The Stand-Out VR Experiences Of E3 2016

Despite shipment problems and an expectedly slower start to consumer virtual reality adoption, E3 2016 is full of impressive experiences. We've rounded up some of our favorites, including original creations and games adapted or otherwise based on other source material.

We'll be updating this throughout E3, so check back for more of VR's best during the week.

Volume: Coda
Developer: Bithell Games
Platforms: PSVR
Release: Fall 2016

After making a name for himself with the adorably angular Thomas Was Alone, Mike Bithell and his team switched gears to deliver a futuristic Robin Hood tale. Volume was released to acclaim, and it is about to get a free expansion.

Volume: Coda will be out during the PlayStation VR launch window, bringing 30 new missions and some simple but effective virtual reality implementation. Players can tilt, zoom, and rotate the map to get a better perspective on patroling enemies.

The Coda add-on also brings every existing level, all user-generated content, and a VR level editor with it. For more on Volume, check out our review of the original.

Batman: Arkham VR
Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Platforms: PSVR
Release: October 2016

Rocksteady's Batman games have always been about delivering the fantasy of putting on The Dark Knight's cowl. In Batman: Arkham VR, you'll do exactly that as you suit up and take to the streets to investigate a mystery in Gotham.

A brief demo shows off Arkham VR as a visual novel experience. After discovering a grisly murder, you'll need to investigate the scene and figure out exactly what happened. 

The short build was clearly a slice of something larger, though don't expect a full-length Batman game. You can read our in-depth hands-on for more.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Developer: Red Storm
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Rift, Vive, PSVR
Release: Fall 2016

If you've ever played Space Team or Artemis, it's likely you noticed the Star Trek influence. In those games, players are responsible for manning their posts and coordinating with other members of the team in order to successfully complete missions about a starship.

Ubisoft and Red Storm are delivering the concept of being on a Federation ship's bridge, with players taking posts as Captain, tactical officer, helmsman, and engineering. With unique information, the captain provides mission details to the crew, which must not only listen and execute, but remain aware of what is going on around the bridge.

In the demo available at E3, our team had to quickly shift gears between rescuing survivors in life pods and fending off a vicious Klingon attack. Since you can't beam people aboard with the shields up, each rescue was a tense, tactical moment. 

When it launches this fall, Star Trek Bridge Crew will feature a story campaign and procedural mission generator. You can read more in our in-depth hands-on preview.

Wilson's Heart
Developer: Twisted Pixel
Publisher: Oculus Studios
Platforms: Rift (Touch Required)
Release: 2017

Imagine waking up in a classic Twilight Zone episode and you've got the underpinnings for Twisted Pixel's horror adventure game, Wilson's Heart. The game begins as you wake from surgery in a ruined hospital. There is no one else there, you have pain in your chest, and you need to investigate to figure out what's happened to you.

As Wilson (voiced by Robocop's Peter Weller), you must poke around the increasingly terrifying environment to discover what's happened. Wilson's Heart isn't for the timid. During my brief time with it, there were a number of jump scares and tense moments.

However, because this is an adventure game, there is a cinematic feel that gives players an emotional break after tweaking them with frights. Movement is handled with a variation of the increasingly popular teleportation mechanic. However, you can only zip to specific silhouette locations.

This keeps the story guided, though there are exploration opportunities off the critical path. The highlight of the demo was the appearance of a stuffed animal that reminded us of an evil version of Seth McFarland's, Ted. 

The cackling creature escapes from a portrait and climbs up the back of a nurse who doesn't realize it's there. The bear gleefully tosses the poor woman around before killing her off-screen. Twisted Pixel seems to be making smart choices for VR by implying a lot of the violence.

Wilson's Heart is likely to be too much for some people, but even without a deep love for horror, I was captivated by the story's introduction. Peter Weller is joined by Rosario Dawson and Alfred Molina, giving the game star power. The full game will be eight to ten hours, so we have much more to explore next year.

For more VR highlights from E3, head to page two.

The Unspoken
Developer: Insomniac
Publisher: Oculus Studios
Platforms: Rift (Touch Required)
Release: Holiday 2016 

Insomniac is diving fully into virtual reality this year, with three announced games, including the already released Edge of Nowhere. The studio is also preparing to unleash a magical player-versus-player combat game called The Unspoken.

