Sparc

Update August 2022: Goodbye Sparc, you will be missed, but never forgotten. Over 1000 hours on Steam and around 500+ hours on Oculus when writing this review... you could say I've played this game a lot. Note - you're going to see a lot of Cons, don't let this stop you because the Pros far outweigh them. Also the community has a few groups that play like Sparc Players League, and the one I'm a little more fond of because of my close friendships in the game Sparc Worldwide, find us on Facebook. Pros: - Good way to get in shape and do some fun cardio - Physics in game are very good and lends to skill based aspects of the game (more practice and experience will show in your gameplay) - Graphics are good, not the best, but are suitable for a VR eSport game - Community in the game is one of the best around. It has been a small, close community because of the 1v1 gameplay and the ability to converse in game. - The game is very well rounded, and doesn't feel clunky like other VR games. Controls are very easy to grasp and mechanics are well thought out. Edit: - CCP has modified their game menu to allow picking courts by name of the player who started it when using their 'Custom' menu. - Ranked mode added in game, which is the pro, the way it was added leaves a lot to be desired as it has no explanation of how the ranking is done or if scores will ever be purged or lowered for players not consistently playing others. - You can put passwords on courts for joining and spectating of the games on the court. Cons: - This game is Owned by CCP, and they stopped developing for the game a while back... that means no more new features, skins, or major changes unless they higher a new dev team. Will this change? We'll have to watch and wait to find out. - You can't see who is on what servers (courts). - No in game friends list, no invites for cross-platform players, and no passwords for private servers. So going with the previous Con you can see that it is very difficult to invite friends unless they play on the same platform as yourself (Steam). - Limitations on game modes. You have two game modes which are not labeled in my opinion as they should be. Basic mode is not just for beginners and Advanced isn't just for the elite. If CCP would have allowed you to make custom game modes and adjust some of the gameplay rules such as Aim Assist, Knuckle Guards, Court Type, Time Limit or Best 2 out of 3, etc... then the game would have been much more appealing and allowed new players an easier time learning the modes provided. - Biggest Con for the game is No Stats aside from the end of the match. If we were allowed in game profiles with active updated stats that could be accessed by other players real time then you wouldn't have players joining the lobbies and leaving after playing people like me. I try to teach people as we're a helpful community, but I also like to play the game to my skill level. With over 1500 hours I destroy people who don't have 1/10th the amount of hours I do. I know other players who have as many hours as I do and don't always take the time to help and teach... this could have been avoided if we had a better system to see stats and allow folks to understand that the game is skill based and those that have been playing for a long time just have reached a much higher tier in the game. Edit: - CCP removed Experimental game mode. Experimental is just the Basic mode with the court turned to a diamond instead of a square. I'm guessing this was done because of their limited ability to adjust the game itself and keeping the amount of servers the same. - Ranked mode has a 10 minute countdown that starts at the top of every 10 minutes of the hour... you have no guarantee that you'll get someone to play against either... as I said earlier you don't have any clue on how the rankings are done, and you don't get to see anyones ranks beyond the top 10 aside from your own. This is very annoying that we lost a game mode for something you have to sit around 10 minutes to find a match in a game that has a very limited player base (even if they're all wonderful people). - New ability to make courts is flawed because you can make a court leave when someone else joins then make another court... name never changes, been on and seen three or more courts with the same persons name because they didn't want to play certain people. So you still have no idea who is in a court unless you join it or spectate. - This last update is hardly an update... CCP edited the menu and changed the way you join the game, but didn't bother to help fix or add anything to the game. I almost consider this a Pro more than a Con though looking at how little effort they put into the update. SO if you read through all that you might realize I've thought quite a bit about this game... the mechanics... the physics... and the overall replayability of the game. This game is by far the best bang for buck I've spent from Steam, and the best VR game in my Library. The game has helped me lose around 50 pounds and stay fit while having fun playing a 'video game'. Edit: I put back on 15-20 pounds of muscle and a little fat by eating more and playing more advanced mode, but I still think this game is probably the best workout I've found in the last few years playing VR games. Should you buy this game? Yes What if people beat me over and over again in the game? Keep practicing and keep trying, because those people used to be in your shoes. This isn't a game that you pick up and become an expert overnight... everyone has their own styles and way of throwing, blocking, and timings... there will always be someone who is more skilled than you, and until you come challenge me it will always be me. Now come see me on the court. The FloodWall Edit: I still highly recommend this game, especially when it's on sale. If nothing else it's a great game to just join and talk to people on the court as you get a little exercise... come on in and blow off some steam, don't take the game seriously about winning or losing , and just enjoy it like going to the local gym. Ask better players what you're doing wrong or what you should practice if you want to get better, we've all been there, and we like more decent people to stick around.

