The Flash VR Game

Lately I’ve been watching a lot, and I mean a lot, of The Flash. I’ve also been thinking about what it would be like to change careers and develop videogames. I have a few ideas for original IP, but would also love to do something unique with a licensed property. With VR coming to market this year it got me thinking how great a Flash game could be using this tech. Check the elevator pitch:

Time often feels like it’s flying by, but what if you were the one moving like a blur while everything and everyone around you was stagnant? By slipping on a headset, VR could put you in the shoes of the fastest man alive – The Flash!

The Flash has gone from a lesser-known DC Comics superhero to one of the standout faces of the company over roughly the last year. Amid the superhero craze that’s hit, The Flash is arguably one of the more interesting, likable, and surprisingly well-received characters. He and the stories of Central City resonate with adults, teens, and children alike.

VR is just hitting the market and no superhero or first person action RPGs have been announced. It takes at least a couple years to bring a game from idea to product, by which time VR will have had a chance to prove its worth to gamers and the market in general. The cost of the hardware, which is still somewhat unclear, may even come down slightly by then. We’ll also have at least one Justice League movie by the end of 2017. The timing and business case couldn’t be better aligned.

Let’s face it - we’d look like goddamn fools playing a Flash VR game.

The fact that we’d feel like bosses would more than make up for it though!

Photo via Techradar

I admit, the pitch could use some work; however, I don’t think it requires too much imagination to realize how special an experience this could be. I haven’t had the chance to try VR, but am very excited at the prospects. I can already envision gameplay sequences.

Imagine that you’re walking home from work and hear the sound of your phone ringing. You look down as you pull the phone from your pocket and see it’s from S.T.A.R. Labs. As you move the phone to your ear you’re told there’s a robbery in progress on the other side of town. As you start running, your surroundings instantly blur. With heightened senses you move through the streets, dodging oncoming cars while the wind rushes by your head so loud you barely notice the sounds of rush hour traffic. You glance back only to realize you’ve covered 30 blocks in half a minute.

This is along the lines of what I’m thinking. Fuck you Central City traffic.

Photo via Nerdist

Couple that type of rush with strong RPG mechanics and I could sink many many hours into this game. Complete speed and agility challenges and puzzles to gain experience that allows you to build out Barry Allan’s skills in a variety of ways. Choose to become more intelligent, allowing you to craft tools to take down metahuman criminals, or focus on getting faster and solve problems and defeat enemies with speed. You could learn to run up buildings, on top of water, and even travel to other time periods!

Clearly I’m excited about the prospect of a VR game about The Flash, but I’m curious to hear what others think. Would you buy this game? What features do you think would be cool? If you have other game ideas, VR or otherwise, feel free to share those too.

PlayStation, I Love You Just as Much as Colin & Greg

I love videogames. Playing them, watching other people play them, talking and writing about them, listening to and reading what others have to say about them – I enjoy all of the above. That’s what this blog is all about.

This is a passion project so I’m only posting about things that interest me. As a result, you can expect to hear about old, current, and new gaming related topics. You can expect to hear from me at least once a week.

While I grew up with games, there was a period in my life when gaming and I grew apart. It’s been back in my life for about six years now and more than ever before. I started with the NES, GameBoy, and some PC gaming; however, most of my experience is tied to PlayStation. Beyond! That’s pretty apparent if you get that last reference, and if not, it will be clearer if you continue reading.

My family didn’t have much money, so my first console wasn’t a choice. Mom won a Sony prize package when I was about 10 that included the then relatively new Sony PlayStation. At the time, Nintendo was still king and most kids in my community were talking about and playing N64. I knew nothing about PlayStation but was just excited to be able to play new games. Sony’s deep and experimental catalogue really influenced my tastes and continues to do so.

JRPGs, platformers, and sports games are what you can find digging through my old discs – oh, and a bunch of shitty licensed games.

A Bugs Life was a great film, but a pretty damn horrible game. $60 and several hours poorly spent on Ant Island.

Photo via DownArea51

Anyhow, my tastes have grown a lot since then. My interest in a game has far less to do with genre now than it does setting and tone. I play games to be entertained and to experience topics and perspectives that are foreign to me. The feeling of being in someone else’s shoes is one of the most powerful parts about gaming and keeps me playing more random shit than I ever expected. As I continue to post, you should expect the unexpected.

If any of this has caught your interest, keep reading and get in touch through the comments. I look forward to sharing more about what’s on my mind and hearing what’s on yours.