Just Dance 2021 is the latest game in a series that spans an impressive 11 year run in the gaming community worldwide. The dancing started in 2009 and Just Dance 2021 is the 23rd game, including all the console exclusive and special releases, in the dance phenomenon. The latest release of the game, or should we say institution, has a lot to offer the first time player as well as the dance floor boogie master. So why don’t we put on our dancing shoes and slide right in… (see what I did there?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G-DFYNOTecThe Dance Floor
Now, as the name suggests, this game is all about flashy dance moves - just like the previous versions of the game have done before (but this is what we love about it now… don’t we?). It’s not an FPS, adventure, or rage-inducing game - we hope… It’s an invite the crew over and have a party game, which will test your skills, timing, and rhythm, and can be made competitive as you earn a score rating according to how well you “brought the heat”.
As always - you go through the menu and find a song that you feel you’re going to own (to impress that special someone in the room) and hit play. Depending on the skill level you choose - either you end up with an awesome score, or the crew has something to laugh about for the foreseeable future. Either way, you are sure to have a lot of fun.
Graphics, Controls, and Gameplay
Let’s get to the “nitty-gritty” of the game. Personally, I feel that the graphics are amazing considering what the game does. With the bright colors, flashing visuals, and awesome music, it seems to check all the boxes for a game that is as fun for one person, as it is for a whole group or family. My Xbox One S ran this game smooth as butter, and I can only imagine how much more visually appealing it would be on a stronger, or next-gen, console.
There are a few extras as well as new features in Just Dance 2021 that I think make this version one of the best Ubisoft has ever made. Once you purchase Just Dance 2021 you get;
With Just Dance Unlimited, dance to over +600 songs! A free 1-month trial of Just Dance Unlimited is included with every copy of Just Dance 2021 on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Stadia. Play with friends and share the fun with co-op mode. Work together to get the highest score! Dance the way you like by creating your own personalized custom playlists. Enjoy eight new kid-friendly songs and choreographies for a family-fun experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g8_Jd49No4Then there is the smartphone app for Just Dance. This piece of techno brilliance tracks your moves with no additional accessories required. This means that you don’t need any video hardware to play the game… and you can connect up to six players at a time! ALL WITH YOU SMARTPHONE! Madness... With more than 10 million downloads across mobile OS's, people seem to love it.
It seems that as Just Dance grows and expands, their motion capture is getting better and better with every game they bring out. I can definitely see this eventually expanding into the realm of VR (ahem - I expect compensation for my idea) with virtual parties and clubs that make Ready Player One seem not so science fiction as we originally believed. But this is a long way off and for now, we can just expect the next-gen consoles to bring us amazing visuals that this game seems to have in spades.
My Experience
After downloading Just Dance 2021, the set up was as simple as learning line dancing - Uhm, not that I line dance. If you’re worried about not having the right equipment, don’t worry. As I’ve mentioned before - the Just Dance App is the best thing since High School Musical… No? Just me? Ok, I digress.
Now the gameplay is basically the same whether you have a motion camera or a cell phone (minus the accidental phone drop or toss across the room). The music selection this time around is “simply the best” and with the added bonus of a Just Dance Unlimited subscription, your choices are shot to over 600 songs to keep you entertained and dancing all night long. Can you get through them all?
I have to admit that I did try out the kids' levels first (for the purpose of being thorough of course), and felt like an absolute dance master. So I attempted the easy, medium, and hard levels and well, let’s just say, I need more practice. But whether I was amazing or just plain sucked, I had fun either way which, in my opinion, is the aim of the game.
Final Verdict
During my time playing this game, I found myself wanting to call my friends over for a dance party or wanting my own 8-year-old daughter to experience the fun of playing and going crazy. So as the music fades on this review, let’s take a step back and look at what gaming is. Gaming is an activity that is meant to be fun and entertaining to help us forget the stresses of living in the real world and, in my opinion, this game does just that! It takes you back to a time when arcades were troves of joy and, for most of us, those memories are what we wish to experience again. Today’s next-gen games are amazing - no doubt about it, but Just Dance 2021 allows you to be that kid again…waiting patiently in line for your turn to play.
And so, on that nostalgic note (I promise to stop the music and dance puns now), I give my dance moves 1 out of 10 but Just Dance 2021 comes in clutch on that with a staggering 9 out of 10 stars!
I dedicate this next dance to Prima Interactive for throwing the game our way. Thank you.
The new Call of Duty game, produced by Treyarch, sees us going back to the Black Ops series which, in my humble opinion, is among the best Call of Duty games. Now some might immediately be put off due to the direction that the Black Ops arc took with Black Ops III and even with IV (which was released after the “boots on the ground” promise) but Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (referred to as Cold War from here on out as that is a mouth full of a name) takes us back to the days of Mason and Woods with some plausible deniability action in the true Black Ops style.
Multiplayer – as has been the staple for Call of Duty games since the start, the multiplayer menu sees all the game modes we know, like Team Deathmatch, Free For All, Hardpoint and many others. Cold War does, however, have a few unique game modes that sees teams battle it out across a handful of well-designed and intricate maps. On top of this - customisable loadouts, weapon skins, new operators, clan tags and emblems are all still there, along with the information about your skills that you don’t want to look at but need to see.
And for those of you who are wondering, no – there’s no Nuketown… yet.
Zombies – once again, some very sinister experiments have gone horribly wrong (or incredibly right depending on which side of the fence you’re standing) and Zombies have been released back into the world. Take on wave after wave of the undead horde alone, with friends or in a public queue and send the undead back where they belong. Learning from it’s past, Cold War Zombies has objectives that can be followed to unlock the underlying story in Die Maschine and find out exactly what those evil scientists were getting up to behind the iron curtain.
Also, hidden within Zombies, is a game mode called Dead Ops Arcade. This game mode has been sneakily tucked away in Black Ops games since the original Black Ops in 2010. As this is a “hidden feature” in the game, I’d rather just let you try this one out for yourselves. I will say this though, if you’ve played Dead Ops Arcade in any of the previous Black Ops games, then this one is definitely worth it.
Warzone – Call of Duty’s very own Battle Royale mode sees it’s second rendition come to life with Black Ops Cold War and, like with Modern Warfare, it will be free to play and stand almost as its own game within Cold War. If you’re still playing Modern Warfare Warzone and are worried about your future with that game, Call of Duty have assured us that Modern Warfare will still be getting updates for a long time to come.
The download size of the game sits neatly under 85GB (come one Modern Warfare) with the total size being broken up into optional “data chunks” which you can choose to keep or remove from your storage to better manage your space.
With exception of the compulsory base game size of 21,7GB, the optional data chunks are as follows;
- Campaign – 38,7GB
- Multiplayer – 15,3GB
- Zombies – 3,6GB
- Dead Ops Arcade – 6,2GB
- Content Packs – each of these are only 10.1mb
This is well played by Call of Duty as players who never make use of Zombies or players who have completed the campaign can choose to uninstall those chunks from their storage and save on precious hard drive space. This is especially cool for Warzone only players who do not have access to the other modes and so they can then just have the base game and Warzone installed.
What this looks like for future update sizes, I cannot say. But it is looking a lot better than the massive updates we’ve had to put up with on Modern Warfare.
One minor issue I did experience with the graphics of Cold War was during the cinematics. Now this issue is not really game based, but the fault more so lies within outdated and underspec hardware.
During cinematics, because of the high quality of the graphics, my xbox would really battle and what I was watching would become jumpy and laggy and the audio would often complete long before the video as I then had to suffer in actual silence as I watched till the end of the cinematic. This didn’t happen all the time and I did find on longer cinematics that my xbox eventually caught up and everything was smooth and synchronised. My old boy apparently just needed some time to catch his breath for all the hard work I was making him do.
Although irritating, this minor issue is really not game breaking in my opinion and still makes the game well worth it.
The game plays incredibly well across all game modes and each needs its own strategy and skillset to really excel at it. Gone are the days of sprinting and going Gung-ho on everything and anything that moved.
Focussing in a little more on the multiplayer game mode now - once I knew where to expect people and what angles I could get shot from, my stats significantly improved as I was able to make the key movement decisions needed that only come with map knowledge and game specific experience.
The comfort does not stop there. The earcups are lined with soft flexible memory foam cushioning that offers a comfortable fit and helps with sealing off the outside world as well as not causing too much heat after wearing them for extended periods of time. The new headband system that Logitech has adapted to for the G733 is simply fantastic. Many other brands have been using it for quite some time, allowing for the weight of the headset to be spread across a band over your head rather than using a single contact point as "traditional" headsets do. The headband makes the G733 feel like it's floating above your head and only attached to your head at the earcups. If for some reason, the headset doesn't fit quite right, the headband can even be adjusted to sit more snug, well done Logitech! Did I mention the headband elastic is reversible if the already funky colour doesn't quite suit your mood for the day?
Although the straight and square design is rather new to the Logitech roster (copying more of the Astro look than Logitech) it is made from all plastic rather than the more carbon and metallic bits are seen on other high-end Logitechs'. The plastic is strong and durable but it always will bring in a sense of cheapness even though, in this case, it is not the case. Being plastic also allows the G733 to be made in bright and beautiful colours such as black, white, grey, and a beautiful blue. The front rim of the earcups is embellished by an RGB strip that acts as two programmable areas for RGB.
Below the mute button, there is a volume dial, this dial can turn endlessly both ways and adjust your PC's main volume. So when turning you should get the volume level displayed by Windows. The last button on the rather barren G733 is the power button, hold to switch on, hold to switch off, a short press will have a lady tell you the battery level in your ear, nice!
The aspect that has really made me fall in love with Logitech is how amazing their Ghub software is, and the resulting performance you get from the headset. The G733, thanks to the Ghub software, can compete with headsets that are much more expensive, due to the customization levels introduced in the Ghub software.
The G733 features virtual surround sound thanks to DTS. The virtual surround sound that is featured with most Logitech headsets is some of the most accurate I have experienced in any stereo headset. Some other well-known brands seem to sound more like an echo than actually true spatial sound. After tinkering with the surround sound there is more equalizers and settings to fiddle with until you have tweaked the audio to just what you want. If you can't quite tweak it your way, why not simply download a preset that someone else has made and uploaded to the Ghub. Quick and simple, find a setup you think might work and download it and test it out. This is an approach more companies should take. I have become a snob because of this feature and setting my own equalizers have now become somewhat of a pain.
The recent addition of Blue Voice in top-end Logitech headsets is tremendous. Suddenly your Logitech headset can replace the likes of a separate stand microphone thanks to the amazing tech crammed into a small headset mic. Not only can you set your microphone equalizer to allow you to sound perfectly crisp and clear, but there are also presets such as AM Radio, broadcaster, FM radio and presets for soft, loud, high and low voice types! If anyone has ever told you that your voice would not suit radio, the Blue Voice tech can make you sound like you have the sweetest voice on earth!
The Logitech G733 is a wireless headset, and with that comes certain "problems" when it comes to the audio performance. When there is no audio playing, even at low volume, there is the normal hum. Not a big deal, but to someone who believes in wired is better, this can be very annoying. Fortunately, the G733 makes up for this slight flaw with exceptional audio quality. With the extremely powerful equalizer that can be tuned to make nearly any form of music or in-game audio sound perfect, we were hard-pressed to really find something wrong. So to be completely unbiased I decided to give the G733 to a few people to give their opinions in terms of audio. The G733 is fitted with the same 40mm drivers as the G Pro X which is still our favourite all-time headset. For this reason, the G733 sounds nearly exactly the same. Mids are spot on with highs being at the verge of being too high. Lows are firm and strong but can become slightly muddy when the mids are truly working hard. This was only slightly noticeable during some intense BFV firefights.
The Logitech G733 soundstage is clearly taken from the G Pro X which is intended with esports in mind, hence the stage is smaller and closer than other headsets. This is by no means a deal-breaker because when I took them for a spin in Horizon Zero Dawn the vast openness and gusts of wind perfectly gave the sense of a massive open area.
In this version of Assassin's Creed, the usual Brotherhood vs Templar battle is, of course, raging in the shadows (cue the motto) with the Templar order being the undisputed stronger party in the start of the game as it's wretched hand stretches across continents and its influence can be seen everywhere. In Valhalla, the names of the factions look a little different with the Brotherhood going by "The Hidden Ones" and the Templars going by "The Order of the Ancients."
I like it.
Eivor is a devoted and skilled Viking warrior who takes on a lot of the responsibility of establishing a new home for the Raven clan in England. He also is not afraid of death as he can be heard many times in the game making statements about destiny and his death being woven into the fabric of time.
As a bonus, Eivor is almost fully customisable as you can choose from a variety of hairstyles, beard styles and tattoos to create your own personal look.
England is a stark contrast to the snowy expanse of Norway but has its own beauty in all of the well-designed areas. The land is as diverse as the people fighting over it, with green hills, swamps and forested areas being broken by small villages, stone walls and Roman ruins. The weather in England helps add to the effect with thick fog and bursts of rain making it all the more realistic.
One thing that needs to be commented on, with my playing this on the original Xbox One (here's to hoping I get a Series S or X soon) the graphics, although not as great as they would be if experienced in all its 4K glory, are still incredible. The game does favour frame rate over graphic quality though and so I did notice that in times of "high-render" the quality of what I was seeing would drop ever so slightly so as to keep the game running silky smooth. Now some might not like this too much, but I don't really have an issue with it.
The gameplay focuses more on turning your foothold of a settlement in England into a stronghold of a homestead and securing allies in different territories than it does on taking down the members in the Order of the Ancients. You can, of course, focus in on the Hidden One's missions and eliminate every Templar scum that you can, and you will get some cool perks for doing this, but if you choose to just go a vikingr then you will only eliminate those Templar that sit where the interests of the Hidden Ones and the interests of your settling in England align.
Along with this, Viking (to raid) is a massive part of the game as you storm monasteries, army camps and strongholds from your longboat, burning and pillaging as villagers and monks flee in terror, flailing arms included. All so that you can take the hard-earned resources back to Ravensthorpe and further build and establish your Viking Homestead in England.
So, overall. I give the 12th, latest and best (in my opinion) Assassin's Creed title a whopping 9 out of 10 stars.
OK OK AMANDA... I'll do this properly. So little hope is a game based on the choices you make, and all these choices affect the 5 characters you play as, while on their way to a field trip their bus has an accident, as in crashes not soils its chassis. This game picks up right off the bat and throws players into a world of misery, fear, and confusion. How do I know this I enlisted someone very near and dear to me a one Dalal light, she helped me interpret all the symbols and even some details other will miss, and hearing her chuckle and then say “well let me tell you one thing right away, someone is not going to have a very good day”, this didn’t set me up well to play this game. I pressed on, only to hear “oh I wouldn’t go that way not with that there”. And after politely thanking and sending miss light on her way I carried on, with a greater fear of the unknown than before.
The game pushes players in 1 direction, both literally and figuratively, a dense fog shrouds the town and any attempt to go backward is futile, the fog simply swallows you up and sends you facing the other way. The players are constantly haunted by noises and quick glimpses of distorted figures in the background, creating a constant tension of what’s going to happen next.
Little hope was a bustling town back in its day, major factories being the town's lifeblood, but when the factories were closed down, the town was deserted and became a ghost town. In more ways than one. The town, even before its heyday, has a dark history. During the witch burnings of Salem, Little Hope did its fair share of witch-hunting and much to miss lights displeasure… Wait, when did you sneak back in? Uhm the brutal murders of supposed witches.
The Dark Pictures Anthology has a rather large focus on the character relations that you can build or break by way of the decisions you make. These actions do not only have a single effect on the storyline. Upset someone now, and have that consequence resonate back to bite you later. This makes every single decision, be it made with the head or the heart, have a massive cause and effect on the story. You will also be persuaded by the demons of your past or the past of a past life… Or the past of a past life’s past life? Ghastly distorted disfigured and mangled visages of what was once human and it's up to you to make the right choices or face the consequences.
And if the game itself isn’t creepy enough, you will periodically meet “the curator” a mildly pleasantly unpleasant person, who will talk you through your choice as the game goes on, being a little more than cynical of your choices if not very judgemental in his opinion….he offers “tips” if you can call them that from time to time but don’t expect a clear-cut answer it’s a riddle within a mystery.
It's up to you to get the 5 lost souls through this horror town to hopefully a good ending, hidden throughout the game are postcards with pictures which provide the player a small vision of what may or may not come to pass, based on your decisions made up to that point, I cannot say if they help or not. But that’s all on you...
The visuals of the game are stunning if not eerie, the music will always keep you in a state of unease, when those violins start up the hairs on the back of my neck start doing backflips… Even if nothing happens… At that point anyway. The fog always there, always foreboding, spurring you on and keeping all the horrors and nasties hidden until the time is right. I kind-of just scared myself there. Little hope has a wonderful if you can call it that, way of building tremendous amounts of suspense. Be that with the eerie soundtrack or perfectly placed silences. If you don't turn in your chair a few times during this game there is something wrong with you.
During this night you spend trying to save these 5 characters you will learn so much about the witch-trails in general. And especially the horrors that would be the reason for so many innocent people to be put to death. Just like the curator will mention on several occasions, nothing is quite what it seems. And that statement rings true throughout the terror-filled night. Whether you care to listen to the voice of reason, or rather dig a bit further, maybe lend an ear to a creepy little girl, you might just make sense of this nightmare.
The Dark Pictures Anthology is so good at telling an intricate story that they are able to take a story, that at first, seems like nothing makes any sense, and have you piece the blocks together to help you experience one of the most "aha" moments ever just before the credits roll...
Logitech has also spoilt the user by supplying every connection type known to man. As standard, the G432 has a 3.5mm connection but supplied, is a splitter that splits audio and mic separately. Along with this splitter is the DAC, a USB device that your 3.5mm jack plugs into. This is a nice touch by Logitech ensuring the headset can be used in any possible way. Not many manufacturers include these adapters in more budget orientated headsets. Good job Logitech!
Although the G432 does suffer from a few minor design flaws that affect comfort, like the loose-fitting earcups, these are all up to user preference. Personally, I think they are reasonably comfortable and don't get too hot when wearing for long periods of time. A colleague however had no issue with the loose earcups but was more concerned about the heat buildup after wearing for a couple of hours. So overall it is an even split.
When you connect via the DAC is when the G432 comes alive and the wonderful GHUB shows its true capabilities. The G432 features a virtual 7.1 surround sound thanks to DTS. Setting this up is simple and has you listening to an audio track and adjusting all the speakers accordingly. Using it in games such as Rainbow 6 Siege and Escape from Tarkov game me such a distinct advantage due to the games focusing a lot on audio. In games such as Mafia Definitive edition, the hustle and bustle of the 1930's city really come to life when you walk down the street and people are speaking and cars are buzzing past.
This is not the only feature. Equalizers are completely customizable and if you are not happy with your personal settings you can simply download someone else profiles from the GHUB community. Noise reduction on both the microphone and the audio is great. Especially if you have a noisy household and you don't want to torture your party members with barking dogs or moaning children. The mic quality is really good for its price range but it is definitely more aimed and multiplayer communication rather than any form of streaming or production worthy efforts.
Well, prepare to be underwhelmed. Graphically Dirt 5 is lackluster at best, with switching between graphics and fps modes not making an impacting change at all. Fortunately for Dirt 5 games are not all about graphics, right? Well, Dirt 5 definitely makes up for the above in its variety.
The career mode in Dirt 5 will have you putting your proverbial pedal to the metal for a significant time. In theory, there are 75 tracks in total. yes some of them are reversed versions of each other but 75 is still a big number. The thing that I found made the campaign so much fun is the fact that the sheer size of the career is broken into many small pieces. None of the races or modes feel too long that you find yourself getting bored. In the same breath, I have to say I immediately turned the difficulty up a notch as to give me a fight all the way to the chequered flag.
In Dirt 2.0 the job is simple. Get from the start to the finish as quickly as you can without destroying the car. Dirt 5, being the quirkier brother, throws in a few fun "challenges" to spice things up. Drift for X amount of time, or trade paint in the air, each race will have these challenges. Complete them and it will add towards your reputation and a few other categories which are needed to unlock more car customizations.
Dirt 5 has a respectable lineup of cars. Compared to the likes of NFS or Forza it might fall slightly short but respectable none the less. NFS has its over-the-top car modifications and Forza allows you to tune every last centimeter of the vehicle, Dirt 5 does not do the same, actually, it doesn't allow you to customize your car, performance-wise, at all! Dirt 5 is more about aesthetics. As you progress through the career mode and complete more of the side missions as mentioned before. You will unlock decals for your vehicle. Some of them in form of stickers to slap literally anywhere on your car. Others will be wraps for your vehicle allowing you to customize your ride to your heart's content.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iQzwrVdT8
What this means is that each vehicle and I use vehicles because not all contraptions are cars, there are buggies and other off-roading abominations have a specific rating. It is rather simply put. Performance and handling. Closer to A-rating the better. The thing that I was slightly upset about is the lack of variation when it came to how the cars felt when changing between classes of cars. This might upset the more die-hard racing fans because it removes the learning curve for each vehicle, but on the flip side, it allows for a much easier pick-up-and-play experience!
A major game feature is the tech menu, offering a range of gadgets, abilities, weapons, and hacking skills all this is unlocked with tech points scattered around the map, each item on the menu can be upgraded to make it more effective, which can be set to each operative to switch up your playstyle or tackle the task at hand. Another major feature is the combat, now I did play the 1st Watch Dogs and sadly missed the 2nd. DONT JUDGE ME AMANDA!!!! But the combat for Watch Dogs: Legion is based around attacking, grappling, and dodging which can be followed up with a counter-attack its proper street fighting bruv. Combat can be made easier by using an operative with a melee weapon or a nice little gadget I call the "punchy zappy face breaky" thing.
My personal Favorite is definitely the remote control spider capable or hacking terminals, getting into tight spaces, getting you into otherwise inaccessible rooms distracting enemies, and scaring the living daylights out of people on the street, yes my little pet spread TERROR... I mean go get me access to that server over there I need to check my Twitter feed messages.
the storyline follows our ever neighborhood hacking community Dedsec being framed for major bombings all over London by the group known as Zero-day, who have no other agenda than just trying to watch the world burn. Albion takes over and basically eliminates almost every criminal enterprise except 1 clan Kelly, so you have some major factions who aren't particularly friendly towards you, unless, you recruit one of them. YES people you can recruit the enemy to your cause, but you will need to buy the special tech ability to deep dive into their profile and find something that you can help them with to turn that frown upside down and join you, now you have a recruit who can walk almost freely around that factions area, just avoid the other guards and cameras and drones.....so everything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mOVusuXl7E
The game doesn’t limit how you play, maybe you’re like me who likes to sneak around set traps and bring out the inner Sam Fischer in you, or walking right up to some git and bashing em in the face yeah? The help will have thought the game will be from the lovable robot AI Baggly who will help you accomplish all your missions, from getting Intel to finding a location to hacking a laptop and wiping someone's debt..... think I need a Baggly....But 1 thing was REALLY confusing to me.... playing many different open-world games like GTA....being forced to drive on the right-hand side of the road and now I'm on the LEFT like I'm weirded out by this, even driving on the left side IN REAL LIFE, like I can’t wrap my head around now driving on the correct side of the road!!! It’s maddening!!! Well, it is to me anyway... AMANDA I SAID STOP JUDGING ME.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqh4BX8-VR4
One of the big problems we had with the Gen 1 Stealth 600 was the fact that the earcup cushioning, although soft, was scratchy and after wearing for an extended time would become itchy and extremely hot. We are pleased to say the earcup cushioning has been substantially improved. It now features a leatherette cover which is lovely on the ears. Like the Gen 1, the earcups are designed to accompany users who where spectacles, this has always been a very nice touch from TurtleBeach. Although all of these mentioned improvements have improved the comfort dramatically, the only problem we found in the comfort department is the size of the earcups. The Gen 1 Stealth 600 headsets were exceptionally small earcups. If you have regular-sized ears, you might have had problems using the Gen 1 Stealth 600's as over-ear headsets and rather use them as on-ear. With the Gen 2 however the earcup size has been increased, not quite as much as might be needed, but improvement is good. The earcups are on a swivel which is nice to have the headset "mold" to the wearer.
The headband, like in the the Gen 1, slides easily to adjust to nearly any sized head. The foam on the headband feels good and after some serious game time, we didn't experience any sore heads from a headband. The mic might feel abit too cheap but fortunately, the mic and the headset can handle some punishment.
When it comes to features, that is where the Stealth series, in general, falls flat. It is a bare-bones headset featuring little to no creature-comforts. This is all ways to keep the price tag to the lower end of course so it is a catch 22. The Gen 2, however, does have a flip to mute mic now which when extended will activate the mic and when flipped up, you will be automatically muted. The Gen 2 mic also features larger and higher sensitivity which makes an already clear mic sound even crisper. It also features mic monitoring feedback, which is a nice feature for a budget wireless headset. No more accidental shouting over the mic in the middle of the night!
The standard features are all here, the volume wheel is situated under the earcup. right next to the volume wheel is the chat-audio mixer wheel. Which should be a standard amongst all headsets but for some reason, it is not yet! Last but not least there is a power button, charging port, and audio preset selector. The TurtleBeach Stealth 600 Gen 2 connects via Bluetooth using a dongle that comes with the headset. you simply plug it into your console or pc and turn on your headset. Once connected the dongle, as well as the headset, will give you a light and audio queue respectively. What needs to be mentioned is that only the PS and PC version of the Stealth 600 require the Bluetooth dongle, if you are using the Xbox version, thanks to the Xbox Bluetooth the headset connects directly to the console.
During our time spent with the Stealth 600 we jumped between titles like R6 Siege, Warzone, and some Apex Legends. What we all agree on is that the audio quality is brilliant. The Stealth 600's punch way above their price class and makes things sound the way we think they are intended to. At first I did find myself fumbling with the buttons setting the wrong setting, but once I memorized the positions the controls are rather easy to manage. Battery life on the Stealth 600 is rated at a decent 15 hours on a single charge. I charged it when I received it and my rough calculation says that 15 hours sound like an easily achievable mark. This however is the same battery life as the Gen 1, which is a little disappointing seeing as there was no improvement made in that department.
When Crash Bandicoot debuted back in 1997 it had good competition in the linear-platforming genre in the likes of Croc. Since then the Linear-platform genre has become less popular with other titles like Super Mario Odyssey opting to go towards a more open-world sandbox nature. Crash Bandicoot 4 has stuck with what made it successful all these years later. A more refined, albeit linear, level.
Fans of old will be happy to see that their furry friend still bounces, spins, and crashes ( get it...) through vibrant and colorful spectacles that we call levels. Fans that are new to the Crash Bandicoot franchise will quickly be drawn into the box smashing fun. In short, Crash Bandicoot has not missed a beat in the time he has been missing.
Starting up the game the first option you get is whether you want to play Retro, or modern. I would suggest going with modern as Retro will have you only receiving limited amounts of attempts and retries where modern gives you endless lives and checkpoints, trust me, you will need them!
Not much has changed in the formula for Its About Time from the previous games. It's About Time still focuses on players needing to let Crash run down a hallway, crashing, smashing, and bashing their way through boxes and bad guys all while collecting items. At times the perspective might change with Crash running away from the camera rather than towards, as well as the occasional side-scrolling stages. Mix in a few boss battles and you have the general play of Crash Bandicoot. This might seem a bit mundane and old for the current crop of gamers seeing that we have games where you need to invest serious time and brainpower to play, but It's About Time just feels right!
It's About Time has added a good few aspects to the Crash games to give this one some more flavor. The boss battles are really intense and where one wrong move, much like the other stages, will have you reset to a previous checkpoint. Another large and challenging introduction is the ability to use masks that grant you temporary powers. The normal protection mask will have you absorb one hit from an enemy that would usually have killed you. The other is a kind of time-shift mask that when activated will have you "phase" objects in and out of existence allowing you to traverse the environment. Need to jump across a large ravine? Phase the block in your way, out of existence, but be careful, the platform you need to land on is also phased out now... This leads to a lot of mid-air swearing as well as even more button mashing. Other masks grant abilities such as slowing down time, manipulate gravity, and make Crash move ridiculously fast!
Something that It's About Time does well is despite the fact that we are in 2020, it is purposefully stuck in the '90s. A time that bad jokes and attitudes were plentiful. Not exactly to everyone's taste. Hence the dialogue and cutscenes might not be to everyone's taste but it does definitely deliver a good story, although you will find yourself skipping cutscenes. Not because they are bad, just due to the fact that you are bound to see them a few times.
Luckily Crash is not alone in this fight to save the galaxy. He has 4 other characters that are all playable and bring their own abilities to the table. Coco and Crash are nearly identical apart from looks. Tawna, Dingodile, and Neo Cortex will bring new abilities to platforming and will have you replaying levels that you have previously completed. Tawna has a grappling hook you can use to get to faraway platforms. Dingodile can vacuum up TNT boxes and shoot it back at enemies. And Neo Cortex can blast enemies with his ray gun and turn them into platforms to jump from.
The developers have made a good quality of life changes to the franchise. Apart from the before mentioned Retro and Modern mode, there are more subtle changes. One for subtle but very nice one is the introduction of small shadows of where your character will land when jumping. Previously you would have to rely on some questionable depth perception and luck. Now, having a clear indication of where your character is heading, if you are more sadistic, this option can be turned off.
Keeping with the '90s where co-op was kind due to internet technology being sketchy at best for the lucky few who had. Pass & Play is a pseudo local multiplayer where each time you die or reach a checkpoint you can pass the controller to a fellow player. Not quite multiplayer but it does add a fun way of getting players that are not good at platforming to have some fun while having a better player help them through the tricky parts.
Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time is an expensive game, there is no mistake about it. The is around R1 199 for the disc version. This is a bitter pill to swallow considering the other big titles that are inbound. But for those who are unsure whether to spend the hard-earned money on your favorite orange marsupial, I can honestly tell you it is worth it. It's About Time will have you spending hours upon hours trying to capture every last gem, and discovering every last secret level. The replayability is amped up even more post-credits with the N.Verted mode which mirrors the layout of the original levels but masks them in a visual filter that will make you sweat all over again!
Now – with all that being said about the glory of the original game, Mafia I did come with its fair share of issues. It was not alone though, as most games from that era experienced similar limitations in what was known and possible within the realm of technology that existed then.
And so, 2K did something that a lot of other developers have done before them – take a classic and try and bring it into today’s era of gaming.
And they did a damn fine job of it too… mostly.
Voice Actors – 2K recast a lot of the voice actors in the overhaul of Mafia I which was met with a mixed bag of opinions. A large portion felt that the voice of the game’s protagonist, Tommy Angelo, was not quite up to the sound of the character he is made out to be in the game. Personally – I had no issue with his voice and thought it sounded fine. My struggles came in more with a certain Detective who keeps buying you coffee. His Irish accent just wasn’t doing it for me, and I can’t quite place my finger one why that is. I just know that I didn’t enjoy hearing him speak during the game’s many cinematic moments.
Driving – driving mechanics in the original game was very clunky and unresponsive. In the Definitive Edition however, the driving mechanics are a lot smoother and easily mastered as you send 1930’s vehicles sideways through intersections while missing old ladies, other vehicles and trams all taking up space on the roads and sidewalks of the city.
NPCs – the change to the way the NPCs react with the player and the environment is probably one of the biggest (second to visuals) overhauls that the game underwent. Like most NPCs in games from around 2002 (and some even today) where NPCs were more like mannequins and crash test dummies that didn’t really exhibit realistic human behaviours, the NPCs interact a lot more “human-like” in the Definitive Edition. Both with the player, as well as with each other and the playable environment.
Visuals – as expected in a remake/remaster of a classic, a drastic improvement in graphics and visual aspects of the game to bring it to more modern standards is a given. Can I just say, 18 years and a few generations jump have done Mafia I good. The textures of the game have been smoothened out and rendered well, even on my OG Xbox One console. Light and shadows move well while driving and walking and the visual aspects of the cinematics look good. Although some emotional face movements seem to have fallen away a bit (too much Botox in the code?).
It must be said that not all is fantastic in the visual department though. While driving or fighting, some surfaces occasionally take a bit longer to render in, causing a “shadow flash” effect as it snaps into existence. This also sometimes happens with cars that suddenly appear to fall in front of you or get caught up in some mystical obstacle in the middle of the road.
Apart from these changes to the overall look and feel of the game, not much else has changed in the Definitive Edition as it is a remaster of an old game, and not a remake. The story is mostly unaffected and unchanged, apart from a few added or altered lines. So, players returning to the game should not expect a new experience, but rather a remodelled experience of a classic. Think putting a fresh spray and wax on that classic car.
The game is also a lot less repetitive than Mafia III, where I felt that missions were very montonous and were all the same run, gun and kill a boss type of play but he world of Mafia III was more open and exploring between tasks was always a temptation. Mafia I’s missions came with a little more variety, which was helped a long by the deep story being told throughout the game of the rise of one immigrant cab driver to power and prominence in the "family" in the early 1930s.
