The PlayStation VR2 brings high-fidelity VR gaming to the PlayStation 5 (PS5).

In the PS5, we finally have a console powerful enough to deliver AAA VR games and experiences without the technical limitations that faced the original PlayStation VR headset. There are still compromises, but you’ll still find similar compromises in premium PC VR headsets that are more than twice that of the PlayStation VR2.

Whilst there have been complaints about a dearth of games, especially first-party titles, the PSVR 2 launch library is still pretty healthy in my opinion. I’ve spent the last few weeks getting to grips with some of the games currently available for Sony’s new VR headset.

Gran Turismo™ 7_20230223014021

Grand Turismo 7 has just got a free PSVR 2 update. Of all the PSVR 2 games I’ve sampled, Gran Turismo 7 is one of the real standouts. It’s an already great game that looks that much better in VR. I drove the Japanese Mazda Axela, a Mazda 3 in Australia, almost the same as the one I have in the garage, and it really felt like I was driving my car around Bathurst. I did find that the distant cars were a bit blurry, but that is to be expected as you are, in fact, looking at flat panels with far objects made up of fewer pixels.

VR takes a competent racing simulator and makes you feel like you are driving a real car, looking into turns. You get an added bit of precision to your driving, as afforded by depth perception granted by the immersive 3D view. With the addition of a racing wheel (which doesn’t have to be mounted in front of the PS5), the experience is absolutely wild.

GT7 is an amazing game in both 2D and VR, and worth the price of admission into the PSVR 2 club if you are a keen racer.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is Sony’s tentpole PSVR 2 launch title. Guerrilla has done a great job of expanding their post-apocalyptic Horizon franchise into VR. Having played and enjoyed both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West it was pretty amazing to step into the game world and be completely immersed in it.

The game cast the player as Ryas, a captured warrior from the Shadow Carja, the antagonists in the Horizon games. As penance, he is sent on a potentially dangerous mission to investigate a potential threat to the Oseram people.

It was great to finally “meet” Aloy, the player’s character from the two other Horizon games, in the flesh, as it were. I was pretty impressed by the character models, which were not only very well modelled, but also seemed of a better proportional and realistic size compared to many other VR games.

The gameplay is all about exploration, solving puzzles, combat, and climbing. Lots of climbing.

But to say that Horizon Call of the Mountain is a climbing game is the same as saying that the Uncharted games are climbing games or even Aloy’s adventure in the regular Horizon games. But as you are physically doing the work, it is more apparent.

Being able to interact with everything that’s not nailed down, throwing stuff, and checking things out, all with realistic physics is amazing. When climbing, I touched some little blades of grass, peeking out of the rock face, and it moved as my virtual hand brushed against it.

That’s some incredible attention to detail. Seeing the huge metal beasts of the Horizon games in VR is at once exhilarating and terrifying.

The bow and arrow mechanics work well. Using a bow and arrow in VR has been something I’ve enjoyed since the very dawn of PC VR. You also unlock a host of other equipment that’ll be familiar to fans of the series. My favourite is the grapple, especially if you have to jump over a chasm being swinging to safety. A breathtaking experience.

The game is a great showcase of the PSVR 2’s technical ability, even if it does seem to push the PS5 to its limits. There was a bit of reprojection going on and blur in some areas, especially if I moved quickly.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is rare in that it is a true dedicated VR triple-A game.

Tetris Effect: Reconnected on PSVR 2 takes the classic puzzle game that was already reimagined for the 2D version and thrusts it into an immersive, encompassing 3D space. It’s a far cry from the monochrome version I first played on the Gameboy.

The classic gameplay remains but with each level introducing variations to keep things interesting. Levels are half-filled with blocks and with blocks falling at varying speeds. There’s even an online multiplayer option.

