During our last VR Game Roundup, there were several interesting games highlighted including the unique virtual reality shooter Blaston, Falcon Age’s PCVR ports, and a VR kart racer called Dash Dash World. This week’s VR Game Roundup doesn’t feature a ton of entirely new titles, but there are some interesting ones hitting new platforms and some potentially overlooked gems. Headlining this week is the addition of three highly-regarded VR rhythm games coming to Oculus Quest, a virtual boxing coach, and the Quest port of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.
Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash!
Kicking off this week’s VR Game Roundup is Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash!, which is now available on Oculus Quest. This dancing game has players striking moves as Ulala and also includes the Hatsune Miku DLC, which allows players to play as the vocaloid and use 10 additional costumes. Sadly, like the original non-VR game it is based upon, Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash! is on the short side and only has about two hours of gameplay, so you might want to wait for a sale.
Fitness Potential
The latest Space Channel 5 game has players matching poses and dancing to the tune of some fun songs, so you are sure to get a decent workout in while playing. Sadly, there just isn’t enough content here to recommend it completely as there are not enough songs for it to be replayable or part of a daily exercise routine. It’s a fun, albeit short, time if you enjoy the series, but there isn’t enough to make new fans.
Developer and Publisher: Grounding Inc.
Release Date: October 12, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest (Previously on PlayStation VR
Price: $24.99
Link: Oculus Store
Rez Infinite
The best Oculus Quest game releasing this week is Rez Infinite, although it doesn’t offer much of a workout. This psychedelic rail shooter has been remastered to take full advantage of virtual reality and the new Area X stage is one of the most euphoric moments in all of gaming. Prepare for sensory overload as this is an audiovisual trip.
Fitness Potential
While it can be used as a relaxing title, there’s no real fitness boost to be had from playing Rez Infinite. Players aim in the shooter by simply looking around, so the only body party getting a workout would be your neck. However, it’s one of the best experiences in virtual reality, and those enjoying rhythm games should check out this beloved improvement of a cult classic.
Developer/Publisher: Monstars Inc. and Resonair / Enhance
Release Date: October 12, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest (Previously available on PlayStation VR, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift)
Price: $19.99
Link: Oculus Store
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Tourist Edition
New to Oculus Quest is a port of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. This zombie game has made the transition to the stand-alone headset rather well as it still looks and plays great. Players get a full The Walking Dead experience as they attempt to survive in the overrun streets of New Orleans. With a crafting system and spatial audio design, this is a full-fledged experience.
Fitness Potential
Simply trying to survive in Saints & Sinners is a workout as you have to use either your head or skills to take on zombies. There are plenty of melee weapons, so combat winds up being quite physical and you will be toning your arms in the process. It has a yur.fit rating of 3.5 calories burned per minute, and players will wind up squatting 13 times per hour played. That means it is equivalent to walking while playing, so while it isn’t the best workout, you are getting fit while playing.
Developer and Publisher: Skydance Interactive
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest (Previously available on PlayStation VR, Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality)
Price: $39.99
Link: Oculus Store
Boxing Coach
There are plenty of great boxing games already available for virtual reality and now we have another one in the form of Boxing Coach. It is built around teaching players the fundamentals of the sweet science as there are 23 different moves to learn and 54 boxing combinations. It’s built to act as a private lesson and players can choose specific fitness goals such as targeting their chest muscles, waist, calf shaping, or upper arm shaping. While it is currently in early access, it is pretty full-featured and will add an achievement system, Steam Workshop support, and custom coach clothing in the future
Fitness Potential
This looks to be the best fitness game of the week. Not only is it fully customizable, so players can choose what type of workout they are getting, but it is meant to be played daily as part of a fitness routine. You can get a high-quality full-body workout here, just like the rest of the best boxing games in virtual reality.
Developer and Publisher: Yiku Studio
Release Date: October 15, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift
Price: $8.99 ($9.99)
Link: Steam
Hatsune Miku VR
Rounding out this week’s VR Game Roundup is the Oculus Quest port of Hatsune Miku VR. This rhythm game has players using wands to hit the oncoming notes that fly at them. The vocaloid’s music isn’t for everything, but it’s a great package for fans and there are several DLC packs to add in even more content.
Fitness Potential
Your arms will constantly be in motion while playing, but it isn’t as intense as something like Beat Saber and is a bit on the easy side. So, while you are staying active, don’t expect to work up much of a sweat.
Developer and Publisher: Crypton Future Media / Degica
Release Date: October 12, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest (Previously available on Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Quest, and PlayStation VR)
Price: $24.99
Link: Oculus Store
That does it for this week’s VR Game Roundup. Let us know if you are picking up any of the new rhythm games arriving on Oculus Quest and what you think about these recent releases in the comment section below!
