Highlights
- Gran Turismo 7 is the most impressive VR experience of the year, with advanced features and immersive gameplay.
- Humanity has a disappointing VR mode that doesn't add much to the puzzle game.
- Synapse, while brilliant in many aspects, is held back by lack of enemy variety and repetitive gameplay.
UPDATE: Resident Evil Village VR Mode won Best VR/AR Game at The Game Awards 2023!
Virtual reality has reached an interesting place in the gaming world right now. Over the last few years, there have been some pretty huge leaps in VR tech, and that's led to the creation of some truly immersive, and groundbreaking VR video game experiences. However, in the last year or so, things have slowed down in the VR world quite a bit. Though PSVR2 came out, it didn't hit the market quite as hard as many had hoped it would, with far too few games to really stand out. And while the Meta Quest 3 seems to be breaking new ground in a big way, its long-term impact on the gaming industry is still yet to be seen fully. That being said, there have still been some great VR gaming experiences this year, and The Game Awards 2023's Best VR/AR category highlights a few of those.
While 2023 didn't have many VR experiences that really broke new ground for the medium, it did still have some pretty fun VR games, and this Game Awards category brings five of the best together under one roof. Any of these five nominees could technically win the award this year, but there are one or two that stood out a little more than the rest.
2023 Best VR/AR Game Nominees
- Gran Turismo 7
- Humanity
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Resident Evil Village VR Mode
- Synapse
The Game Awards 2023: Predicting The Best Sports/Racing Game Winner [UPDATE]
The Game Awards is set to make its yearly appearance in just a few days' time and its Best Sports/Racing game category is just as stacked as the rest.
Gran Turismo 7
Though the base game released back in March of last year, Gran Turismo 7 received its VR mode earlier this year alongside the launch of the PlayStation VR 2, and by all accounts, it's one of the most impressive VR experiences of the year. From 3D audio to eye-tracking technology that keeps the action in focus, and from 4K visuals to headset haptic feedback that activates when the player bumps into another car or object, Gran Turismo 7 is the perfect tech demo for PSVR2, and it's easily one of the most complete and technically-impressive VR experiences this year.
Humanity
A bleak yet beautiful puzzle game, Humanity released in May of this year, and came equipped with an optional VR mode right off the bat. Humanity is a Lemmings-like that sees players control a spirit guide Shiba Inu as it tries to corral a horde of human souls to the end of a level, placing command waypoints for them to follow along the way. Unfortunately, while Humanity is a solid puzzle game, its VR mode is rather disappointing, only really adding the ability to move the camera around the map from a first-person perspective.
Horizon Call of the Mountain
One of the more disappointing VR games of the year, Horizon Call of the Mountain doesn't really live up to its franchise's lofty legacy. An admittedly beautiful game, Horizon Call of the Mountain suffers from some repetitive gameplay, a lot of which feels a bit outdated for the VR scene, such as an overabundance of climbing sections. That said, Horizon Call of the Mountain is still a good VR game, it just wasn't the flagship system-seller that PlayStation was hoping for, nor a title likely to win this year's Best VR/AR Game Award.
Resident Evil Village VR Mode
The latest in Capcom's ever-growing line of Resident Evil VR modes, Resident Evil Village VR is undoubtedly one of the most complete VR experiences of the year. Letting fans play through the entire game in VR, Resident Evil Village's VR mode is rather impressive, especially when paired with the fact that it was free for those who already owned the base game. The only thing holding Resident Evil Village VR back is the fact that it's technically a two-year-old game at this point, and one that many fans have already played a few times.
Synapse
A studio that's been working on VR games for years, nDreams has made arguably its best game yet with Synapse, but there are still some sizable issues that might hold it back from winning the Game Award this year. While its gunplay is suitably intense, its superpowered abilities are always a blast to use, its performances from David Hayter and Jennifer Hale are great, and its art direction is striking, Synapse's lack of enemy variety and sometimes repetitive roguelike nature do hamper its brilliance quite a bit.
Final Prediction
When all is said and done, this year's Game Award for the Best VR/AR Game can only go to one worthy contender, and it seems likely that Gran Turismo 7 will be the lucky winner. While Synapse is one of PSVR2's best shooters, and Resident Evil Village is a great new way to experience an excellent game in a new way, Gran Turismo 7 in VR feels like a completely new experience, with the headset not just elevating the base game's content, but completely reframing it.