The surreal backgrounds that looked so awesome in the original Tetris Effect envelop players with images and lights swirling all around them. The pulse-pumping soundtrack thumps in time with the visuals with the sense controllers vibrating in time. Tetris Effect: Reconnected is as much a VR experience as it is a game. This is the most immersive Tetris I’ve ever played.

It is still Tetris, so if you are that one person in the world that has never been hypnotised by tumbling shapes made from four squares, you may wonder what the fuss is all about. But there is a purity to Tetris that transcends all other game design. Deceptively simple, incredibly stressful the next, and yet at the same time absolutely enthralling.

Tetris Effect Reconnected may sound pedestrian compared to many of the other PSVR 2 titles out there but it shouldn’t be overlooked. The game’s inherent purity and hypnotic audio-visual design make it a zen-like VR experience.

Dyschronia: Chronos Alternative is a very Japanese anime-inspired RPG mystery game. Players step into the boots of Special Supervisor Hal in the domed city of Astrum Close a place with a nigh-on zero crime rate. That’s until Professor Albert Rumford dies in suspicious circumstances. As Hal, players are charged with solving the case via investigation-stye puzzles.

This is a game for fans of the genre. Players used to more traditional action games may not gel with the sometimes-convoluted conversations.

It’s probably worth playing just for the bat-shit crazy anime-style intro sequence that looks amazing in VR. I found the actual gameplay a bit on the slow side. It’s an odd, but nice-looking game, but perhaps too strange for me.

Jurassic World Aftermath Collection is a VR game based on the movie franchise, ported over from Oculus Quest 2 for the PlayStation VR2. Originally in two parts, the PSVR 2 version combines them together into one adventure.

The game starts with the player crashing on Isla Nublar after the events of the Jurassic Park movie. Hunted by dinosaurs, players must use stealth and distractions as they make their way through an abandoned reassert facility. There are plenty of puzzles and doors that need opening.

The cell-shaded design style is interesting if a bit old-school. But it does make for a clean and uncluttered VR experience even if it takes away from the terror of being confronted with a dinosaur. The cartoon look also makes the game a little more palatable for young or less squeamish players.

Even though the game is a couple of years old, the design style makes it still feel fresh. It is also available for the Nintendo Switch, but you can see that it has obviously been made with VR in mind. Players are teased and subjected to jump scares that would lose all effect in 2D.

Jurassic World Aftermath Collection is a fun way for a virtual reality dip into the Jurassic Park franchise and is worth a look.

Demeo mixes up a table-top role-playing and real-time strategy with a sprinkling of Dungeons and Dragons, throwing in card-based abilities for good measure.

The game is not a PSVR 2 exclusive. The VR role-playing game has been available for various PC VR headsets as well as for flat monitor play for a while. It’s a gameplay idea that’s really suited to VR and the PSVR 2 does a great job with it.

The premise will be familiar to anyone that’s played a game of Dungeons and Dragons or its ilk. Up to four adventurers, either controlled by the player or others, in online multiplayer, must make their way through a dungeon, defeating monsters and collecting treasure. Each dungeon has a locked exit door and the party needs to find the key.

As all the action takes place right in front of you, I didn’t get distracted by the PSVR 2’s grainy OLED mura pattern. Demeo looks crisp and clear, and I should think so too, as VR and AR is the developer, Resolution Games’ bread and butter.

Players can choose to populate (or control in MP) their party from several different characters, each representing a different class. I chose a bard, an assassin, a sorcerer, and a barbarian for my first party. There’s also a guardian, a hunter, and a warlock. They are all pretty standard fantasy RGP archetypes.

The chapters are presented in the style of vintage Dungeons and Dragons campaign books. A wonderful touch that shows attention to detail.

This is an incredible game that would likely be fun even in 2D. In VR, it’s your own tabletop fantasy RPG adventure. I can absolutely recommend this game.

The above is just a sampling of some of the titles available for the PlayStation VR2 headset. Come back soon, for Part 2, as I take a look at some more virtual reality games for Sony’s PlayStation 5 VR headset.

