H
arding and Birkin may sound like law firms, but these two have a long history in the battlefield. Harding was a brilliant special forces operative who could handle any job, no matter how bloody. Birkin was Harding’s handler, and now he’s trying to bring him back for one last job. Harding has long ago hidden away in the woods to start a new life, but can Birkin chase him out at gunpoint? How far will they go? And with the two lost in the wilderness together, who is really chasing who?
That’s the engrossingly sleazy premise of Strange Scaffold’s latest action game, I Am Your Beast. What follows is not so much Rambo as an exploration of the way he’s become ingrained in our memory – the trees, the traps, the body counts. Strange Scaffold is known for making hectic, unrelenting games at a hectic, unrelenting pace. I Am Your Beast is another masterpiece of agility and efficiency. Playable in three hours at a stretch, this first-person shooter finds you constantly outgunned with firearms, but with infinite wit. Even the longest of the game’s “micro-sandbox” missions is over in 90 seconds, and you’ll be done before you have time to acknowledge the fact that the level names all sound like Jack Reacher novels – Late Shift, Breakdown, On Your Six.
I am your beast. Photo: Strange scaffolding
It all works extremely well: the beautifully streamlined design allows for fast first-person movement, having you ducking through roots one moment and leaping between the branches of a treetop canopy the next, while the sandbox approach to action sees you grabbing an enemy’s weapon, using it until it runs out of ammo, and hurling it at a nearby target to deliver the final blow, without having to be slowed down by tedious reloads.
There are elements of seminal first-person action games like Mirror’s Edge and SuperHot echoing this, but I Am Your Beast remains entirely its own thing. It has a speedrunner-like pacing, but the idea is that the simplest of mission structures, when combined with feel-good generic fiction, can really pump up the action. Simply fire up three laptops, target five satellite dishes, and kill everyone you come across. The objectives loop, but they add up to infinite lives in the game’s compact, complex arenas. A short health bar and a repetitive structure of attacking then disappearing behind the trees always make you feel like you’ve made a good getaway.
What makes I Am Your Beast thrilling is the vivid, well-chosen details. Grab the nearest herb and heal yourself on the spot. Let your enemy’s invincible attack helicopter wipe out hordes of enemies while sparing collateral damage. Kick people into ravines or jump on their heads to kill them. Every encounter is a chance to keep up the rhythm of carnage as inventively as possible, while increasingly frantic radio chatter from your enemies narrates the bloody and gore-splattered scenes as if they were commentating on a gruesome Olympics.
In fact, that emotion is at the heart of it all: Beneath the smoke and spent shells, I Am Your Beast is a reimagining of playground warfare as sport. On this forest battlefield, you perform deeds that are frighteningly good, and if you don’t get it right the first time, you’re one step closer to perfection.
With brighter screens, new hands-free gestures, and faster speeds for the first time in years, Apple’s smartwatch has firmly established itself as the market leader.
The Apple Watch Series 9 will be available in a variety of sizes and materials, with prices starting at £399 (€449 / $399 / AU$649), a £20 reduction in the UK. It will launch alongside the Ultra 2, which costs £799 (€899 / $799 / AU$1,399), £50 cheaper than last year’s model.
Both watches look similar to their predecessors on the outside, with the Series 9 sporting a slimmer, pillow-shaped shape and available in 41mm or 45mm size options, while the 49mm Ultra 2 sports a chunkier look with a sturdy titanium shell and oversized buttons.
New this year are significantly brighter screens. The Series 9 is twice as bright as last year’s Series 8, with a maximum brightness of 2,000. LiceThat puts it on par with rival Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6, and it has the same maximum brightness as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. A brighter screen makes it easier to read in direct sunlight, which is especially important for a watch.
The Ultra 2 goes even further, with a screen that can hit an impressive 3,000 nits at peak, which is 50% brighter than last year’s model. The super-bright screen is almost overkill unless you’re hiking through the desert, but you can unleash maximum brightness with the built-in torch mode to better light your way.
New, faster chips
Siri requests for apps, timers, and other simple actions are now much faster and more reliable, even when you’re out of range of your iPhone. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The new S9 chip in both watches is the first to offer a significant speed boost since the S6 in 2020. The 30% performance increase isn’t dramatic for everyday activities, except for interactions with Siri, many of which are now handled on the watch. Setting timers, taking calls and other simple interactions are quicker without an iPhone or data connection. Voice input for messages and notes is also up to 25% more accurate, making it faster to send replies without a phone call.
Battery life for both models is around 36 hours for the Series 9 and 70 hours for the Ultra 2, enough for a full day and night, or nearly three days, on a single charge.
Double Tap is coming soon
The double pinch gesture is simple and easy to perform, making it especially useful for quick actions like silencing a timer when your other hand is occupied. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Apple also added a new gesture for hands-free use of the Watch: “Double Tap,” which recognizes pinching your finger and thumb together twice, which is a simplified version of one of Apple’s existing gestures. AssistiveTouch accessibility features It’s for watches, but it’s faster and has become a standard part of every interface.
A double pinch will silence alarms and timers, start or end calls, and perform other basic actions. This feature only works when the screen is active, so the watch is facing you and can’t be accidentally activated. This feature requires the watchOS 10.1 update. It’s currently being tested in the public beta, but is working very well and should be fully rolled out by the end of October.
Sustainability
Apple doesn’t disclose the expected lifespan of the battery, but it is expected to last for more than 500 full charge cycles, retain at least 80% of its original capacity, and is replaceable. £95Repair costs Between £309 and £509 Varies by model.
They contain recycled aluminum, titanium, cobalt, copper, gold, plastic, rare earth elements, tin, and tungsten. Apple offers trade-ins and free recycling for its devices, and the report details the environmental impact of each watch.
price
The Series 9 comes in two sizes (41 and 45mm), a choice of materials, and a 4G option that requires an e-SIM-compatible phone plan add-on. Prices start from £399 ($399/AU$649), with the 4G model costing an extra £100 ($100/AU$160). The Ultra 2 costs £799 ($799/AU$1,399).
By comparison, the Apple Watch SE costs £259, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 costs £289, and the Google Pixel Watch 2 costs £269. £349The Garmin Venu 3 costs £449, while the Garmin Epix Pro costs £829.
verdict
Apple’s smartwatch didn’t need much to keep it in the top spot, but both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 look the same but with small but meaningful updates that are hard to beat.
