Hypercade: Gear VR Review

Hypercade! It's all your favorite videogame classics, but in VR!  Kinda!

Before I get too far, let me just say that I think this game is well produced and fun.  It's 3 dollars (as of now) and it's worth it.  That said...

This is another game that doesn't REALLY need to be in VR.  It's 4 games in one: an Arkanoid/Breakout clone, a Galaga clone, a Robotron clone, and a Centipede clone.  They're all well done. It's 3d and it's cool. When you shoot shit or get shot by shit, boxes fly up in your face. The graphics are nice - kinda a Tron-ny, 80's-y, glowy aesthetic. Sounds good too.  If you know the games these are based on, you know what to expect.  Let's run them down game by game:

The Arkanoid/Breakout game literally POURS powerups at you (lasers and such), which makes it a little too easy.  Or, it would be, but it's kinda tough to judge the angle of reflection off your paddle. Still, it's fun.

The Galaga one is basically Galaga.  It's also fun. It auto shoots, which sucks, but is understandable for the hands-free control.

The Centipede one is basically Centipede. It's pretty ok. It auto shoots, which sucks, but is understandable for the hands-free control.

The Robotron one was the one I was most excited about. I have a gamepad with two analog sticks, so I was hoping for some Geometry Wars style twin-stick nonsense.  But, in catering to the complete lack of standard controllers on the Gear VR, dual stick was not an option.  Your dude just shoots in the direction you are moving/facing.  It's fine, but I was a little disappointed.

These are all fun games.

Here's my problem, and it's not necessarily with this game, but more with the Gear VR ecosystem in general.  This would have been absolutely amazing if you were the paddle/shooty centipede thing/galaga ship/robotron guy.  Like, first person.  How cool would first person VR Galaga or Robotron be?  Alas, it's not to be.  I just don't understand why you would make a game for a VR headset that doesn't take advantage of the fundamental GOD DAMN point of VR.  Again, nothing against this particular game, it's polished and very fun, but it's just frustrating that there isn't, what I would consider, no-brainer adaptations of genres to VR.  Where are the driving sims? (no thank you, VR Karts or Carts or whatever)  Where is the home run derby where you are inside the helmet of a batter, facing 90 mile an hour fastballs?  Yes, I realize the limitations of developing for a phone, but I'll take blocky flat polygons for now until the tech catches up graphically.  This is why I haven't written much lately - nothing has really blown my hair back.  Wands is really good, and the End Space update is great, but otherwise I can't help but feel that Gear VR, as it's present incarnation, is on the way out.  Sad.

Anyway.  This game was good enough to make me write about it.  It's worth the three bucks, although I don't see myself playing it a lot in the future.  Here's what it looks like.