CCP Games has been busy with EVE Online since its initial release in 2003. They have branched out into virtual reality before, but each time it has been within the EVE Online universe. This time, CCP Games is branching out to virtual reality again with their latest game, Sparc, but something?s different. It has nothing to do with EVE Online! We managed to go hands (and face)-on with the game while at E3 2017, and have a preview ready for you below.
A Mix of Familiar Sports
Sparc can be described as a first-person Pong-like game, mixed with racquetball, tennis, and even dodgeball. You’re placed in a one-vs-one court, which is a large rectangular prism floating in a nondescript space. While the demo we played was against another person the next booth over, we were told that the game will allow for other VR spectators, who can watch the game from a zoomed-out perspective, with options for staying social during the match (though these were not shown). Before the match started, we were shown how our avatars looked. The game features customizable avatars, so a sense of presence can be achieved by picking your player?s outfit. This is an area that CCP Games could have a lot of fun with, perhaps by utilizing assets from Eve Online, though of course nothing like that has been announced.
Gameplay in Sparc consists of using both hands with Move controllers. As the match starts, each player takes their position, and a ball rises up from the floor in front of them. It?s pretty co...