Recent reviews by Jigen

Cosmic Trip will take you by surprise. I can't say I have ever played a game quite like Cosmic Trip.

Cosmic Trip isn't a shooter but a real time strategy where the commander / hero has a physical presence upon the field of play. You command a squadron of drone buddies that you may fight along side, not from afar. You can die, and when you die you lose.

So just like many RTS you're building bases, managing resources, and micromanaging your troops and throwing in your personal firepower when needed. The game has a very different feel than any other RTS, not just because you are on the field of battle but also because all base building and combat takes place around a sequence of nodes (in part due to the nature of VR).

I really appreciate the sound and visuals in Cosmic Trip. Seeing the strange life forms floating around in these alien worlds is far more satisfying than I'd have imagined. The sound effects are also very informative and enjoyable, reminding me more of classic games where all the sounds needed to be clearly distinct.

Cosmic Trip is one of the most _different_ things I've played in VR. I highly recommend it if you're looking for just that.

Note: I also have played many additional hours of the beta on the Oculus store.

By the modern definition of the term, Battlezone is a roguelike. You have to manage your earned resources to upgrade your tank, or sell/buy new parts for it as you make your way to a face-off with the AI in a final battle. The action is fun, the weapons are quite satisfying, and it's exciting to build up your tank for that final conflict. The tank-action genre is rare enough as is, so having all this in a premium VR experience is extremely rare.

This game is a substantial experience you could easily enjoy for dozens of hours. There's a large variety of weapons (permanent and run-based), (permanent unlockable) tanks, enemies, levels, and objectives to keep the experience fresh and engaging. When it comes to VR games, this game is in the top 1% for sheer content, easily.

Graphics look very cool, like the way people envisioned VR in the 90's specifically (see FMV cutscenes for a game called Assault Rigs, they are basically showing this game that has finally been made real). Seems pretty well optimized too. The sound really fits the Tron-ish visual style and the music adds to the action.

The most realistic simulation of firearms in video games today, period.

GRIP is one of the best feeling modern arcade-style racing games. Obviously arcade racers are rare these days, but GRIP is the best of the indie arcade racing lot.

The tracks are open enough to incentivize a little exploration to find shortcuts yet not so open to allow you to get lost while racing and rely on the minimap. The weapons pack an immediate race-changing punch, unlike those in Formula Fusion or Redout which just sap away at your strength leading to a complete loss.

The AI is fun to play against. I didn't notice any rubber banding, but the AI is able to hang in there and use weapons in a way that feels very natural.

The visuals, and perhaps even moreso the visual style, are excellent. I think these are some of the best looking vehicles and tracks in a modern arcade racer. This game has style for days.

If you want the _first_ genuine, modern version of Descent 1 / 2, this is the game for you. The action is fast paced and fun. The levels are excellent & interesting thus far in EA. The visuals, sounds, and music are spot on. The game looks, feels, and plays just like the sequel I'd hoped for for decades.

(Already put many hours into the free demo version.)

This isn't your traditional cooking game. Dead Hungry is fast paced and completely frantic. Rush to create the craziest & hugest foodstuffs you can to feed starving zombies (humans???). It is very engrossing, nice use of motion controls, and very fun. The game is probably the best looking cooking game too, those pizzas look completely real! Some nice quirky Japanese humor in the game to top it all off.

Space Pirate Trainer is a modern classic. The game has a good soundtrack and nice, fitting, stylish visuals. The gameplay is fast and tight, evoking other skill-based shooters such as Robotron 2084 & Geometry Wars Reloaded. There are a lot of tactics possible with the various weapons, but my favorite is to shield up in one hand and half-blind fire in a defensive pose when the action's hot. If you ever wanted to be a Jackal (Halo), this game's for you!

I played this game exclusively in VR. If you have a VR setup, this game is totally worth it. Yes, it's short! Oddly enough my played time currently says 0.4 hours, and I have finished the game, but I don't think 0.4 hours is accurate at all.

What I do know is there are missions you can finish on the easiest skill level in about a minute. Warp in, take out target, warp out. It's extremely fast. On a SSD there aren't even noticeable load times (I'm assuming warping in and out of systems is the load time).

The game plays like a new Wing Commander (like the classic), but there's no fluff chatting with your squaddies, no long mission briefing (look to your right in VR), and no long escort missions.

The game is very visually appealing in VR and utterly immersive. It's a fast paced actiony ride with some quality space combat mechanics.

This review for standing room VR players only:

Despite what is claimed, this game under NO circumstances will work with standing room. This game requires a pretty large room scale setup (at least 8 feet / ~2 meters wide play area). There is no teleport option during gameplay, only on the menu can you adjust the initial positioning of things. So, if you don't have enough space, it is impossible to complete tasks. You won't even make it through the tutorial.

Sad, because I think the game looks very good otherwise.

Brigador is a fantastic throwback to the three quarters view action games. If you ever enjoyed the 3/4 Mechwarrior or Desert Strike games, you owe it to yourself to play this fast paced, nerve wracking, amazing looking game. As an added bonus, this game has the most well realized cyberpunk presentation and music I've ever seen and heard.