Farpoint, the PlayStation VR exclusive from Impulse Gear, continues to really impress us. We went hands on with the title earlier in the year and really enjoyed the arcade-like first-person shooting, but running a similar demo on the PlayStation 4 Pro this week reminded us how much we're looking forward to the extraterrestrial blast-'em-up.

The game's basically Starship Troopers: you're a space marine exiled in alien territory and armed to the teeth with plasma rifles and shotguns. Conceptually, it's nothing new – but it's the PlayStation VR Aim Controller that changes the game. This weapon is rendered in 3D space, and you're able to bring it up to your headset and inspect it in detail.

A lot of work has been put into the gun models, but the real highlight is raising the weapon up to your shoulder and looking down the barrel of the gun. When the position's right, you'll be able to peek through a reticule on the firearm itself, which makes the gunplay seriously entertaining. It's a bit like pressing L1 to aim down the sights on Call of Duty, but you have to physically perform the action.

Another neat mechanic is the manner in which you change weapons; rather than pushing a button on the controller, you have to swing it up towards your shoulder and whip it back down. This really completes the "action movie"-esque feel; on the two occasions we've played this game, we've really got into it, popping off shotgun shells sideways like we're an 80s icon.

But there are two question marks that need to be answered before we can fully allow ourselves to anticipate this title: will it come bundled with the PlayStation VR Aim Controller, and how much variety will there be? So far we've only seen a couple of different types of antagonist, and we're not sure the title will have the same appeal without the weapon add-on.

Still, if the developer can find good responses to both of those queries, then we reckon that this is one virtual reality release worth looking forward to. The game's using the PS4 Pro to improve the title's texture quality, and it really does look top-notch. A little more environmental variety would certainly go a long way, but we're hopeful that the full game will be more than just deserts and caves.

Do you think that Farpoint sounds on target? Will you be taking aim at this title when it's released? Pull the trigger in the comments section below.

[source bit.ly]