Pistol Whip Review (PS5 / PSVR2) | Push Square

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Upon its PSVR launch, we found Pistol Whip to be a sublime experience, brilliantly blending rail shooter and rhythm mechanics. How does the upgraded version fare? Well, even better.

Unlike some of the PSVR2 upgrades, Pistol Whip doesn’t make a huge impression graphically. It was a stylized title with a solid aesthetic on first attempt, so things don’t make much of a leap, aside from the welcome addition of HDR. Where the upgrade is noticeable, though, is tracking. Pistol Whip calls for lots of movement and frantic activity. As such, the PS Move wands often had a hard time keeping up in the heat of the moment. This problem is mostly gone, as the PSVR2 Sense Controllers deliver a massive step up in accuracy, some minor aiming niggles aside.

This makes it even more satisfying to achieve flow-state when playing as it allows you to focus on the action, rather than what your motion controller's doing. It turns an experience that was already one of the best on PSVR into something even better. The newly added haptics also improve things, as you can feel the vapor trails of bullets fly past your face, and have a better feel for the beat of an individual song based on the pulse of your controllers and headset.

Another noticeable change from the last time we reviewed the release is content. The game had a good amount at launch on PSVR, but in the ensuing years, the amount has basically doubled through a number of free updates. This includes multiple campaigns featuring various story levels, as well as an absolutely brilliant boss fight level. These new campaigns also make a concerted effort to include new sounds, adding more traditional rock music, and genres other than EDM. It helps with adding broader appeal to the title.

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