Alien: Rogue Incursion PS VR2 hands-on report

blog.playstation.com:

The Alien franchise has left a long, deep acid burn on the video game medium ever since the release of the first film in 1979. Whether hiding in lockers in Alien Isolation, blasting waves of creatures in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, or guiding a Marine squad to tactical victory in Aliens: Dark Descent, the series’ rich legacy has left plenty of room for creative interpretation.

With Alien: Rogue Incursion, celebrated VR developer Survios is aiming to make another major contribution to the Alien gaming legacy. This big-budget, immersive PlayStation VR2 experience promises to make players feel like they’re actually inhabiting the dark, brooding world of the films, from navigating the shadowy hallways to wielding authentic Marine firepower against the titular threat.

Ahead of the game’s launch on PS VR2 this December, we went hands-on with a pre-release build of this single-player survival-horror adventure. Here are some highlights of our experience.

Survios set out to make players feel firmly planted in the oppressive Alien universe, so don’t expect a cakewalk. Ammo and healing items are scarce, xenomorphs can deliver fatal one-hit blows, and hissing steam vents keep you on edge throughout. Rogue Incursion’s high-fidelity VR presentation is a knockout, with a level of visual detail and polish that puts it among the upper echelon of VR titles. You’ll know what we mean when you stare an encroaching alien in its dripping face and it feels like it’s mere inches away. 

Xenomorphs behave how you’d expect: they’re ominous and unpredictable. Sometimes they’ll slink through a doorway, upright and imposing. At other times they’ll drop to all fours, scuttling forward malevolently. They’re also highly mobile and seemed to take different routes depending on our position, clambering along walls and ceilings or dropping down from vents behind us. Knowing these threats can hit from any angle will keep your head swiveling as you scan the murky environments for threats, keeping your M41