Gaming: Game of Thrones in VR; Ghostbusters remaster; more

HBO may be done with Game of Thrones (at least for now), but your time in Westeros doesn’t have to come to such an abrupt end, thanks to Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall — a new virtual reality gaming experience that takes you to the edge of the frozen North.

Available to subscribers of HTC's Viveport Infinity service, Beyond the Wall lets you get your inner Jon Snow on by venturing to the Wildlings’ side of the 700-foot barrier as a member of the Night’s Watch. There players will face the wights of the Army of the Dead, taking up the watch to “test their flaming sword-fighting skills against a massive wight bear and a hoard of White Walkers,” according to developer Framestore.

Credit: Framestore / HBO

The 4D experience puts you in the middle of “a realistic scene north of The Wall,” the developer adds, and forces you to ward off the attacking undead — “with no dragons to help.” And unlike the long wait that’s in store for GoT fans until HBO debuts its in-the-works prequel, this one’s already waiting at the gates. Compatible with both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall arrives on May 31.

Ghostbusters fans fell in love with the franchise’s namesake video game back in 2007, not least because it did a great job of recreating the movie’s iconic four-character cast of original stars. Now the gang is back again — only this time, they’re coming to your current-gen console in a much higher resolution. 

Sony just showed off the first trailer for the HD remake of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, and if you’re a fan, it’s hard not to be impressed with the cinematic visuals. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man has never looked this believably jiggly in a game:

As a faithful update of the 12 year-old game, the voice cast — which includes the core team of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson — all come as part of the deal. The developers haven’t said exactly when the Ecto-1 will come screeching around the corner to deliver us the remaster, but they're pledging to have the game ready for slime time — for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC — before the end of this year. 

Finally, Nintendo is packing up a big rig filled with all the Switch goodies that’ll fit into a 53-foot tractor trailer, and hitting the road for a U.S. road trip that’ll be stopping at 11 cities for some family-friendly interactive game therapy, Mario style.  

The Big N revealed the Nintendo Switch Road Trip as a way to play new update demos before anyone else, bring fans together to play their favorite Switch games, and come away with some exclusive Nintendo e-swag. Here’s a rundown of where the pop-up tour is heading (and when):

June 26-30: Chicago — Navy Pier
July 3-7: Milwaukee, WI — Summerfest
July 12-14: Sacramento — California State Fair
July 19-21: Seattle — Bite of Seattle
Aug. 2-4: Bethlehem, PA — Musikfest
Aug. 8-11: Des Moines, IA — Iowa State Fair
Aug. 15-19: Louisville, KY — Kentucky State Fair
Aug. 22-25: Syracuse, NY — The Great New York State Fair
Aug. 30-Sept. 2: St. Paul, MN — Minnesota State Fair
Sept. 6-8, 2019: Albuquerque, NM — New Mexico State Fair
Sept. 11-15: Pomona, CA — LA County Fair
Sept. 26-29: West Springfield, MA — The Big E
Oct. 3-6: Perry, GA — Georgia National Fair

In addition to getting your hands on upcoming content demos for games like Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Party, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros., the two Pokemon: Let’s Go games, and more, guests also will be eligible to “stamp” their event passport, entitling them to receive receive 100 Platinum Points for the Nintendo eShop. And, of course, the whole thing will make for one heck of a cool photo op.

Check out the Nintendo Switch Road Trip’s website for even more details on how to get the most out of your summer date with Mario.