The significantly brighter screen makes a big difference when you’re outside and want to see the time, alerts, and activity stats at a glance, and the faster chip means this watch will stay fast for years to come, making interactions with Siri super-fast, even when your phone isn’t nearby.
The upcoming double-tap gesture is also a handy addition, making tasks like checking train times a little easier when you’re rushing with your luggage.
If you want the best smartwatch for your iPhone, it’s hard to beat the Apple Watch, either model.
When the double-tap gesture is recognized, the watch vibrates and a notification pops up, here we are scrolling through widgets on the watch face. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
SSmart rings are gaining popularity, with Oura being spotted on the fingers of celebrities and elite athletes. It offers all the health-tracking features of a smartwatch in a smaller, less technical device focused on sleep, recovery, and resilience. Can the average person use it?
Now in its third generation, the Oura Gen 3 is the most popular smart ring on the market. It comes in various colors, metals, and sizes, resembling an attractive piece of jewelry, priced starting at £299 (€329/$299), plus a £6 monthly subscription. Following the trends of celebrities doesn’t come cheap.
The sleek titanium rings are available in different colors, finishes, and two shapes: flat top and fully circular. An inner layer of clear plastic reveals components, sensors, and contacts that read metrics like heart rate using three prongs touching the underside of your finger.
How does it feel to wear?
The smooth titanium finish shines in different light and is available in many other colors and finishes, including classic silver and gold. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Unlike other fitness trackers, Oura has no screen, sound, or visible alerts other than occasional lights from its sensors. All interactions happen through a smartphone app. Wearing it on the index finger is recommended for accurate data, but it can be cumbersome when using a smartphone.
The Oura ring, while twice as thick as a traditional wedding band, fits snugly but may be uncomfortable between fingers. It requires careful sizing and removal for regular cleaning and charging.
Oura has a consistent thickness all around, so it fits snugly against adjacent fingers better than other larger rings. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Sleep, sleep, and more sleep
The Oura app syncs data and settings via Bluetooth and displays the information in an easy-to-understand way. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Oura emphasizes thorough sleep analysis and daily recovery. It offers suggestions for improving health long-term. During the day, it tracks activity, compiles an Activity Score from steps, calories, heart rate, and stress levels. It also recognizes activities like walking and cycling.
At night, the ring tracks sleep efficiency, cycles, heart rate, variability, and blood oxygen to calculate a sleep score. It provides trend analysis and insights on readiness and resilience based on biometric data.
The app displays health data clearly with graphs and reports, offering suggestions for improvement. It also includes women’s health tracking, fertility insights, and partnered apps for extended functionality.
Sustainability
Oura will eventually become disposable, as the batteries in the ring will wear out, at which point they can’t be replaced. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Oura Gen 3 is not repairable, and the battery is not replaceable. Sustainability features are lacking, with no recycled materials, environmental impact reports, or recycling programs available.
Price
Prices for the Oura Gen 3 start from £299 (€329/$299), with a range of designs and finishes. A one-month free trial is offered, with a monthly subscription at £5.99 (€5.99 / $5.99). Membership registration is required.
Compared to other similar products, the Oura ring is competitively priced but comes with additional subscription costs.
Verdict
The Oura ring 3 is an excellent option for those wanting to track sleep and overall health without a screen on their wrist. It offers comprehensive data analysis and insightful recommendations for health improvement.
Although the ring has some drawbacks, including cost, subscription fees, and tracking limitations, it provides valuable insights into health trends and data analysis.
Overall, the Oura ring offers a unique approach to health tracking with detailed data and user-friendly features, making it a compelling option for those prioritizing sleep and recovery.
Strong Points: Jewelry-like design, comprehensive sleep & health tracking, smart trend analysis & helpful advice, easy to understand, 5-day battery life, 100m water resistance, an effective health alternative to a smartwatch.
Cons: Expensive, monthly subscription, thick for a ring, limited tracking capabilities.
The Oura ring is packed with sensors and technology. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
circleTo mention that Astro Bot brings back memories of Super Mario Galaxy is a high compliment. It’s not because it’s a copy, but rather due to the abundance of new ideas that positions this game as one of Nintendo’s top 3D platformers. Traveling around a small galaxy filled with asteroid-style levels, from bathhouses to diorama-sized jungle temples to rainy islands. Each level is brimming with innovative one-shot concepts, like frog boxing gloves, backpack monkeys, and a time-stopping clock that freezes giant speeding darts for you to navigate around. The creativity of this development team truly shines in this game.
Team Asobi, known for producing Rescue Mission for PSVR and the short game Astro’s Playroom packaged with the PS5 at launch, now presents a full-length game with bonus difficulty levels that serve as a stimulating challenge for fans of 3D platforming. The game is incredibly enjoyable and distinct thanks to the lovable blue-and-white robot and its quirky friends, many of whom are dressed as characters from obscure PlayStation worlds. The meticulous attention to detail in these robots, from their movements, expressions, dance sequences, to their tiny pleas for help when in distress, exudes personality.
In Astro’s Playroom, you explore levels inspired by the speed of the SSD and the graphic processing unit’s visual flair, housed within the PlayStation 5 itself. The visual design of the environments is tech-themed, featuring trees made of tangled wires and computer-chip-like patterns decorating every surface. Astro Bot maintains a similar aesthetic while extending beyond it.
In this adventure, your PS5 acts as a robot mothership that crash-lands on a desert planet, dispersing numerous robots across the galaxy. As the lone surviving robot, you journey into each level aboard a rescue ship shaped like your PS5 controller to reunite your allies and reconstruct your robotic crew back home.
An astrobot riding a PS5 controller-shaped ship. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi
At the conclusion of each planetary cluster, a boss reminiscent of a slapstick cartoon is encountered, guarding a section of your spaceship. You then engage in cleaning and reassembling that section using a massive robotic arm, strategically pulling triggers and tilting the controller to clear away debris, cut ice chunks, and align pieces. This interactive process is incredibly fun and tactile, emphasizing the unique and sometimes eccentric aspects of the PS5 controller. Various features of the controller, from the small microphone to the touchpad, are ingeniously utilized in Astro Bot’s gameplay. The protagonist searches for weak spots along walls, clinging to his ship as you navigate through space by tilting the controller like a steering wheel.
