Zero Caliber 2 [Meta Quest 3] | REVIEW

Zero Caliber 2 improves upon its predecessor in just about every way, with it easily standing out as one of the best shooters that I’ve played in virtual reality.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Zero Caliber 2 follows on from the events of the first game, with the world still facing a crisis due to limited resources but managing to survive thanks to your efforts the last time around. Of course, peace never lasts long in the world of video games, with an unprecedented attack from a former ally sending you on another mission to stop a villainous threat. I’ve put the tale into a bit of a nutshell there because it’s clear that Zero Caliber 2 focuses most of its attention on its non-stop action, but I still appreciated that there’s a bit of context to all of the shooting.

And believe me, there is a LOT of shooting being done in Zero Caliber 2, with it offering multiple game modes for players to blast through across its frantic experience. Most importantly, it feels REALLY good to play, with a wide variety of weaponry at your disposal that span between the likes of handguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, and, of course, rocket launchers. Shooting feels authentic and accurate with each of your weapons packing a weighty punch, whilst the fact that you’re able to fully customise your arsenal to fine-tune their feel and efficiency adds an additional element of depth and strategy to the shooting experience. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll have a great time simply blasting away at enemies in shootouts, but more seasoned first-person shooting fans will love the depth of customisation found in the gunplay and having that added element of finesse when lining up each shot. It feels brilliant.

What makes it all the more exciting is the efficiency of your enemies, who genuinely put up a fight to ensure that they’re never easy targets to take down. I’ve played a lot of virtual reality shooters that can feel dumbed down thanks to a lacking enemy AI, but Zero Caliber 2 gave me smart adversaries who pick their shots, take cover, and try to take the fight to me. The number of foes you actually face off against is impressive too, with each set piece you find yourself in feeling efficiently designed to keep the player on their toes but without feeling unfair. Don’t get me wrong, there was the occasional instance where an enemy would do something stupid or not even seem to respond to my position, but these moments were few and far between so it never felt like a real problem.

“Zero Caliber 2 improves upon its predecessor in just about every way, with it easily standing out as one of the best shooters that I’ve played in virtual reality.”

It all complements the game’s meaty campaign, which sees players working through twelve levels with varied locales and objectives – it even throws in a bit of stealth for good measure, which adds to the variety of the experience. Some of the set pieces you’ll find yourself in are jaw-dropping, especially when having to use more heavy weaponry against formidable foes, whilst the linear design of each level allows for effective pacing that ensures the action never slows down. It’s definitely one of the more cinematic gaming experiences I’ve had on the Meta Quest 3, with Zero Caliber 2 showcasing just what the platform is capable of.

And the best part of all? The campaign can be played in co-op with a friend, which was an absolute blast from start to end. I love co-op play in virtual reality, and I think Zero Caliber 2 has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had with it. It was satisfying to call shots with a friend and work tactically to take down foes, whilst the added immersion brought with virtual reality made each success we had all the more thrilling. Admittedly, it could also make the game feel a little bit easy in places, but it’s nothing that upping the difficult won’t fix. Either way, Zero Caliber 2 feels even more special when played with a friend.

It should be noted that there is competitive multiplayer too, and whilst I haven’t spent a lot of time in it yet, what I’ve experienced has been pretty cool. Admittedly, I’m not a typically a player of competitive multiplayer in virtual reality, but Zero Caliber 2 certainly has the foundation to offer a riveting competitive multiplayer experience. It even has support for modding, which doesn’t only offer the potential to see some exciting and creative action from players but could also ensure that the community remains active.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Visually, it’s easy to be impressed with just how good Zero Caliber 2 manages to look, with the game offering plenty of depth and detail across its environments, slick animations with your weaponry, and an impressive draw distance that ensures details aren’t lost as you engage in shootouts with foes from range. Of course, there are still some limitations with the hardware that prevent it from matching the visual fidelity seen on PC and console, but there’s no doubting that it looks pretty damn impressive throughout – especially in the cinematic set pieces where you really get to see the destruction of your actions unfold. There were a few instances where some iffy textures could be seen and there were some explosions that looked a little dull, but they’re minor drawbacks in what is otherwise a very well-presented experience.

Developer: XREAL Games
Publisher: XREAL Games
Platform(s): Meta Quest 3 (Reviewed), Meta Quest 2, PCVR
Website: https://www.xrealgames.com/