Reviews
Like a Dragon: Ishin! Review
Feb 17, 2023
For those in the west, the Yakuza series has been missing a gem, a title that would be foreign to us since the PlayStation 4’s launch in late 2013. But with the success of Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, SEGA has finally decided to give us westerners a taste of this PS4 launch window title with Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Pharaoh: A New Era Review
Feb 15, 2023
A full remake of 1999’s Pharaoh and its expansion in 4K would not be on my bingo card of any E3. But here we are with Pharaoh: A New Era , from publisher Dotemu and developer Triskell Interactive. Far and away the improvements into the playability of the game are easily apparent, through playing it the two major improvements it makes over the original is guidance, and speed. It does such a great job of introducing you to the mechanics clearly and progressively. This is a great introduction to the series if you missed two decades ago, and if you’re playing it again, it feels completely new. Pharaoh: A New Era is a deep and engrossing city-builder with a unique structure for its time, but I ultimately couldn’t shake that something felt off the entire time I was playing it.
WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD (2TB) for PS5 Review
Feb 13, 2023
This is painfully obvious to PlayStation 5 owners, but Sony’s latest console does not offer a lot of storage from the moment you boot it up. And it doesn’t take long before every download feels like the internal storage is drawing its last breaths as the final gigabytes of data gets consumed. Thankfully, Sony knew of this limitation and offers extended storage via USB drives, also for inserting an additional SSD in an available M.2 slot. That’s where our story begins for WD_BLACK’s SSD offering. Depending on the chosen size, the cost may come at a premium, but it’s a necessary and worthwhile purchase all the same. As it stands, the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD is top-tier quality, and wicked fast.
ROCCAT Magma Mini Review
Feb 07, 2023
The ever-expanding gaming keyboard market becomes broader with every passing month, and while there are some clear winners at the upper end of the spectrum, when it comes to budget keyboards you can practically fill a pool with all of the options and swim through them. The trouble with budget keyboards is that in a lot of cases you can’t be sure of the quality, and the average buyer may not see the difference (or care to) between your lesser-known Amazon Special brand and a $50 option from a reputable gaming hardware company. ROCCAT is clearly looking to make that easier on potential buyers with the introduction of its Magma Mini, a new feature-rich board aimed at delivering lots of functionality and durability at a price nearly anybody can be comfortable spending. Plus with its small form factor, it’s not quite the same commitment in terms of desk space as some of its larger-footprint competitors. Looking closer at the hardware, the Magma Mini makes some smart trade-offs to create an option that will be very compelling to those in the market for a budget-friendly keyboard.
Dead Space (2023) Review
Feb 01, 2023
EA once told IGN in an interview from 2015 that they “don’t know where we find the time to do remakes”. Well a lot has happened since then, and it’s good that the leadership at Electronic Arts has changed their mind on this. The remake of Dead Space from Motive is a familiar yet surprisingly foreign trek through the acclaimed survival horror game set in space. Everything you remember about the 2008 original has been completely remade, expanded, or even rearranged. It transforms the places you explored into more believable atmospheric environments that are unsettling. Dead Space remains my favorite survival horror game, and is the definitive way to play it.
The Shrimp Model 1 Gaming Keyboard Review
Jan 31, 2023
The world of gaming keyboards is flush with a variety of choices, with a range of sizes, key counts, switch types, keycap styles, color schemes, lighting options, extra keys, connectivity types, degrees of programmability, and all kinds of other extra features. It can be a dizzying proposition to find the right keyboard for your tastes, but chances are there’s something out there exactly for you; I’ve got three different ones on my desk at the moment. Expanding upon that range of choices is The Shrimp, a 25-key ultra compact 20% mechanical gaming keyboard from Nordic Game Supply created to save on space and focus on the parts of your keyboard you actually use.
