It is not difficult to make the mistake of considering each genre, each game that we could define as classic, easily adaptable to virtual reality. The experience of recent years has evidently shown us the opposite, empirically showing us how only a few products, mostly designed specifically around this technology, find success and recognition from critics and the public.
To explain it better, let's take an extreme case, namely The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR. No one doubts the underlying quality of the production or the undeniable benefits that come, in terms of a sense of immersion, from interpreting Bethesda's masterpiece in the first person. However, how many people actually enjoyed the entire main story, from start to finish, with headphones on? Specially designed adventures are needed that do not weigh down the experience too much, that are capable of proposing the most appropriate pace and also the appropriate emotional and aesthetic charge, always well calibrated with the specificities of virtual reality.
This introduction is not at all accidental. Because when talking about city builders, a question spontaneously arises: does it really make sense to juggle between a viewer and a controller in various ways, when the mouse, keyboard and the classic PC screen work so well?
We get closer Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition with this doubt well engraved in my head and in this review, among many others, we will try to clarify this point as well.
Classic in essence
Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition, a bit as the title suggests, is the revised and corrected version of the same game that was already seen about a year ago in Meta Quest 2. It is, as expected, a city builder quite classic, in which the main objective is to guarantee the happiness and well-being of the inhabitants who will progressively populate the metropolis that you will build from the maps, nine in total, made available.
Simple to explain, complex to create, as is tradition in games of this genre. Initially empty, you will have to fill the stage with buildings, factories and structures necessary for the proper functioning of a city. You will have to worry about the sewage system, electricity and ensuring that areas with a high risk of fire or crime are not created.
Obviously, it is not just about providing what is necessary so that everything is simply sustainable. It is essential to be attentive to the needs and requirements of citizens. A residential neighborhood must be far from the industrial center. Without leisure places, it is difficult for the happiness of the inhabitants to take off. Promoting education, allowing easy access to government structures and ensuring that public transport service is also efficient is not secondary.
There are many variables, especially considering the budget. It is true that by selecting the corresponding mode you will be able to enjoy the pure and simple pleasure of building without limits, but by playing without shortcuts you will also have to consider taxes, income and expenses.
Simply put, you will have to constantly consider multiple factors and it is no coincidence that menus abound. From this point of view, Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition has nothing to envy other similar games, since he will be able to work hard on you, especially when the metropolis reaches a certain size and the problems to pay attention to multiply exponentially. Whatever your preference, that is, whether you prefer the economic or the social sphere, to give just two examples, even when the game has already started for some time, it is not unusual to have to reconsider your choices and be forced to spend time and resources. in an intense renovation of entire neighborhoods.
The possibilities, in this sense, are truly many, a sign of a deep gameplay, the result of well-connected mechanics and a long series of construction structures. This is also why it's impossible not to blame the developers for not including one. campaign that instilled a minimum of progression to the whole. There is a short tutorial, useful for learning and understanding the fundamentals of the game, but the rest is at the complete discretion of the player who will have to independently search for objectives and motivations to move forward.
The good and not so good of virtual reality
Upon closer inspection, this is the first factor to consider regarding Cities: VR – Enhanced Edition. While it is undeniable that the gameplay works wonderfully, applied to a context lacking tangible stimuli may lose effectiveness. Of course, true connoisseurs of the genre are used to software that is not based on any campaign, but the console audience, less accustomed to experiences of this type, could suffer from what effectively remains a void that may discourage anyone who needs objectives and goals. to continue in the game.
This is undoubtedly a first alarm signal that reveals not so much the insufficiency of Fast Travel Games AB's proposal but rather the lack of attention to the target platform. Even more so if it is not the only emergency warning light that is activated.
Yes, because virtual reality, in this context, offers a lot, but remove at the same time. On the one hand, the view from which the city and the landscape are portrayed is certainly evocative, as well as enveloping. Thanks to the specifications of PlayStation VR 2, the definition and clarity of the image guaranteed by the OLED screen, playing with the zoom level and the viewing angle, you can literally see everything. By distancing the point of view and exploiting the sensory reagents, neighborhoods are created, power lines are erected and roads are built quite intuitively. Much better than on a flat screen, sometimes you just need to look around to see even more clearly the impact of your work on the rest of the city.
Furthermore, when activating the zoom to the maximum, it is not uncommon to find yourself like this simple spectators of the daily life of the metropolis. Under the guise of mere virtual tourists, if not mayors enjoying the view of their creation, Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition can also offer these moments of pure and simple contemplation. Of course, for some this feature will be of no value, but others will be happy to know that, from this point of view, virtual reality can give an advantage to the management software genre. graphicallyHowever, it should be stressed that you will not be faced with an impressive spectacle. The polygonal complexity of each element on the screen is relatively crude and there is no shortage of pop-ups. However, when the screen is full of buildings and moving elements, the overall rendering doesn't look too bad.
On the other hand, however, it is equally undeniable that technology is not better suited to the genre. There menu management, for example, is not entirely optimal. The adaptation to the Sense buttons is certainly a success, but it is still difficult to switch from one screen to another. The same construction is not as precise as on a PC with a mouse and keyboard. It happens that you make a mistake, that you have to start over, that you have to cancel an order you have given.
In short, the experience is more cumbersome and exhausting than in other places. Even taking into account that in the long run the viewer weighs on the neck and therefore it is impossible to indulge in a prolonged marathon as happens when you are comfortably in front of a screen.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery PlayStation Store Price 29.99 € Holygamerz.com 7.0 Readers (6) 7.0 your voteIn itself Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition is not a terrible management game at all. Far from there. In terms of depth and complexity of the proposed mechanics, it has little to envy Cities: Skylines of which it is clearly a branch. Building, managing, renovating are operations that bring a large number of variables into play and that will confront you with small and large problems that, once overcome, will leave you with the satisfaction of feeling like architects of a self-sufficient society. and functional metropolis. A metropolis that, remember, thanks to the potential of virtual reality you can explore up close and build from a fairly comfortable point of view. At the same time, however, Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition proves to be an extremely niche product. If the genre is already for a few, the absence of a campaign will discourage many who need objectives and levels to find the right motivation. Virtual reality itself also doesn't quite fit the genre. As much as the Sense does its job, the precision of a mouse, as well as the comfort of a screen that doesn't weigh down your head, are two qualities missing from the game. In short, Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition is a good management software that has the only defect of being in a slightly wrong place. By accepting the compromises of virtual reality and those due to the absence of a campaign, you will still enjoy a well-developed title with layered gameplay.
PRO
- deep gameplay
- Virtual reality allows you to have a comfortable and practical vision
AGAINST
- A campaign is missing
- Graphically nothing exceptional
- The controls lack precision.