The game really does focus on storytelling and so I often caught myself falling into getting from task to task to focus on the story. This is very different to my usual play style which is look everywhere and anywhere and take ages to get to task. With this aspect semi removed from Mafia I, I felt that the game could feel a little linear at times.
I did still enjoy playing the game a lot and really enjoyed the more relaxed feel I got from it. Whereas I often feel a little more tense after competitive gaming, Mafia I Definitive Edition really brought me back to the kick back, put your feet up and relax type of gaming that is sometimes so needed in a busy world.
With all that being said – if you have played Mafia I before, I wouldn’t recommend getting this one unless you are a fan or collector as there is no change to the story. You would essentially be buying a good book with a new cover, which there’s nothing wrong with. Just not if you’re only interested in the story.
If you haven’t played Mafia I before then I would suggest this for the great story telling and modernising of a classic game. As well as the relax game sessions that are so needed.
Overall, I would give Mafia I: Definitive Edition a solid 7 out of 10.
The G102 weighs in at 85g which is a good weight for the size. Not too light but not too much resistance when flicking or dragging. Logitech has embedded the Mercury sensor inside this little mouse. According to Logitech, the Mercury sensor is a gaming sensor, which gives you control of the sensitivity from 200 to 8000DPI. Many of the more premium mice might have the ability to go to 16 000 DPI but realistically one would never need a DPI setting much higher than even 2000. Where the G102 does make up for the lack of DPI is in the polling rate. This means the G102 reports back to the PC up to 1000 times per second. This is the main reason why the G102 movements and clicks feel much more instantaneous.
When using it for gaming the G102 performs really well with the scroll wheel having enough resistance to give you a good bump when it jumps over to next slot which is great when switching between weapons in most games. There is a distinct feel when rolling the scroll wheel which will eliminate possible bumps causing scrolling to happen.
According to Logitech, Lightsync is described as follows: LIGHTSYNC technology immerses you into the action with automatic, game-driven lighting effects that react to many popular games. LIGHTSYNC will blast light to match in-game explosions, approaching enemies, damage taken, healing is done, new worlds visited, and much more.
What this means is that many of the newer titles, much like Razer Synapse, links with the Logitech GHub and syncing up with Lightsync can make the RGB features of all Lightsync compatible items, link up to create a colorful vista of lights that don't only make things look pretty but actually serve a purpose. Like acting as health bars, or directions to your next objective.
On the G102 there is an RGB Halo that wraps around the palm area of the mouse as well as the usual G emblem that is both capable of supporting up to 16.8 million colors as well as a host of presets that can be defined in the Ghub. My firm favorite on the white G102 is the rainbow effect. The white G102 simply allows the colors to really pop and I found myself wanting more "halo-like" RGB bands around more of my peripherals... I think I might have become one of... them... RGB fanboys...
Logitech's GHUB software does what most other software packages do, but its packaged in a sleek, easy to use program. Adjust your DPI settings by predefining 5 steps that can be jumped through by simply hitting your DPI button found in front of your scroll wheel. Assign macro keys to the two inner thumb buttons by simply jumping to the assignment screen and selecting what you want those keys to do. You can even take it one step further and let Ghub recognize the game you are playing and let it switch between macros you have assigned for each game. This means taking some time, in the beginning, to set it all up but from there on, simply jump into your favorite game and have all your abilities at your fingertips.
Another bummer for MMO fans is the lack of on-the-fly Macro recording which makes casting a vast array of spells or attacks in quick succession rather cumbersome. Roccat's AIMO RGB is described as a clever system that adjusts the RGB lighting to what you are playing. I agree that the colouring is interesting although I can't quite put a finger on what it is using to decide its colouring. On the Roccat Kone AIMO mouse the lighting is bright and really beautiful, the Horde, however, is hardly noticeable in a well-lit room.
The left and right mouse buttons are not placed next to each other like most mice are. there is a strip of brushed metal dividing the two keys which adds to the straight and square lines that dominate the Kain design. At the top of this brushed metal piece, there is a DPI button, neat and square, elegant yet functional use of a button that has hampered many brands in their sleekness of design. Not to mention the scroll wheel that protrudes the brushed metal strip. The left and right mouse buttons
The sleek and smooth design of the Kain AIMO range and lack of any rubbery grips makes for a very appealing look but the smooth finish can, for some, make the Kain feel slippery. With the Kain 122 weighing in at a middle-of-road 89g ( Kain 200 weighs 105g) meaning it is light enough to be able to whizz it across your mousepad without feeling like you have nothing in your hand, and not sacrificing the feeling of quality. Unlike many of the bigger brands, the Kain-range has no weight adjustment, although I think Roccat got the weighting just right.
Roccat has taken the mouse-click and thought about how to improve something we have taken for granted since the birth of the gaming mouse. By simply repositioning the switch to a more natural location, the new Roccat Titan switch feels more distinguished and more precise. The buttons are also hinged giving it a cushioned feel when clicking. Although the Swarm software is not nearly as refined as Ghub from Logitech or Synapse from Razer, it is extremely straightforward, and apart from a small struggle we had to save DPI settings to the mouse, Roccat Swarm was extremely straight forward and provided great explanations of what each setting would do.
Both the Kain -122 and the 200 feature phenomenal thresholds for acceleration with the minimum being 40g and the maximum of 400IPS (inches per second). Basically said, even if you have superhuman flick ability in your favorite shooter, you will not be able to blame the Roccat Kain 122 or 200 for not being able to keep up with your speed.
Kain 200
Some of the features that set the Kain 200 apart from its wired brother, is obviously the wireless part. The Kain 200, in wired mode looks identical to the Kain 122. When using it as a wireless mouse the cable simply unplugs and can either be plugged into a dongle, that can be placed near to where you are using the mouse, or the wireless receiver can be plugged straight into a USB port. The Kain 200 uses a 2.4Ghz range for best-uninterrupted performance while stretching the battery life on its 1000 mAh battery as far as possible.
For myself, who moves between peripherals on regular intervals for review purposes, but also try and keep a high level of skill in games like Rainbow Six Siege and Escape from Tarkov, changing a mouse can have a devastating impact on your performance. Your mouse is your weapon and like soldiers, we spend many hours honing our skill with our weapon of choice, suddenly switching it out with another generally makes you play and aim worse. My regular daily mouse is the legendary Logitech G903 lightspeed closely followed by the amazing Razer Viper Ultimate. Both premium wireless mice. The Roccat Kain 122 or wireless 200, can easily hold its own against the likes of these two heavyweights. Jumping into my favorite games with the Kain 200 was an absolute blast. I hardly noticed any adjustment time and the Owl-eye Sensor is fantastic feeling extremely accurate and true. With its lesser focus on RGB and gadgets and more emphasis on creating a great experience while not being overly flashy, Roccat has created a spectacular mouse!
If you are looking for a mouse, wired or wireless, that sits more in a mid-range price category while competing and beating many of the high-end gaming mice out there, then the Roccat Kain-range is definitely worth taking a look at. If it is good enough for the Doc, to cause Violence, speed and momentum, then it is surely more than adequate for all of us!
PC hardware is no different, but as a general rule of thumb, bigger is better. Gaming keyboards were the keyboards that featured the most buttons and gadgets and even displays. Endless amounts of programmable keys and USB ports galore. With the increase in eSports and general competitive gaming to the masses so has the demand for more dedicated competitive keyboards. Queue the 60% keyboards!
The Huntsman Elite, Razer's flagship keyboard has a list of features that is difficult to envision fitting on to a keyboard. USB ports, media controls, volume dials, wrist rests, and the list continues. The Huntsman Mini, however, is a stripped-down, bare-bones version. Only sharing the name and optical switches from its feature-laden brother.
The Huntsman Mini is clearly targeted to take the fight to the Ducky One keyboards and boasting impressive dimensions of 30 x 10 x 3cm it is definitely placing itself firmly in the fight. The slightly raised keycaps allow for the Huntsman Mini's RGB to really show its true ability. The keycaps themselves feel really solid and premium to touch and the cheeky font, when illuminated, looks really nice. For the more keen-eyed, there is a subtle Razer inscription on the lip of the keyboard, and no more bombastic illuminating Razer logo.
Looking to the bottom and the back of the Huntsman Mini, you will find the usual "For the Gamers by Gamers" pattern across the back. The braided USB C-type cable, which is also interchangeable with other type-C, slots perfectly and clips in and out with ease, without feeling flimsy or like it might disconnect and the slightest tug. There are also two sets of feet to raise the keyboard, 6- or 9 degrees respectively.
So you have the Razer Huntsman Mini but now you need to use your arrow keys or the delete key, what do you do? Luckily Razer was merciful and provided for a Function key ( Fn) and adequate amount of side-printed functions. These keys can easily be seen from a seated position and when the Fn key is pressed all illumination will be killed off and the function-binded keys will light up in white. Apart from these keys you can do other things like changing preset RGB effects, do macro-binding or even use media keys using the Fn key.
When typing the optical switches, even though not mechanical, still give you a pleasant sound and resistance. Just enough to give a sense of confidence when pressing but not too much to make it a pain. The biggest pain with 60%'ers is to use some of the keys that are readily available on normal keyboards, you need to use the Fn key, so as mentioned before using the Huntsman mini for writing and office work could be a little more cumbersome.
Moving to gaming, like what the Huntsman mini was intended for, it is fantastic. For the first time, I have enough space on my desk to try turning my keyboard more towards the vertical orientation as many pro's do. The new orientation does a lot for comfort and I would recommend it to most. Something that I had to get used to is the short travel of the keys, (3.5mm) this had me moving sooner than anticipated and often losing gunfights while playing Rainbow Six Siege. This has become a normal situation by reviewing peripherals and getting used to new mice and keys regularly.
The happy-medium of firm, yet soft, when it came to keypresses was greatly appreciated while playing Escape from Tarkov where the slightest accidental keypress can be the end of your raid. Resting fingers on keys have often had me blowing my team, or myself, up with accidentally thrown grenades. The Huntsman Mini keys are firm enough to provide rest for weary fingers without causing unpleasantries ingame.
The Razer Huntsman Mini uses the same software as all the other mice and keyboards, Razer Synapse, is a rather simple to use software allowing you to tweak everything possible on the hardware. But, seeing as the Huntsman mini is aimed at esports, Synapse is not needed for everything. Although small, the Huntsman mini has space for 5 onboard profiles which include keybinds and RGB settings.
What it lacks in lavish designs it definitely makes up for in features. It packs a 34inch, QHD, 21:9 aspect ratio (3440x1440), 144Hz, and 1ms response time. With a list of features like that its tough to not get excited. Did I mention it's curved? And it features Adaptive sync, which means Gsync and FreeSync are both catered for.
But it does not end there, seeing as it is ultrawide, it allows for multiple inputs, these can come in the form of either HDMI (x2) or Display Port (x2). With more than enough USB ports to cater to nearly every possible device, you may need to connect.
The game needs the following minimum specs to play on your system;
OS: Windows 8.1 or newer
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 @ 2.4ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 64000 @ 2.4ghz
Memory: 4GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 or ATI Radeon HD 5570
Direct X: Version 11
Storage: 32GB available space
But, of course, better specs will mean better performance and high quality.
The game then allows you to toggle between legacy and remastered graphics at any time during the game by hitting the space bar. I almost broke my space bar in the first 10 minutes as I was smashing that thing to see what it looked like back in 1999 and what they’ve changed.
I must say – this is probably one of the best remaster upscales I’ve seen as the game is smoother and much better quality and the difference is VERY visible, even to the most graphic blind gamers out there. Being an RTS game – don’t expect super realistic shadows and nature, but rather see an RTS game looking like it should in 2020.
I personally feel this was done so well as the remaster team at Petroglyph Games included members of the original dev team from Westwood Studios.
Playing through the campaigns of both of the titles included in the Remastered Collection, I was reminded again of the old school grind of games as walkthroughs on YouTube didn’t exist back then and so I again chose to push through and beat levels by figuring it out myself and saving often. So, if there are walkthrough and “game hack” methods on YouTube and other services, I don’t know because I haven’t checked. And that is the best way to play the game in my humble opinion.
The overall playing experience of the Remastered Collection has been tweaked and doesn’t feel as “clunky” as a lot of older games do feel when you replay them. Missions are challenging and require some tactics and strategy. Rushing through them will often result in a mission failure (I saw my fair share of these while playing the more challenging missions) or in a sub-par result.
Based on nostalgic value alone (which by now you would see is quite high for me), I’d give them Command & Conquer Remastered Collection a 12 out of 10.
But based on a fair play of the game and taking all things into fair consideration (including nostalgic value), I would give this game a solid 8/10.
The guys over at EnerGhack were super generous in sending some my way for me to test and try. And test it I did, as you’ll soon see, as I put it through the paces as I used it through a very busy time of my life and pushed EnerGhack to its limits, as well as my own, as I experimented with it in other areas of my life that fall outside of gaming.
While most energy supplements claim to help you with reactions, focus, endurance, energy and hydration while gaming, EnerGhack takes it a step further and out of the realm of gaming and makes the claim that it will help you with studying, gym and other high energy activities.
So, I took this statement are really put it to the test.
Luckily this drink came at a very busy time in my life (as you will see in a bit) even though lockdown started in South Africa and things were meant to quieten down a bit, in my life – it was the opposite.
So, I used the product in the following scenarios to see how it would help;
With all coffee shops and that being closed at this stage of our lockdown in SA (not that any would be open at 2am), the only source of extra energy I had was the EnerGhack that I brought along with me – and it REALLY did help. The minute I felt the drowsiness of a long day kicking in in the early hours of the morning, a few sips of EnerGhack really snapped me out of it and kept me going for an extra hour or so.
Overall, EnerGhack really did deliver on what they said they would and in all of the scenarios and times that I used the product, no jitters or slumps were experienced and I wasn’t left with that weird artificial sweetener taste in my mouth.
While we're on the topic of taste – the flavours of EnerGhack are all incredible in their own way but mixing them literally blew my mind as the flavours merged and worked in ways my brain could not even comprehend. I even let my wife have a few sips and her exact words were “you can taste that it’s an energy drink but its not gross at all,” which is all the proof you need knowing that my wife absolutely hates the taste of other energy drinks.
Currently, EnerGhack comes in four flavours. These are Raging Raspberry, Blueberry Bomber, Tropical Pineapple and Cosmic Lemon.
Of all the individual flavours, Raspberry and Pineapple definitely came out on tops in my books, and the mix of the two is very high up on my list of favourite mixes.
Being fortunate enough to have access to the full flavour range, I experimented with various different flavour combos and my favourite mix is definitely Lemon/Pineapple, followed closely by Raspberry/Pineapple. I even went as far as to mix all 4 flavours into one and, while not bad at all, it just turned into a “just fruity” flavour and definitely didn’t feature on my list of need to try again combos.
I do hope that new flavours will be added to the menu soon like hint hint mango, litchi and guava.
Your thumb has got more than enough work to do though. Another two programmable keys are neatly tucked in the side of the mouse where your thumb can easily glide up to use them. These buttons are perfectly placed and feel natural to press. The third thumb button is an accuracy button which drops the DPI dramatically while holding the button pressed. This is great when doing fine positioning in design work or when you need to get that perfect aiming accuracy in your favourite shooter. The only problem with this button if you have smaller hands is that you might not be able to reach it without adjusting your grip. This is not a mistake on Logitech but merely an example of how certain mice suite certain hand sizes as well as grips.
For myself, with smaller hands, I found the size of the G502 to be perfect. In the past, I have reviewed many smaller mice which do come in much lighter than the G502 but after extensive time spent using them, I found my hand would often ache. The G502 has the perfect height in your palm and resting your hand on the mouse will have your fingers naturally land on the buttons, in my book, that's a win!
Turning the G502 and clipping off the magnetic bottom end shows you where the vast options of weights can be placed. The G502, even when not weighted, still comes in at a hefty 121g, for some this might be the deal-breaker already! Add in all the supplied weights and you looking at 139g. The difference is that you can place the weights all around the mouse. Making for many options such as weighting it front-back or side to side.
Another massive upgrade in terms of longevity for nearly all of the Logitech items is the change to Omron switches. Omron, being Logitech's own design bolsters the click life from 20 million to 50 million, that is a lot of clicks before they might give in.
The G Pro is also fitted with the durable Omron keys that are rated for 50 million clicks. This gives the G Pro even more of an advantage over the competition. The Omron switches allow for an extremely fast actuation as well as moving back to a position just as quickly. Meaning clicks are more precise and more on time.
The choice in heavy or light mouse choice is very much up to the user, but the Logitech G Pro wired comes in at a measly 83g. Some might consider this too light, and at first, I would have to have agreed. But giving it some time, and getting used to how easily it glides across the mousepad I can now understand why many would prefer the lighter mice.
When I first started using Logitech G Hub I found it to be cumbersome. But after comparing it to some of the other brand offerings I came to realize that it was actually one of the easier packages to use. Using it on the G Pro was not going to add fireworks and unicorns to the functionality of the mouse. Instead, the G Pro is rather bare when it comes to the software. The Hub allows you to tweak your DPI settings, calibrate the G Pro to the mousepad that you are currently using, and lastly customize the RGB effect of the swooping strip that hugs the bottom half of the mouse, as well as the Logitech emblem that will sit firmly in the centre of your palm when using it. The RGB options are rather limited but generally, the colours are extremely vibrant and bright.
I took the G Pro wired for a spin while playing some games such as Rainbow 6 Siege, Escape from Tarkov, and Assassins Creed: Origins. In games like Origins and other slower-paced RPG titles the G Pro did come up lacking compared to the G903 which I use as my daily mouse, the G Pro lacks the extra buttons which come in handy when casting spells and using potions in games such as World of Warcraft. Switching over to first-person shooters is where the G Pro really shines. The extremely accurate sensor and masterfully crafted Omron keys make aiming and clicking heads an absolute dream! Once I found my sweet spot in terms of DPI, my accuracy started climbing dramatically and I was feeling like a casual king.
The game starts its introduction with a well-planned money heist with enough of a take that everyone involved could retire early and very happy.
However, as you guessed it - this is not the case!
Through massive betrayal and being forced to take a bit of a rest – as being shot in the face might require, Lincoln sets out on the world’s biggest revenge quest. Our friendly neighbourhood protagonist recruits the help of a CIA agent who he worked closely with in Vietnam and the two start on a path to not just kill those responsible for the betrayal, but to completely dismantle their kingdom from underneath them one brick at a time, plunging their world into instability the likes of which they've never experienced from their lofty thrones.
Unfortunately, this is another game that takes on the well-worn path of revenge but it does so in a unique way that almost brings a breath of fresh air into it, with snaps of real life (looking at least) clips of a court hearing to delve deeper into the slaughter that was Mr Clay’s takeover of New Bordeaux.
Before I give away the whole game (this isn’t a walkthrough), lets looks a little closer at what MAFIA III is.
From the start up
The Definitive Edition is not a remaster of the game, as I originally thought, but rather a repackage of the game into one collection in anticipation of the remaster of MAFIA I releasing later this year.
The repackage includes the base game of MAFIA III and all DLCs, as well as the Family Kick-Back pack which gives you a few exclusive cars and weapons to make use of in the game.
But is it really exclusive if everyone has it? Asking for a friend…
The total download size of the game on Xbox is around 56gb and can be yours for the low low price of R549 (at the time writing), or you can own the entire Mafia Trilogy for R999.
Not too shabby hey?
The Setting
As said above, the game is set in a fictional version of New Orleans, known as New Bordeaux. 2K has done a great job at providing us with a huge playing space and each area having it’s own unique flare and style, as well as each of the mafia in those areas having a slight twist to them.You really have everything from man eating alligators and red-necks brewing moonshine in the Bayou to classy upmarket suburban areas with pompous denizens with flashy cars and beach front homes.
There is no fast travel system available in game and so the map must be manually traversed (we recommend finding a car). This can sometimes be a tad tedious, but I learnt to love the drive with good music and classy drifts, enjoying the ever-changing city in each of the different areas. The game is well rounded off with a difference in the areas during the day and at night, and a full weather cycle.
Gameplay and Controls
The controls of MAFIA III are fairly easy to master with it having a very similar vibe to other criminal type open world games. You play in Third Person and control camera angles with the right stick and movement with the left. This allows you to move in one direction while quickly having a look down an alley or through a window without being too obtuse.
Combat is challenging but manageable as standing in the open will result in you getting gunned down. Moving from cover to cover is a must - obviously. Firing from cover is quite easy as using the aim control will automatically cause Lincoln to stand up or peer out of cover while aiming down sight. Aim assist can be adjusted from full snap on to nothing at all.
Gameplay is quite broad with various missions and collectables to go find spread out across New Bordeaux and there are a few races and just generally interesting places to go check out.
Building up your team and seeing how they start to benefit you, especially if you put a little time into building up their rackets, is a nice addition to this game as it does give the gamer that little bit of motivation to focus on something else other than just plodding along the main story line.
One aspect of gameplay that I personally found lacking was the actual variation in the main mission types. After taking my second area and starting on the third, I already got that dreaded gamer’s Deja vu feeling of the same monotonous gameplay. This feeling only heightened as I played on through the story and actually started to detract from a fairly captivating and well written story of revenge, albeit a bit of a cliché storyline.
The missions really did fall into a creative rut with every mission being attack this hot spot and this one, do a few cash steals or destroy stuff to a certain value, defeat the lieutenant who came in to check what’s up and then defeat the boss once you removed all his lieutenants from the area.
You’d think after 4 or 5 of these, the lieutenants and area bosses would wizen up and not walk into a well "defended area" that fell straight into the plan of our highly trained and incredibly motivated hardened killer.
Cars and Driving
Although I could’ve included this section under gameplay and controls, I feel it deserved a section of its own as the driving and cars in MAFIA III were really a redeeming factor for the game in my opinion.
With there being various types of cars and styles, I often found my car …ahem… shopping took a little longer as I’d find a model that I liked, drive 100 metres and see it in a better colour and slam on brakes to get that one rather. This did lessen substantially after I unlocked a certain benefit that would bring some really good-looking cars right to me. This did then result in my spending way too much time and hard-earned money in Big Rick’s Custom Auto getting my cars kitted just how I liked them and purring like a kitty.
And then returning later again after winning more stuff in the different races scattered across the map.
The driving in this game was really enjoyable as you learnt to time the drift perfectly around an intersection and learnt when the drift needed just a little more gas, a brake or a hand brake to successfully complete depending on the car, road surface, speed and sharpness of the corner you were attacking. The sense of absolute satisfaction I got from nailing the perfect drift on this game time after time really kept me coming back for more and I really didn’t mind the long trips between places once I had this down. In fact, I’d sometimes plan the long route on purpose just to enjoy the car a little bit longer.
And the classic tunes coming through the radio, especially on WNBX, definitely helped set the mood and contributed to my sheer enjoyment of driving on this game.
Final Thoughts
Although the game did fall into a bit of a monotonous grind in the missions, I found there were still many aspects of the game that kept me coming back for more and actually made me think less of the same type of mission I was playing for the thirtieth time. So, although the monotonous factor is one big negative factor for me, there were lots of little positives that helped redeem the game and turn it into an overall enjoyable experience. The main ones of these definitely being the tunes, cars and driving.
I also enjoyed the break away from the traditional Italian Mafia of the previous two games with the twist of Lincoln growing up as an African American on the streets of a very prejudiced era and carving his own type of justice to the Italian Mafia.
Just one final word of warning before giving my final rating of the game.
To accurately represent the times, MAFIA III does have a lot of racial and sexist slurs and stereotypes as was common in the 60’s. 2K does give a nice explanation as to why they went with this route in the opening of the game. On top of this, profanities and nudity is about a dime a dozen and coupled with the slurs and violence, this really is a game that is made for the older crowd of gamer.
With all that being said and balanced in my brain. Taking the good and the bad, as Will Thatcher’s dad taught me, I give this repackaged version of MAFIA III a solid 7 out of 10.
Before we dive into the details of the MBX4K Ranger here are some of the technical specs:
The stand of the AOC CQ27G2 has a wide-V footprint which fortunately won't take up much of your desk space. The stylish silver finish compliments the rest of the screen tremendously well and the cable management hole has more than adequate space for keyboard, mouse, and any other cables you might need to have neatly managed. The stand also allows for a wide range of movements of the monitor. Before we get to that, it is worth mentioning that the AOC CQ27G2 is fully VESA capable, with the 100x100 mount. The stand allows for the monitor to be raised by 130mm and provides -4° to 21.5° of tilt and 34° of swivel adjustments. Being a curved display, these angles and adjustments should be able to satisfy the fussiest of monitor-adjusters... (do you get those people?)
The connections for the monitor, which are as follows:
All are situated at the bottom of the monitor and face down, for wall mounting purposes. From the moment I pulled the monitor from its box to start assembling, the general feel of the packaging and the product in hand is that of quality. The AOC CQ27G2 feels solid and well built. Other monitors, such as my personal 27inch 144hz QHD monitor from another well-known brand, in the same price range as well, feels quite flimsy and like it might fall over if its bumped. The AOC CQ27G2, however, does not come with built-in speakers. Most would not find this to be a problem as, generally, the built-in speakers as very underpowered. The CQ27G2 also comes standard as both G-sync and Free-sync capable.
The CQ27G2 boasts a 1ms response time that, in today's terms, has become the standard if you want to call your monitor a gaming monitor. For those who don't know, response time is the time it takes for a single pixel to go from grey to grey. Along with this, the AOC delivers this in 144Hz. Refresh rate refers to how many frames it can produce within a single second. Regular monitors generally output between the 60-75hz range. If you have not experienced 144+Hz I would strongly suggest you try it. Once you see the silky smoothness of 144Hz you will never want to go back.
G-sync/Free-sync are ways that AMD and Nvidia stop screen tearing to occur. Both of these technologies will allow your GPU to sync its refresh rate with that of the monitor creating perfect sync between the frames that your GPU delivers and the frames your monitor displays. In the past, as well as with more budget monitors, they generally only support one or the other. Which can cause a headache when changing GPU's or if you don't research before you buy.
Monitor panels are a thing of great mystery, as I have come to learn during my research. You have 2 general types of panels. TN panels generally struggle with angles, colors, and contrast, but they tend to be fast, and as many may say, in this case, speed is worth a few sacrifices. VA panels, on the other hand, drop the speed and focus on picture quality and reproduction. Then you get IPS, the best of both worlds apart from their singular drawback... Price!
Even though the CQ26G2 has a VA panel, I was immediately blown away when I fired up Assassin's Creed Odyssey! I have never experienced colors and lighting to pop so spectacularly. Never have I experienced a sunrise or sunset, apart from the real thing, on any monitor! This might just be because it is my first experience with a VA panel but, man oh man am I hooked! Games with vibrant colors are close to unrecognizable when displaying on the AOC CQ27G2. With the research I have done, I have discovered that curved panels, like the CQ27G2, are prone to having uniformity issues across the panel, I conducted a simple test of moving a black box across the screen and apart from the slight variant in color here and there it is hardly noticeable.
The G815 is extremely thin, at a measly height of only 22mm, Logitech had to do something drastic with their keycaps to get it this low. And that is what they did. Logitech partnered with Kailh to produce a new switch, departing from the previous Romer-G's, and what they created is the GL switch, which comes in 3 variants, clicky, tactile and linear. This new partnership has allowed Logitech to create a low profile key that allows for lots of travel while not compromising the low profile design, the best of both worlds. To give you an idea of the travel of these switches compared to normal Cherry switches. The cherry switches have a travel of 4mm compared to the 2.5mm of the GL.
Next to the ever-present Logitech emblem sits four M-buttons, these are profile keys. The G815 can store up to 3 setups on the keyboard itself, meaning you can quickly jump between games and, with a press of a button, your macros will be switched for that game. To make it even better is because the presets are saved on the keyboard itself, you can unplug it, take it to a friend, and have your presets with you instantly.
The G815 features 4 media buttons situated under the roller wheel which controls volume. The wheel might look strange at first but it has a premium feel and allows for the slightest volume adjustments. Neatly hidden at the top of the keyboard is also a USB-port. This is very nice when you want to plug an external or a wireless dongle for your G Pro wireless mouse. It is however only USB2.0 so don't expect fast transfer speeds.
The GHub is also where you will find the key-bind options for your macros. This is a pretty straight forward process with the Ghub detecting games that you play and giving you options of what you would possibly want on these macros. Thanks, Logitech, didn't even know I needed my meds on macro when playing Escape from Tarkov.
The Viper Ultimate, as the name suggests, is the top tier Viper. It is wireless thanks to Razer's own Hyperspeed technology. I was skeptical at best, of the wireless technology having, as they say, the same performance as wired. I first went wireless on my own G903, so logically i will compare the Viper Ultimate to that. And I am pleased to tell you the statements are correct. I cannot distinguish between wired and wireless with the new tech. It is simply astounding.
Razer has really taken it to the next level, the new sensor, called the Razer Focus + Optical sensor, that is being used in the Viper is rated for 20 000DPI. Personally I think its no need to have a sensor that can go higher than even 10k DPI. I have never played on DPI settings higher than 1600, but that might just be personal preference. Another spec that Razer brags with is the 650inches per second tracking speed. It is really tough to describe what it feels like but when taking the Razer Viper out of its cradle and you start to use it. The accuracy level is un-rivaled. At times it felt like my cursor was attached to my eyes rather than my hand...
The Viper also makes use of the Razer Synapse software which can take some time to get used to and for newer users, the software can be rather daunting! With a little bit of tinkering though, it works really well and allows for tremendous customization especially if you use more Razer products. Another of the features that should be mentioned is the fact that you can calibrate your Viper for the specific mousepad you are using. This lets the sensor know what type of surface it is being used on and therefor adapts and tracks better.
Some people might argue the fact that the G305 only offers wireless through the dongle, and not through Bluetooth like many of its counterparts and even lesser productivity mice within the Logitech stable. This means you won't be able to use the G305 with tablets, mobile phones or some gaming consoles. But at the same time, this just proves the point even more. The Logitech G305 is content to be what it is.
Even though it might come across as rather mundane and boring, the G305 still boasts the Hero sensor, which is one of the best optical sensors around. Although in this version it is only capable of 12 000 DPI.
RGB has become all the craze lately, with everything, including the kitchen sink (or toaster) featuring RGB. The Deathadder, although, more reserved, also feature a two-zone RGB setup, one being the scroll wheel the other being the large Razer logo which will mostly be covered by your palm during use. Setting up the RGB can be easy, or slightly more complicated depending on how in-depth you want to customize. If you are not too phased, using the Razer Synapse program will give you 5 quick effects such as Breathe, Static, Reactive, Spectrum and Audio Cycle. If customization is your thing you will need to download Chroma effects from the Razer website. Using Chroma effects you can customize to your heart's content. Having more Razer products obviously will make Chroma effects even more powerful.
The left- and right-click buttons are where another big part of the magic happens. These are no mere mechanical switches. No, they are optic switches. That means instead of a button being pressed to make a mechanical switch, these click buttons use light to activate. There is a constant source of light that, when clicked, breaks the beam of light causing the mouse to register the click. What this means is your clicks are literally registering at the speed of light... Let that sink in...
The two inside programmable buttons can be programmed to act like any button on both your keyboard or mouse. This is especially handy when things get hairy in-game or you simply need to page back through your browser. If you are someone who prefers to play MMO's then obviously having only 2 programmable buttons on the mouse is a bit of a letdown.
Within 20min I could feel the difference. I felt more spritely and energetic. Both of these feelings obviously help for a more focused mind as well as I felt a lot less drained by midday compared to my usual day. Which, by that time, I would have been on my third coffee. Mixing the X Gamer with 500ml of water also helps for the fluid level intake which I am really bad at. By 2 pm, the time the energy drinks usually start to wear off and you start to feel run-down and shaky the X Gamer was still going strong with absolutely ZERO negative feelings. On the contrary, It actually made me feel like drinking water instead of more coffee. This might be due to the slight parchedness it leaves in your mouth. All I did was fill up my shaker with some H2O and off I went.
The pricing is also decent with Takealot coming in at prices ranging from R499 to R749 at the time of checking. This might feel like a steep price to pay. But considering what you pay for your Seattle coffee on the way to work... X Gamer makes a lot more sense!
I thought about this for a moment and it really inspired me, most people who have serious accidents feel defeated by life and then find the strength to carry on, which in itself is inspiring, but my now good friend Mr.T, which I will now code name him, took a greater step forward and found a way to carry on gaming without the help of expensive custom made controllers or voice-activated software, he mastered the art of holding an XBOX remote in one hand and playing games.
I asked Mr.T if I could interview him, he agreed, but my greatest challenge was, what questions to ask? Do I ask about the accident? Do I ask what he misses most? Then I thought why ask about the negative side of things.
Let's ask this LEGEND the same questions I would ask anyone, with 1 or 2 being less of. So asking questions which show the world that once you’re a gamer, you're ALWAYS a gamer, showing that spirit and passion never dies and we as gamers are never alone in our struggles, we may be toxic at times, we may rage, we may relay in great detail what explicit things we've done to someone's female parent… But if it came down to it we would all support one another, lifting each other on our shoulders and giving them the drive to carry on….. and someone like Mr.T, he showed me that never giving up on what we love most is a good way to keep doing what we love most.
https://youtu.be/MHxyAPAYM1Y
Were you a gamer before your accident?
