VR Games
Midsommer Faire is a fairly generic medieval fantasy game, loosely based on a number of older fantasy tropes. It was the first game introduced with the Better Be VR system, and is currently on its third expansion - which, to be fair, is still mostly about fighting goblins and orcs. It's pretty, at least, and easy for newcomers to catch on, with a lot of extras for buying a house and decorating, which pulls in some of the less action-hunting gamers. That's likely the reason it's the most popular of the games.
Called "Eve Online if it were set in the age of sail" by the media, and lovingly referred to as a "pirate-themed sailing simulator", Powder & Sword is a massive game with realistic sailing, spectacular storms, and stunning scenery. While it's entirely possible for a player to sail off on their own, many players opt to throw together as crews of larger ships, and prey on (or defend!) the various NPCs traveling about the faux-Caribbean. The world is so massive that players have barely uncovered a fraction of it - especially since some areas are only unlocked during certain weather conditions, and the weather is (mostly) sync'd to real-world conditions. There have been three updates to the game, though with little impact on play - while storylines have advanced slightly, it's such a huge world, it's taking some time to advance. Even so, a few players have had a run-in with the dread pirate Captain Scar and his ruthless crew, though few (if any!) have survived the encounter.
Trenchcoats, Tommy guns, and odd nicknames rule this mob-era game, set in the 1930s. Players can choose to be part of a gang or a down-on-his-luck gumshoe detective, walking the rainy streets of the Big Ugly. Often quite introspective and thoughtful, the game is nonetheless well acquainted with violence. Gang wars, police raids, and thugs looking for a quick buck are a dime a dozen. There's an overall mystery for the characters to solve, which reportedly sets off the next big storyline - who killed Big Tiny?
A slow-burn "cowboy horror", with good guys and bad guys on both sides of a western US turf war, Vulture's Feast has had a sudden upswing in popularity after the most recent release. What used to be a fairly placid "Wild West" game of six-shooters and cows has become a tense standoff between the various factions, as an evil blight has infected the land. While it's still possible to set up a ranch or farm and live an idyllic life, there is an increasing threat of monsters that lurk in the badlands, and an incursion of true evil into the rail and land wars.
Space Marines III is a "100 years later" reboot of the popular Space Marines series, which like many games and movies is the fifth game produced, and technically a sequel to the critically panned movie. The first game, Space Marines, was a basic first person shooter produced in the early 2000s, and the sequel Space Marines: Lost Colony was Game of the Year in 2005, renowned for its gripping storyline. Space Marines II was originally a dud, but the first update turned it into a magnificent online space shooter. The company turned away from its fans with the release of Space Marines: Righteous War, killing off a favorite character and ruining several long-running plots. The movie, Space Marines: Justice For Awl was a complete failure, and was under investigation for fraud. Now that the series has been picked up by Better Be, it looks like the game has returned to its roots: fast-paced action, lame jokes, and likeable side characters.
A brightly-colored, over-the-top superhero game, with a huge selection of custom powers, based around the "Freedom Force Organization", a loose collection of powerful heroes that hire the players to do various heroic jobs. While the NPCs are probably the least believable "people" in any of the games, the game is less about forming meaningful relationships, and more about punching villains.
A newer game, with a very dark undertone, "The Darkness That Lurks Beneath" - or just "Darkness Beneath" - is strictly a horror game. It has a small but loyal fanbase of players, and some fairly impressive honors, such as "Best Soundtrack" - no small feat in VR. The haunting ambiance uses nearby radios, store speakers, and "live bands" to add a truly inspired level of music to the game. Bosses are designed to be unbeatable, and are made to be outsmarted, rather than shot, beaten up, or otherwise destroyed. That said, a handful of the tougher monsters can be killed, usually through direct action by a number of players. Unlike the other VR games, in many areas, players cannot interact with others - they must walk alone through deserted streets, stalked by creatures of nightmares - no, not those nightmares. The really bad ones.
A brand new game - in fact, so new that many features of the game are still in alpha stages. It's a mashup up every single game out there, with the ability to create your own levels and share them with others. It's unbalanced, unhinged, and frankly a nightmare to play - it's anyone's guess as to why it exists at all. So far, not many players have access to it, but there are already countless homebrew "levels" to play.