The developers’ profound understanding of the PlayStation 5 is evident. Whether constructing a bridge with 100 robots on-screen, witnessing landscapes shattering into tiny fragments, or careening down a waterslide accompanied by inflatable balls, the gameplay is seamless and responsive. Whether testing if a log floats by slicing it with Astro’s jetpack or feeling the impact of each action through vibrations in the controller, every detail is finely tuned. Astro’s movements, jumps, and maneuvers are flawless, showcasing the level of precision in the game. This attention to detail sets this game apart, offering players a luxurious experience akin to five-star service.
The Astro Bot puts Frog’s boxing gloves to good use. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi
Another aspect I appreciate about Astro Bot is its suitability for playing with children. While lacking two-player co-op, it functions well as a game to pass the controller among players. My 7-year-old enjoyed watching me play, while my 5-year-old explored safe areas of levels and handed me the controller when faced with challenges.
Some planets in Astro Bot feature hub areas resembling enclosed playgrounds where players can engage in activities like kicking a ball, battling harmless enemies, jumping into pools, and taking on acrobatic challenges. My kids found the setting charming and dynamic, with references to classic PlayStation games like Uncharted, God of War, and Ape Escape scattered throughout.
Astro Bot, akin to Astro’s Playroom, pays homage to PlayStation’s history and design while expanding beyond a mere tech demo to establish itself as one of the top platform games in recent memory. It truly stands out as one of the finest platform games I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Until now There have been many games I’ve experienced, but being a 90s kid, I’ve played my fair share. The PlayStation hasn’t seen a captivating family game since LittleBigPlanet, and Astro Bot carries on that tradition of playful humor.
yesIn front of your ears Star WarsVideo game designers began exploring intergalactic dogfights in 1962. spacewar!The first proper computer game, , was a rudimentary but influential attempt: two skinny triangles spiraling around a star's gravity well and firing torpedoes at each other. After establishing the medium's basic principles, hundreds of developers attempted to refine and perfect the genre, which has gone in and out of fashion but never completely disappeared. Cygnus It's probably the best production attempt to date. A small studio in Scotland Answering the Impossible Question: What if Steven Spielberg had directed it? Space Invaders?
As a lone warrior, you'll race across an alien planet, attacking UFOs and swirling swarms of purple space jellyfish that fly across the screen, in a style reminiscent of polarity-swapping arcade classics. Ikaruga, Cygnus is a master class in technology: a spaceship hurtles through a remote robot battlefield, rocked by the blasts of thousands of fireworks. The orchestra, frantic one moment, melancholic the next, complementarily backs up the action, which ebbs and flows, with moments of rest between the activity.
Enemies fly through the air or glide along the ground far below, forcing you to switch weapons to focus your attacks on either target. Every few minutes you'll be facing off against a much larger enemy, and you'll need to adjust your angle of attack while dodging their attacks and lunges. Enemies drop chunks of power-ups (you lose one every time you take damage), which can be swapped between a shield system or a weapon system, a slightly tedious complexity that adds an extra layer of strategy.
The game is a formidable challenge, and most players should start on the easiest difficulty level. Laser bullets fall like showers rather than hail, and lives are replenished at reasonable intervals between the seven long levels. It can get repetitive at times, Cygnus's innovative mechanics will no doubt be polarizing among the genre's most dedicated and old-school fans, but for those who approach it with an open mind and deft fingers, it remains a thrilling vision.
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The world of Warcraft has a persistent identity problem: Once one of the biggest games in the world, it’s now approaching its 20th anniversary, and with each passing year, developer Blizzard faces the daunting task of proving that WoW still has a place in today’s gaming world.
This goes some way to explaining why Blizzard has tried to reinvent WoW multiple times. Six years after its initial release, the developers attempted to radically remake the game world with 2010’s Cataclysm expansion, in which ancient dragons ravaged and reshaped the realm of Azeroth (an experience you can relive in the recently re-released Cataclysm Classic). Since then, Blizzard has tried a variety of gimmicks to keep WoW fresh, including the now-rather infamous mechanic that saw players increase their power level for two years before losing that power at the end of each expansion cycle.
These gimmicks, combined with an antiquated approach to gameplay updates, created a sense of unease among WoW fans, as players felt unloved and taken for granted. Two years ago, the Dragonflight expansion felt like a make-or-break moment. But what was meant to be WoW’s final installment turned out to be a much-needed breath of fresh air. Dragonflight scraped away the chaff and pared WoW’s gameplay down to a tightness that harkened back to its glory days. After a gimmick-filled experiment, it seemed Blizzard had decided on the most radical of game design approaches: making a better game.
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical that this latest expansion, The War Within, could maintain its momentum. Delving into dank, dark depths in search of adventure, treasure, and intrigue is one of fantasy’s enduring tropes, and with good reason. But after soaring through the skies in Dragonflight, “Awesome… But Underground!” felt like a thematic nosedive.
But War Within tells us something great why We’re exploring the bowels of the Earth. Historically, the quality of WoW’s writing hasn’t been a strong point, but here, a fantastic cast of voice actors and surprisingly compelling in-game cinematics tell a more compelling story than ever before. The expansion also introduces a charismatic villain who, while still a bit hackneyed, is a refreshing contrast to the beefy baritone baddies WoW tends to default to.
But while a compelling story is important, an MMORPG is only as good as how you feel when you play it every day. So far, The War Within has excelled in this regard. Over the past two years, Blizzard has been steadily experimenting with a variety of new features to make players’ lives easier. These include long-awaited improvements to WoW’s antiquated menus and on-screen information, the ability to run with an AI companion as you learn new dungeons, and the new “Warbands” feature that lets you progress towards all of the in-game objectives with any character without mindlessly repeating hours of play every time you want to try out a druid instead of a rogue. All of this is smoothly integrated into the leveling experience, resulting in the most satisfying start to a WoW expansion pack I’ve experienced.