- Yes, I used to play more PC games in the beginning, but after the release of the XBOX 360, I only then got into console gaming.
HA hear that “master Race”
Why did you want to keep gaming?
- After my accident, I did not immediately take up gaming again, but due to boredom I tried until I could handle the controller, and have never looked back.
When “screw it” just won’t do.
What were the obstacles you had to overcome to keep gaming?
- The biggest obstacle physically was getting the controller to work for me since I play with a standard controller. Mentally it is the worry that what you do is bringing the team down.
If you’ve ever seen him play Siege, you'd think he was MNK.
What is the greatest challenge you still face as a gamer?
- Because I move the right analog stick with my index finger, I am unable to make some of the quick / finer movements.
My thumb likes to think it’s a pinky from time to time…
What games do you enjoy playing?
- I play mainly co-op or party games since I game with my cousin. I hate playing alone. When it comes to genres or types, I really cannot choose, if it is interesting, I will play it.
There is nothing better than jamming with friends….
What’s your all-time favorite game?
- That is a difficult one to answer, but for the past few years, I would have to say Rainbow Six Siege.
YES FOLKS SIEGE….and why??!?!?!!? Because siege is life
When you’re not gaming what do you like to do?
- Read manga or watch YouTube / Netflix.
Man after my own heart
Do you get any help when you game?
- I sometimes ask my cousins to play parts of games if I struggle, but it does not happen often due to them being in different towns.
I still need help, I'm yet to make it off that damn bridge in Darksouls…Don’t judge me
What game moment made you rage the hardest?
- I cannot remember really, but know that Crash Bandicoot has made me rage quit and switch the console off.
Ahhh yes, the one who started it all…..stupid spikes traps EVERY TIME I JUMP THEN YOU GO UP!!!!!!
Fellow Gamers lets all raise our remotes, our mice? Mouses? Whatever you pc people call them and our phones, yes mobile gamers we include you too, and salute a fellow gamer, through sheer will power, determination and a bit of boredom found his way home and took back his place in front of the monitor, screen, Full HD 292-inch tv with crisp refreshes and crystal clear sound and….. sorry Takealot shopping is NOT your friend when trying to make a point, *AHEM* welcome back gamer, you will always find a place on my squad and a spot in my party chat and above all else… my Respect.
Razer, after releasing the Huntsman in 2018, to great response, has now made the Huntsman more esports inclined with the Huntsman Tournament Edition. Let's dive into the Huntsman TE and see why this is the option you need to look at when looking for an esports keyboard.
The biggest thing to remember about having a ten-keyless keyboard is the fact that there is no Numpad, for those of you who are constantly punching numbers into a spreadsheet, this is not the keyboard you need or want. Like all Razer products, it features loads of RGB and linked with the ever-evolving Synapse which, in my opinion, is probably the best peripheral software around. After spending a lot of time playing around in the Synapse software, fiddling with macros and lighting effects, as well as setting up profiles for the Huntsman, of which you can store 5 of them on the keyboard memory so you have your profiles with you even when you don't have your pc, I decided to leave it on ambient awareness. This mode lets the keyboard mimick the colours that are displayed on the screen.
An easy way to compare is that the Huntsman will type even when you are merely thinking of typing. For twitch gaming, which means games where reactions play a big role, the 1.5mm actuation makes the world of a difference and I could see the improvement in my gameplay once I got used to the light actuation point. For those who will be using the Huntsman for typing, expect many moans and even more backspaces for all the unwanted double letters. I started the review with the Huntsman and quickly reverted to the Blackwidow due to all the typing errors.
The Huntsman makes use of optomechanical switches. For those who are not clued up, this means when you press down on the key it interrupts a lazer underneath the switch. This has two main advantages, firstly it means there is nearly no latency, providing the quickest input possible. Secondly, it means there are less moving parts which mean that the keyboard should last substantially longer. Esports players are particularly hard on their hardware, similarly to players who tend to rage often, the Huntsman comes prepared for such user and should be able to withstand some serious punishment.
Once created, you get to select your starting area and are given a choice of three safe locations in low level areas. Perfect for a keen, yet inexperienced novice mage just starting out on his own. I selected Raincourt to the east and started my journey.
The opening sequence is quite strange as your newly selected appearance is forged from the fire in a rather odd and disturbing manner. It's all over rather quickly, leaving your brain reeling with so many questions...
Getting the hang of the game is simple with the tutorial quest giver standing right in the starting area with a giant glowing exclamation mark floating over their head - convenience is key.
The tutorial quests give you a quick and rough knowledge of the game and give you enough skills to start you off. These include foraging, harvesting, cooking, combat, and crafting.
You are not bound to these quests and can head off on your own right away or at any point of your choosing. The quests are not long though and quite easy to complete so I'd recommend getting them out the way and earning some free XP for levels early on.
At lower levers, your buildings are limited to wood with very simple decorations. Stone and other fancier building materials are unlocked at higher levels. Once you've put in a decent chunk of time and earned the levels, the buildings that you can make are really quite spectacular.
The game does not have set buildings and you can build whatever your mind and your resource allows you to. From starting off with a simple hunting shack with a cooking fire to a beautiful castle with ramparts and towers and quidditch type pitches (yes - you read that right).
Thrones are vital when building something you'd like to keep as they assign ownership of the building to you and your house and items and doors cannot be opened by anybody not in your house. THEED3 and myself got quite lucky in a PvP server and were able to steal a well established building from another player who had not yet put a throne in, saying they weren't impressed is an understatement! Thrones also stop the building and items from decaying over time, which is a rather nice feature when trying to build a more permanent establishment for yourself our your house.
I feel that I need to give this game two ratings.
So, as a single-player game I give this game a 6/10 as it really is more focused at online play but is still enjoyable on your own.
As a multiplayer game, which will be my more official rating as it is an online game, I give Citadel Forged with Fire a rising 7,5 stars out of 10.
I say rising as this game as only recently made the move from PC only to multi-platform and I feel like they've done a fairly decent job of it. With one or two tweaks to the game, namely to menu navigation and controls, this game could definitely rate higher (provided they don't break anything else in the process).
With that being said, I don't feel like the issues I have mentioned are game-breaking and are valid reasons to deter anyone from buying this game.
If you are into any of the mentioned movies and game styles then Citadel is definitely a game you would enjoy.
Remembering what the game was like back when you started off with a wagon and a dream, you find a place to settle and begin your adventure, you would need to ensure you have enough food for your people, then construct various building to satisfy the needs of your people, be it a granary to store their food, a barracks to protect them from pirates and then an aqueduct to help them fight fires, and so much more but those buildings were necessary to keep just 1 city happy….the name of the game is to expand your empire and have many cities across the globe. Each city will need some attention to ensure its continued growth and happiness, but more cities mean more revenue and more revenue means easier gameplay so be ye benign or malign? Good or bad? Tax your people heavily or let them prosper under minimal taxation, the choice is never permanent you can always adjust the rate later.
All the while your expanding your empire and finding new resources and areas of interest, other nations are doing the same, the moment you meet another nation's unit you will be introduced to their leader, now civilization is quite humorous with whom they have running each nation, for example Cleopatra is the leader of Egypt, Queen Elizabeth for England and Teddy Roosevelt for America and there are a whole host of other nations that will either play nice….or wage war. But for the most part everyone is quite friendly, and the scale of friend or foe is often decided by the Strongest nation, which brings us to one of my favorite parts of the game, NOT IMMORTAL COMBAT (TM patent pending), but yes the combat system, I'm still talking old school CIV here people I haven’t gotten to the juicy sweet nectar that is CIV 6 yet, besides constructing buildings to keep your cities happy, you will need to train Military units to defend your cities, AHAAAAA there's a twist ladies and Gents, another main focus of the game is to progress through histories various eras, from stone age to bronze to modern and beyond, you will be given a list of options to research each with its own benefits and unlocks a certain building or unit to create furthering your advancement. And with advancements comes the wonders of the words, which can be built in a city and have a certain aspect greatly boosted, didn't I mention city aspects? No? well ok then ill take your word for it, cities have different aspects which help it flourish, production, culture, faith, and gold are what makes or breaks a city, as your citizens will demand that each aspect be fully attended and if not, then the city will start to lose momentum in development, "LET THEM HAVE CAKE", I'm sure someone famous said that, and I'm sure everyone was happy, who doesn't love cake?
The map is navigated by a “tiled” map, which means, adjacent hexagonal tiles make up the map and movement was determined by how may “tiles” would/ could be crossed, more advanced or mobile units could move farther than normal ones allowing them to traverse the map quickly,
In its 8 bit style combat was pure and simple my block with a picture of a man on a horse versus your block with a picture of a man with a bow, the attacker would connect the blocks and the system would calculate who would win, this is based on the units attack power and damage, whichever unit was stronger would generally win, not to say that you will ALWAYS win, I remember being a highly advanced nation with tanks and planes and feeling pretty good about myself, I come across this poor little village on my now almost dominated continent and I thought to myself “puny insect I will now crush your insolence with my mighty tank” and my tank then perished to a bow and arrow unit….. I knew exactly how all the crew on the Deathstar felt, I continued to nuke the town twice for good measure.
And if world domination isn’t your thing then you could try the peaceful way and sign peace treaties with all your fellow nations, indulging in trade and exchanging technologies, and betting the lives of all nations, but this too could crumble if your “Allies” gain the upper hand and decide to destroy you instead, always make sure YOU are the strongest nation, other nations will follow you and dare not challenge you. The peaceful way is also less troubling in the sense that no one really wants to be friends with the bully, they will scold you and resent you for being a warmonger….I Just remind them why I’m top dog and they all play nice again.
There are in my opinion 2 objectives in the game, either destroy all other nations OR be the first civilization to advance to the space age, where you colonize the stars with your nation’s people. Both are acceptable ends so go with whatever you feel is right, even if it means smiting an entire nation right off the face of the earth, obliterate their history and wipe their existence from memory!!!! Or be the good guy and help everyone to the final stage of space exploration.
Now that we have the basic game idea lets skip leaps and bounds ahead to CIV 6 and all its glory, the game stays true to its roots with there being multiple nations and eras to advance through, expanding quickly and developing new technologies, BUT and this is a huge but, haha I said butt, they did something amazing THEY UPPED THE GRAPHICS, *gasp*, who would’ve thought, well yes we all knew we would be seeing, in my opinion, a very visually stunning game.
The map is littered with various resource tiles, some are basic and some are luxurious which means they are a valuable trading commodity, but you will need the basics in order to survive Farms and mines to produce food and production points, the higher your production points the quicker it is to construct buildings or train units, this is vital to advance quickly as slow-moving cities fall behind in the ever going march of time. The in-game system alerts you to a certain problem within a certain city, for example, you will be told if there is insufficient housing for your people or not enough food, or if the people get……bored…well not bored per say, but they will demand more amenities or stuff for them to do, now I know how my mother felt, “MOM I'm hungry”, “MOM I'm bored”, excuse me I think I need to call my mom.
The combat system has also been vastly vamped up and now is very entertaining to watch, your units are no longer blocks smashing into each other, they are now, actual representations of their “real world” counterparts, be it units with clubs that run towards enemy and swing like pro stars, or musket men who fire their flintlocks, it is very fun to watch the units fight each other. There are 3 kinds of units which are pretty obvious given what they are, Ground, Aerial and naval, let it be noted that your ground units can traverse the sea but will be at a combat disadvantage. But apart from the basics of the combat, there are other actions your units can take such as, Fortify, which anchors the unit in place boosting its defensive rating, or if your unit has just emerged from a skirmish then you can Fortify heal, where the units will starting regenerating lost health, or they can “sleep” which just makes the unit inactive in place but whenever you require them to follow another instruction you can simply “wake up” the unit and they will be available to move again.
Military units will also have a range which they can attack from, your melee units will need to be adjacent or next to the tile which the enemy is on, ranged units (pending unit) will have a range of 1 or 2 tiles, however, the tiles must follow a straight line, this means you can’t attack in a J or L Pattern, this makes the player think strategically about unit placement to make use of all units available.
Not all units are available immediately even after unlocking the technology for it, some units require a certain resource and in the upper techs, a specific building, once the technology is unlocked that resource will appear on a tile on the map which you will need to build on to utilize it, you will need horses to be able to create cavalry, iron to create knights, and so the list continues.
The game also allows you to run a certain style of government, which then allows you to put in place “policies” which are a whole lot of cards detailing certain benefits to your empire, it can be military, diplomatic or economic. And each type of government allows you to put into place one or more of a certain kind of policy, this allows you to promote your play style and boosts areas which you need to further your agendas.
A very critical in-game mechanic, in my opinion, is trade, you can trade with other nations for resources, works of art or even straight-up cash. You can also make demands of your “neighbors”, demands of whatever they have that you want, Why you bully me? This can lead to growing a relationship or starting to turn one into a reason to declare war. Besides trade there is another thing you want that your enemy has….information, you will need to train a spy (later game unit) who you can send to infiltrate an opposing nations city, while stationed they provide you with a view of the map which your “host” city occupies, and can be given certain missions to accomplish, be it, steal funds or technology, steal works of art, or create a rebellion within the city, All of which provide you with an upper hand.
And all this can be made that much more fun in multiplayer, challenge your friends to a world domination race or face off in world war the likes of which will shatter the stars and forever scar the friendship you once had, "AMANDA!! PLEASE TRADE SOME URANIUM WITH ME, I NEED IT FOR A UHHHH...CERTAIN PROJECT IM RUNNING".
With all the strategies, unhappy citizens, impending doom of a nuclear strike and the crippling NEED to keep ahead of all other nations, you can’t help but lose yourself in this timeless game, “just 30 minutes and I’m done” will be the most spoken words on your lips followed by “I started at 5, HOW THE HELL IS IT MIDNIGHT” which is accompanied by “ITS MIDNIGHT!! GET TO BED!!”.
Right, let's ask the hard-hitting questions. Is the game entertaining? a sound yes. Is the game replayable? Most definitely and circumstances are always different. Is the game for everyone? I would really have to say yes.
The enjoyment of the game and the visuals and the sheer replayability of this game earns it a well deserved 9/10 stars
Another huge thanks to PRIMA INTERACTIVE for the sponsor of this game and a chance to relive a childhood long forgotten
Generally, sniper games or even missions would have you creep around and kill off the enemies as you come across them. Upon reaching the intended target you would "eliminate" them and then you would be done. SGW Contracts takes a different approach. Firstly, you will need to choose your approach carefully, stealth is non-negotiable. But your approach can determine how much interaction you will come across. Many of the missions require you to not only eliminate the target but often retrieve intel, or even sabotage a facility. This will have you not only working from behind the scope but thinking about the effect your shot will have on the rest of the mission. This approach often leads to fewer bullets fired which creates intense moments of manoeuvring past enemies instead of engaging! Once your objective is complete you now need to be extracted, this is where your planning comes into play as well as a harsh and brutal punishment for those who think they are able to fight their way out. This is where the large maps can become a hindrance which will see you often backtracking vast distances and hiding and watching for long periods of time. I guess they don't call it GHOST warrior for no reason!
As in most sniper games, pulling off an incredible 1000m headshot on a driving target doesn't just happen. it takes timing, precision and lots of science. While the optics of your gun does provide amazing amounts of info regarding wind and trajectory of your bullet there are still many elements that you will need to contend with, and in this lies the magic of SGW Contracts. Not only are these elements that make this game extremely difficult to play, but it also makes it extremely satisfying when everything works out! The over-the-top kill cinematics of a bullet penetrating a skull and having the brain explode out the back does feel slightly out of sorts in a game that has very dark and moody tone. But it does serve as a relief when the cinematics happens the moment you pull the trigger signalling that you have hit your target.
Being a "ghost" level sniper does, however, come with a few perks. You are provided with a visor that serves as communication between you and your "handler" as well as a host of other gadgets. From the usual bombs and c4 to drones to help mark out enemies and even remote turrets that enable you to perform multiple kill shots at the same time.
SGW Contracts is by far the prettiest in the franchise and playing it on the top tier console or a capable PC will have to checking out the scenery fairly often during your hiding and backtracking to exfiltrate.
With the last outing, Payback, NFS seemed to have found their way back slightly. This placed a large amount of pressure on the next outing, being HEAT. NFS Heat is a fantastic game. With great and vibrant environments that, mostly, feel living and lived in. A really new and fresh day/night mechanic and Police chases that are not simply run away from with pure speed. But where it lacks tremendously is with the cringy cast they selected.
Palm City, the area that plays host to NFS Heat is basically one giant nightclub. With blinding amounts of neon lights, and a seemingly ever-present bassline which possibly explains the narcissism of the characters... Even though other titles like Forza Horizon has done the party-vibe before NFS Heat feels a little too aggressive and in-your-face with it. You are a rookie on the scene in Palm City. After selecting your avatar from a good couple of options and customizing him or her to give them the personal feel you will be tasked with getting cash to spend on your gifted clanger of a car, as well as improve your overall rep in the racing scene. What follows is a rather familiar formula of doing races, smashing billboards and competing in a few drift challenges to build up bank and rep, cringy I know. I found the first few levels to be somewhat slow until hitting enough rep to continue the story.
The races in NFS Heat have two distinct, but contrasting, personalities. By day, races are organized and planned with barriers and the needed all set up and ready to race. These races generate money for you as an aspiring racer. But it is during the night when Heat truly shines. These races are more raw and visceral and these races act as XP races to boost your level so you can unlock cars, races and upgrades. Although, at night you are not the only ones out on the streets. The police turn-up their patrols and bring out their most powerful and aggressive cars. Whether you are simply taking a cruise or mid-race if they spot you they will come after you until you either shake them or they ram you into submission.
Another aspect of the night racing that really adds to the drama is the fact that your rep earned at night only "banks" when you turn into a garage. Meaning that if you get busted by the police before being able to do so, all your hard work of grinding is lost!
The underground-series made NFS famous for the over the top styling and modding. Since the franchise has stuck with the modding and Heat is no different! The majority of the stable of cars in Heat will look rather familiar to players of Payback. One of the great additions is that Ferrari have decided to get back on board and they brought a large ensemble of cars to add to the garage! Toyota, however, has once again decided to skip this outing leaving us wanting some Supra goodness, both mk4 and mk5!
As is par for the modding-course, all the JDM classics from the '90s are here (apart from the Supra). Supercars are in abundance and big American muscle can be found all over! Many European monsters and even some fast Volvo's! There are definitely cars for everyone! These cars also have every fine little detail that their real-world counterparts have. And they look especially great in the rain, as does most of the world of Palm city. With the slightest detail such as raindrops running down body panels and windscreens.
The cars' handling has also been reworked from previous titles. Drifting can now be initiated by taking your finger off the throttle and then ploughing it through your controller to start your skid. For the driver craving more the "realistic" feel this can be troublesome for the times you actually need to feather the throttle through corners. Luckily this setting can be changed back to brake-for-drift. For the first time in an NFS game, the feel between FWD, RWD and AWD can actually be experienced in the way cars handle, even if its only slight!
Engine swops, as in Forza, is one of the key modding features in Heat. This takes away some of the performance ceilings that many cars hit rather early in their tuning life! But what really caught my eye was the way you can tune your exhaust note. Want it loud, brash, tinny, or just want it to sound like a run-of-the-mill daily, you can tune it! The livery system is back and as good as before. Style your car the way you want it. From a classic black on black to the way out pearl paint with minute rims and even those who are into the stance scene, heat has styling options to suit everyone!
PVZ, as I will now lovingly call this little gem, is a very entertaining 3rd “person” shooter, actually, the first impression was that if the original Plants vs zombies and Overwatch did the BOW CHIKA WOW WOW….this would be the result. You have attackers, defenders, and support for healing. Not only could you be an army of sun guzzlers but brain munchers too (no Offence to any plants or zombies intended), the cleverly designer characters each with their own unique way of attacking, which gives players options and freedoms to pick and even swap out as often as they like, need a support? BOOM change, need a tank? BOOM your welcome, need coffee?.... uhh ok so the game can’t go that far but I’m sure if you ask someone REALLY nicely that could be arranged.
There is a campaign mode where you can take your soldier (be it plant or zombie) and complete tasks assigned by a very power-hungry 1 eyed sunflower, or take you hand to the PVP scene where you can go all out with friends, randoms, even that REALLY angry neighborhood kid who’s always eating peoples mailboxes and just have a blast. The game gives you upgrades for your character and its up to you to decide how you want to upgrade, focus on defense or attack perks or bolster your healing abilities, there's a perk to match every playstyle, and the customization is one of the best features, as you can take the very innocent looking pea shooter and turn them into…..an even more innocent looking sea pea!!! Which looks like “finding Nemo” found a new hobby, shooting the undead with vegetables!
Delving a bit further into the teams and their soldiers, the plants side has quite an entertaining line up, we have the classics which are our pea shooter, chomper and our sunflower, and then we have some quirky additions like the naartjie…..or orange…..anyway this soldier has a shield and walks around like some vitamin c friendly spider mech, and one that I found quite entertaining was the acorn and oak soldier, with his little rapid-fire head-mounted gun he storms the field and when enough isn’t enough, He plants himself (SHOCKER) and a few seconds later emerges from the earth atop a very bulky tank like oak (and not the okes from the club ne), and then rains hell with cannon fire. I found myself drawn to the snapdragon, a plant as its name suggests is a fire breathing dragon, funny, I thought plants hated fire, who would’ve guessed.
On the zombie line up, we got control of a superhero? Zombie….is he still a hero though? AMANDA!!! GOOGLE IF A SUPERHERO DIES AND COMES BACK AS A ZOMBIE ARE THEY STILL A HERO? Right the “hero” zombie is more focused on melee attacks and like the CQC, we also see the football zombie, who’s traded his kicking boots for a freaking football launching Gatling gun!!!! And when he needs that “kick”, see what I did there, he literally kicks a smaller zombie which explodes, the zombies have also kicked up the tech a bit with a space cadet zombie, which can link with other cadets to form a space STATION for serious damage output, and the zombies have also seen fit to recruit a healer, a doctor of sorts which his little healing gun which he fires normally or fires a shot which sticks to a surface providing healing at a distance to himself…cl
ever for something without a brain.
The visuals of the game are very eye-pleasing and the combat mechanics are simple and easy to use, the gameplay is smooth and all the audio cues are spot on, a very well thought out game and delivers on a lot of fun action-packed moments, coupled with confused screaming as you get flanked. Would I recommend the game? Yes, would I say it’s for everyone? YES, even my kids had lots of laughs watching me play this game, is it replayable? Very much so with all the characters and 2 teams, you can enjoy it time and time again.
SO with armies thwarted and the battleground littered with my enemies what would I rate this game a very entertained and well-earned 8 stars.
With a huge shout out to PRIMA Interactive for the sponsor code, I will be forever entertained burning my enemies with my plantable pet dragon.
I am fortunate enough to have access to both Xbox One and PS4 consoles and spending more time on my Xbox, the charging station that Apex Interactive sent me was a welcome sight! PDP does make cost-conscious products. To most companies, cost-consciousness means a budget product at a budget price. For PDP this is not true! Their range of controllers and headsets tick the quality box as well as the budget box!
PDP also provides two rechargeable battery pack that simply fit inside the Xbox One controller the same way normal batteries would fit. The cover is then replaced by the provided PDP cover which has an opening perfectly slotted to provide great contact between the battery pack and the charging station.
With the PDP battery pack connected the Xbox One controller feels slightly heavier than it does with standard batteries but the weight difference is hardly noticeable and the result is worth the extra few grams. During the time I spent using the PDP ultraslim charge station I put in multiple gaming sessions that lasted more than 8 hours, save for a few bathroom- and snack breaks and the batteries did not skip a beat. In fact, I hardly got past the 50% mark that the Xbox provides to show controller battery level.
At the start of this game, 
The Outer Worlds can easily be compared to the likes of Fallout when it comes to gameplay, which for the most of the time, that means it has rather strong and serious undertones. The gameplay and mechanics certainly take most of its ideas from Fallout. Where it does differ from the Fallout series, is in its storytelling and how it incorporates satire EVERYWHERE! The story and dialogue choices, which are the heart of the storytelling and decision-making that really makes The Outer Worlds great. But drawing too much from the tongue-in-cheek games like Borderlands, does make some decisions more difficult to make. Not knowing whether the dialogue is meant to be satirical or seriously did creep into a fair amount of choices made during my playtime.
Missions or side missions can be tackled much like in Fallout. You can either try to talk your way through them if you have enough skill points on charisma and persuasion, fight your way through, all guns blazing, or try to avoid any type of conflict by sneaking around the enemies.
Although the game tries to make it seem like these decisions have real consequences, unfortunately, they don't do THAT much apart from making certain factions like, or dislike you more which in turn will make them treat you less kindly when interacting with them.
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The above mentioned are the only slightly negative things about The Outer Worlds. Let us start with the skills and upgrades and abilities. In other games, you will find yourself dumping all your earned skill points into a few skills, such as strength, dexterity and vitality. Skills such as chemistry and charisma are often almost pointless. In The Outer Worlds, this is not the case. Quite the contrary. You can build an almost completely non-combat character that will still be able to fight wildlife and marauders, who don't like to reason but be able to almost talk your way out of any situation. This opens up for tremendous amounts of replayability.
The loot, inventory and upgrading system is another feature that really makes The Outer Worlds shine. While there is a vast array of weapons and armour to loot across the many planets in The Outer Worlds, each item can be customized itself. This will encourage you to try a host of weapons and find which work best for certain enemies. Found a weapon that you really like? No need to worry, weapons can be upgraded in many ways, damage, elemental damage and more, making even one of your trusty old weapons relevant throughout the game.
Any type of work is always better with a friend. In the Outer Worlds, these friends come in the form of companions. There are a total of 6 companions to be found throughout the game. These companions each have a skill tree and skillset of their own. Meaning each companion will be useful for different situations. Are you the type that shoots before you ask any questions? Pair up with a companion that has good charisma and you might not have to shoot quite as much. Need someone with good creativity and lockpicking, maybe your companion can help with that!
Some of the skills that your main character can learn have a passive effect on your companion which means you need to take great care when applying those skill points. Not only can these companions be kitted out from head to toe, but they each also have their very own personality and back story. As the story progresses and you find yourself moving to different planets, so the companion story arc evolves as well which makes exploring their story and missions fun and satisfying in their own right!
Although I reviewed The Outer Worlds on the original Xbox One, it still looked wonderful, colours are bright and vibrant, the worlds all look so contrast and the way each towns design and feel just add to the message they are trying to send is splendid. Player models and faces are some of the best I've seen from a game of this type!
At its core, The Outer Worlds doesn't change much from the recipe that Fallout has created, and that shouldn't bother many people, in fact, it should welcome a few of those who are hesitant about this game. What does help its cause is the stellar performance when it comes to the story and the narrative. Not only does it provide a great compelling story which I WANTED to follow and see through to the end. It gives you tons of quirky and fun moments within the story. To go with that is the brilliant cast of characters that you meet and come to love or hate as you go through this game.
After much look into my pitiful balance screen which outlines all expenses and all income, it details animals and crops, machines and buildings, which helps you see what area is benefitting you and which are taking more resources than bringing in, I looked into another menu which was very interesting, this was the contracts screen where other farmers are paying for a specific farming process, such as $2567 to cultivate my land or $6845 to harvest and deliver to a select destination, this allows the player to generate income whilst waiting for their own produce to be ready. By the time ide gone over the relevant screens my crops had become overridden with weeds….and no NOT the “special crop” kind the crop-killing kind!!! Armed with the knowledge of what to do…thank you tutorials… I was prepped and ready only to discover….I did not have the required equipment to do so, so I find the button which brings up the “buy menu” which is VERY well detailed and broken down into categories of buildings or vehicles or vehicle attachments and even trailers for transport, I found myself…. A little short on funds, now on your finance screen there is an option to make a loan of $5000 every time you press the button….but this leads to some serious repercussions…..like debt…. Ok so not SO serious but it will require you to pay interest on the loan until it’s fully paid back….which can eat into profits or savings quite quickly.
So I took the lesser road and allowed the weeds to grow….this greatly reduces the output of the field and less produce is harvested. So I soiled away….no wait that sounds more like fertilizing…..err I Toiled away and generated enough funds for my new weeder, yay, now fully equipped for the next run I began the process at this point was my 3rd run on this specific field, this field would now require lime, and of course, a new piece of equipment to distribute it over the field. My funds dwindling as each new machine arrived and between jumping between my harvesters and my tractors things got abit…..chaotic. BUT have no fear the game gives you an option when inside a machine to hire a worker who will complete the task that the machine with current equipment attached is assigned to, I shed tears of joy at this point, now with 1 worker plowing and another planting, I again had the time to investigate another avenue. Animals, yes folks, chickens, cows, horses, sheeps…sheep? Those Woolly things that give me the heebee jeebees, so I decided to dip my toe in and buy a giant chicken farm with 200 chickens…… seemed simple enough, just had to feed them wheat and let nature take care of the rest. Suddenly a cardboard box popped up on the side and I was so excited, enjoy the small victories in life people, I grabbed the box and systematically started to fill up my shed space until I had the means to transport the boxes to a buying location….bought myself a little pick-up truck or Bakkie to our local ouens, and loaded box after box until I was full up and I checked my stock screen to see who would give the best price and set out, only to shatter my dreams, not knowing that you kinda have to wait until the box was FULL of eggs…instead of 50 boxes containing 1 egg.
I'll draw my personal vendetta with this game to a close and give you what you actually came for. The game its self is visually appealing and there is a great sense of calm as you play, a great game to play after a 10 game loss streak, the in-game radio offers some really complimenting music from rock to pop and my personal favorite electro, which I kept playing all the time, the fields are yours, to the fullest extent that you can buy a plow and expand your fields, sell them, cultivate them or scrap them to make way for an animal pen, a bigger silo or a farmhouse.
And there wasn’t only 1 kind of farming either, you could tackle agricultural, livestock or even forestry each with its own requirements, be it food or the appropriate equipment, livestock to have different needs, chickens need food and their food bowl cleaned from time to time, horses need to be trained which increases their worth. So the player is given options and is not bound by 1 they can have multiple and spread their wings far and wide and really enjoy the multitude the game has to offer.
The options menu gives you control over a vast array of options like volumes and the norm but also some options also allows you to speed up time, switch off certain problematic aspects of the game like the need to weed the fields and stop crop destruction, and yes for those of you reading this, I, in fact, did drive over my field look back and want to jump out my window, this allows the player to enjoy an even simpler experience where you just want to farm and make money without too much hassle.
There is a wide variety of branded vehicles to choose from and there is a piece of equipment to suit your need, you can buy a very basic cultivator which covers only a small area, to a highly sophisticated one that basically plows the whole planet in 1 go, which is nice as you can start and finish a process quickly and minimize time wastage and maximize profits sooner, there is also a feature which allows you to lease a piece of equipment instead of buying it, this allows you to use it for its intended purpose without it costing too much or if you just need a quick trailer rental to take produce to a destination.
Some of the equipment can be customized, with colors or bigger/smaller wheels, a bigger engine or even special attachment arms for wider dispersal, this has a small price tag to it but getting the right equipment for the job can save you more in the long run. The weather too has an impact on your farm, like that you can’t harvest during the rain which can be both beneficial and more so aggravating as your harvest and cultivation period gets delayed until it stops.
Above all the main features there are some well-placed details like the miscellaneous section where you can buy a high-pressure hose to keep your machinery clean, you can buy decorative items like sheds and more which adds those final touches to really make your farm a farm, and my favorite and it was worth every penny….bought a dog house WHICH CAME WITH A DOGGO!!! That was the clinching factor for me, me and my doggo lovingly named “Sprrriitz”, tended to our farm with love, care, and tennis balls.
The Multiplayer option is also quite entertaining, I mean what's better than farm shenanigans with your buds? Draw crop circles, have tractor races and harvesting competitions! Bring your friends and really turn a profit, as many hands make light work, I Think we the EAX team should take a swing at this….I can’t promise much farming will be done but I can guarantee with undying certainty that there will be countless laughs and mistakes……I personally will see to that (insert evil grin meme here).
The game starts off a bit slow but as you buy more and expand the game becomes busier and busier as you try to manage all your fields, animals and equipment, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will continue to play it. And once I’m a master of my craft ill start from scratch and switch on some of those options and test myself…….so never….but I digress, the game is visually stunning and the ever-present sense of peace and tranquillity really allowed me to get into it without much struggle and I would recommend it ONLY to those with patience…..as this game is all about taking your time and going through the full harvest cycle to reap the best quantity of crops you can. To my loving wife whom I made watch me play, to get an outsider's opinion, thank you, your ideas and planning really helped me get the best management out of my farm…and your constant laughter at my failed planter lines never ceased to fill me with unbridled rage and torment. But you complimented the game's beauty and simplicity, the diversity and the freedom to make the choices that you want to make.
