There’s a party on my desk and no one else is invited.

The G915 is all the fun and tactile bliss of a mechanical keyboard, without deafening everyone in a quarter-kilometre radius. Thank Logitech G for those sweet MX Brown switches; while on paper sounding way worse and a little gross, in action they’re the perfect mix of feedback and relative quiet. Ideal for long-term typing in an open plan office, or quietly beavering away on tech reviews while binge-watching Saved By The Bell on the couch.

Speaking of, this thing is portable as all hell. Weighing almost nothing is a big plus, and the 60% keyboard without the number pad – hence TKL, or Ten Key Less – is just the right profile to sit across your lap. The instant Lightspeed to Bluetooth switching is also amazingly useful. Why? Because I can go from writing on my laptop to writing on my phone at the literal press of a button. Mine is paired with my personal laptop and phone via Bluetooth, with the Lightspeed adapter plugged into my work laptop hub. Now I can take efficient, comfortable typing wherever I go; I know I’m a nerd but this is genuinely exciting.

Using the G Suite provided by Logitech, you can customise buttons, lighting, and devices connected, switching between everything on the fly. Again, physical buttons rule here; I like a bright keyboard during the day, and barely any illumination while couch typing. Three taps of the backlight button and boom, instant eye comfort. Physical buttons for media are also a win; back, forward, play/pause, and mute are good, and a little scroll wheel for volume control is a great addition/ fidget toy during Teams meetings.

As someone who writes a lot, both for a living and for the sheer unadulterated thrill of it, a comfortable and non-intrusive keyboard that I can carry with me is the dream. I’m typing this review on that dream.

The G915 TKL is expensive, sure. But it’s worth every penny, and I highly recommend it. And hey, it’s almost Christmas; bet the techie in your life would love a fantastic keyboard they might struggle to justify buying for themselves. Full disclosure, I’ve actually bought one in addition to the review unit for my fiancé, because yeah, they’re THAT good. What more of an endorsement could you ask for?

My working style could charitably be called eccentric. More accurately, I flit around in a bizarrely chaotic pattern that makes no sense to others and barely makes sense to me. Swapping between documents, tabs, windows, programs, and occasionally devices, I need tools that enable my disorganised goblin ways.

Logitech G provides.

The PRO Superlight mouse is, fundamentally, a very very nice mouse. A smooth operator on my desktop, a sleek yet classic profile, and some excellent glowy lights make this my favourite mouse.

The side buttons are textbook convenience to my haphazard working style. They let me navigate forward and back on a browser, maneuverer through a Teams chat log, change pages in Excel, and more. Yeah it was some effort to set up for each program, but the benefits are mine to reap like a delicious, clicky harvest.

Also it’s handy for gaming, but y’all don’t care about that do you? What? Oh, you do. Well, it’s good. Clicks are speedy, motion can be set to a snail’s pace for an FPS or cheetah sprinting if your mousepad is 5cm wide. The battery lasts yonks, and charges pretty fast. And it is weightless… Ok it’s 63g, but as far as I’m concerned that’s as close to nothing as makes no odds. I don’t know how Logitech G have managed to make a mouse that feels like a real thing but also like it’s made of freakin’ mithril, but here I am looking at it. Damn this mouse really is Superlight.

Previously, I used a G403 I got off TradeMe, which sadly clicked its last a short time ago. Ah, simpler times, when buying used tech off the internet wasn’t a coin flip of gunky useless junk… well, less so anyway. The real difference is the change from the G403 to the PRO Superlight, which is basically nothing in principle. But also, in principle, a Ferrari isn’t that different from a slightly older, heavier Ferarri.

The battery seems to last longer, and this lad is certified Lightspeed connection, which I guess might be faster? And again, this thing weighs less than Gandhi’s heart on the scales of Anubis… It’s very very light. Overall though, despite how much I love the PRO Superlight, I don’t really know how to justify it over the older, almost identical G403, which is cheaper and still in production, in terms of a work environment.

But we are also gamers, my friends, and that’s who the PRO Superlight is for. You can’t have an extra 100g slowing you down when you’re building Forts all Nite. The speed and responsiveness of this might be wasted in an Excel spreadsheet, but damned if it probably isn’t useful when blasting zambambos in the latest first person shooter.

I assume. I’m not very good at FPS games without a controller, but the point is this lad did what I told it to and weighted almost nothing. If that’s your jam, welcome to mouse heaven.

