With virtual reality’s popularity growing the demand for creating a game in every genre is inevitable. While there are plenty of VR sports games that you can play, I have never been able to find a virtual reality American Football game to play on my HTC Vive. Thankfully, Truant Pixel has developed 2MD VR Football.
In 2MD VR Football, players assume the role of a quarterback controlling a squad of seven other players. Now, visually, the game is decent; it’s not photorealistic by any stretch of the imagination, but the artstyle matches the theme — playful and, often, cartoony. While on the topic, the characters themselves look like interactive tackle dummies, which gave me a laugh from time to time.
All joke aside about the actual look of the game, I still find the graphics to be pretty appealing to my eyes; instead of thinking of it like its a Madden VR game, think of it as a football simulation game that lets you channel your inner Tom Brady. In that approach, you will undoubtedly find some amusement in this title. Not to mention that the game is not graphically demanding for a VR title — the minimum PC configuration requires a Nvidia GeForce 1060, which should be found in most low-scale builds.
As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs earlier, this is not Madden NFL VR. However, 2MD VR Football serves more like an arcade game, where you can practice your throwing arm and live out a virtual world as an elite quarterback. One of the most intriguing features is the ability to create your own plays; however, players can only create up to four customized plays. As you approach the whiteboard that is covered appropriately with Xs and Os, you can move players around and draw routes with a virtual marker. There are endless routes you can use that will help make each of your plays distinctive to one another, and it’s even more rewarding to watch your ideas being implemented in action. Speaking of customization, You can customize your squad; this includes the colors, the logo, the voice used in instructions and even the music you hear while playing.
Gameplay-wise, 2MD VR Football it’s somewhat barebones. I was not kidding when I said that you play as the quarterback and that’s it… there are no opportunities to play defense which makes your game day feel incredibly one-sided. On top of that, it does not help the fact that the opponent AI is slightly ditsy. For every touchdown you score you will initiate a bonus mode where you can toss passes through rings of fire for additional points. Obviously, you will find yourself winning by unrealistic margins at the end of the match. Even if you could not play defense, it would still be nice to at least coach your defense when they are on the field.
Despite this game not being graphically demanding, it does require a lot of space to play it — literally. This isn’t a game for people with limited room to swing their arms and walk around. While the game is demanding regarding playing space, don’t expect to get P90X workout levels of intense gaming — this game is merely just you using your arm to throw that pigskin across the field.
One of the biggest immersion-breakers in 2MD VR Football is the inability to use your legs to run around the field, which is annoying because when I see someone coming after me, my first instinct is to run. Instead, players run the ball using the directional pad. But the limited range of movement does bring a notable benefit. If you get queasy quickly, this game is right for you as a substantial amount of movement is done by NPCs and not the actual players.
While the actual gameplay is somewhat dry, the replayability is still fairly high. If you can overlook the lack of modes, you can show off your elite throwing skills to your friends through the Steam Leaderboards. Additionally, collecting trophies, customizing your team, and as mentioned before, the ability to make your plays is something that will keep you coming back for more if you’re into that kinda stuff.
Overall, 2MD VR Football was slightly underwhelming from what I initially was anticipating; however, this game is fun in bits and pieces. If you are looking for a cheap sports game and you just happen to love American football this is the game for you. Not to mention the game is only $12.99 on Steam so if you’re looking for a game to test out and memorize the controls of your VR headset this will get the job done.