Mavix M4 Gaming Chair Review
Jan 27, 2023
The Mavix M4 Gaming Chair; maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, though you’re likely here because you want to know more about it one way or another. Truth is, it’s really good, and only has a few downsides. This is a gaming chair that looks like an office chair that feels like we’ve turned a corner on what gaming chairs should be. It’s an accomplished hybrid of two ideals that’s not new, but it is catching on. Mavix are already mavens in this field, and the M4 makes a great first impression that turns into a long-lasting one to validate the purchase.
Garden In! Review
Jan 26, 2023
I find only enjoy a few cozy and peaceful games out in the marketplace. And when one comes across my path, I get curious. Garden In! describes itself as such so let’s take a look and see just how cozy we can get.
MAONOCASTER AME2 Integrated Audio Production Studio Review
Jan 25, 2023
The Maonocaster AME2 is an integrated audio production studio designed specifically for podcasters and streamers. It offers a comprehensive set of features that make it an ideal choice for those looking to produce high-quality audio content for their streams or gameplay footage.
MAONO DM30 RGB Programmable USB Condenser Microphone Review
Jan 25, 2023
The Maono DM30 USB Condenser Microphone is a budget-friendly option for gamers, streamers, and podcasters alike. Even if you’re looking for a good, budget-friendly mic to chat with the group on Discord, Maono has an excellent little package.
Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightstick Review
Jan 20, 2023
Turtle Beach has been investing heavily into simulation hardware, and the result is some high-quality gear. Turtle Beach said the VelocityOne Flightstick is “built for flight sims and space games” in their trailer, and it’s true as it feels like a composite of flight and space technology. This flightstick is a standalone, yet all-in-one stick that’s the most expensive of its kind, yet the most impressive in its class. This highly compatible stick is not a stepping stone to something better, it is the start and endgame with the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightstick.
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Review
Jan 11, 2023
JoyMasher takes great care in creating new experiences out of retro game design, and does so wonderfully. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is the next 16-bit mash-up from this small studio, and delivers big. This is a challenging game full of memorable bosses, hazardous levels, and a customizable character that matches your play style. JoyMasher cuts to the core of what makes these games so great, and Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is one to remember.
LONE RUIN Review
Jan 11, 2023
Cuddle Monster Games is back with another action roguelike bullet hell shooter, but instead of it being a platformer, it’s arena-style combat from the top-down perspective. LONE RUIN stands out visually, as the developers chose voxels over sprites, and has a striking and vivid art style that really compliments it all. Leaderboards play a vital role in its replayability, creating incentive to start another run to do better and achieve that top spot. Cuddle Monster Games makes highly replayable games with simple concepts, but LONE RUIN just needed a little bit more to keep me for the long term.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns Review
Dec 16, 2022
Relationships are important to have and maintain. They take a lot of work from all parties for it to be successful, whether it’s between friends or something romantic. Which is the exact reason I don’t want to have to cultivate and juggle all of them in Marvel’s Midnight Suns in order to maximize party potency. It’s a game that I wholeheartedly enjoy the combat for, but everything that exists outside of it feels like a chore. Firaxis is back with Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a turn-based tactics game where they can flex different muscles that isn’t about aliens and permadeath. It’s a surprisingly deep, complex, and varied game that is part RPG, part deck-builder, part tactics, and part relationship sim. The confluence of all these parts is actually what makes Marvel’s Midnight Suns so great, it’s a brilliant and fully realized game that goes beyond anything else in the genre.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Review
Dec 15, 2022
When Monster Hunter Rise was released on the switch in 2021, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the new model of Monster Hunter following World’s footsteps could work (and fit) on a handheld platform. This wasn’t necessarily a huge surprise given the series long running string of releases on Nintendo’s various handheld devices over the years, but it was an incredibly successful refinement of the formula that leant itself well to shorter play sessions, and it took yet another big step toward making the onramp for new players even more approachable than ever before. Really the only potential issue with Rise was its length, and the fact that it left fans wanting more when the campaign ended on a fairly obvious open note.
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