Two of a kind

The G915 keyboard and PRO Superlight mouse are a match made in, well, Logitech’s design facilities, but also a match made in heaven. They complement each other wonderfully, feel great to use, and while a bit on the expensive side are those rare pieces of tech that are actually worth the investment.

Seven thumbs up, friends. You can’t do better.

The post Logitech G915 TKL keyboard and PRO Superlight mouse Review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Welcome to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. FarCry 6 thrusts players into a modern-day guerrilla revolution. Dictator Castillo dreams of his country returning to its former glory, even if it means dragging his citizens through a living hell to do it. His son Diego has a moral compass and disagrees. You don’t play as either of them, instead being a random person driven to incredible violence by sheer circumstance.

Ah, FarCry. I’ve missed you.

So you want a Yaran revolution?

Hype, right?

OK, this is a FarCry game, and it’s a more serious setting than ‘doomsday cult‘ of 5, but still not as engaging as ‘tourists land on drug island by accident’ of FarCry 3. The Yaran revolution (second revolution, really, which goes to show how well the first one went) is a compelling fight. I mean, give me any excuse to join a revolution and I’m there.

The Yaran military are almost cartoonishly fascist. Occasionally you meet a bribeable official, but never a soldier torn over committing atrocities in the name of progress. This works, as you don’t even feel a little bad melting these drones with a flamethrower, poisonthrower, hyper-powered crossbow, or any other delightful flavour of steaming hot death.

FarCry has always (since 3) been known for its stellar gunplay, and I can’t fault FarCry 6 either. Assault rifles feel assaulty, missile launchers feel bulky, and the nail gun is annoying; just like in real life. The level of customisation is also much appreciated. Why yes, Ubisoft, I do want a silenced armour piercing MP7 in matte black that I can use to clear a roadblock in 45 seconds without being noticed. Yes, I do want a compound bow to snipe with in retro style. And yes, I certainly do want an improvised weapon that fires deadly CDs at enemies.

You know me so well.

How Far can you Cry?

FarCry 6’s Yara is a beautiful archipelago, with a rich history full of caves, mysticism, and inexplicably advanced guns hidden in these caves surrounded by mystic symbols. And that’s one of the more beautiful aspects of a FarCry game; the suspension of disbelief is needed, true, but it’s a damn romp.

The driving isn’t great. Never has been in FarCry, really, so nothing hugely surprising. Helicopters, planes, dune buggies, tanks, and a weird hovercraft that handles like a lawnmower (and may have at one point actually been a lawnmower) are all available, but there is only one way to travel in Yara.

Wingsuit.

Seriously, airdropping to a fast travel point and gliding your way to the nearest objecting is now and forever will be the height (ha) of mobility. Yeah your clothing can give you neat bonuses for speed, which of course I use too, but the wingsuit is king, queen, and the whole royal court. Mobility and traversal are how you get me, y’all, and I love the freedom here.

A wheely good dog

I regret that joke. But Chorizo is now the main character of FarCry 6, and I think that’s glorious.

For the last several games, animal companions have been the best part of a FarCry game. And while nothing compares to the wonders of snuggling Primal’s saber-toothed tiger, when you have adorable wheelchair dog and ghost jaguar on your side, you’re still gonna have a good time. Does the ludicrous nature of distracting a fascist military with a special needs sausage dog undermine the seriousness of the revolution you’re a part of?

Yes. Yes it does.

And that’s where we hit a wall. This story may just cut closer for me due to being a bit of a history nerd and recently learning an awful lot about actual horrors that went down in real-life banana republics, but it certainly puts a damper on the fun when the human rights abuses you’re fighting are interspersed with some wicked cool dubstep.

That’s what FarCry does, right? Push the envelope, make things uncomfortable and then cut the tension with a weirdly coloured gun or a crocodile in a jacket. I dunno; fun as it is, are we calling time on good taste here?

FarCry 6 my ass, it’s probably Millhouse

Don’t get me wrong, FarCry6 is a solid game. It hits all the marks of the previous entries, with the trademark humour and a decent dose of absurdity. But it isn’t sharp, or new, and it certainly doesn’t push any boundaries. As a shooter it’s a solid win, but I expected more from FarCry.

