It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best VR games from 2017. Voted on by our editors, these titles are the most immersive and unique experiences that make virtual reality gaming so special. Let’s start with our top vote-getting runner-ups and finally, of course, our overall winner!
Honorable Mention: Lone Echo
The Best VR Game of 2017
When it comes to video games, virtual reality is relatively uncharted territory. Developers are still properly getting to grips with the technology and, as a result, many of the experiences we’ve received so far have felt more like tech demos than the real deal. Yet when it all comes together in an experience like Lone Echo, VR provides some of the most immersive and realized experiences you can get to date.
Lone Echo makes excellent use of the Oculus Touch controllers, making your interactions with the game’s environment feel natural and, perhaps most importantly, accurate. Ready at Dawn has created such a realistic, immersive world and has complemented it with fantastic writing to bring the game’s characters and their relationships to life. Essentially, Lone Echo is the killer app that Oculus Rift owners have been waiting for. Alas, just like many VR titles that came before it, Lone Echo is short but sweet, and once you’ve played through it once there’s not a whole lot of reason to come back. Still, if you’re looking for something to showcase your Oculus headset, look no further than Lone Echo.
Second Runner-Up: FarPoint
The Best VR Game of 2017
One of the best things about virtual reality gaming is that it introduces many more ways to play and makes for some truly unique experiences. Sony has embraced that idea with the PlayStation VR and has even gone so far as to release a brand new peripheral alongside Farpoint. The Aim Controller made the game’s shooting feel much more realistic due to its shape and the ability to use a real trigger.
The game itself is also impressive. Set in space, you land on a nearby planet and begin to explore. As you walk around the vast canyons, some enemies begin to appear. Coming face to face with these enemies is one of the most exhilarating experiences this year. Giant spider creatures leap at your face or scuttle behind you, and you have to take them out before they kill you. You’ll have to jump frequently (even more if you have a fear of spiders), but the shooting is satisfying enough to make you feel powerful to defend against the spider assault. It is also one of the longest single-player experiences available for Sony’s headset, so it is definitely worth playing (unless spiders freak you out).
First Runner-Up: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
The Best VR Game of 2017
Skyrim has released on almost every platform imaginable over the past five years, with it recently coming to both Nintendo Switch and PlayStation VR. Since Skyrim VR is essentially a port of a last-gen game, you may expect it to be underwhelming when it comes to the visual department. This being said, Skyrim VR surpasses expectations in almost every aspect.
The world of Skyrim is a joy to explore. The huge open plains, towering cliffs, and menacing castles are stunning in virtual reality, giving Bethesda’s game a sense of scale that its never had before. Coming face to face with a dragon in VR is a sight to behold. Also, the game’s VR specific aspects, such as an altered field of vision, work perfectly to fend off any motion sickness issues. There aren’t many full game experiences available for VR headsets, but Skyrim VR proves they can be among the best.
Winner: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The Best VR Game of 2017
Horror games are a staple in the VR world. With the immersion heightened and the atmosphere emphasised, the scares are more effective. It’s no surprise that one of the best horror games of the year makes for an incredible VR experience, then. Not only is it one of the longest games available in virtual reality, but it is also one of the most enjoyable and best-looking.
Exploring the Baker house is a tense experience. Every creak of a door, every maniacal scream, and every gust of wind is terrifying. As you creep round the house, trying to stay away from its crazy inhabitants, your heart begins to race. By donning the VR headset you’re fully immersed into the world and the fear that consumes your character begins to consume you too. When you’re faced by members of the Baker family, such as when you’re around the kitchen table early in the game, your character begins to breath heavily and that fear is transferred to you. The enemies are menacing and the combat is tough, but it is the detailed setting and creepy atmosphere that make Resident Evil 7 the best VR game of 2017.
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