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My Gear VR Content Reviews

bladeshadow
Explorer
I'll be editing in more reviews and updates as I get time. Also, feel free to ask questions about the games I've reviewed, or to tell me I'm crazy for my opinion.

What I'm Using:
Moga Hero Power Controller and of course a Note 4 with the Gear VR.

The Little Crane That Could - Game - Requires Controller
My arbitrary rating - 3/10
I love the concept of this game. It reminds me of the Rokenbok set my kids (AND ME) had years ago. But the implementation leaves much to be desired. The main issue with this game is that it will make you ill fast, but not in a way that isn't avoidable with the technology. As long as you aren't moving your in-game avatar it's fine. Moving your ingame avatar forward or backwards is no more nausea inducing than Dreadhalls (in other words, it works well for the input tech). But turning your avatar left or right is terrible. There's a stutter to it. It's not smooth at all, and quickly leaves me feeling woosy. Playing this game I found myself closing my eyes to turn, then moving forward until I thought I was in a good spot to control the little crane, and then avoiding having to move my Avatar again at all cost. In addition, climbing up platforms and/or falling off of them is awkward and disorienting (not to mention nausea inducing), as it just doesn't do it smoothly or naturally at all. Aside from that, the graphics are very simple and uninteresting and the puzzles are just not all that fun. This game could be ok if they fixed the turning issue.

On another note, I'd love a game even more like Rokenbok in which you are looking down on a field/play area that has a variety of construction vehicles and equipment that you can control. Bonus points if it were online coop.

Dreadhalls - Game - Requires Controller
My arbitrary rating - 7/10
This is the only real scary experience to be had on the Gear as of the time I'm writing this, which seems hard to believe given that the ability to frighten is one of the more obvious abilities of this sort of technology. The game design and concept is simple but brilliant, and the environment is graphically superior to most other content on the gear right now. Albeit it's very outdated graphics compared to a lot of 2D content right now, in VR it works and works well. Really, the only flaws are mostly attributable to the hardware limitations rather than the game itself. That flaw is that a lot of people will find moving around with a controller to be rather nausea inducing. I found myself avoiding the use of the left/right turning stick in favor of turning my body in the direction I'd like to go and then pushing forward. This game tends to accentuate the need for full head tracking that the Gear VR lacks when compared to the DK2. I use this as my fright inducing demo to other people interested, but more often than not they experience sickness as well as fright. I can't see that they could have done much software wise to alleviate these issues, it's more of the nature of the beast. Better input hardware and full head tracking are what's really needed here.

Lunasee - Game - No controller needed
My arbitrary rating - 8/10
This game has a great "VR" effect. The simple graphics, scale, and control seem to be just right for inducing that "I'm there in some Tron like universe" feeling. The game works well, and has little to no motion sickness issues. The betting concept works well to keep you interested, and the shoot where you look control scheme works flawlessly. There's not a lot of content in this one, it's a very casual and simple experience. That said, it's one of the more entertaining distractions to be had on Gear VR games at this time.

Milk VR - Experience - No controller needed
My arbitrary rating as an Application - 9/10
My arbitrary rating for the content it has to this point - 5/10
Ok, I realize that Milk VR has received a lot of Flak on these forums and my score of 9 will be immediately balked, but I don't see Milk VR as if it's the video's it currently touts, but rather as an application for distributing videos. There are some good 360 videos on it that I enjoyed (The concert was nice), and some really bad out of scale nausea inducing videos a plenty as well. But the point is that there ARE videos on it, and more of them every day. The menu setup for finding videos, watching them, previewing them, and downloading them is very well done, and the ease for which content gets put on Milk VR excites me. It's the only thing on gear that I'm likely to go into at least once a day. Given its the only thing on gear that promises new content more often than every Tuesday, it warrants some kudos IMO. Over time, there's bound to be some good stuff show up in there to see. Milk VR gives you two options for viewing videos, Download or Streaming. Really, the streaming is only good for previewing a video to see if it's worth downloading. But I can't fault Milk for that, as I suspect it's a limitation of the technology and bandwidth requirements more than a fault of Milk VR.