I’m an Irish immigrant living in New Zealand, so I’m not the right person to judge how accurate the depiction of a Carribean dictatorship. But it does feel believable, in the “oh hell this couldn’t happen but also it definitely does” kind of way.

There comes a time in every game’s life when it’s gone as far as it will go. FarCry 6 isn’t there yet, but this iteration might be writing on the wall.

Still fun though.

The post FarCry 6 review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Samus is back and this time it’s… personal? Was it not before? I really can’t remember.

Metroid Dread picks up after the events of Metroid Fusion investigating a mysterious from the isolated planet. Oh snap

It’s Castleroid time

I don’t know if you know this, but Metroid has a bit of a reputation. Platforming in 2D hasn’t gotten any easier, and shooting random parts of the map in the hopes of finding the way forward is still just as fun as before.

That’s not fun. It never was.

Visually the game is smooth, and not overly busy. Managing to harken back to your old style while also updating graphics isn’t that easy, so kudos where they’re due.

Music? Not so much. Repetitive is a word a lot of people repeat when they want to use a word describing something repetitive. Did that sentence get annoying? Welcome to the Metroid Dread soundtrack.

And yet I can’t stop playing.

Mestleroidia, but also sneaky

Aside from the punishing difficulty, there’s an interesting new aspect to this particular romp in the Samus suit: stealth. See, in classic sci-fi fashion, some intense robots were sent to planet ZDR before Samus picked up her contract, but they got hacked and now they don’t like our favourite bounty hunter.

It ain’t easy being Samus.

Since it’s damn near impossible to kill these things without super awesome rare Omega energy, you’re left to skulk and hide to avoid them. Which you will fail at. A lot. And then the madcap chase sequence happens, as you desperately try to get enough distance between you and the killbot who totally just wants to talk.

While it’s not an instant kill should the bot catch you, the chance to counter is so slim that it may as well be. In my playtime, I managed to pull it off maybe 15 times, after being caught… well, more than that.

Honestly, if they weren’t called E.M.M.I., these robots would be perfect nightmare.

Wish there was a better word for these games

Speaking of countering, I’m really not a fan of parrying in a primarily shooting-based game. I know it’s what all the cool kids are doing, but honestly, I don’t associate Metroid with melee at all, so shoehorning it in here is not only irritating, but fundamentally jarring.

Speaking of ludiucrous decisions, I’ve seen someone refer to the aiming system as similar to filling out a mortgage application. As someone who has done that in the past, I can safely say that this is more annoying, but with fewer life-alterting ramifications. Contorting your hands into mangled claws to hold L and R simultaneously to aim your rockets, then use both sticks to move and actually fire with Y?

Seriously, what the hell. Uncomfortable, convoluted, and just plain not fun.

Good thing the rest of the game is decent, right?

Wait, what’s a Metroidvania?

Metroid Dread is a punishing game, with a steep learning curve that may put off modern players. Back in the day, you had to stick with a challenging game because there weren’t many other options. Now we can swap to something else lickety split, and I feel like many people will.

Much of the game is irritating, frustrating, and overly reliant on past goodwill. But damn, I keep going back.

l argue that as long as you’re having fun, it’s worth sticking with. If it gets too much, take a break. If it’s still too much, well, Hollow Knight and all the other Metroidvanias are right there.

The post Metroid Dread review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

I have a question to ask and it’s pretty simple; why does Bethesda Game Studios hate money?

Instead of pumping resources into remastering Skyrim for the upteenth time (which no, they’re literally doing), can we not just get a remaster of Fallout 3? To be fair, one could understand why something like Fallout: New Vegas is not getting a remaster, as it wasn’t made by Bethesda and they’re still jealous about it being the best Fallout game. So they don’t have much of a connection to it in the same way as they would for good old Fallout 3.

Fallout 3 is a beloved game by all accounts. It was my personal entry point into the series, inspired my first tattoo, as well as a lifelong obsession with the franchise for better or for worse.

But the wasted opportunity, guys. C’mon.

A Catalogue in Waiting

We don’t have a solid remaster of this game is beyond all reason. Fallout 3 is beloved by many and widely hailed as Bethesda Game Studio’s peak non-Skyrim accomplishment.

This is not even to mention the potential of a Fallout 1 and 2 remix. Imagine, rebuilding those games in the Creation engine, and letting people who hate twenty year old isometric gameplay experience those landmarks in HD.

