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Virtual Reality Check: A look at the 10 best VR experiences

Posted April 15, 2016 7:00 am

By DERRIK J. LANG

This image released by Oculus Rift shows a scene from "Adr1ft." The weightless saga casts players as an astronaut struggling to survive while exploring a destroyed space station. (505 Games/Oculus Rift via AP) The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - After spending time with the recently released consumer editions of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality systems, here are the 10 best VR titles out now:

- "Adr1ft": If the film "Gravity" was a video game, it would be "Adr1ft." The weightless saga for Oculus casts players as an astronaut struggling to survive while exploring a shattered space station.

- "Elite: Dangerous": While the open-world space simulator "Elite: Dangerous" has been out for two years, a VR edition adds another level of immersion by placing players in the cockpit of their spaceship.

- "EVE: Valkyrie": This sci-fi dogfighter - one of the first full-fledged games to be created for modern-day VR - convincingly pits online gamers against each other in out-of-this-world locales.

- "Fantastic Contraption": In this physics-based puzzler, there's a wacky frenzy as players are tasked with constructing virtual inventions to navigate a glowing pink blob across increasingly more complex levels.

- "Hover Junkers": Duck! The controllers for the Vive are transformed into a gun and a hovercraft's throttle, in this addictive multiplayer shooter that implores players to use their whole body.

- "Job Simulator": This could be the first-ever VR sitcom. "Futurama" meets "Portal" in Owlchemy Labs' quirky game where players take orders from robots in such roles as line cook and store clerk.

- "Space Pirate Trainer": For those gamers who've ever wanted to dodge bullets with their whole body like Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix," this arcade-like game will have them muttering, "Whoa."

- "The Lab": Valve didn't release a new "Half-Life" game alongside the Vive, but they did create a dynamic "Portal"-themed mini-game collection boasting high-fidelity archery and realistic VR vistas.

- "Tilt Brush": One of the most impressive VR experiences isn't a game at all. Google basically designed a 360-degree version of Photoshop where users can craft sculptures with everything from paint to rainbows.

- "Vanishing Realms": In this clunky but captivating fantasy game, players are cast adventurers who must wield swords, shields, bows and magical wands as they navigate dungeons and fight skeletons.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/derrik-j-lang.

This image released by Oculus shows the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. (Oculus via AP) The Associated Press

This image released by Oculus Rift shows a scene from "Elite: Dangerous." (Oculus Rift via AP) The Associated Press

This image released by Oculus Rift shows a scene from "Eve: Valkyrie." This sci-fi dogfighter pits online players against each other in intergalactic shootouts. (CCP Games/Oculus Rift via AP) The Associated Press

This image released by HTC Vive shows a scene from, "Fantastic Contraption," where players can build wacky virtual inventions and the goal is to navigate a glowing pink blob across increasingly difficult levels. (HTC Vive via AP) The Associated Press

This image released by HTC Vive shows the Owlchemy Labs game "Job Simulator," where players assume such roles as line cook and store clerk. (HTC Vive via AP) The Associated Press

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