The gaming industry can be very cut-throat at times and due to this, many titles fall under the pressure of other more well-known ip’s, or completely miss out ‘going gold’ to its publisher. In some cases though, at least in hindsight, it’s fair to wonder if a game simply wasn’t released on the correct platform.
A similar idea was explored in a past piece on games that should be ported to the Nintendo Switch. Titles like Fire Pro Wrestling World and Deus Ex: Human Revolution were presented as games that might just have done well with the sort of dual-system setup of the unique Nintendo console. This article will explore a vaguely similar idea, one which focuses on games that can be given new life via VR technology.
VR gaming is a very difficult business and not every game can easily be ported to a virtual headset. Due to this, you’ll find the games below may not necessarily be port or reboot requests, but more ideas that can be built on, for future VR game releases.
Enter The Matrix
A Matrix-based game could offer some interesting VR bullet-time style gameplay mechanics (think Superhot but even more badass!)
This 2003 Shiny Entertainment title is the oldest on our list, and it’s a game that could have been a huge deal. In 2003 The Matrix trilogy was still at the height of its influence, even seeing the Wachowski siblings (directors of the trilogy) direct the game. Enter The matrix was an action/adventure game set in the world of the films and allowing players to control a few of the more minor characters in missions assisting the main heroes, like Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus. Unfortunately though, it was seen as somewhat incomplete and unsatisfying, and it more or less faded into obscurity.
Resurrecting this exact game wouldn’t be necessary, but a Wachowski-driven VR experience based on the hit trilogy, sure sounds like a blast! Plus, a VR game could bring The Matrix, a film in which our reality is revealed to be a virtual construct – to almost frighteningly realistic life!
GoldenEye 007 (2010)
Goldeneye 007 would make the perfect James Bond VR game as well as help bring the remake to a wider audience
GoldenEye 007 – one of the most iconic FPS games of all time – was actually rebooted for the Nintendo Wii in 2010. Furthermore, the updated version of Goldeneye 007 received above average reviews and was generally seen as having done the original justice. But here’s the thing: we’re betting most console owners never even knew of the remakes existence. The game just didn’t generate much attention. This plus the fact that even the reboot is nearly a decade old now, makes us think it’s time for GoldenEye 007 to step-up another generation and take to VR (plus the fact that although the original was a classic, it runs at 8-11fps on N64. Yeah, really. Go back and check for yourself).
Perfect Dark got a much-wanted (and better performing) remaster. A Goldeneye 007 rework, could be the James Bond game to help elevate the FPS genre for VR!
Fast & Furious: Showdown
The Fast and Furious franchise could make for a perfect adrenaline ride for VR owners
This 2013 console game came out at the height of Fast & Furious popularity. Fast Five and Fast and Furious 6 had successfully revived the franchise, turning it from something of a cult favourite racing saga into an internationally explosive action series. This game was meant to capitalise on that transition, and its story even takes place in between the events of those two films.
Unfortunately it more or less fell flat and aside from some decent mobile games, we really haven’t seen a good Fast & Furious title since. At this point, the series is so big that the lack of a quality games seem like a glaring failure, so our take is, why not try it in VR? If nothing else, a street racing game with some light ties to the Fast & Furious franchise would probably do pretty well, and we already know that racing games work well in VR….
Top Spin 4
Nintendo may have the market for motion control tennis games, but VR could breathe more life into the sport for consoles
Wii Sports Tennis may have been fun but it was technically only part of a larger party experience, and Virtua Tennis was back when we all thought a 56k modem attachment was the bees-knees (Dreamcast). Those games aside, is Mario the only guy who can bring tennis releases to a wider gaming audience?
The sport itself seems to be more popular than ever, which could mean the time is ripe for something new and exciting. Attendance and viewership for major tennis tournaments is sky high, and odds and predictions for said tournaments are now hosted alongside speculation for other major sports in betting markets that reach the whole world. There’s just a ton of interest – possibly more than at any other point in history.
Top Spin 4 is perhaps the most advanced tennis game ever created, and while it’s sort of charming and enjoyable, it’s not what it needs to be. A version of it in VR would be ambitious, but it might just be able to capture the attention of the tens of millions of fans around the world who are already watching, placing bets on, and playing tennis. We’d all get to feel, in some sense, what it’s like to stand across the court from a star like Roger Federer or Serena Williams.
Dead Space
Dead Space would pretty much be the ultimate VR horror experience!
While the franchise later took a leap of faith into the action realm (drastically reducing sales after the 2nd release), Dead Space could still be a perfect release for VR gaming. Alone and fighting for survival with nothing but space engineering tools to keep you alive, just imagine the same encounters, jumps and atmosphere right in front of your face!
One thing is for sure, the original Dead Space team would need to reform for this project. This could possibly create one hell of a VR hardware seller!
