Step into the ass-kicking shoes of futuristic counter-terrorist ‘The Major’ in this engaging VR experience.
Today is the release of the highly-anticipated, as well as unnecessarily controversial, Ghost In The Shell feature film. The live-action adaptation of the popular cyberpunk Japanese manga turned anime film/TV series has been teasing some spectacular visuals as well as beautifully-choreographed fight scenes. Having been a fan of the series for years, I was admittedly hesitant when I first heard about the project. Afterall, history hasn’t exactly been kind to live-action anime adaptations. *cough* Dragonball: Evolution *cough*. However it makes me unbelievably hear that early reviews are reporting the film as visually-spectacular, incredibly well-acted and surprisingly loyal to its source material. So you can imagine my excitement when I woke up to even more Ghost In The Shell content, specifically a brand new Ghost In The Shell VR experience for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
Just one of the many collaborations Paramount is making with various companies to promote the new film, the legendary film studio has partnered with Oculus to create an immersive Ghost In The Shell VR experience. Developed in collaboration with Here Be Dragons, REWIND, Paramount, Dreamworks, and Oculus, Ghost In The Shell VR has users step into the role of the stories bad-ass female protagonist “The Major” as they experience some of the coolest moments from the film such as her intense battle with some seriously creepy Geisha robots as well as her massive dive from a rooftop as featured in some of the promotional content.
It’s an interesting take on VR with a level of quality that changes depending on how you view it. Versions on the Gear VR and 369 video are neat at best. Full-body tracking on the Oculus Rift results in a more immersive experience obviously, but the mobile options are still a fun a little ride. It’s just nice to have a little extra Ghost In The Shell content to enjoy.
To hop into the high-tech world and experience the action yourself head here to download on the Oculus Rift and here to download for Samsung Gear VR.
No Rift or Gear VR? No problem! You can check out a slightly less-immersive 360-degree version in the video above!
Ghost In The Shell stars Scarlett Johansson and is in theatres now.