Gorgeous…World of Warcraft: The War Within. Photo: Blizzard
The flashy new “Hero Talents” tweak WoW’s complicated talent trees by adding a little stylistic flair and class fantasy. For example, my dueling giant sword-toting Fury Warrior can be transformed into a lightning-powered stomping machine under the Mountain Thane hero tree. But sadly, these options don’t have much consistency, and I’m often forced to choose what’s most powerful in combat, rather than the flashier, more exciting options. Depending on how your particular class, spec, and hero tree perform, the choice can be either an intense delight or an intense frustration. I ended up regretting demoting my Warrior from Mountain Thane to the much less exciting but higher-damage Slayer tree.
The War Within also introduces “Deeps” – shorter dungeons scattered throughout the landscape that can be tackled alone or with a group of up to five people. The game badly needed a flexible alternative to raids, which still require you to spend one evening each week with a group of 10-25 other players. Deeps are suited to players who only have an hour of freedom every once in a while, but want to feel like they’re making progress towards their character and gear goals. If the Deeps are properly maintained over the coming months and years, I can see myself spending a lot of time there.
Sure, The War Within is only just beginning its two-year lifecycle, but this is WoW’s best achievement in years, and while Blizzard will continue to grapple with Warcraft’s place in the modern gaming landscape, especially with WoW’s 20th anniversary approaching, the game still feels relevant in a way it hasn’t felt in a long time.
SSo-called bone conduction headphones are a runner’s best friend, allowing you to stay fully aware of the outside world while listening to motivational music. But the technology doesn’t produce decent bass, a problem that open-ear headphone maker Shokz believes it has solved with its latest OpenRun Pro 2.
A successor to the popular OpenRun Pro and OpenSwim series, the OpenRun Pro 2 costs £169 (€199 / $175 / AU$299) and is similar to most of its competitors, with bone conduction pods secured in front of the ears by two loops and a band that wraps around the back of the head.
What makes these headphones unique is that the pods have open-air speakers built into them, allowing music to be streamed towards the outer ear. Bone conduction The speakers vibrate your cheekbones to send sound directly to your inner ear, while open-air speakers handle the bass and the rest of the sound is sent to the listener via bone conduction.
Open-air speakers emit sound from grilles in the pods that are located directly in front of the wearer’s ears. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
They don’t deliver the skull-shaking bass of larger over-ear headphones, but the OpenRun Pro 2 sounds fuller and rounder than its predecessor, and won’t send thumping noises through your cheeks even at louder volumes. Instruments, drums, and vocals have more depth, making them especially great for podcasts and dance tracks. The Shokz smartphone app offers an equalizer to fine-tune the sound of the headphones, as well as other updates and adjustments.
But the open-air speakers block out a lot more background noise than traditional bone-conduction headphones, significantly reducing awareness of cars, cyclists, and other runners. They’re still far better than earbuds or other headphones, but the difference was noticeable when listening at moderate volumes while running.
Only at 50% volume will nearby people be able to hear the music a little better than regular bone conduction earphones – they’re less noticeable than cheaper earphones and aren’t loud enough to be an issue when running.
specification
water resistance: IP55 (water-resistant)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC)
Battery life: 12 hr
size: 30.9 x 21.7 x 24.3mm
Weight: 30.3 g
driver: Air conduction and bone conduction
charging: USB-C
Bluetooth upgrade and comfortable fit
The USB-C charging port is hidden behind a rubber door to protect it from the elements. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Another big upgrade from previous Shokz is support for Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, meaning you can connect two devices at the same time. This is especially useful if you want to connect to a running watch and a phone at the same time. You can even take a call while listening to music and lap guidance from the watch without stopping.
The headphones fit very well, with a nice balance between the front and back of the ears, and the back band is just the right amount of flexible, putting enough pressure on the sides of your head without being too restrictive. A mini version is also available for those who want a tighter fit.
The volume buttons are on the headphone body behind the right ear, and the multifunction button that controls playback is on the outside of the pod in front of the left ear. The microphone for calls is on the right pod and works well enough, although callers said my voice sounded a bit distant and quiet.
The battery lasts for 12 hours on a single charge and fully charges in about an hour via the USB-C port. The headphones are splash-resistant, so they’re fine for a sweaty run, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe to immerse in water.
The headphones come with a lightweight shell case for safe storage when traveling. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Sustainability
Shokz claims that the batteries in the earbuds and case will retain at least 80% of their original capacity for 800 full charge cycles. Shokz does not offer trade-in, recycling or repair services, and the batteries cannot be replaced. The headphones do not contain any recycled materials, and the company has not released an environmental impact report.
price
The OpenRun Pro 2 costs £169 (€199 / $175 / AU$299).
By comparison, the Shokz OpenRun costs £130, the Suunto Wing costs £145, the Creative Outlier Free Pro+ costs £80 and the Bose Ultra Open earphones cost £250.
verdict
The OpenRun Pro 2 solves the bass-deficient issue of bone conduction headphones by adding open-air speakers that handle the bass.
They don’t deliver skull-shaking bass, but they deliver a rich sound that’s just as good as standard earphones, making them a marked improvement over previous earphones. The trade-off, however, is a slightly worse situational awareness at moderate volumes. This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but if you like to listen to music loud while running, it might negate the point of buying bone conduction headphones.
The addition of Bluetooth multipoint, which lets you connect to two devices simultaneously, is a nice touch, as is the 12-hour battery life and the fact that charging is done via a standard USB-C cable rather than a proprietary port.
The Shokz are not cheap and are not suitable for general use as headphones, but the biggest problem is that they cannot be repaired and the battery is not replaceable, so they end up being disposable and lose a star.
Strong Points: Much rounder sound than bone conduction, open air recognition, splash proof, solid battery life, standard USB-C charging, Bluetooth multipoint, great for running.
Cons: They offer slightly less recognition than bone conduction alone, are expensive, don’t support high-quality Bluetooth audio formats, and are not repairable or have replaceable batteries.
Actual click buttons make it easy to adjust volume and control playback while working out. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
B
Missing Myth: Wukong is a video game that focuses on spectacle, but true awe requires confidence. This confidence is often lacking in big-budget games where developers play it safe, concerned about mainstream appeal. Despite its cutting-edge graphics, Black Myth: Wukong stands out as a potential hit, but surprisingly, it’s developed by the Chinese indie studio Game Science. The game’s polished experience is so impressive that it’s hard to believe it’s the studio’s first “premium” game.
