When comparing The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed vs Project CARS, the Slant community recommends Project CARS for most people. In the question“What are the best HTC Vive games?” Project CARS is ranked 8th while The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Project CARS is:
Since the player and the character are stationary with the vehicle creating a frame of reference, much of the issues with motion sickness are avoided.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Gameplay has wide appeal
More a walking simulator with puzzle aspects, this is a highly narrative focused game, meaning it should be accessible to many different types of potential players as there is no combat or worry about having to make split second reactions through the games controls.
Pro Great graphics
One of the better looking games out for the Vive in its infancy, the visuals are fantastic giving a real sense of being in the environments. For those looking for a very good visual experience on the Vive, this would definitely be a game to consider.
Pro Puzzles feel natural and not overly complex
Many adventure puzzle games see obtuse clues and hidden items that require back tracking, making for an exhausting experience having to constantly research areas. The Gallery does not have this issue at all as each puzzle and items that need found feel natural and intuitive in the same way searching for something in real life does. There is never a moment where the player will have to continually research or apply objects in order to guess how to solve something, all conclusions come with ease (though not that the game is too easy, more that puzzle solving is just intuitive).
Pro Intuitive and reactive controls
The games controls work quite well and are very responsive. For instance when slowly pressing down the rigger button, the players hand in the game will start closing their fingers. Once the button is depressed all the way the player will now be showing a fist in game. This is all pressure sensitive and natural feeling.
Pro No VR sickness
Since the player and the character are stationary with the vehicle creating a frame of reference, much of the issues with motion sickness are avoided.
Pro Accessible to non sim players
While Project Cars is a hardcore racing sim, it still stays accessible for unfamiliar players through easy to understand design.
Pro Simple VR setup
The game auto-detects Oculus Rift, making setup a breeze.
Pro Finely tuned AI
Users can set what kind of AI they will be racing against each race, allowing you to make the game easier or harder if you wish.
Cons
Con Poor movement mechanics
While this game doe use a teleport mechanics (as many other Vive games do, where you point to where you want to teleport to in a level), the actual mechanics provided in this game are lacking. It feels imprecise and can make for a frustrating time moving around.
Con Picking up objects can be difficult
At points in the game there are objects that need picked up off of the floor, players can run into an issue here when the floor in the game is lower than the users actual floor, making the objects out of reach. basically this seems to be a bug and not a calibration issue which will need addressed but currently is not.
Con First epsiode is short
An episodic game that will be much longer when all episodes are out, but is short for what is on offer within the first episode. Lasting at about 2 hours of play for $30.00, this may be a bit pricey for some.
Con Horrible optimization for AMD
For those that use and AMD CPU or GPU the performance is way below optimal with AMD performance at about half of what Nvidia and Intel chips are seeing.
Con Menus don't work on Occulus
Users are unable to control the menu in Occulus as the menus do not show, some workarounds are to close one eye to see if you can see a menu or use a tool to broadcast the Occulus image to ones monitor. Either way this can be a frustrating experience and needs to be worked out.
Con Buggy gameplay
Even though the game is fully released and out of early access it is still filled with bugs and balancing issues. From strange physics to graphics that flicker, the game has the appearance of a rushed product that was not ready for release.
Con AI can vary wildly
Even though the player can preset the AI before a race, the AI can still behave in strange manners, some drivers being really aggressive while others too passive. It is a strange mix that can make for some uneven racing.