Would I recommend the game? Yes, would I say it’s for everyone? No, can I honestly say I enjoyed it? Without a doubt and lastly, does it have re-playability? Undoubtedly. There are many ways to improve and change, there is great satisfaction at starting from nothing and then being full-fledged with the biggest and best of everything, seeing the success of your hard work coming to light, and I loved the great sense of accomplishment after a full cycle and then getting that big pay-off. Based on a lot of factors I'm happy to award Farm Simulator 2019… a strong 8/10 stars.
Now if ya’ll excuse me, I gots ta harvest ma taters….. AMANDA fetch me ma boots….its harvest time.
Logitech has been known to make real spectacular headsets. From the space-age look of the 6 and 9 series to the more toned down 4 series. The G Pro range takes some design cues from both these and lands firmly in the "perfect" zone. Logitech built a gaming headset with the style and grace as if it came straight out of the 1940s! The G Pro X screams class, without raising its voice. The first, and a most obvious sign that Logitech was being serious with the G Pro X, was the exclusion of any RGB. The flat leather headband is generously padded ensuring hours of comfort. With the simple imprint of PRO on top. Beautifully rounded pill-shaped earcups with a matte black finish around the sides, and flat metallic discs on the ear. Adorning these metal discs is a simple and smooth Logitech logo. The earcups are attached to the headband by strong, solid metal arms which hive the earcups more than enough movement to ensure very good and comfy fit over and around your ears.
Logitech fits these earcups with leatherette as a standard, but provide microfibre alternative if you prefer them. The microfibre ear cushions are very soft and comfortable and can easily be used as the default ear cushions. For those who are familiar with the Astro A40 and A50, the ear cushions are exactly the same. The leatherette cushions, however, are spectacular, not only do they feel really good on, but they also improve noise cancellation tremendously.
Looking at the G Pro X you will instantly see it to be a premium headset, picking it up confirms that. It does have some weight to it but even after long hours of gaming they never seem to feel excessively heavy. The clamp of the G Pro X does, however, feel rather tight at first, but after a few hours of tuning the fit, they become so snug that you forget you have them on.
Another great feature is the equalizers. Logitech, being esports conscious, has given you the ability to download the equalizer presets from some of your favorite Logitech sponsored esports athletes. If you are struggling to find the right mix for Dota2, or need that extra edge when it comes to CS: GO, there will be a preset equalizer for that! And if none of them work you can create your own and upload it so others can use yours instead.
Finally, we come to the main feature. The new microphone. First off, the G hub gives you a feature to record a small voice clip of yourself. Then it lets you free with all the Blue Voice presets and knobs to play with. It has preset settings for a few major presets such as streamer, broadcaster, etc. If you need to sound beefier, there is a preset for that, needless background noise, there is a button for that. The options are virtually endless. In all honesty, the microphone quality is so good that I am envious of the people in my party. Speaking to a person in real life sounds worse than this!
Don't forget about the wonderful carry pouch they supply, for when you need to take your G Pro X on the road!
During games like Apex Legends and Destiny 2, I was equally impressed with how even though there is utter chaos on-screen, the sounds are precise and clear and every crack of a bullet and pin-out of a grenade can be distinguished! The only place the Pro X does become more "normal" is when it is not being used in conjunction with the Logitech G Hub. Using it while playing Xbox did not show up its faults, more so, it shows you that the headset is decent without the magic software. Still delivering top-notch clarity and distinguishable tones but unfortunately no Blue Voice mic.
Trine 4 predominantly focuses on using the 3 characters and their abilities to solve puzzles. Using the thief and wizard, predominantly, you can solve most of the puzzles laid out before you. On the odd occasion, you might need the knight to reflect or deflect things that block your path. There are however a few combat stages that are scattered across the stages. These, unfortunately, do nothing for the game and I found myself wishing them to be over rather than enjoying them. They are also rather straight forward. Simply select the knight and bash and deflect until you have defeated all the enemies.
Trine 4 has the most beautiful and vivid maps and areas that I have come across in a long time. The forests, caves and even dilapidated castles are all spectacular and lovely to see. Even though it is a 2.5D scroller, the backdrops feel alive and vivid. From the birds flying overhead, or the spiders and other animals crawling past in the background, all seem so natural. This gives Trine a wonderful sense of fantasy, much like I felt while watching the Harry Potter series. A sense of a truly living world happening around you. To add to this lovable and enjoyable setting is the way the game challenges you but without frustrating you. There are areas where you will get stuck for a few minutes but they do not hold you back long enough to get you frustrated. I found myself enjoying the odd challenge here and there. The respawn system is also extremely forgiving which will see your fallen comrades not stay downed for very long.
While spending around 12 hours in Trine 4, I never once experienced a "game over". Trine does not try to have you fail. It does not need to keep you playing for longer by making you struggle. It relies on its wonderful storytelling and fun, yet challenging puzzles to keep you hooked. And hooked you will be.
As if that wasn't enough. You can also party up with a friend and have a second character, constantly, by your side. This will see you fly through many of the puzzles but also have the game adjust itself to make it a little more challenging. All in all the game has great replayability if you want to give it a bash solo, or with some mates.
The six different race modes to choose from are Touring, Stock, Tuner, GT, FA and Invitational. Each mode coming with its own set of cars and, with those, its own unique set of challenges and fun in racing them. Each game mode ending with a “Showdown” event that puts the player to the test in the hardest and most challenging races of the mode.
One very awesome feature that GRID 2019 has is the FA mode or rather the Fernando Alonso mode. This mode allows you to race in a wide range of cars from grippy almost go-kart type cars all the way through to actual F1 cars as you challenge Alonso himself to a showdown. Rumour has it that if you beat him, you can choose him as your teammate in races. Hopefully, he’ll be a beneficial teammate – but more on that later.
Each race earns you credits, as well as losing some in costs depending on your racing style (mine is rather pricey). These credits can be used to buy other cars to race in other modes or to have more cars, and better cars, to choose from in your favourite events. My recommendation here would be to focus on one or two events out the gate and build up a bit of a monopoly before branching out into the other modes and spending too much of your credit but credits are pretty easy to earn so its up to you how you manage your budget.
GRID is available to own on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows. And will be available to stream on Google Stadia when that is released later this year.
These classes can be upgraded using cybernetic implants, accompanied by a host of high and low tech weapons, you are sure to be having some dismembering-fun in no time! What really struck me was how each of these weapons and armor that is at your disposal has an effect on the movement and flow of your rig. When you are using the Operator rig you feel like you can chain attacks together and bounce between enemies like Spiderman, but on the flip side, you can be sent flying across the battlefield with a single blow.
Blocking and injectables are both new systems that improve Surge 2 dramatically. The blocking and parrying system feels like it has been directly taken from For Honor. For those not familiar with this system, it does take some getting used to but once you are comfortable, it is extremely robust and very rewarding. The block and parry system works extremely well when using the goliath class with its extremely slow attack speed. Guessing the attacking direction correctly will see you parry and counter which is extremely satisfying when done correctly. The newly added injectables also add a whole new dimension to the fighting dynamic. Even though two goliath classes are identical, applying a variety of injectables can because both these Goliath builds to be completely different. This increases the replay-ability of Surge 2.
Executions are very clever and satisfying. As before, you need to target specific body parts and once you have done enough damage, you can dismember that limb. The animations for these dismemberments are spectacular. But what makes it truly great is the way it integrates into the looting system. In Surge 2 most of your loot is collected from downed enemies. Instead of this loot just being random, the way you fight the opponent will determine the loot that they drop. Looking for a very specific piece of armor? You will need to find an enemy wearing that exact piece of armor and dismember it. This gives the player reason to go and hunt down specific enemies. At the same time,it puts an interesting take on the looting and grinding aspect because it puts less emphasis on grinding until you find the item you looking for and rather has you exploring until you find someone with that item.
With the story being told via NPCs and recordings that can be picked up, and the game allowing you to explore areas in any order, the story can become disjointed if you wander into an area and get plot details out of order. When the dust settles on Surge 2, the general feeling was that the incentive of gathering stronger loot is more than what progressing the story was. This is not a negative point but it is something to be aware of if you are looking for a more story-driven RPG.
Borderlands is a franchise known for going against the grain, and the opening moments prove that. Unlike other sequels changing from the predecessors, Borderlands is so confident in itself that it dares to be familiar. This shows how confident gearbox and Borderlands are with themselves as well as this installment in the franchise. And it is with good reason that they are. From the opening moments you will be met with the usual Borderlands story, you are vault hunter, tasked with helping Lilith, a Siren from the previous installments, to find vault across the universe before the calypso twins (Anti-heroes and twin brother and sister) find them and DESTROY THE UNIVERSE(queue dramatic music). Not to mention the utterly hilarious jokes and jabs that are strewn across the wastelands of Borderlands.
This is part of what makes Borderlands so great, instead of changing up their whole game they keep the things that is loved by the fans and tweak the things that can only improve the experience. The shooting has been completely reworked to give a more enjoyable experience as well as giving the movement system a more fluid feel. You can now traverse obstacles easily. Graphically Borderlands 3 has taken its unique cartoon-styled graphics to a new level. Fewer reds and oranges and a whole lot more color! Borderlands 3 is lovely on the eye with lots of bright new colors and even MORE weapons. As if the weapons, you will be hard-pressed to find a game that has a wider variety of truely "original weapons" . Ranging from your run-of-the-mill shotguns to seriously interesting alien tech that instead of reloading, you throw at your enemy and explode on impact.
Gearbox was also very proud to state that they boast " 1 billion guns", they might have crooked the books slightly by giving nearly identical guns a different name and slightly tweaked stats. But what they have done well is to give each weapon manufacturer a distinct feature. Vladof guns have 2 different firing modes, the guns that the children of the vault don't need reloading they overheat and need to cool down. All of these tiny elements help to sell the illusion of an endless amount of weapons to find. Borderlands 3 takes it a step further, Each weapon has its own character, whether you have your revolver hammer cooking or the chatter of the assault rifle as it sprays lead, or the red hot barrel of your shotgun after slaying a team of skags. These little things make you appreciate what Gearbox and Borderlands 3 have achieved with this long-awaited installment.
Borderlands has always been known for the wonderful split-screen action and endless hours of looting and shooting you can have with a buddy, or 3. Borderlands 3 is no different. When you join up with a buddy online, the party leader can choose whether loot is evenly shared amongst each other, with each player only seeing his or her own loot, or it can be a free for all, fastest looter wins. Borderlands even jokes about that! Everything is lighthearted in Borderlands. There are also a couple of new modes : Mayhem mode, which is a wave-like mode where enemies become increasingly tougher with the reward of increasingly stronger loot. True Vault Hunter mode (the new game plus) and circles of slaughter (true horde mode) and Proving grounds which resembles Diablo 3 rifts. With all these modes that can be played solo or with friends as well as taking them on with each of the 4 vault hunters, you will be playing Borderlands 3 for a long time to come!
Again, with my limited experience in the realm of basketball games, my lack of skill was made obvious when I was dabbling in the Play Now area. I chose my favourite team - Golden State Warriors and had a normal 5v5 match against the Philadelphia 76ers. The learning curve of this game is huge and my fingers felt stupid on the controller as I button hacked trying to figure out what I was doing.
A quick look in the control settings showed me what I needed to know and I was able to play with at least answering all the shots that were taken against me.
The graphics are very impressive, with big basketball stars being very easy to spot and recognise in-game (if you know who you're looking for) and the fluidity of gameplay is smooth and responsive.
2K has done a fantastic job in drawing the player into the game with realistic crowd cheering, good and fair game commentating and well place "highlight" shots of impressive gameplay moments, like dunks and 3-pointers.
Attack all depends on your positioning and timing as well. Drive the ball up close to the hoop and go for a layup, standing in the zone will result in a 2-point jump shot and the further you are from the hoop you are, the trickier the shot (of course). If you try and shoot while being pressed - your shot will be blocked or missed, try to layup with a bigger defender standing over you - slapped down and left looking like a deer in the headlights with all pride thrown out the window.
A little more guidance through this part of the game would've been much appreciated but the hints that 2K did leave did not tell enough for the new and inexperienced players to fully grasp what they were doing there.
Being pretty chuffed with the 6foot4 digital version of myself, I started the career mode and was in for a good time.
You pick up the story in a crucial semi-final match, where you are the captain and hero of your college. This match is impossible to lose as the score jumps miles ahead of your opponents while you are benched during parts of the match. At the end of the match a teammate gets injured which results in him losing his scholarship. You choose to do something about this and sit out of the final - which your team loses, and you fall from grace and try to earn a spot at the NBA Draft. You go through a process known as the NBA Combine, which allows scouts to properly evaluate and assess potential talent for the league. You are asked to do various drills, which help you learn the controls of the game, and then play in a few scrimmages to increase your chances of being noticed and drafted.
During this process, you are given choices to increase your rep or your skill. Choosing the one, will result in a decrease in the other and allows the game to decide your path forward as you tell it what kind a player you want to become - chasing the fame, or looking to be a NBA great.
I was able to work my way up from a "late 2nd round" to "solid 1st round" pick, even though I made some serious blunders during the Combine, including completely fluffing my vertical standing jump and some of my shooting. The pressure is high during this part and I definitely cracked under some of it.
Luckily - I got the invite for the Green Room and was drafted in the first round.
GO WARRIORS!
Special thanks to Prima Interactive for supplying us with a review copy.
The Blackwidow only shows its true colours, pun intended, once you turn on the Chroma. And with the addition of all the new features to the Synapse 3 software, Chroma has no reason to be restricted to only a keyboard or a mouse. Your whole gaming- rig and room can now partake in the Chroma effect. With the addition of Philips Hue, home integration is a reality when gaming, add in the game integration with games such as Apex Legends enjoying integration as a standard, and Chroma becomes fantastic
The Razer Blackwidow is a fan-favourite for good reason. it has fantastic build quality, feeling solid and well built. Razer also puts its green switches to good use in the Blackwidow, stating that it even has reinforced sidewalls on every key to ensure there is no wobble when pressing down on keys. The green switches provide a good balance between tactile feedback as well as being clicky. The Green switches are also rated for 80 million keystrokes, so don't expect them to give up on you any time soon. Typing and gaming both feel divine on the Blackwidow, keystrokes feel confident and strong under your fingers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffvneEPgPqk
Another way Razer has marketed the Blackwidow for both work and play is the exclusion of the dedicated macro keys. Instead, they use their very own Hypershift. Hypershift allows you to assign any key of your choosing to a secondary function. Don't worry if you have different macros for different games, the Blackwidow has onboard storage for a host of macros which you can simply flick through when needed. If you are scared of losing those macros due to someone highjacking your Blackwidow and changing your fine-tuned macros, Razer even provides cloud storage for your macros. This allows for quick and easy setups when moving between PCs or Blackwidows alike.
The only letdown in the comfort department is the fact that the earcups do not have the ability to swivel. This causes some troubles with finding a snug fit and also creates leaks which don't help when trying to achieve passive noise cancellation. But, this can be solved if you do a few minor adjustments and find the sweet-spot in terms of position on your head.
When gaming on PC, the same was experienced but this can easily be adjusted by simply applying an equalizer which then made the tone balance much better. Unfortunately, on console, there are no equalizers to be used. The Razer Kraken, however, does have really good spacial sound. Playing games such as R6 Siege and Apex Legends on both console and PC. I usually use an Astro A40 TR which uses an external amp, allowing for massive amounts of customization to try and use sound to the best advantage possible. The Kraken obviously does not have all the gizmos the A40 TR has but it does a great job of indicating sound direction on both console and PC.
The Razer Kraken retractable mic is nothing out of this world. it does the job and it does it well. It gives clear voice to your party without any frills. The lack of mic monitoring is a letdown as most of the competition in this price range do provide monitoring.
Greedfall makes its intentions known from the first mission. Get onto the ship for your voyage to the new world. Sounds simple enough. It is not, you have a few loose ends to tie up before setting sail. The governor has not yet boarded the ship, still too drunk from the stupor he had the night before. Time to put on your detective hat and find him. Treading around Serene and asking fellow patrons is not a simple and easy way. Asking the pub owner of his whereabout will lead you to either repairing the broken furniture from the governors rowdy night or simply pay to have them replaced. This simple mission shows that Greedfall is not going to bombard you with "fetch and carry" missions or simplicities like other RPGs. No, it has deeper dialogues where speaking too much or too little can change the perspective of the interaction completely. Greedfall at its heart is a detective game and a rather good one!
Once you reach the island of Ter Fradee you will discover that there is more than 1 faction trying to colonize the island. The main reason for you heading to Ter Fardee is to find a cure for the illness that plagues Serene, as well as your mother, called Malichor. It is not long that you will realize that characters are not divided between the traditional good- and bad guys. Greedfall weaves a terrific story with tribes and factions having their own unique traditions and nuances and even views on actions and what happens throughout the game. This goes an extremely long way to really flesh out the story and make it believable. Greedfall also does not use the well-known morality system, meaning players will need to make choices based on their own moral compass. This is very refreshing as sometimes the "right" for of justice is not always the justice that fits the crime.
Greedfall is by no means a happy place like many other RPGs try to portray. Greedfall takes on some heavy subjects in the quests which I have not often seen touched let alone peeled open as Greedfall does with its superbly written quests. Some of these sensitive topics include colonization, religion and politics. And without the moral system, these topics mixed with personal opinions and views can bring out interesting story arcs.
Facial animations certainly did impress when you compare it to the Technomancer, not Witcher 3 levels just yet but leaps and bounds in the right direction. But alas, this is overshadowed but the rather clunky way the NPC's move. Greedfall tried hard to give characters individual feel, by even introducing dialects and accents for the natives. Although the voice acting is of really high quality and there is tons of dialogue to work through, there are times that the accent was dropped and picked up at a later stage.
But as a whole, Greedfall does well to draw you in and keep you glued to the story and actions of characters around you, even if they do, at times, lose their "life-like" aspects to a robot-like movement, or lipsync being out. All small things that a simple patch can fix.
Your team members, which you can swap out, all have unique traits in battle as well as in social environments. Having the correct party member with you at the right time can be beneficial on both the battlefield as well as when trying to pull information regarding your next quest. Each team member can be equipped with weapons and armor as well as trinkets etc. Changing clothes do change your character's appearance aesthetically which is always nice.
But one of the aspects that will have majority of RPG fans rejoicing is stats. Everything that you can pick up or equip will have stats. With stats comes proficiency, which Greedfall does by means of skills and traits. Want your player to be better at blunt weapons, equip more points to blunt weapon mastery. Want to be a better lock picker (which I suggest you focus on), apply more points to lock picking.
Combat, apart from the clunky mechanics is genuinely great and enjoyable. Whether you are going up against a challenging boss or slaying grunts, combat is not something I found myself wishing would pass. Instead, I enjoyed using my musket to etch away at armor until I could wield my sword and dish out a flurry of damage that even Zorro would be proud of. Then there is a whole magic system that I have not even tried out yet!
Your squad members, however, cannot be controlled much, they tend to do whatever they deem necessary which in most cases is not the needed thing. This is a little disappointing in a way because this also creates a lack of a tactical aspect for Greedfall due to your squadmates automatically engaging the enemy when you are trying to sneak past.
So we got the inside scoop with the developer of this game, Ian Jamie Pillay, and asked him a few questions about the game, himself and a couple non-essential need to know questions.
And here it is - straight from the mouth of the man himself.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you come from, what you do for a living, etc.
A: Born in SA, Durban (27y/o). Studied Bachelor of Computer science, and have been making games since i was in grade 10. Currently I am a big data specialist at Standard Bank. (Machine Learning, Data & AI)
Q: What kinds of games do you usually find yourself playing?
A: Anything really. my favourites include Fifa, Dota2, Cod/ BF, any RPG (big final fantasy fan), MMO fan (GW, Wow, ESO etc), God of war (my best game ever)
Q: If you had to choose your top 5 all time classic games, what would they be?
A: Classics? Spyro, Tomb Raider, NFS Underground 2, Prince of Persia, Diablo 2
-the man has good taste-
Q: As a person who is developing a game, what aspects of games do you find you most enjoy in other games?
A: Fluid movement is vital, being an rpg fan, my favourite aspects are definitely the combat system (flexible impactful combat) and story narration (story driven like the new gow/ horizon/ witcher)
Q: Tell us a little bit about your game. What is it about, what type of game it is, etc.
A: Type of game - It is a fantasy action RPG with platforming and stealth elements. high emphasis on story narrative, and fun game play! About the game:
Akromah's Tale follows a young adventurer, who lives a normal peaceful life, with his friend.
Until one day the very foundation of his beliefs are ripped away from him.
With only one way forward, he looks towards an uncertain future - with the intent to right the wrongs of this world.
Together, Akromah and his untrustworthy companion, Tayle (whose soul is trapped inside a utility bag), will learn devastating magic and the difference between friend and foe.
They will look to find peace and justice through his ideals for the world he once knew.
-it's got me hooked-
Q: What was the inspiration behind this game for you?
A: The game actually started off as a sidescroller, but over time with my friends it grew into what it is now. aspire for a quality game that is genuinely fun. Witcher 3 for sure - quality before greed!
-did he just say Witcher? Consider the game bought-
Q: What type of character development does the game have?
A: Levels, gear, etc. It will have levels, but cant say for sure how it will be implemented. thinking of leveling skills/ armor/ mechanics instead of generic hero levels.
Q: What do you find the hardest for you in your process to develop this game?
A: Time management for sure! I enjoy programming so I don't mind that solo, but managing this game and my job kinda forfeits a social life (excluding 2 the friends from high school who are helping with story line and some other niche areas)
Q: What do you hope gamers will get from your game?
A: Fun, emotional experience, building a legacy for the game/ the studio
Q: Is this your first game? If not, what other types of games have you worked on?
A: Not exactly. I've made a few horrible games during high school, and a mobile sidescroller a few years ago which gave me a ton of experience for this game. (lessons, do's and don'ts)
Q: Where do you see yourself going with game development?
A: Ideally full time game studio, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon - ha ha.
Q: When do you expect your game to be complete and where would people be able to get it from?
A: Hoping for mid 2020, Currently aiming at Steam on PC, but hoping, with the help of a kickstarter etc, PS/ Xbox consoles.
-holding thumbs for console release as well-
Q: What kind of specs should we be running to play your game?
A: Mid to high range definitely, but still hard to improve performance (GTX 1050 + should run it well)
-so fresh potato PCs should work fine-
Hopefully that's gotten all of you salivating at the mouth as much as it has me.
NOW!
For those need to know questions.
Q: Long walks down the beach or a stroll in the mountains?
A: Neither, locked up in my room with my pc, internet and snacky/ concentration food.
-touché-
Q: Pepsi or Coke?
A: tap water, gave up fizzy drinks a long time ago - ha ha
-he chooses health and longevity over pure liquid enjoyment, fair enough-
Q: Skittles or rascals?
A: Astros
-a man who refuses to colour inside the lines-
Q: What’s your favourite colour?
A: Fuchsia
-yeah... I had to google that-
Q: Do you believe the earth is flat or round?
A: Round
-there is hope yet-
Q: If you had to choose one, Playstation or Xbox?
A: PlayStation FTW
-that's a pity-
Q: You’re stranded on an island - what 3 things do you have with you to survive?
A: unopened FedEx box, Wilson volleyball, and an Ice Skate.
-uhm... ok? He's going to have to explain this one-
Q: Who was your first celebrity crush?
A: Kim Possible (don't judge me - ha ha)
-no judgement there! I'm sure there's a lot more of you in that boat than you realise-
This game seems to tickle all the right places, with diverse biomes and ecosystems, interesting sounding story and character development, mystery and intrigue, an untrusty companion, cool art style and awesome looking adversaries.
I, for one, am very eager to join Akromah on his noble quest.
Have a look at the final teaser for the game right here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHktg_sA4Ao&feature=youtu.be
And while you're at it, why don't you give the man a subscribe on YouTube.
Sea of Solitude plays a lot like most third-person adventure games. Blending platforming, stealth and puzzle-solving by means of environmental obstacles. Kay is able to jump and run, she has a small wooden boat that she uses to manoeuvre through the flooded streets. This boat is also her only safe place when she is in the dark world. Another ability she possesses is her flare. When Kay is lost she can shoot her flare, and it will guide her in the direction of her objective.
It is always said that your actions and experiences shape the world around you, in Sea of Solitude, this is completely true. As you progress and learn more about Kays' story, the world changes. The experiences and traumas that she endures don't always manifest themselves subtly, the way they do is what makes it so impactful. Many people in Kays' life are manifested in different ways. Later on, Kay comes across a horrifying fish monster, or ghostly children or even a big buzzard flying overhead. These are all manifestations of people and things that Kay has had to endure. She also faces a monstrous version of herself, this being the way she sees herself. Weak, bad and worthless. But finding that glitter of light will make all the bad thoughts disappear.
Mental health has been touched on in games before. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was lauded for taking such a big step in making it known with its dark and gritty tale. Stories like these are normally personal and not easily obtainable or even effectively told. Sea of Solitude is tremendously approachable. The bright and approachable environment makes it easy to get into, and once you are in, the story will do the rest.
What really makes this game great is, if you are willing to do some introspection, you might see even the slightest of a speck of yourself. If that is the case, Sea of Solitude will multiply into something that when you reach the end, can look back and use as your own wooden boat when YOU feel like you might be treading water in an endless ocean.
The MSI Clutch GM60 looks nice! With RGB under the left- and right-click buttons as well as under the logo, it does illuminate nicely. So from a looks perspective, the Clutch GM60 does fairly well. The feel of it is rather confusing. Coming in at around the R1500 mark it is rather expensive. That price would have you feel inclined to expect a more premium feel. The Clutch GM60 comes with many swappable parts like side panels that click on with magnets as well as a swappable top cover. The fundamental problem with them is they don't change the ergonomics of the mouse that much. The side panels do help if you prefer to have the sides of your hand off or on the desk while working, but other than that it has no real point. The Clutch GM60 does have a decent weight which is nice for someone who likes a slightly more meaty mouse. Unfortunate that the weight cannot be adjusted like many others in its price range. The swappable panels feel rather plasticky as well. Making them feel more premium would go a long way to justifying the price.
Then we get to the RGB. RGB is not for everyone, so this section might be slightly opinionated. The Clutch GM60 has 3 zones of RGB. Featuring the usual 16.8 million colour spectrum. The RGB zones are all covered with a frosted type plastic making the colour softer. personally I quite like that.
After some homework, we found that the Clutch GM60 is fitted with a Pixart PMW 3330 sensor. This is a decent sensor, being used since 2016 on mice like the Asus ROG Strix Pugio and Evolve. This sensor allows for decent DPI options and has respectable accuracy. I personally use a Logitech G903 as my every day and swopping it with the Clutch GM60 I could definitely feel the difference. But once again, we need to compare apples to apples, and when doing that the Clutch can hold its own rather well. Pairing the Pixart sensor with OMRON keys definitely creates a strong and durable.
The MSI software that accompanies the mouse needs some work. One of the features that the other bigger brands have that really sets them apart is the ability to control everything from one app or hub. Like Razer and Logitech does. If you have multiple MSI devices, you can pair certain aspects of it and work it from the app but generally, the app needs refinement. Everything works but feels clunky. The RGB feature in the app, noticeably, lacks the ability to match the RGB with what is on your screen. Unless we couldn't find it.
The MSI Clutch GM60 is by no means a bad mouse. Considering that this is MSI's first step into the gaming mouse section they have made a good first step. Their biggest adjustment would need to be to find its own identity. The Clutch GM60 is not sure what it wants to be. Does it want to be a budget/entry-level gaming mouse. MSI is marketing this as an esports focused mouse and it is not, but that is okay! Instead of trying to compete in an already saturated market aimed at a small target market, they should promote it for what it is, a mid-level gaming mouse. It ticks the right boxes. It has customizable panels, removable cable, very capable sensor and switches, and it has programmable RGB. Those all make for a more than acceptable and capable mouse.
This makes it a really good first-step for MSI. What they need to go and do not is focus less on features, as they did with the Clutch GM60, and focus more on their design and refinement. Any brand can slap features on a mouse and call it good. The Clutch GM60 feels slightly rushed and a case of accepting designs and imperfections because they were "good enough" rather than perfect. But a brand like MSI, that is synonymous with quality, albeit, in other sectors, we can expect their next iteration of the Clutch series to be significantly better and probably rivalling the other big brands.
A single sentence to describe the Clutch GM60: A jack of all trades, but (unfortunately) a master of none, yet.
However, the Switch is still crazy expensive here in South Africa, with the cost of it being around 6Gs at the time of this article. So is the Lite a smaller, cheaper version of the Switch? Like the iPhone XS is to the XS Max? Or is it a watered down version of the same product, like any lite/diet version of drinks? We'll let you decide that for yourselves.
Before we delve into it, retail price has not yet been confirmed in South Africa, but it has been announced at $200. Don't all rush to your converters to see what we'll be paying here just yet. As is the norm, we know that it'll be a good R1500+ more than the overseas selling price.
So what exactly is the Switch Lite?
The Lite is a handheld console designed for the Nintendo users who prefer the portable capabilities of the original Switch. It is slightly smaller, will not be able to link up to a TV and it doesn't have the Switch's trademark break-away Joy-Cons, rumble or motion feedback. All of which lends to the "portable system" focus of the Lite.
One massive improvement to the Lite's overall design and feel is the addition of a D-Pad on the left side of the device - something fans have been asking Nintendo for since the Switch was released.
At the moment, the Lite is available in 3 colours - Yellow, Turqoise and Grey, but there is also a limited edition Pokemon Sword and Shield design pictured below.
One other interesting point to mention is that not all current Switch games will be playable on the Switch Lite, due to the Lite's reduced functions. So you will have to check on the back of your case to see if your favourite Switch titles are playable in handheld mode.
Along with the Switch Lite, Nintendo also announced a new version of the Switch which is said to have a longer battery life in it's handheld form. Not much else is known about this "enhanced" version of the Switch, except that it may feature a few internal improvements on the existing Switch model.
If you are interested in getting your hands on a Switch Lite, they will be releasing in South Africa at the same time as the rest of the world (thank you Nintendo for having an established presence in our country) and will be on shelves on the 20th of September this year. Pre-order is available at select (overseas) vendors though.
For more infromation on the Switch Lite, have a look at this video straight from Nintendo.
MSI is one of the biggest brands in the computer as well as peripheral game and with the GC30 they are branching into the gamepad market. The GC 30 is the wired version with the GC20 being the wired. Can the MSI controller take on, what has been argued to have been the greatest controllers around? Well, let us find out!
From taking it out of the box and holding it for the first time there is an uncanny resemblance to the Xbox 360 controller. This is definitely not a bad trait to have seeing as the 360 controller is probably the greatest controller ever made. This point also proves that the GC30 is smaller than the Xbox One controller. The button layout matches that of the 360 controller. It boasts two textured grips on either side which reside nicely in your palms when holding it. At a quick glance, the GC30 can easily be confused with the 360 c0ntroller if it was not for the MSI badge that sits where the usual Xbox logo will be on the other controllers.
The GC30 is a one-controller-for-all, not only can it be used on PC, simply using the default setting. If you are an Android user the GC30 can be flipped to the Android setting and it will work with a range of games on your Android device. The default setting will make your GC30 been seen as a native 360 controller on any Windows 10 computer. Do you want to use the GC30 on other consoles such as Xbox One or PS4? No problem, simply plug the wireless adapter into your console of choice and off you go! Another big advantage the GC30 has over the competition is the inclusion of rechargeable battery straight out of the box. This is one of the features that Xbox players have been calling for but Microsoft has never indulged in. MSI, on the contrary, did!
If a budget controller that can function on a pc is what you are after then the logical choice would be the Xbox 360 controller. But if a strong all-around controller is what you are looking for, then the MSI Force GC30 is the logical choice! Not only does it provide a wired and wireless option on consoles as well as PC, but it can also be used on Android devices. Boasting a price tag around the R799 mark can be rather steep for some but a slightly steeper price does mean you will have a build quality that can match the likes of the 360 a One controllers
The main gain of this new system is to ensure players skills rating aren't being boosted or taking hits and the game will simply be counted as a blip and won't appear on your record. Its a vast improvement on systems where the game would be ruined by a cheater, leaving you with the choice of either leaving the game and facing the penalties of abandoning your team, or stay and face a dull game. The cheater, however, will not get off so easily and will face very harsh actions taken against them.
This system may be what most games need, only time will tell, cheaters beware Blizzard is onto you
However, it won't come with everything like the dreaming city missions, last wish raid, and so on. So you would need to buy Forsaken to play them. But a lot of samples will be made ready to entice us all. There will be a custom made mission which is based on the intro to destiny 1 including your resurrection and 1st ship but past that its all brand new an not a remaster of the 1st destiny, and once this mission is complete you can head to the tower and dive head 1st into multiplayer with friends. Exploration will be controlled through the steady unlocking of destinations so not everything is spent within the first few hours of play allowing players to be slowly introduced into gameplay.
