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Astrobot is now the most critically acclaimed VR game of all time
- Thread starter Toriko
- Start date
Isn't that besides the point? I'd say it's a great game that's elevated to outstanding status because of how tightly it's weaved around virtual reality.
You can strip away every brilliant game's unique features and argue they'll be worse because of it. The question is: why would you want to do that?
Made a jaded, cynical guy like me laugh with sheer joy more than once, one of the very few "wow" moments in recent gaming for me.
The whole game is a triumph.
The whole game is a triumph.
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Unfortunately not yet. Fingers crossed though. Ideally I would like dlc and then a full blown next gen sequel.
Yeah I'm with you. For current-gen and this release, they should focus on a few map/challenge packs, and blow the roof off PS5/PSVR2 launch with it's official sequel day-and-date with console/headset launch.
Do you also look at standard 3D games and go "I feel like the moment you it out of 3D, it loses most of its charm"?
Because virtual reality is an outlier. If you take Mario 64 and put it on a PS1, it doesn't somehow become worse.
It's a great VR game for a 3rd person platformer. The VR is used really well for the genre, but it's in a completely different world from something like Robo Recall.
It's hard to imagine even Nintendo doing very much of a better job making a platformer in VR. At least I don't see it. You could argue that it'd be better to have a platformer where you're looking down holes & around corners even more, but that could get annoying, too.
You can't take the aspects out of a VR game because you're dramatically reducing the functionality and playability if you do. It'd be like saying, well, what if you took away the analog movement and used a dpad instead and completely removed the camera buttons from Mario64. It'd be a notably worse, less fun, and infinitely less innovative and important game.
Take away the VR from something like Robo Recall, and you're left with nothing at all.
So it should never be even considered, what if we took the VR away, unless the game isn't using VR at all.
That's a wrong analogy, this would be taking Mario 64 and removing the 3D. Also don't understand what you meant by VR is an outlier? In what aspects?
Hmm, this is a good card game. But I wonder if it would hold up if there were no cards?
Thanks for the link! Just tried this out on my Rift and it was a great experience! Would love to see a remake of Blade Runner from Westwood in VR!
Anytime. It gets me really exited when I find these small nuggets of things to come. It really gets your imagination flying about what VR games will be like shortly.
I fully expect a tease at Astrobot 2 next E3 Sony. Or DLC...or something. Give Japan Studio some more love!!!
PS1 and N64 are in the same revolutionary gen that brought polygon graphics.
The correct example is to take Mario 64 and put it on a SNES.
Fuckin hell things are going to get crazy in VR in the not too distant future. I'm down for the journey, have been from the beginning. The possibilities blow my mind....
Yeah, for sure! I hope this Astrobot game wakes people up to the potential VR has. From the moment I played Lucky's Tale I've been dreaming about an excellent VR platformer. I've wanted something like Super Mario VR World ever since.
Astrobot will be the VR game of the year for sure. If you have a PSVR buy it, as simple as that. Let the game do the talking and show it to your friends if you want to demonstrate what VR is about.
why take it out of VR?
It's designed for VR, all the mechanics, all the magics.... It's born with VR. why split it?
A platform game bring to VR doesn't mean it's also a great VR game.
A first person horror game bring to VR doesn't mean it's also a great VR horror game.
Thats not how game development normally works. If thats all the info anyone has to go off then it most likely took longer than that.
I got to 5-2 tonight. This is the most fun I've had with a game since I was a little kid. Everything about it makes me smile and it's so creative. I love the way it uses the touch pad. It works so well. I can't recommend this game enough to any PSVR owner. Everyone should experience this game. It's going to be one of those where I'm jealous when I see people talking about their first time through it. Amazing experience and hands down my game of the year right now.
Going from Playroom to Playroom VR to Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is great to see good talent get a shot at the big time for this small team within Japan Studio. Hope they continue to get the support for future PSVR games.
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The devs themselves stated that they began development after the positive reception to the playroom demo and people clamouring for a bigger game.
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Fantastic game and worthy of all of the praise it's been getting. Team ASOBI did a bang-up job and created one of the most charming and enjoyable show-pieces for the hardware yet. If they do a follow-up (pretty please), I'll be there day one!
