Summary
As video games have become more technically advanced, ‘immersion’ has emerged as a big marketing buzzword, with companies promising players they will feel as if they’re living within these game worlds. While a television or monitor can display developers' hard work, they can’t transport us into an experience the same wayvirtual realitycan.
Headsets seem like the answer to the ultimate gamer fantasy: what if I could beinsidethe game I’m playing? Virtual reality platforms have been around for many years and have granted players the ability to interact with some of their favorite worlds. However, there are still plenty of great series begging to be adapted into VR.
Far Cry
“Do You Know The Definition Of Insanity?”
The allure of each Far Cry game is entering a brand new exotic location and fighting a charismatic villain. In many ways, the setting of each entry is intended to be a character, and your relationship with the land and its people develops over the games' narrative.
This makes it a perfect candidate for a VR adaptation. Not only can you experience a beautiful location in a full 360 degrees, but you may also directly interact with the environment, witnessing how your actions influence the game world around you. Far Cry wouldn’t be the hardest series to bring into VR given that it’s already played in first-person, making mechanics like shooting immediately understandable and transferable. Survival gameplay could also be added into the mix, further immersing players in the series' dangerous atmosphere.
Dynasty Warriors
The Ultimate Power Fantasy
Dynasty Warriors might seem like a rather off-the-wall pick for a virtual reality adaptation, but when you consider the core tenets of the series, it would make for a fantastic experience. Dynasty Warriors and its many spin-offs have always been about creating the ultimate power fantasy, and this could transition perfectly into a VR setting.
The game would play similarly to Blade and Sorcery but with Omega Force’s signature style slapped on top. Instead of taking on a few enemies at a time, you’d face large crowds, and each swing of your blade would cleave through all of them. Players would be able to inhabit the battlefield carnage of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, but this time, they would create their own legend instead of playing as historical figures. This could have them participating in famous battles, or even change their outcomes entirely in their quest to unify China.
Helldivers
Space Marine Roleplay
Helldivers has proven to be a massive hit, allowing players to become a space marine and exterminate hostile threats to the mighty Super Earth. Some have even taken to role-playing in online games, embracing the violence and hilarity that often comes from the Helldivers' frantic missions. It’s this particular group of gamers that a VR experience would cater to perfectly.
The goal of role-playing in a game like Helldivers is to make everyone in the party feel like they’re authentically existing in the world’s fiction. In VR, many of those goals are achieved naturally, since the platform inherently places you within the game itself. Not only would it be thrilling to step onto alien worlds, but you’d also be able to blast bugs and automatons in first-person. The hijinks found in each match will also be heightened, as every mistake your party makes will directly affect those around you.
Death Stranding
Enhancing Kojima’s Vision
When Death Stranding was first released, it was pejoratively dubbed a “walking simulator” due to its focus on transporting packages long distances by foot. While it was certainly interesting to see a renowned developer take a big creative swing, many found the gameplay to be less than engaging. However, Kojima’s vision may be perfectly suited for headsets.
One of the biggest draws of virtual reality is the act of being transported to a space that doesn’t match your immediate surroundings. Death Stranding’s environments are gorgeous, and could create interest in a VR version by themselves. However, the game also has more to say, with Kojima wanting his fans to contemplate and understand why Sam’s journeys were as arduous as they were. In a headset, players would be placed directly into Sam’s shoes, forcing them to grapple with the game’s themes on a deeper level than they had previously.
Final Fantasy
Paying Homage To The Classics
Final Fantasy has dipped its toe into the virtual reality pond before with Final Fantasy 15’s Monster of the Deep, but that was just a fishing title meant to supplement the greater universe of 15. There have been no efforts to get another project off the ground in line with the gameplay of mainline titles. However, by returning to the series' roots, Square could craft an incredibly compelling RPG for headsets.
VR games are generally designed with minimal movement in mind, as developers don’t want players to be too motion-sick to actually play their games. While the most recent Final Fantasy games have skewed further and further toward real-time action, the earliest entries featured turn-based combat. A return to this style would be perfect for virtual reality, preventing gamers from getting sick while also being faithful to the series' legacy.
Silent Hill
Psychological Horror Reinvented
It’s no secret that Konami has been a controversial steward of the Silent Hill IP, and so many might look at the idea of a VR game set in the iconic town as a disaster waiting to happen. It’s fair to be skeptical, but the unique opportunities afforded to developers in VR could create an amazing Silent Hill game, assuming they’re given the necessary time and budget.
The horror genre is well established in the virtual reality space but is largely reliant on jump scares and similar tricks to terrify players. Silent Hill takes a different approach, opting to unsettle players through implication and playing with their minds. A VR title could take this design ethos to the extreme, subtly changing aspects of the environment and making use of myriad sound queues. If Konami and whomever they chose to hire managed to capture the series' trademark psychological horror, the game could be a masterpiece.
Cyberpunk
Step Into Night City
Despite its controversial launch, Cyberpunk has managed to cultivate an incredibly loyal fan base. Millions of players have jumped into the world of Night City, living out their dreams as rebellious street kids or evil corporate suits. A VR entry would offer further immersion and allow players to inhabit the dystopian science fiction world themselves.
As a series inherently tied to technology and the ways it can alter humans, Cyberpunk has a lot of unique ways it can use virtual reality hardware. The braindance sequences could now be even more impressive, as you’d be transported directly into the other person’s experiences. Traditional HUD elements can be built into parts of your body, and you could use your cybernetic enhancements to interface with people and the world around you.
Star Wars Racer
Now This Is Podracing!
There are many aspects of the Star Wars franchise that avid fans would love to experience, but few are as easily transferable to video games as podracing. Originally introduced in 1999’s Episode 1, the sport was immediately turned into a tie-in to coincide with the release of the movie and earned a sequel in 2002, Star Wars Racer Revenge. Now with VR headsets, players could pilot podracers themselves.
Virtual reality fits the Star Wars Racer concept like a glove. As exhilarating as racing games can be, the ability to communicate speed to the player is limited by the fact that it’s being displayed on a screen. In VR, gamers could experience the true speed of podracing with unrivaled authenticity. Controlling pods would likewise be able to pay homage to the source material, with players using lore-accurate instruments and steering to win races.