The post PlayStation VR2: Games Round-up Pt. 01 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – If you’re stuck at home in iso and wondering what to play to help pass the time, PriceSpy has released its latest monthly gaming insights to reveal what the most-popular games were in New Zealand last month.

Based on historical clicks received across all games listed on the fully impartial price and product comparison site throughout the month of March 2022, PriceSpy can reveal the most-clicked on games comprised of a number of new releases.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “Our insights suggest Kiwis were very much backing the latest releases from Sony PlayStation last month, with three out of the five most-popular games coming from them.”

Claiming the overall top spot on PriceSpy monthly gaming rankings was Elden Ring, which launched in February 2022. Gran Turismo 7, which launched on 4 March 2022 secured the second spot and, Horizon Forbidden West, which launched in February this year took third position.

Liisa continues: “Despite Sony PlayStation securing the top three spots last month, the games that placed in fourth and fifth position came from Nintendo – and were both older releases.

“Even though both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Nintendo Ring Fit Adventures launched some time ago, these games continue to remain firm favourites amongst gamers.

“Some of the reinvigorated interest we are seeing for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in particular may be a direct output of Nintendo recently releasing new downloadable content for the game – keeping gamers on their toes with a range of new and exciting tracks to play.”

*Source: PriceSpy (prices correct as of 4 April 2022)

Liisa concludes: “For anyone looking to buy one of the most-clicked on games for March – or any game for that matter, we always encourage people to shop around before they buy as carrying out important price research can help save shoppers a considerable amount of money.

“When we conducted our own pricing research across the most-popular games in March, for example, we found a saving of 37 per cent could be made by simply shopping around and comparing prices.”

“Using a price comparison site or app, like PriceSpy is quick, free and easy to do.  Gamers can even set up a price alert for the games they are looking to buy so that they are automatically sent a push notification to tell them when the price drops.

“This means more time can be spent playing games instead of shopping around for hours on end to find the best deals and offers – #winning!”

Talking of #winning, PriceSpy has teamed up with us here at STG again to offer one PlayStation gamer the chance to win the two most-popular games from March 2022.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway by answering this question:

What was the first PlayStation game that you played?

There is no wrong or right answer and you can be as descriptive as you like and can go as far back as the original PlayStation (1995) console, if that was your first Sony console.

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a physical copy of Elden Ring on PlayStation 5 and Gran Turismo 7 on PlayStation 5. Elden Ring has an age rating of R13+, Gran Turismo 7 is G rated .For age restricted games you may be required to provide proof of age. Competition ends on the 24th of April 2022. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

The post PlayStation Tops PriceSpy’s Chart appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The latest iteration in Polyphony Digital’s seminal road racing simulator is upon us. Anticipation for Gran Turismo 7 has been huge.

Has the weight been worth it? We find out.

Back in 1997, the release of the first Gran Turismo was a revelation. Almost photo-real visuals (for the original PlayStation era) and realistic driving physics that did away with arcade racing was a shock in more than one way.

Breathtaking visuals and familiar road cars as well as supercars racing on exciting circuits both real and imaginary was one thing. But having to unlearn the arcade racing mechanics of the likes of Ridge Racer and its sequels was tough. The game’s insistence on making me and my mates pass driving tests to proceed resulted in more than one PlayStation controller hitting the wall.

Twenty-five years later and Gran Turismo is now the racing franchise to which all serious racing games are compared. The franchise dominates esports racing in hosting the first-ever FIA-certified video game racing championship tournament back in 2018.

Gran Turismo 7 starts with an introduction that sums up the design aspirations of the game. The montage of video and images shows the history of racing, as well as other notable historic moments over the last 100 years, right up to the modern-day where it switches to GT7 race footage.

As with previous GT games, Gran Turismo 7 is a celebration of cars and racing.

