When comparing Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades vs The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed, the Slant community recommends The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed for most people. In the question“What are the best HTC Vive games?” The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed is ranked 14th while Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades is ranked 25th. The most important reason people chose The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed is:
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.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Detailed physical firearms simulation and physics interactions
This is the core of the game, more a proof of concept as this is all in a sandbox with little to no goals. Interact with objects, wee how they behave and load and fire weapons.
Pro Active development, new weekly content and updates
This is an early access game that is being actively developed meaning new content and bug fixes frequently.
Pro Mini-games, scored/timed target practice w/ local and global leaderboard support
There are a few mini-games included that give some incentive to play after handling and exploring most objects in the game. There is leaderboard support, which also allows for some longevity for those that want to try to get to the top of the charts.
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.
Cons
Con No story, only firearm simulation
The gameplay is pretty basic for now, a proof of concept really, but still fun to mess around with.
Con No multiplayer
Single player only as there is no way to play this game with friends.
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.