To avoid misleading folks into watching a bunch of really low quality videos, I've updated my Milk VR review here with a 2nd content rating. There's a few gems in there at this point as far as 360 videos, but there's definitely a lot of rotten apples too. As Jotokutora say's, it has the potential. And as I've said, it's really great to have something that gives us something new to see in the Gear so often.

Ocean Rift - Experience - No controller needed, but you have more capabilities if you have one.
My arbitrary rating - 8/10
This has been my go to app when letting other folks try out my Gear. The graphics are really nice. Kind of a cross between realistic and cartoony, but realistic enough to let your imagination do the walking. I'm a diver in the real world, so I have extra appreciation for this app. I've used it to relax myself before going to bed at night a few times, as I've always said that there's nothing more relaxing than the sound of your regulator breathing while on a relaxing dive. This app does a nice job of trying to reproduce that sensation, though it's no where near the real thing. Currently, diving with extinct monsters is merely hinted at but unavailable. I'm assuming the full app will release at a price later and have these teased at attributes. I give this app an 8 mostly because it's a tease. It leaves me wanting more than it has. If you have a controller, you can move about on your dive, if you don't, you can change locations via the menu within an experience, but you cannot move. Really, it's a great experience either way. There's a Great White shark cage experience in here that allows you to exit the cage by reselecting that experience in the popup menu. You will die shortly thereafter. I found myself wishing they'd do a version of this that gives you more ability and time to avoid the Great White, thus inducing a longer fear tease than you currently get. (Update to this idea thanks to HomerS66):
"HomerS66" wrote:

You can do that by pressing and holding the R button on your gamepad which lets you swim upwards and above the cage. then you can play chicken with the shark. If you teleport outside of the cage, swim towards the cage and hide behind it, then the shark cant eat you either. Once i encountered a huge shark which was approx. threetimes the seize of the normal one.



Herobound - Game - Requires Controller
My arbitrary rating - 8/10
Hero bound is one of those games that will cause a series of oohs and ahhs to come out of your mouth the first time you play it. It's fun and novel, and has a good bit of content. It's a halfway decent action/adventure console game and it's in VR. My takeaway is YAY! They DID IT! And it's Awesome! But it's no Zelda, damnit. It loses 4 points for only being a halfway decent action/adventure console game, then gains 2 back for being VR and awesome. A must have game if you have a gear, IMO.

Esper - Game - No controller required
My arbitrary rating - 7/10
This game is like the poor mans demo wanna be Portal, in VR. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just not a great thing. It's got humor that reminds you of Portal, and that humor is just about as good. It's the humor that makes this game good. This game subjects you to essentially a series of puzzles while the tester makes you laugh to yourself and gives you nostalgia for Portal. It's short and doesn't have a lot of replay value, but it's one I'd recommend playing at least once. When you're done, you'll find yourself wishing for Portal 3 Gear VR.

VRTillery - Game - No controller required
My arbitrary rating - 6/10
This game looks pretty good, works pretty good, and doesn't cause any ill feelings. It's relatively fun and challenging, and reminds me a bit of Angry Birds in concept. This is one of those games where I suspect ratings would vary drastically. It's just not my thing, but it's done well. If you really like angry birds, you might want to give this one a try. I went through an Angry Birds fad, but then got bored with it. I think that boredom just carried over to this game. Had I never played Angry Birds, I suspect I'd have rated this one higher. I found myself initially more interested in my surroundings than the actual gameplay. I think something that could improve this is a greater variety and depth to the surroundings in each level.

theBluVR - Experience - No controller required
My arbitrary rating - 7/10
This is like a cross between Ocean Rift and a nature documentary. It's a great demo app if you're wanting to show your friends VR for the first time. You are on rails for the duration in this one, but the visuals are incredible for a cgi experience on a phone. Before Ocean Rift was released, THIS was my go to app for showing off the gear. Still a must have I think, but since its essentially the exact same experience every time (really like watching a 360 degree cgi movie that's much higher quality than any existing 360 degree movie on gear so far), and it's pretty short, it will leave you wanting once you've been through it a few times. Ocean Rift has the advantage of not being on rails and allowing a bit of randomness and interactivity. But still, this is like an Epcot Center experience in the comfort of your own home. Pretty damned cool.