And a really nice start to the drop will be player power levels will be around 750 but the exact number hasn't been confirmed yet but this will allow players to immediately dive into the latest content. Bungie Wants all players to experience the game from 1st-time players to seasoned destiny guardians of lore and everyone together for what is sure to be a guaranteed must have.
SO all you guardians of the galax.....Guardians of the light if you can hold off on those itchy spending fingers you can pick up a truly beautiful game, one I know will bring countless hours, much rage and whole heaping hours of fun blasting your way across the stars. And ill see all of you in the crucible.....ill be the one in the epic armour best guns and kick ass-iest everything.....by the boerewors stand....What? I just got this armor and don't want to get dirt on it.
After aligning with a driver academy, each of which pushes you towards a certain group of F1 teams, you will have the option of signing with an F1 team that will suit your driving style and driver attitude. From here the Career mode is quite similar to the F1 2018 career apart from one thing, Driver transfers. unlike other sporting titles, where players will transfer during pre-defined times of a season, F1 2019 goes along with the Fifa approach of having driver transfers and driver and team dominance mirror that of its real-world counterpart. Gone are the days of drivers and teams being stuck inside of a predefined performance bracket, unable to change or adjust.
The EA Play event brought us news from the gaming giant on some of their latest developments and updates to some of their current big titles.
The event included information on titles such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Apex Legends, Battlefield V, FIFA 20, Madden NFL 2020 and The Sims 4.
So let's break it down and see exactly what's happening.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Now this is a game that I, personally, have been keenly following since its announcement a few months back.
The EA Play event treated us to 15 minutes of gameplay footage and WOW! What a game this thing is shaping up to be.
The game is canon and is set just after Order 66 was given so, for those Star Wars fans out there, it's set between Episode 3 and 4 and before Rogue One. The 15 minutes of gameplay showed our blue lightsabre wielding protagonist, Cal Kestis, running through spider infested levels and kicking some serious Imperial butt! We are introduced to some of the force powers swordmanship that is available in the game, and both are really impressive!
We are also introduced to Star Wars' next very lovable droid (move aside BB-8) in the form of Buddy Droid 1, commonly known as BD-1. This little guy is essentially your backpack as we see him dispensing health vials, as well as projecting holographic maps and accessing power ports for you. He's a very active little guy and moves around on Cal's back as the various situation's demand it.
If you missed the gameplay footage, you can check it out here.
Battlefield V
The latest game in the Battlefield franchise got some screen time at this year's EA Play event and, in it, we were informed of a whole lot of new things coming our way.
The first, and probably biggest, piece of news is a new map, called Al Sondon. This is a massive map that focuses more on the large scale battle side of things which Battlefield has always been known for.
They also spoke about Marita, a new map which recently dropped into play.
E3 2019 officially kicked off with Microsoft showing us some of the things we can expect from them in the near future and, with Sony nowhere in sight at this year’s conference, Microsoft took full use of the opening.
We got details on the next generation of Xbox, codenamed Project Scarlett, and a look at the trailers of games like Halo Infinite and Gears 5, as well as when we can expect them to drop.
These are just some of the things that were revealed at E3 2019 but if I told you all the secrets up front then there would be no point in writing further…
So let’s break it down.
Project Scarlett
After months of speculation and rumours, Microsoft FINALLY let its fans know what to expect from its next-gen console and, man, what a machine it is!
This thing is said to have 4 times the processing power of the Xbox One X and manages to run at 120 fps, double that of the One X (yes – we know PC Gamers, we know). Project Scarlett also boasts 8K resolution, more photo-realistic lighting effects thanks to new and improved ray tracing (google it – I had to too). Now we can go on about all the other tech stuff but the thing that piques my attention the most is a new breed of SSD, which is said to be 40 times faster than current SSDs available on the market – hello super-fast loading times.
Take a look at the reveal video here.
And it's damn sexy too!
Gears 5 and Halo Infinite
New instalments for some of Microsoft’s biggest, and most loved, exclusive game franchises are on their way to a console near you (provided you’ve bought it).
Have a look at these trailers to get some hype!
Bethesda, never one to leave their fans disappointed once again brought the magic... Opening with a touching tribute and shout-out to the players, and what we as the players, mean to Bethesda.
Todd Howard was first to take the stage and apologised for the rough start of Fallout 76. Next was The Elder Scrolls: Blades, the very popular mobile game. New features such as dragon questline and single person arena modes. The features don't stop there, Blades is coming to the Nintendo Switch!
Fallout 76
https://youtu.be/DyhceJEIhBo
Fallout had a rocky start, but with tons of updates it has become a rather happy community, and now, the latest update called Wastelanders, bringing with it Human NPC's, more main quests, choice and consequences as well as a host of new weapons and gear. A new and refreshing game mode is also included, Vault 51 needs a new overseer, and in true gaming logic, the only way to decide that is by way of... a Battle Royale... a 52-man fight to be the overseer, named Nuclear Winter!
Ghostwire: Tokyo
https://youtu.be/MZBcNP8_FVE
Ghostwire Tokyo is a new paranormal action adventure game. This title will take you to Tokyo where people are going missing, your job is to find out why. Along the way, you will meet both good and bad spirits, who will aid or increase your struggles during your adventure. Looking at the trailer, it would seem that a great deal of your time will be invested in trying to discover which elements are normal and which are paranormal...
Elder Scrolls: Online
https://youtu.be/XpfOjHzEPuQ
Dragons! Dragons have come to ESO. Elsweyr was recently launched, allowing players to explore the homeland of the Kajhit and try out the new necromancer class. The previous season of ESO showed us how dragons were brought to the world of ESO, now see what they are doing to the world and its inhabitants in the new world premiere! Introducing the new order of dragon hunters that will be launched with the next expansion called Dragonhold which will complete the season of the dragon. August will bring Scalebreaker, a dungeon-crawling release adding much-requested gameplay to the ESO game.
Elder Scrolls: Legends (mobile)
https://youtu.be/RlKDNzwYoSE
Bethesda is really investing in the mobile game genre, and taking their biggest names and taking them mobile. ES: Legends is a card based game coming to mobile, similar to Gwent. ES Legends will be available for download immediately.
Rage 2
https://youtu.be/1Rps7WKTYr4
With the release of Rage 2 Id Software has created what is arguably one of the best open world shooters ever, and they are not planning on stopping there. In the near-future Rage 2 will be getting its first expansion bringing with it a host of new characters, missions, vehicles, and weapons. The new expansion is called Rise of Ghosts. Oh and wait, you can now drive... a Mech!!!
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot (VR)
Time to head back to Europe and kill some more Nazis, this time in VR! You find yourself in the shoes of a French hacker working for the resistance, hacking the Nazi war machines and turning them on their creators!
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
More weapons! More custom playstyle and MORE NAZIS TO KILL! What is better than killing Nazis? Killing them with a friend! Grab a friend and jump to the 1980s, BJ is missing, you take control of his twins on the hunt to find their dad, either doing it solo or with a friend! This is going to be BLOODY GORGEOUS!
https://youtu.be/XVGsNUnrvAI
Deathloop
Deathloop is a new and interesting title coming from the creators of Dishonored. Showcasing 2 assassins stuck on an island prison/paradise, depending on who you ask, in a timeless loop hunting and killing each other over and over. With Arkane studios at the helm, Deathloop promises to bring a mind-bending story as well as providing many ways to approach and complete the task at hand.
https://youtu.be/qclEO3QxclY
Orion (new game-engine tech)
https://youtu.be/8n61-78vBM0
With all the talk of game streaming, Orion tech can be applied to any game engine and make it more efficient for streaming! Up to 20% faster per frame and 40% lower bandwidth, for us, this means faster streaming of games as well as making it cheaper and less-hungry on data. You will still be able to stream your game at max settings even if you live further away from data centres.
DOOM ETERNAL
https://youtu.be/uxBQmSXrDxM
DOOM is arguably the poster boy title for Bethesda, and Doom Eternal solidifies this statement! Insane speed, tremendous amounts of blood and gore! Doom promises bigger and better! Demon slaying is the game, and DOOM Eternal brings the newest and best way of doing so with new map designs, new weapons and new enemies to try them on, all while finding your own way of slaying!
Square Enix is a powerhouse company boasting some of the biggest game names in the industry and at 2019 E3 they did not hold back!
Final Fantasy VII remake
Yes, it is finally happening, after many years in development hell and many sneak peeks at previous E3 conferences, Final Fantasy 7 is finally getting some worthwhile info to share. With visuals that are simply breathtaking, this, arguably the greatest in the Final Fantasy franchise will pull at heartstrings of new and old alike. Final Fantasy 7 is going to be large it will spand 2 bluray discs! New players to Final Fantasy 7 should not worry, the game has been tailored for newbies and veterans alike. Gone is the turn-based fighting system and welcome to the FF15-style combat system.
Final Fantasy VII will drop on 03:03:2020
https://youtu.be/eBZyJl7_OPM
Life is Strange 2
After Life is Strange 2 and The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, comes a continuation of one of the most emotional roller coaster rides you can possibly have in a game. Daniel is starting to control his powers and meets up and shares it with fellow friends and foes along the way. Life is Strange cannot be classed in words; all you can do is simply experience this narrative splendour for yourself.
The latest chapter is available now
https://youtu.be/yqrQ44bQdaY
Dragon Quest Builders 2
The builders have been abducted and it is up to you, and your mysterious partner to save them! Defeat the children of Hargon and become the master builder, but wait, building is always better with a friend, now you can call on your friends to help you save the world!
https://youtu.be/pBcRuaBOeX4
Battalion 1944
Battallion 1944 is getting many new features and game modes as well as new weapons! As well as a new multiplayer system allowing for easy leagues and tournaments as well as major bragging rights. Check out the fast-paced video to see all the newest additions to what is sure to be a classic.
https://youtu.be/_-I3KsAQOtQ
Square Enix Music
The music app that gamers want! You now have Square Enix game soundtracks at your fingertips! Simply hop onto all leading subscription services and listen to your favourite Final Fantasy soundtrack immediately!
Wireless headsets are something that most gamers all love until the price tag is shown. We all hate when those annoying wires get in the way of your gaming, or they are too short to reach that comfy recliner you love to use.or just the mess they seem to create when trying to create the perfect setup. Wireless headsets are by no means new to the market, with all of the big name companies making a wireless version of nearly every item in their headset range. But their biggest stumbling block has been the inflated price they carry due to the wireless technology.
PDP offers some of the best bang-for-your-buck gaming peripherals, catering for the budget gamer. PDP covers a wide variety of items from controllers to headsets all at a fraction of the cost of other brands, albeit mostly wired controllers and headsets.
Say hello to the PDP lvl 50 wireless headset! Coming in at around R1800 you will be hard pressed to find a wireless headset for cheaper. PDP has never created headsets that are there to attract attention, on the contrary, PDP headsets are generally sleek and minimalist-like and the LVL 50 is no different. The all-plastic headset has a sleek and flowing design playing with matte grey and black to create a stylish look. A sneaky gloss PDP logo can be found on each earcup. Attached to the left earcup is the boom mic as well as the charging port, power button and equalizer button. The right side earcup has the volume nob on it. No frills or fancy things happening on the Lvl 50, just straight to business.
The build quality of the PDP is a catch 22 situation. PDP is a budget brand and the build feels good enough to tick that box, but for R1800 you can buy a lot better quality wired headset. Moulded plastic and some play in the movements and joins do create a sense that if pressure is applied it could break. But comparing it to other wireless headsets, once again makes you look past these small flaws.
the Xbox Ultimate pass offers both access to Gold Live and game pass as a singular payment instead of 2 separate ones and is scheduled to launch later this year.
Also mentioned on Reddit posts are some of the game which will be available such as ARK, We happy Few, Forza 4 and hello neighbor.
SO the ultimate subscription will drop for all Xbox players which I can only imagine is bringing immense delight *Insert high pitch scream here*, but it also opens up the door to the PC platform, so very exciting news which has us all waiting on bated breath.
COME ON E3, daddy needs a new game library fitted with full online capabilities, great games and another reason to ignore my work... I MEAN *AHEM*, another reason too....uhhhhh .....errrrrrr......Forget it YES ignore work. "AMANDA cancel ALL my appointments till after E3, possibly after that too....probably....just cancel everything"
Where are the "kill 1001 goblins to unlock this hero hat" or "drive on 2 wheels for 5km to unlock this new car"? No, we are all faced with financial ruin just to get that complete armor set that is purely cosmetic and leaves our landlord taping his foot waiting for rent money.
We all understand and hate the concept of "pay to win" which gives players an advantage over others who lack the rich daddies or overcompensating parents with equally deep pockets, and many of us refuse to give in to developers greed and simply stop playing the game or play without the bought help and grind it like a legend.
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My beautiful picture[/caption]
I take R6 for an example this is a game which I believe in most part is still honoring the tradition of a good grind equals a good reward, you play you win or lose you earn points, get enough points BOOM new operator, new weapon skin or headgear, it does have some real money purchases for the elite uniforms but compared to what you can unlock with the points, its still a really good balance
So I ask when did we all become so eager to spend hard earned cash on cosmetics? And no ladies, not your "cosmetics" you all keep staying beautiful as you all are, where's the grind for the grand prize? where's the trick shot off 5 walls character unlock?
I think its time to put down the credit cards and pick up our socks, give us something to PLAY YOUR GAME FOR developers instead of draining our pockets for inconsequential cosmetic gimmicks that you will simply change and expect us to do the same next month.
No measure to too strict or too loose to ensure all our teams are on equal footing, ANY and ALL infringements will be investigated and punished should it be required. Everyone is free to petition these rulings WITH the support of evidence.
Infringements with extreme and generally immediate effects are Cheating, RACISM, SEXISM, Harassment and similar acts of misbehavior.
Within reason the EAX Admin team will try to accommodate certain requests, and any kind of game changes made 30 min before the match is due to start is highly disruptive and often unfair, example map change or in the event of a scheduled stream, a change of streamer, people are asked well ahead of times and as a courtesy to them and their time, no change will be made whatsoever, so long as all rules and regulations are followed respectfully.
We at EAX are not completely heartless and bans will be lifted (Pending reason for the ban) at a certain stage, were firm believers in 2nd chances but be forewarned, a 2nd infringement will result in a harsher ban up to and including permanent.
No one is perfect and in the event that an EAX Admin has made a mistake, it will be rectified immediately and all punishments uplifted. So should you feel that this is the case feel free to question it but please support it with physical proof, Verbal begging and pleading will not sway rulings. And should you wish to lodge a complaint, as in our rules and regulations, please make use of the screenshot function of the infringement so we have proof on our end validating the punishment on the player or team in question.
With great respect comes a mutual understanding and fewer fights and disagreements. Use your head and before you lose your cool and send a racist or sexist or IST-ist remarking, consider how you would feel receiving that kind of message. Let us all be mature adults and game on!
This figure pops out of any environment, be it a shelf or in the bushes while posing for a photo session. Her hot pink colour scheme is complemented with white sections on her torso and shin-guards. She stands out about as much as a bobble-head pink bear would. Her fur is nicely sculpted and there are some slight shades of pink in them. The scar above her right eye is nicely detailed which shows the white under layer or her mask. The white on her belt seems to clash with the white on her torso as it is really bright which is a minor thing to gripe about compared to how good this figure looks.
Her gloves are Magenta which just adds some spice to the whole figure. You’re getting a lot of pink with this figure’s colour but I appreciate the different shades of pink here and there just to add some variety.
She comes in at about 7 inches tall making her 17cm.
The base is the same that came with Skull Trooper and is a standard with these figures. It’s a simple round black disk with little stilts that fit into the peg holes in the soles of her feet. It has Fortnite engraved on it too. There’s not much to it and it really is just there to help her stand upright on the shelf.
The Assault Rifle takes the shape of a SCAR. It looks like it was pulled directly from the game. The paint is clean but simplistic. There’s no fancy little bits and pieces, just a gun coloured in cream paint with black edges.
The Cuddle Bow Back Bling is a small solid black bow with a little peg to fit into her peg hole on her back. The peg is a little big though and it takes a lot of force to stick it into the hole (haha) but once it’s in there it’s a tight fit. It’s a nice touch although it isn’t all that much.
Then comes her Rainbow Smash Pickaxe which is just wild. It’s a lama with a horn like a unicorn which is one of the most iconic pickaxes from the game. The light blue fur on the unicorn is nicely sculpted and the purple main looks like a Mohawk more than anything else. Words can’t describe how crazy this thing looks. It is a bit top heavy though so making her hold it in some positions can be a little tricky. I have noticed some bend in the pickaxe’s pole though, being a softer plastic it came slightly warped out of the packaging and even after I used the hot water/hair dryer trick it still looks a little skew to me. But other than that it looks great.
Predator: Hunting grounds is a new project done by Illfonic, the makers of Friday 13: the game, which pits 7 teenage survivors against 1 player, playing as Jason Vorhees in a race to escape or die violently trying.
The game seems to be based on a fireteam of soldiers sent into the jungle NOT to hunt the predator but complete a mission, possibly assassinate an NPC, gather intel or even maybe find private ryan......NO MAN LEFT BEHIND ...am I right??? am I? Watch the classics people!!!!
Other titles which dance around the same idea are Turtle Rocks "evolve" where 4 hunters are tasked with finding and killing a monster played by another player
Or Behavior interactive's "Dead by Daylight", where 4 survivors must fix generators to power the escape gate to escape, all the while being stalked and killed by a colourful set of killers with different abilities.
Predator: hunting grounds definitely peaks a lot of peoples interest, as we all love being on the other side of the survivor killer fence, we've played previous titles where we are given the chance to play as the predator but not in the same scene and definitely not against other players.
The game is only scheduled for drop next year, So we will keep a close eye on this one and hopefully it grows and develops into something we will all treasure, as we all know there is nothing more satisfying than slowly stalking your friends, instilling unbridled horror as you kill one of them in front of the others and watching the hope slowly die in the eyes of the last lone little soldier....No? just me then? Excuse me I think I need to contact my Psychiatrist.
This, naturally, is no easy feat and requires lots of time and dedication, but it also requires the necessary hardware! This is where Razer comes to the fore. One of the key components in creating a really unique and personalized stream is the ability to overlay camera footage of yourself into your stream, allowing for more interactive streams as well as giving it some personal touches with borders and other general things to make your stream yours. To do this you need a capture card, a device that allows you to do all these things. Razer has recently made the leap into streaming and with that, they bring the Razer Ripsaw HD.
Are you planning on making streaming a full-time job, then let's get into the Ripsaw HD and see if it is the capture card for you.
First things first, let's look at the system requirements to use the Ripsaw on your PC:
System requirements:
If you are new to streaming then you will need to make a choice between OBS or Xsplit, both being similar to discreet differences. For those who already stream you can simply continue to use the program which you are currently using which is a bonus. On the flip side of this is the fact that the Razer Ripsaw directly competes with the newly launched Elgato HD60S. All Elgato capture cards, including the older models, all come with their own software. This software alone is a big reason why Elgato is such a big name in the capture card market and should always be a consideration.
The Ripsaw might not come with its own software but if you are simply looking to stream to the likes of Twitch, Mixer or Youtube that isn't such a problem. The Ripsaw is an extremely capable capture card with minimal lag between the pc. Playing faster-paced games such as shooters might have you experiencing the minimal lag. Although the Ripsaw has the least lag of all the USB 3.0 cards that I have tried.
Now some of you newer generation gamers are thinking why would I want a remade retro console? Well, this thing is shaping up to be pretty cool and quite advanced. It includes things like WiFi (WOW), two colour touch screen controllers, HDMI and USB ports (so it will work with modern TVs) and - wait for it - RGB LIGHTING! It can't get much cooler than that!
This console will be a hit for young and old alike. It's designed to bring the social lounge aspect back into gaming and will be simple enough to use and play for even the most technologically disadvantaged folk and no-skill gamers among us. The Amico's ease of play and simplicity will definitely be a party maker, and if you have more than 2 people at your party (is it even a party with 2 people?), there's a controller app for the Amico that allows you to connect up to 8 players into a game! They are also including competitive online multiplayer and leader boards so that you can compete with your friends for bragging rights and some unique achievement trophies.
The console will be hitting the market late 2020 and will be coming in at the very tempting price of about $180, with games going for $2.99 to $7.99, every one of them exclusive to the Amico! The console will launch with several built-in titles and over 20 games in its online store, including Earthworm Jim. As they said, they are creating a console that parents will want to buy, not one that they are asked to buy. That's a bold statement but Intellivision is really working hard at making the Amico appealing, and there is definitely a large and growing group of gamers who would be into this console.
This console will definitely do well on the market and will surely become a feature in most homes, with it's highly niche target market and affordability. Intellivision is doing a lot right with the Amico, but let me not bore you by going on about this console, here is a video from Intellivision themselves telling you exactly what you can expect from the Amico.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xokUnn1lBGA
And if that's not enough for you, check out their website;
This was a wise move on the side of Psyonix as it brings them more resources, both human and financial, to continue to support Rocket League's growing competitive e-sports league. They also plan to bring the game to the Epic Games store later this year.
Once the game appears on the Epic Games store, it is unsure if it will remain in the Steam store but all sources and evidence are suggesting that it will no longer be available to purchase through Steam.
Now what does the mean for those of you who have already purchased and logged some serious time through Steam?
In a statement made by Epic, it seems clear that there are pre and post Epic store phases. Currently (pre-Epic), the game is available to purchase on Steam and it is playable and supported (obviously). Later (post-Epic), the game will be available to purchase in the Epic store but will still be playable and supported on Steam for those who have already purchased it there. However, Epic has not officially announced that it will stop selling the game on steam, it's all guessing at the moment, but that does seem like the most likely outcome as Steam and Epic are direct competitors.
This buy over should not come as a surprise to anyone as Psyonix and Epic have had a long-standing partnership, dating back to the early days of Unreal Engine and games like Unreal Tournament 2004. Psyonix was even founded a short distance from Epic Games headquarters in 2001. Both companies are also well known for pushing the bar in cross-platform gaming, with Psyonix supporting cross-play in Rocket League and Epic supporting it in Fortnite (which helped fuel its rise).
However beneficial this acquisition is for Epic and Psyonix, it will raise many heads as Epic continues to spend huge amounts of resources to chip away at Valve's dominance in PC game sales. Epic purchasing a studio with a hit title, and pulling that away from Steam will come as a huge blow to Valve.
For streamers on a budget in recent years the go-to microphone has been the Blue Yeti microphone, being the best bang for buck microphone in the section. With the microphone section being a rather slow and stagnant section which doesn't see monumental increases in technology through new models. Razer decided they have had enough and targeted the budget market... Say hello to the Razer Seiren X!
The Seiren X is built off the same core as the Seiren, which is a good starting point already, and with the main aim to dethrone the Blue Yeti, a price cut needed to be made, and as with any price cut, some compromises needed to be made to achieve this. The Razer Seiren X is the perfect microphone for the on-the-go streamer due to its driverless setup. Simply plug it into a USB port and it will instantly be recognized as an audio input device, easy as that! The stylish shape and presentation of the Seiren X is perfect for anyone looking for a minimalist stream setup as well as a small unobtrusive microphone.
The Seiren X is really sleek and simple in its look as well as use. Simply plug it into a USB port and you are ready, with only a volume knob and a mute button ( which will go red when muted) as well as a headphone input jack underneath, the Seiren X oozes simplicity! The underneath headphone port allows you to plug your headset directly into the mic and broadcasting your audio through there instead of connecting straight to your pc/console. One of the downfalls that go with cutting prices which means cutting features is that the Seiren X lacks the ability to change your capture modes, like the Seiren and the Blue Yeti has. Luckily this does not hamper the ability of the Seiren X and many users of the Blue Yeti have made comparisons and opinions seem to be that the Seiren X works just as well without the option to change.
Razer has confirmed that the cardioid pickup pattern, for those not in the know: sound is only recorded from in front of the device instead of 360 degrees around like a traditional mic ) has been specifically adapted to ensure the most pin-point capturing to date from a cardioid setup. The Seiren X also features a handy shock mount to ensure your recording or chat is protected from bumps and other sound anomalies that may occur during streams.
What makes the Razer Seiren X a very viable option for startup streamers or general gamers is the ease of use and setup. During the review time, we used it predominantly during gaming sessions as party-chat microphone and the overwhelming response from fellow party members was that they could not believe how crisp and clear my voice sounded, even with the mic being at least 0.5m away from where a traditional headset mic would sit the voice clarity and volume was amazing. It is good to state that when using a mechanical keyboard the clicks from the keys can often be picked up by the mic if placed closer to the left side of the keyboard. Other than that the Seiren X is amazing! Not being a streamer myself, I have never considered buying a loose standing microphone until this review item came my way.
Verdict
The Razer Seiren X has bridged the gap and has brought competition to the entry-level section of streaming mics. Between it and the Blue Yeti, all streamers should be able to find a microphone that caters for their personal needs. If you need something easy, and quick to use the Seiren X is your go-to microphone. If you want more options and capturing customization the Blue Yeti will be your weapon of choice. Both are well priced and both task them or their jobs spectacularly!
So, for those of you also asking the question around cross-play for Apex Legends, Respawn - producers of Titanfall and Apex Legends, have confirmed that cross-play is in the works but has not yet indicated when they will be adding it in to the game that has taken the Battle Royale genre by storm.
Drew McCoy, the lead producer at Respawn, said to Eurogamer that they plan “to allow players to play with their friends on other platforms” at some point. This obviously generated a whole lot of buzz! It is likely that cross-play on Apex Legends will look a lot like cross-play with Epic Games, where gamers will create an account, possibly through Origin, and link their platforms to this central account, which will then be used to add gamers on other platforms and squad up with them - but this is all just educated guessing.
McCoy also said in the same interview that cross-progression will, unfortunately, not be possible because of how the game was set up in it's early days of production and this can not be reconciled. So, if you are looking to play Apex Legends with your friends on other platforms, you'll be doing it for some good old fun, and not for adding kills and wins to your counters.
Apex Legends is currently free and available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Whether it will be making an appearance on Switch, mobile, and other platforms is still to be seen.
So here's to hoping that cross-play finds it's way to Apex Legends very soon! Until then, enjoy the first season, look forward to new legends, choose your drops wisely, and don't get bamboozled!
To a seasoned gamer battling against individual zombies or even larger groups of zombies using the wide variety of weapons, that can be upgraded many times, will be a piece of cake, but attempting to take on the running wall of death will need lots of teamwork and a calm mind otherwise imminent death will be swiftly met.
Each of the episodes will take you to different locations, from New York City to Secret Russian military bases. Each episode will also put you behind the sights of different characters which helps to keep the dialogue from becoming stale. Levels are wonderfully constructed moving from vast open spaces to tight corridors seamlessly without feeling forced. "Missions" within each stage don't feel out of place either with your team needing to find supply crates or launch codes within the stage to be able to progress. This forces you and your team to not simply bunker yourself in and try and kill every single zombie on the planet, but move around and put yourself at risk and force teamwork to be used. 11 stages might not seem like that many but thanks to wonderful randomization with regards to weapon placements and enemies, World War Z offers a lot of replayability!
Progression is found in the form of weapon upgrades and character classes. They are all quite similar apart from the special item that they have on offer, be it grenades, molotovs, or explosive ammo drops. The passive abilities do not come into their own until around level 10 so to reach that many levels need to be completed as sometimes the progression can seem a little slow.
World War Z is not without its flaws, the character mobility can sometimes become an issue like in the instance of climbing onto cars. Some cars can be climbed upon and the satisfaction of laying waste to the oncoming horde is great, but there is no clear indication as to why, and which, cars can be climbed and which not which does pose somewhat of a problem when running away from a swarm. With a very well populated environment, the lack of destruction is quite noticeable with explosions not even leaving dents or craters in the surfaces. Another mechanic that got thrown by the wayside is dodge, which would be invaluable when fighting a charging bull zombie. Apart from that the experience on Xbox has been pleasant apart from the odd disconnect from the server that saw me lose quite a fair amount of accumulated XP, other than that it has been smooth sailing.
World War Z does not stop at 4 player co-op or PvZ modes, there is also a more traditional 4v4vZ which will put you and your 4 man team, against another 4 man team and the hordes of undead. These matches do seem to be less popular and we didn't get more than 2 matches. The PvP matches to accentuate the dodge problem quite a bit more and for now, the PvP modes feel more like a distraction. Maybe with future updates, they can become more relevant.
It all began with the daddy of all Looter shooters, BORDERLANDS... Borderlands is where it all started, and now, soon before the announcement of Borderlands 3... 2K and Gearbox is bringing all the magic back, Remastered!
When Borderlands released in 2009, it's distinctive hand-drawn art style was met with great acceptance and love, a decade later nothing has changed. Borderlands is actually a rather strange title to get the remastered title, because, frankly, there isn't much to be improved upon... Getting GOTY status does however package all of the DLC along with the base game, so for those who didn't take in all the DLC's originally, they are now all nicely packaged.
So I've bounced around only a few titles with varying “difficulty settings” but the ever burning unanswered question remains…should players be allowed to change the difficulty at will? I say …a confident no. We are gamers through the highs and lows, the deaths and victories, the triumphs over the bosses and the heartbreaking fall from mountains….dammit Roach, we have been moulded and sculpted by games to the point where a game says “ hey instead of playing easy and getting little satisfaction from winning…..lets go next tier and push ourselves”.
If we were given full reign over how hard the game is we would always win and where’s the joy in never tasting defeat to fuel your desire to win? Games teach us that, you will NOT always win, life isn’t always fair, things will Not always go in your favour, but more than that teaches us how to deal with that trial set before us, you have the tools now make it work for you, here’s the challenge use your intellect to conquer it. Last time I played Rainbow six Siege or R6 to veterans, I never saw a difficulty setting to change to allow me to play against easier players cos much like myself there are other people watching the same screen and thinking the same thing “I love this game”, our prized diamond tier players were all copper once, they didn’t have difficulty settings all they had was the will to get better and overcome their short falls and rise up to the challenge of others and EARN the diamond badge which they wear with pride .
We as gamers look adversity in the face and laugh, we challenge ourselves to do what we are told is not possible, we game our hardest and we rage our hardest but never has it ever been said we QUIT our hardest and there’s a reason for that. WE WILL NOT BE BEATEN, we all have that drive inside that won’t let us give up, that fire in our bellies for the bigger and better loot, the spark in our eye for the next big win. Let us not use the difficulty setting as a cheap road to victory but instead a change of direction, we all have in the past taken our favourite game and used it to create humour to entertain ourselves, I myself have done this in one of my already mentioned titles, halo. Who hasn’t played bumper cars with warthogs? Chicken with ghosts or a much-filtered version of battleships with the wraith.
Let me leave you with this “perseverance breeds excellence”, practice and patience will see you to that ultimate goal of the end game credits, believe in your abilities and keep trying. We are gamers and we will not be beaten.
The Elite Pro 2 sits comfortably thanks to the steel headband that connects the cups, the headband itself is very sturdy yet flexible. The leather earcup padding is something to behold. Many headsets do most things right but seem to falter on their comfort. The Elite Pro 2, just like the Elite Atlas, has arguably the most comfortable feel to any headset I have ever tried. The padding is infused with cooling gel, and it is safe to say that it works beautifully. The earcups are also slightly larger compare to the V1 version which makes for comfortable spacing around your ears.
The memory foam cups do a really good job of cancelling out external noise, although some noise does filter through, as passive noise cancelling goes, they are extremely good. If they start to show signs of wear and tear, simply pull them off and replace them with new ones.
The mic, which is the same as the mic fitted to the Atlas, can be detached anytime needed as it is a rather large microphone and not having the boom feature will have you either stowing it away or having it in use all the time. Luckily it is bendy enough to ensure you will find the adequate working position.
Lastly, to go with the sleek minimal design the headset itself is completely devoid of any button, sliders or rollers apart from the 3.5mm line-in from the amp which has its own mute button attached to the cable. Other than that it is a sleek and well-refined headset with a great directional microphone ready to pick up any and every word shouted in victory, as well as mumbled in defeat.
The Elite Pro V1 had a rather big and technical looking mix amp, with many buttons and sliders to make it all look rather tough to use, and it was until you found the sound to be the way you like it. So at a glance, the V1 could be rather daunting but with some getting used to it is fantastic when small adjustments are needed. Fast forward to the V2 and Turtle Beach has gone for a more user-friendly approach with fewer buttons and dials. The V2 only offers a singular knob which serves only as a volume control. It has a dial in the middle that can be adjusted and customized to do nearly anything your heart could desire from an amp mounted light. Keeping up with the times meant that all the controls of the SuperAmp were moved to an app, either on your phone or on your pc, depending on where you are putting the Elite Pro 2 to use. I have been using it on my phone and I do have to say it is rather good... The SuperAmp connects to your phone via Bluetooth which is turned on by a small button on the side of the amp. Upon pressing it a voice will announce that Bluetooth is now on. Simply connect your phone to it and download the app and you are ready to go.