Set in a contemporary city, The Unspoken thrusts players into a duel to the death. The weapons? Fireballs, swarms of conjured crows, magical shields, and enormous golems. 

This game takes advantage of Oculus' upcoming Touch controllers to conjure defenses and sling spells. Players can warp around the map to fixed points atop pillars of different heights. Some of these have built in cover that can be destroyed during combat.

The Unspoken's duels are a constant jockeying for position, gathering of blue gems that power the more potent spells, and quick reflexes.

We're just starting to see how PvP can work in virtual reality, and Insomniac has keyed into fantasy fueled by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, and Lev Grossman's The Magicians. We're looking forward to seeing which of us will become Sorcerer Supreme this holiday.

Ripcoil
Developer: Sanzaru Games
Publisher: Oculus Studios
Platforms: Rift (Touch Required)
Release: Fall 2016 (Touch Launch Title) 

Way back in 1994, Data East and SNK released a battle frisbee game called Windjammers that rose to cult status. Sanzaru Games has taken the concept of violently whipping discs into goals into virtual reality with what may be the defining game of the Oculus Touch launch.

Ripcoil straps players into mechsuits, which are in turn fixed to hoverboards that function like the Green Goblin's glider. The controls are exceedingly simple to understand, but quite challenging to master.

Players fling the disc with either hand using the Touch grip or trigger control. Holding that button when not in possession of the disc charges your glove allowing you to punch back the incoming projectile. You can also catch it on the way back, giving you another chance to score.

Because the arenas are rather wide, you'll need to tend the large goal zone behind you. To do that, you simply shift your weight to slide back and forth. This creates one of the most compelling and believable senses of motion I've yet experienced in virtual reality. As I played more, it became clear that bending the knees was helpful. In fact, the movement is so compelling that I nearly tipped over to the side once while playing.

Each of the arenas features reflection zones for banking the disc into the goal. Learning to anticipate the trajectory is crucial to defending against a score.

We only saw one arena, but Sanzaru tells us each one will feature different reflector and goal configurations. With quick-playing matches and a focus on skill, Sanzaru could have virtual reality's first competitive hit on its hands.

Raw Data
Developer: Survios
Release: Late 2016
Platforms: Vive

As developers start to experiment with virtual reality, locomotion is one of the most significant hurdles to overcome. Shooting galleries are one way to avoid this, but those can only take gameplay so far. 

Survios' Raw Data takes the concept, but adds in a free-form teleportation mechanic that allows teams of players to take on hordes of aggressive androids. When the game launches in early access on July 14, it will feature two classes with unique abilities.

The gunslinger uses dual pistols. This class' abilities temporarily turn the pistols into machine guns or trigger bullet time. The Cyber Ninja uses swords and shuriken, but can also throw a katana like a boomerang.

We didn't have a chance to play cooperatively, but it's clear Raw Data's difficulty is tuned for multiple players. Our brief time served as a proof of concept for what we hope develops into a solid example of how first-person, cooperative shooters can work in virtual reality.

Eagle Flight
Developer: Ubisoft 
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Rift, Vive, PSVR
Release: Fall 2016 

In addition to Star Trek Bridge Crew, Ubisoft brought Eagle Flight with it to E3 this year. We had a chance to go hands on with solo and multiplayer gameplay at GDC, and got another chance for three-versus-three capture the flag play this week.

One of the striking things about Ubisoft's Eagle Flight is its clever handling of locomotion. As a bird, you're always moving forward, however you bank by tilting your head left and right.

The potential for simulation sickness would be profound if not for a smart solution, The side of the screen opposite your turn direction fades to black part of way into the field of view. For some reason this is extremely successful at countering discomfort.

The multiplayer matches are intense, as players attempt to capture a rabbit and deliver it to their team's nest. The birds aren't defenseless, as an eagle cry can disable an enemy, forcing them to respawn. If you knock out the player carrying the prey, it will drop in place for anyone to pick up.

Matches move quickly, and are full of close saves and thrilling clashes. Release isn't too far off, and we're eager to dive into some of the other multiplayer offerings and check out even more of the single player mission types.