The title screen offers players two game options, World map and Music Rally, with Music Rally available as soon as the game has partially installed. There are also links to the online manual and the tuning guide, Beyond the Apex.

It’s Music Rally that will likely be most players’ first introduction to Gran Turismo 7 and a reminder that this is a Japanese game with all the eccentricities that go with it.

Music Rally is a checkpoint race that has the player trying to reach the maximum mileage, whilst a counter depletes in time with the beats of the selected soundtrack. There are a few tracks to choose from, but my favourite is Hooked on Classics by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, there’s nothing better than racing at breakneck speed to the William Tell Overture.

World Map is the actual Gran Turismo 7 game itself.

Here you can start your racing and car collecting career. The game does a good job of explaining itself, almost too good a job if you are already familiar with GT. The menu system and UI can appear overwhelming at first, but it slowly unlocks the various destinations on the map giving players a structured introduction to the game.

One of your first stops is the Café, which serves as a sort of quest giver, to use RPG parlance. The owner of the Café supplies players with menus listing missions, such as cars that need to be won via races, in order to proceed.

Finishing the races, or performing the task, as per the conditions of the menu wins the car. Completing the menus unlocks more circuits, races, and game features. Players are then treated to some optional information about the cars that have been obtained.

The circuits are a mixture of real-life and fictional.

Long-time fans will recognise Trial Mountain and High Speed Ring amongst the likes of Suzuka, Daytona, and Goodwood.

In total there are over 90 track variations in the game. Add in variable weather, including water ponding, and different times of the day and you have a seemingly endless combination of races.

As well as the main race events, players can select an arcade race, circuit experience, time trial, drift trial, or custom race for each of the unlocked circuits. These are designed to allow players to get to grips with the different circuit configurations.

Arcade races allow players to select the track variant, time of day / weather, and opponent’s difficulty. The circuit experience breaks the circuit down into sectors with players having to negotiate them within a time limit and without leaving the track.

Drift trials have players sliding around corners using the handbrake, again, without leaving the track. The time trials pit players against themselves trying to get the best lap time. Finally, custom races allow players to customise every aspect of the race including time of day, and opponents.

As players progress, new activities become available to players via new locations on the world map. As well as the racing, there are car showrooms for new, used, and legendary cars, the tuning shop, and the GT Auto accessories shop.

The cars are the stars within the game featuring everything from the humble Mazda Demio all the way up to crazy supercars and concept vehicles. There are over 400 cars, all meticulously modelled with authentic-looking interiors.

The race difficulties can be adjusted, but you can usually tune your way out of a loss. Adding better brakes, tyres and a more refined engine will usually help you along.

You can always grind for money by retrying previous races or some of the other events on offer to get extra cash for components.

According to the developer, there are 60 performance parts for each car. Adjusting ride height, dampers, toe-angle, negative camber, and tyres. You can turn your car into a finely tuned devil of the raceway or a dangerous automotive disaster. Thankfully the GT online tuning guide, Beyond the Apex is packed with all you need to know to become a car tuning wizard.

As with previous Gran Turismo games, to advance, players need to pass licence tests.

At the Licence Centre players can attain their National B, National A, International B, International A, and Super Licence. These are primarily designed to teach players proper racing skills such as cornering, passing, and the racing line. Each licence involves completing a series of drills followed by the actual test itself. I’ve never been a fan of this method of gatekeeping, but to be honest, for novices, it does teach good habits.

Vehicle handling in Gran Turismo 7 reflects that of real car handling physics.

This actually makes the game easier to play with something like the Thrustmaster T300RS (my racing wheel of choice) rather than a gamepad, although the PlayStation 5’s DualSense is a good second (more on that later). The game replicates the roll of the chassis when cornering, so both throttle and braking need to be applied with caution.

You can feel the traction increase as you brake on the approaches to corners and the stability increase as you accurate out of them. Taking a corner smoothly and at speed is immensely rewarding once you get the hang of it.

