If you have an Oculus Rift or plan to get one, here are some games and demo recommendations to try. Of course there are many more worthy games to try than just five, but I'll get to those in future updates.
1. Epic Dragon - Fun, Thrilling Ride
This has to be my favorite game so far. The story here is that you have to ride your dragon and collect multicolored eggs to rack up points and keep the forces of evil at bay, something along those lines. If you have tried the Riftcoaster and gotten that thrilling sensation from the first drop, I'll tell you it multiplied x3 for me on Epic Dragon. Every time I play it I find myself grasping to the chair I'm sitting on as I swerve side to side. I thought I would have gotten motion sick as I had on other games but everything was so smooth that I would get the sensation of being on a fun rollercoaster rather than an "I'm about to puke if I don't get off" kind of rollercoaster. Overall, great gameplay, great visuals, and bonus points for adding a backstory to the game.
This has to be my favorite game so far. The story here is that you have to ride your dragon and collect multicolored eggs to rack up points and keep the forces of evil at bay, something along those lines. If you have tried the Riftcoaster and gotten that thrilling sensation from the first drop, I'll tell you it multiplied x3 for me on Epic Dragon. Every time I play it I find myself grasping to the chair I'm sitting on as I swerve side to side. I thought I would have gotten motion sick as I had on other games but everything was so smooth that I would get the sensation of being on a fun rollercoaster rather than an "I'm about to puke if I don't get off" kind of rollercoaster. Overall, great gameplay, great visuals, and bonus points for adding a backstory to the game.
2. Ciess - Simple, Addictive, Strategy Game
In Ciess, you play as a hacker who plants viruses and collects money from successful hacks. The first time I tried it I must have spent at least 30 minutes playing non-stop, probably the longest I have ever spent on just one Rift game. Although the concept and gameplay are fantastic, the Rift's role is so subtle you could probably enjoy the game just as much if it had been made as a regular desktop game. What I love about the Oculus Rift though, is the fact that it can make a gaming experience so much more immersive just from such subtle touches. Within the game you use your point of view to send out your hacks and viruses, but where the Rift shines in this game is one, the fact that you are put into the middle of a 3D environment where 360 degrees around you has an essential part in the game and two, transitions between levels take advantage of the Rift to make you almost feel like you're shooting through a computer's mainframe at extreme speeds. It's the level transition that gets me most, because it makes me wonder about the future of vr games and how level transitions along with cinematic cutscenes will be dealt with when the player is within the 3D space.
3. Time Rifters -Shooter, Interesting Gameplay Concept
I have not tried many shooter games but I would definitely recommend this one for it's unique concept. The concept of this game is to go through the level once while the game records your playthrough, once you respawn for the second time you go through the same level, but this time you have the aid of your previous playthrough. This continues on until you have gone through the same level for a total of 4 times, hopefully by then you have managed to shoot all the targets at your disposal. I would definitely like to see the time travel aspect be on command rather than required so an element of strategy and challenge to use this ability as little as possible would be added. This game is a great example of what a shooter game would look like when it is created for the Rift. An important thing to note is that although you use a controller or keyboard to guide your character and shoot, the crosshair of your gun is connected to your line of site rather than to an analog stick or key. This is important because as vr continues to develop, gameplay and user interfaces have a new realm to explore and improve upon. In some cases player's might like the traditional version, but if that's the case there will likely be options for that just like you'd have different button layouts to choose from.
I have not tried many shooter games but I would definitely recommend this one for it's unique concept. The concept of this game is to go through the level once while the game records your playthrough, once you respawn for the second time you go through the same level, but this time you have the aid of your previous playthrough. This continues on until you have gone through the same level for a total of 4 times, hopefully by then you have managed to shoot all the targets at your disposal. I would definitely like to see the time travel aspect be on command rather than required so an element of strategy and challenge to use this ability as little as possible would be added. This game is a great example of what a shooter game would look like when it is created for the Rift. An important thing to note is that although you use a controller or keyboard to guide your character and shoot, the crosshair of your gun is connected to your line of site rather than to an analog stick or key. This is important because as vr continues to develop, gameplay and user interfaces have a new realm to explore and improve upon. In some cases player's might like the traditional version, but if that's the case there will likely be options for that just like you'd have different button layouts to choose from.
4. Don't Let Go - Great for having others try, comical, challenging
I recently learned after doing a few demos with my Oculus Rift, rather than having people start with the Riftcoaster, Don't Let Go was another wonderful alternative for first time Rifters. Unlike other vr games where they try give you the sensation of falling or bolting forward, this one has you sitting stationary. This means you don't have to worry about motion sickness, and just enjoy the game. In Don't Let Go, you are required to hold the two CTRL buttons down for the duration of the game. Within the Rift, you already exprience a sense of immersion because you can look around and in front of you is a 3D model of "your" hands holding down the ctrl buttons. Now the fun part begins, through the game you are challenged to keep those ctrl buttons pressed as the game attempts to make you jump and squirm from unpleasant visuals and audio such as seeing a room full of wasps and hearing one fly right into your ear. You will definitely need headphones to get the whole experience. I love how people are focusing on other methods to make the experience more immersive. Just like the game Alone, the Rift may have a big part on the game but it's the audio that complete's the experience.
I recently learned after doing a few demos with my Oculus Rift, rather than having people start with the Riftcoaster, Don't Let Go was another wonderful alternative for first time Rifters. Unlike other vr games where they try give you the sensation of falling or bolting forward, this one has you sitting stationary. This means you don't have to worry about motion sickness, and just enjoy the game. In Don't Let Go, you are required to hold the two CTRL buttons down for the duration of the game. Within the Rift, you already exprience a sense of immersion because you can look around and in front of you is a 3D model of "your" hands holding down the ctrl buttons. Now the fun part begins, through the game you are challenged to keep those ctrl buttons pressed as the game attempts to make you jump and squirm from unpleasant visuals and audio such as seeing a room full of wasps and hearing one fly right into your ear. You will definitely need headphones to get the whole experience. I love how people are focusing on other methods to make the experience more immersive. Just like the game Alone, the Rift may have a big part on the game but it's the audio that complete's the experience.
5. Dumpy: Going Elephants - Comical Madness, Fan favorite
Last but not least of this list is a game where you play as an elephant reaking havoc on an unusually looking town filled with soccer players, aliens, cops, and ball people. This game seems to be the fan favorite whenever I do demos with the Oculus Rift. I have yet to find a person who hasn't smiled or laugh as they learn they have grown an elephant trunk and must use it to destroy and punch pretty much everything in sight. There is no countdown or points system, simply swing your trunk and enjoy the colorfully bizarre scenery.
Last but not least of this list is a game where you play as an elephant reaking havoc on an unusually looking town filled with soccer players, aliens, cops, and ball people. This game seems to be the fan favorite whenever I do demos with the Oculus Rift. I have yet to find a person who hasn't smiled or laugh as they learn they have grown an elephant trunk and must use it to destroy and punch pretty much everything in sight. There is no countdown or points system, simply swing your trunk and enjoy the colorfully bizarre scenery.