Vox Machinae

Mech combat ... aaaahh ... Grinder combat in a slow campaign. Empty multi player servers. But it has cross platform play with Meta-Quest. It would actually be something very enjoyable in VR if the virtual control system for jumping wouldn't be so atrocious. There is simply not enough feedback and every jump in which you have to hit a specific small area gets a roll on a dice. When the roll is mostly an automatic failure. The jump fuel runs out way to quick and you have no way to steer while in the air.
Even that would not be too bad cause jumping is an advanced thing. But why make the 3rd mission in the campaign something where you need to jump and run on top of rocks. Highly frustrating as even switching to using the joystick on the VR controller was still not precise enough.

I had Vox Machinae on my wishlist for some time before deciding on a whim to give it a go. I tried it once before and remember being unimpressed by it as a standard game, though it is good that you have the option of playing it without VR equipment. However, actually playing it in VR is a very different and entertaining experience. I haven't played many VR mech games, but Vox evoked fun childhood memories of the Mechwarrior series, presented in a more streamlined and arcadey fashion- ammo is unlimited, for example, but you still have to watch your heat level and avoid shutdowns.

Set in a familiar "used" sci-fi future, Vox Machinae tells the story of the security team of Horizon Incorporated, a deep-space mining concern. Using large walking mining rigs called Grinders, Horizon is harvesting a useful mineral called Bellium from the worlds of the Serus system, to which they currently have exclusive mining rights- though that was not always the case. Your character is just beginning a mining contract with Horizon when their holdings on the planet of Topaz come under attack by enemy Grinders of Unknown Origin (frequently referred to as GUOs), and the player's skill in operating Grinder weaponry quickly lands them a spot on the security team instead. You'll then embark on a campaign across Serus' many worlds battling to defend Horizon's staff and bases while attempting to ascertain the identity and point of origin of your mysterious adversaries.

While I knew I was in for some fun, simulator-esque mech combat after a few missions, I did not anticipate Vox Machinae's amount of dialogue and character development. Through the mouthpiece of your AI companion BLUE, you can interact with, answer questions from, and perform small sidequests (which mostly consist of finding an easily-found item for them elsewhere in the small ship hub) for the crew of the vessel Competence between missions throughout the game, not only your fellow security team members Frank and Jess, but also the ship's captain Shahin, his old friend Frenchie, corporate liason Neberu, curmudgeonly Chef, laid back Engineer Hans and my friends' personal favorite, plucky robot buddy Diesel. Where the game lacks in quality of character animations and often stilted line delivery, it makes up for in writing. humor and charm. Vox Machinae's narrative is lighthearted, funny and a welcome throwback to the story-driven vehicular action games of the 90s. While you have to move around the ship using the conventional and awkward first-person VR controls of either teleporting or sliding about, thankfully there's none of that nonsense in the actual missions.

The control scheme and feel of the game works very well. The game opts for a more immersive style where you physically "grab" the control sticks of your mech to adjust throttle, steering and jump jets, you can "grab" your map and objective displays and move them around, and "pushing" buttons with your finger (by moving the controller into them) and doesn't really use the other buttons outside of menus. Aiming your weapons by looking around with the headset was honestly an inspired decision, it feels much more natural compared to VR FPSes and trying to physically line up your vision with the iron or holo-sights on a gun without being able to brace the controller on anything or shelling out a couple hundred more bucks for one of those hunk-of-plastic Wii-Zapper things that the controllers can clip into- this was an especially persistent problem in After the Fall and the reason to use laser sights.

The mechs you use are mostly slow and ponderous, and feel more like what they are, modified mining rigs, then any purpose-built war machine, and certainly nothing like the the zippy, floaty anime machines of something like Armored Core. It takes time to get up to speed, turn your mech and reorient its weapons, and your enemies are subject to these same limitations. A handful of them have special capabilities, such as the Overhaul's hover mode. While individual fights can be challenging, especially later in the campaign, the missions are liberally strewn with checkpoints and a few even offer the opportunity to switch Grinders on the fly- and get a fresh health bar in the bargain.

Vox Machinae proved to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had with my Vive and I recommend it to both mech-game fans and those looking for a higher quality VR experience.

It doesn't work with valve index controllers

This is a great game. And the new campain is entertaining.

I was looking for a good Mech game to play and stumbled upon this one. It has mostly positive reviews. After playing through several of the games missions in the campaign mode and an trying out the multiplayer mode I have no idea why this game is rated so highly. Maybe it should be potential: Very Positive Actual game experience: Miserable.

