VR Zone Shinjuku: As (Virtually) Real As It Gets!

Having some degree of familiarity with Virtual Reality gaming in the form of the Mortal Blitz game at Sega, Akihabara, we sought to experience more of that flavor of fun.  So, we progressed towards visiting what seems to be the biggest virtual reality arcade in Japan: VR Zone Shinjuku.

The price of admission and gaming is pretty steep (4000 yen gets you in and playing four games) but as the games are very unique and so immersive, it is definitely worth considering if you love video games, and especially if you're among others who have fun playing video games as well.

The biggest pull for my friends and I was the Evangelion VR game.  We're all fans of the anime, and the idea of getting to pilot an Eva was too good to resist.

And it truly lived up to all the hype we had for it, and then some.  From the moment we stepped into the entry plug and had ourselves submersed in LCL, to getting to battle several of the Angels at Tokyo-3, it was awesome!  Also, we were seated not too far from each other but communicating with each other through the mic/headphone system made it seem like we were coordinating from kilometers apart in the battle field.

Once we wrapped up our experience as Evangelion pilots, we moved on to give the Mario Kart game (also very fun) and another game (can't recall the name) where we rode on scooters to escape some prehistoric reptiles in a jungle, similar to Jurassic but not quite.  Still, very fun and enjoyable among good friends.

For our last act, we went a bit away from the "traditional" VR route and opted to try their rock climbing experience, called Trap Climb.  Virtual and real obstacles were there, making for a pretty unique type of rock climb.

There were, indeed, a few "traps" which I won't give away, but nothing that scary or dangerous, I think.  Hands and arms got kind of sore at the end but it was a good time!

For a great time out in Shinjuku and in the virtual reality world, give the VR Zone a try!

Recommendations:

- Go with friends; one could conceivably go on his/her own here but it's so much more enjoyable playing alongside friends/family who will share the experience with you.

- You can ask staff to take photos of you with your camera/phone while you're busy playing, some examples of which are seen on this post.

- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.  You'll move around a bit, and depending on the games you choose to play, wearing tight clothes or skirts might not be the best here.  For the rock climb, if you choose to do it, they will lend you a pair of climbing shoes.

Specifics:

VR Zone Shinjuku

Location: