All in all there’s nothing to recommend Train Runner VR. Gameplay is shallow and repetitive, the character models look like they came from a 90s cartoon show trying 3D for the first time, and it’s priced at $19.99! Here’s a certainty, if you buy Train Runner VR on Steam you’ll request a refund with 30 mins. Save yourself time and money and just don’t.

Despite entertaining and satisfying basic gameplay, Shooty Fruity ultimately fails to rise above its roots as a wave shooter, with simplistic visual style, lack of story or multiplayer. It also aims to copy the supermarket setting a little too well, resulting in the annoying voice and muzak-style background music, which doesn’t help endear it to the audience. Shooty Fruity is a fun way to kill a couple of hours, but offers little else.

As with most releases on modern VR hardware, it’s easy to pick flaws in the videogame due to the control systems and lessened visual quality, but to do so would be to ignore the huge leap forward L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files makes in the creation of a real-world playground. The delivery of unique characters impresses a sense of urgency, empathy and often distain unlike any other videogame experience, playing into the strengths of the VR medium by placing the player face-to-face with convincing digital human beings. L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files presents an unwavering argument for VR as a compelling entertainment medium, and should be welcomed as a yet another stepping stone to true presence in digital worlds.

Fallout 4 VR is such a massive experience that VRFocus could go on writing for hours. What you want to know is, is it worth investing your time in? That’s an easy yes. What Bethesda has done with Fallout 4 VR is create the ultimate Fallout experience. Yes you may have preferred Fallout 3 but this is the version you’ve got in VR, and it’s a stunner. If you have HTC Vive then you need this, just bear in mind that it might be 2018 before you take the headset off.

High Noon VR is one of those VR experiences that doesn’t do anything particularly wrong, the visuals are good and the main shooting aspect works perfectly well. But it’s in a very crowded genre that features some awesome videogames with unique selling points, such as Raw Data, Blasters of the Universe, DOOM VFR, Space Pirate Trainer and many, many more. It’s fairly cheap, so if you love cowboy style shoot-em-ups then give it a go, otherwise there are much better examples of this genre out there.

Due to issues like reloading and jumpy nature of V-Move, battles tend to have an inconsistent, fliting nature to them. Maybe after many, many hours of gameplay you’ll find a sweet spot but you may not be so patient. In comparison to Front Defense, Front Defense: Heroes is certainly a step up, offering a far more dynamic experience than its single-player sibling, it’s just not quite the standout experience it could’ve been.

Ultimately DOOM VFR stands as a fine example of just what can be achieved with the FPS genre in VR as of today, lining-up against Robo Recall as an action-heavy experience that throws the rulebook out of the window. It’s true that the visual quality has suffered dramatically and the control systems could be seen as far too awkward by many, but the fact that DOOM VFR pushes so hard against the VR grain makes it well worth any PlayStation VR owner’s time and money.

Skyworld is difficult, and these battles aren’t easily won until you’ve significantly improved your forces – that’s if you manage to in the first place. Screw up your resources – build too much of one, not enough of another – and Skyworld can quickly bottleneck, with there being no obvious way around certain predicaments. With this inmindSkyworld certainly won’t be for everyone simply due to its difficulty. But for those tacticians after a challenge Skyworld is definitely one of the best RTS style VR titles available.

Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep is one of the best-looking PlayStation VR titles currently available. Its possible to waste quite a lot of time simply taking in the scenery. The title also uses the limitations of the PlayStation VR cleverly, by letting players sit facing the camera most of the time, it eliminates most of the tracking issues the PlayStation VR is known to have. Though far from a deep experience, Final Fantasy XV is surprisingly absorbing, and can chew up an impressive amount of time, despite its slightly repetitive gameplay.

The achievement made by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is one by way of both hardware and design to capitalise upon this. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR’s level of immersion is simply fantastic, and while Bethesda Softworks could well have gone the route of DOOM VFR and created a shorter spin-off experience, developing a brand new The Elder Scrolls instalment specifically for VR would have taken many years and far too much in the way of resources for what is still a nascent audience. As it stands some may find the price point of the videogame a bitter pill to swallow, but for those who dreamed of a truly immersive role-playing experience, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is simply the best opportunity available today.

Over all, League of War: VR Arena is a decent, if somewhat flat, experience. there are no twists in game mechanics. Difficulty slowly ratchets up, but little actually changes. Aside from the possibility of challenging a visiting friend to an Arcade match, there is little to draw you back in once you have completed the Campaign. Which will not take long, since battles are over in a remarkable short period of time, This is not a bad videogame by any means, but it is a shallow one, a fun time-waster that is sadly let down by its lack of online multiplayer, which might have gone so way towards extending its lifespan.

At points Left-Hand Path is a little rough around the edges, it’s not as polished as The Mage’s Tale for example. But that doesn’t mean it can’t have a charm of its own. Strange Company has created a massive world that you can spend far too many hours in – the studio claims around 15, depending on deaths it’s going to be more. If you’re an RPG fanatic who wants to head out on a brutal adventure then Left-Hand Path is the videogame for you.

SUPERHYPERCUBE seems like the love child between Rez Infinite and Tetris, psychedelic, neon rich visuals with a puzzle mechanic that’s difficult to put down. If you’re after something that little bit different for your HTC Vive this holiday season, take a look at SUPERHYPERCUBE.

The Gallery: Episode 2 – Heart of the Emberstone isn’t massively long – a run through should take around 5 hours or so – but it’s big enough to offer a satisfying experience, especially if you play episode one for a refresh. Cloudhead Games has done exactly what it needed to, create a compelling sequel that expands and improves the series.

Overall, Light Tracer is a well-crafted VR platform title. Once you get used to the controls, it becomes challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. There are some very frustrating elements, but not enough to spoil the gameplay entirely. Having said that, Light Tracer is at its best when played in relatively small doses. Like a plate of snacks to nibble on instead of a feast, but still just as tasty.

Luna isn’t the sort of title that’s going to draw VR players away from their first-person shooters (FPS) or RPG’s, looking for the next amazing VR experience. It’s the type of title that’ll suit those who liked Gnomes & Goblins for example, an unusual marriage of interactivity and storytelling. Or perfect for those who’ve got kids old enough to try VR and want to see what it’s all about.

If you already own it it's worth going back to, if not it's worth taking a look.

So is Arktika.1 that ground breaking VR experience all the promotion material would have you believe? On the one hand no not really, it’s a good looking single-player FPS that’s a VR version of Metro when being really cynical. However, should Oculus Rift owners buy Arktika.1, then that’s a definite yes. There’s a good eight hours of gameplay on the easiest setting, with the hard difficulty just making progress all that more brutal. 4A Games has created a highly refined, polished videogame that’s a joy to play from start to finish.

There’s only one level and you’re stuck to the spot. Only three guns and the re-playability factor is solely limited to a global leaderboard. What Hangry Bunnies from Mars needs is more variety, it may not be priced as a premium experience but it feels somewhat hollow. It has potential to be one of the quirkiest VR wave shooters available, in its current form however most gamers will probably play a few rounds then move onto something else.

The Solus Project is a fine exploration and horror title, though it does have its flaws. The excellent ambiance and general air of loneliness, isolation and foreboding make for a truly immersive experience that is worth your time.

Duck Season really is a mixed bag of ideas, trying to build out a core experience that’s reasonably solid, it just didn’t have enough variety to be a sole title in its own right. Stress Level Zero’s additions are really just padding, stretching out the replay factor with seven different endings may only encourage a small number of users to keep going back. Duck Season does have a charm all of its own though, making for a perfectly enjoyable experience.

Floor Plan: Hands-On Edition is still as enjoyable as the original was. It’s not one of those virtual reality (VR) videogames that’s an essential pickup for PC VR users, more of a throwaway experience when you want to kill half an hour. Thankfully it’s been priced accordingly, so it’s perfect if you’ve been after a smaller title that doesn’t cost major bucks.