Where to begin...

If you think this is like Mech Warrior forget it. Limited Mechs (Grinders)... Limited Weapons. You move as slow as molasses in Winter and jump like a pregnant water buffalo. The weapons sounds are somewhat satisfying... but that's about it.

All the voice acting sounds robotic... just terrible as is the dialog. Boring and terrible. The story is cliche... The crew space inside the ship is claustrophobic but somehow the space for the grinders is cavernous. You also have the same movement speed while navigating through the ship as in the grinder so maybe the coffin sized crew space is a blessing in disguise.

There is some mild attempt as humor... but it just falls flat... about as fun as knock knock jokes...

The graphics are about the only standout that I actually liked... but when it's not fun to play... a good looking game is just not enough.

If you want a great Mech Game spend the extra money and buy Mechwarrior or Mechwarrior Clans. Give this one a pass.

Titanfall VR
Got motion sick 10 minutes in but had fun before I did

Love it, even the cheesy campaign (tho it has some difficulty spikes like dangerous goods mission, dear god). Mechs feel massive as they should, none feel overpowered compared to others. Even has bots in case you don't feel like jumping into a game with veteran players. Some nice weather options and game modifiers. Flawless on quest3 with virtualdesktop ... just one note that when you jump into the game none of Q3 bindings are set, so do yourself a favour and set that first instead of trying to use motion controls.

I'm glad the developers decided to change the game so it doesn't have to run only in VR. Unfortunately, I don't have a VR headset and this game is simply one of the best mecha games I know. Of course, it doesn't compare to some MechWarrior titles or the old Heavy Gear, but for a game that doesn't have a franchise, it certainly stands out.

The multiplayer seems like it will last for a few years, especially with the possibility of placing bots to occupy the players' spaces. The multiplayer matches remind me slightly of MechWarrior Online, with different modes. I confess that I spend most of my time playing against bots, so I can't say how the performance is in full rooms.

In singleplayer, the attention to detail and the briefing rooms (intermissions) give a nice bonus, some characters are interesting to get to know their personalities and develop a certain "affinity" with. I haven't finished the campaign yet, so I can't say yet how much certain decisions impact the story, but right from the start I could notice a slight change in the dialogue between the other two pilots who accompany you (I reloaded an old save to change the decision and see if it changed anything), but I can't say if this change impacts the rest of the game as a whole or just that part.

In short, I recommend this game to anyone who likes playing first-person mecha games, especially MechWarrior-style mechas that are slow and heavy, since the focus of the game is to try to make it clear that you are piloting a machine that weighs tons, creating greater immersion.

Nothing beats the feeling of charging into steel mayhem in the Hopper, dancing around the larger mechs before they can even aim at ya. The campaign's a lot of fun and the multiplayer's even better. By far my favourite mecha VR game so far.

Niceeeee

it is a "yes.. but.."
any mechgame per se is better then none and Vox Machinae has some charming features, runs in VR and without and has a humorous campaign. But the overall combat mechanics are cluncy and and the AI often unsatisfactory. Buy at sale, if you´re a mech fan, is my recomendation.

I really didn't like this:
Constant and frequent stutters in play, on my high end computer on fast SSD. This would also cause auto to pause. No subtitles (if there's an option for it I didn't see it) so if you get stutters while someone's speaking meaning can be lost
Jumpjets would cut out early for unclear reasons. Real reasons, but not at all communicated so it would just seem like they don't work.
Default aiming super high, which can apparently be adjusted down, but I didn't find the option before quitting
Bad writing, and no way to skip very slow delivery

"Ugh. You're so useless. I hope you know how to use your jump jets" as they stand on the edge of the cliff stopped, blocking you way, but you're sailing over their heads anyway. Shut. Up. =_=

Amazing immersion in VR. The combat is deep and you feel like you are in a massive war machine.

I do recommend this game, I like it so much. This still is certainly the best Mech game in VR. I think it is a top 10 game overall. I have played since day one and have yet to find a Mech sim that comes close. You can still find some multiplayers on the weekends, and now with a campaign its soloable. I will probably play this every other weekend until someone comes up with a better model. GL with that lol. Grab this title and play w meh. GJ dev team.

Lots of fun :>

Couldn't get through the excruciatingly slow tutorial and subsequent forced interactions around the ship. I did eventually find there's a "skip the story go to mission" but it really didn't help much as then you're just slowly plodding around in a mech and getting lines delivered poorly to you. Also how many teeth do humans have in this universe, cause it seems like a LOT.