Have you seen those VR experiences that are everywhere? I have. Until recently, I had never set foot in one. Like the escape room, it seemed to me like an expensive night out—an activity that seemed a bit redundant given the plethora of personal VR headsets on the market. But after playing Space Marine VR: Defender of AvalaxVR experience company’s latest game with zero lag, I get it. I finally understand the appeal of this adventure (even if I still have reservations from a price and replayability perspective).
But first, what is Space Marine VR? Well, it’s an officially licensed Warhammer VR game, made in partnership with Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive, the developer and publisher of Starfighter 2. There’s no mistaking the launch now, with the game relying heavily on the newfound Starfighter 2 hype exploding all around us. This game isn’t Starfighter 2, but it’s a lot more fun than laser tag or hunting for keys in the dark in some town center escape room above your local Wetherspoon.
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Games last about 30-40 minutes each, and you (along with up to seven other people) put on a VR headset, grab a clunky plastic gun, and walk into a giant empty room. After a brief calibration, boom! You play as an Ultramarine, tasked with protecting a holy artifact and taking it out of the world in a fierce conflict with Tyranid forces.
Essentially, the experience is a series of stages in which you must survive waves of Tyranids alongside your gang. Infantry, warriors, gargoyles, and even a massive final boss fight will stand in the way of your sweet victory. By default, your gun is a bolter. You’ll get a grenade launcher attachment that you can fire via a dedicated button, as well as use a variety of special weapons scattered throughout the game. As you may already know, these weapons follow the path of a real gun in your actual hands, so the game is essentially a 30-minute shoot, run, shoot, and run game. War machine, eat your heart out.
Actually, it’s pretty fun! I was at a trade show with a bunch of other writers, social media influencers, and tech leaders in town. As the only professional games journalist out there, I worked hard to get high scores (indicated by a nifty little iron halo above your avatar), and I’m proud to say that I actually did it. Rushing around, hearing Instagram stars scream as they are surrounded by bugs, and watching three people get charged and murdered simultaneously in the final battle is an undeniable laugh.
Now, I’m still impressed by VR on a basic level. Most of the models are solid: very solid (although I did laugh at the motionless guard in the game’s opening section). While the Tyranid are very good at navigating the environment and slapping you around, they can sometimes get stuck on iron bars and walls, etc. Not enough to put you off the game, but it’s a fun little aside for those paying close attention.
I will also say that the game really takes advantage of the large size of the room you’re playing in. The survival portion takes place in these open, defensible locations, so you and your companions can spread out and cover different angles. At one point, our group even split into two, with one group turning on the generator while the other group had to keep going before they could regroup. This trip gave me a lot of opportunities to actually observe the environment outside of combat, and I have to say, it was awesome to wander around a very faithfully created 40K Forge world.
Space Marine VR also has its fair share of little perks, including a hardcore mode that makes everything more difficult and disables auto-reloading, and slow-motion action during tense battles where you have to take out a horde of Tyranids in a limited amount of time. stage. time. It felt great and I was sweating by the time I took the headphones off. Now, I’m a grown man, yes, but it was a real heartbreaker. You put down your headphones and gun and head straight to the bar.
With that said, let’s talk about various aspects of Space Marine VR external The game itself. Zero Latency has over 100 locations around the world, and when speaking with a staff member at the preview, I was told they were aiming for around 150. So while your VR business might do well with zero latency, you might want to check to see if anyone is actually near you.
What about the price? Sessions for zero-lag gaming range from $30 to $70 per person, depending on how much you want to play. You can also reserve a space for a set period of time as part of a work event, birthday, etc. Now, that’s a lot of money. Especially now, everyone is frugal. Am I personally capable of taking such a risk outside of a job preview setting? On special occasions only! For me, Starfighter VR is like a cinematic journey in my head. That’s totally fine, just remember this when you go there, you play the game once or twice, try to get a high score, grab a beer or five from the bar, and then stumble back home with your friends. When it comes to value, your miles can be very valuable.
Should you play Starfighter VR? Yes, absolutely, if you have some friends who are into Warhammer and are craving a night out. It’s a carnival. I’m not saying I’m going to spend hundreds of dollars on a VR headset, but I’m going to start introducing my friends to VR experiences like Space Marine VR, Because Space Marine VR.
In my opinion, this is a warm compliment. Space Marine VR sold me the entire package – so give it a try if you have the money.
This article was written during a Zero Latency press conference, with travel and accommodation provided by the company.
