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Ubisoft’s Space Junkies sets the groundwork for a great competition-ready zero-G VR shooter, but a lack of content and character dulls its shine.
The announcer inSpace Junkies , Ubisoft ’s firebrand new VR gun for hire , is trying his honorable to do an feeling of Fred Schneider from the B-52 . Through an overblown , somewhat mocking Sprechgesang , he welcomes new player into the tutorial and beyond , a dogged unseen interpreter urging and guiding , attempting to found some character to tip the resultant Hawaii - jinks of this zero - somberness FPS , and while it ’s a kind of admirable energy , there seem to be more than a few all important qualities missing from this new PlayStation VR biz that passably under - delivers on its potential .
That tutorial is a honest one , though . You ’d think that move around in all directions with a headset on would be frustrating at best and nauseous at worst , butSpace Junkiesmakes that movement gratifying . Through a compounding of directional action that employ most of the buttons on the DualShock 4 , players can brood vertically , move and strafe around , and even speed - boost straight ahead . The movement is powerfully tied to a player ’s headland - tracking , a system of rules which has control standardized usage in other game and works well here , though it may take some time to get used to . Without further , grapheme movement is a little on the sluggish side , but experience static and sensible , and a few camera tricks aid preclude players from losing their dejeuner , like darkening edge of the screen during lurch turns .
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By the ending of the tutorial / boot inner circle level , you ’ll sense quite confident in flash around , taking stringent crook , and firing weapon , of which there is an interesting but limited assortment . The Ricoshaker rebounds slug off of walls , making them splendid for consume out opponents in tunnels or tight stern , and the Plasma Rifle is a lusty sniper - alike weapon which call for bill for maximal effect . Even the simple pistol , nickname the Sunblaster , has its own quirks , including a snazzy reload action unique from the others . What ’s more , any weapon wipe out of ammo can be chop-chop thrown , which transforms it into an incidental grenade , make for uproarious hail - Mary ends to het conflict .
Determining how best to utilise usable arm in live free rein will take considerable time , as well as memorization of their spawning locations while you coil around an arena in hunt of the best picks . In one ofSpace Junkies ’ most original mechanics , players can not only twofold - handle these firearms , but actually use both of their hands to manipulate them in sure way . The Plasma Rifle is a not bad deterrent example of this , where the left-hand gun trigger primes it and the right-hand trigger fires , though careful use of a modified - energy carapace can protect participant from crafty campers from an insta - putting to death headshot .
So that ’s the good intelligence : the introductory armory and movement power are pretty much five star topology across the card , particularly for a VR shooter . Unfortunately , though , Space Junkiessuffers from a stern deficiency of substance at time of launch , with a small handful of arenas and essentially two simple game modes : 1v1 and 2v2 . what is more , squad play is specifically gated to friends , so there ’s no random 2v2 matchmaking useable , and if you do n’t know anyone else with a PlayStation VR , you ’re stuck with straightforward 1v1 deathmatch . The reason for this seems apparent — it ’s to avoid possible griefing with strangers , where playing twosome stand for a single mate could destroy a match for their side — but with a pocket-sized possible musician - fundament due to the technical school involved , you ’d think Ubisoft might see fit to just let us roll up the die , rather than put up another roadblock for entry .
That being suppose , this sensibility seems to have fed into the cause for the game ’s robust pre - match active third house . Here , player can goof around in a blank station and also apply the mic to mouth to their upcoming opponent , and peradventure even maybe make a PlayStation Plus friend in the process . If you want to team up up with unknown and see the replete and more interesting 2v2 mode , this represent your only method to make it happen .
Matchmaking seems treacherous at the moment , and face up a much higher - level histrion in your first match will likely happen . Again , this is probably due to an overall dearth of player who own modern VR technical school . Additionally , Ubisoft saw fit to put through crabbed - play functionality , which is a surprising feature on consoles these days ( or , at least , on the PlayStation 4 ) , but it comes at a lumbering cost in this particular condition : Oculus / Vive players have the clear ramification up over their PS VR brethren . Since they ’ll be using actual dual controllers like the Oculus Touch , they can dual - maintain and aim in different direction and even emote with each bridge player . Sure , the 1v1 and 2v2 catch potpourri signify this is more understated — an 8v8 catch , for example , would give twofold - wielders a much greater range of targets to photograph at — but it ’s still a egregious asymmetry for a game that intends to be play with a free-enterprise outlook .
Still , the DualShock 4 does the job , and using it to train is certainly running , and there ’s a fair amount of possible precision that , through recitation , can feel rewarding in high - latent hostility play . Gameplay will send off you spin around around in set as you embrace needlelike twist to get the drop on your opponent , and the sense of improvement with each completed match feels righteously satisfying . Space Junkieshas a genuinely well put - together sense of mechanics , and there are n’t an enormous amount of games that have unified full-3D movement and gunplay to this high standard .
diagrammatically , Space Junkieslooks about on equation with many secret plan downgraded for PS VR . Sacrificing texture particular for higher frame charge per unit was the good move , just do n’t confuse personal computer screenshots for the existent PlayStation results ( take note that this version was tested on a received PlayStation 4 , not a Pro ) . For the soundtrack , there ’s a catchy bit of music that will ineluctably start to grate , as well as that B-52 announcer that just seems like a lazy fill - in to sum up a somewhat “ around the bend ” feel to the proceedings . Neither audio aspect fits quite justly , and feel a little like try - hard additions to shoot character where there really is n’t any to be find . perhaps if there were additional modes , like teams battling foreign hordes or playing some kind of futuristic sport , these detail could sense well - rounded but , as they are , they feel arbitrary and disposable .
irrespective , they also do n’t get in the way of life of the central gameplay , which is genuinely strong and engrossing . There ’s intellect to believe that more feature will be added to Space Junkies as fourth dimension goes on ( there is word that PlayStation Move controllers will see eventual consolidation in a future patch ) , and the basic combat is strong enough that it could potentially support a competitive and passionate residential area . What ’s damning is that Ubisoft is asking for $ 40 for a limited amount of content , and presumptively look PS VR owners trammel by limited options to just plunk that money down . If they indeed continue to support and expand upon the biz in succeeding update , they could sure enough have something special here , but scatty of any promises for a static residential area ( or AI bot , at the very least , please ) , consumer should be a piffling wary when committing to this one .
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Space Junkiesis uncommitted on Oculus , HTC Vive , and PlayStation VR . A digital code for PlayStation VR was provide to Screen Rant for purposes of review .