So many haven’t ever played these games, yet Bethesda has the ability to remake them right there on their shelf. Wasteland’s comeback shows that people can still play those styles and not keel over and die, but they don’t play as well on console as they do on PC. And, as Microsoft own them now, console should be king for a while.

However, if we keep the engine you had for Fallout 76 – not really that bad, all things considered – then we have the potential to simply port over the story and location of Fallout and Fallout 2, possibly into a single game, and we’re in business.

It is unlikely that this will happen, since the Fallout franchise has steadily declined to a cash grab, barely releasing game content. Instead a steady stream of pop vinyls and overpriced shirts issues forth from the online store, with products getting Less and less relevant with each restock. It seems like Bethesda fundamentally does not understand the Fallout franchise at all. That’s because they don’t.

This might seem overly harsh, but realistically we have seen the studio that brought us the beloved Fallout 3, the very playable Fallout 4, and the terrible at launch but now actually quite good Fallout 76, and we don’t have to stretch much to see that something ain’t quite right. Microtransactions, reduced content in favour of repetitive busywork, and radio silence leaves us with atomic ennui.

Ain’t that a kick in the Head

An updated port of the Fallout and Fallout 2 stories and settings, built in the Fallout 4 or 76 engine, and what you’ve got there is a literal recipe for printing money. Get on that.

Even more confusing, however, is Morrowind. This time I can’t play the whole inherited IP card, so there are three possibilities,

First, Bethesda hates its own creation. This is unlikely, considering the success of the Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind expansion, and the well-received Solstheim additon to Skyrim. So it’s not that.

Second, Bethesda doesn’t think Morrowind holds up. This again seems unlikely for the same reasons as above; why would they keep putting out content for their poorer cousins based on the old goodies?

Third, and most likely, is that they’re really goddam busy on Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6, and don’t trust a smaller team to handle those or remasters. To that, I say look at Fallout New Vegas. While that launched with more bugs than a mattress at Moriarty’s Saloon, that game holds up so unbelievably well that it’s difficult to remember that it came out on the same console as Oblivion did.

And don’t even get me started on Oblivion.

Proverbial money in a literal proverbial bank

If we’ve learned anything from the Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and Medievil remakes, it’s that recreating a game from scratch is a lot of effort, but well worth it. 

Bethesda, please, get on it. None of us need a new version of Skyrim released for the XBX, PS5, and/or toaster. Morrowind, Oblivion, and the first three Fallout games are right there, begging for all those volumetric god rays you seem to love so much even if no one can give me a straight answer as to what they are. I personally guarantee you make an unholy fortune from any of these ideas.

I’m not saying that the world will move on, like they did with Game of Thrones after it shit the bed and the possibly decent prequel took so long that no one cares. But also, more accurately, I’m saying exactly that. It’s been a decade since Skyrim. Let it go, and revive some classics before you’re just shadows on the wall of the zeitgeist.

But I’m a random writer in the arse end of nowhere, and you’re award-winning developers perched on the precipice of ruin. So, you know, ball’s in your court.

The post Bethesda – A Catalogue in Waiting appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Quantum is a funny word, isn’t it? The main meaning is to be the smallest amount of anything involved in a situation. You’d think that’d make it feel small, but it also conjures up dazzling vistas of nebulae and space, the future, hope, and technology.

Also it’s the name of a headset series from JBL, but that’s probably just because it sounds cool as hell.

The JBL Quantum 400 headset is at the lower end of medium in JBL’s affordable headset offerings. What this means is that it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as some more pricey headsets, like the Quantum 600 or 800 with their wireless functionality or active noise cancelling, but you get more than on a basic 200 model.

Weight and comfort

The JBL Quantum 400 weighs in at a very specific 274g. No need to worry about being over-encumbered, but you definitely know it’s there. 

The thick padded earcups not only provide a snug and comfortable fit, but also passively block some ambient noise. They’re not gonna mask any fire alarms, but if you run a dehumidifier constantly (and let’s be fair, us Wellingtonians do) it certainly doesn’t hurt to have some cushion blocking out that drone while you game.

Gets a bit damp regardless, unfortunately, as they’re not very breathable. Sweaty ear crew, beware.

