Fracked

As virtual reality gaming has picked up interest, developers have brought all kinds of genres to the platform. Fracked is a game that couldn't really seem to settle on just one though, so instead it's mixed together a few different styles of play and come up with an entertaining, though flawed, action mash-up. One minute you're racing down a snow-covered slope outracing an oncoming avalanche, the next minute you're peeking out from behind cover in a gunfight with armed henchmen, and after that, you're scaling a building's scaffolding to reach an awaiting helicopter. In many ways, it feels like you're starring in some cheesy summer blockbuster action flick. But its awkward controls and repetitive gameplay make Fracked seem less box office bonanza and more straight-to-video.

Fracked is a perfect example of a game that's a jack of all trades, but a master of none. The opening moments are enough to point out some of the game's shortcomings. When you first hop onto your skis and head down the mountain, you're told that steering relies on tilting and turning your head. While that might seem like a decent way to mimic leaning into your turns, in actuality, it forces you to act like you're wearing blinders to the world around you. You can't look around without veering way off course and smacking into a tree or worse. And with an avalanche hot on your heels, it's frustrating not to be able to look behind and gauge your progress. Firefights are equally rough. The game's cover mechanic is something original and useful, with players grabbing on and easing up or around to pop out for a shot. But the actual shooting is anything but accurate, forcing you to unload entire magazines into one enemy just to guarantee a hit. Finally, reaching out to interact with things like ziplines, ledges, and other objects usually takes a few attempts to grab correctly. These issues can be overcome with practice, but exactly how much you get out of Fracked will rely on your level of patience.