Based on the classic 16th-century novel, Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong allows players to step into the shoes of the novel’s main character, the stone monkey, Son Goku. Son Goku possesses incredible strength, speed, and the ability to transform into various creatures and objects, manipulate the weather, and even create clones of himself. The game introduces these abilities through an exhilarating tutorial where Wukong faces off against gods and armies, providing a constant adrenaline rush throughout its 40-hour playtime.
Black Myth: Wukong draws inspiration from modern action games, particularly the challenging “Soul-like” genre known for epic boss fights. The game’s combat mechanics feel heavy and swift, with attention to detail like the use of soaking gourds to enhance abilities, immersing players in an authentic world.
Unlike many action games, Wukong isn’t open-world, devoid of mini-maps and quest logs. The lack of handholding encourages exploration and trust in the game’s process, leading players through dangerous terrains and breath-taking landscapes without distractions.
Capturing the allure of exploration…Black Myth: Wukong.
Photo: GameScience
In addition to exploration, Wukong caters to curiosity with hidden areas that only become visible once players acquire specific items or interact with certain characters. These optional sections, called “Attachment,” play into Buddhist themes of attachment leading to suffering, adding depth to the game’s narrative and gameplay.
Black Myth: Wukong’s success is a testament to its captivating gameplay and storytelling. Despite initial surprise at its origin from a country known for mobile games, the game’s accessibility to Chinese audiences has contributed to its massive popularity. It’s a game that transcends market expectations and delivers an exceptional gaming experience.
noOstalgia is a strange thing, it can appear out of nowhere like a TIE fighter and hit you in the gut, leaving you confused and in pain. An hour into Star Wars Outlaws, I never expected to be emotionally overwhelmed by a simple quest to buy spare parts from a group of Jawas. But then I got in my speeder and rode out into the Dune Sea, and I saw their vehicles, black and huge, in the low sun. And I saw those little guys running around repairing droids. And I was transported back to when I was 12 years old, watching Star Wars on VHS in the living room, eating Monster Munchies my mom bought me, repeating lines with Luke. Ubisoft’s epic adventure is full of moments like this, and they saved my life many times.
All Pre-release talk You hear a lot about this not being a typical Ubisoft open world game, but Star Wars Outlaws is a lot like a typical Ubisoft open world game. You play as Kay Vess, a city thief who has been living quietly off her cunning until a lucrative heist goes wrong and she steals a spaceship and crashes it on the remote moon of Tshara. From here, she must survive while working for and at odds with the many criminal organizations in the galaxy, building a reputation as a skilled mercenary and thief. From here, it’s a familiar storyline. You’re soon given the main story quest, dozens of optional minor tasks, and the opportunity to take on various smuggler and rogue side jobs, usually traveling somewhere to get or blow things up. It’s like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, or Watch Dogs. It’s Star Wars: Busy Work Strikes Back.
Star Wars Outlaws cleverly weaves in Star Wars culture. Photo: Ubisoft
But there’s also an important difference: here, you’ll be aided by your beloved pet Nix, who you can dispatch to distract guards, fetch useful objects, or crawl through tight spaces to unlock doors. Nix is adorable, and adds emotional depth and danger to Cay’s lonely life. But more importantly, the game expertly weaves Star Wars lore into the mix, with the buildings you invade being beautifully recreated Imperial research facilities, destroyed Republic starships, and vile Hutt fortresses, all filled with intricate visual and narrative details drawn from the original film trilogy. Everywhere you go, fans will find a treat: familiar droids, bits of history, and beloved spaceships. The streets of Mos Eisley are patrolled by Stormtroopers in their monstrous vehicles. Dewback.
The planets you visit aren’t huge explorable territories. Most have big cities and a few square miles of open terrain. But that’s ok. There’s plenty to discover, from Hutt treasure vaults in the valleys of Tatooine to pirate camps in the swampy forests of Akiva. Sadly, the speeder bikes handle badly and are like trying to traverse an alien planet on a beat-up old Honda 125. Equally unwieldy are the space flight sections, which are reminiscent of No Man’s Sky. The planets’ orbits are densely populated with abandoned spaceships, TIEs and pirate fighters that you can loot. You can rescue ships in distress or perform cargo pickup missions, but the flight simulation never quite matches up to the classic LucasArts space combat titles.
So much to discover…Star Wars Outlaws. Photo: Ubisoft
Most of the aboveground quests involve a combination of parkour (climbing pipes and cliffs painted yellow, although you can turn off the paint) and stealth, sneaking through steel corridors, passing walls of flashing buttons and beeping computer displays, destroying alarm panels, and silently taking down enemies. It’s basic, and at times it comes closer to Spider-Man’s Mary Jane missions, which can be frustratingly slow compared to Dishonored’s systemic complexity. As you progress, however, you’ll encounter different experts who can unlock new skills that allow you to move more quietly or use cool stealth toys like smoke grenades, making infiltration much more fun. You also have a very configurable laser gun with different modes that can be unlocked. You can temporarily pick up other weapons, but I like that Kay sticks to a Han Solo-style pistol. You can’t beat a good blaster by your side.
At its core, it’s a cheesy story that’s grown from a myth of street kids making it big into something a bit more interesting. As Kay recruits a raiding party that includes the laser-scarred battle droid ND-5, he forges friendships that both elevate and contrast the heist plan. Clashes with the Rebels also call into question the ethics of their war and their methods. There are great moments where it’s clear the designers took inspiration not only from Star Wars itself, but also from directors George Lucas reveres, John Ford and Akira Kurosawa.
Some may be nostalgic for the legends of the Jedi or EA’s Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor titles. Outlaws is definitely for Solo fans, not Skywalker fans, but it does feature some really compelling new characters. It gives most fans of the movies what they want, and they’ll get to geek out with things like the EG-6 power droid and the X-34 landspeeder. Chadra Fan Sitting at the bar in the cantina 😅 I’ve been wandering around for hours looking for this item and have rarely been disappointed.
If this Was Compared to Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry titles, this one falls into the so-so category: reasonably fun, a little frustrating at times, and chock-full of overused tropes of the open-world genre, but the Star Wars license grabs the game by the Corellian trousers time and time again, dragging it into thrilling territory. For the better part of the 40 or so hours I played, I felt like a 12-year-old again, feeling a little confused and giddy, but also blissfully familiar, enjoying every moment.
