Road to VR

Against expectations, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City turns out to be a genuinely great VR beat ’em up, not just fan service for longtime Turtle disciples. Cortopia Studios delivers fast, flexible combat, light RPG progression, and a strong comic-book presentation that punches well above its price point. It’s not without some padding and design quirks, but the core experience is energetic, accessible, and totally radical. Possibly tubular.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow does an admirable job of translating the storied series into VR for the first time. While it does suffer from some stumbling blocks that tarnish an otherwise golden example of VR-native design, the latter half of the game seems to tread water, offering up reused levels and an ending that probably won't work for anyone.

Deadpool VR isn't some cheap knockoff: this is the real deal, thanks to expert voice acting from Neil Patrick Harris and phenomenal script writing to match. While combat can be somewhat repetitive, the level of gameplay variation always keeps you guessing, even if the narrative is on the tropey and mostly dispensable side. Despite it flaws, the merc with a mouth makes any dull spot that much more fun and engaging.

Reach is a fun game with generally great VR fundamentals. But a few odd choices to the game's overall design keep it from reaching its full potential. While the game's running and jumping movement feels great overall, it unfortunately doesn't synergize well with the combat. Combat itself is fun but doesn't evolve enough over the course of the game. And while Reach is mostly comfortable, a few key areas of the game involving rotating puzzles are likely to make a significant number of players feel uneasy or outright uncomfortable.

Star Wars: Beyond Victory - A Mixed Reality Playset has the production value of some of ILM's greatest virtual reality games, but seems to fumble with the reason for why it actually needs mixed reality in the first place. While a two-hour story mode nails the Star Wars feel and packs emotional punch in VR, its limited MR gameplay keeps it from reaching lightspeed.

We were hoping Titan Isles would have evolved the Windlands 2 formula, which expertly balanced exploration via grappling hook-based parkour and immersive shooting mechanics to awesome effect. Instead, the game veers hard into arcade 'bullet hell' territory, which has cheapened some of the magic at the expense of more baddies and bigger bosses. Still, a mature locomotion system places Titan Isles as one of the most competent bullet hell-style shooters out there, although distinctly one that is no more than the sum of its parts.

Zombie Army VR faithfully brings the storied franchise to VR for the first time, serving up enough zombies to shake a Tommy gun at. There are less zombies than you'd think, but good enough variety to keep you on your toes. While the game makes an honest effort at translating the franchise to VR, its pacing in the later levels pushes the boundaries of immersive actions, revealing its flatscreen roots. While zombies are fun to go 'splat', boss battles left a lot on the table, feeling more like same-y summoner types that would let the zombie minions do all the work.

The Midnight Walk is visually distinct and creates effective contrast between a Burtonesque 'grotesque' style and small moments of beauty thanks to strong lighting and composition. It's nice that players are given the option to experience the game's unique world up close and personal in VR. But beyond being a very cool immersive tour of someone's artwork, the basic gameplay doesn't feel particularly native to VR and the poetic narrative didn't resonate with me in a meaningful way. This walk might not be for everyone, but inside the headset is the best way to experience it if you love the style.

Alien: Rogue Incursion is the first VR-native game in the Aliens franchise, blending action-packed combat and exploration with an authentic cinematic atmosphere. While its intense encounters and immersive environments shine, the repetitive alien battles and punishing save system can dampen the overall experience.

Skydance's Behemoth combines satisfying physics-based combat, immersive visuals, and dynamic mechanics to deliver a standout VR action-adventure experience, though its predictable story and occasionally artificial-feeling AI detract slightly from its otherwise polished execution. The game's intense Behemoth battles and well-woven locomotion mechanics combine for an impressive showcase of how a deft hand at VR-native design can elevate even mediocre narratives to monstrous heights.