Recent reviews by farmertrue

Arken Age is incredible! I was lucky enough to get some early access so I’ve played more than just launch day. But as somebody who has played over 250 VR titles in the past 2 years, I am very impressed! I’ll start with the neutral/negative aspects since there are not many.

I’m usually not a fan of full body, as it feels unnatural in VR IMO. But the way this character is designed, the story and how smooth everything performs, with actual Valve Index support, and tons of in game adjustments possible within settings, I’d go as far to say it feels better than Batman.

Enemies respawn after going back to an area, as do the items around the map. This also happens upon dying. The respawns start to feel almost unfair as we get a ton of items to collect, even when the game is super hard.

The enemy voice responses are also lacking. I believe I heard the same four phrases over and over. Although enemies are challenging, and I enjoyed their design. Especially having to stay alert & making sure you finish them off. You can’t give up after the initial combat because they may get back up, with slightly less armor from knocking it off, and come back for more.

Also, while melee felt awesome, I really wish I could flip the sword over in reverse. As if holding it upside down.

Since Arken Age does such an amazing job with the immersion, it would be great to have bHaptic and ProVolver support added. The controllers have very well done haptic responses but getting bHaptics would truly take this to another level.

Arken Age does so many things extremely well. It’s hard to believe that this is made from a four person team with how smooth, stunning and overall polished it is. The game engine is insanely well put together! It’s very rare that I can run a VR game at maximum resolution on my Pimax Crystal (4312x5100 per eye), on max in game graphical settings, while maintaining a smooth 90Hz all while live streaming (watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/AYJSzuK1NXU?si=aTMNpqVSO3970CK3&t=9628 ) Especially brand new titles on launch! CPU frametimes stay around 2ms with a last gen non-X3D CPU and even during new areas the game is like butter melting on a stack of hot pancakes. And did I mention this game engine is a custom made engine that was made by only 2 of the 4 from the dev team?! That is so wild!

The game has some of the best implementations on several aspects in all of VR.

- 1) Climbing. Especially for an action title. The mechanics to bring out your pick aces just works and is very natural. Plus it feels so bad ass. You’re not struggling to reach the top of a tree but in fact gliding your way to the top, bottom, and side to side.

- 2) Explaining how to play the game. That tutorial was not only informative, but it also *showed* you how to do everything, gave you options to go back if you weren’t paying attention, showed you where to go, explained it in written as well, made you do the action you are learning and where most tutorials you are rushing to get through, it was actually enjoyable.

- 3) The level designs, environment & rewarding exploration. The game is lushes and vibrant. But it’s also quite large with tons of areas to explore. I’m one that goes everywhere in a VR title to explore and see what boundaries I am able to push. But even I was being blown away from hidden areas or items within the map. Some taking a long time to actually come across. The level designs are extravagant!

- 4) Adjustments made in settings. Like I mentioned full body can feel off in VR. But the amount of settings you can change, make it one of the best, if not the best, of all VR. It felt better than Batman IMO, which tends to be one that people consider gold standard. But also the controls. With a huge variety of HMD controllers in VR, this game allows you to get them dialed in, more so than almost any other title.

This dev team is truly gifted and should be proud of this accomplishment. I really hope the VR community supports this game. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it’s unique, visually stunning, has a full length campaign, has tons of adjustments in setting, does an amazing job with explanations & the tutorial, rewards exploration and performance is second to none. I for one can’t wait to keep live streaming in its entirety.

As a huge fan of Into The Radius/ITR2/CONVRGENCE/Pacific Drive, ZONA Origin helps scratch that single player survival shooter itch in a positive yet different manor than the others in the genre.

I've live streamed the game for about 8 hours and every moment has been enjoyable & keeps me engaged. There has been an excellent balance of action, horror, open world exploration, missions, enemies, anomalies and different environments. The loot & reward system is well done, although I wish I didn't choose to play on the harder difficulty setting as the payout for scavenging makes you really have to watch for every item and makes you conserve ammo. Even though I'm still somewhat new to the game, the story-line has also been solid enough. You can tell the amount of work the developer has put into the game and is an improvement on nearly every aspect from his first VR game, ZONA Project X VR.