Google’s latest flagship phone is a significant advancement, focusing on battery life, camera quality, and intelligent features. It represents a new era of Android devices that can run Google’s Gemini AI system along with a next-generation conversational voice assistant.
Priced starting at £1,099 ($1,099/AU$1,849), the Pixel 9 Pro XL is Google’s largest phone offering. This year, a smaller 9 Pro model with identical specifications and cameras is also available for £999 ($999/AU$1,699). The XL variant caters to users who prefer a large screen and extended battery life.
Featuring a bold design with a noticeable camera bar reminiscent of Google’s Nest Doorbell, the Pixel 9 Pro XL stands out visually. Its aluminum body with flat edges bears similarities to Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL boasts a large, vibrant 6.8-inch screen, ideal for multimedia consumption and outdoor use. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Equipped with Google’s Tensor G4 chip, the Pixel offers faster browsing and app launching compared to its predecessor. The phone efficiently handles games and apps, leveraging AI enhancements to boost performance.
Notably, the Pixel 9 Pro XL delivers extended battery life, lasting up to 52 hours under mixed usage conditions, setting it apart from competitors in the market.
The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 9 Pro XL offers enhanced speed and accuracy, providing a seamless user experience. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
aThe best place to start with Tactical Breach Wizards, a game that relies heavily on glimpses into the future, is a little further down the line. Let’s start with the fact that this special ops tour of magical mystery is the most important turn-based tactics game since the classic XCOM 2. Its blend of inventive, flexible puzzles and highly entertaining writing is enough to warrant active play on anyone’s console. But what makes the game worthy of Special Arcane Service is how boldly it critiques the murky morality of military-themed games.
In Tactical Breach Wizards you take command of a ragtag team of witch detectives, necromancers, time-manipulating wizards and druid hitmen and use your team’s diverse abilities to overcome escalating tactical siege scenarios. A typical level requires you to break into and enter a room, neutralize six enemies, seal a door to stop reinforcements, and reach a computer that will open a passage to the next room.
This is a simplified example of the format where you don’t have to worry about base management or higher layers of strategy. Instead, it focuses on creatively using magical powers to resolve scenarios as cleanly as possible. Jen, a freelance storm witch, casts lightning spells that can push people away without causing damage and knock out enemies by pushing them into objects or out of windows. Zan, a naval seer, can foresee events a second ahead, allowing him to roughly predict how his enemies will attack, but also to set up ambushes or give his teammates extra actions. Combining powers to maximize efficiency is a key tactic, for example, using Zan’s time boost ability to have Zan use his lightning power twice.
Each room you enter introduces a new ability, enemy, or idea that increases the challenge and your ability to face it. For example, you can recruit the necromancer Dessa to kill people and resurrect them to heal them, or place interdimensional portals in your walls to push through enemies and eliminate them quickly.
Tactical Breach Wizards wants to maximize the puzzle potential by having you move lots of small enemies around a room. But unlike XCOM, it doesn’t extend lateral thinking with brute force. Most scenarios are relatively easy to solve, as you can undo decisions you made on any given turn. However, each stage also has bonus objectives, such as completing a stage without taking any damage at all. Rather than punishing mistakes and killing your allies, Tactical Breach Wizards gently guides you towards excellence.
This more tolerant attitude is also reflected in the game’s themes. Tactical Breach Wizards is never a serious game – evidenced by objectives like “jump through the Pyromancer’s window” and the fact that Zan’s “assault rifle” is a machine gun frame with a wizard’s wand rather than a barrel – but it does treat its characters and the problems they face seriously. One of my favorite bits is the heartfelt exchange that happens every time the team gathers to breach another door. Not only is it a great joke, but the conversation that follows is also incredibly witty and offers great insight into each wizard’s inner life.
But the game’s most impressive trick is how it spins a truly intriguing spy thriller out of its ridiculous concept, while refusing to abide by the uncomfortable ethics of modern military games. The team is made up of rebels and outcasts rather than government-sanctioned wizards, and their enemies are enforcers of a religious dictatorship and people hired by private military companies (plus a traffic warlock called Steve). Even when facing these foes, the team only follows non-lethal rules of engagement. You might wonder how they can do this when people are constantly being kicked out of windows, and the answer is simple: they’re wizards.
This is a nearly perfectly balanced game, with nothing wasted. do not have A wicked ode to turn-based tactics, it embraces the genre’s creative puzzles while rejecting its worst excesses. In Tactical Breach Wizards you can see into the future, raise the dead and smash windows with a witch’s broomstick, but the most powerful magic of all is empathy.
ohOn a sweltering summer day in London, I found myself working in the middle of snow-covered Yosemite National Park, surrounded by floating apps and browser windows. Later, I’d reminisce about holidays from years ago, staring out at windswept Oregon beaches, sitting in a speeder on Tatooine watching Rogue One in 3D, and spending the night with a guided meditation.
These are the sort of immersive experiences Apple’s latest, and most expensive, gadget offers, blending the real and virtual worlds, all controlled by your eyes and hands. The Vision Pro may resemble virtual reality headsets like Meta’s Quest series, but it aims to be something much more.
But with a prohibitive price tag of £3,500 (€3,999 / $3,499 / AU$5,999) that most buyers won’t even consider, this cutting-edge tech marvel is best thought of as a glimpse into the near future of computing.
You can use your Mac’s screen, keyboard, and trackpad streamed to a simulated 4K display, alongside other windows and apps. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
Put on the headset and you’re transported to a photorealistic exotic location, or use the Digital Crown to increase or decrease immersion, seamlessly blending reality and the virtual world. The real world is sent through the camera to a crystal-clear display and displayed as pass-through video — far better than the competition, and so clear that you can read on your phone without taking off the headset.
Your content appears in a floating window fixed in 3D space, as big or small as you like. Even if you walk by the window, your content stays where you were and is instantly visible when you return. Just see the content you want and select it with a pinch of your fingers. Type directly by “touch” on the hover keyboard or scroll through sites like a giant virtual iPad.
Step into an immersive experience and go one step further by walking with dinosaurs, exploring the solar system or flying along neon-lit highways in rhythm games.