The game requires a lot more discipline and self-control than most over games, even, I’d arguably say the Xbox’s mainline Forza Games.

If you think GT7 is going to let you drift around the circuits with ease, you are mistaken. Put in the time and effort, though, following the advice in the game and yes, you will be drifting around corners and handling a supercar like a champion.

The Missions area offers a decent distraction for the main races and an opportunity to practice cornering and race discipline. The mission allows players to complete overtaking challenges and races.

Each screen has hints, tips, and anecdotes from current Gran Turismo esports racers. These optional little snippets offer additional pointers that may be useful if you are unfamiliar with circuits or features.

Whilst playing through the campaign game, with Luca, the Café owner, unlocking features cars and circuits as you fill his menus, you begin to realise that what you are playing is a cleverly disguised tutorial.

The game is designed to ready players for online competition.

Gran Turismo has always taken its multiplayer very seriously.

With FIA certified Gran Turismo championships held all over the world the game is a gateway to the world of professional esports motor racing, some going on to become real racing car drivers.

The Sport area on the Gran Turismo 7 world map invites players to take part in official races and championships. These races require sportsman-like driving and a well-tuned car that meets the event’s requirements. There is also a lobby-based multiplayer mode.

Players wanting to ease themselves into competitive races against a real-life opponent may prefer the 2-player split-screen, which is nice to see and invites a bit of couch multiplayer.

In keeping with the franchise’s tradition, Gran Turismo 7 is about more than just racing. The polished package invites players to really get to know their cars, to tune them, clean them and enjoy looking at them.

Whilst other racing games have failed to resist injecting some Fast and Furious-style awesome into their experience, Gran Turismo 7 maintains a style of its own.

An almost classical approach to the appreciation of cars and motorsport. The game’s presentation has a refined elegance to it that complements the attention-to-detail that may not be immediately apparent but sets it apart from its competitors and imitators.

Polyphony’s love of cars doesn’t get more apparent than the Scapes area.

The unique car photography mode from Gran Turismo Sport returns looking better than ever. There are hundreds of locations in which to position your car collection, pose them and photograph them. The professional photography tools available allow players to create hyper-realistic photographs. All your efforts, along with saved replays are stored in the Showcase area.

As your garage fills, the cars can be viewed via “Video Scapes”, animated showcases of owned vehicles against iconic backdrops. You can also read up on cars in your collection, all from the Garage area of the world map.

If you fancy a rest from the track, you can spend hours pouring over the videos and articles included in the game. These detail the history and background of the world’s most iconic car marques.

Tied into the general polish of the game are the soundtrack and audio.

The musical accompaniment to your races and replay is top class from classical to rock, with the video cut to the beat of the music. The GT7 soundtrack is very much intended to be part of the experience.

I was wondering how Gran Turismo 7 would stack up against the still very awesome 2017 Gran Turismo Sport, which looks stunning on PlayStation 5. GT Sport had a rocky start due to the lack of a decent single-player campaign, but Polyphony sorted that out making the game not only an incredible FIA certified esports racer but also a bloody good single-player offering. Post-launch updates have given the game over 320 cars and 80-odd tracks.

Gran Turismo Sport still holds up well due to the game’s general quality and the continuous support that it has had post-launch. It is, however, easy to see that Gran Turismo 7 has more fidelity than Gran Turismo Sport running on a PlayStation 5.

The cars and circuits in Gran Turismo 7 have that little bit of extra fidelity over its predecessor.

There seem to have been some subtle tweaks to the lighting, with circuits like Willow Springs looking photo-real in the setting sun. All this is running at a blistering frame rate in 4K HDR.

The big additional features of the PlayStation 5 version of Gran Turismo 7 are the quick loading times, ray-tracing, and haptic feedback via the DualSense controllers.

There’s real resistance in the brake and accelerator triggers. You can also feel every bump in the road. Unfortunately, ray tracing is only enabled during replays and some of the demo animations which is pretty disappointing, really. Ray-tracing was supposed to be the big deal for this generation of consoles, but both the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S seem to have difficulties.

