During our last VR Game Roundup, we saw several releases including a drumming-based rhythm game, a self-defense title, and some budget VR workouts. The number of titles releasing is upped after the holiday, but there aren’t many high-profile releases this week. That’s not to say there aren’t intriguing titles to showcase, though. This week has a VR fitness favorite in X-Booster leaving Early Access, the adrenaline junkie’s delight in Tall Order, and several shooters.
Tall Order
Kicking off this week’s VR Game Roundup is Tall Order. This game is all about getting your adrenaline pumping as you can climb up mountains and swing around skyscrapers as if you were Spider-Man. There’s even asymmetrical mutiplayer as another player can join in using the mouse and keyboard to engage in a shooter battle.
Fitness Potential
Since it is a mix of experiences, Tall Order is intriguing as a value proposition as many games focus solely on climbing, swinging, and shooting. It remains to be seen if this is truly a master of any of these experiences as it could be disappointing due to how ambitious it is. As far as exercise goes, you will regularly be using both arms, but not really in the same way a fitness game would. While better than traditional gaming, don’t expect to work up a huge sweat while playing.
Developer and Publisher: Jonas Molgaard and Sticky Snout Studio
Release Date: December 4, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift
Price: $8.99 ($9.99)
Link: Steam
X-Booster
Exiting early access this week is X-Booster, which has been a favorite of VR Fitness Insider due to it giving players a full-body workout. Blending different gameplay together, it has players punching, cutting, blocking, and dodging objects to the beat of their own music. There’s a lot to like here as there are high score leaderboards and plenty of replayability.
Fitness Potential
X-Booster advertises a full-body workout and it delivers just that. Not only will it test your reaction speed, but your core will get a workout as you dodge lasers. By targeting both your arms and legs, this delivers a great workout that you will definitely feel afterward. You can also use weighted gloves or vests to get even more out of your workout.
For a more in-depth look at what X-Booster has to offer, check out VR Fitness Insider’s full review.
Developer and Publisher: NiVision
Release Date: December 3, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $15.99 ($19.99)
Link: Steam
Reflect-on
Those looking for a competitive taste of virtual reality workout will want to check out Reflect-on. Developed in Japan, this two-player title has players playing three-dimensional pong against each other as they deflect objects and try to score goals. It’s on the basic side, but that makes it a great pick-up and play title that is perfect for multiplayer sessions.
Fitness Potential
Similar to games like Sparc, Reflect-on will target the user’s legs plenty as they play as well as their arms. The rapid pace of the action means players will always be moving, which makes for a thrilling gameplay experience.
Developer and Publisher: Mark-on
Release Date: November 29, 2020
Compatible With: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift
Price: $8.99 ($9.99)
Link: Steam
Urban Basketball VR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyt-Rsk86fU
New to Steam is Urban Basketball VR. This cheap basketball title doesn’t look to be as polished as some other options are. However, there’s a cool environment that players can interact with and it has competitive leaderboard play as well.
Fitness Potential
Basketball is a great workout in real life but less so in virtual reality. This might wind up being an OK arm workout, but you can find better ones. This can probably be passed up and if you want VR basketball, there are better options.
Developer and Publisher: Digital Mosaik
Release Date: December 1, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Rift
Price: $3.99 ($4.99)
Link: Steam
Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds
Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds is a team-based shooter that will have your squad going up against another team. However, the other players aren’t the only threat as there are environmental enemies that will attack both sides. Matches are 10 vs. 10, so expect plenty of action.
Fitness Potential
Traditional shooters aren’t the greatest workouts. While you are moving your arms a bit, there’s not enough movement to really work up a sweat. This game doesn’t support room scale play and can even be played while seated, so don’t expect much of it fitness-wise. However, it has gotten positive reviews so it’s a great game for relaxation.
Developer and Publisher: inXile Entertainment and Thirdverse
Release Date: December 1, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift
Price: $24.99
Link: Steam
Contractors VR
Closing out this week’s VR Game Roundup is another shooter called Contractors VR. Released for Oculus Quest, it has gotten rave reviews from fans comparing it to Call of Duty. It has offline and online cooperative play, plus multiplayer modes, so there’s no shortage of action.
Fitness Potential
Basically, everything written about Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds above applies here, although this does support room scale and should be played standing as a result.
Developer and Publisher: Caveman Game Studio
Release Date: December 3, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest
Price: $19.99
Link: Oculus Store
That will do it for this week’s VR Game Roundup. Let us know in the comments if you are picking up any of the new releases this week!