Third-party apps offer a variety of mixed reality and immersive experiences. astronomy (Top left), Jetpack Joyride 2 (Top right), Disney+ (Bottom left) and Luna (Bottom right). Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Heavyweight Technology
Vision Pro is the pinnacle of headset tech: The same M2 chip found in the 2022 MacBook Air runs apps, and its R1 chip processes input from the headset’s 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones. Combined, this delivers a smooth experience in both the real and virtual worlds displayed on two high-resolution Micro-OLED displays in front of your eyes.
The exterior cameras and sensors create a map of the real world, including objects like furniture and walls, and track the user’s position and hand movements. The interior camera monitors eye movements to interact with buttons and objects, making sure what you’re looking at is clear. The headset also features “Optic ID,” an alternative to Face ID, to seamlessly unlock and authenticate payments by scanning your iris.
The experience is exponentially better than anything that came before, and at times, it’s magical.
The various parts of the Vision Pro attach to each other via magnets and quick-release clips, including two types of straps. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
All the technology packed into the Vision Pro creates one major problem: weight. At up to 650 grams, it’s heavier than Apple’s largest iPad Pro and competing headsets like the Quest 3, which weighs 515 grams. And that doesn’t include the 353 gram battery, which connects to the headset with a cord so you can put it in your pocket or keep it on the desk in front of you.
During the ordering process, your face is scanned with an iPhone and a custom fit is created from nearly 200 combinations of strap sizes, “light seals” and cushioning, making it more comfortable than any other headset and leaving no goggle marks on your face.
What remains is the strain on my neck. After wearing the headset daily for a month, I can now manage sessions up to about two hours long. However, I still feel like I’ve given my neck a workout, and wearing it for long periods without taking proper breaks causes the same neck, shoulder and back pain I get when I’m hunched over a laptop all day.
The battery lasts for about 2-3 hours, which is plenty long enough for you to easily charge it while sitting at your desk or on the couch, but this headset isn’t designed to be easily shared, and even if you manage to get a good fit on your guest’s face, you’ll need to redo the eye-tracking setup for five minutes to get it to work temporarily.
We’re only scratching the surface in productivity improvements
I placed my Mac display in the center with various windows around it, and some behind and above it, and the screenshots in the headset don’t do justice to how it will look in person. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Vision Pro is different from other headsets in that it’s fully integrated into the Apple ecosystem — more like a Mac than an iPhone — allowing you to create an entire app and productivity environment anywhere, without the need for multiple monitors.
It comes with many familiar apps, including Apple’s Mail, Messages, Notes, Keynote, Freeform, and Photos, and many others are available as “compatible” apps, including Microsoft’s Word and Excel, but it doesn’t include Google apps like Gmail or Drive, and only some of them work properly as web apps in Safari.
The headset tracks your hand movements relative to virtual objects, and here we see the common two-handed pinch-to-zoom gesture to increase the size of a photo. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
Using the Vision Pro as part of a productivity setup is great, but that’s only scratching the surface of what the headset can do.
Apps for Vision Pro are varied: some simply drag 2D experiences into the 3D space of the headset, like games played on a TV screen placed within the environment, while others are fully immersive environments you can walk around in.
The Apple TV app lets you enter a virtual cinema and choose your row and seat, while Disney+ lets you sit on a couch in Avengers Tower or the aforementioned speeder on Tatooine. On both services, the 3D movies look especially good.
But where Vision Pro really shines is when you combine real and virtual worlds, such as playing on a virtual chessboard placed on a table in front of you. Apple’s Encounter Dinosaur demo experience shows what’s possible by creating a portal to a prehistoric land that’s fixed to the actual wall of a room. A butterfly emerges from the portal and lands on your outstretched finger. The dinosaur then comes into view and locks eyes with you. The dinosaur’s head and eyes follow you as you move around the room, before scaring off rival dinosaurs and roaring at you.
There are only a handful of truly great experiences available on the App Store right now, but most of the best ones are controlled directly by your hands and body. Other headsets can do similar things, but none do it as easily, accurately, or with the same high fidelity as Vision Pro.
Relive your memories like never before
When you view your holiday panoramas with Vision Pro, the photos expand all around you, filling your field of vision completely for an immersive experience. Photo: Apple
One of the most unexpected and wonderful things about Vision Pro is its ability to relive past moments through photos, videos, and panoramas.
Loading a panorama photo made me feel like I was standing in Death Valley again, enjoying the dramatic colors of a sunset over the vast desert. Or sitting in a packed Capital One Arena watching the Washington Capitals play ice hockey. And a photo I took from the top of Seattle’s Space Needle gave me the same feeling of height dread I had when I took it seven years ago.
Vision Pro can also display spatial and 3D videos shot with a headset or iPhone 15 Pro. These look like the little holograms you often see in sci-fi, giving you a real sense of depth and the feeling of being back in the moment, but it takes practice to get it right
Many of the deficiencies identified in the report were not addressed.
Boeing’s response processes for past defects have been ineffective, and the company has not been responsive in taking corrective action for recurring quality control issues,” the company stated.
When asked for comment, a Boeing representative directed NBC News to NASA.
In a written response included in the report, Katherine Corner, deputy administrator for NASA Headquarters’ Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, emphasized NASA’s commitment to the highest technical and programmatic standards.
NASA is dedicated to ensuring that its personnel and contractors are qualified, well-trained, and prioritize mission safety,” Corner expressed.
The report suggested various recommendations, such as imposing financial penalties on Boeing for not meeting quality control standards. However, NASA opted not to levy any financial penalties.
The Space Launch System, standing at 322 feet tall, along with the Orion spacecraft, aims to launch astronauts to the moon to establish a base on its surface.
NASA successfully conducted an uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in 2022 (Artemis I mission). The following year, four astronauts are scheduled for a crewed flight around the moon (Artemis II mission).
Aside from the first-generation SLS rocket, NASA is also working on a more powerful model capable of carrying more cargo to the moon, led by Boeing as the prime contractor for the enhanced upper stage, known as the Space Launch System Block 1B, with work commencing in 2014.
Originally, an improved rocket system was planned to transport Artemis 2 astronauts into lunar orbit, but this timeline adjustment delayed development and raised costs, as stated by the inspector general.