I'm actually kind of envious of folks diving in with the Astro Bot and Moss bundle; two of my absolute favorite PSVR games so far.
I'm actually kind of envious of folks diving in with the Astro Bot and Moss bundle; two of my absolute favorite PSVR games so far.
Yeah it seems like a good game, but if you strap on your VR headset backwards it's barely a game to be quite honest.
I strongly disagree with the bolded part. You seem to imply that there isn't depth to the platforming because of the limited number of moves. That's like saying Mario before it went 3D wasn't a platformer worth writing home about because he didn't have as many moves as in 64. Yet it is not the number of moves but the possibilities they open up.
Let's take the hover jump, which often is compared to Mario Sunshine, also by you in your post. It actually is also an offensive move, but more importantly, it is like the shadows in two dimensional 3D platformers. Though a vertical shadow only can be seen once you're over the platform, the beam caused by the hover goes all the way down vertically, so in stereoscopic 3D it will give you a very precise visual cue how far you are from a platform you want to land on, even if it is much lower than you're currently hovering.
Astro Boy is more linear than 3D Mario, which puts it closer to 2D and hybrid 3D Mario (Land/World), but the depth of the 3D in Astro Bot makes for more complex platform arrangements, with large dynamics in all directions. It also reverses the Mario logic never jump on a spiked enemy, because thanks to the beam, you should jump over spikes (instead of punching them).
Let's also not forget the teamwork between 1st person player and 3rd person controlled robot. In flat games, we identify by controlling. Giving us more moves to perform, strengthens that bond of identification. But in VR, the bond is of a different nature. You don't have to give all the player options to the avatar, instead you can give some to the player themselves. You can actually create platforms yourself, at different heights. Or cut down bamboo to a certain height. Either way, the verticality of Astro Bot is much more nuanced than in flat 3D platformers.
You made it sound like Astro Bot is not that great a platformer but it is greatly enhanced by being in VR. I would say it isn't just enhanced by being in VR, it actually is one of the greatest platformers but could only be made in VR.
I understand that we are in agreement for the most part. But I feel it is worth pointing out that the only "possible in VR" dimension also does reflect in the mechanics.
Yeah that's pretty much exactly what I did say.
I do think that if they make a sequel, they will give some extra mobility options so that experienced players can reach areas or use skill to skip platforms etc that beginner players can't. Which would add replayability to levels.
As it is, it's design is a brilliant foundation to vr platforming, by using the player perspective in tandem with the control of the character, but it is basic as far as platforming goes.
You mention the original 2d super Mario bros games being invalid if it was all about having more moves for the character, but the fact is that even super Mario bros has areas, secrets and scores that are hidden from the player if they don't develop the skills of using all of Mario's abilities to their fullest. You can get to the flagpole just by walking and jumping, but if you don't hold the run button (most people don't even do that), kick koopa shells, or run and slide beneath blocks, you won't find all the secrets in a level. And that extra level of mastery is what has kept people coming back to those games for decades.
Please don't get me wrong, I do get all of the great things that astrobot does with its level design and interaction, but I do think that it could be built upon, that's all.
Can't agree more.
I too wish if we get a sequel, team Asobi can add a couple of new moves for Astro so we get more freedom to maneuver between platforms.
As for their first attempt, the complexity come from dualshock gadgets, which make Astro simple move set understandable, they don't want to make things too complex.
In fact, some of the challenge levels that require gadget kinda need you to multi task, which itself is complex enough.
Well deserved! It was a game that made me feel happy and warm. That's pretty rare nowadays :)
Astro Bot probably is the most fun I've had since Super Mario Galaxy and I consider that game the best game I have ever played.
I only wish it was hours longer, because I want more of this.
Astro Bot probably is the most fun I've had since Super Mario Galaxy and I consider that game the best game I have ever played.
I only wish it was hours longer, because I want more of this.
:lol
Just finished 5-2 yesterday, the game deserves all the praise, like, holy shit!
Astro Bot 2, Astro Bot World, or whatever it'll be called is going to be incredible on PS5, isn't it.
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