April 20, 2022 – Today, Meta held its second annual Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, during which several new virtual reality (VR) gaming titles were announced, as well as updates and expansions to existing titles. Furthermore, Meta stated that every game that it showed off today is slated to release within the next year.
To celebrate today’s show Meta has announced a sale in the Meta Quest Store, meaning titles such as Moss and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners are available at a discounted price, allowing gamers to get caught up before the sequels drop later this year. Meta is also giving away the virtual world that the showcase took place in as a new Home environment. Quest users can look for and download the ‘Crystal Atrium’ home environment under the Personalization tab of their device’s settings menu.
The titles announced today were:
Ghostbusters VR
Mark Zuckerberg introduced Ghostbusters VR, published by Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR) and developed by nDreams, developers of Phantom: Covert Ops (a kayak-themed FPS shooter where you have to stealthily prevent nuclear war… all from a kayak. Yes, you read that premise correctly).
Players track, shoot and trap ghosts while trying to unravel a mystery. Players can team up with three friends for a co-op Ghostbusters adventure.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution
Zombie survival horror game ‘The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners’ released two years ago. Later this year, developers Skydance Interactive will release The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution, which will see players continue their journey through a changed New Orleans, one that’s even more dangerous than before.
Bonelab
Stress Level Zero’s acclaimed BONEWORKS VR action adventure used advanced experimental physics mechanics to pair a next-level interaction engine with near-boundless player freedom, resulting in one of the most realistic and immersive VR games to-date.
Today, Stress Level Zero announced its fourth project, BONELAB, built for both Quest 2 and PC VR. BONELAB builds on its predecessor, pairing a brand new story with two years of innovation and interaction engine progress.
BONELAB is set to release later this year, so keep an eye out on the store for updates.
NFL PRO ERA
StatusPRO revealed NFL PRO ERA, the first officially-licensed NFL game to hit VR. NFL PRO ERA uses NFL game data to create an authentic on-the-field NFL VR experience.
Among Us VR
Based on the hugely popular online multiplayer social deduction game ‘Among Us’, Among US VR, developed by InnerSloth, Robot Teddy, and Schell Games will be out by the end of 2022. Meta also announced that it is partnering with Schell Games on three more projects, but did not divulge any further details.
Red Matter 2
Red Matter 2 is a sci-fi VR puzzle adventure that picks up where the previous game left off. Meta stated that developer Vertical Robot has built on lessons learned from the first game, and the result is a longer and more ambitious adventure. Puzzles are still central to Red Matter 2, but the sequel mixed things up a little more.
Espire 2
Stealth VR shooter Espire 1: VR Operative was released in 2019 (think Splinter Cell, but if Sam Fisher was a robot that you controlled in the first person). Espire 2 looks to yet more VR espionage adventures where players wield an array of high-tech gadgets as they go behind enemy lines.
Espire 2 will also feature an entirely separate co-op campaign, with unique missions set in familiar Espire 1 locations.
Moss: Book II
Sequel to the hugely popular VR action-adventure puzzle ‘Moss’, this second outing for Quill, the young hero of Moss, is coming to Quest 2 this summer with Moss: Book II.
RUINSMAGUS
A narrative-driven action JRPG that includes 26 fully-voiced quests that will see players grow from a novice wizard into a powerful, spell-wielding Magus. RUINSMAGUS is set to release later this year.
Cities: VR
Not quite a one-to-one port of popular city builder game ‘Cities: Skylines’ from Paradox Interactive, but Cities: VR from Fast Travel Games will give players a newfound appreciation unique to VR of the scale and scenery of the cities they design and will bring the city builder genre to VR.
Cities VR is out next week on Quest 2 starting April 28. Gamers can also preorder today for 10% off.
Beat Saber – Electronic Mixtape
Beat Saber has already had a busy start to 2022, with both the release of OST5 and a Fall Out Boy music pack. Today, Beat Games announced their next release with the upcoming Electronic Mixtape, featuring tracks from hit artists deadmau5, Marshmello, Pendulum, and more.
Resident Evil 4 – The Mercenaries
The Mercenaries is an unlockable minigame in the original Resident Evil 4 game (non-VR version) that was unlocked by completing the main game regardless of difficulty. The objective of the game is to kill enemies to earn points before an evacuation chopper arrives in the allotted time. This mini-game was not featured in the Quest 2 launch of Resident Evil 4 when it was released last year.
However, The Mercenaries has been entirely rebuilt for VR by Armature Studio, in partnership with Oculus Studios and Capcom, yet the goal is the same. The Meta Quest 2 version also features exclusive online leaderboards, plus 20 new Challenges. Completing challenges also lets players unlock some made-for-VR treats, including a Big Head Mode, a black-and-white Classic Horror Mode, and Golden Gun skins for weapons. These unlocks can also be brought back into the main Resident Evil 4 campaign.
Image / video credit: Meta / YouTube
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.