I had very few issues but nothing game breaking. FYI, some of these, if not all, have been addressed with the developer and are possibly fixed by now. But I wanted to share the issues I experienced while playing. One was when I accidentally stepped off the world in training, it started me all the way over (was only like 10 minutes but still). It also took a while to figure out how to travel to the first zone, the underground tunnels, but I finally remembered seeing a map in our base which allows for traveling. Then I struggled to find how to get back to the base from a zone and took me about 2 hours until I finally just went back through the tunnels. Come to find out there was a gate that I could've gone through but it was the only area I didn't check out but at that point I was exhausted. Last issue was having weapons disappear when loading a save or going to a new zone (this can be fixed by just exiting the game and reloading if it's not yet fixed).

Speaking of, the developer is constantly working on the game and pushes out updates or patches seemingly every day. He is super active in the community and listens to it's players. Huge props to the developer as there has been more updated in ZONA Origin than most of the big name studios.

I was blown away from the size of the Prypat area & the amount of explorable Russian architecture that you are able to go inside. I'm drawn to Russian aspects in games & appreciate when developers implement Russian culture in a realistic way and ZONA Origin does exactly that. I also like how there are often new enemy types when traveling back through an area where they were not before.

ZONA Origin has many different aspects and additions from the other survival shooters games which makes it its own unique, fun & intriguing experience. While there is a backpack & weapon break down system like others, this game handles it well but also a bit differently. ZONA Origin uses the latest Unity Engine where ITR2 uses the latest Unreal Engine. It's fun to compare the games similarities and differences to others in the genre while playing. The looting system reminds me of Ghosts of Tabor as far as the amount of items all through the zones and located seemingly anywhere, how you can sell the stuff, and how it feels to be rewarded. I'm looking forward to going back as I'm interested in exploring new areas, finding new weapons, fighting new enemies & see how the story unwinds now that I have a solid grip on how the game is to be played.

I also wanted to share that my friend bought this game to play alongside me. He is not a fan of Into The Radius, but he thoroughly enjoys ZONA Origin, which I found interesting.

It may be early access but the game already has a significant amount of content and is very entertaining. I'd definitely suggest this game to others who are survival shooter fans, or those who want a solid single player, loot and shoot experience. I can’t wait to see how it ends up in final release!

Propagation Paradise Hotel was my favorite horror VR game of 2023. In a year filled with solid horror titles, PPH is at the top. I have over 250 VR titles and played around 100 new VR titles in 2023 so it’s not because of lack of games played. This team did an amazing job and deserves credit.

It looks, plays, feels (bHaptics) and sounds like a AAA game. It also makes good use of VR mechanics. If it was just longer (I finished it while live streaming in 5.5 hours on medium difficulty) then it would be among the best VR games in general. But still, the gameplay and story are fantastic with plenty of good scares and the atmosphere & enemies are visually stunning and anxiety inducing. Every horror fan should have the game in their library. It reminds me a lot of a quality, made for VR Resident Evil type game with the quality and gameplay.

It had been a while since I live streamed the game, but with it being October it's a good time to do another playthrough and add it back to the rotation. It’ll be gorgeous using the Pimax Crystal.

Hopefully a second part gets released. Even as a DLC I’d be more than happy to support this dev team once again. We need more VR experiences like PPH!

Either way, I wanted to share that this team should be proud of their product because it’s phenomenal. Thanks for making such a top notch VR game! The VR community could use more experiences like PPH and I wish this team the best. If you care to watch my playthrough, you can on https://www.twitch.tv/farmertrue Cheers!

Early Access or not, I’m having more fun playing Into The Radius 2 than any other VR release so far of 2024. I have about 40 hours into streaming it this far, and it’s intense and there’s something new every time. It’s my 2024 VR GOTY so far.

One of the main differences between the two ITR games that not many people mention is that it uses UE5. Unreal Engine 5 is a dream come true for VR. What can be done with lighting, water, shading, fluidity, reflections and overall visuals can help transport people to the VR environment like they are there. It’s a running joke on my stream where I can’t help but to play around with the lighter or light in the backpack to see the reflections on artifacts. The little details like that are so mesmerizing.

The newest Major Update 0.11.0 also has some huge additions that add a lot to the game! The difficulty adjustments being added makes the game feel and play more custom to your wants or needs. I was foolish and turned all the enemy options to High (not even Very High) and it was pure mayhem. Where there were usually 5 enemies, there were now 8 enemies. Where they usually wouldn't hear me shoot my silencer, they were coming out of seemingly nowhere to ambush me. The enemy AI is one of the highlights in the game. They don't just stand in the open to get shot, but truly seem to take strategized paths and take cover to get you. It's also really great having the ammo crates and the backpacks with the spots for the ammo crates. The new armor and armor plates were a nice surprise! The little changes or additions to the environments (like added huts where there used to be trees), the minor audio differences and the little artifact color changes make the game feel much more well rounded! Peeling the wrapper on the energy bar is so satisfying and very well done. I have not had any game breaking issues while playing solo either.

