When news of Respawn’s first foray into VR development came to light back in 2017 during Oculus Connect 4, most people’s money was probably riding on the end product being some kind of Titanfall spin-off. I know mine was; the thought of climbing aboard a huge mech and dropping like a rocket propelled boulder into the middle of an intense sci-fi battlefield is honestly the stuff my VR dreams are made of.
But Respawn wasn’t in the mood to make my dreams come true during last week’s Oculus Connect 6 event in San Jose. Instead, it wanted to turn me into a time traveller by putting me inside what it hopes will be the most authentic World War 2 game ever made, the Oculus exclusive Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
Take a look at my video below where I go hands-on with the game for the very first time, and I think you’ll be able to tell from my whoops of excitement that they’ve done just that. I’ve played so many WW2 shooters in the past I initially feared Above and Beyond would feel like retreading old ground, but the incredibly detailed visuals and authentic sound effects combined with the immersive properties of VR made the experience seem incredibly fresh. Oh, and I also managed to stun a Nazi by lobbing a saucepan at his face, which was worth the price of admission alone!
Hands-On with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond Gameplay at OC6 – Ian’s VR Corner Watch on YouTube
So why reboot Medal of Honor in VR and why now? Especially when Titanfall spinoffs like Apex Legends are such big business? Well, as Above and Beyond’s game director Peter Hirschmann told me when I spoke to him at OC6, a lot of this decision was based on the history of Respawn itself.