In preparation for E3, Survios announced a host of updates to its upcoming VR titles, Raw Data and Sprint Vector. We’ve tried both of these games in the past, but I couldn’t help but visit the Survios booth to try them out myself.
Raw Data
Raw Data was up first. As a quick summary, Raw Data takes place in the not so distant future, where a company known as Eden Corp controls much of the world’s economy. Players get to control operatives hired by SyndiK8, an elite hacking organization tasked with uncovering Eden Corp’s shady dealings.
I got to play as Bishop the Gun Cleric, a SyndiK8 operative who dual-wields...well, guns. Firing was as easy as pulling the triggers; you move by holding the touchpad, aiming where you want to go, and then releasing the touchpad, which teleports you to the target area.
There wasn’t much time for me to get acquainted because robots began to spawn, so I had to learn on the fly. Fortunately, the control scheme was easy to pick up, and there was a plentiful amount of cover to duck behind. On top of that, aiming was pretty easy; it almost felt as though there was aim assist.
At first, Eden Corp sent normal humanoid robots known as Rigid Automos, which were sent in waves. When these proved to be easy killings, Eden Corp sent more vicious enemies. For example, I encountered Burstfire Mekomos, which fired plasma rifles at me. I also had to deal with a katana-wielding Cloaked Tekemo, which would have sneaked in for a kill had I not seen its subtle outline. Eden Corp also sent an Industrial Dynomo, which moved slowly but soaked a ton of damage. Hornet Drones were sent out in droves and rained fire on me even when I was behind cover, so I had to teleport often to evade them. Finally, Eden Corp unleashed several Crawlers, which appear to be Rigid Automos that were severed at the hip; these fiends crawled at me at alarming speed and leaped into the air toward me.
Combat felt extremely fluid, but like I stated earlier, I couldn't help but feel like there was some form of aim assist. The mission felt extremely easy, and I completed it with minimal injuries. This could very well be because I tried a demo rather than the full version, so we'll have to revisit Raw Data again in September to see whether the difficulty ramps up significantly.
Sprint Vector
After my run in with Eden Corp, I tried out Sprint Vector, a fast-paced racing game whose locomotion is powered by your own arm movement. To move, you need to raise your arm, hold the trigger, swing your arm backward, and release the trigger; that will propel you forward. The best way I can describe it is like using set of ski poles. (Editor's note: It reminds me a lot of Wii bowling.) Additionally, you can jump by pressing the touchpad while propelling yourself forward. When scaling walls, you can grab on handles to pull yourself upward. However, unlike actual rock climbing, Sprint Vector allows you to fling yourself dozens of feet into the air. Finally, if you’ve built enough momentum while jumping, you can hold your arms in front of you like Superman to get a speed boost.
At first, I played a practice round to get myself acquainted with the controls. The course consisted of a long winding road that was optimal for running. Surrounding the road were pits of sand and obstacles that either slowed me down or brought me to a halt. The road was also dotted with speed boost power ups that give you a temporary speed boost when you repeatedly click the trigger. Eventually, I got to play against another player at the booth (who I beat by a good 15 seconds...just saying.)
Sprint Vector didn't feel as polished as Raw Data. For example, I found that it was hard to make sharp turns around corners and obstacles; your character will follow the direction you look at and where your arms are facing, but your natural instinct is to look forward on the track and not to the side. Still, Sprint Vector offered an exhilarating experience, and challenging a real life opponent spurred my lust for victory.
Raw Data will be released in September of this year. Sprint Vector's release date is still unspecified, but Survios estimates that it will be ready in Q4. You can check out Raw Data and Sprint Vector during E3 at South Hall Booth #501.