Co-op is of course a highlight. Fans of the first ITR immediately got excited about the multiplayer announcement pre-launch. While the host’s experience is smooth, the second player might need to rejoin occasionally, but it’s much improved since launch, with much fewer issues and no longer losing items. The two-player co-op is fantastic, and I’m excited to keep playing.

If you do buy ITR2 early access, consider taking the time to offer constructive criticism & leave feedback to the devs. They are actively involved with the community and listen on their Discord.

The first Into The Radius was a top 5 VR experience for me (I have nearly 300 VR games) and I'm already enjoying the second game even more. I can't wait to see where this game is in a year because it's already a must own for PCVR folk and my current 2024 VR GOTY!

I was skeptical of a Hero shooter for VR but Brazen Blaze is quite unique and fun to play with friends. While the game has issues, and needs some tweaks and could use more online players (an area most VR games struggle), I found myself enjoying the unique gameplay, movement system and character specials. While I have not agreed with some of the ways the team has handle some things for the game, I can't help but to enjoy the game thus far.

The graphics on default looked terrible on my 4090 and Pimax Crystal. Among the worst of any PCVR title. But after adjusting in game graphical settings, it helped improve them significantly and is more than acceptable for PCVR. There have also been times when frametimes and FPS gets tanked even when playing the exact same map with the exact same people. I'm not sure what the issue is but when I'll normally get 90Hz there are times an entire match will be about half that at 40-45Hz. No other game I play (over 250+ VR titles in my library) has this issue. Will hopefully get to the bottom of it.

While I only have 2 hours so far, it will be one I play more often going forward!

If you are looking for a visually stunning VR puzzle adventures, Firmament VR is exactly that. Some aspects look so mind-blowing & lifelike that I can't help but to leave my jaw agape for extended periods of time. I’ve enjoyed about 6 hours of gameplay thus far and still have a ways to go.

I've not played any other Cyan Studio games yet but Firmament had my eye even before it launched (I'm excited for Riven VR to launch). The game doesn’t hold your hand as far as what to do in certain areas but everything needed to complete a task is in the environment. So it’s very challenging and can feel slower paced at times or make you want to swear trying to figure out what to do. There are areas of low performance but that’s because the game is one of the best visual experiences in VR.

It can be quite demanding on even my 4090/7950X PC alongside my Pimax Crystal (but I'm able to render using the max render resolution of 5100 x 4312 per eye, which is stunning). Even using a Quest 3 it can be a lot to handle. Playing on medium graphics settings and running 72Hz the game looks and plays gorgeously with very few hiccups in certain areas.

The game also has some slight gameplay issues that don't ruin the game. Climbing isn't very fluid but that can be negated within the settings menu. Also, often times rotating your main device doesn't work properly so you will need to simply retry simple rotations. I know the game didn't have the best launch but it has been improved and is a solid VR experience that is quite unique.

I've been live streaming Firmament VR the past few Thursdays and I can't wait to jump back in to complete the rest of these unique & challenging puzzles. With around 250+ VR titles in my library, there are dozens of puzzle experiences among them, which I enjoy. VR does puzzlers fantastically & Firmament is testament to that. It’s not the greatest VR game but is a great puzzle adventure that will leave you in awe from the environments.

TLDR: If you value life-like visuals in PCVR along with a challenging puzzle adventure, Firmament will scratch that itch and scratch it hard.

I'm having more fun playing CONVRGENCE than I am playing Ghosts of Tabor, which is saying something since GoT is one of the most addictive VR games to date and in my top 5 most played VR games ever. With only a little over 4+ hours of gameplay, it's clear that the developer has done an amazing job improving from his first VR game, Paradox of Hope.

Speaking of, I want to give props to the developer for not letting the POH issue bring him down. Instead of hanging up his hat, he went to work on his next project & knocked it out of the park as CONVRGENCE improves on POH in many ways, the main of which is how extremely fun the gameplay & entertainment factor.

Now the game does have some glitches, but none that break the gameplay in anyway. The main issues are with the companion, your doggo friend. There can be some quality of life improvements which we will see sooner than later, but for a launch VR game it is great!

