive to the game and only add to the experience.

I'm only about 7 stages into the game and I'm already blown away by the level design, colourful stages, music and game controls. I can see why so many people have been raving on about it and why that one outlet said something along the lines of this being VRs Mario 64 moment and how this is the next step for platforming games. Again, I'm still early on in the game but I can see exactly why he said this. 

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Glad to hear you’re enjoying PSVR, @Hero-of-Time. :) 

Have you experienced any motion sickness or headaches at all? I seem to recall you didn’t get on with S3D on the 3DS, so wondering if there are any similar issues with PSVR.

My only experience of VR is with one of those makeshift smartphone setups, so I’m still interested in checking out proper VR (potentially PSVR) at some point.

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Sounds awesome. Looking forward getting that! PSVR has had such a strong year, tbh I thought it would be gathering dust at this point (like my switch is..) but Beat Sabre, Tetris effect, Moss, Wipeout VR all look like must plays to me. Some of the PSVR package deals are mental atm, hope it has helps the sales pick up some speed.

 

@RedShellI've never had any motion sickness using it myself (though weirdly I get carsick easily). Friends who have tried it have had less luck though!

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2 hours ago, RedShell said:

Glad to hear you’re enjoying PSVR, @Hero-of-Time. :) 

Have you experienced any motion sickness or headaches at all? I seem to recall you didn’t get on with S3D on the 3DS, so wondering if there are any similar issues with PSVR.

My only experience of VR is with one of those makeshift smartphone setups, so I’m still interested in checking out proper VR (potentially PSVR) at some point.

Surprisingly I've been fine. Astro Bot is a pretty laid back experience so I can't imagine many feeling sick off of it.

1 hour ago, dan-likes-trees said:

Sounds awesome. 

It really is! I've just come off of a 2 hours session on it and it's been an absolute joy to play. I've been underwater, climbing scaffolding, using a water gun to take on a boss and been on a fast paced roller coaster type stage. It's been great!

The collectibles really appeal to me in this game. There are 8 hidden robots to find, as well as a hidden chameleon on each stage. The robots are standard collectibles in that you find them and pick them up/boot them but the chameleons are always at a distance. This means you have to look in every nook and cranny to spot them and once you find one you stare at it for a couple of seconds to fully reveal it and unlock it. I keep forgetting that I can look up and behind me. :D 

I've fully completed 3 of the 5 worlds that the game has to offer. Collecting the chameleons unlocks some challenge stages to play as well. There is also a crane mini game to play that unlocks models of stages and bosses. It's weirdly addictive and very satisfying. 

 

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I got the Dirt Rally VR add on and it's bloody brilliant. I normally don't like rally games in first person, but this works perfectly, even without a wheel. I think the slower, simulation nature of Dirt Rally is what makes it work.

It did make me feel a bit motion sick after a while, but I think that's just racing games in general. I can't imagine all the drifting helps though.

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I finished Astro Bot this afternoon. Absolutely amazing.

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Hands down one of most amazing and memorable video game experiences I have ever had. The people over at Asobi! Team have done a fantastic job in crafting this game and deserve all the praise reviewers and gamers have been giving them. Also, props go to Sony for green lighting the game and then pushing it. It really is a killer app that has helped sell VR to console gamers. The amount of PSVR topics cropping up on Era and Reddit over the Christmas period thanks to this game has been nuts to watch.

During my adventure I found that all the stages brought something new to the table, with some really blowing my mind. There was one that was set in a theme park area that had my jaw hitting the floor. 

I love the levels that have you exploring caves, especially the music. I kinda think it would fit in a Sonic game.

After beating the story I fired up challenge mode which is very fun. The stages range from speed running levels, getting high scores in mini games or beating bosses without taking a hit. I've still got about 10 left to do but I had to take a break due to my controller running out of charge. :( 

I downloaded the PSVR Playroom to have a go of once I've finished with this. It automatically popped up on my PS4 dashboard once I had plugged in my VR set. It was a nice surprise. I'll be looking to pick up Moss once I've finished with that.

Edited by Hero-of-Time
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I'm loving the Oculus Rift, but Astro Bot is one of the exclusives I wish we got as well. It looks incredible! 

For anyone who owns the Rift or Vive, Anton Hand has been pushing a lot of updates on Hot Dogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, and even made a christmas calendar. REALLY fun stuff, and he's amazing for pulling off all that by himself.

Sorry for rambeling and any typos. I'm quite drink..

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I finished all the challenge stages on Astro Bot this morning and earned my first VR platinum trophy. :D 

Some of the stages were really tricky, especially the timed ones. I hate time trials in games but these ones weren't too frustrating. The challenges are only a minute or so long so if you do cock up its quick enough to start again.

I'll say again, fantastic game. Bring on the sequel! :bowdown:

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Can anyone recommend any great PC VR games/videos/experiences from the past year that I might've missed? Only thing I picked up for a while has been Beat Saber. The Rift store is truly trash since you can't see ratings without clicking, can't sort by ratings...

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The first DLC pack for Beat Saber was released today. It's nothing but EDM, which I think we can all agree was the one thing the game needed more of.

Edited by Magnus

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I don't think I could possibly play Beat Saber on console, it needs the homebrew music mods to make it worthwhile.

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I've been watching custom Beat Saber maps on YouTube, and I'm so jealous! I've spent the past three months waiting for the first DLC pack, and it's... more EDM? Aaaah!

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Say what you want about the first State of Play but Sony actually delivered on the VR department in that video.

Iron Man
Everybody's Golf
No Mans Sky
Blood & Truth
Five Nights At Freddy's
Concrete Genie

Not bad for 2019.

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Just now, drahkon said:

Say what you want about the first State of Play but Sony actually delivered on the VR department in that video.

Iron Man
Everybody's Golf
No Mans Sky
Blood & Truth
Five Nights At Freddy's
Concrete Genie

Not bad for 2019.

Previews for most of those games hit yesterday afternoon and they were all pretty positive, especially Concrete Genie, Iron Man and Blood and Truth. It looks like the next wave of PSVR games are set to be great experiences.

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The next wave of PSVR games licks off today with the release of Falcon Age, which is £15.99. Though I don't have a headset myself, I've picked up the game as it's playable out with VR, and functions well though I can see it being a bit of a smoother experience with a headset.

I've played maybe an hour or so this afternoon and I'm enjoying it. It's simple, straight forward fun and having your own falcon is just awesome. It's supposedly a short-ish game, maybe 5 hours or so, so not wanting to blitz through it but looking forward to more adventures with my falcon, which I don't know if we get to give a name in game (ìts mentioned by the characters in the story about earning it) but I've unofficially named mine Saor, the Gaelic word for free.

Also, Jupiter & Mars is up for pre-order in the PS Store for £19.99, with a 10% discount for Plus members. Looking to pick that one up myself as I get some serious Rez vibes and I love that game so it's an instant buy for me. By the time I eventually get a headset, I'll have plenty to play on it thanks to some PS+ games and having the likes of Superhot, Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect.

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I went out this morning to pick up A Plague Tale but I seen Argos had Move controllers in stock! I've been after some for ages so I decided to pass up on buying what intended to and instead purchase the controllers and Ghost Giant, a game I've been eager to play.

Its a bit stingy that the controllers don't come with a USB charging cable. Using the PS4 one isn't ideal, there's only 1 of them and you get 2 controllers.

I've played through the first four stages of Ghost Giant and it's as colorful and adorable as I had hoped for. I'm looking forward to playing some more of it later this evening.

 

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