These new PS VR2 games show there’s plenty of magic left in this kit

I won’t lie I slept a little PSVR2 since the initial hype around the release. I had a great time trying out Sony’s new VR hardware, but hey, aside from some excitement in GT7, the headset has been collecting dust.

Until this last week. It’s not that there haven’t been new releases for PS VR2, there have been, and some look decent, but I’m lazy, and choosing the Steam Deck or Xbox controller is less of an effort. Still, it’s amazing what a couple of new releases can do to completely change your gaming habits, and now your headset and controllers are always primed and ready to go.

The first is C-Smash VRS. Amongst the highly online, which includes people like me, this has a bit of a stir since it’s essentially a sequel to SEGA’s super fancy and cool arcade game Cosmic Smash. The game got a Dreamcast port, back when games ported over from Arcade to home was the coolest thing imaginable, and it was a lot of fun. Think of the real life sport, Squash, but for people who are actually into Tron.

I’ll be honest. Despite being a SEGA kid and singing the praises of the Dreamcast to all my friends at school, I’ve never played Cosmic Smash. I did play quite a bit of Squash though, so this VR variation seemed like an ideal way to introduce myself, and it definitely was.

Pounding something in VR is something I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of. It’s kind of simple, but I think that’s what makes it so perfect for VR. I think VR is more immersive when you’re doing everyday tasks. Hitting a ball with a racket or bat is probably fun in real life and it’s great in C-Smash VRS. Of course, here in PS VR2 you’re inside a minimalist 3D world complete with the latest summer tunes (I’m no expert on this, but believe me, the soundtrack is excellent).

Transfer the simpler gameplay mechanics (hitting a ball) to a nice package of single and multiplayer modes, and well, I think I’ll be playing this for a long time. In my opinion, this is what virtual reality is all about; I felt like I was there, playing this futuristic ball game. So much so that I completely forgot about myself and went for a slightly overzealous overhead slam, smashing my hand and real-life controller against my real-world light screen. Alright. I’ve fixed it. That’s VR proper.

I don’t know who these people are, but I hope that VR sport is not for everyone, just like real sport has many enemies. So, good news! This next game is violent, has guns, and is another PS VR2 gem.

If you’ve been on the gaming block for as long as I have, maybe you’re lying down, you’re probably tired, you might remember Psi-Ops from Midway Games. This incredibly entertaining third-person action game for PS2, Xbox, and PC saw you use psychic powers to throw things and enemies, as well as use an arsenal of weapons to blow things up. It’s honestly one of the best games of that generation, and Synapse is a lot like that game taken into VR and coupled with first-person rogue-play.

The result is one of the most inventive PS VR2 games I’ve ever played, which isn’t a huge surprise considering it’s from VR experts nDreams. Instead of giving you all your powers from the start, you earn them by playing races and completing objectives. At first you can throw crates and smash explosive barrels, and use a gun to shoot, but things really heat up when you can throw enemies around. Thanks to the PS VR2 headset’s eye tracking, you can do this with amazing ease, fixing your gaze on something and then moving your left hand as if conducting an orchestra of death.

For me, VR gaming is all about bursts of fun (partly because I need to take breaks to reconnect with the real world and not throw my lunch everywhere), so while Synapse becomes a bit of the same in its clever but simple monochrome world, doesn’t really bother me. He would jump for some psyops magic and then jump again. More serious gamers will likely see most of what Synapse has to offer in less than 10 hours, but again, I’m okay with that. Not every game has to offer 50+ hours of content and an endless stream of DLC.

Long story short? C-Smash VRS and Synapse are so good that they got me, a lazy man who would do anything for an easy life, back on the VR bandwagon.