The Oculus Rift has made its way into the hands of several developers, and from what we've been hearing so far (and playing, for that matter), it's a fantastic virtual experience, one that truly immerses you in whatever game world you're visiting. In fact, if you get a chance to try it out, you'll likely be caught up in the collective buzz as soon as you take the headset off. (Not that it's like Lawnmower Man or anything, it's just a neat effect.)
And some games have already made their way to the headset, even if a bit unofficially. We've seen Mirror's Edge in action for it thus far, and there are reports that someone even got Skyrim working on it, to the point that battling dragons is even more startling than it ever has been.
And that got us thinking – what other games would work well with the Oculus Rift? We already know a few games that have the 3D effect working for them on consoles, but we're talking fully immersive games where your head movement can make some difference in how you play.
After a good amount of thought, I was able to come up with an immaculate list of five. Behold!
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Go ahead and criticize the Black Ops series all you like, but it remains one of the most visceral first-person shooters out there, and it would work just fine with the Oculus Rift in terms of surveying your chaotic surroundings. Treyarch built 3D effects into the game already, so that wouldn't be a problem for the headset to recreate, and being able to look around at targets and still have movement with your controller would be the ultimate double blow to your enemies, whether they're human or AI. This definitely needs to happen.
Antichamber
If you haven't seen this delightfully weird puzzle game yet, you owe it to yourself to do so. Antichamber would actually feel right at home on the Oculus Rift, with its extraordinary visuals, exquisite level design and simple yet entertaining gameplay. And when words flash across the screen at you, they'd create a flashy effect that would really put the headset to good use.
GRID 2
Though the game isn't due for release until late in May, we can already tell from our hands-on time that GRID 2 is an extraordinary experience when it comes to recreating the thrill of racing. And its immersive first-person view is just right for the Oculus, whether you're witnessing a ridiculous crash up close or careening towards the finish line. In addition, you can also check your surroundings and watch the décor come flying right at you. Hopefully Codemasters will see just how ideal the platform is for its racing vision.
Bioshock Infinite
Another long shot? Certainly… but why not? The beautiful universe that Irrational Games has created, a nouveau 1920's city in the sky, would be quite fantastic to recreate in 3D, with the type of fast-moving target tracking and action that would make it work. Plus, with all your interactions with Elizabeth in the game (whether she's throwing you stuff or just dancing with you), it'd be really something to see how much more realistic it could look.
Portal 2
Let's be honest, even two years after its release, Portal 2 is still an exquisite game, one of this generation's first-person masterpieces. So it's just a matter of time before someone can recraft it so that it would work with the Rift, to the point that you feel the rush of flying from one portal to the next while you're solving puzzles alone or with a friend. Someone make it happen.
What games do you want to see for the Rift?