Playhead - Game - No controller required
My arbitrary rating - 6/10
This is basically an on-rails game in which you look left, right, up and down to spot parts of a soundtrack as you move through tunnels, and as you discover more parts the music becomes more complete. I had a tough time coming up with what really is a rather arbitrary rating for this one. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. On the other, it was an incredibly short demo and gave no real indication as to what kind of music and scenery variety and options I could expect in the full game. This one has potential to be something special when it's released, and for a demo that's so short was really enjoyable. I found myself bobbing my head and shoulders to the beat as I played along. Then, I found myself at the end. WTF! That's IT! So, in summary, I have hope for this one when it's released fully.

Proton Pulse - Game - No controller required
My arbitrary rating - 6/10 if playing, 7/10 if watching someone else play. 😄
This game is like classic breakout in 3-D VR. One of those games that just HAD to be made, cuz it's an obvious translation to VR and a classic. The first time I played, I watched my little paddle/pad and the ball and didn't make it all that far. The next time I played I quickly realized that the key was to "Keep your eye on the ball" and ignore your paddle/pad. Your paddle goes wherever you look, so in hindsight this is obvious. They go a bit beyond the standard for classic breakout and implement some cool pinball like attributes as you progress, like multi-ball and laser guns etc, which was a nice touch. It's a fun 80's style challenge in a 2010's VR world, and I appreciate that. I enjoy it for short spurts, not that it creates any illness outside a stiff neck. The real fun is having someone else don your headset so you can video their epileptic head seizures when they play this game. You can gauge how far they've progressed by the hilariousness of their ridiculous head seizures. I like this game in small doses.

Oculus Cinema - Experience - No controller required
Ok, this one was really tough to put a "rating value" on. I'm going to review this from two perspectives and give each perspective a different rating:

Perspective 1: You're watching a movie you like in this app, what is it like?
My arbitrary rating for perspective 1 - 9/10

I remember reading previews for this before I actually had a Gear VR and thinking... OOOOOH!! Watch a movie on the Moon!? Awesome!!!! Once I had it in my hands, the moon was novel and cool, but I ended up preferring the actual theater. The environmental lighting from the screen on the moon I found to be distracting, where-as the theater sim was incredible for just watching a movie on the big screen at home. Now, VR has some limitations around this. You're going to get a huge screen, but you're not going to get a pixel dense HD movie on that screen. Much of your phones pixels are going to be utilized towards your environment and VR overhead, and you WILL get some screen door on your giant movie screen. In other words, it's not going to be nearly as crisp as your ~55 inch 1080P television screen in your living room, but it will sure as hell be a lot bigger. But I don't really give a damn? I forget about the screen door very quickly, forget about the HD quality very quickly, and I'm just sitting in the theater watching my movie. I LOVE it. Well freaking done given the technology limits. I applaud. Nine out of a fracking 10.

Perspective 2: Actually getting to watch a movie you like in this app, what is it like?
My arbitrary rating for perspective 2 - 3/10

First off. DRM? Kiss my big fat rosy red.. uhmmm... apple? I've only watched ONE movie on this app, and it's by taking one of my bluray disks and reaching around my ass and over my head to get to my toes to turn one of my blu-rays into a digital movie that I can then transfer slowly (so slowly I nearly killed myself in agony) to my tiny little insignificant SD card on my phone such that I could watch it in my VR theater. You want more than a three from this perspective? Give me Amazon Prime/Hulu/Netflix integration and put DRM where it belongs. In an unmarked grave with no funeral nor a single tear. I'm agitated now. Way to go DRM. Way... to... go. :evil:
8 REPLIES 8

Jotokutora
Adventurer
Interesting you gave Milk VR a 9/10, personally I consider it one of the most underwhelming apps so far. Technically it is a promising application but unless the content visual quality improves, it will always hinder its potential. Currently I would give it a 5/10 but that just me. That may change as the content improves, but is lacking at the moment.

bladeshadow
Explorer
"Jotokutora" wrote:
Interesting you gave Milk VR a 9/10, personally I consider it one of the most underwhelming apps so far. Technically it is a promising application but unless the content visual quality improves, it will always hinder its potential. Currently I would give it a 5/10 but that just me. That may change as the content improves, but is lacking at the moment.