Things to know before you buy: -Small player base but always plenty during peak play times (evenings and weekends) -It's a sport. No one starts out pro. 1.Practice 2.Play 3.Lose 4.Get better 5.Win (repeat steps 2,3,and 4) -It's a sport. Warm up, stretch, don't hurt yourself. -It's a sport. Practice good sportsmanship. Lose with dignity, win with grace. -Remember: Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. After playing this my wife understands why I don't go to the gym with her. I didn't realize I was working out till the next day when I had such a hard time getting out of bed. I was so sore but happy. I expected my arms to be sore but the surprise was my core. The feeling of all that dodging reminded me of burpee sets, those sucked, this was fun. I'm a soccer player and I haven't played competitively cause of the toxic things that happen on the field. Finding a sport with such a positive and uplifting community was a breath of fresh air. Everyone is either uplifting, super chill, or quiet. Most times you walk away saying "Good game!"

[h1]Experienced on the Oculus Rift with Touch Controllers[/h1] [i]Please note: I already own this game on another platform. I am reviewing the Steam Store version on the free to play weekend.[/i] You can view my review & gameplay here: https://youtu.be/kQFvhQsJFaQ This is one of the best VR E-sports games. The only other true E-sport game in VR that may be better is Echo Arena / Echo Combat. When I say "VR E-sports," I'm talking about a competitive mulltiplayer game that is truly unique to VR. That takes full advantage of VR and the playspace in VR and motion controllers and doesn't rely on adjusting the gameplay to fit VR. This may be an actual sport in the future. A game that would probably not work in real-life, but that works in VR. This game is easy to learn and difficult to master. The rules are simple: if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a dodgeball. Sorry, I had to write that. You basically want to hit your opponent with either your ball or their ball. You can have a shield to deflect, but only when you still have your own ball in your hand. There are two different modes: basic or advanced. Basic means you have these knuckle guards that can also deflect the ball, but it only has one charge until you release your own ball past a designated point. You'll be bouncing the ball off the walls or feigning throws to get your opponent to shoot at you and you'll also be shooting unexpectedly and ready to duck, dodge left or right to avoid getting hit. If balls get past you and hit a target behind you, you get a strike against you and that means your the ball will go even faster & bigger against you. You can customize the look of your avatar. There are no lootboxes. There's no XP to gain. I haven't met a single troll online or anyone making any racist, sexist, or salty language. The game runs smoothly and although some people have reported connection issues, I have not experienced a single one. Some people have complained about the throwing, I think they must have skipped the challenges to get better at throwing the ball. It may feel weird at first, but you get used to the throwing very quick and it makes sense within the rules of the game (getting strikes will make it go faster). This is more about strategy and precision, than it is about pure arm-strength. However, this game has a huge flaw. You guessed it. It has a low playerbase. Now, there's usually a few people online during peak hours (weeknights & weekends) so it's not dead. But it's also been out there since 2017 and the playerbase has never really grown. Also, people usually queue up for the basic mode versus the advanced mode (which is the default). There is cross-play between Oculus, Steam, & PSVR. [b]Rate 7/10. I would rate higher, but the low player population makes it only a 7.[/b]

Abandonware sucks.

This "Game" is amazing. Its a futuristic Sports Game. Pure VR Sport. There are many Games out there that work similar but compared to SPARC they all feel like trash. The big Question is what does SPARC differently that makes it that much better: 1. It plays absolutely lag- free (Europe). That is by far the biggest + you can have in a game like this. It is just vital to have a lag free connection when you have to react within split seconds. I never had a situation were i said " I should have blocked it but the server wasn´t fast enough so i got hit". It just works. I have all similar clones and they all have the server lag. But not SPARC! (Rec Room Paddleball is the worst of all by far, Ripcoil is the best but still crap compared to Sparc) 2. The Gameplay if the Game itself. Its a bit more complicated than the others but that ensures a deep gameplay. Its not only about speed. Its about tactic as well. Its about using certain situations to your advantage. 30% speed, 40% tactic, 20% your style/variation, 10% awesomness 3. The amount of polish. Right now there is not so much there in terms of environments. But whats there is absolutely slick. You have lots of options to customize your character! 4.Cross Platform. This shoud asure that you always find someone to play with. 5. Its a sports game. I mean you are going to sweat. Your muscles will hurt. But you will come back. Like a maniac. 6. Future Updates. A 2 vs. 2 mode is already in the works. 7. The way the rooms are set up. Seeing the others play as miniatures is dope as well as when you play and you look outside you see gigants waiting and commenting on your game. Just awesome. So if you like a fair challenge and you like aktive VR Games there is no way around SPARC! This is ESPORT that deserves the Name. Would i recommend this Game? Hell YES! (Played on the vive)

This game is dead, only multiplayer with no players available - even in cross platform. Needs computer AI or its useless to buy. Wierd as its one of the top games on PSVR, sold 10 copies or what??

Instructions on how to play this great abandonware on fan-run servers: https://aftersparc.com