Of all the virtual reality games that have so far been revealed, EVE: Valkyrie really is the poster child. It was one of the first announced, has been designed with VR exclusively in mind, and its setting is just about the ideal one for such the medium.
Though still set in the Eve universe, one of the longest standing MMOs with a uniquely player-led form that has established itself over the last twelve years, this is a standalone experience. It drops you into the cockpit of a star fighter heading out on patrol amongst your fleet of ships.
Instantly, there’s the overtones of the classics of the genre, from TIE Fighter to Wing Commander. Having placed the Oculus Rift on your head – or a Morpheus, with the game planned for PS4 release as well – and picked up a controller, your working day starts in a launch tube before being hurled out into the void with a magnetic catapult. It’s particularly reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica, as you’re sent flying at high speed into space and Katee Sackhoff – AKA Starbuck for Battlestar Galactica fans – comes in over the intercom to lead you through the patrol.
Of course, it all goes pear-shaped. An enemy fleet drops into the system and you find yourself in a pitched battle for survival, let alone victory. It’s fast, furious and exhilarating, but it’s also impossible to keep track of all the action and how the battle is faring. I’m essentially just haring after the first target I see, using their red trails to keep track of roughly where they are, before getting them in my sights and squeezing the trigger.
It’s here that the VR shines, as rather than having my view locked straight ahead of me, I was moving my head around to spot enemies above and to either side of me. It puts you completely inside and environment and doesn’t just give you a tiny window through which to look. I could look down and see “my” hands grasping the flight sticks, lean forwards to get closer to the controls, and so on.
It goes beyond that though, giving you capabilities not too dissimilar to those that modern fighter jet pilots have in the latest military aircraft. Sure, we’ve had heads up displays in games for decades, outlining where enemy craft are, but the head tracking at work in the headset allows you to aim and lock on with your ship’s missiles. It’s simple, fun and empowering all at the same time, as you weave your way towards one target after another, taking them down in quick succession.
Then you just die. A huge spherical weapon drops into the system before unleashing an unimaginably huge beam of energy at the ships in your fleet, with you ending up caught in the cataclysmic explosion one way or another. Your cockpit window shatters, and you’re exposed to the near absolute zero temperatures of space, killing you in a matter of seconds as Katee Sackhoff’s character signs off. Nobody said being a fighter pilot would last very long…
Valkyrie has evolved a great deal since it was first unveiled back in 2013, but with this demo, which was originally shown at the Eve Fanfest earlier this year, CCP have solidified the foundations for where the game will eventually end up. It’s still just a short demo with a minimum of exposition before dropping you into a manic dogfight, and without a grander sense of what your fleet is trying to achieve or any clear sense of objective other than to shoot things. There is a story to be told, of mercenaries, pirates and cloned fighter pilots, but this will all be fleshed out and expanded on for the final game. Up until quite recently, it’s just been vital for CCP to get the fundamentals to feel as good as they possibly could.
Right now, Eve: Valkyrie is very much deserving of its status as the preeminent VR gaming experience. There are other VR games already out there, whether it’s the support for Oculus Rift Dev kits in Elite: Dangerous or the likes of Project Cars, and there are countless developers which plan to add support at the full launch of these systems, but by being exclusively VR focussed, Eve: Valkyrie could easily be the system seller, as it were, and the game that convinces people of VR’s potential.
ron_mcphatty
Wow, okay I’ve changed my mind about Trackmania being the most exciting VR game for me, this looks bloody incredible. Loving the number pus VR articles this week, if the next What We Played doesn’t have a cringeworthy VR relates subtitle I’ll be bitterly disappointed!
camdaz
If I hadn’t already decided to get a VR headset this would’ve made my mind up, it looks brilliant and can’t wait to give it a go. Roll on Project Morpheus’s release day!
Lieutenant Fatman
This does look pretty incredible, and I want to play it. But it will take more than one system seller to get me on board with VR.
misstroywithers
that is what a system seller is.
Lieutenant Fatman
Not sure what your point is.
Amphlett
This looks very exciting though the render of Eve:Valkyrie on the Morpheus promotion video looks decidedly lower definition. If Sony can get Morpheus out next year as they, according to their website, and manage to ensure that the PS4 Camera and the glowy ball stick things (I refuse to use their correct name) are not necessary, then I’m in.
misstroywithers
The camera will be necessary to track the headset, but this game will track the DS4 not Move controllers
Stefan L
The Morpheus has a number of light strips on it and does require the camera for accurate positional tracking, which is a key part of convincing your brain that what your eyes are seeing is true to your real life motion.
However, beyond that, it’s all down to the developer. They can decide whether a DualShock 4 or Move controllers are a better input, and it’s entirely plausible that they can decide to ignore the camera tracking in favour of just using the various motion sensing chips in the headset itself. The best possible experience will use the camera, though.
DJ Judas
It looks amazing, and I’ve no doubt at some point I’ll give in and pick one up for home use. However I can’t quite get past the notion that someone could just look through your front window, see you’re VRing, and rob you blind while you’re just sat there. The chances are that people will couple the headset with good quality, noise isolating headphones that will do an excellent job of masking the sound of your kitchen window breaking.
I suppose the same could be said for relaxing with headphones on anyway, but full VR immersion is actually just extremely entertaining sensory deprivation. I can’t believe none of the large tech sites have done a ‘rob you blind’ test comparing different NC headphone capabilities.
Stefan L
Well if that’s something you’re worried about, I’d suggest closing your blinds before you play and realising that the only point to having noise cancellation is to cancel out noise. If you don’t have a noisy household, there’s no that much point in cancelling out the silence, and if you do have a noisy household, then there’s other people who can deal with the home invasion while you’re blissfully unaware.
freezebug2
Par for the course these days to lock doors and shut curtains or blinds before a game sesh. The scumbags that try to enter properties illegally would probably trip out seeing a dude sporting a bobbing up and down VR helmet anyway.
RudeAwakening
The start of the trailer where you get catapulted out the shaft, looks exhilarating, I can only imagine how much more intense it is in VR.
Can not wait for morpheus. This is the future people. Strange Days are on the horizon!
MrJimmy
The problem I see is it won’t be cheap, and I’m not sure at all if VR is the step change being pitched. it really could bomb.