Aesthetics and Sound

To quote the poets, the road to my heart is paved with woven cables. Regardless of whether or not that quote is real, I do love a good cotton-wrapped wire, and the JBL Quantum 400 doesn’t disappoint. There’s still that bizarre and disconcerting kink at the jack, where it veers into a 45 degree angle and gives you a little fright until you get used to it, but hey, that’s nitpicking. The headphones themselves are pretty robust. While there’s more plastic used in the construction than is my taste, they don’t feel like they’ll randomly disintegrate like a lot of purely plastic sets. That’s always handy.

The sound quality is, for lack of a better word, alright. No dizzying highs or crippling lows, but you wouldn’t expect the former and why would you even want the latter? This is not a set for the audiophile. However, unless you’re dying to hear every individual raindrop separately (weirdo) you won’t be disappointed. The surround works great, and I really can’t complain.

The RGB effects, basically making the JBL logo all mystical, are a nice and wholly unnecessary addition. I long for the days when sleek black and graphite were the go to colours for tech, but if you want everything you own to gleam like a bunch of fireflies heading to Pride, these will fit right in.

Mic and connection

The Quantum 400 is a purely wired set of headphones, so bear in mind you won’t be twirling in circles without some consequences. However, as stated, the included audio cable is pretty damn nice, and the relatively low price point is kept low by virtue of not shoving Bluetooth and a battery in there. These are the trade offs, friends, and there’s no way around it short of a socialist revolution. Would you like a socialist revolution? Because that would be great!

Ok so my headphone review is probably unlikely to inspire a bloodless coup, but what about chatting to your friends about a coup in FarCry 6? Well that at least we have covered, with the Quantum 400 built in microphone providing solid connection and quality. Yes it looks like it’s been stapled on as an afterthought, and it doesn’t sit great when not in use, but it gets the job done.

A set for your head

Overall, the JBL Quantum 400 headset is a decent pair of headphones. It almost epitomizes the concept of decent; these are more than just a quantum of a headset, but they’re not the full leap either. 

If you’re a hobbyist gamer looking for something a bit fancier without breaking the bank, these are for you. For even less you could go with the Quantum 200, and for more dollarydoos your options extend ad infinitum. But, after all, that’s what they’re for; a giddy little thrill at a reasonable price. I appreciate what JBL has done with this range; to each according to their needs and means. Get what feels right to you, friends

The post JBL Quantum 400 review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Industry Icons Deliver Stylish New Backpack and Crossbody Sling for Travel-Centric Gamers, Content Creators, and Esports Athletes

ASTRO Gaming, a leader in premium video gaming equipment, and Timbuk2, a San Francisco based premium bag manufacturer, have teamed up to create a set of stylish, functional, and durable gaming bags designed specifically to
meet the demanding lifestyles of travel-centric gamers, content creators and esports athletes alike. The new Timbuk2 x ASTRO Collection includes the BP35 Gaming Backpack designed for traveling gamers and the CS03 Crossbody Sling designed for Nintendo Switch and mobile gaming on the go.

The new Timbuk2 x ASTRO Gaming BP35 Backpack features:
● Rugged, Durable, Long-Lasting Comfort: The BP35 features water-resistant fabrics and
hardware designed to deliver long-lasting comfort with: adjustable air mesh shoulder and
sternum straps for a more secure fit; a ventilated EVA padded back panel for longer treks; hidden
compression straps for better weight distribution; grippy hexagon zipper pulls; and, a robust
handle for quick escapes.
● Two 16” Laptops Sleeves: The BP35 features both an internal padded sleeve and an
external sleeve that can safely secure up to two 16” laptops.
● Clamshells, Pockets, Sleeves and More: The BP35 features a veritable host of pockets
and storage innovations to securely stow all of your gear, including: a large full clamshell
opening; a quick-access front folded magnetic flap pocket; dual 16” laptop sleeves; an
expandable side pocket; a top pocket with soft, brushed tricot; a d-ring for quick attachments;
front dual mesh pockets for cords and necessities; dual zip-side water bottle pockets; and, a vista
loop to secure external equipment.
● ASTRO Gaming Gear Pocket: The BP35 was designed to carry ASTRO equipment and
features a unique internal pocket featuring: a vista loop for storing your gaming headset; an
expandable padded pocket perfect for an ASTRO MixAmp Pro; and, two additional gear pockets
for cords and a controller, such as the ASTRO C40 Controller.
● ASTRO Gaming Style & Customizability: The BP35 features a unique and iconic style
featuring tonal reflective branding on the front panel for higher visibility, a branded jacquard
webbing that’s subtle, but on-point and customizable shoulder strap Velcro to showcase pins and
patches

