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Articles, Blog
Articles, Blog
Golem PS4 PSVR pre-review first impressions – MY HORRIFYING experience
November 13, 2019
[hissing sound] [scared] Urgh-urgh [hissing] [panicked] No, go way. go way. urgh. URGH. YA. URGH, URGH, URGHH, URGGGHH. urgh That girly-scream you just heard – sums up
my experience with Golem so far [powerful motivational intro music] Hi! How’re you doing? Welcome!
My name is Venom This is not a review of Golem PS4. This is
my first impressions of it based on approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes of play in the opening
sections Let me tell you, because of jump-scares and
clunky controls it has been a, literally, horrifying experience Golem a PSVR exclusive was announced back
during the 2015 PlayStation Experience. Developed by Highwire Games an independent developer
co-founded by legendary Halo theme composer Marty O’Donnell and Jaime Griesemer who
was a game designer on Halo and Destiny. So the studio has a strong pedigree As a PSVR owner there is always the feeling
that there are not enough games being released that take advantage of the platform. Sure
there all those format demos, the ‘experiences’ and the Batman Arkham VR style mini-games,
but after that all you want is an honest-to-God straightforward game that you can enjoy This is why Golem has looked so interesting to me Set in a Saharan-inspired desert town, patrolled
by bullying guards, your character’s father hunts buried relics to sell so he can buy
food. You play his daughter, a young girl named Twine, who is confined to her bed after being injured in a terrible accident using the magical dream stone you gain the power
to inhabit a mysterious golem which you use to explore an ancient city, fight enemies
and unravel a profoundly personal mystery The game has a clever Russian-doll conceit;
as the player you wear the PSVR headset and use the Move controller to see through the
eyes of Twine and control her. She has a bandage or cloth covering her eyes, she uses the Move-like
dream stone to see through the golem’s eyes and control him Sometimes you have games that include fourth
wall breaking nods or winks that involve the player. This, is a little bit different because
there’s no direct reference to the player but this echoing of player actions in-game
actually increases the immersion So player, Twine, and Golem are inexorably
linked in this action adventure But how does it play? Well, that depends on the player and their
comfort in using VR Let me tell you where I’M at. I love VR. I get motion sick in some games.
And I don’t like horror movies or games In a VR game the controls are everything This is played using a single Move controller
You can set the tunnel effect to high comfort so that when moving, the screen image is cropped
to reduce motion sickness You can also use quick turn to enable you
to look left or right or turn around 180 degrees in large snap increments However, a teleport movement option isn’t
included, for some people this is not going to be an issue. For me i’m automatically
feeling queasy, even with sickness tablets Worst than that though, is to move forward
or backward you hold the T button and then have to physically lean forward or backward
and the game will move your character the way you move and look. I regularly saw ‘don’t
lean too far’ warnings – but maybe the developers should have interpreted their own warning
that the controls needed optimisation. Once you get the hang of it this works fairly intuitively However my sickness was compounded by the
fact that there is a subtle side to side swaying when moving forward or back. And the game
doesn’t always register your movements so from a stationary position you have to
lean harder So for a platform where it’s a known issue
that some people get sick, this game had me rocking forward and backwards throughout! You can’t play this game motionless, sitting
back comfortably in your chair In part, this is Sony’s fault because Highwire
likely wanted to simplify the game control by giving it one-handed use, and the Move doesn’t
have a d-pad or analogue stick But also, I think there is a belief that people
who play VR games also want their games to be highly physical with plenty of motion control.
For games like Beat Saber this might be appropriate, but for this I would have liked the option
to use the DualShock 4 in my other hand or or as a complete replacement to the Move [hissing] Argh. Urgh, urgh. Jesus [hissing] Jesus. Christ. F[Beep]. If I buy a VR game is not confirmation
I want to be part of a jump-scare horror game In the very beginning, you are in control of
a puppet exploring underneath the floorboards there are these proportionately ‘giant’
hissing bugs. Most of the time there is just a few minding their own business but the hiss,
in stereo is scary. And one part I took a wrong turn and a whole swarm of them ran towards
me, hissing louder and louder then jumped at me with their tentacles – I didn’t
capture that but I was shouting in horror Yes, I know this makes me a complete pussy -cat I found my way around them but it kept happening
and, for me, it was a genuinely horrifying experience I’ve fought enemies in VR before,
but I think this was so bad because it was giant insects crawling over my face. I had
to take the headset off and I think I’m suffering from Golem PTSD and I know that some people might love this stuff –maybe you do?! others, like myself, hate it. Whichever camp you fall in the game should be labelled
as such. I was expecting a fantasy game and this was jump-scare horror. it was almost
enough to put me off VR. Next day I went back eventually I got passed
the whole insect section of catacombs and took control of a Golem and that’s where
the game feels like it truly begins Marty O’Donnell’s orchestrations kick
in and you can hear his signature strings, telling a story befitting the soundtrack of
a children’s Christmas movie. [music, beating drums, tense] And later those banging drums signalling a call to action
that is reminiscent of Halo Using the Golem I begun to explore a ruined
city. Scattered throughout I found orbs that had helpful messages for me. I was able to
find some treasures. And I fought against other automaton-like enemies -these didn’t scare me! [recorded voice from gameplay] Come on then! Combat is simplistic but functions appropriately
for the golem. You can hold your sword up to attack, defend, parry strikes So now I’m at the point where the game is
just getting going. I had hoped to have completed it but realistically, I think I will only
be able to play this in smaller chunks But this has left me wanted to use my Golem
to explore further Thanks for watching, if you have a question
leave it in the comments and LIKE & SUBSCRIBE Cheers! [Whispered] Venom [tense SFX and hissing getting LOUDER] Yope. Yope. [don’t ask what the word means, man is petrified!] [Hissing] YOPE, yope, yope, yope. [increasingly louder] Argh, Argh, ARGH, ARGH, Argh, argh
What are you doing, kiddo? You really gonna go through with this? I’m gonna find… And I’m gonna kill… Every last one of them.