The fast loading times, though, are most definitely a bonus, allowing you to get right into the races ASAP.

To play the game, you need an Internet connection and a PlayStation Plus membership.

Gran Turismo 7 is very much an “always online” game. You can play a bit of the arcade side of the game without an Internet connection, but you are wasting your money. I can’t see anyone finding the Internet connection an issue these days, but the requirement for PlayStation Plus membership may put some potential players off.

The game can be played on PlayStation 4, but it is really designed to take advantage of the new hardware. Gran Turismo Sport players will be pleased to know that mid-February (2022) will see stats and data from the GT Sport servers migrating over to the GT7 servers.

All in all, Gran Turismo 7 is a breathtaking addition to the PlayStation 5 catalogue. The game continues in the unique style that is a hallmark of the series. Gran Turismo 7 is an instant classic that shuns the trends of modern racing games to deliver a pure, polished, if sometimes eccentric, gameplay experience.

Gran Turismo 7 is out now for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

The post Gran Turismo 7 (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Staying at home is something alot of us have now become accustomed too. Play at home.

Todays PlayStation announcements are a mixed bag of titles for us players.

But, incase you missed it, below is the full recap of announcements.

Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 – March 4, 2022

GT7 is both the culmination of the series which answers the expectations of GT fans throughout the years, and at the same time it is a title that marks a beginning of a difficult mission to contain the full breadth of car culture from the past into a single video game.  Even more exciting is the firm release date, coming March 4, 2022!

First look at God of War Ragnarök

The team at Santa Monica Studios has unveiled the first look at the highly anticipated sequel that picks up a few years after the events of God of War (2018).

The freezing winds of Fimbulwinter have come to Midgard, making survival for Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in the Norse wilds even more challenging than before.

While the last game built an enormous amount of trust and understanding between father and son, there is still a great deal of complexity in their interactions – especially after the revelation of Atreus’ Giant heritage and the hidden prophecy only Kratos saw.

Together, Kratos and Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine revealed

 Veteran developer Insomniac Games has created two new exciting titles for PlayStation 5 consoles. Firstly, players will continue the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in their most epic single-player adventure yet with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023.

Today’s game footage trailer is merely just a glimpse at what’s in store in terms of the new abilities our heroes will acquire, suits they will wear (more on that some other time), and the villains that will try to hunt them down. Speaking of villains, make sure to check out the trailer to see who’s coming to Spidey 2!

Another announcement we certainly didn’t expect was the first glimpse of Marvel’s Wolverine.

Marvel’s Wolverine is a standalone game being directed by Brian Horton (creative director) and Cameron Christian (game director), who recently led the creative efforts on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a game we’re extremely proud of at Insomniac. In the vein of our Spider-Man games, our goal here is to not only respect the DNA of what makes the character so popular, but also look for opportunities to make it feel fresh and truly reflect the Insomniac spirit.

PlayStation Showcase: All the announcements

• The City Where Play Has No Limits
• Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 March 4
• First look at God of War Ragnarök
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection coming to PS5 and PC
• Tchia: Creating a game inspired by New Caledonia
• Down the rabbit hole in Deathloop’s story trailer
• Bloodhunt comes to PlayStation 5 in 2021
• Breaking down the story trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• Face the unknown in new Ghostwire: Tokyo trailer
• GTAV and GTA Online now coming to PS5 March 2022
• Rewriting history – Alan Wake Remastered brings the writer’s story to PS4 and PS5
• Welcome to the world of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
• Journey with Frey to Forspoken’s fantastical world next spring
• Breaking down the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands gameplay trailer
• A new look at the stylish action of Project Eve
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is the legendary tale remade on PlayStation 5

The post PlayStation Showcase 2021 Wrap Up appeared first on Shane the Gamer.