Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (PS VR)
By: Sony
WITH a title better suited to an erectile dysfunction treatment, Sony’s latest dose of horror fuel will still have you bolt rigid with fear.
Though bearing the Until Dawn name, Rush of Blood is a different prospect to last year's teen slasher. Set on a funfair ride that quickly takes a turn for the worse, inbred carnies are the least of your trouble in this showcase for what Sony's VR is all about.
A funfair set amid the most grim, violent environment since Funderland in the 80s, your rickety carriage could have been designed by Jigsaw himself as it ferries players through a series of levels based on standard horror tropes featuring prisons, creepy dolls and more screaming pigs than Denny’s.
And while you start off shooting ducks and the like, you'll soon cock your virtual weapon at escaped convicts and insane clowns. All you need to do is wield a gun in each hand and feed bullets into the virtual world, and while it’s all cheap jump scares, virtual reality adds another dimension to the pant-browning.
With its gut-lurching roller-coaster dips and canny use of the Move controllers, which simply become extensions of your gun-totin' in-game arms, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is the benchmark VR game and the perfect way to keep the Halloween vibe going long after your pumpkins have decayed.
Batman: Arkham VR (PS VR)
By: Warner
IF ROCKSTEADY’S original Arkham Asylum was a horror deconstruction of the Caped Crusader, the studio’s final foray into the world of the Dark Knight focuses on his detective skills as Sony’s VR lets players climb into Batman’s eyes and frolic in their jelly for a few hours.
Whereas in Arkham Asylum all the mentally ill needed was an elbow to the chops, there’s no doling out punches to a rogue’s gallery here, with Batman’s muscles taking a backseat to his bulging brain, a la Adam West.
An on-rails puzzler wrapped up in a cracking storyline that plays out like the point 'n click adventures of old, players solve a crime and square off against the Joker through a series of VR-inspired vignettes, mostly involving twirling the Move controllers around.
Players can do everything Batman can, except walk, with free movement shelved in favour of clicking to new areas you wish to visit. There’s also no riding around in Batman’s iconic fleet of vehicles, which seems a real missed opportunity.
Still, you’ll have those wonderful toys at your disposal and can visit Gotham’s most famous locations, interacting with the likes of Robin, Nightwing, Croc, Joker, Riddler and Penguin.
Like a cheap gigolo, there's a severe price to length issue but the bargain price point makes Batman VR the best of the launch line-up to showcase your pricy headset. With typically polished production and top-drawer voice acting, virtual Gotham is a sight to marvel in the killer app for Sony’s new doo-dad.