Virtual reality. You know about it, you’ve heard about it. Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and now, the PlayStation VR. With this situation, people already have playstations, or at least a lot of them are out there. Beyond that, you’ve got this launch bundle, Which gives you all of the components necessary. In the VR World, The friction associated with getting started …Is one of the things that’s holding it back. I know about friction! It’s how you make a fire, right? Like… with the.. What’s inside the box? So you’ve got the headset of course, You’ve got these controllers The camera and the game Included is kind of like a variety type of disk. you can see there are some accessories The headset is available now. You will need to do something for audio and then some accessories here for like a gun unit that will be out in the spring (ohhh) … (ohhh) … There is a couple of different options here. Here is the camera unit You can see that is has two lenses, that’s going to be used for motion tracking It sort of tracks the lights. These little globes on the top There is also lighting on the headset so it knows where your head is. Another controller. So two controllers. (fake gun noises) (more fake gun noises) (even more fake gun noises) Excuse me. (gun noise) (more gun noise) Notice where I’m aiming. Hey first class jack. Look at that action. (whoo) Wow, they went all out. Look at the size of this quick start guide. Look at all that empty space on there. Look at this the way they … A head set. So they do give you a headset. This box is how you are going to interface with the VR headset while remaining connected. HDMI to the PS4, Micro-USB to connect it. (wow) Oh… So those ports become more accessible on the front. This looks like the important headset cable. I’m guessing. It’s that special AV looking connector. It actually looks kind of like HDMI. And there it is The cables already installed on this thing with an inline remote. Thats kinda cool. This breaks out into the same thing and that will go into there and a headphone jack So any headset is going to be capable of working Spring loaded I got to say first impressions here are positive Very soft and cusheny. Look at that. Lets enter virtual reality together. ahhhh thats look at that. that guy right omg okay. Put on the headphones. Going deep guys woooh yeah. Im in it. Im in it Yes! Play station VR worlds begin baby Oh! Yes! Oh man. Oh man! Woh! Easy easy woh! Easy boy. Woooh! Ahhhhh! yeah. omg. No no oh yeah! Woooh! Wooh! holy smokes. Thats a demo right there. How about I do this London Heist Ohhh my hands. Wooh! Simulation theory Right. Ohhh my Oh theres a piece in there. Oh man. Oh man. Load the gun. Ohhh! Ohhhh! *gun shot* Ohhh! Uggggh not good right now. Not good. Oh man! Oh my playing Russian roulette with me right now. Oh my. im lighting a cigar right now. *Character* Fuck Bluetooth ear piece can I put that on. Oh I put it on Ohhh! Look at this stack of cash I just lit this dudes cigar. Yes! Oh boy. Got em Theres like a little ridge here I gotta shoot through Oh i need another clip Got him Oh Im out of bullets Good. Die! Oh Im sweating The immersion there. You get lost for a minute. I gotta be honest This is a good time. This will blow your mind. Your gonna have fun Moms and dads bookmark this video. Every kid on the planet wants this for christmas You heard it here.
