Me: "Why do my thighs hurt?"
John Wick, probably: "You've never used them before."
- Pistol Whip, circa 2022 (colorized)

Like, for like real though TLDR: Pistol Whip is one of the best games for VR, just get it.

Remember when gaming used to be concentrated excitement and fun? Pistol Whip is just that. This game has taken the very essence of John Wick piling up the body count in some aggressively lit night club pumping electronic music; you are literally dodging bullets like Neo. Like dude??? Hello?? How much fun can a game be? Can you even. I sure cannot.

I've been firmly onboard the VR train since the Oculus DK1, have like 250 hours on Beat Saber, and have been fantasizing about jacking into The Matrix since I was like 10 so I did not think Pistol Whip would surprise and captivate me as strongly as it ended up doing.
I think this is because just like Beat Saber, Pistol Whip isn't just a game you play in VR, or a game that had some VR features tacked on, or just some brief little experience; both these titles are genuinely good games that, crucially, can only work in VR.
There's something about the purity of the design, the way the gameplay is fundamentally tied to the platform. I really do think most devs don't spend anywhere near enough time giving this element enough consideration; lot of other games just try to awkwardly cobble their gameplay into virtual reality without really asking "why" first.

I keep making comparisons to Beat Saber, and see others do the same, this is almost entirely down to their fundamental design principles - they do provide very, very different experiences and both are absolute must own titles.

If there's one take away I'd like you to have it's this: don't write off Pistol Whip as just another arcade rail shooter in VR. I mean, yeah, that's kinda exactly what it is, but ♥♥♥♥, it's just so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ good.

Me: "Why do my thighs hurt?" John Wick, probably: "You've never used them before." - Pistol Whip, circa 2022 (colorized) Like, for like real though TLDR: Pistol Whip is one of the best games for VR, just get it. Remember when gaming used to be concentrated excitement and fun? Pistol Whip is just that. This game has taken the very essence of John Wick piling up the body count in some aggressively lit night club pumping electronic music; you are [i]literally[/i] dodging bullets like Neo. Like dude??? Hello?? How much fun can a game be? Can you even. I sure cannot. I've been firmly onboard the VR train since the Oculus DK1, have like 250 hours on Beat Saber, and have been fantasizing about jacking into The Matrix since I was like 10 so I did not think Pistol Whip would surprise and captivate me as strongly as it ended up doing. I think this is because just like Beat Saber, Pistol Whip isn't just a game you play in VR, or a game that had some VR features tacked on, or just some brief little experience; both these titles are genuinely good games that, crucially, [i]can only work in VR[/i]. There's something about the purity of the design, the way the gameplay is fundamentally tied to the platform. I really do think most devs don't spend anywhere near enough time giving this element enough consideration; lot of other games just try to awkwardly cobble their gameplay into virtual reality without really asking "why" first. I keep making comparisons to Beat Saber, and see others do the same, this is almost entirely down to their fundamental design principles - they do provide very, very different experiences and both are absolute must own titles. If there's one take away I'd like you to have it's this: don't write off Pistol Whip as just another arcade rail shooter in VR. I mean, yeah, that's kinda exactly what it is, but fuck, it's just so fucking good.