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The 'Super Mario' of VR will come with every Oculus Rift headset in 2016

Making video games is a risky business. It often takes years, millions of dollars, and thousands of man hours to create a single game. And who knows if it'll be a success!

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Because of this massive unknown, people running game studios have figured out clever ways to help guarantee success. Ever bought a game console with a game packed in?

My original NES was purchased with a copy of "Super Mario Bros." back in the late 1980s! Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog" rose to prominence by being a free pack-in with the Sega Genesis.

PlayStation 4 Star Wars bundle
That's a lot of Darth Vader helmet. Sony / EA

Such is the case with the "Super Mario" of virtual reality games — "Lucky's Tale" — which will ship for free with every Oculus Rift VR headset sold when it launches in the first three months of 2016. 

Lucky's Tale
This is the colorful VR game "Lucky's Tale," which will ship for free with every Oculus Rift sold. Playful

You're forgiven if you haven't heard of "Lucky's Tale"; the game has only been shown at trade events, mostly to journalists. I've been lucky enough to play it a few times, and it's a real delight. You play as the diminutive Lucky, a small fox in a very colorful world.

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Lucky's Tale
This is Lucky, from "Lucky's Tale." He looks kind of like Tails from "Sonic the Hedgehog." Playful Corp.

And here is Lucky's world:

Lucky's Tale
Playful Corp.

Instead of putting you in the eyes of the fox, you see Lucky's world from overhead while controlling him with a standard gamepad. It plays much like "Super Mario 64" or any other 3D platformer you're used to — bonk enemies, collect coins, solve puzzles. The usual platforming stuff.

The twist here is that you're wearing a VR headset, which means you can see things that Lucky cannot. Try leaning down (in real life) and looking underneath the platform Lucky's standing on: there may very well be hidden secrets waiting for you! 

"Lucky's Tale" will arrive in the first three months of 2016 alongside the Oculus Rift, Facebook's high-definition VR headset that requires a pretty hefty computer to power its virtual reality.

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Check out the game's latest trailer right here:

Gaming Virtual reality
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