Pistol Whip PSVR2 review – The best way to whip your pistols

Ever wanted to feel like John Wick? How about John Wick crossed with Daft Punk? That might be an oversimplification, but Pistol Whip is certainly a unique idea in the midst of a bunch of VR FPS and rhythm games. We’ve already played it on the Meta Quest 2 (our review here), and with the recent release on PSVR2, I think it’s obvious where you need to be whipping your pistols.

Right off the bat you may think this has a little bit of Superhot in it given the enemies’ design, which resemble the red blocky foes from that one. You play this one differently though, on rails, with the enemies spawning in as you move through. From there, it’s just aim and shoot. There isn’t a lot of variation though, with three types of baddies and the only difference being how many shots they can take. The environments also mimic the blocky style of the characters, most likely a coding trick that allows for everything to run smoothly. I think it also doesn’t get enough credit for being a unique artstyle, especially since it really pops on PSVR2.

What makes it stand out among the FPS’s and rhythm games is its combination of the two genres. I’ll be honest, I skipped the tutorial when I first played Pistol Whip, so I had no idea I was supposed to be shooting people to the beat. It’s so much fun to shoot the enemies as they come at you and the music is so engaging that it almost doesn’t matter. When you find out that is the intention though, everything changes. You get that wiggle in your movement that didn’t exist, and it starts reminding you of how you feel playing Beat Saber. The swagger is real, and it’s only exacerbated with you feeling so powerful, ducking and dodging and insta-frying these poor attackers.

Power fantasy is a big part of why Pistol Whip is so engaging, and that feels like it’s doubly so on PSVR2. As with many of the games I’ve played before on other platforms and have now begun on PSVR2, this is the definitive way to play Pistol Whip. The PSVR2 doesn’t just have a 90 hz refresh rate, it very obviously runs at 90 hz without fail, which leads to not only better immersion, but also less of a chance of feeling sick. The power of the PS5 behind it drives the performance to be clean as well; no frame drops, incredibly crisp visuals, the whole nine yards. In a game where you need to be accurate with your shots for the best score and be able to focus on incoming bullets at the same time, the PSVR2 does it best.

One of the reasons this edition of the game is so fantastic is the sheer amount of content available. When we previously reviewed it, the offering was somewhat paltry at only seven tracks. Now, you have the full line-up of the Pistol Whip library, although with the caveat you’ll have to unlock some through the campaign (which I don’t feel was ever explained and I’m still figuring out how to do so). There are now thirty, yes, THIRTY, tracks you’ll be able to enjoy, and while I’ve not played all of them yet, they all feel unique in visual design.

Having the full soiree of modifiers is pretty awesome as well. You can equip these “mods” onto your weapon, with up to five at a time. These remind me of the skulls in Halo, with things like not having to reload or running the level with no armor in tow, even enemy related ones like every baddie having extra armor. There are a lot of these available too, and I’m willing to bet they weren’t there at launch. Beyond that, there is also more than just the regular pistol, with a six-shooter and shotgun-esque boomstick in your arsenal to use as well. You can even run dual pistols if you want to give up a bit of score. I like giving players options, and these different weapons and mods change up how you play, which isn’t something you always get in a rhythm game beyond the tracks.

Before we get out of here, we have to talk about the last advantage the PSVR2 has to it; the feedback. The Sense controllers have the full spectrum of DualSense features loaded, both with haptics and adaptive triggers. The headset also has haptics built in, giving your face a little rumble to add to your immersion. While I can’t say I’ve noticed a lot with the haptic feedback in the Sense controllers, the triggers have a nice feel to them. Just like the DualSense, it’s like you’re really pulling a gun trigger, with it fighting you at the final moment before it releases. It even reacts when you have no bullets, with an easy pull to symbolize your empty magazine. The face haptics are better than the controller haptics, and when a bullet hits you in the head or face you certainly know it. It’s nothing insane, but it’s a nice touch of rumble that adds to the experience.

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