Hurl VR is great fun, so much so that you’ll probably finish it in one sitting – completing it took just under one hour for this review. The other issue is the lack of replay elements, as once you’ve successfully played through all 30 levels there are no additional features – apart from achievements – to entice you to replay the videogame. Aside from that Hurl VR is a finely polished title, with good looking sci-fi visuals and solid physics-based gameplay.

The story has a much deeper meaning than just a few travellers hitching a train ride – which VRFocus isn’t going to spoil here – safe to say that’s it pulls on the heart strings as a memorable VR experience. If you enjoy short VR animations then Manifest 99 is up there with some of the best. It provides a strong, engaging storyline with a nice level of controllability that’s not often seen, great for VR enthusiasts as well as a prefect experience for VR first timers.

While Bloody Zombies doesn’t reinvent the scrolling beat-‘em-up wheel, it does offer a convincing argument for 2D videogames making the jump to the more immersive medium.

Sparc is a well-crafted multiplayer experience that can cheerfully absorb many hours of your time, if you have the stamina (and space in your house) for it. The lack of variety in the arenas and the dearth of single-player features is something of a disappointment, but overall, Sparc is an exciting and fun multiplayer title.

Don’t Knock Twice really is a mixed bag. On the one side it provides one of the scariest, heart thumping VR experiences out there, with a beautifully designed mansion to explore – especially when you get to free-roam. On the flip side there are points where it feels like a battle, trying to achieve something relatively simple but isn’t. If you love horror videogames and can handle proper locomotion controls then Don’t Knock Twice is worth a look, otherwise steer clear.

Despite being a relatively compact experience, OddBug Studio has created a tightly knit series of challenges invested in an eye-catching world topped-off with a VR implementation that will undoubtedly be copied by many other titles before the year is out. It’s hard to fault the team for what content is there, as in those few hours of gameplay it’s likely that you’ll find The Lost Bear to be one of the most compelling PlayStation VR videogames to date.

It’s one of those titles that really doesn’t have many negative qualities. House of How has created a fast-paced, action shooter that offers difficulty and addictive gameplay in spades. It just feels like it’s a year too late.

For those that’ve become rightly bored with wave shooters Blasters of the Universe offers that spark of light, reminding us why this genre became popular in the first place. The entire theme, visual aesthetics and gameplay make Blasters of the Universe a joy to play, just be prepared to swear and curse – possibly throw a controller – as that heart disappears because you didn’t see that one laser bolt soon enough.

Headmaster is a well put together title that the majority of VR gamers will find enjoyable. It does feel a bit 2016 in its gameplay offerings, with VR having moved on leaps and bounds in terms of the depth of content available. Headmaster is a tongue in cheek experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously, supplying light hearted fun mixed with good physics, and that’s no bad thing.

Forestry certainly has its quirks. It can go from dull to intriguing to fun in quick succession, and those that have the patience for this type of experience will certainly enjoy what it has to offer. In its current form Decoder should really have put Forestry in Steam Early Access, getting some feedback and fine tuning the video game, as it stills feels some fine tuning is needed.

This is a video game for those that love Rick and Morty, and quite frankly that’s no bad thing. Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is a madcap, fun filled adventure from start to finish, perfectly suiting VR’s qualities, it should not be missed.

Korix tends to veer more towards ‘tower defence’ that RTS as a whole. The lack of story and blocky, basic graphical style let the side down somewhat. Despite that, it is fun to play for short sessions, especially in multiplayer, but lacks the depth for holding your attention for extended periods of time.

This mixture of gameplay elements makes Loco Dojo a great multiplayer experience but just like any online VR multiplayer it does suffer from player numbers.

Wilson’s Heart is good, even very good at points. Expertly mixing its story, sound and visual aesthetics into a solid experience that’ll draw you in and keep you engrossed for hours. But there are some niggles with the constrained gameplay mechanics that hamper its ability to be a great title.

GNOG is an excellent title and well worth anyone’s time. It takes excellent advantage of the PlayStation VR functionality to produce something beautiful and striking, both visually and aurally. While it could potentially benefit from some extra puzzles and a bit more polishing, it is still a solid title and worthy addition to your PlayStation VR library.

