Very recently I’ve found myself in the fortunate position to buy a PlayStation VR. Since it launched I’ve been really curious but I’d never even seen one in the flesh until it turned up week before last. I’d also only ever had a VR experience once for about five minutes with a Google Goggles cardboard visor and someone’s phone a few years ago, so I wasn’t sure how I’d take to it. But I chanced the motion sickness because I was really desperate to play one particular game. Thankfully, the gamble paid off. I have not been disappointed. At all. Quite the reverse. It’s been a revelation.
The game in question is Moss. I’m still in the early stages, but the adventures of little Quill are really some of the most captivating gaming I’ve experienced in many, many years. The attention to detail in the environments and the adorable little creatures within them are really something special. So far, my only gripe with it is that I can’t pick Quill up, put her in my pocket and go for a walk in the forest myself just to look around.
That, and the fact that I accidentally let her fall into a pond at one point and I’ve felt like an evil monster ever since, as watching her drown was utterly heartbreaking. I actively had to stop myself playing it because there was so much to enjoy, I didn’t want to rush through it. I simply don’t want it to end. Surely a sequel is a certainty given its reception?
Thankfully I was able to distract myself with Astro Bot, which is pretty much 100% weapons grade fun. It genuinely feels like the true sequel to Super Mario Galaxy. I’m only in World 2 and I’ve already spent hours gawking at the level designs and laughing at all the little flourishes and details that adorn them all. Anyone who’s played it will know about the level that starts on the beach but then things move on when you get to the robot dolphins… so many ‘Wow!’ moments.
I also tried WipEout, which was glacially cool, but will probably make my eyes bleed if I play it for long enough and although I haven’t quite built up the courage to try it yet, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Resident Evil 7 gets a second play through as well. X-Wing VR Mission will have to be obtained at some point now, no question.
My only real-world gaming friend was about to join the fun. He suffers with terrible motion sickness with certain games, usually anything first person, but he also often gets it if he watches someone else playing anything third person too. Much to our surprise, the only thing he couldn’t handle was WipEout. He was as taken with Moss and Astro Bot as I was and vowed to get himself one ASAP. I’ve seen some of the things that have made him queasy. It doesn’t take much. But PlayStation VR definitely seemed to agree with him. Basically, assuming it doesn’t make you sick, and you’ve got a PlayStation 4, I really can’t recommend it enough.
I’m not sure if you’ve done this one before as a Hot Topic, GC, but how about which games sold you on a system? Was there a specific title you played, or saw, early or later in a system’s lifespan that caught your eye and made you think, ‘That’s it, I need that in my life’. Were you previously loyal to a rival format and someone else’s exclusives turned your head, or were you reluctant to take the plunge into any given generation and then something snagged you and dragged you back into gaming?
yourhomeisatrisk
GC: It’s a long time since we’ve done a killer app Hot Topic so, yes, we’ll give it a go in the future. As for Moss, when we met the developer two years ago they implied they’d made a deal with a major publisher but there’s never been an announcement. We wonder if Sony has maybe signed them up for the PlayStation VR 2, but that’s just a guess.
