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The Astro Bot games are two of the best platformers I've ever played. The first one in particular is a timeless classic. Astro Bot should be the Playstation mascot in my opinion. The games feel like a celebration of the brand, which I think Sony needs right now as some fans have felt burned by the company of late. I don't much care about my PS5 these days, but this. This I will buy and I will complete it 100%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHMNQzLG_Jg

Can you play the first game without a VR headset?

You can't play Rescue Mission (first game) without the PSVR, it was made to show the headset off.

Astro's Playroom got an update. It now has PS5 related items in the museum, new trophies and hidden bots to be rescued .

I'm very excited to play this game. Playstations first party IPs havent been the most interesting to me since they closed Japan Studio, who basically made every Playstation series I love - Ape Escape, Patapon, Gravity Rush etc.

Team Asobi basically being the last remnants of Japan Studio and making these Astro Bot games is great, and I've loved both Rescue Mission and Astro's Playroom.

It doesn't look like this new game will require VR, so it should be more accessible. Here's a little mini review of Rescue Mission (the first game) for anyone curious

Rescue Mission is a nice introduction to VR. It plays like a standard, old school platformer with you collecting stuff and doing lots of jumping, just with lots of really cool VR technology integrated into the experience. If doesn't require you to use those stupid, finicky, move controllers. You can just play with the standard controller (which the game uses in cool ways). Plus, aside from a few instances where you have to turn around and look behind you, it's not a game that requires you to get up and move your whole body around. So if you're a lazy gamer like myself, you can enjoy this as a mostly couch based gaming experience. They are other PSVR games that are more physically demanding than this one

It's a super fun game that will put you in a good mood, which is what I always want from hop n bop or mascot style platformers. They can be a nice break from the stress of the world, or some of the more challenging, hardcore games that might be in your rotation (it does have some optional challenges though that do require a bit of skill). The feeling I got while playing it was similar to the first time I played Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis or Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Or the first time I played an arcade game when I was a kid (back when they had graphics and sounds far beyond what consoles had to offer). Just a sense of childlike joy and wonder. Also, the soundtrack is incredible. If you clicked on the link I provided to the trailer for the new game, it's playing two of the songs from Rescue Mission - the iconic "I am Astro Bot" main theme and the boss music.

I have played a few PSVR games that were excellent. It has a sold library that a lot of people have missed out on. That being said, Rescue Mission still remains my favorite PSVR game and blows away many platformers I have played in recent years. The game is "an experience". I would recommend this to anyone as the first game they should try if they get a PSVR. I'd probably suggest Moss as a great second game to play on PSVR. It's another charming, cute, fun, and accessible game

EDIT: Oh and one last thing about Rescue Mission, many people who have played it all feel that it gives off very strong Nintendo vibes. This is the closest you're ever going to get to a VR Mario game, since Nintendo is not interested in VR technology