Meanwhile, the new Timbuk2 x ASTRO Gaming CS03 Crossbody Sling features:
● Rugged, Durable, Long-Lasting Comfort: The CS03 features water resistant fabrics and
hardware designed to deliver long-lasting comfort. Gamers can also wear the CS03 crossbody,
featuring a jacquard branded webbing strap and side release buckle, for a more secure fit.
● 14 Game Cartridge Storage Slots: Leave nothing behind! The CS03 can store up to 14
individual game cartridges or SD cards in a unique interior storage sleeve.
● Pockets, D-rings, and More: The CS03 features a number of pockets and storage
innovations to securely stow all of your mobile gaming gear, including: a customized padded
pocket with brushed tricot liner to protect your Nintendo Switch and mobile gaming devices; a
back zipper pocket with brushed tricot lining to stow most large smartphones; a quick access
secure magnetic fold over closure on front pocket; two stretch mesh pockets for cords and the
like; a daisy chain and D-ring on front for quick attachments; a handy key keeper in front zip
pocket; and, a vista loop to secure external equipment.
● ASTRO Gaming Style & Customizability: The CS03 features a unique and iconic style
featuring tonal reflective branding on the front pocket for higher visibility, a branded jacquard
webbing on the crossbody that’s subtle, but on-point.

The new Timbuk2 x ASTRO Gaming BP35 Backpack (MSRP $199.99) and the CS03 Crossbody Sling (MSRP
$79.99) are available now from ASTRO Gaming (LINK) and Timbuk2 (LINK). Customers can get more
information about the new Timbuk2 x ASTRO Collection by visiting www.astrogaming.com or
www.timbuk2.com.

The post Astro Gaming Partners with Timbuk2; Reveals New Bag Collection Designed for Gamers appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Well, I was up at 5am watching the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, with a look at 30 titles, 27 of which will be a part of Xbox Game Pass.

For context, that’s 90%. Nine out of every ten games showcased will be included in the subscription service. Why on Earth would anyone NOT have Game Pass?!

The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase was all about them games, showing off everything from spenny AAA blockbusters to itty bitty indies. While plenty was announced, our favorites were: Our top picks are below.

Age of Empires IV

AoE is formative to my gaming life, so stoked for a good old Real Time Strategy. Might FINALLY stop me playing Age of Mythology.

Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life

I’m gonna be honest, I truly pine for the days when Pirates of the Caribbean was good. Plus it doesn’t look like Skull and Bones is showing up anytime soon, so the free expansion to Sea of Thieves is most welcome.

Starfield

Bethesda Game Studios, now freed from Zenimax Media’s neon claws, showed a teaser for their space-opera RPG. It looks, well, like a prerendered teaser. Expect more about next E3, since it’s slated for a November 2022 release.

Redfall

Aww, you though Redfall was Elder Scrolls 6? Don’t feel bad, we all did. The co-op shooter from Arkane Austin is up next year.

Hades

And, of course, one of the best games ever made, certainly the best of last year, Hades will be arriving on Xbox Series consoles in July.

Among Us

Want to play games with kids but Fortnite isn’t your jam? Good news, there’s more Among Us content coming.

Keep it here for mostly comprehensible but far from comprehensive news.

The post Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase; Match Made appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

When Demon’s Souls first came out, back in the misty past of 2009, it was a simpler time. Fallout 3 captured the hearts and minds of a new generation, Skyrim was still years away, and the plague of Fortnite was but a gleam in the maddened eyes of a few poor Epic Games staffers. No one expected VR, there were like 3 Assassin’s Creed games, and there was no concept of a Soulslike,

Then along came FromSoftware, and they changed the landscape of gaming in ways we’re still dealing with today.

And honestly? I’m pretty glad they did.

I must kill the demons

Demon’s Souls’ plot is, for the most part, pretty conventional. The King made a big whoopsie and much of his kingdom is falling to a fog full of demons. You, as a champion of Boletaria, don’t want everyone you’ve ever met to get into their respective forever boxes, so you try to kill the demons.

You die. Obviously. But you don’t stay dead.

So yeah, go kill the king, stop the Old One, prevent the corruption of the world. These days it’s a well trodden plot, and back in 2009, it was as well. It was the brutal difficulty and non-linear gameplay that made the world perk up and take notice.

