On Friday, my friend Remi had his 50th birthday party over in Manchester. My fellow Garricon organiser, Graham, was also there. I had a pretty torrid drive over (it took me 40 minutes to go 5 miles due to someone breaking down in the roadworks on A1(M).
We had a rendezvous at a carvery at the edge of the Trafford Centre, then headed over to Meetspace VR where were played two VR games. The first game was set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where we are playing space marines from the Ultramarine chapter.
We split into two squads of four marines, with the mission sometimes having us work together and other times having separate objectives. I was pleased to come second overall and first in our squad.
The VR was very immersive; you completely lost any sense of the outside world. There were two odd things. In the game, you change levels by walking down or up a ramp, and the difference between what you're seeing and feeling gives a slightly disorientating feeling. The second weird element was the safety features! If you get too close to another player, they highlight with a red cylinder and alarms drown out the audio feed. Walls have a similar effect. Necessary, but strange. It was a bit frustrating at one point as I effectively got boxed by a wall by the other players.
However, it was an incredible experience. I'd happy do it again, although I hope there are other scenario options. The thirty minutes felt both much longer and shorter than it was. It was very intense!
The second game was a four-player one with a less sophisticated set up. We were trapped in a bandstand in an amusement park fighting off zombies. It was fun but not a patch on the space machine experience.
Overall, a fantastic evening out! Happy Birthday, Remi!
1 November 2025
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