Upon entering the app you will be hit with a plethora of options which can be overwhelming but working your way through them will allow you to customize your preferences to the tiniest detail. The first and most basic option is the chat mixer, which is a simple slider which will balance the amount of game sound to chat sound. The second slider will be mic monitoring, this has become a must since having the feature. Mic monitoring gives you feedback from your own microphone allowing you to hear how loudly you are speaking. This is a must for anyone thinking of streaming or even who play lots of party-based games. No one likes THAT person who is constantly shouting or breathing into the mic.
Turtle Beach has created a signature sound effect called SuperHuman Hearing, this is a setting that allows you to hear a different set of sounds more clearly. This is very useful for hearing footsteps during battle royale games. The Elite Pro 2 naturally has this option that can be toggled on or off whenever needed. Along with the SuperHuman Hearing is an array of smaller settings such as chat boost, which will lift your chat above the gaming noise and make chats more clear and easier to distinguish. In this price range surround sound support is simply a must and the Elite Pro 2 does support DTS Headphones 7.1 albeit simulated, it still does a pretty good job with the directional sound being on par with what you would expect. The SuperAmp also comes with a few preloaded equalizers for some of the more general gaming genres such as shooters, racing, battle royale and a host of others.
This is only the tip of the feature list for the SuperAmp if none of these settings is to your liking you can simply go to the next page and start creating and making the ideal setup for your needs. Compared to the previous SuperAmp, Turtle Beach has made vast improvements to it and it has become much more user-friendly and the fact that you can take calls from your connected phone during gaming is a really nifty touch. Well done Turtle Beach!
Sound quality is a very personal thing, and many brands have a very specific trend when refining their sound. Personally, I have always found Turtle beach to be rather "tinny" and I went into this review with that predisposition, wow was I wrong!
Turtle Beach has created a phenomenal headset with the Elite Pro 2. Not only is the comfort level sublime it has the audio chops to match. Delivering hearty and full bass tones while keeping the mids and highs distinct in every situation I tested them in does show that the Elite Pro 2 deserves its title as the flagship Turtle Beach headset! Movies and music all sound great and the directional audio does great work to deceive you into thinking there are more speakers in your earcup than what there really is.
There isn't that much to say about the sound quality of the Elite Pro 2, other than it did not put a foot wrong during the hours and hours I spent with it. If you are serious about gaming and you are looking for a Turtle beach headset that feels the same way, the Elite Pro 2 is that headset.
The Atlas is a mid-tier gaming headset that has a reasonable price tag considering the great build quality and accurate and concise audio. The lack of any form of surround, be it true or simulated is a drawback, as well as no preset equalizers, might not cater to what everyone needs. Although these things can be rectified if you are using the Atlas on PC, it is something to take note of if you are going to be multi-purposing the Atlas.
If you really want to change up from the black colour scheme, the speaker plates are removable and for a price you can buy custom plates to personalize your headset. These custom plates do nothing to improve nor lessen the sound quality they are simply for aesthetic purposes. The headband that sits under metallic headrest which looks really fantastic, it gives the headset a nice touch and stands out among the general blackness of the headset. The foam layer is also adjustable and thick enough to stop any discomfort from encroaching on your game time.
The Atlas microphone is the same as on the new Elite Pro 2, but for some reason it feels on a lower build quality level than the one on the elite pro 2. The mic is plugged into the left earcup which allows for only a one-sided setup as well as no boom-feature which, if you don't need to take a drink or bite during play sessions is no problem. The mic is directional meaning it is pretty good at picking up only your voice and blocking out all the other unnecessary noise.
Sound and Audio
The quality of a headset is unfortunately not only based on its looks and features, but mainly judged on what its main intent is, to create amazing sound for whatever the circumstance is. The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas does deliver on that platform rather well. The main thing i noticed was how distinct the mids and lows vary, it is really seldom that you find headsets where the levels don't run into each other somewhere along the spectrum creating a washed out mix of lows and mids that can't be distinguished. This was very evident during my time spent in games such as Insurgency Sandstorm and Rainbow 6 Siege. Even the faintest of sounds could easily be distinguished even during intense fire-fights the sound stays true. For gaming purposes the preset equalizer works great.
Using the Elite Atlas outside of its familiar gaming environment is where its faults start to creep in. Using the Elite Atlas to listen to music, even with a Bass -equalizer selected, results in a rather tinny and hollow experience. This is where the lack of even a basic customization feature does leave the Atlas lacking.
Another downfall of the Elite Atlas is its lack of surround sound, be it virtual or not. I am not a big fan of the virtual surround sound as to me it is not a very true experience and in most of the gaming situations the directional setup, especially on console, ends up being more of an enemy than a ally. When using it on PC the catch all Windows Sonic system does help but still doesn't do much for the headset in terms of functions and features. What is even more puzzling is that you can find more features and functions in the lower, albeit lesser build quality, Turtle Beach Stealth 700 for a lower price.
Verdict
The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas is a very capable mid-range headset. It has very good build quality and looks the part as well. It can claim the award for being, arguably, the most comfortable headset in its price range with the most amazing earcups and padding you can find on the gaming headset market. Mic pickup and quality is superb as well. Gaming audio quality is crisp and clear with great attention to the fine audio queues in games.
It seems like Turtle Beach were tasked with making a truly premium mid range headset but went bonkers on the comfort, feel and general audio quality and had no more funds to spend on features that have become almost a "standard" in recent gaming headsets.
The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas still remain more than a capable headset but for those looking for a more feature-rich headset, the Atlas is not the one you are looking for.
The real reason for any headset is not about the brand or the features it's about the sound quality. Turtle Beach has always prided themselves in delivering top quality sound of any occasion. The Recon 70 is fitted with a 40mm driver, as many of the other Turtle Beach headsets are. When listening to music they deliver crisp and clear mids and highs. At times the mids do seem to wash into the highs slightly but nothing to frown upon. The lows are punchy but not as deep as I would like them. When listening to music or watching a movie, I also found that even at max volume the headset was not too loud. This is not a problem, but in some situations in gaming when you possibly need that extra volume the Recon 70's can be found lacking. For gaming purposes, the equalizer settings are just right. none of the ranges are overwhelming allowing you to distinguish between sounds easily.
Using the Recon 70 in a party can be a little trying at first because on no mixer. Once you have set the mixer on console to the correct levels it is a great headset to use especially for battle royale games where communication is key. Teammates will never miss what you are saying because the mic quality is fantastic.
Verdict
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 is a budget headset, and in that range, it is a good headset and for the measly price you are paying for them, you will need to look far to find better build quality and feel. What Turtle Beach has done is positioned themselves really well in all price classes. Providing users with a upper- and lower price range headset. They have also improved on the few "mistakes" on previous headsets. The earcups are bigger and deeper, creating the correct over-ear effect instead of the on-ear effect that is caused by earcups being too small or shallow
If you are looking for a sub R600* headset the Recon 70 is your best choice. If you looking for a sub R1000 headset the Recon 200 is a no-brainer with all the added features.
The Recon 70 is perfect for someone on a tight budget stepping into the headset arena, it provides everything one needs in a headset, no frills or fuss. Plug in and play headset.
Surface degradation is not the only factor in bringing tracks to life. weather and time of day in Dirt 2.0 does not only provide aesthetic changes it affects racing surfaces as well as the way your vehicle puts down its minimal amount of grip.
Finally, we get to the cars, and if by this stage you are not yet convinced about Dirt 2.0 taking control of the many available cars you will soon find out why. Most racing games struggle to accurately portray the way different cars feel and perform, be it mid-mounted rear-wheel drive, or front mounted, all-wheel drive to the less desirable front mounted front wheel drive. Each of these is perfectly imitated. Time has been taken to give each car its unique look, sound and feel, the brutish Group B cars that thunder along with a constant threat of violence, the Sierra RS500 that, if you dare to flatten your right foot ( or right trigger) will push you into another dimension. Or jumping behind the Lancia Fulvia and putting it through its paces on a rain-soaked road. Hearing the 115 bhp singing through to the front wheels as they spin beyond the point of grip. Even on the controller, it is possible to feel the weight of the car flop backward when going up a hill and the steering start to jitter as that weight heaves forward when coming down a hill. In short, the handling in Dirt 2.0 is sublime!
Given the amount of detail put into the driving experience, it is understandable that a bond will form between driver and car, and when mechanical damage, caused by a moment of carelessness can be excruciating! This being said will probably hint you towards taking a more cautious approach to racing. But there is something to be said for dragging home damaged card fenders and bumpers scraping along the road as you cross the finish line.
Career mode, or My Team, has you building a team and a garage. What is rather weird about it is the fact that it requires you to be online while playing it. Possibly because of the daily and weekly challenges against other Dirt players. Cash is a bit of a problem early on in the progression but for the players who don't like to micromanage, you can jump straight into some standalone championships. World RX series is also one of the championship options, tracks like Catalunya, Silverstone and Mettet make their debuts in this mode.
Playing Dirt 2.0 has come leaps and bounds and Codemasters have revitalized themselves with their latest iterations of racing titles, including F1 2018. There is only a single thing I can fault this game on, and its not even so much the game as it is the hardware it was reviewed on. Comparing Dirt 2.0 on the original Xbox One compared to the Xbox X sees a drop in graphical integrity, as expected. Don't get me wrong Dirt 2.0 looks sublime, but it looks even better on the X. Secondly, again not a problem as much as a preference, driving on a controller does not come close to the thrill of sliding behind a serious racing setup! Playing this with a wheel and peddle setup will see Dirt 2.0 wipe the metaphorical floor with all of its competitors. Dirt 2.0 indulges those who have a passion for motorsport, every fiber of its being has been crafted with love and attention to detail. Driving through muddy pits with my wipers struggling to keep my windscreen clean, I can't help but see flashes of a much younger me, falling in love with what is now arguably one of the best driving experiences out there!
If Dirt 2.0 does not tug at your nostalgic heartstrings, it will make you love it after the first outing!
Fort Tarsis is what you would call home in Anthem, a large, visually stunning, bastion of mankind on the planet. Filled with many charismatic characters to speak to. Problem is, none of these characters ever accompany you out on missions and they also never leave their set positions... making them feel more like enthusiastic quest-givers from MMO titles than actual characters in a RPG. Never spending actual time with them or enduring hardships causes there to be absolutely zero connection with them, and this makes the regular insights into their lives annoying and empty. Which is the complete opposite of the enemies of Anthem which has such minimal screen time that I still have no clue as to what their mission or motivations for their mission really are?
Unlike games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, interacting with secondary characters offer absolutely nothing in terms of character progression or story progression. The interactions feel nothing more than an awkward exchange of dialogue to fill time and space. With Bioware at the helm, you would expect Mass Effect-like characters that actually have effects on your story and even make re-occurring appearances throughout the game. Shame on you Bioware!
Completing a mission will have you brought back to Fort Tarsis to painstakingly have to trek across the whole of the fort, walking down the same streets and alleys over and over to collect a mission and come back to the launch pad to start it. Fort Tarsis, as beautiful as it feels like a waste of time at the moment. It is supposed to create freedom of choice and exploration but at the moment it is simply a painful way to reach the start of the next mission.
Hopping into your Javelin and zooming off into the jungles of Bastion does make things better. Firstly the jungles are ridiculously dense and pretty. Secondly, yet have I to experience the joy of flying through the jungle with your squad mates on either side on the way to your next mission. The flying makes you feel like a true hero and doing it with friends makes it ten times better! But once the missions start, things become repetitive. The first couple of missions feel fresh and fighting is good but after your fourth mission, things have become boring and repetitive.
Whether just playing a random mission, or free roaming or taking on a stronghold mission ( these are like a 20 minute Strike like in Destiny 2), Anthem still only has a handful of objectives which the game just reuses time and again. No matter my mission, be it finding a lost scientist or destroying a shaper relic I will ALWAYS need to defend a specified area for 30 seconds and then use my radar to find "valuable" intel on my objective, which I could not be bothered to even remember. During these missions, you will quickly discover that a map that was toted to be large and features many hours of exploration is actually rather small and has you fighting in the same areas and caves on multiple occasions during the campaign.
What saves Anthem a little is the fact that combat can be rather enjoyable. Each javelin brings a unique combat perspective and having a squad with each type of javelin in it can become extremely powerful and make you feel like a real hero. The essence of the combat system in Anthem functions around teamwork. The squad will need to first inflict status effect from one ability, called a primer, before using a second ability, detonator, that will trigger a combo and cause massive damage. Problem with the combo system is that it never gets explained apart from a short brush-over in the tutorials. Lack of clarity extends to the entire loot system. Loot has aimless stats that is never explained and finding a weapon you actually like but happens to be weak, simply has you searching for a higher grade of the same weapon. Even your javelins have stats which are all pretty mundane and cumbersome.
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Exodus picks up 2 years after Last Light. Exodus is a largely self-contained story that follows the main protagonist Artyom, his wife Ana, and a few spartan rangers left from the last great war. They set out from a war-ravaged Moscow in search of habitable areas with the hope of finding other survivors in the seemingly dead, apart from monsters, world, aboard a train. This ability to travel allows for a dazzling variety of settings that you can experience through different seasons, seeing as Exodus plays out over the time of around a year. Ranging from snow-blanketed Moscow to sand-swept deserts and lush forests. All of these settings are well-realized and have adequate amounts of mutants and humans both friendly and hostile.
Although Exodus has broken out of the chains of the past letting you explore the more vast open expanses, some story missions will have you exploring the traditional dank underground corridors. With the newer technology, the lighting effects are extraordinary and the audio makes these areas feel even more ominous and claustrophobic.
During the first couple of hours of Metro Exodus you will be met with a Metro game that is unlike the ones that came before. No longer will you be trapped in the tunnels but you will be met with the open and outside world, which, in its own right, is spectacular. But you will also meet many characters, unlike the previous games where you were alone for large periods of the game. At times some of the acting feels slightly forced and rushed but nothing to take too much notice of. It is also worthy to note that this is the first AAA-metro title so this will be a learning curve for them. But the narrative still remains splendid and with a clever opening sequence that brings new players up to speed with what has been happening in the metro as well as refreshes the memories of old returning players.
The backpack brings an invaluable addition to the game, having you customize and change attachments to your weapon on the fly and not having to return to base before being able to equip them makes it possible to venture in the great unknown for longer periods before being forced back to base. A steady aim has become even more essential in Metro Exodus compared to previous titles as the enemies seem to have become more intelligent. pushing and flanking you if you give them the opportunity as well as noticing if you were to extinguish a light to create the cover of dark areas.
The combat of Metro Exodus is painfully good. You will find yourself carefully moving your way around gathering ammo to ensure your future survival when out of nowhere mutants will attack causing you to spray your hard-earned lead savings and having to start all over. Without giving away too much, the enemy types in Exodus are really vast and combat will never feel repetitive.
Metro Exodus has some incredibly detailed environments, but so do many other titles, but what helps Metro is the minimal menus and on-screen indicators. This does wonders to help you feel engaged and the way the on-screen displays are crafted, looking down at them doesn't feel like you are looking at a menu, it feels like its just a subtle display, that, in real life, would have been there anyway. These fine nuances are what makes the realism great. There is no large glowing indicator on the horizon silently shouting for you to head in a certain direction. Don't get me wrong Metro doesn't leave you with absolutely nothing to navigate with, Artyom has a compass strapped to his arm, so a subtle swing of the needle on his arm can point you back in the general direction. Likewise, there is no map in the corner of the screen. Instead of spotting a glitter of candlelight in a window of a cabin in the distance will show you a possible area of interest. This way of letting the player discover in their own way does make for pure indulgence.
Apart from the constantly varying quality of the voice-acting, the subtle details and ramifications of your actions in Metro Exodus is something truly great. Doing little things such as finding a teddy for a little girl on the Aurora seems like a silly quest, but coming back later to see her playing with it makes your efforts worthwhile. Not all actions have such minor effects on the world. Disobey an order to not shed any blood during, and your actions might come back to brutally haunt you when you least expect it. Many of the actions and decisions will be unbeknownst to you until much later in the game, that is what makes the story so interwoven, at no point will you be able to make out which action is a good or a bad action, these actions will simply snowball till you reach the end where they will have an effect on which ending you will experience.
Razer, as one of the leading creators of peripheral equipment, has created their own type of key switches. You will have an option between three different styles of keys: loud, tactile Greens, quiet, tactile Oranges, and quiet linear Yellows. In theory, these new options make for a more comfortable and responsive key but in all honesty ( with no prior Razer key reference) they feel extremely solid and very durable and the clicky noises are nice and not too overbearing.
As you would expect from premium keyboards there are nice features. Most noticeably are the media controls in the top right corner. Some of these features are built right into the design of the blackwidow. USB pass-through has become somewhat of a standard feature in this class of keyboard but the 3.5mm audio pass through is a really nice touch, and the audio quality is pristine. No matter how much I go into about how glorious the Chroma lighting on the Blackwidow is, can describe what it is to see it for real. Using the software that you will need to download when you first plug the keyboard in, you will have the ability to not only link other chroma devices together but also set the lighting to pretty much anything your heart and mind can desire. Razer has taken its colour profiles one step further with custom profiles for certain games! When playing with different characters in Overwatch, your blackwidow will automatically change to character specific colour patterns. Chroma is synonymous with the Razer brand and with the latest version of it the possibilities are literally endless with what you can achieve, the only downfall is with such power comes great complexity. Setting up Chroma across multiple Razer products can be extremely time consuming as well as immensely challenging, yes the results can be astounding so don't simply give up.
The rest of the Razer Synapse software package is rather straight forward. Allowing you to reprogram certain keys, create custom macros, link games with profiles which are easily toggled between, as well as toggle between various game modes which disable certain buttons, such as the windows key.
The Razer BlackWidow Elite was subjected to a variety of work ranging from everyday office typing and browsing to CS:GO, Apex Legends and R6 Siege. It was fantastic throughout the many gunfights as well as a barrage of keystrokes it had to endure during the writing of reviews. During CS:GO and Siege I did, however, find that some macros would have been nice, but it only took a few minutes to program my function keys into macros.
New World @ Amazon Game Studios[/caption]
New World @ Amazon Game Studios[/caption]
@Polygon[/caption]
@ Polygon[/caption]
@ Polygon[/caption]
@ Polygon[/caption]
@ Polygon[/caption]
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@ Redbull Gaming[/caption]
Here is an example of how different the writing is compared to the agenda driven one that was shown previously. As I said and I'll say it again, the one writer had a brain. The other had an agenda. Are we going to let agendas taint games? Must all developers walk on eggshells for these apparent gamer sites that try to find social injustices in everything? Here's a grand philosophy, I don't think the folks over at these major game news sites can truly grasp this so it may be a mind boggler, but maybe...just maybe video games are a form of escapism from the harshes of reality and we play games to enjoy them rather than be fed a political agenda/message or look for things to nitpick at? Oh wow, mind blown. The crowd goes "ah" as this groundbreaking realization is revealed to them.
If I ever get to interview the devs of this game I hope I get to talk to Patrick Gilmore who was interviewed by both parties and ask him what actually went through his head when he was asked that ridiculous question by the Polygon journalist. Because I'd really like to know.
And if anyone at Polygon saw this, I'd undoubtedly be labelled as all sorts of nasty things because well, firstly I don't share their opinion and secondly, as a fellow writer of all things video games, I'm calling them out on their misguided and agenda-driven 'journalism'. (if we can even call it that..)
As in Just Cause 3, you take the roll of one-man-army Rico Rodriguez. Rico needs to visit the South American island of Solis. As the story with all cliched action movies go, Solis is run by a bad man and his army of bad guys, Rico needs to destroy this dictatorship and remove the oppression created by this bad man... queue lengthy, predictable cut scenes and dialogues. Just Cause 3 alone possessed an immense amount of gadgets to do with as you please. From strapping rockets to cows and sky surfing 18 wheeler trucks. Just Cause 4 takes that and gives you even more but your greatest power is the wrist-tether. With this the island of Solis becomes as big a play area as your imagination allows, you will be zooming across the landscapes, scale buildings effortlessly or ram into enemies.
What really made the franchise stand out from the rest is taking Rico and wandering into a heavily fortified area, be it a mine, nuclear station, harbor or factory and simply letting loose the dogs of war! Violence is literally limited by your imagination. Shoot the shiny fuel containers to start a cacophony of explosions with vehicles whizzing through the air, enemies are gunned down and innocent bystanders are hilariously hooked to balloons and left to dangle by their ankles... In any other game the sight of a tank or helicopter would stop most heroes in their tracks, but to Rico, they become opportunities rather than threats. Rico can commandeer any vehicle or weapon the enemies see fit to throw at him.
But what really sets Just Cause 4 apart from its predecessors is the distinct focus on extreme weather conditions. Rico's target is a weather guru, who likes to unleash natural weather phenomenon such as tornadoes and blizzards on his own people. Naturally, it is Rico's mission to stop this mad man and turn his power to control mother nature back on himself. For the imaginative players out there, Just Cause 4 can offer hours of creative-destructive fun. From smashing things together to destroy the enemies to collapsing towers to pulverize the bad guys.
This all sounds rather fun, and it is fun until the destructive free-roam becomes boring and you find yourself stumbling back to the story. The story and missions are, plainly put, predictable and extremely repetitive. Missions do not feel fresh, known elements are simply rearranged in different patterns to create a "new" mission. Missions are also set great distances apart, in a game like this that is usually a good thing allowing for some fun en-route to your next mission but once you arrive at the new mission, it feels like you are still in the same location. This repetition peaks during timed missions, you will find yourself restarting missions aplenty which is a sign of poor design. UI problems are frequent and the general sense of direction is troublesome at best. Side-missions will see you drive someplace, attack some people, rinse and repeat.
Solis does offer a massive map which boasts various environments ranging from mountains, cities, jungles, beaches and an infinite variety of vehicles to use or destroy as you please. What really hampers Just Cause 4 is the fact that it has to compete with high-detail competitors such as the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassins' Creed Odyssey which all have a living and breathing world that you step into. Compared to them the Just Cause 4 universe just feels a little too simulated and forced compared to the above-mentioned worlds that ooze finesse and meticulously created and interwoven storylines. Had Just Cause 4 been released at the beginning of the current generation of consoles, it would have been genre leading where video game-standard storytelling was acceptable. Simply having Rico's mouth off a few funny lines here and there would have made the game acceptable but instead, it came out after this generation has already experienced the likes of the Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2... Next, to those titles, Just Cause 4 feels a little amateurish.
Square Enix clearly wanted the game to be something where it evolves to a more liberating game of exploration and experimentation but what it does is land short of that mark. Don't get me wrong, doing the "Just Cause"-thing is still tremendously fun but it doesn't do enough to capture an audience and keep them glued. Square Enix will need to revitalize their ideas to keep this franchise relevant and vital. It should look back to what made Just Cause 3 such a hit. Destroy the established order and find something fresh in the ensuing wreckage.
There is a campaign that that involves Marvin the Martian who has captured all the Toons and has made clones which is a clever excuse for so many different variants of the same character. (Bugs Bunny does different things to his clone, Barber Bugs and so on). To collect a character one has to acquire a certain amount of pieces that they get from a currency called “Reatomizers”. The more you get, the higher star rating the character. The depth of the game comes in the levelling up system. By gaining pieces players can evolve the character’s star level. Which levels up their base stats, then there are the XP potions that level them up according to the player’s own level and finally the tune-up levels which add passive skills as well as a boost in ability stats. These require materials like anvils and dynamite which can be gained by completing missions or telling Toons to complete time-based tasks in the game's cute town building mode.
Luckily, completed campaign missions that have been cleared on a three-star rating can be “auto-won” which skips the fight and gives the rewards at the cost of the energy needed to enter the duel. Each region has specific Toons that are required to complete the missions within that region. So Desert characters are needed for the desert region although there are two separate regions, namely the WB Studios and "Avalooney" regions that don’t have their own campaigns but rather lend their characters to other regions which is a nice balancing technique if a player wants to do a desert mission but lacks any desert characters but has a few good WB Studio characters.
The PVE is fun and with a quick pan of the map, one can see possible future regions in the works, like a Blueprint of a town layout in the corner of the map. It’s no surprise as characters like Taz and Tweety are featured in the loading screen but are not in the game at the time this review was written yet a quick glance at the game’s social media pages shows them in the games art style which is a clear indication they are quickly on their way and judging from the community’s response to the beloved characters, the anticipation sits heavy in the air like an anvil over Daffy Duck’s head.
The PVP is where a lot of fun is to be had. Even more so with the Alliance feature. My friends and I have formed an alliance and partake in PVP events whenever they appear which is at least twice a week. These events are cleverly planned out. For every PVP fight a player does, they get a rating. To earn three stars which is the best rating one can get they need to take out each enemy on the screen. These stars contribute to the clan’s chest which levels up every X amount of stars and with each level up the chest becomes more lucrative. Best of all, once the event is over the chest opens instantly which is a good thing because the PVP isn’t only about taking stars and increasing your league points. It wouldn’t be Looney Toons without some mischief. Each region has a bank, these banks are used to open crates with good ol’ loot inside. But it takes time to open these crates. Players are then required to lay down a squad to defend that crate while the clock ticks because, you guessed it, the PVP is raid based. Your squad defends while a player tries to attack and steal. It’s all about numbers, the stronger the squad, the better the defence. The AI is quite formable so the system works well.
The game's animation and characters work well. Who knew Looney Tunes would translate into a turn-based game so well? Characters behave just as you’d expect. Granny, the nurturing old lady is a healer. Houston the Bulldog is a Tank. It makes sense in this Looney world. Some of the animations are similar. Bugs Bunny’s basic attack is pulling a lever and dropping an anvil on a character while Wile E. Coyote pulls on a lever and drops a safe on a character but I suppose in a game such as this, too many different animations may be a bit too much. A nifty little feature comes in the form of a fast forward button which speeds up the animations which are perfect for sneaking in a quick few rounds while on lunch break.
There is a ton of things to do in this game besides the campaign, from daily objectives to daily challenges as well as timed events and the PVP and that’s not mentioning the town mode where players have to build dwellings and send their Toons on timed tasks to farm resources. This game keeps one busy.
As for microtransactions, the game feels balanced enough to make those feel like a choice and never forced on a player in order to progress which is a thing a lot of freemium and even some Triple-A games have forgotten these days. I have not spent a cent in the game and not once have I felt like I had to in order to enjoy it. The grind is there but it isn’t a ridiculous grind.
For those who have not played any of the previous games, Darksiders puts you in the shoes of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. War, Death, Famine and this time around you step out as Fury! She is tasked to go and find the Seven deadly sins, which has been released on humankind due to a rather intricate backstory running through Darksiders 1 and 2. All you need to know is that THE seven deadly sins have been released and Fury needs to stop them all. Each of these sins are naturally a major boss fight. The acting can, at times, be rather predictable and somewhat cheesy but this doesn't take away from the great, yet simple, fighting system that the Darksiders-franchise employs!
Graphically Darksiders 3 can not stand up to the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War and many of the other major titles of the last year, but Darksiders 3 doesn't seem to care. Darksiders 3 takes its stylized cartoonish characters and makes it its own. The environment does look rather bland and limited but once again Darksiders 3 makes no excuses and just accepts the way it is and keeps moving forward.
Hacking and slashing is where Darksiders 3 REALLY excels! This might be a hack-slash game on the surface but you would do well to not simply meander into a large group of enemies and simply expect to mash buttons and walk out of the fight unscathed, oh no. For you to survive, even on the easiest difficulty it will require you to observe and place some well-timed counter attacks as repayment for your enemies unkindness. If you don't you will be swiftly punished. As the game goes on you will eventually build up quite the tell-signs of each type of enemy you have faced.
As you continue through the game Fury will receive many arsenal upgrades which not only gives you new ways to destroy the hordes of enemies thrown at you, but with the expanding arsenal comes new movement powers which will grant you access to areas around the map which you would previously not be able to reach. This is a clever way of re-using the same map later on during the game. Being one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse you would think that after some leveling up, naturally, Fury would become immensely strong which allow her to make short work of all the fodder-enemies that gets thrown at her. But no, thanks to enemy scaling, Fury can be thwarted quite easily by normal scrub enemy. After the first few boss-fights the tables suddenly turn, instead of simply evading and hacking away at the lifebar of the enemy boss, it will feel like you have hit a wall. None of your coaxing will get the boss to reveal its weakness or "tell". But with persistence relief will finally come, I assure you. In this form Darksiders 3 goes back to old school gaming, where developers were not scared to throw immense difficulty at you, making you work for every inch you get in their game.
Darksiders 3 is not a open-world game, instead it is more old-school. Leading you from one room to the next all while working towards your main objective. The next of the seven deadly sins! During your adventure you will mainly be occupied by killing enemies but there is also environmental puzzles which will keep you occupied for awhile on more than one occasion.
Nordlys, the second campaign take you to a Nazi occupied Norway where you take control of a young female resistance fighter. The best part of this chapter is the ability to jump on snow skis and silently skiing past unsuspecting Nazi's killing them silently with throwing knifes! As you progress through the frozen masterpiece that is Norway, with spectacular views of the northern lights as well as spine-chillingly spectacular snow storms, DICE employed a new mechanic which requires you to warm yourself to avoid freezing. The longer you stay out in the blizzard the slower your movements and reactions will become. This chapter is great in itself but due to the resistance fighters being Norwegian this meant subtitles. What also adds to the punch of this chapter is it showcases what many non-soldiers were willing to do to save their own countries which DICE does a great job of portraying the feeling of being a single person trying to overthrow the might of a Nazi Germany.
Chapter 3, which probably is the best of the chapters available at launch, called Tirailleur which showcases the costs of human bravery, sacrifice and ambition. Seeing many non-French natives coming to fight for a country they have never seen. Not only does it showcase the mentioned topics it also deftly deals with the topic of race during the liberation of France. Apart from all the racial and political ties during this chapter, this is the first time that you feel you are part of a platoon during a war, rather than a super - call-of-duty-esque- soldier. From the start you are fighting next to your fellow soldiers who get cut down right next to you on either side. For the first time you feel vulnerable, which is what it must have been like, your life can be ended at any moment by a stray bullet, and that is what is achieved in Tirailleur. Seeing autumn leaves blowing over the corpses of your friends really hits home the atrocity of war! This is also the chapter that shows you a glimpse of what Battlefield is known for, large-scale warfare!
The fourth and final chapter is The Last Tiger which has you take control of a non-Nazi German who has been assigned to a tank crew. The Last Tiger being spectacular as expected with lots of tank warfare which is really well done giving you the sense of power of being in a Tiger tank yet the large target placed on you in any battle but even more so it tries to give the view of a non-Nazi who is thrust into a war he does not necessarily agree with. DICE has gone to great lengths to make their rather short campaign have some significance with the stories they tell. Battlefield V does a really great job of that building from the great playability of the BF1 campaign and adding an emotional connection to it. Telling us how terrible war really is and how many unnamed people lost their lives to protect what we have today.
The weaponry of BFV feel great. Apart from the new customization features that feels a lot closer to Battlefield 4 customization level, the overall recoil and feel of the weapons are much more predictable and manageable compared to the spray of BF1. Classes, apart from the medic which only wields SMGs, are not limited to one type of weapon. Support class can wield from shotguns, LMGs and MMGs. What makes this even more magical is that each of these weapons feel unique enough to have them feel like they each have a use for different situations. Another big change is the fact that scopes now come unlocked from rank 1. No extra grind is needed to unlock the basic sights. This is a very thoughtful change as there is nothing more frustrating as unlocking a new weapon but having no sights to use on it yet which sees you becoming useless for some time as you are required to run around using no sights until you can unlock them.
2 new features in the weapon system is the weapon progession and aesthetic customizations. Weapon progression allows you to customize your weapon to your play style as you rank up the weapon giving you options to reduce recoil or be more accurate from hip-fire for example. This way you can setup each of your weapons individually over time. The second customization feature is aesthetic skins which are unlocked by performing certain tasks. Not only is this a welcome feature it is also fun to be able to see a fellow soldiers skins and appreciate what needed to be done to acquire said skins rather than randomly get them in loot crates.
The vehicular warfare, as Battlefield is known for, is somewhat dwarfed by the fact that, unlike BF1 where vehicles were less, you will find yourself force-picking assault class just to try and manage the sheer number of tanks or planes. In BF1 tanks and planes were a menace but you knew that there were not that many of them. But that was World War 1 and so we have progressed to a more mechanical age and the increase in vehicles make sense, but I can't help but feel that the relationship between infantry and vehicles is somewhat binary.