Statik is a superb example of a puzzle game, intelligent, immersive and lots of fun to play. The subtle story woven through is interesting, the puzzles challenging without being too frustrating. VR is used superbly as an integral part of the experience and not a tacked on gimmick. Definitely worth picking up for anyone who owns a PlayStation VR.

Rock Band VR is definitely built around having as much fun with the experience as possible. There’s no right way or wrong way to any of it, just the sheer enjoyment of playing some classic tunes in a far more relaxed manner. Does it sometimes feel a bit much having to wear a headset, strap a guitar to you and have an Oculus Touch in the mix as well? Yes, yes it does, but quite frankly you probably won’t care when thrashing out some Bon Jovi.

Battlezone is one of the best VR titles out there.

Ultimately, VectorWars is an enjoyable VR experience but not one that will remain with you long after your initial enthusiasm has passed. However, this has been reflected in the price, as Red Iron Labs has ensured that VectorWars has a remarkably low barrier for entry (at the time of writing the videogame is available on Steam for just £2.79 GBP). This makes VectorWars hard to fault beyond the limitation inherent to the genre, and an easy recommendation for a pick-up-and-play title not requiring too much thought.

There is one massive upshot to the lack of content, and that’s the fact Blobby Tennis is free. And it needs to be or players wouldn’t be too happy if they paid for this. So is Blobby Tennis bad, actually no it isn’t. It’s not glitchy, everything looks and plays well, it just feels like an early access title that’s good for first-timers to VR. If the developer can expand the experience adding further replayability and more features then it’ll be more the better for it.

Voxel Shot VR feels like it’s playing on its novel, quirky characteristics. It can be fun to begin with – and younger players will certainly like it – but for HTC Vive gamers who’re used to titles like Raw Data, Space Pirate Trainer, Island 359, Serious Sam, Zombie Training Simulator and many more, Voxel Shot VR just doesn’t offer enough.

Detached has great elements to it, it looks good, the controls are excellent, and it offers some unique combat gameplay. It can feel spartan at times though and will really be hampered if there aren’t enough players for the PvP mode, which would really be a shame.

Polybius is an excellent shooter that takes inspiration from the 80s arcade scene in the best of ways. It is a finely crafted experience that only benefits from being on the PlayStation VR. It can be an intense experience, however, and one best left to relatively short gameplay sessions lest the visual overload become too much. Owners of PlayStation VR should definitely look to add this to their library, as it is one of the best VR titles on the PlayStation at present. Jeff Minter and Llamasoft have got another winner.

What Symphony of the Machine really needs is another tower or two to complete, possibly joining several together in some way to increase the difficulty to a far higher degree. As a first title Stirfire Games has created an enjoyable experience while it lasts, everything is solid and works well and there were no real glitches or issues to speak of. Symphony of the Machine has some good ideas going for it, but for many players it’ll be seen as more of a tech demo than anything else.

What Bullet Sorrow VR does well is create a no-holds barred, bullet rich, shooting experience. The single-player mode shows you what VikingVRStudio is capable of, there’s just not enough of it. The multiplayer mode is the core experience in Bullet Sorrow VR, which means if you can find a match then great, the rest of the time you’ve got half a videogame.

Cosmic Trip is one of those rare little VR treats you come across that suits VR players no matter their skill level. It’s a solidly put together single-player experience that will challenge you to almost controller throwing levels of frustration, but you’ll want to dive back in just to have ‘one more go’.

While FORM isn’t perfect, it sure comes close. Yes it’s a bit too easy, and could do with an extra hour or two of gameplay (the latter is really just a moan because you’ll just want more to play), but Charm Games has created a mesmerising experience from start to finish.

If you’re looking for a solid little title that re-imagines those old vertical shooters, then give Galaxis Wars a look.

VRotein claim Slice & Dice has over 20 hours of gameplay but that’s not necessarily the case as this is completely dependent on how good you are at this type of videogame. What can be said is that the latter levels will test your patience so you may want to put those controllers down once in awhile. If you want a novel VR challenge, you can’t go wrong with Slice & Dice.

