Thrill of the Fight is an apt title as the fights in this are quite thrilling. Every time I knocked out my opponent was sooo satisfying and ramping up that challenge only adds to the satisfaction from that victory. This is the kind of real-life simulation experience that VR was made for and is easily the most physical game I have ever played in a headset. Just a few rounds on a difficult opponent feels like a more satisfying workout than anything I have played before and the fact those efforts accompany a fantastic boxing game makes this one of the best titles I have ever enjoyed in VR
From there, you find the main menu. Navigate the main menu by holding either one of your gloved hands over the button for the activity that you want to enter. From this menu, you can reset height without leaving and re-entering the app, which is handy. This is just under the general settings menu.
Except for the extras, all of these take place in a virtual gym. If I could change one thing about this game (other than hand tracking) the gym would be its own location with each practice mode being spatially navigable instead of needing to exit each to access the next through the main menu.
Now, for the thrill of the fight. Practice up on a sort of generic AI opponent as much as you want. From there, move on to a series of more colorful, storied, and challenging opponents. Start on Easy or Medium difficulty with each opponent. Beating an opponent unlocks that same opponent on more advanced difficulty levels, but it also unlocks the next opponent.
The Easy difficulty outright tells you that you have a clear advantage. The Medium difficulty is supposed to be the most realistic fight experience. After that, you might start finding yourself on the back foot more and more as your opponents become increasingly overpowered.
When someone hits the mat, the referee starts counting. Usually, they get back up and the bell rings again. But, the ref might get to ten, and then the match is over. If no one is laid out cold by the time the third round ends, it goes to technicality and unseen judges start counting points.
Now that the Meta Quest 3 is available, we're seeing more VR game support than ever. Most games being released work for both Quest 2 and Quest 3, but we've already seen at least one game make the jump to Quest 3-exclusive.
Aside from this game, many of the best Quest games feature improved graphics for the Quest 3, and most of the games on this list should be expected to offer increased clarity and visual quality. Ready for greatness? These VR games will keep you playing for months to come.
Do you enjoy walking simulators? Are you fond of liminal spaces? Have you ever tried to escape the Backrooms? If your answer to any of these questions is "yes," then The Exit 8 is just the game for you.
The official VR version of the cult-hit Steam game drops players in a never-ending maze inspired by Japanese underground passageways, tasked with the simple goal of finding the exit 8. The problem is that finding the exit isn't easy and you'll need to be extremely observant unless you want to get stuck in an endless loop. Can you spot the anomaly?
When mixed reality games are good, they're really good! The Infinite Inside is a perfect example of an excellent mixed reality game that takes full advantage of the Meta Quest 3's power. Each "level" begins in your living room with a small 6ft tower rising out of your floor. You'll need to assemble the missing pieces and unlock the tower's puzzle, but that's just where things begin.
Once the tower is ready, you'll be transported inside it, magically swapping from mixed reality to fully immersive virtual reality as you become a miniature figure who needs to explore the tower and solve its mysteries. It's a brilliant way to melt both the virtual and real worlds and is quite a change of pace from the studio's previous game, Peaky Blinders VR.
The makers of rhythm-hell Thumper are back at it again with Thrasher, a new hand tracked VR game that looks every bit as much Rez or Panzer Dragoon as it does Thumper. Guide a technicolor space eel through haunting and unsettling landscapes that Thumper fans will immediately recognize, stylistically. You'll swoop, dash, and trash to defeat enemies and bosses alike throughout the game's arcade structure.
Of course, it wouldn't be a game from the Thumper studio without a thumping good soundtrack, now would it? Brian Gibson is back and has created a spatial audio masterpiece paired with what the team calls "a haptics showcase" to give you a sensory experience like no other. It's you versus the universe.
Call it the "Call of Duty of VR" if you want, but Zero Caliber 2 looks like it's got a lot going for it when it releases this Spring. The game features "a full-blown single player/Co-op campaign (taking place after the events of the prequel), PvP, native mod support, zombies, airstrikes, more explosions, and a VR experience you'll never forget!"