Battlefield maps are notorious for being magnificent specimens of gorgeously crafted environments that possesses the ability to make destruction seem magical, and BF5 is no different. The 8 maps that are available from launch will take you through the war-torn streets of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The next map, also in the Netherlands is Devastation which showcases the destruction that was left during the battle between the Dutch and the Germans. Devastation also features dynamic destruction so expect it to change significantly after a few explosions. Twisted Steel will take players to the serene fields of France, with open fields which are great spots for aerial bombardments as well as sniper choke points. Yellow fields is another French map this time taking place around a little village with lots of close quarter battles as well as artillery playing a big role in this map. Hamada takes you to North Africa which saw many large scaled tank battles. DICE has said that Hamada will require good teamwork in using tanks and vehicles to capture the objectives. Airfield is the second North Africa map and sees a destroyed airfield with many burnt out planes play host to all our warfare. The last two maps are situated in the snowy mountains of Norway, dubbed Narvik and Snow Mountain. Narvik takes you to a ( once) beautiful mountainside village that has seen serious war, lots of cover is provided by the war-torn buildings with a rather large bridge playing host to many a long range enthusiast . Snow mountain, as the name suggests, wil have you battling around and in the mountains, not much in the way of vehicular warfare but do expect the occasional bombardment from above.
Not all these maps transpire well to all the available game modes in BF5 but these will certainly be tweaked and corrected with future updates. New and noteworthy additions to the already long list of game modes that we saw during BF1 are; Grand Operations which will as in the past expand as the (free) DLCs arrive over time. Conquest and Domination are likely to be the popular modes and DICE's take on the Battle Royale, Firestorm is sure to be a hit among most players when it launches some time after the launch of BF5.
Focus Home Interactive has been at the forefront of the Simulator genre with their various outings of Farming Simulator. This time around they have made huge improvements which really makes Farming Simulator 19 something special. Featuring a complete graphical overhaul ,which is immediately evident, Farming Sim 19 takes gets you elbow deep in the real farming experience, from starting up your tractor to sowing every seed.
Right from the start it is advisable to work through all the tutorials, and they are rather extensive. Farming is not easy, and there are many steps involved if you want to be a fruitful farmer, in real life or in the game. After the extensive tutorials you will be able to start your first farm. This is where you will get your first glimpse of the new reworked graphical system. Every inch of farming from the mechanical aspects to the graphical are meticulously copied and the results are amazing. walking through grass or crops will have them bend and sway according to the way they are manipulated.
Farming simulator 19 gives you, the farmer, the freedom from the onset. If you want to become a logging mogul, you can grab your chainsaw and build your empire one tree at a time. If you are more interested in being a livestock farmer, which is one of the newer features of the Farming Simulator franchise, you can focus on chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and even horses. You can also go the more traditional way of crop farming which will have you planting and growing crops and then selling them at the store. All of these realistic options comes as a breath of fresh air as many Simulators create rather ludicrous scenarios.
The options don't end there, apart from the above mentioned, you can also simply hop on your tractor, a John Deere if you'd like, which is the newly included brand by the way, and meander about the vast countryside and even do a few fetch-and-deliver or lending a hand on neighboring farms. It's a worthy side note that neighboring farms are few and far between in the rather barren countryside. When you get down to farming your own land is when the game becomes interesting. Without really any sort of direction or mission you are literally left on your own with no clear objective apart from farming and amassing money.
So, there you are, fresh from your tutorial, ready to face farming head-on, but what next... And that is one of the biggest challenges of Farming Sim 19, for greenhorn farmers who have not spent time on previous titles the UI can be extremely challenging as well as having absolutely zero cues on what you should do next. This is a double edged blade tho. Nice in the sense that it will allow you to do whatever you want, but frustrating in the sense that even when you decide what you want to do, you might not know how to do it. After some time you should at least be able to find your way around the UI and the magnitude of steps that go into any process that you take on. Even a simple task like growing wheat takes many steps before you will see your very first head of wheat starting to appear. From cultivating, plowing to sowing, to clearing weeds, fertilizer. The list goes on. Same goes for all the other types of farming you can try on farming Sim 19 and the 300 plus types of heavy machinery at your disposal, which sounds great but for a non-farmer knowing what 90% of them do is a challenge in its own.
A nice touch that players can be thankful for, unlike real farming where you need to wait months for your newly planted wheat to grow you can now simply speed up growing times which makes the longs waits slightly shorter. Now all of this seems rather hard work, thankfully you can hire someone to do the monotonous work for you. You could tune into one of the numerous radio stations while riding your tractor up and down but if you need someone to plow your fields, simply hire a helper! If AI help is not your thing jump into the 6 player multiplayer! This lets you join a few buddies and work the farm... The multiplayer did see its fair share of problems joining other gaming sessions but the first patch is set to sort all of that out. It is also good to note that multiplayer farm sessions don't carry over to your single player sessions.
After a rather strange yet intriguing intro you find yourself in the shoes of Edward Pierce, a rather blank character apart from being a alcoholic war veteran and a private investigator. As the player you are tasked with adding skill points to certain areas of PI Pierce which in turn will affect the way clues are gathered and investigations will go. Areas such spot hidden, which as the name suggests, will help you not get noticed as easily. Eloquence, which will help you persuade people you speak with easily. Strength will help you force open doors and break lock mechanisms. Psychology will allow you to intemperate clues and make connections faster. Occultism which gives you greater understanding of things of the spiritual nature such as magic and astrology. These skills, and how to place your available points to them, is what creates the intrigue in CoC, there are many ways to reach your end result, but each skill will take you via a different route to get to the desired location. With Edward Pierce being more of a medium to tell the story, it allows for less time to be spent on portrayal of the main narrator of the story and more time fleshing out the story and plot which will draw you in from the first few minutes of the game.
The game starts like most B-grade detective stories, Edward Pierce a PI with a bit of a drinking problem gets a rather peculiar case. Not much is given away during the game and finding the needed clues really is fun and shows what makes Call of Cthulhu a good solid game. Investigating is a real delight due to the extremely atmospheric environment you find yourself in. It truly feels like nothing you do or interact with in the environment is without purpose. Picking up books and reading them can add to your medical talents, picking up on environmental hints, all factor in. Edward can use all the hard-earned clues that you have so painstakingly gathered and create a sort of "reconstruction" allowing you to see how all said clues piece together. During these scenes it is tough to not find yourself sitting forward in your seat wanting to see and figure out where to go next, when, not by being told, but by being led, one finds the answer and find yourself simply saying "wow". The CSI-esque moments that are all over CoC could really have fallen flat and become quite a chore like they usually are in pretty much every other detective styled game ever created, but Edward Pierce seems to have the same questions I have, making me want to ask and investigate! This makes a usually terrible game mechanic and turns it into one of the strengths of Call of Cthulhu.
Many other sequences, such as the brief attempt and combat and stealth is a rather poor attempt at them and could have been better left untouched. During your play-through you will also encounter a true Lovecraftian-horror portrayal of a strange version of cat-and-mouse which will have you scratching your head trying to figure out what is needed. This takes from the attempt at being a frightening situation and turns it more to a mundane frustration.
Fortunately these mundane moments are few and far between and the occult detective tale takes the forefront for the remainder of the game. Call of Cthulhu plays to its strengths, really delving into the HP Lovecraft work and using it to create a atmospheric environment which creates its own sense of weight to your actions and the lore that can be found throughout the game. Moving from smoke stained offices to a decrepit portside town all the way to dark and claustrophobic caves, Call of Cthulhu will draw you in with its atmospheric brilliance. Turn off the lights and put on a headset to truly be immersed. Along with this you will be treated to a incredible ending with many plot-twists and revelations hitting from all angles as you make your way through the mystery that is Call of Cthulhu. a Single playthrough will definitely see you miss out on many of the possibilities that can be created by choices, luckily the length of the game makes it alot less daunting to attempt another playthrough.
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I have many fond memories of a certain little purple dragon named Spyro and playing the Reignited Trilogy was a welcome walk down memory lane with a beautiful new flare. The graphics, colours and cartoony art style are all just amazing to look at. From Spyro’s cute animations to the scenery of the levels, the modern technological advancements have really breathed a new flame into these games. The game is gorgeous, there are no two ways about it.
Also, the audio has been done over. The voice work is so much better. I remember the odd breathing between words in the older Spyro I played way back when, as if the mic was too close to the speaker but this time around the voice acting is done so much better even though a lot of it can be awkward when characters say things like “press the action button to do this!” But overall, the voices are so much clearer now. The music has also been remastered too which makes the catchy tunes more dynamic although there is an option to switch to the unedited music which is a nice feature.
Other than the graphics, voice acting and some altered controls from the original, not much else has changed. The game still plays like the old one. The controls have been altered to the better though. In the original, the bumper buttons panned the camera which was just awkward, this time the analogue sticks control the camera which does make it game feel easier than what memory serves but it is a much welcome change. Other than that, it’s still that action-packed quick thinking platformer that was adored all those years ago.
With a drive to get 100% completion on all levels, players will find secret areas where they can experience mini-games or collectibles. In the first game, I managed to get 100% completion on one play through and get the secret level completed to leading me to 120% completion. But Spyro 2 is where the harder work began. That’s where the replayability starts as you only acquire certain skills to get to secret areas later on in the game.
This remaster comes with the original three games, for those who didn’t know. All made dolled up for this generation of consoles. One can clearly see the amount of love and passion that the dev team, Toys for Bob, has for Spyro just by looking at the game. It’s nice to see these fantastic games made for a newer generation and for us old-timers who hold onto better days.
Although the gameplay may be considered dated compared modern games, Spyro in its remastered form still holds its own, although not an open world sandbox, the early stepping stones to that genre can be seen here with hub worlds that have portals to levels which can be done in any order the player chooses. It feels unfair to rate Spyro according to the modern-day mechanics which do promote more openness and customization. So I’ll be rating Spyro: Reignited Trilogy as a remaster and as far as remasters go, it gets a 10/10 from me.
Written by Mr Groovy B
The Afterglow LVL 3 headset has a simple design, making them less in-your-face like Razer and Astro headsets. They have a grey finish with blue inlays that fits nicely with the general blue theme of the PS4. The two over-ear cups are padded with suede-like padding and can swivel marginally as well as be adjusted up and down. One downside to the earcups are that they seems slightly small. For some the supposedly "over-ear" design will end up being a ON-ear setup, not good for immersion! The headband is sturdy enough and has adequate padding. The build quality feels rather plastic but at R650 and thereabouts, you don't expect much more. The Boom mic that sits on the side of the earcup is nice and long and works really well, picking up no unnecessary background noises while keeping voice chatter as clear as can be expected.
When it comes to the audio of the PDP Afterglow LVL 3 I was thoroughly impressed. The little 40mm drivers do well with deep bass notes and high pitched treble as long as you keep the volume to the lower end. Once the volume goes up the 40mm drivers can't handle it and will distort. This distortion fortunately doesn't affect the gameplay too bad as you will still be able to hear what your party is saying. The 40mm drums do well considering their size and price but they struggle when they reach extreme highs and lows.
While the PDP Afterglow LVL 3 does falter a little in the audio department it is good to re-affirm the low price. Other headsets that can be recommended for gamers on a budget would be the likes of the Astro A10's and the Razer Electra V2's and Turtle Beach Recon 200's are all around the R1000 mark making the LVL 3 a definite contender due to its good pricing. If PDP would make the earcups slightly larger it would go a long way to swaying many people away from the other branded headsets.
The PDP Afterglow LVL 3 is a great starter headset for someone who is new to gaming and doesn't want to break the bank before they know if they are going to really enjoy gaming.
Apart from the vast open world and many things to encounter, RDR2 offers a ridiculous amount of scripted missions, 104 missions to be exact. To put this into perspective, GTA 5 only had you taking Michael, Trevor and Franklin on 74 scripted main missions... Let that sink in. In RDR2 you will spend your 104 main missions sheriff-shooting, bridge-blowing, bank robbing and the lone "follow the objective". The main missions all have a large part in story- and character building which all happens in the craziest of ways such as inventive tasks, costume changes, outrageous modes of transport or peacefully teaching a boy to fish.
Storytelling in RDR2 once again shows why Rockstar took their time with this title. Many AAA- titles with large production budgets and massive teams working on them still churn out rather predictable storylines with plot-twists that can be spotted from miles away. RDR2 takes the standard of modern story telling and pushes it even further. CD Projekt Red and the Witcher 3 was arguably the best story telling around, except maybe for The Last Of Us. RDR2 makes both those titles look normal. The tale of Arthur Morgan takes ambitious twists, and the epilogue is nothing short of astounding.
Lesser games will use side missions as a way to justify charging you a large sum of money for a lackluster story. RDR2 takes side missions to the next level by making each of them worth your time. Animal hunting alone involve tracking scents and clues before targeting your preys' vital organs for that clean kill. The hunting in RDR2 alone is more engaging than all of the Cabela's games combined. Apart from supplying your camp with food via fishing or hunting, you can also use your resources to upgrade certain parts of your camp which offers a management aspect to the game as well. The camp supplies is not the only thing that needs to be managed. Arthur needs to eat, drink, sleep and bath if he wants to be the best sharpshooter he can possibly be. Hair and beards need to cut and trimmed and once in awhile Arthur needs to take a bath otherwise the townsfolk will not want to interact with Arthur.
Rockstar has also added some finer details, not only to the astounding world which ranges from the snowy mountain tops, the open plains with herds of bison and wild horses grazing everywhere to the swampland infested with alligators or the towns where every brick has been detailed and every NPC has a story to tell. Rockstar has also brought a companion app that can be used on IOS and Android devices which even further enhances the immersion. With the opening of maps being rather cumbersome, using the app allows you to have a live map next to you at all times, not only does this help you, turning your in-game map off will see your partners or other NPC's give more descriptive directions as to where you need to go. The physics that has gone into RDR2 is simply astounding, walking through snow sees the snow adjust and fall to the way you manipulate it. Ride through thick brush and the branches will move and bend as well as having Arthure flinch and adjust. These little things is what takes RDR2 from being a great game to a Perfect game!
RDR2 currently has no multiplayer function with the beta going live later in November but if it is anything like what we experienced in Red Dead Redemption and GTA 5 it is sure to be wonderful!
When it comes to collecting action figures there’s more to it than just picking one that looks cool. We are drawn to the characters that resonate with us and owning a physical version of those characters is like a symbol of the fond memories we have of watching them in our movies, series or video games. We get to embody our enjoyment of the character. Some collectors prefer to keep them in their boxes on their shelf, others display them in poses in their room but people like me enjoy bringing them to life in pictures. To tell a story that only I can tell with them. I would never see Boba Fett hunting down Rick and Morty anywhere else but in the scenarios that I create with my figures. Sharing these pictures I take with a much wider community gives me a sense of accomplishment and seeing others post their shots on Instagram inspires me.
This is all just part of it, though. What excites me the most is the hunt. There aren’t many local shops that sell these things around here so I’m forced to look on the internet and spot action figures that catch my eye. For example, a Mezco Judge Dredd: Cursed Earth figure that comes with a jumpsuit, weapons with removable magazines as well as a nifty poncho. After spotting my prey I do some research which normally includes seeing how popular the figure is on Instagram and seeing what other people are doing with it. Then I move onto watching reviews to hear about the pros and cons of the figure which normally ends up making me want it more. Finally, I move onto looking at my other figures to see what kind of stories I can craft. Judge Dredd would fit in nicely with my classic Robocop figure as both are 80’s icons of dystopian law enforcement. Then comes walking around my house and yard, taking in all the information I have about the figure’s pose-ability and planning pictures around that before actually thinking about getting the figure. A lot of times I go through this process and end up not getting the figure in question. One thing a collector must accept from the beginning is that you can’t get them all.
But for the ones you can get, the hunt is part of the fun. Whether it’s stumbling across it in a shop or seeing it online, the idea of having it stirs as soon as one’s eyes fall upon it. With the lack of stores that specialise in these things does seem to hinder the South African geek culture. In my area, we don’t have these things besides a Toys R Us but that isn’t a comic book store that specialises in catering for us geeks. There are a few in the bigger cities but not many people know about these things.
Does South African Geek Culture need a larger soapbox to shout from? Do we need to show retailers that there is a market for these things? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had more stores across the country that catered for our need to collect and admire our collectibles? I personally think we need to be more vocal and support what little market there is in this country. South Africa was a tad late to the party on the concept of collecting action figures as only recently have I seen Funko Pops appear in stores local to me. The bigger cities are getting them first, no doubt. But I remember a few years ago not many people here knew what a Funko was while my family in New Zealand was raving about them.
Toejam & Earl was a funky little game. An isometric adventure game with various colourful levels that required the two heroic aliens to navigate around the strange and obnoxious human stereotypes while picking up crates that rewarded gadgets that could hinder or facilitate the players’ quest to find all the pieces of their broken funky ship. The soundtrack was catchy, graphics vibrant and the level design was superb. Each level had an elevator that took players to the next level. Fall off the map? And you end up on the level you were just on or end up on the first level. The game took ‘levels’ literally. It made the game a dangerous maze and out of all the games on this list, it is by far the most unique. With Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove in development which retains the gameplay and style of the original but with four player co-op, fans of this classic have something to look forward to.
Ah, the days when movie games didn’t suck. Aladdin was a little gem on the Sega Genesis which captured the flare of the classic movie as well as adding some of its own video game tropes to the original story. The animated look and nods to other Disney films was a nice touch and the levels were challenging. Would it be too far to say that maybe Aladdin’s video game adaptation took cues from the original Prince of Persia? The similarities are there. You can see it in the gameplay. The platforming elements were crazy and the combat, although simpler than Prince of Persia, it wasn’t a walk in the park. The dungeon levels felt like a Prince of Persia game and the soundtrack could only be good being a Disney movie. I put a lot of hours in this game, not as much as another little Disney movie game that struts its luscious mane later on in my list, but Aladdin: The Video Game is worthy of its spot on my top ten list.
I grew up watching Tom and Jerry trying to kill each other every night. Something about Jerry outsmarting Tom fascinated me and looking back on how dark this cartoon really was, it explains a lot of my taste in games and series/movies. Tom & Jerry in Housetrap was a little game that borrowed heavily from the classic Spy vs Spy gameplay but it was better! Why? Because you could play as either Tom or Jerry! It had a fun story mode that referenced classic episodes like the fantastic ‘Push Button Kitty’ episode where a slacking Tom was kicked out of the house in favour of Mechano, the robot cat. Spike the bulldog and the Duckling make an appearance too in capture the flag styled levels where Jerry had to rescue the ducklings while Tom had to catch them and throw them in the oven. As the story progressed so did the house. New rooms added new environmental traps and weapons, thrown or otherwise, to use against the other player or AI. The game sported cartoon graphics and watching Tom and Jerry’s fur pull off from the vacuum cleaner just like it did in the cartoons never got old. The game was the most fun to play with a friend although I imagine it caused a lot of squabbles among younger players. As far as a Tom & Jerry game goes, Housetrap captured everything the classic cartoon was loved for. Looking back, this game is just one of the examples of why Playstation 1 had some of the best games in history. That’s how much I loved this game.
I remember spending many weekends in these three games on the Playstation 1. The story was really good and still sticks with me. It was my first foray into the third person shooter genre. The level design promoted stealth and tactical thinking but when things didn’t go to plan, shooting everyone was still a valid option. The cutscenes were well done for the era and the characters had more depth than most characters in games these days. Gabriel Logan, Teresa Lipan, Lian Xing. I remember all of them. The one character, Lawrence “Larry” Mujari was a South African character and there was even a level set in South Africa. Syphon Filter had a similar yet more grounded theme to the Metal Gear Solid series. These games set me on the third person shooter path and for that, I’ll always remember them and how much of a challenge they were. If these games get a remaster I’ll be over the moon!
Another game I’d like to see a remaster of would be Bugs Bunny and Taz: Time Busters. This game was a real gem on the Playstation 1. There were a series of Bugs Bunny games on the PS1 but out of all of them, this one stood out the most. Players could swap at any time between Bugs and Taz to complete puzzles using each characters unique skills. The AI companion was always following you and switching was as easy as pressing a button. In fact, it felt an awful lot like the Lego games just minus the lego blocks. The puzzles required thought and the action required quick reflexes. The game had runner levels and racing levels and the sceneries were vibrant. From Aztec to Viking, there was a lot to see and do in this third-person adventure game with everyone’s favourite wise-cracking Bunny and snarling Tasmanian Devil. The game captured the Loony Toons humour perfectly and with such a wide of variety of levels and interacting with so many familiar characters, it’s no wonder it was such a joy to play, especially when with a friend. We need more split-screen games these days...
I played this on the PC, my old Windows 98’, and as far as movie games go, this was really well done. Toy Story was my favourite movie out the series and although Woody wasn’t a playable character, the game had such a good level design that I still remember most of it while the song from the first level still plays in my head when I think back to it. From the puzzles to platforming and using Buzz’s laser in combat, it all just went together in perfect harmony. The bosses on each level were a challenge and the game had a lot of replayability as each new level required X amount of Pizza Planet tokens which players had to get by winning races, defeating bosses, solving puzzles or generally helping the various characters scattered around each level and some characters gave Buzz a power up to use in that level. The bosses had a clever design too, most of them required the player to climb up to the top of the level (no easy feat) and then duel with them on top of the highest point in the level. The second level, Andy’s Neighbourhood had a Zurg Kite on top of a tree that was such a mission to get to and defeat and the boss could knock players right off forcing them to climb all the way back up to finish the job. Those boss battles stuck with me and are probably the reason why I really like fighting enemies on rooftops of elevated areas in modern video games. The game has aged badly though as the graphics weren’t very good, to begin with. But if you don’t mind ugly and just want to experience a good third person game with a touch of everything then try to look around for it.
The side-scrolling beat em’ up games were always more fun with a co-op buddy and this TMNT game was no different. I used to play this with my cousin every time he came to visit. We must have finished it a dozen times over and each time we enjoyed every second of it. The game had cool levels and tough bosses that made it a challenge no matter how many times we finished it. The four turtles had similar move sets but the way they used their weapons were different. Don and Leo had more range than Ralph and Mickey, or at least it felt that way if memory serves. This has gone down in my memory for being one of the best, if not the best co-op beat em’ up I’ve played.
This game was and still is the definition of a movie game done right. From the early levels playing as little Simba, jumping on bugs and pesky hyenas to the endgame where adult Simba’s mighty slap sent enemies to oblivion. The levels were well designed and had a good balance between platforming and combat. The soundtrack mimicked the movie’s score and the whole game captured the essence of the movie perfectly. I watched that movie religiously as a child and I played the game just the same. I remember the cheer I gave when I finished it for the first time, only to reboot it and start again. I spent so many afternoons on it when I was younger. The memories made in this game are going to be with me till the day I die. And for that, I will roar its praises from the highest peak of Pride Rock.
I never played the first Spyro game. I received Spyro 2 with the Playstaion 1. I had no idea what to expect when I loaded it in for the first time. From an array of colourful levels and hub worlds to tricky boss fights and puzzles, this game had a lot of variety to it. It never once felt repetitive with charming characters and a good storyline with funny characters. I pretended to be sick so I could skip out of school to play this game...hence why I’m so smart today. If you missed out on this jewel then fear not as the stunning remaster is right around the corner.
This game is a fond memory for a lot of gamers that I’ve spoken to over the years. But for me, it was my first RPG and it was set in the Star Wars universe which I’ve been a fan of since I was five. The story was brilliant, the semi-open world was beautiful at the time and the combat opted for a more strategic approach than a button basher. The moral choices and character builds promoted replayability more than other games I was playing at the time. I replayed this game so many times that I lost count. It is of the opinion of many that this is the best Star Wars game ever made. And thinking back, I have fond memories that remind me why that is not just a mere opinion but a well-grounded fact. We need more Star Wars games like this.
Gaming headsets is a very large market, with the likes of many big-name manufacturers such as Astro, Steelseries and the very well known Tutle Beach being some of the biggest names in the industry. The problem with gaming headsets is that they tend to be rather expensive. Whether it is because of the features they possess or the logo they have branded on them, gamers have become used to forking out rather substantial amounts of money to get decent headsets. Turtle Beach is experiencing a bit of a renaissance at the moment with their new range of headsets which range from entry-level budget headsets to the top-tier headsets that the professional esports players are using. What really makes the Turtle Beach range attractive is the features they pack with their base headsets which come in at a budget price. Making Turtle Beach one of the most competitive headsets on the market at the moment.
Turtle Beach created the Recon 200 wired headset with the new, ever so popular, Battle Royale mode in mind. Battle Royale game modes require teamwork, therefor the Recon 200 focuses on crisp and clear microphone and accurate directional sound, for those moments you find yourself surrounded.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 is a wired headset with a 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning it can be used on nearly any device that has a headphone jack. This makes the Recon 200 a good buy if you are looking to buy a multi-purpose headset. Being made with Battle Royale in mind the microphone was obviously a major focus, lending the flip up mute feature from their stealth-line the recon 200 has a short boom mic which delivers tremendously clear and crisp chat, without picking up any ambient sounds. The Recon 200 boasts the ability to work with surround software such as Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic although it doesn't boast the compelling soundscape of its higher-end counterparts. The key feature that puts the Recon 200 above its price-range counterparts like the Astro A10's, is the mic-monitoring which allows you to hear yourself when speaking, eliminating those awkward moments of not realizing you are screaming. This features uses a built-in battery which is charged via the included USB cable.
There are however some negatives to the Recon 200. Gaming headsets are designed to be worn for extended periods of time, meaning they are generally comfortable to wear. The Recon 200 earcups are clad with faux leather, which generally is not a bad thing, but when worn for extended periods of time faux leather doesn't allow for breathing causing a clammy and warm feeling inside the earcup. Not a nice feeling after multiple hours of gaming. The earcups are rather narrow which might have some users opting to place the headset ON the ears instead of OVER the ear as intended. The headband which leans to the too-tight side of comfort rather than the comfortable side also lacks the padding which is required for the long gaming sessions. Although the Recon 200's boast capable sound quality with general use, upon using it in high volume situations with large explosions and overwhelming noise, the 40mm drivers of the Recon 200 struggle and tend to distort washing out most of the distinct sounds which can generally be distinguished when using other headsets which boast the larger 50mm drivers.
Turtle Beach really has refined the Aesthetic appeal of their headsets. Many other big-name manufactures such as Astro sport rather "un-conventional" styling or plaster their hardware with as much RGB lights as possible ( cough cough Razer). Turtle Beach has taken a step back and created a slick and sheek designs creating appeal for gamers and non-gamers alike to use their hardware not only in a gaming environment but in everyday situations as well without being looked at funny.
The recon 200 copies the design and build of the Stealth 600 and 700 series with a carbon fibre finish, paired with matte black covering provides a classy, minimalist look. Neatly tucked behind the one earcup you will find the volume wheel, mixer control, which lets you adjust how much in-game sound or party chat you want to hear from your headset. The power slider and USB charging port is also situated in a neatly paired group. The Mic monitoring, which requires the headset to be charged beforehand, is estimated to be able to be used for nearly 12 hours on a single charge. Earcups also have a diagonal swivel which helps to get that "fitted'" feel.
For people who do not know how the Dakar works. It is a race across some of the most extreme terrain without any GPS equipment with extremely long distances to travel each day. The format being used is called Rally raid. Rally raid is actually a really large scale navigation game seeing racers dash between checkpoints trying to beat opponents as well as not destroy their vehicles in the process. Not having GPS devices mean the driver and navigator need to use a compass, paper roadbook and the odometer of the vehicle to navigate their way to the checkpoints.
No other game puts as much emphasis on navigation as Dakar 18. When you start up the game you will be taken through a tutorial. It is HIGHLY recommended that you do not skip it. You will be told how to read your roadbook and understand all the scribbles that you will find there. Once you have completed the tutorial... do it again! If you are not a veteran and you are highly comfortable with navigation it is recommended that you select the rookie setting. Rookie setting will give you a Compass indicator to the next checkpoint when you are not on some form of road or track.
You will be able to choose from all the vehicles that take on the Dakar rally, from the new 450cc motorbikes, quads, normal vehicles and lastly the giant trucks. Once again it is recommended that you use the latter two categories because it provides you with a navigator that will read the roadbook notes back to you which will save you from having to flick your eyes to the roadbook while trying to keep your car from getting stuck in a sandpit. The whole aim of Dakar 18 is to let you experience what it is truly like to compete in a rally raid. You will need to read the roadbook, use the knowledge and hints given to by the book and then look for the visual cues in the environment to guide you to your next location. These cues can range from a large rock, a clump of grass, remnants of a house or even a car track disappearing over a dune... all while trying to not destroy your vehicle. Camera modes are rather interesting in Dakar 18, the normal bumper and chase cams are available if you want but the experience only hits home when you use the cockpit view where you will be overwhelmed by the noise, as well as the helicopter view for those "tv-like shots" of you careening through the desert.
During the opening stages of Dakar 18 you are racing over dunes and through gorges in Peru which mostly consists of just sand. This might paint a bleak picture of the surrounding but the way Dakar 18 has managed to capture the seemingly endless rolling dunes is breathtaking. If you ever wondered what it might be like to get lost in a desert, don't look at your road book for a few minutes and you will quickly find out what it feels like.
After the day-one patch (which arrived a week late) there was a large graphical upgrade which did help a rather lack luster graphical experience to become more acceptable. Nothing special like some of the other racing titles out there but Dakar 18 does not give you the feeling that it ever wanted to compete on a graphical level. Post patch vehicle dynamics and physics have improved dramatically. Vehicles drive differently from other classes, Steering the vehicle through different terrain now feels that way where as before every terrain felt the same. This being said Dakar 18 tries really hard to be a simulator but the driving mechanics are definitely arcade like. Hopefully this will be patched in upcoming patches.
Simulators are usually rather barren games. Lacking enthusiastic cut-scenes, energetic music and general refinement when it comes to the aspects that they are not trying to be a simulation of. Dakar 18 doesn't offer much when it comes to game modes. The career which is the obvious mode that takes you through all the stages of the Dakar rally. There is a multiplayer mode which includes couch co-op via split screen which will have you and a friend jump into any of the stages available throughout the race for some fun in the sun and sand. Treasure hunt will see you hunt for random items through stages you have already completed. This becomes tiresome really quickly, slowly driving around an area you have already slowly driven around in without any sense of purpose really doesn't sound appealing at all. No matter the game mode you choose they all boil down to one fundamental idea: using a roadbook to travel through a 5.791 square mile explorable map racing from point to point with minimal assistance.
The gameplay is a tad tricky to figure out at first. Your wrestler isn’t this machine that can take hit after hit. They will eventually get tired as their stamina bars deplete and each hard hit will cause damage to their body which is indicated in the HUD in the bottom of the screen. The weaker they become, the easier they are to be pinned down. And that is an advantage highly skilled players can use against their opponents. The reversal system is a key element to success; it’s all about that split second quick time event that suddenly appears above your wrestler’s head before they take a knock. It does get a bit annoying when you end up in a loop of constant bombardment after missing those extremely fast reversal opportunities, but this is only in the beginning as when the system becomes more familiar one predict what their opponent is about to do by studying their move sets but still, the controls feel tricky. After pressing a button that supposedly did one thing ends up doing something completely different. Maybe over time these get easier but after all this time in the game, it feels like the wrestler does his or her own thing most of the time.
There is a skill tree that gives players certain perks which eases things a bit which is a nice touch but it still feels like the game boils down to player skill and not a bunch of passive skills.
The commentary is outright boring. Compared to Fifa games or other sports games, the commentary in this one gets obnoxious after awhile. After the first few minutes the commentators start saying the same things over and over. How many times is the commentator going to say the same line that takes a stab at my opponent’s ridiculous name? Or how many times are the commentators going to ask how these wrestlers are still going after throwing each other around a bit? It gets tedious after a while. But other than that, the music is what you’d expect from a game like this; there are some catchy tunes in the menus. The crowd reacts well to the action and the sound effects are spot on. But commentary and dialogue just feels outright lazy and makes a long match a chore to shovel through which is such a shame because in a quick play match the commentary is better, yet in the story it’s just the same tedious thing over and over.
The graphics are decent enough. A lot of detail went into the wrestlers, which is expected. Seeing sweat gleam off their backs is a very nice touch. The stages are flashy and the way the characters move and react to being whacked in the head with a chair (among other things) looks spot on. Facial animations in the cut scenes are a tad on the cringe side of the spectrum though.
Not keen on the story? Well, WWE 2K19 has a ton of things to do from online multiplayer to various match types, like Hell in a Cell and the Back Stage fight scene, to name a few. There is even a tower mode where players face a series of opponents that escalate with difficulty, much like other fighting games. There is a lot to mess around with other than the story mode, as well as local multiplayer. It’s always fun to beat your friend near to death with a chair while Triple H watches on, paying no mind.
The last time we laced up our boots was with Fifa 17, and that is the last time we spent time with The Journey. Many people prefer games with some sort of story and Fifa's The Journey brings that story to a otherwise great sports game. You take control of Alex Hunter, his kid-sister Kim, and best friend Danny Williams as they each go through their career and possible career in football. You will need to make choices which affect the story in subtle ways. Be it making a conscious decision or a brash emotional decision. The decisions affect the way your manager, coach, the public and your fellow players feel and act towards you. During your journey you will have rival players in your own team which as you interplay with them more and more, your teamwork will increase making you play better alongside them. As in the previous Fifa Journeys, you have to attend team practices during the week which increases stats. The Journey also allows you to customize your player with clothes which is seen during the really well scripted cut scenes which are used to progress the story.
