Welcome to this PSVR Game of the Year special. Unlike the regular Games of the Year countdown I am putting this out in one article. Because of this I will do my best to streamline my justifications for each game. First let’s start with a few honourable mentions that didn’t quite make the list.
Sprint Vector is a high energy racing game. You run, jump, climb, drift, and fly through levels against either AI or online. It really is a superb game hampered by one thing in my mind. The difficulty. I found the courses got a bit too difficult very quickly and I ended up more frustrated than entertained. If you can stick with it and master this game though you will not only have a blast but you will get a serious workout.
Wipeout Omega Collection is a game I wanted to mention here because the little I have played of it is really fun. It handles well and the graphics are good, but I just haven’t been able to dedicate the time to it to be able to justify giving it a spot in my Top 10.
Finally Accounting+ is a weird, funny and pretty stupid VR game. It isn’t particularly well made and is short, but one thing it does do is entertain you throughout. I recommend checking it out because it’s cheap and you are unlikely to have ever played anything like it. Just beware that despite it’s cartoon asethetic there is strong language so it may not be suitable for a younger audience.
So, with the honourable mentions out of the way it is now time to move on to the Top 10 PSVR Games of 2018. Enjoy!
Borderlands 2 VR totally surprised me. I thought we were going to get a basic port that had a minimal level of work put in to it, but instead we got a complete re-imagining of the 2012 smash hit! The game comes packed with a wealth of different movement options (I preferred the DS4 with full motion) and the aiming reticule was tracked by the centre of your vision. It feels like this game ghost released back at the beginning of December and if you did manage to miss it I highly recommend picking it up.
In Death is a game that came out of nowhere for me. I had no idea it even existed until a review code landed in my inbox. It is a roguelike bow shooter. Each time you start the world is procedurally generated and populated with three different enemy types. Archers, Knights and Zombies. The aim is to see how far you can get and when you die you’ll be given a score and a visual representation of how many kills you got. Then, you start again! This game can be played with the DS4 but is significantly better with move controllers.
This is a game that moved up and down my list a bunch of times during deliberations. Beat Saber is the best rhythm game I have ever played. The music created for the levels fit perfectly and each slash of your saber feels spot on. With two songs added since release and the promise that more are coming it is a game you will no doubt be playing when friends are over for years to come.
Creed is a late addition to the list. I didn’t pick it up until the Christmas PSN sale as I was cramming to have played all the prominent PSVR games before compiling this Top 10. Not only is Creed an excellent boxing simulation, but it is probably the best workout you can get on PSVR. The training drills and montages you can do work up a sweat real quick! Jessica jumped on with her fitness belt a few nights ago and managed to burn over 200 calories in 20mins. That was just playing through career mode as well. If you decided to focus solely on montages you could burn a lot more.
Tetris Effect is a difficult sell. It’s tetris… and it’s £35. It is however, bloody amazing. The way the screen comes to life and the music ramps up as you clear lines is almost hypnotic. It can be played without the headset but you lose a lot of the immersion. Tetsuya Mizuguchi has outdone himself again with this update to one of the most iconic and beloved games of all time. A full review for the game can be found here.
TO THE TOP is the closest thing we have to Mirrors Edge VR. It is basically a VR assault course where you have a start and a finish point. How you get to the finish is up to you and there are always multiple routes. Doing parkour in VR is such a cool experience and when you get the momentum down you can fly through levels in cool, unique ways. There are also leaderboards where you can pit yourself against the community to see who can get the best times.
Gun Club VR is the best pure shooter on PSVR. The accuracy with the move controllers is more precise than is any other game. The level of detail in the guns is also a standout feature. Many may be put off by the fact that you are shooting wooden cut outs rather than actual fully detailed enemies but the overall experience more than makes up for it. You even have a zombie horde mode that is a lot of fun. A full review for the game can be found here.
While not as precise a shooter as Gun Club VR, Firewall Zero Hour takes third spot because of the concept and gameplay. For those unaware, Firewall is basically Rainbow Six Siege in VR. A 4 v 4 online shooter where you take turns attacking and defending. It offers free movement, smooth turning and sports and impressive amount of customisation (once you level up enough) as well as 10 expertly designed maps. I normally hate playing online, especially shooters! But Firewall has me completely hooked.
Moss is an adorable game. Told like a fairytale, you play as a little mouse called Moss. The game is a platformer with some light combat and puzzle solving. You can interact with the world to allow Moss to progress and you come equipped with a sword to fend off enemies. This game completely sold me on third person VR when it released back in February. Moss is a system seller and one of those games you can show a non gamer and they will instantly see the appeal.
I picked up the PSVR on day one and while I have always been a massive advocate of the headset, it wasn’t until 2018 that I could truly say the headset had a library that made it can’t miss. Astro Bot Rescue Mission is not only the best PSVR game of 2018, it is the best game I have ever played in VR. Play the first few levels and you will be amazed at how well a Mario style platformer works in virtual reality, but when you reach the third and fourth worlds the game just finds a whole new level.
In truth, if I hadn’t decided to split the PSVR games into their own list Astro Bot may have beaten out Red Dead Redemption 2 for overall Game of the Year. That’s how good it is. While similar to Moss, Astro Bot takes the top spot because it is a much longer experience that not only has boss fights, but locating a collectible in each level unlocks a unique challenge level.
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So there you have it. The Top 10 PSVR Game of 2018. If for any reason you are reading this and do not already own the headset I urge you to pick one up. They are now almost half the price they were at launch and I can honestly say if I didn’t own one just now I would happily pay launch price again tomorrow to have access to these incredible games.
Get in touch via the comments or on Twitter @PureDeadGaming and let me know what you think of this PSVR list. Is there anything missing that you think should have been in contention? What are you most looking forward to in 2019? For me it would be Blood & Truth. For now, take care everyone and happy gaming!
-Craig ✌️