For the most part, the Demon’s Souls remake is a fine strapping young game. It looks gorgeous and imposing on the PS5, with blood dripping and skeletons boning like never before on the next-gen hardware. Animations look phenomenal, sword and spear slicing through demonic flesh and scale like a hot knife through a load of rich creamery butter.

The Dark Souls of… wait a minute

While not technically the first, Demon’s Souls is often pointed at as the Ur example of the Soulslike genre. And with a fresh coat of paint, it’s pretty nice. Sounds great, looks better, and runs smooth and easy on PS5.

Was it worth remaking? Mmmmmaybe. It’s definitely a trip down nostalgia alley-full-of-skeletons.

How do you do, fellow games?

What you’ve got to remember is that this is a remake of a comparatively old game. Not in terms of years, really, but it’s been supplanted by itself. We’ve got a whole Kronos/Zeus dynamic here; Dark Souls picked up the mantle left by Demon’s Souls, and for some reason became the more beloved of teh two.

Yeah, I’m not sure either. But here we are, society.

Anyway, the Soulslike game moved on, and the downfall of this admittedly excellent remake is that it’s running an older version of the formula. I’m not even a big Souls guy; much more of a Bloodborne/Sekiro kinda speed here. The world moved on, Demon’s Souls. You haven’t.

No John, you are the demons

Demon’s Souls absolutely deserved its new lease on life, and yeah it’s the same game it was, but prettier. But the drawback of a faithful remake is that the sins of the past remain.

Much like Boletaria itself, Demon’s Souls is marred by the flaws of its past. So while I recommend it for people who are super into the YOU DIED genre, and for anyone interested in the superhero origin story of Dark Souls, the less historically inclined might be better off picking up a more modern, accessible game to ragequit over.

The post Demon’s Souls review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

The first thing you notice about the Oppo Find X3 Lite is that it’s a phone. The second thing is the textured back chassis which, saints be praised, doesn’t seem to collect fingerprints like an obsessive stamp enthusiast. Then, of course, you slip on the protective jelly case and will, probably, forget all about the actual body of the phone.

Farewell, tactile surprise. Hello, surprisingly robust device.

Admittedly, my feelings about Oppo have gone from cautious optimism to pleasant surprise to damn-near devotion over the couple of years I’ve been reviewing their devices. Every time I get another to look at, I think they can’t top the last one. And yet they somehow manage it.

It’s not natural, I tell ya.

Charging into the future

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a pretty serious issue with procrastinating, whether it’s charging your phone or writing a review for a phone.

… Whoops.

Point is, with the Oppo Find X3 Lite, the first half of that is a non-issue. Gotta get to work, but you’re hovering on 3%? Plugging in the Find X3 Lite for as little toime as it takes to make a coffee or brush your teeth, and you’ll be good to go for at leats another couple of hours.

Seriously, for me this is an absolute godsend. Could we learn to charge our phones regularly? Yes. But I’ve had a stressful couple of months, so Oppo looking after this life admin for me is most assuredly welcome.

True to Oppo form as well, the battery lasts for a brief eternity, a good two days of decent use on my part.

Top notch brand at low low price

“But Brian”, I hear you ask, “how can I afford such a pretty and power-saving phone?” Well, imaginary reader, you’re in luck, because Oppo seem to have yet again inexplicably priced this at least $200 too low. It’s $799 NZD. That’s a deal and a half right there.

Seriously I do not understand how Oppo make money. Does this mean that certain competitors don’t actually NEED to price their devices at almost two grand, and the ever-rising cost of personal technology is just a symptom of the runaway greed inherent to end-stage capitalism?

Yes. Yes it does. Oppo are being cool about it by making their stuff good and affordable. I respect that.

More powerful than you thought…

The trade off for affordability in Lite version devices is the expectation of it being slow, weak, and eating your leftover pizza without asking. Here in Oppo Find X3 Lite land, though, that’s really not an issue. Everything I threw at it ran dreamily. Yeah it got a bit hot when playing games for extended periods, or when charging up to max, but who wou;dn’t get a little spicy after that?

Not sure why, but the Bluetooth also seems better than other Oppos before it. Is that a thing? It definitely connected way better than past review devices, so I’m gonna assume it’s intentional because it was GREAT not to have my headphones inexplicably blast me to deafness every time I reconeccted.