We are simply loving The Journey. The gameplay is extremely smooth and there are some nice added features such as flicking the ball to a teammate when receiving a pass under pressure. Add even more minor tweaks such as body feints, precise ball controls and more, comes the same opposite effects. Balls bouncing off chests and knees when you don't time your flick just right will see the ball roll away and into a opponents grasp more often than not. Above all the new tweaks added to Fifa 19 the new animations is just phenomenal and makes the game play fantastically smooth. During the roughly 16 hour long "campaign" which plays through 3 consecutive running storylines you will help Alex adjust to the life of a superstar at Real Madrid. Help Kim through the struggles of being a 17 year old football prodigy in the USA womens team at the World Cup. And finally Danny, as he struggles with staying in a team as well as being compared to his estranged older brother.
Fifa 19 also focuses more on realistic passing, gone are the days of just simply passing to the fastest player on your team and watching them round the whole team to score goal after goal. Passing now requires you to create space as well as perfect your pass strength. Lots of emphasis has been placed on strength, physically strong players will no longer be able to run attackers off the ball and steal it.
The biggest addition to this years' Fifa outing is the huge addition of the UEFA Champions League. All the drama of the Europe's Top Club Competition is on offer. The instantly recognizable music and graphical overlays that are used throughout the season is perfectly done to create a perfect realistic feel. The level of detail, which in Fifa's case has always been amazing, is simply breathtaking making it feel like each match could be one happening in the real UEFA league right this moment.
Player models and details are also ever improving from the beads of sweat during a game, to the fog and even snow that changes the feel of the game completely! If it is a windy day, loose fitting jerseys can be seen fluttering in the wind.
The UEFA Champions League and its little brother, the Europa League, are seamlessly woven into all modes including career mode. Kick-off mode which has been stagnant for very long also sees a complete rework delivering new modes such as House Rules which sees rules, some of which come straight from the playground, such as Headers and Volleys while some bring more chaos to the beautiful game such as " no rules" which as the name suggests makes everything acceptable. Jumping onto the Battle Royale wagon Fifa 19 brings Survival mode. Survival mode sees random players being ejected from the scoring side which in theory sees the trailing team gain the advantage.
FUT returns to Fifa 19 with even beefier content. Play the Journey and you will unlock FUT content. There is now also live content updates in forms of FUT-cards. These new modes go a long way to spice up the rather stale normal game modes since its launch with Fifa 97. It is still unclear whether these game modes will hold much interest in the months to come after launch due to them being available (strange as that may be) offline, this being said these modes are a welcome addition seeing as the pro club and career mode seems to be virtually untouched. Another nice touch added to FUT, albeit largely untouched, is Division Rivals. Division Rivals has you compete against players of similar skill level for weekly rewards.
When we think of Golf in gaming Tiger Woods is the one and only name that comes to mind, yes we had Rory McIllroy which was rather lack luster affair. Since then EA has seemingly washed its hands with the golfing franchise, someone needed to step into that role. Golf Club has stepped up and taken it upon themselves to be the leading, if only, golfing title around.
Previous outings in the Golf Club franchise were nor here nor there. But HB studios endured and with the help of 2K games they have acquired the PGA Tour which makes the Golf Club 2019 bolster its course stock by adding 6 real world courses including TPC Sawgrass ( home of the Players Championship) and TPC Scottsdale ( home of the Phoenix Waste Management Open). These courses are all included in the career mode with fictional courses filling in the blanks. This is still not ideal but its a major step in the right direction.
The Golf Club has always strived to be a golfing simulator and not a casual golf game like the EA franchise was. Golf Club 2019 does not falter on that promise!
Stepping straight into the career mode I was met with spectacular vistas and sprawling grass and superbly recreated courses! It is a worthy mention that the character creator is immensely deep. I am not even going to try and describe how many customization options the Golf Club 2019 provides. I found myself simply relaxing and letting the cutscenes play between walking to the tee and teeing up etc. The chirping of birds and the wonderful crack of a well-struck shot made we wonder why I never picked up a club in real life! I was however expecting a little bit of player likeness, by no means was I expecting to tee-up with the likes of the new and improved Tiger but some form of likeness would have been nice.
Commentary, at times, feels a little out of place during the career but generally I found commentary to be one of the main parts of any golfing title to help me relax, which in The Golf Club is really important when it comes to actually playing golf. The progress system, which sees you play against a rival player on the tour as well as letting you unlock sponsors such as Under Armor feels like enough reason to make you come back and try and improve your score and attributes. It is also good to see that in the multiplayer aspect that your upgraded stats and abilities which you build during the career, does not influence you, creating a level playing field.
Finally stepping onto the course, the mechanics of Golf Club 2019 are astounding! This is by far the most challenging and rewarding golfing-sim on the market. Firstly, the swing mechanic relies heavily on swing tempo, which takes some time to get used to. The slightest of hesitations during the transition from back- to forward swing and you will quickly be trudging through the thick and unforgiving roughs. But when you get it all right and you hear the crack and see your ball sailing straight and true down the fairway, that is when you appreciate the 20 shots you shot out of bounds or straight into the bunker. Once you feel a little more comfortable with your shots it becomes extremely satisfying when you hit a rather bad tee shot but, playing from the rough and you create your own shot with varying power and spin and you scramble from there! Truly an amazing feeling. After all of this you might find yourself, if you lucky, on the green. This is where Golf Club 2019 is shoulders and neck above any other golf game. The Golf Club 2019 does not call itself a simulation for no reason. Golf is difficult, and putting is one of the toughest yet most satisfying parts of golf. As player you don't get given much except undulation of the green. You need to read, decide and judge speeds to keep the ball rolling to where you intend it to go. If that is not enough trying to play the real-world courses will have you languishing in pain after reaching the par 5 green in 3 and still walking away with a double bogey, simply due to the punishing putting system.
the animations in Golf Club 2019 are really well done, the way your golfers' knees buckle when you miss that important put, the anger and frustration of a miss-hit tee shot to the fist-pump after a birdie put. The crowd animation as a whole seems like it was stripped from a PS2 -version of Tiger Woods, the crowd claps in unison sometimes not even facing the right direction but these are all minor and can be easily over sited.
As a whole the Golf Club 2019 is a very solid title and if you as player is willing to invest some time and effort into this title you will be richly awarded with a tremendously good game. What makes the experience even sweeter is that all your mistakes can easily be chalked up to doing something wrong, that causes you to adapt and improve and once you know your weaknesses and play to your strengths, the Golf Club 2019 will be the most addictive golfing sim you will EVER play!
Compared to previous years, it is now considerably more difficult to even get close to the hoop against AI defense without running some form of distraction or running play ( yes I learnt some jargon). Shot meter color and position can now be changed and positioned to suite your personal preference. Something I definitely experienced and like alot is the accuracy and preciseness of on-court actions making for quick and accurate responses when you need to make adjustments. layups and shots now show the shot meter more clearly as well as the shot meter staying with you for longer and giving you a more clear indication of when you should release. Some say the new system makes it alot easier to take shots, I did not experience it that way at all it took me quite some time and a barrage of profanity before I sunk my first shot.
On defense you need to really be attentive on the player you are defending, you cannot spam the button to stay on the ball handler. You need to manually contest each shot and if you do not pay close attention to possible fakes you will waste your opportunity and the attacking player will have a open shot.
Previous MyCareers have not been lauded for their compelling stories, I watched a few videos on how the stories played out and they are cringe-worthy. NBA 2K19 turns up the drama and makes it believable! Called "the Way Back". Your created player, who was unfortunately not drafted, starts off in China trying to make a name for himself before making his way into the G-League and later winding up in the NBA. As usual you develop rivalries and relationships along the way which is told by truly spectacular cutscenes. The cutscenes truly blew my mind! Some well known voices and faces lent themselves to these cutscenes, the likes of Anthony Mackie, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Rapaport to name but a few.
MyCareer focuses on the grind. After many hours you will arrive in the NBA. This is where the writing disappears and you find yourself in the Neighborhood, players of old will recognize this as the social hub where you can practice, play ball, complete activities and, ofcourse, purchase things. Here you can spend virtual currency, which can be obtained by playing ball, or you can spend your hard earned money and upgrade your player faster. The Neighborhood aspect is something I truly love because it serves as a social gathering place as well as a facility but my only concern is because it hinges on a social input, I hope that their is enough interest to keep it alive way past its initial launch and keep thriving for months to come.
MyTeam, 2K's version of EA's Ultimate team, still craves cold money to really make itself great. Yes you can simply grind away for in-game currency but I which they could move away from the blatant emphasis on microtransactions.
Last, but not least, there are the 2 game modes known as Blacktop and 2KU. Blacktop gives you the option to show off your streetball skills in either 1v1 up to 5v5 giving you access to all the greatest players past and present. 2KU on the opposite end of the scale, teaches you all the in's and out's of the game. For new- and old players it's worth the time to check out 2KU to keep up to date with all the latest refinements that has been brought to NBA 2K19.
First things' first, I have probably not touched a F1 game since I was a kid and I can't explain why. This means I have zero reference regarding how F1 2018 compares to its predecessors. When I fired up F1 2018 I was simply blown away! First order of the day, naturally, is to jump into the career. You have the option to create your avatar and mildly customize him as well as pick a helmet design and manipulate the colors to suite your style. Next up is choosing the team you want to join. I would have liked to see the game start you off in a lower team and make your way up the ranks, but F1 2018 allows you to pick whoever you please, I went for the realistic approach and joined Sauber.
I considered myself a bit of a racing-sim-amateur so I went for assists, after one lap I decided to push the difficulty level up by at least 2 levels. Removing the assists and ABS. Suddenly the game came to life! Not only do you have to be so connected and in tune with your race car, you actually need to use your free practice sessions to get to know braking zones, corners and your car in general. A nifty feature that serves more than one purpose, is the training programs that are allocated to you during practice sessions. These range from learning the track. Fuel management, Tyre management and qualifying laps. These challenges reward you with some knowledge of how to go about your upcoming race as well as research points which you car pour into the development of your car.
And so my F1 journey begins. After a brief introduction of the magnitude of screens and settings and adjustments that you have at your disposal I decided to jump straight into the action and headed off to Melbourne Australia. I was met with a barrage of settings and things that I could adjust which, if I had no F1 knowledge would have blown me away. Luckily I could grasp all the technical jargon from listening to many years of Murray Walker and made a few adjustments and set off on my first out lap...
With the introduction of the new halo safety system the cockpit view is somewhat difficult to get used to. You now have a large pillar in the middle of you field of view which complicates things... But seeing as this is a sim-racer i chose to stick with it and i quickly got used to it. The attention to detail on the steering wheel is simply astounding. Not only can you see all your car info from tire temperatures to engine management settings your driver will throw his hands in the air if a fellow driver cuts you off at at turn. All very nice touches which improves the realism.
Graphically everything looks really nice and even though you race along the tracks focusing on the road, not really the surroundings, it really has got a nice feel to the environment around the track. I had hardly gone around the track twice when my engineer told me rain is approaching soon and that is when this game stepped up even more. Suddenly race tactics changed. Drivers were diving into the pits, others staying out to try and take advantage and risk of not going over to wet tires just yet. I was panicking due to the struggle with grip I was having. I cautiously made my way into the pits and got my wet tires. After losing a few spots I had to fight my way back up the leader board. I eventually ended the race in 6th position.
After a few rather average looking scenes of teams celebrating etc I was taken to a debrief where you get shown how your view and rep from other teams change depending on your performance. But what I really found post race was how intense of a racing sim this game is when you turn up the difficulty level. Not only was my fore arms sore from gripping my controller so tensely but I was physically tired. That is part of the beauty of this game. Not only is it just a F1 racing game. It forces you to know your own driving ability as well as understand the sport of F1 and how the cogs of the team work together to produce a great race weekend and how suddenly things can change due to rain. The game seamlessly throws the rain into the mix and everything changes faultlessly. Tyre degradation, team tactics etc are amazing! Not only is it the type of game that focuses on all aspects of the F1 brand like contracts and team development that caters for the more die-hard fans of F1 but it can be played by casuals racers as well.
In between race weekends there are also classic events and short track events to change from the intense racing of F1. You can jump into race cars of yester year and take them around shortened sections of well known tracks like Suzuka. This brings a welcome change of pace and its a nice touch.
Overall I think anyone who is even remotely a F1 fan should get this game. Whether you are a casual- or sim-racer. F1 2018 has enough to keep everyone coming back for more and the multiplayer is sure to attract many more people. Codemasters has taken their F1 game and turned it into a franchise to compete on the level of FIFA, Madden, NBA and all the EA sports titles. If you are any sort of F1 fan and want to play F1 when you are not watching it, this is the game you NEED!
Fast forward 2 years and Hello Games' deserve some credit, they have been grinding out new updates and fixes to No Man's Sky free of charge, as well as brought it to the Xbox. All of those culminated to the "NEXT" update.
One of the major problems with No Man's Sky is the way it was marketed... It was never really specified what type of game No Mans' Sky was trying to be. What it ended up being is a sort-of Space trader with elements of games like Rust and Don't Starve. You start the game when your spaceship crash lands on a unknown planet with you as a player having zero clue what to do. Apparently the updates have made your mission of finding the center of the galaxy as well as unearthing the secrets of the alien intelligence named atlas. Although this goal still is EXTREMELY vague!
To achieve anything in No Man's Sky you need resources. Your ship needs fuel as well as your spacesuit and your multi tool which is essentially a gun, scanner and gatherer. If you do not need all the resources you have gathered via exploring and using your multitool you can sell it off at trading stations for, hopefully, a good amount of profit. Unlike games like ARK your hunger is not an issue, in NMS only thing you need to worry about is your spacesuits' ability to withstand the extreme heat and cold of the various planets you explore.
It took me a rather long time and lots of forcing to initiate any form of combat and i was rather disappointed with it. Gun play is rather bland and flat, yet it is still easy. It is kind of expected with a game like No Man's Sky seeing as it's not a shooter. Secondly the game is too laid back to have its player do things you should do in shooters. The space combat is better, by better I don't mean great, just better than on-foot combat.
The thing that No Man's Sky really does well is the visual artwork. NMS can produce some tremendous vistas at times which can make you forget about all the grinding less than stellar game play! Realistic clouds float around overhead when you are on the planet surface with lush fauna and flora. Something I loved was how when you come in to land on a planet your ship passes through clouds which can be seen through your cockpit. As much as all the procedurally generated fauna and flora along with the string of dinosaurs, aliens and dragons look great their lack of any form of artificial intelligence becomes glaringly obvious rather quickly.
Multiplayer does make this rather bland game a little bit more exciting. I mean it is always better to be bored with a friend than on your own right?
When analyzing No Man's Sky the way I have now it is easy to think that it is a terrible game. At its core idea and build it has the best foundation for a game, only thing is that with all the updates and changes the foundation is all that has changed, it still has a rickety shed built on top of that foundation. Hello Games can possibly fix this with lots and lots of resources being invested into No Man's Sky but whether or not it would be worth the effort is where it gets tricky. In terms of potential No Man's Sky is endless! Maybe the problem occurred right at the start of this title's life when the hype was aiming at the stars but the end result struggles to get out of the earths' atmosphere...
From the moment you open the box of the Razer Thresher you realize that you have a quality piece of hardware. packaging is sublime and I couldn't wait to pull the Thresher out of its molded foam housing. It has similar design queues as the Thresher ultimate and the Thresher 7.1 but just cuts out some of the expensive bells and whistles to bring it in at around R1 700 give or take a few which is a very good price range to be in considering that its only big name wireless competitor is the Turtle Beach Stealth 600.
I have now been using the Razer Thresher for more than a week and it is easily one of the most comfortable headsets I have ever used. Razer is known for their top quality materials and the Thresher doesn't stray from that. The headstrap is made from light but sturdy metal while it features a floating headband which adjusts to fit most head sizes comfortably. The earcups are covered with thick high quality memory foam that allows for a surprising amount of breathing considering the leatherette-type covering. Earcups are also rather deep and roomy making for a comfortable space for normal ear sizes. One of the positives, but also part of the negative of this headset is the superb isolation effect the earcups offer. Blocking out most of the surrounding sound meaning you hear only what you need to hear and nothing else...including your own voice, but more on that later.
Sticking with the slick design of Razer, the Thresher as a completely retractable mic for when you are not in the need of communications. There are Razer logos on the outside of both earcups which light up (in green of course) when connected and ready for use, or flash when being connected or ready to connect to your Xbox One console. The PS4 variant naturally has blue logos.
All controls, power-on/off, volume, mixer and mute are all neatly tucked away at the bottom of the earcups allowing for easy to reach controls. With a simple press of the respective wheels you can either mute the volume through the headset entirely or mute your microphone which will be signaled by a nifty reg light at the end of the retractable mic.
The Razer Thresher really delivers when it comes to sound. The Kraken, the Threshers baby brother, left me rather underwhelmed by the volume as well as the clarity and destinctive-ness of different sounds. This is not the case with the Thresher. It delivers deep and thumping bass notes considering it is a wireless headset. Personally I always find that wired headsets seem to have a deeper bass note to wireless, whether this is true or whether its just my ears playing tricks I do not know. Mids are clear and even at low or high volumes the sound ranges don't bleed between each other meaning you get clear sound no matter the volume. Voices don't get drowned out by thumping bass or screeching highs. Where the Threshers really shone was when it came to party chat. No headset I have ever used has made a party chat sound this good! Mic doesn't pick up unnecessary noise making that noisy chips that you are eating less of a irritation for your fellow party members.
Overall there is not much wrong with this headset and you have to go really far to find one. The only problem I did have, and I did allude to it earlier in my review is the lack of Mic monitoring. For those who don't quite know what Mic Monitoring is the simple explanation is that mic monitoring simply takes what your microphone picks up and plays it back through your headset so you can hear what you are shouting to your team mates. Many people might think this isn't much of a hassle, and you would mostly be right. But the Thresher does such a great job of sound isolation that without mic monitoring I have had my wife come into the room asking me to keep my voice down on many late night sessions.
Another small disappointment is the lack of virtual 7.1, even though I am not a big fan of it, its a feature that many people love and the lack of these 2 features really makes the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 and the slightly more expensive Stealth 700 become a viable alternative.
When most people think or hear Astro they think expensive, flashy premium headsets, and they are not wrong. the Astro A40 and A50 range are exquisite headsets, one being a wired version and the latter, a wireless version. Astro are known for making exceptional headsets and I, using the A40 TR's as my everyday headset, can vouch for that. You have to fork out some cash if you want to get into the Astro market... Until now!
The A10 ( and even A20) are both premium headsets priced in the budget and middle sector market respectively. So when the Astro A10's arrived at my desk from Megarom Interactive I was very excited to give them a go and to see how they stack up against its big brother the A40.
I was lucky enough to be given time with the Astro A10 with the M60 mixamp that plugs into the bottom of the V1 controller. The packaging is good quality as you would expect from Astro and inside the box you don't find much but a quick setup guide ( which is not really needed) the headset, mixamp with cable and a spare 3.5mm cable to use if you have a V2 Xbox One controller. Personally I would like a sticker or 2 so I can show off that I have a Astro headset.
Upon first inspection and feel the A10's feel light, yet not flimsy light that you would be concerned that they might break. Build looks and feels good, using hard plastics instead of the more chrome and metal approach of the A40 which is surely the reason for the distinct difference in price tag as well. The boom mic is fixed to the one side of the headset and can fold away nicely when not in use.
The headband has adequate padding which is perfect for those marathon sessions. The headband, as advertised, is extremely flexible and can be bent and rolled in many forms but I did not feel comfortable testing this out but it is good to note that the headband allows for lots of flex so large heads or large hairstyles will be accommodated comfortably.
The M60 Mixamp which simply plugs into the bottom of V1 xbox controllers really is nice and simple to use. It comes with a simple 5 button layout, a volume up and down, a mute, which is centrally located and lights up when you are muted, and 2 mixer buttons allowing you to increase, in steps, the mix between game or chat volume. The only thing I would have liked to have seen on the M60 mixamp, like its bigger brother the M80, is a equalizer button. During certain games I found sound to be a little tinny, but after playing with the in-game sound settings I was fine. This would be a nice-to-have feature and makes tweaks easier.
Going over to the mixamp and console gaming the bass takes a little dip but the crispness of the highs and mids are exceptional. Playing games like Rainbow 6 Siege I could hear the slightest of creaks in the floor or a spent cartridge from a rifle dropping to the floor, 2 rooms away! Alternatively when I went over to the dark environment of Vampyr the living and breathing 19th century London came to live with the A10's allowing me to hear the dogs barking in the distance and the scurrying rats from the sewers.
So as being a vampire goes you tend to have a insatiable thirst for blood. But what truly creates a predicament is that Jonathan is a doctor. The game does a great job of trying to tempt you into giving in to your primal instinct and lust to feed which will make you significantly stronger. Or do you stick to your oath of protecting human life... This is a major theme throughout your journey in Vampyr. The game tries to tempt you into feeding on helpless victims as it even gives you more XP. It says so during loading screens as well just to really try and tempt you.
This is where Vampyr really stands out. I was drawn into the dark environment and surroundings, yes the colours and palettes are gloomy and morbid but that's what you expect from the type of game. Upon closer inspection you will find the city is a living organism. Every single inhabitant you come across has their own person story and whether you choose to help them in a number of quests is completely up to you. No matter how large or insignificant their roles in the story seem, they all have a place and a repercussion to what could happen in the world if you choose to sink your teeth into them.
The narrative side of Vampyr is really strong, yes at times it treads on familiar and somewhat cliche grounds at time but that can be looked over easily as you strive to get behind what really happened to Jonathan and how he came to have his affliction and the eternal lust for blood. This is what made me resist the urge to murder every single inhabitant simply to grow stronger and have nothing stand in my way. No, I needed these people to help me piece together what really happened to me. Killing them doesn't always show you its consequences immediately either. I killed off a seemingly insignificant bar maiden and felt nothing for it. She was rude to me. I am a vampire. I did what any normal vampire would. Only much later did I come to curse my actions when her death triggered a significant impact on the story line.
Another aspect of Vampyr is the overall health system of districts in the city. Kill off inhabitants of the district and the general health will decrease. Until you reach a level where all manners of foul creatures will start to inhabit the district. This helps to hammer home the idea of not killing for fun as keeping the districts healthy as well as keeping yourself strong is a continuous balancing act.
DontNod really were being clever, you might wonder why, knowing what you know now, even kill off civilians? That way you keep the health up in all the districts and if you get stuck just lower the difficulty level. Oh no my bloodsucking friends, there is no difficulty level, if you are stuck somewhere, only way to get stronger is to feed. And we are back to the balancing act I have mentioned previously. The civilians are walking XP, and the more you interact with them the more you learn about their families. The more XP they are worth. Again, therein lies the foundation of Vampyr, do you harvest the XP from that beggar on the corner who has told you about how he lost his wife and child to the plague so that you can become stronger and make the game easier? Or do you grind it out and let him be?
On to the more functional things. Visually the game is stunning and disappointing at the same time. It is able to set a mood of dread that permeates through each of the districts. But it is this mood of dread that makes the game seem bland and colourless at the same time. The environments have been fleshed out spectacularly and they feel lived in and alive. I found voice acting to leave alot to be desired and lip syncing was not great.
The fighting system leaves a lot to be desired. It feels clunky and repetitive. You will find yourself dodging and hitting until the enemy is dead. Nothing special here. Vampire abilities do sweeten the pot a little bit but nothing to truly rescue the fighting system.
Vampyr could have been great, and it could still be if DontNod address the issues and patch them quickly. For the players who are looking for a narrative journey that will have to walking away still thinking if you made the right decision long after you put down the controller, then Vampyr is for you. Don't expect stellar combat and bright and vivid visuals. Prepare for moody and eerie beauty.
At a very crude level I suppose you can call OnRush a racing game, but that is the only thing it has in common with the likes of Forza and Need for Speed. In OnRush the aim of the game is not to beat your opponent to the finish... Oh no, in OnRush there is no first place and last place, or even laps for that matter. Simply a winning and a losing team, and the race itself is called a stampede. And that is a very accurate description of it. It is simply a mashup of cars that careen through a course causing destruction and mayhem at frequent intervals. This somewhat chaotic approach to racing takes time to get used to but once you accept that you are not going for hotlaps and fast sectors in OnRush the game has a certain charm to it that keeps you loading up another "stampede".
Another thing I quickly noticed was that during OnRush my acceleration button was firmly planted ALL the time. Most of the time in conjunction with the boost button, because speed makes everything better in OnRush! The boost can be generated in a few ways, namely, taking out other players, getting air, or doing tricks and barrel rolls on bikes or driving over dead drivers tombstones. If with all that you still find yourself without boost, the game provides literal "fodder" yes they are called fodder in-game as well, which you can take out and gain some boost.
Apart from the boost gauge you get your Rush meter, filling the Rush meter activates what is easiest described as your boost on steroids! The screen blurs and a aura appears around your car with the change of soundtrack which really sells the feeling of you truly blasting of after, or ahead of the pack. Although this Rush features surely sells the part of making you seem invincible but in OnRush you will quickly learn that you are far from untouchable!
There is also a fair amount of vehicles to choose from each bringing with them a set of advantages for example the Blade, a motorbike that leaves a trail of fire when you use Rush. The outlaw, drains boost from opponents when you pass them. Many more ingenious features have been built into the vehicles which I really think adds to the fun- factor of Onrush.
In OnRush you have 4 game modes at your disposal of which Overdrive is the most basic. The aim of OverDrive is to simply rack up as many points for your team by keeping the boost going, demolishing opposing team members or activating your Rush. This is a perfect way of warming up. Countdown is a race against the clock where each team is allotted 30 seconds to rack up points while driving through gates which give you a few extra seconds to keep going. Lockdown is the OnRush version of king of the hill. You will find a circle moving along at generally the same pace as the stampede and the aim is to keep your team in this circle for 5 continuous seconds, which sounds like no time at all, until you try it... Lastly you have Switch which ,like the name suggests, has you starting off with the starter vehicles like the blade or outlaw and with every wreck you are required to upgrade to the next class of vehicle until you reach the top class at which time your mission changes to elimination to get rid of the opponents remaining switches.
Superstar mode is OnRush's take on single player mode. Although it feels more like a tutorial to the multiplayer than a actual campaign. Did I mention you can Co-op with up to 6 people, that's a nice touch. Each mission is created and made to suite the vehicle given to you which is more of a way to familiarize you with all the cars and their abilities.
EA came to E3 with many of there games already mentioned or leaked in some way, shape or form. 
Microsoft kicked their conference off with more than 50 titles on show! Smartly dodging the bi question about exclusives. First up was a 
Bethesda is known for its plethora of games and all of them with long histories ranging from the first consoles and early PC's. E3 2018 started with the sequel to the previous-gen masterpiece 
Square Enix had a rather strange E3 conference. Starting out of the blue and having no one even speak apart from the intro. Because many of their titles had been mentioned before their conference I am leaving out the likes of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Just Cause 4, The Adventures of Captain Spirit, and the long awaited Kingdom Hearts 3. So lets get the ball rolling.
The Ubisoft conference was, as expected, completely and utterly crazy! It started with a massive display with dancers and bands, carnival style. Not only was this the intro to the conference but it was the reveal for Just Dance 2019. That jumped straight into the awe-inspiring, jaw dropping, face melting, dare I say i, most anticipated title of this generation, 
The Sony conference, as expected was going to be highlighted by a few key titles and Sony did not waste time with showcasing Naughty Dog's
The Kraken Pro V2 feels great in-hand. All the materials used feel really good quality and the finishes are really nicely done. In its price range it has a very good blend of materials used. My daily headset is a Astro A40 TR which itself is a heavy headset. The Kraken Pro V2 is much lighter coming in at only 322g (thanks Google) which in comparison, felt like nothing on my head which does help for those extremely long play sessions. The headband, which is covered in "leather-like" material, has Razer etched into it which really gives a nice touch as well as the sponge being good quality even tho its almost not needed as the weight of the headset being so minimal.
The top half of the headset also comes with adjustable sliders giving the wearer a large range for all sizes of heads. Coming to the earcups and cushions which is probably one of the more important aspects of any headset. The Kraken Pro cushions are exceptional. the leather covered foam feels magnificent over your ears and they sit snugly enough to block out sound and not too tight causing discomfort. Their size and depth are also perfect, never did I experience any of my ear touching sides of the cushions or even touching the inside either. The comfort level is exquisite and it is up there with my all time most comfortable headsets!
The outside of the earcups also get the expected Razer treatment with its cool mesh finish and a large Razer emblem brandishing the earcups they are unmistakably Razer!
Moving further down the headset, the microphone which is neatly retracted into the earcup allowing for a neat, stowed away look when not in use, is extremely flexible which allows for great positioning of the mic. A added bonus is the fact that the mic is extremely good. It picks up voice chatter really well without allowing for lots of ambient noise to filter through. My party members were thoroughly impressed by the microphone quality of the Razer Kraken Pro V2 and their verdicts were all that I sounded much clearer and closer compared to my Astro... It hurt a little writing that...
This being the stereo version of the Kraken Pro V2, it works with the newer Xbox One controller as well as the PS4 controller and pretty much every device that has a 3.5mm output jack. The braided cable coming from the headset has a inline mute and volume control which is rather nifty. Being 3.5mm connection there is unfortunately no mic feedback but that can be excused.
The PDP Afterglow controller is a wired Xbox One/Windows 10 controller. It has a clear plastic finish which is rather cool to see all the insides on display. It really makes you appreciate all the work that goes into a controller that, on a daily basis becomes our gun, sword, steering wheel or even the item that grants up the opportunity to be true gamers and experience many lives lived.
On the surface this controller simply looks like a wired controller with some cool strip lighting inside, 2 programmable wheel/buttons at back of controller and that is it... But it is not! The Prismatic, as it is called, looks very subtle from the outside but boasts a fair amount of gadgets and features for its measly pricetag.
Firstly, the signature prismatic LED feature can have you quickly cycle through a variety of colours and have you choose your favorite one. Or have the colours just change at will. If you have the need for zero distraction, simply turn it off. All of this without even having to move your fingers off your favorite keys on the controller.
Personally I play alot of FPS games which as most people know really give your analog sticks a pounding. Any hardcore gamer has either had to bid farewell to a trusted controller due to stick lean or dead zones becoming too big to bear. The PDP controller has superb sticks! Made extremely well I find more grip and accuracy with them than the original controller sticks. They are also slightly longer which helps when you need the extra precision to get the game-clinching headshot at the death.
I still have the original Xbox One (someone want to sponsor a X, for review purposes???) so my controllers are still V1 without the 3.5mm jack. So when I do reviews of newer headsets which only come with 3.5mm jacks I resort to using the ever elusive chat adapter. Anyone who has ever needed to look for one of these babies knows what a struggle it is. With the V2 controllers out now at least 3.5mm jack is now a standard but at close to R1000 for a controller buying a new one for just the 3.5mm jack is ridiculous. Luckily the Prismatic is, once again, here to save the day. Coming in at easily under R500 the Prismatic is the logical upgrade!
Dual Rumble drives with Red LED's that flash when vibration is activated also adds a nice touch in games such as racing when you wander off the track, or get shot in a FPS. Great feeling triggers also add to the good feel in hand that the Prismatic brings to the table.
Another way that the Prismatic steps ahead of the standard controller is with its dual multi-function wheels that has 6 programmable actions... Where can you find a macro-enabled controller at this price anywhere else?!
When I was reviewing this controller the PDP hub on the Xbox store did not want to recognize my controller so I did not have any time to play with the app at the moment but I will update the article once I have got it working. But honestly I don't think it is even needed as all features can be used without the app which is a welcome features in my opinion.
While making there rounds and meeting many of the wonderful people making there way through FANCON, our own Alex and Aiden had the opportunity to interview South Africa's most well-known Cosplayer Kinpatsu. For those of you who do not follow cosplay, Kinpatsu has been recognized worldwide for her incredible talent and craftsmanship. This is no easy feat as cosplay is in its infancy in South Africa when you compare it to the larger areas like USA, Europe and Asia. She has won many of the local conventions and many on the international stage as well. Alex and Aiden caught up with her to have a chat and here is what transpired:
Alex: how did you get the name Kinpatsu?
Kinpatsu: I am actually a blonde... And Kinpatsu means blonde in Japanese.
Alex: How long have you been Cosplaying and how did it start?
Kinpatsu: I have been cosplaying for 6 years now. I try my best to get to all the conventions I possibly can. This is my second FanCon. It all started in 2011 when I went to rAge in South Africa. When I saw it I decided I really wanted to try it and do it. a Whole year went by and nothing happened. Then I remembered that we were getting close to rAge again so I may as well try it out. So I used clothes from my cupboard and made a costume in a week.
Alex: Why do you cosplay? And what does it mean to you?
Kinpatsu: For me, Cosplay is a way to combine the two things I love which is being creating stuff and crafting, and then ofcourse videogames, anime and those kind of things so it combines the two things I enjoy most.
Alex: Who are you cospl