The game has an addictive and rewarding raid style similar to Into The Radius (a top 5 VR game IMO) and GoT. But CONVRGENCE is much more spookier and scary at times than those other raid style games. Weapons feel solid, looting is fun, looks like several different maps that are different from the others, plenty of tweaks to change the game like opting to not take your dog on a raid & weapon attachments, performance is solid and the game plays very well. Speaking of, I ran the Pimax Crystal on the highest resolution, 4312x5100 per eye on high graphical settings at 90Hz and I was able to get a smooth 90fps with my 4090. That is rare, especially for newer PCVR titles.

I can't wait to dive back in and if this game holds up, it will be a top 10 played VR game of mine in no time (I have around 250 VR games). Props to the developer. I bought the Supporter pack and game at launch even though I could've got the game for free since I bought Pardox of Hope. This dev deserves the VR communities support!

Arizona Sunshine 2 is fantastic! I managed to avoid all the gameplay, reviews & info on the game prior to release so I could experience the game without any outside influence and a fresh mindset. Over 7 hours into the game on the hard difficulty, and it's some of the most fun I have had in VR yet. Co-op is a blast with my friends & helps the game really shine.

As gorgeous as the game looks and feels, it is so many small things that is done well that makes this game an instant classic for VR. Having the doggo companion, Buddy, as not only a friend but as a tool to be used in the game really is unlike anything else in VR. Buddy alone is worth the price of the game but being able to have him fetch items you can't reach, store weapons, attack Freds, alert you for important items/enemies, etc takes the experience to another level. There are "WOW" moments littered all throughout the game. The comedy is as good as it gets for a VR shooter. The story is very well done. The weapons actually have weight and feel like you are firing weapons.

I've had people mention to me that the game is short while I am live streaming, but I'm over 7 hours of playtime into the game and just started another chapter. not to mention Horde mode will get plenty of my time whenever I finish the campaign & I've enjoyed the campaign so much that I'll be playing it again immediately after on the apocalyptic difficulty!

While the game is not perfect and has some minor issues, it's extremely well done for a launch day VR game. There's been numerous times where a VR game has been broken on the first week of release but this game has very minor spots here and there that don't harm the gameplay.

Vertigo Games has done a wonderful job with supplying an extremely fun game and if more VR developers were able to release this quality of content for $50, then I'd be happy to give those companies and games my money. Over 7 hours into the game and I still have some Freds to hang out with before doing it all over again. Can't wait to play again!

My 2023 VR Game of the Year!

After venturing back into The Light Brigade after taking a month off with my Spooktacular October event, I was quickly reminded why it’s my favorite VR game of 2023. And despite of what social media and content creators may say, VR has been jam packed with top notch VR games this year.

The gameplay, the feel of the weapons, the unique art style and environments, the large amount of weapon classes that welcome numerous different play styles, the huge variety of weapons attachments and tarot card power ups, the amazing audio quality, the beefy haptics from firing a gun, the great bHaptic support, the unique prayer abilities and not to mention they released a massive update a couple months ago and already working on another huge update. The developers know what they are doing and listen to the community which is real nice.

The game was already a steal at $25 but even more so now that it has so much more and is even more polished. The Light Brigade does so many things very well, and very few things that would be considered issues for people. It’s a top to bottom well rounded VR experience that truly belongs in everyone’s VR library.

I can’t wait to fire the game back up again to see what new fun awaits my next run.

This game is more or less a lighter version of Dead by Daylight for VR. I originally purchased the game for like $5 or $10 over a year ago to live stream as it looked like it had potential. Now it's FREE TO PLAY!

One of my favorite aspects of After Dark VR is that it's a 5 player co-op game for VR and my community loves some VR co-op. Having 4 players be the survivors and 1 player being the hunter/killer adds a fun dynamic to the game that you don't get in many VR games.

Another thing is the game is both scary and funny at times. The thing we do more than scream is laughing. We are all laughing way more than expected. The game is just fun in it's own way.

While the game has so much potential, it is also missing some polish, and the community is dead so don't expect to pick the game up and randomly find lobbies. I also believe the developers have put the project on hold and are looking to expand to Quest at some point once they get their life and ducks in a row.

BUT, if you and a few friends get the game (as it is now free), you can plan times to play with one another. That's exactly what we do. It's one of our favorite games to play during the Halloween season for the past couple years and is an absolute joy to play for an hour or two with 5 friends here and there. If you don't have others to play with, fill free to message me, or follow the farmertrue Twitch, or join us on the farmertrueVR Discord as we are down to play.

Either way, don't expect this to be your favorite game, but also expect to have some good times with friends. Like I said, it's one of our go to co-op games for Halloween season. Well worth the storage space on your PC and worth checking out!