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Release Date: October 20th, 2016 Movie Release Year: 2016

Pixel Gear (PS VR)

Overview -

'Pixel Gear' is a relatively simple first-person shooter that feels like the VR successor to the light gun arcade games of yore. Using the PS VR headset to look around and a Move controller to aim and fire the gun, it’s up to the player to take out all manner of nasty pixelated baddies — such as ghosts, skeletons and undead knights.

OVERALL:
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Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Release Date:
October 20th, 2016

Video Review

Ranking:

The title of 'Pixel Gear' is indicative of the visual aesthetic here: pixelation is the name of the game, with low-resolution textures and low-poly models that bring to mind the similar style of 'Minecraft.' I found this pretty appealing for the most part, particularly when it came to the giant bosses at the end of each stage — these hulking monstrosities are fun to look at, with the appearance that they were built using hundreds of LEGO bricks.

As previously mentioned, it can be difficult to make out certain details both close and afar; the blurry scope on the sniper rifle is nightmarishly bad, while distant enemies appear as little more than colored blobs. This made me realize that PS VR games would do well to keep the action fairly close to the player’s perspective, or focus more on the big picture than the finer details.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Unfortunately, 'Pixel Gear' is pretty irritating in the audio department. The music consists of the same track looping ad nauseam across the three levels, and the sound effect volume seems wildly inconsistent. Some are barely audible in the mix, while others — like the high-pitched "TING!" that plays when the helmet of an undead knight is shot off — were so loud they made me wince. As with the lack of polish in some of the gameplay mechanics, this makes the proceedings feel a bit amateurish.

Final Thoughts

My first moments with 'Pixel Gear' were satisfying, to say the least. I immediately enjoyed the simple appeal of looking around, aiming and shooting in VR, which feels like the logical evolution of the classic light gun games of years ago. Unfortunately, there just isn't much depth to be found here. Though there are four difficulty settings, the three available levels just don’t feel all that different from one another.

I also got the sense that a little extra polish would have went a long way here — two of the weapons are practically worthless, and the unintuitive boss battles feel amateurish despite being a welcome change of pace. After the initial fun wears off, this game is probably best for folks looking to waste some time while waiting for a download; it's a shame, since a few more levels and enemy types could have made chasing high scores an addictive prospect.