I have to agree with you on "content". If I were to give it a rating as an average for the rating for all the videos I've seen so far, I'd probably give close to a five as well. I will add a 2nd part to my review for content up to this point.

HomerS66
Expert Protege
"bladeshadow" wrote:

The Little Crane That Could - Game - Requires Controller
My arbitrary rating - 3/10
But turning your avatar left or right is terrible.



Only do turns with your head. Look/Turn in the direction you want to move and then move farward. Don't do turns with a stick or you will get dizzy pretty quickly. That's why a swivelchair is a must buy for Gear VR.

"bladeshadow" wrote:

Ocean Rift - Experience - No controller needed, but you have more capabilities if you have one.
My arbitrary rating - 8/10
Really, it's a great experience either way. There's a Great White shark cage experience in here that allows you to exit the cage by reselecting that experience in the popup menu. You will die shortly thereafter. I found myself wishing they'd do a version of this that gives you more ability and time to avoid the Great White, thus inducing a longer fear tease than you currently get.


You can do that by pressing and holding the R button on your gamepad which lets you swim upwards and above the cage. then you can play chicken with the shark. If you teleport outside of the cage, swim towards the cage and hide behind it, then the shark cant eat you either. Once i encountered a huge shark which was approx. threetimes the seize of the normal one.

"bladeshadow" wrote:

Herobound - Game - Requires Controller
My arbitrary rating - 8/10


Really you give Lunasee as much points as Ocean Rift and Herobound? Duuuuude.

JCat
Expert Protege
Little Crane had the shortest life span on my SD Card. Made me queasy as soon as I made a move.

bladeshadow
Explorer
"HomerS66" wrote:

"bladeshadow" wrote:

Ocean Rift - Experience - No controller needed, but you have more capabilities if you have one.
My arbitrary rating - 8/10
Really, it's a great experience either way. There's a Great White shark cage experience in here that allows you to exit the cage by reselecting that experience in the popup menu. You will die shortly thereafter. I found myself wishing they'd do a version of this that gives you more ability and time to avoid the Great White, thus inducing a longer fear tease than you currently get.


You can do that by pressing and holding the R button on your gamepad which lets you swim upwards and above the cage. then you can play chicken with the shark. If you teleport outside of the cage, swim towards the cage and hide behind it, then the shark cant eat you either. Once i encountered a huge shark which was approx. threetimes the seize of the normal one.

Oooh! I must try that today. Thanks for the tip!

"bladeshadow" wrote:

Herobound - Game - Requires Controller
My arbitrary rating - 8/10

"HomerS66" wrote:

Really you give Lunasee as much points as Ocean Rift and Herobound? Duuuuude.

LOL - I can see how that 8 on Lunasee might cause pause when comparing it to Ocean Rift or Herobound. But what can I say, it's simpler, shorter, and less wow than the latter two, but at the same time it's just fun and works well. It's just a fun game for what it is, I guess. But really, it's not in the same genre as the other two, and you're right, the genre of the other two is a more interesting genre. I guess I rated them for the type of game they are. Kind of like an 8/10 casual game is not going to be the same awesome experience as an 8/10 single player 3rd person RPG.

Jotokutora
Adventurer
Lunasee was a simple an fun game, so I give it a decently high score of 7/10. Proton Pulse is of the same vain when it comes to simple play mechanics and high re-play value.

iyashwant
Honored Guest
i just bought a gear vr and i'm thinking of buying a controller 
does moga hero power work good with all the games and does all the buttons work properly? 

bbagnall
Protege
Where are you guys finding The Little Crane that Could? It doesn't show up in the Oculus store.

Same with VRtillary.