If you're a fan of hero shooters like Overwatch, brawler games like Smash Bros, or VR battle royales like Population: One, Brazen Blaze will be right up your alley. Choose from several different hero characters to play in this 3v3 battle royale with a twist, including fully destructible buildings, anime-inspired movement and locomotion, and unique powers and weapons for each character.
As each round progresses, the floating map will begin to disintegrate with the outer ring slowly falling into the abyss to push players closer and closer together. This one's a ton of fun and has had some open beta sessions, so keep a look out on the developer's Twitter account to see the next open beta so you can try it before it launches in July.
The result is a game that promises to do right by the Hitman franchise by giving players full motion controls, the ability to dual-wield for the first time in the series' history, a completely new UI, and even overhauled visuals to take advantage of the Meta Quest 3's power. This one's yet another Quest 3 exclusive coming very soon.
If you've played Assassin's Creed Nexus VR and were hoping for a multiplayer mode, Stabby has your back. Take the role of an assassin and join friends in three different gameplay modes all focused around, you guessed it, stabbing things.
Stab walls to climb, stab enemies to kill, and master the physics-based gameplay and locomotion system with five other friends or frenemies. Each level has a 3-star rating, so you can always work to improve your scores over time. Earn cool gear and weapons along the way and show them off in creative multiplayer lobbies. There's also a single-player challenge mode for times when you just want to stab on your own.
The Mad Max-esque world of The Burst craves creativity, giving players everything from explosive weaponry to vehicles, grappling hooks, and everything in-between in order to give them the freedom to "go wild." Visually, the game looks gorgeous and the armory of weapons and huge variety of locales ensures you won't get bored quickly.
Even the locomotion ensures that you won't be standing around pressing the joystick forward the whole time. Rather, you'll "use your hands and body to experience the full range of parkour movement. Jump, climb, slide, wall run and rail surf your way across the desolate landscape of Damag!"
Who doesn't love a good time-travel adventure story? I know I sure do, and this complete reboot of the PSVR's Wanderer looks to not only address complaints but adds tons of new content and ideas, culminating in an experience that's basically brand-new.
The game prides itself on instant time travel, eschewing loading screens for a far more wow-worthy experience as you jump between characters and places in an effort to rewrite the past in order to reshape the future.
The mythical series is finally coming to VR! Just Dance VR is Ubisoft's latest VR game and looks to perfectly translate the series epic dance moves into a medium that can finally understand your body's movements. This one adds 360-degree environments and a new two-hand scoring method thanks to the movement fidelity of the Quest.
You'll be able to play with up to six people and dance to over 25 songs from all the most popular artists of today. There's even a new social hub called Dancity where you can hang out with up to 18 players. Customizing your avatar now has a new meaning and you can collect all kinds of toys, outfits, badges, emotes, and more to impress your new virtual friends.
Behemoth utilizes Skydance Games' unique physics system and takes it to a new level, opening up pathways to cause environmental destruction and take your enemies down along with it. This one isn't a survival game like The Walking Dead. Rather, it's designed to be an explosive action game with a focused narrative story.
The developers say the human AI has been leveled up this time around, so don't expect to just be slicing dumb zombies. Players will also have a grappling hook which will come in handy for traversal across the landscape and, of course, for climbing up those hulking behemoths that give the game its name.
Astro Hunters VR is an open-world VR action game set in space where you can explore "diverse planets, fight with different enemies, craft, gather resources and upgrade your weapons." In many ways, it can be described as an incredible mashup of Ghosts of Tabor and No Man's Sky.
If you've been dreaming of raising and racing a horse but don't quite have the financial means to achieve that goal, Rival Stars Horse Racing VR Edition might be the game for you. Breed horses and form a bond with them as you take care of their daily needs and help train them to be the best racing horses in the world.
Story mode includes a full cross-country campaign including many different breeds of horses and challenging races to complete. Better yet, jump in the multiplayer mode with your favorite steed and beat actual humans on the track.
Developer Survios calls Alien: Rogue Incursion "the biggest, most ambitious VR game we have developed in our decade-long history." It's a new single-player, action-horror VR game set in the iconic Alien universe, likely a sequel to the excellent Alien: Isolation. This time, of course, set entirely in VR.
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