During our last VR Game Roundup, there were several interesting games highlighted including an Oculus Quest port of the Blair Witch game, Realms of Eternity, and Ninja Legends arriving on PlayStation VR. This week’s VR Game Roundup is certainly on the slower side, but there might still be some gems to find. Headlining this week is the latest VR basketball title named Hoops Madness, House Flipper comes to additional platforms, and a new competitive shooter called Grapple Tournament comes out.
House Flipper VR
Kicking off this week’s VR Game Roundup is House Flipper VR, which was previously an Oculus Quest exclusive. It has now arrived on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Valve Index. The gameplay is the same as before as players get to renovate houses in virtual reality. It takes full advantage of motion controls as you’ll be using your arms to paint and destroy walls, and create your dream home as you take on different jobs.
Fitness Potential
House Flipper VR provides a low impact arm workout for players as they completely renovate homes that they can then resell. It’s not recommended solely for working out, but if you want an active title to play on the side, or just want your kids to be a bit more active, it certainly gets that job done.
Developer and Publisher: Frozen District
Release Date: November 5, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift (Previously on Oculus Quest)
Price: $17.99 ($19.99)
Link: Oculus Store, Steam
Hoops Madness
Arriving on the Oculus Store this week is a new basketball game called Hoops Madness. This arcade title comes at an affordable price and is pretty fully-featured too. It features online multiplayer, several different game modes, the ability to do trick shots, and even has in-game tutorials if you need help with your shot. This very well could be the best VR basketball game yet.
Fitness Potential
While shooting hoops in virtual reality will never match the workout of playing an actual pick-up game of basketball, it does give your arms a sold workout. If you wind up doing jump shots then you’ll get some additional movement as well. There’s a lot to like here in Hoops Madness and it looks like a solid addition to anyone’s fitness rotation.
Developer and Publisher: VRstudios, Inc.
Release Date: November 5, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Rift
Price: $5.99
Link: Oculus Store
Thief Simulator VR
Thievery has been an age-old dilemma as getting stuff for free is awesome, but getting thrown away in jail for years due to burglary charges isn’t nearly as cool. Thankfully, would-be thieves can now live out their kleptomaniac dreams in Thief Simulator VR. This sandbox title has players breaking into houses, stealing expensive objects, and selling it to get better gear so they can move on even bigger heists.
Fitness Potential
You’ll be using your arms a lot in Thief Simulator VR and will also need to dig around houses, so you’ll get some body movement and squats in as well. It will be more low intensity due to stealth titles not being the fastest-paced experience, but that’s a good change of pace from the bulk of VR titles.
Developer and Publisher: GameBoom VR and PlayWay S.A.
Release Date: November 5, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $13.99 ($19.99)
Link: Steam
Virtual Ricochet
Virtual Ricochet has players using a racket to get rid of drones and attempt to get through challenging stages. There’s an upgrade system, so expect plenty of depth, and the laser tennis title has a cool synthwave soundtrack as well. This arcade shooter takes full advantage of a 360-degree space and stands out as a result.
Fitness Potential
Virtual Ricochet looks to be the best fitness title this week. As noted above, you will be using one of your arms to hold a racket that will be used to destroy drones. Sadly, you’ll only be using one arm so that caps its fitness potential to a degree. However, this is a really solid workout since drones are shooting at you, and you’ll have to move your body to dodge them.
Developer and Publisher: Blind Mystics
Release Date: November 2, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $12.74 ($14.99)
Link: Steam
Grapple Tournament
Rounding out this week’s VR Game Roundup is a very cool looking competitive shooter called Grapple Tournament. Players have 3D movement thanks to a grappling hook, so expect plenty of vertical gameplay and some unique gunfights as you battle from all angles. There are three multiplayer modes currently available: free for all, team deathmatch, and capture point. Bot play is also available if you want to test your skills or just play solo for a bit.
Fitness Potential
Competitive shooters are rarely the best VR workouts, but this could wind up being a pleasant surprise. Grapple Tournament does require quick hand movements and arm actions to move around the environment, so you can expect to work your arms a bit. Early impressions are extremely positive, and multiplayer shooters live or die based on activity, so give it a shot if you find the concept interesting.
Developer and Publisher: Tomorrow Games
Release Date: November 5, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $24.99
Link: Steam
That does it for this week’s VR Game Roundup. Let us know in the comments if you are picking up any of the new games and what your favorite basketball game is for virtual reality!
