VR's New Ace In The Hole Might Be An Impressive Mixed-Reality Laser Tag Game

Early December day in Stockholm, Sweden. I'm eating falafel with a small group of journalists and VR content creators while sitting in a posh office space. This is my third day in Stockholm's office-lined Norrmalm neighborhood, close to the picturesque Old Town, where over 200 game developers from around the world travel every morning to work in Resolution Games' confusing three-story studio. It's shockingly simple to get lost here amid the commotion and excitement surrounding each of Resolution's various virtual reality projects, but the environment is so welcoming that you wouldn't be surprised to learn that the studio has two rooms that have been specifically designated "nap rooms" in accordance with Swedish law. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to nap — or any time at all, considering the severe jetlag one suffers when traveling from Portland, Oregon, all the way to the beautiful Nordic country of Sweden. But that's okay since I'm already wired with anticipation for one thing: Spatial Ops, a novel mixed-reality arena shooter that I and 10 other players would eventually get to test against one another only a few moments later. The VR game, which launched today and demonstrates the full potential of mixed-reality gameplay, may very well be the technology's next great smash. If you're not familiar with Resolution Games, the developer is best known for producing innovative and occasionally odd VR titles like Demeo and Blaston. The former is arguably VR's most accurate recreation of Dungeons & Dragons, simulating every aspect of the tabletop experience, allowing you to share a simulated space with up to four players across multiple platforms, in and out of virtual reality, and even the miniatures on the board, which you can pick up and place by hand. While this is going on, Blaston is a physically demanding shoot 'em up where you engage in a duel with just one other player. The trick is that each gun fires very slowly, so you have to outwit your opponent by preventing them from dodging your bullets while they attempt to do the same to you. [caption id="attachment_66197" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image - nytimes[/caption] By overlaying a portion of the virtual world onto the real one, Spatial Ops is essentially laser tag in virtual reality. After playing it for two hours, I was impressed and re-energized in my enthusiasm for competitive mixed-reality gaming, but not as totally as I'd imagined. Spatial Ops is fundamentally an arena shooter in the vein of Halo or Call of Duty, but you play it within the Quest 2 or Quest Pro headset using motion controls as opposed to remotely directing an avatar behind a screen using a conventional controller. Its initial game types are Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Free-for-All, but I also tested the Capture the Flag mode, which surprised me with how effectively it functioned despite not yet appearing. Many VR games are designed to make you feel like an action hero, especially action shooters like Half-Life: Alyx. There's not much you can do there, but they generally do a fairly excellent job of deceiving you through physical interactions involving your mind and hands. The difficulty in conveying a sense of full-body engagement when you can only move around in a game's world by pressing a thumbstick is the issue with the "action hero" notion in VR. To its advantage, Spatial Ops almost demands that you use your complete body in order to be effective. The good endorphins that are typically associated with participating in a team sport are what really make it stand out. It's significantly more intense than your typical Halo session, but it also reminds you of pantomiming Die Hard with your friends when you were a teenager.

Basically, Virtual Reality Laser Tag

Spatial Ops combines VR gameplay with physical movement by placing individual game objects over the real world, such as walls, crates, and spawn spots, that simulate physical geometry. The battlefield is generously sprinkled with weapon spawners that spit out weapons and grenades, each of which feels punchy to use, as you move outside toward the opponent team's side. Each team is given opposite respawn zones where you rush back to respawn each time you die. As you hold the numerous weapons in Spatial Ops in your virtual hands, everything appears to be layered onto the real world, nearly giving the impression that you are carrying a cartoon weapon in your real, physical hands. The shotgun used by Spatial Ops is a good example of how to evaluate a shooter. I have to pump it after every round while carrying a ton of damage into each shot, frequently making an adversary player walk back to their team's spawn place physically after I hit their avatar with a headshot. Similarly, grenades and pistols are adaptable weapons that let me tactically plan perfect headshots and employ explosives to push people out of cover. I was pleasantly pleased by how well each headset monitored each player in real time. In an effort to achieve the slickest trick shots and rack up as many kills as I could, I was able to powerslide, crouch, kneel, and even military crawl across the floor since my movements and those of my avatar seemed flawlessly in sync with one another. Although Spatial Ops smartly emphasizes where each player is with a clearly designated indicator, potentially minimizing any accidents that could occur, I wasn't always successful and I did wind up almost running face-first into my colleagues several times. [caption id="attachment_66202" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image -gamesradar[/caption] Though it's certainly not very practical for the typical Quest 2 owner, who might not have the physical space to play Spatial Ops at home, simulating a full-fledged standoff might be one of the greatest uses of the Meta Quest 2 I've seen thus far. One of the most exciting virtual reality skirmishes I've ever engaged in was made possible by Resolution's provision of an open area that spanned at least two lengths of 55. Similar to Place Pirate Arena before it, Spatial Ops performs best when real players compete against one another in a nearby physical space. If you don't have any other people to play with, though, it may fully mimic up to seven other players. Spatial Ops is almost surely going to be a classic action game that pushes the limits of what mixed reality gaming can offer, at least for those who have the space to play it. It might also be the ideal launch title for the mixed-reality mode of the Quest 2 considering that it is now open to the general public.