What a pleasant surprise Vertigo 2 has turned out to be. Waking up in a cell, held captive by the omnipotent — and possibly sinister — Brian, you are eventually let loose to explore a massive scientific facility housing a quantum reactor. The similarities to Half-Life are striking and immediate, but dev Zulubo hasn’t shied away from this, and the results are spectacular.
Environments are varied, but again, lean into the look of Half-Life. You have plenty of office cubicle areas evoking Black Mesa, but you’ll also see dangerous industrial areas, and even lush, tropical alien environments. Something for everyone, then. The game does a phenomenal job of bouncing you between different settings briskly, allowing everything to feel fresh at all times.
Fun environments are great, but what if there’s nothing fun to do within them? Well, rest assured, Vertigo 2 offers plenty of fun. The gunplay feels great, with phenomenal tracking and a wide array of armaments. Individual weapons have a weightiness to them that makes wielding them feel deadly. While the starting pistol is rather dreadful, everything that bolsters your arsenal afterward is a noticeable improvement. You’ll get standard stuff like a shotgun or assault rifle, as well as more adventurous things if you can locate all the secret weapons. Acquiring these is much more involved, usually requiring a sequence of puzzles to unlock. Each weapon also has an upgrade tree, so if you find you don’t like a certain weapon, you can beef it up until it’s more to your liking.
The writing is fun too, though the sound design can often undercut things by blaring over the top of dialogue on default settings. We missed some jokes early on before making corrections. It's great that the title is so fun though, because it also happens to be quite a bit longer than we’ve grown accustomed to with VR titles. Clocking in at nearly 10 hours, Vertigo 2 is a PSVR2 must-play. This is achieved through a combination of great gameplay, fun, often insane boss fights, a playful tone, and oh so much more.
Comments 43
I am waiting to see the Steam VR 2 before trying PSVR2.
This looked incredible from the first trailer and I cannot wait to play. It's the kind of game I bought my PSVR2 for and am so glad to see it's great on the system.
A clear must play from previous releases. Could have looked a bit better by making better use of eye tracked FR but it’s a one man dev I believe, and what he’s achieved is incredible. Won’t get to it for a while as I’m still playing through RE4 VR and some other VR games I bought cheaply in the recent sale, but I’ll buy full price at release to support.
@Triumph741 fascinating.....back to the game. Looks like a great job done on the PSVR2 version, good news. Does this game have NG+ or replay value?
@thefourfoldroot1 Thank the lord for these indie devs otherwise PSVR2 would be really struggling. I know it's never going to be a mainstream platform but, Sony really need to show some first party attention at some point otherwise I'm worried.
>Basically Half-Life 1 in VR
Thats a bold statement, bold statement indeed.
@__jamiie
Meh.
Support in terms of first party games isn’t essential (well, in fact, flat first party games that push adoption of PS5 technically increases the potential customers for VR2 so does help, but this is beside the point).
Sure GT7 is phenomenal, but the main support Sony need to provide is to help all devs convert their games to VR easily with relevant tools and external support. Hybrid games is what will push VR2 forward (I guess GT7 is also an example of that, as are the Resi games, which are clearly by far best played in VR).
@riceNpea I'm, pretty sure one of the Youtubers mentioned there's a NG+ in one of their previews, but I've seen a few and can't remember which one. They also mentioned there's different ways of completing levels on another playthrough.
I've had the first game sitting on my Steam installed list for a while now and never got around to actually giving it a shot, but really cool to hear the second game be really good.
@Gooseman42 good to know because 10 hours isn't enough for me, I'd like to get more gametime out of it.
After I finish Arizona sunshine 2 this will be my next vr2 experience (if I can stop playing gt7). It's had great reviews across the board! With this and bulletstorm it's a decent month for the platform.
Good review and I'm glad it appears to be great especially after the recent albeit short delays.
@riceNpea I recall hearing on the PSVR without parole channel that there is replay value through the use of gameplay modifiers etc.. but I cannot remember if they mentioned NG+
Also I think they mentioned User Generated levels although I don't know whether that feature is still in early access (on PC) or whether that will even make its way to the PSVR2 version.
I'm sure all will be revealed in the coming days.
PS A physical version is also on the way if anyone is interested.
Further to my comment about NG+
I've just googled it and there is, on the PC version at least but I dare say it made it to the psvr2 version.
@thefourfoldroot1 But Sony are doing nothing. Are they helping devs convert their games to VR2? No. Are they showing any first party games? No. Are they giving any info on any plans they have to people who bought the headset? No.
Yet they're still happy to charge £530 for the privilege of nothing from them.
I love my PSVR2 but I'm entitled to know if Sony are going "do another Vita".