[RADIO STATIC] WOMAN OVER RADIO: Solus 3, this
is command. Please report. MALE COMPUTER VOICE: Save
yourself. [OMINOUS ELECTRONIC MUSIC
PLAYING]
DR. REX JUNG: Your brain is
really trying to make a fit in reality. This is a thing that our brain
does whether it’s trying to put firewood into a
optimal stack to fit the space or food into a
cupboard or people into a train. That is something our
brain is optimized to do. And so it makes sense that
people would transform that into an analogy of their everyday
life where they are seeing things in their day-to-day life
and imagining items or elements from their life as tetrominoes
that they can perhaps manipulate or organize a bit better. GRAEME HOWARD: First time I
played Tetris — I have an older brother, and already
by the time I was born, I had a family member who
was really into video games. So by the time I even
remember playing games at all, there was already Tetris in the
house in one shape or another. So I’ve basically been
playing it my entire life. The first Tetris games that I
played were on the NES and the Game Boy. But after that, I left for a
while and I came back and really got into a game
called Tetris Plus. And Tetris Plus was a
fun one that I would play. It was on the PlayStation. And in that one, it’s a little
bit of a different Tetris game where you also have this little
anthropologist man that you sort of navigate
through environments. So the first time I started
really seeing Tetris effect, I would also have this
little cartoon professor man who accompanied all of it. And once you start getting to
that higher level and spending a lot more time with the game, then you start to just
see the shapes everywhere. A lot of people see them
when they’re going to bed. But, of course, for me there was
just a whole lot of seeing them everywhere, all the time, whenever my mind is
free to do whatever it wants. You will just have an idle
moment and then the shapes start popping into your head. A large part of it
is just how recently I engaged with the game. I do this it’s a thing that
sort of phases in and out. So if you’ve be playing a lot
of Tetris at the time recently, I think, for me at least,
I’m more likely to see it, whereas if I go away
from it for a while, that eventually
starts to fade as well. And once you get back into it,
it’s like it never went away. As far as I can tell, there’s
no specific trigger for me aside from just playing a
whole lot of Tetris. DR. REX JUNG: It’s
interesting, yeah. The brain will conform
itself to environmental demands, and if you are using your
brain in a certain way for long periods of time,
it will organize itself to meet that
environmental demand. And this individual who is
playing for long periods of time is really creating an
environmental demand that his
brain is trying to meet. GRAEME HOWARD: Pier 21 is
very unique in a lot of ways. It’s, of course, not just TGM,
they have other games as well, but TGM is sort of — that’s
its last bastion here in Japan. It’s where you have a really big
community all in the same place trying to do the same thing,
just get better at Tetris. And you’ve never seen so many
Tetris machines in one arcade. I try to make it out there
as often as I possibly can. I’m pretty busy at the moment,
but I try to get out there every couple of weeks and being in
that environment is really helpful because not only are
you experiencing a game that you love with other people
who have the same hobby, but you can also see
much better players, you know, working their craft
and seeing what they’re doing differently from you and
what you can learn from them. HENK ROGERS: I like to think
that it works the same way as an athlete
going into the zone. If you’re playing basketball
or playing tennis or something, you go into the zone and
your body is playing that game. You’re not thinking. Your reaction time
is much faster than you can actually think. And then your body
is doing its thing. And so I think that being in the
zone you can say it’s a pleasure center, but it’s something
good just like meditation, so I believe that Tetris
can have that same effect. GRAEME HOWARD: The zone I think
is — Tetris is a game that is uniquely suited to putting
people in that mental state I think because the rules are set;
everybody knows what they are. It’s a game that’s so simple
that anybody can understand it. And since it’s engaging in that
way where it immediately brings you in, I think it really just
puts you into that same state you get when you’re very much
focused on any other activity. Of course, it could be running. In my case, I do a
lot of weightlifting. I think a lot of people,
just in their own work, they can get into these mental
states that are very rewarding once you get out of them knowing
that you did well in them. DR. REX JUNG: It’s like being in
flow situation where you don’t even hardly have to think
about playing the game. It just happens
naturally like riding a bicycle. You can do it without
hardly thinking at all. It is so natural to move the
tetrominoes around into place that it seems effortless to
your brain because you have it optimized in your
neural network. GRAEME HOWARD: You get to
experience a couple very interesting things
when you play Tetris. One is, of course, as
you get better at it, you can build something. So you have these seven pieces, and you can use them to create
ideally something that is nice and clean and
proper and stacked well. But you can also use it to
create something chaotic. And you also get to
experience afterwards, that feeling of using those same
pieces to then take it down and clear everything away. And I think you really sort of
get into a mindset that allows you to look at
things in different ways. What can you do with
these pieces that you have? And I think in the sense of
applying that to a creative process, you can look at
what’s at your disposal. You have art supplies or
you have building materials. What can you do
with these things? And I think sort of in that way
it is a game that sort of allows you to leverage that
same creative aspect.
When it comes to interacting with virtual worlds, the technology can be frustratingly limited — often relying on staying within view of a camera and big wonky controls. A new wearable, electronic skin could change that. Researchers have developed “e-skin” that can track small movements, allowing users to control virtual objects using their hands and fingers. The artificial skin is only 3.5 microns thick — about the same width as a single thread of spider silk and consists of a tiny magnetic sensor sandwiched between two layers of film. When the skin is near a magnet, the sensor produces a voltage which varies depending on its angle relative to the magnetic field. Software monitors the output voltage and reconstructs the exact position of the sensor, tracking the body part the skin is attached to and replicating its movement in a virtual environment. One day, this technology could allow people to interact with virtual worlds using only their bodies, eliminating the need for cumbersome equipment.