Hoops VR is a basketball game where you find yourself in the middle of a stadium as you free throw at nearby hoops. You will be standing on a small platform so your movement is limited and you can easily play this game without fear of slam dunking a virtual ball right into your monitor. Basketballs will spawn into the Vive controller that represents your hand by pressing the right trigger. Both hands act independently, so while you cannot use both to throw a single ball, you will be able to dual wield and spam the court with balls.
Using both of your hands at the same time to throw different balls is pretty odd and a perfect way to show the people watching you that you have no idea how to play basketball. Before you start showing off your mad dual wielding skills you are given the choice to either use Easy or Normal hoops. Easy makes the hoop’s ring quite large, perfect for kids to have fun or for you to simply chill while Normal has them in their regular size. Regardless of what you choose, the controls are very accurate so if you miss a shot then it is due to our skill.
The ball physics are floaty compared to real life lending it an Arcade game feel instead of a simulation. Scoring some points in quick succession causes the next ball to catch on fire alongside which is a nice touch that encourages you for doing well. It can block your vision a bit though that is the price for looking cool I suppose. Aside from basketball, you have a mode where you throw random trash such as old bananas or tire irons into garbage cans. Your last mode is a paper airplane throwing challenge that has you try to fling them through circles that pop up.
All modes constantly change where you are supposed to throw whatever is in your hand constantly, making it far more interesting than having a static target. Whenever you start up a mode you will be given 1 minute 30 seconds in order to score as much as possible in hopes of beating people in the leaderboards or upping your own high score. It is fun as heck though I can’t help but find myself wishing for an option to disable the time limit to just screw around. A small annoyance of getting a high-score is that you have to enter your initials each time when you just want to start up another round.
There is no music of any kind here. All the noise is either from the sound of your balls bouncing or the fireworks and announcer that show up when you achieve a high score. It is not a negative, just something worth mentioning. Graphics are nice though there are no options to tweak them which is something to take into account if you have a weak PC. With all that being said, Hoops VR is a great game to get someone into Virtual Reality or play something when you have a few minutes to kill. It is simply a fun game that’s mixture of great controls and simplicity makes for an addictive experience.
- Speer DX Review - April 4, 2024
- The Legend of Santa Review - December 7, 2023
- GROOD Review - December 6, 2023