@thefourfoldroot1 completely agree, hybrid games are the way. A triple A VR game has just not proven feasible for big studios (look at EA with MoH and Insomniac with their Rift titles) there's no money in it compared to flat games, so they pull out. With hybrids they can have their cake and eat it, and VR players reap the rewards.
@__jamiie umm who do you think paid for Capcom to convert RE:V and RE4 to VR? The studio didn't do it out the kindness of their hearts. I agree, I wish they'd be more transparent about the VR roadmap, but i can say that about their console roadmap too. To say their doing absoltelty nothing is a stretch, VR is a small market, wins like getting the best PCVR game of 2023 as a console exclusive is a reason to celebrate not complain.
@CaptD thank you for the info
@ThorsHammer Are you saying that Sony paid Capcom to create VR modes for their RE games? I must have missed that story.
I say that Sony seem to be doing nothing to support VR2 because of their absolute radio silence and complete lack of any plans. Your argument is that Sony are doing things because an amazing indie, PCVR game is being released on the headset.
@__jamiie yes that's what I'm saying, they have paid Capcom to bring 2 RE titles within 1 year, exclusively to the headset in free modes, how do think business transactions work? Why is it not on any other platforms? Sony pays for that exclusivity. I'm in agreement, Sony aren't sharing any plans about VR, but if you hadn't noticed, they aren't about their flat games either. What outside Wolverine have they offcially revealed about the PS5 firstparty lineup? It's a frustrating stragedy, but it's a general company one, it's not exclusive to their headset. And no, my argument is not that Sony are doing amazing things cause they brought Vertigo 2 to the headset...I'm saying cheer up, stop complaining and enjoy the game.
@ThorsHammer Couldn't have said it better. Sony has spent millions developing and supporting this amazing platform that is not all that lucrative, and all people seem to do is complain about it. So tiring. Entitlement might just be the plague of the century.
I'm not saying Sony is doing any charity, but people need to see PSVR2 for what it actually is.
@riceNpea Once you complete the campaign there are 3 additional characters you can then play through with, all with unique abilities that will encourage you to change your playstyle as a result.
@riceNpea If you like the core gameplay, there's absolutely enough to push more than 10 hours out of the title. And yeah, there is a new game+!
@species It borrows from the best very heavily, and it's not shy about it, but all of the VR games I've played this is by far the closest to recreating the experience of playing that first Half-Life , just in VR!
@riceNpea Replay value would depend on how much you wind up liking the core gameplay loop, but if you do, I'd say quite a bit. The secret weapons are for the most part super worth seeking out, and I believe at least one of them requires more than 1 full playthrough, so it's worth it there! And yes, there's a NG+!
@thefourfoldroot1 Usage of some foveated rendering would absolutely have been welcome, but it's definitely still one of the better looking titles on the headest! Some absolutely gigantic environments in there too!
@CaptD The delays were odd, I'm still on marginally clear on what the errors were. I',m super appreciative of the fact they were so determined to bug quash their game they delayed it last minute, but I never actually encountered any bugs, so I'm still not clear on what the issues with the game were haha!
Hoping I receive my Globular Cluster order before this drops.
@NeonPizza I’ve been reading about the UEVR that lets you turn just about any Unreal Engine game into a VR game. There’s a nice article on it at PushSquare’s sister site Eurogamer.
@NeonPizza
It would have been nice if PSVR2 had pancake lenses, just for the better edge clarity, but other than that I’ve found the opposite to you, it dumps all over quest 3 in terms of visuals. Not only, as you say, does it have a better light/dark range, is less washed out, and has much more vibrant colours, but it’s pushing a level of visual detail orders of magnitude higher than the quest 3’s mobile chip can produce. I recently had the opportunity to compare Arizona Sunshine 2 on both and, although I was pretty amazed at what the little quest chip could do on its own, coming to it straight after the PSVR2 version showed just how compromised Quest 3 games need to be. And that is one of the best Quest 3 ports.
I do agree that outside of gaming, PSVR2 needs a lot more though. Why can I still not play my 3D movies!
I’m also currently playing through Resi 4 on PSVR2. About 15 hrs in and on my second playthrough. One of the best gaming experiences of my life too, and I’ve been gaming heavily for nearly 35 years.
This is the first I’ve heard of this game. Sounds great. My next VR game is Arizona 2 but after that I’m down for this. Thank you please
HL Alyx soon please.
Great news and available in a physical copy too, win win
@NeonPizza
Horses for courses I guess. Most Quest 3 games still have PS2 level textures and lighting and most games look poor to me, not to mention the low compute levels and limited run time; but I’d still love it if I didn’t have a better headset so not trying to hate.
