Virtual Reality is nothing new.  Back in the 90’s, when 3-D graphics were getting a little more commonplace in games, we got to see its infancy in the form of special arcade games and failed consoles like the Virtual Boy.  It even entered the realm of movies and TV with films like The Lawnmower Man and kids shows such as VR Troopers.  Fast forward to the present, where technology has advanced exponentially, and VR has made a bit of a comeback, with games on PC and even consoles like the PlayStation.  So I started thinking about games that I would like to play in VR.  Here’s my list:

So now VR is more popular than ever, but it had me worried for a while.  You see, I’ve been blind in my left eye since birth, and can’t see 3-D effects in movies and games.  With the advances in 3-D technology, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to see games well in VR either.  And if VR got popular enough, I may not be able to review very many games at all because of it!  Luckily something awesome happened when I went to PAX West a few months ago.  I was able to play a couple of VR games in a controlled environment with people who understood my situation.  And guess what?  Turns out I can play VR games after all!  That’s when I started thinking about VR games that I’d want to play.

Of course, now that I’ve played VR games and know a little more about them, now I have other concerns about not being able to play the games.  VR headsets and accessories are still pretty expensive and you need a lot of space to play them in, and money and space are two things I don’t have a lot of right now.  But the good thing is that those reasons why I wouldn’t play VR are my own choices and are under my control.  I could choose to spend the money and clear out space to play them.  I can’t choose to not be blind in one eye.  Luckily, a lot of people I’ve talked to say that VR won’t replace traditional gaming, so that’s good.

One last thing before we get to my list.  Some of the imaginary games on my list would take a few more leaps in technology for them to work well in VR.  But when you do use your imagination, the possibilities are endless!  OK, let’s begin!

Portal VR

Before I wrote down my list, I bounced around my ideas with my brother Jeff.  When I told him about my idea for Portal VR, he said that kind of already exists.  He said that Valve is making or has made a Portal VR game, but it’s just a tour around the Aperture Science Labs.  I haven’t really had time to research that further, but as a fan of all things Portal, including gameplay, characters, and lore, that still sounds pretty cool.  But my idea would be a fully-fledged Portal game.  Portal is basically a first-person puzzle game, so I think it would work well in VR. Although it may take a few leaps in VR technology for that to happen, like I said earlier.  Going through all those portals might make folks a bit dizzy, too!  But wouldn’t it be fun to go up against GlaDOS and meet Wheatley face to face!

Cooking Mama VR

While I was talking with Jeff about VR, he said that one of the first of the new VR titles that became popular was one called Job Simulator, where you do mundane everyday tasks in VR.  They even made fun of this in the Rick and Morty VR game I played at PAX, where the first thing you had to do was put some underwear in a washing machine.  So I started to think about games where you do everyday tasks, and Cooking Mama popped in my head first.  I think this type of game could be done now, and I’m surprised it hasn’t yet, considering it’s been a while since we last had a Cooking Mama game.  Although it might be weird to see the titular Mama character in VR, especially when you cook food well and she says, “Even better than Mama” or when you cook food badly and she has fire in her eyes!

Animal Crossing VR

Speaking of games about mundane, everyday tasks, Animal Crossing is one of my favorite games of all time, and I’d like to see it in VR.  Nintendo teased us with a 3D Animal Crossing world with some of the DLC in Mario Kart 8, and I’d love to see it happen for real!  You could do all sorts of Animal Crossing activities in VR: chopping down trees, planting flowers, fishing, shopping for furniture, decorating your house, and much more.  Since it would be all first person, dressing up your character might not be as much fun, but I think it would still be neat to fully immerse yourself in the Animal Crossing world.

WarioWare VR

I think WarioWare’s gaming format would work great in VR.  Micro games could be as simple as “Look Up,” or “Grab This!”  And could you imagine 9-Volt’s classic Nintendo themed stages in VR?  Of course, I think out of all the game companies, Nintendo will be the last to jump on the VR bandwagon.  Of course I could be wrong, but I think they’re still sour over the Virtual Boy flopping.

Metroid VR

And last of the Nintendo games I’d like to see in VR is Metroid.  Remember how cool it was to view the action from inside Samus’ helmet in Metroid Prime?  How neat would that be to really feel like you’re looking through Samus’ visor in a brand new Prime VR title!  Of course, like I said earlier, it may take a few leaps in technology to make a good Metroid Prime VR game.  And I would get Retro Studios to make it, NOT Nintendo.  Nintendo themselves doesn’t seem to know what people want in a Metroid game.

Point Blank VR

I got this idea from playing Carnival Games VR at PAX.  One of the mini-game events in that one was Haunted House, where you rolled down a track and shot at cardboard cutouts of ghosts flying around that had targets on them.  It reminded me of two things: the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disney World, and Point Blank.  Point Blank is a colorful and silly shooting gallery style light gun game found in arcades and on the PlayStation by Namco.  I really like the Point Blank series and I’m surprised we never got one on the Wii. There was an iOS Point Blank game but it was awful.  Anyway, the Point Blank VR game could play like the Carnival Games VR that I played.  It could even be called Point Blank Park or something.  Man, sometimes I come up with some cool ideas, I think.

Namco Museum VR

You know how when you’re a kid, and you imagine stuff like your dream tree house or whatever.  Well, when I was little, I came up with an idea for an arcade museum where you play games in themed decorated rooms, like Pac-Man games or space games.  And they’d have all sorts of exhibits you can look at in those rooms as well.  That’s why the Namco Museum games on the PlayStation are on my top five favorite games of all time list, because they are almost just like what I imagined as a kid.  So I’d love to see a new Namco Museum game with an actual museum you could walk around in VR.  You could even play the arcade games in VR as well, and you’d have to look down to see the screen on the cabinet or tabletop machine!  Well I think it would be cool, anyway. A real “Virtual Arcade!”

Pac-Man VR

Actually, Pac-Man VR already exists.  Remember when I mentioned VR arcade games in the 90’s?  One of the more famous ones was a battle game where you travelled on abstract checkered landscapes with pillars, and avoided polygonal pterodactyls.  I think they even made fun of it on the Freakazoid cartoon.  Around this time, they also made a Pac-Man VR game.  It’s one of the only Pac-Man games I’ve never played!  I’ve seen those VR arcade stations, but never Pac-Man VR.  But it’s probably just as well, as whenever I would see those VR machines, they were usually out of order or nobody was attending them.  So I’d be upset if I saw it but couldn’t play it.  Anyway, I’d like to see a NEW Pac-Man VR maze game, but maybe it could have the old arcade one as a bonus as well.

And those are my ideas for VR games I’d like to see!  In the comments section, tell me what you think of my ideas, and let me know what VR games you’d like to play as well!  Later!  –Cary

Tags: Misc