June is one of the biggest months of the year for gamers, with the annual E3 conference taking place. Major studios and developers congregate to announce and show off their latest games across all platforms. Although VR announcements weren’t seen in huge numbers on the main stages, there was certainly a lot to be excited about from the conference floor. From a hardware perspective, HTC finally demonstrated their much anticipated wireless adapter, due for release later this year. There were also many VR games that were on show. We’ve rounded up some of the most notable ones that you should keep an eye out for.
Stormland
Perhaps the most impressive-looking game that we saw was Stormland. Developers Insomniac, responsible for a range of top titles, are working directly with Oculus Studios on this Oculus Rift exclusive. The trailer looks absolutely gorgeous, showing a robot-inhabited world that is thrown into disarray. Playing as an android, players will have to reassemble their broken body and reclaim their homeworld. The most exciting part is that this is an open-world and story-driven game that you’ll be able to play with friends.
The Stormland trailer looked stunning, and demonstrated some intriguing looking mechanics focused around movement and combat. We’re hopeful that this will change the landscape and raise the bar for VR gaming, although sadly it won’t see a release until 2019.
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
The Wolfenstein series has a long history of excellent titles. Recent reboots have seen the title surge in popularity once again, and developers Bethesda are keen to capitalise on that. At E3 they announced a few different Wolfenstein games. Amongst them was the VR title Cyberpilot. Another 2019 release, this game will see players take control of a resistance fighter and hacker who can hijack Nazi tech. Think huge mechs and lots of destruction. There’s no word yet on which headsets will run the title.
Bethesda also announced a VR mode for their popular title Prey, as well as Elder Scrolls Blades. It’s great to see such a huge studio put an emphasis on virtual reality games.
Transference
Ubisoft partnered up with The Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood and his studio SpectreVision for their story-based VR experience, Transference. The story follows that of a scientist who has uploaded a digital version of his family into a simulation. Unfortunately, that simulation and family become corrupted, trapping the player in a virtual world. The trailer for Transference looked positively chilling, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it. It will launch on PC and console, as well as PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive.
Déraciné
From the makers of the Dark Souls series, From Software, comes Déraciné. A PlayStation VR exclusive, the title will see players take control of an invisible fairy that must prove its existence to the children of a boarding school. The trailer was vaguely haunting and sorrowful, yet had the trademark beauty and voice acting that From Software is known for. Hands-on reports have stated that the game seems deep and thoughtful but is far from the action-packed nature we’ve come to expect from titles such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
E3 VR Games Final Thoughts
It’s a shame that VR wasn’t given as much stage presence this year as it’s had in previous events. Hopefully, this isn’t a trend that will continue. Despite a relatively subdued conference for virtual reality, there were still some exciting titles announced. With many of them launching in 2019, it’s good to know that developers are still paying attention to the burgeoning technology.