The camera (c’mon you knew it was coming) is great. Not the absolute best in the world, true, but usually the best in the room when I’m needing photos taken. Four cameras on the back and one on the front feels like too many, but hey, whatever megas your pixels.

… but less features than you’d hoped

Did I expect wireless charging? No. Do I wish it had it? Of course I do. But that junk is expensive and, again, this is a budget flagship… a flagraft? Flagdinghy? Anyway these are the sacrifices you make when you go for this option. It is by no means a dealbreaker, I just want everything to charge by itself constantly.

Overall, the Oppo Find X3 Lite is a $1200 phone in a $799 package. If you don’t want to fork over four figures for a fantastic phone, this great one is the most device you’ll get for your dollars.

The post Oppo Find X3 Lite Review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

One of the first games I played for this site was Matterfall, an excellent bullet hell game developed by Housemarque. On a related note, Returnal is an excellent bullet hell game developed by Housemarque.

That’s it, that’s the review… Fine, I’ll tell you why.

Point of No Returnal

Returnal sees you as Selene, an Astra-naut (I refuse to call her anything else) investigating a mysterious signal on a dead planet. Unfortunately, she crash lands and, with her ship Helios all jacked up, decides to wander into the world of Atropos to investigate the spooky signal on foot.

Look, with this many Greek names flying around, including two Titans and one of the Fates, things aren’t gonna turn out smoothly. You’re on a planet named after one of the Fates, there’s gonna be some shenanigans.

This is an exceptionally jumpy game. Mobility is king, queen, and gender-non-conforming ruler in Returnal, and standing still is a quick ticket to the grave. Luckily there is plenty of weaponry available to provide hot death in a variety of exciting flavours to whatever fauna decide they want to chomp on you. My favourite was a type of toxic grenade launcher, which was highly effective in my ‘spam from a distance and run like hell while reloading’ playstyle.

Pro tip, that.

When we say bullet hell, by the way, we mean it. The sheer numbers of things doing things on the screen can cause a bit of thing related confusion. Good? Bad? Harmless? Glitch? Who even knows sometimes. But they were all very pretty particles.

Returnal to Sender

In a move no other game has ever made, probably, you get a little into Returnal before being brutally killed by something it seems should be killable. But it’s ok, because you get all resurrected and sent back in time to when you first crashed.

Prepare to die, amirite?

Regardless, Moon Moon takes all this in her stride, carrying on as if her only care in the world is getting off the aforementioned world. Which, of course, it is. The world itself is hauntingly beautiful, from the overgrown forest you begin in through deserts of sand and ice, and ruined cities of bizarre architecture… Bizarrechitecture. All of this looks glorious though, and I cannot even fathom criticising these environments.

Problem is, there are some other mischiefs going on…

The Mummy Returnals

Sometimes you’ll see a white sided, good old Midwestern US house incongruously plonked in the middle of an alien biome. And, even by this game’s standards, that’s mildly unsettling.

Inside you’ll deal with the personal story of Selene, and I refuse to spoil anything else because it’s weird as hell. Did you like P.T.? I hope so, because there are huge vibes here. Echoes of Gone Home and Resident Evil 7 abound as well, but the Playable Teaser is perfectly clear whenever you turn a corner and meet something bizarre or unexpected.

All of this is pretty cool, and the shift to a first person perspective with slow, investigative gameplay is an excellent break in the otherwise frenetic gameplay. The first time you lose your progress to a freeze or glitch, though? That’s not so rad. That happened to me midway through the second area early on and, while I believe this has been patched out by now (I forgot to hit publish on the review :/), it was enough to make me get up and walk away for the evening.

Returnal of the King

Not that there was ever any doubt, but Housemarque has done a great job with Returnal. Clearly the PS5 exclusive cheddar has led to some great strides in technical capability, but the talent was there.

Hands down my favourite part was the haptic controls made possible by Sony’s DualSense controller. Using the same triggers at different pressures to activate different weapons, the vibration mimicking everything from blazing energy to soft rain, and using the speaker in ways I haven’t enjoyed as much since Infamous: Second Son, the DualSense is the real star in this galaxy of innovation.

The game itself is also stellar. Returnal is a game you might want to put down every so often for a bit of a breather, but you’ll definitely find yourself returning for another go.

The post Returnal review appeared first on 8-Bit Island.