The production values are top notch making Star Trek: Bridge Crew one of those rare VR experiences that feels like a AAA title, and likely part of most VR gamers’ collections.

It’s another one of those VR titles that works well enough but isn’t going to hold your attention for massive length’s of time, more of a dip in and out videogame for HTC Vive, when you’re bored of all the shooting titles available for the headset.

Vertigo Games has created a hugely enjoyable FPS videogame for the early days of VR, but one which will undoubtedly look dated in just a few months.

Ancient Amuletor is a fun way to kill a few hours, with some simple, intuitive combat and enough interesting innovations to keep it fresh. Along with the lovely graphics making it nice to look at. Sadly though, the title lacks depth and longevity with only four levels and no particular incentive to reply. The developers have mentioned that some DLC is in the works, though, which could redeem this title above a simple, casual time-killer.

Front Defense is an experience that leaves you wanting. It’s one of those titles in which you can see bags of potential in the individual elements but ultimately it just doesn’t fit together as a perfect whole. You’ll play it a few times, complete it, but then never be drawn back to face another wave of Axis forces.

Technical gripes aside The Mage’s Tale is a really good magical adventure that really puts you into the heart of the experience. The story provides hours worth of gameplay and the potion creation side adds even more fun, mixing and matching various items to see what they do. If you’ve been looking for a decent fantasy RPG then you can’t go too far wrong with this.

Ready at Dawn has created an experience that every Oculus Touch owner needs in their library, with the only negative point to the whole experience being that it ends.

Archangel accomplishes much of what it sets out to do; a frequently intense on-rails shooter that looks spectacular and challenges players within its own predetermined rule set. However, it’s perhaps a case of limited ambition from the start that has kept Archangel from achieving more, as the genre chosen was one born of hardware limitation decades ago, and even now in these early days of VR those limitations are simply no longer there.

Ultimately, Heroes of the Seven Seas fails to rise about its roots as a simplistic mobile title. There is fun to be had sailing around and blowing stuff up, but at best it will kill a couple of hours before boredom sets in. In the end, the short length, poor writing and uninspired graphics let it down considerably. The PlayStation VR is capable of so much better than this.

Just In Time Incorporated is a VR title that you’ll enjoy from start to finish. With its comedy styling’s, slow motion mechanics and simple pick up and play gameplay, it’s suited to any VR player. Unfortunately it’s desperately missing that replay factor, there’s nothing to keep you coming back once you’ve completed it – which isn’t that hard to do.

Yes, Rez Infinite is somewhat short, with an initial playthough possibly taking around a couple of hours, but you’ll enjoy (or should enjoy) every minute of it. So much so you’ll probably keep replaying it, improving your score, evolving your character and just taking in the whole spectacle. In answer to the first paragraph’s question about whether Oculus Rift and HTC Vive owners should be excited about Rez Infinite’s release, this is one VR videogame that should be in your library.

Smashbox Arena was blatantly built to be a multiplayer title, but the lack of cross-platform play and sparsely populated servers for the PlayStation VR hurts it a lot. The single-player mode is barely worth the time, and it lacks any sort of depth. If you have lots of friends to play with online, it might be worth a look, but otherwise, there are better titles available.

Dash Dash Run! is a fun, novel videogame that’s great if you want a quick workout to work up a sweat. Unfortunately, there’s so little to the title after running the small amount of courses a few times that after about half an hour you’ll be done, moving onto something that’s got more to offer. [Tested with HTC Vive]

At present it can only be classed as an average VR videogame at best.

The videogame does have its faults but they aren’t gameplay breaking. Killing Floor: Incursion’s single-player campaign is a glorious action romp that’s easy to play through in one sitting. One thing not mentioned so far is the fact that there’s a co-op option, and as every gamer should know, bringing a mate along to cover each others back only increases the fun factor.

VR puzzlers can be equally entertaining and annoying at the same time, which is why they tend to have a popular following. Rangi is one of those enjoyable experiences that just works. Sure it can’t match the cinematic spectacle of FORM but then its not trying to, delivering a character all of its own.