I just don’t care about many of the things you do is all. Wire? I only play seated so no problem; Fitting? I can do it instinctively now, it just took a bit more practice; controllers? They are the best due to the haptics and feedback triggers which, whilst severely underutilised in flat gaming, are incredibly well suited to VR controllers. If a game is designed correctly the rings will never be an issue (some games have manual reloads that can make them difficult but, as you know, something like Resi4 does it flawlessly).
@thefourfoldroot1 No hybrid games only benefit people who already have PSVR2. They are essentially the same as multiplatform games since people don’t need the PSVR2 to play the games. What it really needs is true exclusives, not playable on any system other than with the headset. PSVR2 needs to be treated as a brand new console rather than just a peripheral for the PS5 and every new console is bought for its exclusives.
If the PSVR2 doesn’t have any must play games that can only be played in VR then the adoption rate is going to stagnate hard, which I think it already has. It has been almost 11 months since the headset released and Sony has yet to announce the PSVR2 has sold over a million units and Sony ALWAYS announces when one of their consoles/peripherals breaks a million mile stone. To put that in perspective the first PSVR sold over a million headsets in about 5 months and this was announced by Sony as soon as it happened. Even the announcement of the PSVR2 selling 150k more than the first headset in the first six week period included a graph showing most of those sales were in the first two weeks with the following four plateauing fast.
Look I am not trying to trash talk the PSVR2. I bought it day one and put over 200 hours into using it last year which was the most I played games. For it to survive and Sony to continue with VR development the headset needs a 100% exclusive game that can only be played using the PSVR2 in that makes people go “dude you have to play this game!” Every major Sony console has had at least one exclusive like that and the only one that didn’t was the Vita, and we don’t want the PSVR2 to have that type of life cycle.
@PloverNutter
I just disagree. Hybrid games as standard will massively improve the length and graphical fidelity of VR games. I understand you think that people just won’t play them if they are also available flat but I have a different view. It will mean people will have dozens and dozens of games already waiting for them to buy a VR headset to experience them in spatial 3D, to scale. Once someone plays a GT7 or Resi Village in VR just once, they will salivate at being able to play all their games fully immersed. They will tell all their friends they must play this game IN VR and everyone will have a very easy like for like comparison showing why VR is superior to flat in most genres.
Stoked to see a VR game get more than 7/10 on PS, must be epic!
@thefourfoldroot1 100% this. All of the hybrid games (incl RE4) I've held off playing until I could play in VR due to the superior immersion.
Being able to play in VR is transformative and brings the promised land of AAA quality to the headset as the financial prospects of a studio aren't limited to only VR sales.
Another good month for PSVR 2! Vertigo 2, Ultrawings 2 and Bulletstorm VR will keep me playing 'till my eyes bleed!
"Basically Half-Life 1 in VR"
Sold
@thefourfoldroot1 those games available across both have become some of my favourites, GT7 is phenomenal in VR and I can't play it on the TV now, same for No Man's Sky and I suspect RE4 once I learn to reload in a hurry 😂
@NeonPizza
Sounds like a lousy system, to be honest. Are you an owner because of the adult entertainment?
I am adding the Irony Attached-edit. Have you tried Asgard 2 or whatever the name is?
I like the sound of this review. I am wondering which is best Vertigo 2, Synapse or Arizona 2... hmm
.
I'm excited to play, but as I do with most games these days, I'll wait a couple of months for patches.
I don't really suffer VR sickness. Just a tiny bit of discomfort in my head after an extended GT7 session. That slight headache is what I understood "VR sickness" to be.
Until I played Hubris..... That was catastrophic, where I thought my insides were going to explode from both ends of my digestive tract and I had to lay down in a dark room for hours.
Just watching video reviews of this game makes me feel sick and brings back horrifying memories. Maybe it's fine in reality and nothing like Hubris.... But maybe I'm better off with slower RE8/4 type action.
@EfYI I haven't played A.S.2, but I did review Synapse as well, and between those 2, I think Vertigo 2 is the better game. Synapse has incredible gameplay, but it's roguelite with no replay value. Honestly I think one playthrough of Vertigo 2 is more gameplay value than the entire time I spent with Synapse, good as some parts of that game may have been!
@SgtTruth I didn't get the slightest twinge of VR sickness at any point while I was playing. And I had a couple reallllly long play-sessions with this one too haha. I was glued to it! I don't get motion/VR sick either, unless a game is incredibly poorly optimized. Might be worth waiting for a sale if you do wanna play it but are nervous about VR sickness. Or if you don't really want to wait, could just fiddle around with the comfort settings before starting. I've seen more robust comfort options elsewhere, but I've seen worse too haha
Sorry if I missed it in the article, but any reason it’s not available on US Amazon?
Was hoping to get a physical copy. I see it on the UK Amazon
I'm blown away, several minutes into play, amazing. Horizon in VR is fantastic, this so far seems even better. Here is a 50 years old gamer and this is a new experience.
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