GameTech: Iron Man looks a solid bet with VR version
“I am Iron Man.” Although not the most iconic of lines in cinema history, Tony Stark’s final words were repeated across the internet with glee by Marvel fans after the Infinity Saga came to a close. Like one of Dr Strange’s portals, the Marvel cinematic universe had come full circle.
The closest thing we have to a portal in scientific terms might be virtual reality. It takes us to other worlds and, when it’s done well, it seems like magic. So for gamers who want do more than just repeat Tony Stark’s famous line, Iron Man VR might do the trick.
Iron Man VR will release in July for the PlayStation 4, and there will be a special bundle in Europe that includes two PS Move controllers. As you might expect from the title, it puts players in Tony Stark’s super-powered suit, a perfect shell for virtual reality shenanigans.
To give people a taste of what’s to come, a demo has been released on the PlayStation Network.
In it, players take the suit for a test fly in the skies, before some renegade drones spoil the party. You have to quickly master both flight and the suit weaponry to take them down. Accessing the demo also gives players a new skin for the main game when it releases.
Although Half-Life Alyx was a triumph, virtual reality has never quite delivered a killer app.
Iron Man VR certainly won’t be that – it’s another in a long line of fairly simple VR concepts. But for the millions of Marvel fans around the world, being able to utter the line ‘I am Iron Man’ with some conviction might be all they need.
Christopher Nolan
Speaking of cinematic universes, Christopher Nolan has his own brand of film-making style that could arguably fit in the same universe. From Memento, to Interstellar, to Inception, he likes to put a twist on things. His latest film, Tenet, is about the flow of time.
Only time will tell if Nolan’s film will actually release in cinemas this July like planned, but the latest trailer for Tenet was released first on Fortnite.
It was a strange move for a film that doesn’t seem aimed at younger gamers, but the weirdness didn’t stop there. Geogh Keighley, the host of the Game Awards, subsequently tweeted that Nolan would stream a whole film on Fortnite this summer.
While no date was given for the stream, and no title for the film, it’s another step towards a future where media platforms converge seamlessly.
Twenty years ago, games were struggling to incorporate short video sequences into gameplay. Now, players can watch full movies on their virtual battle islands.
Final Fantasy
One of those late ‘90s games that attempted cinematic videos was Final Fantasy VII.
More than two decades later, the Final Fantasy VII Remake has not only become a complete cinematic experience, it has also outdone most other games of the year too.
Final Fantasy VII Remake had the most successful launch month of any game in the series, both in terms of sales and dollar intake, making it the best-selling game of April and ahead of Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The remake will inevitable continue to sell well through the year, and deservedly so, but the creators of the game are quick to acknowledge the legacy of the original.
Co-director Naoki Hamaguchi recently said:
“Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the game. There are a lot of people who played the original game who are now working in the industry as developers, game writers or even influencers, and I think that those people liked the remake and talked about the game, becoming evangelists and spreading the word to new players.
"I am very grateful indeed to all those fans who have been with us since the original and support Final Fantasy VII over the years, and it’s great to welcome all the new players who are experiencing the game for the first time.”
There could be plenty of time for those fans to mull over Final Fantasy VII some more – with the next instalment said to be in early development only, it will likely be 4 or 5 years before the next ‘final’ fantasy arrives.