According to a new report, the Block 1B version of the SLS could potentially cost up to $5.7 billion per launch.
This assessment marks a setback for NASA’s lunar return program, plagued by delays and budget overruns. Over the span of more than a decade, the agency has invested over $42 billion in the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.
Last year, NASA’s inspector general estimated each Artemis launch to cost $4.2 billion.
TThe story begins on a road miles from the border of another American state. The danger is clear, even when everything else is clear. Pax, the player character, is a black woman in her 30s who has just finished a robbery with friends. The border means freedom. A police car telling you to pull over means trouble.
Pax and her allies are anomalies, people with manipulative voice abilities called Vox. Pax is able to manipulate people into doing what she wants by making them feel bad for her, using abilities she calls “Triggers” and “Cancels.” Her ex-partner, Noam, is able to placate people with an ability she calls “Gaslighting.” What Dustborn is trying to communicate is certainly not subtle. Soon, we encounter people infected with weaponized disinformation.
Vox is available in certain situations, such as dialogue choices, often when the issue is time-sensitive. When you tap on a dialogue choice, you're presented with Pax's thoughts before you decide. Does Pax think it would be better to use a block to stop someone from asking a question, or would using a trigger to start a fight be the better option?
“The story you actively shape”…Dustborn. Photo: Red Thread Games
This is a very handy feature, especially when it's not clear what a one-word dialogue option represents. In my case, my first run-in with the police ends with an agitated officer stepping onto the highway and a truck doing the rest. This is just one of many tense encounters between the group on their way to safely delivering the stolen data drive to Nova Scotia, Canada.
It's amazing how well Dustborn remembers your choices: a little comic book icon appears on screen whenever a character mentions a past event that was influenced by a choice you made. This often happens multiple times in a single conversation, making Dustborn feel like a narrative experience that you're actively shaping.
“A balancing act between serious themes and the supernatural”…Dustborn. Photo: Red Thread Games
Dustborn also has hack-and-slash combat, but it's very easy and monotonous. If you're not enjoying it, you can reduce the frequency of encounters. There's also a small rhythm game section, as the group travels around undercover as a touring punk rock band. It's a fun diversion, but the songs are pretty awful. Maybe it's because of the band's undercover story, but I can't stand songs that rhyme the word “born” with “born.” Three times.
The game will certainly irritate some people by stating the characters' politics loudly and explicitly – Nazis are bad – but it also doesn't say anything else of note beyond that. The setting, for example, doesn't stand up to casual examination. A paranoid JFK is said to have “basically resurrected Nazi Germany” after surviving an assassination attempt. To be clear, Dustborn's setting doesn't reflect the horrors of Nazi Germany in any way. The problem is, it might think it does. There are stories of people talking about book burnings and “fighting,” but it never really connects to anything substantial. A lot of ideas are vying for space – robots, a near-apocalyptic event, the dangers of totalitarianism – but none of them get the space they deserve.
Meanwhile, real-world problems are transformed into supernatural ones, and later in the game you learn how to cure people infected with disinformation. Point the device at a person, and the person regains consciousness screaming something like “Wait, the awakened mind virus doesn't exist! What was I saying?”. Transforming the real fight against disinformation into a supernatural element is very damaging to the game. What's even more offensive is that issues like racism don't seem to be involved. Every member of the team is from a minority background, and none of the characters feel the need to comment on it. This is a good thing, but from my experience as a minority, it's just as offensive as not having any diverse characters at all. The game didn't need this kind of set dressing, it didn't even need supernatural powers. A lot of it would just make the well-intentioned message worthless.
Meanwhile, the characterization is fantastic throughout. Dustborn is a game where characters talk about their feelings openly and in detail, which is charming and complemented by regular check-ins with friends around the campfire after each mission.
Dustborn's fundamental problem is its apparent desire to balance serious themes with the supernatural, and to alternate between fun moments, activism, and drama, but it ultimately fails to achieve this balance. For example, a raccoon's birthday party is held after a tragedy befalls the entire community. I enjoyed it more once I stopped taking it so seriously, because the standout moments come when Dustborn leans into the ridiculousness of its supernatural storyline. In Dustborn, you might expect a tense journey across the United States, but what you actually get is the equivalent of an interactive Marvel movie, and that's fine.
TThe Crush House developer Nerial describes the game as a “first-person shooter,” which is a surprisingly accurate tagline. On the Malibu coastline, a grand vaporwave-and-neon mansion stands. Producer Jae sleeps in a bleak little basement below. Your job is to roam the house from behind the camera, filming the reality show’s hot and sexy cast. You pick a panel of 12 for each season, chase them around the glitzy grounds, and make sure they fight, kiss, or both to boost ratings and satisfy viewers. You’re free to move around, but you’re warned never to talk to the cast. As the tagline suggests, the game certainly has a first-person shooter vibe, but instead of a gun, you’re brandishing a camera. Think sexy Pokémon Snap.
Every night a different demographic tunes in, and all of them have very specific needs. Some want to see drama, some want to see art in the house, some want to see food being prepared, and of course some want to see detailed, zoomed-in looks at feet, lots of feet, or other body parts. Your job is to satisfy them all, or risk your show being canceled.
What a surprise…Crash House. Photography: Devolver Digital
This makes the play experience a fun and surprising cinematography simulator. Audience requests scroll across the screen, telling you where the cast sleeps, asking where you shower, asking if anyone will kiss you even once. They’re weirdos, but if you don’t listen to them, you’re fired. The script is sharp, funny, and sometimes a little shocking. Definitely one of the funniest games I’ve played this year. Conversations between cast members are algorithmically executed. Each of the 12 brings something slightly different to the table, and different possibilities for getting along or clashing with the other housemates. This means every combination is a surprise. If one set doesn’t work out, you can try a different combination in the next season. The housemates don’t care. You come back fresh, as if your memory has been wiped, or worse.
At night, when the housemates have retired to bed, the player re-enters the house and adds props to make it more interesting. These props (some of which match the interests of the housemates) cost money earned by running surreal advertisements during the day. Another challenge is finding a balance between the advertisements and the viewers who might enjoy them. Of course, more engaged viewers bring in more money, which might allow you to buy a sauna, a lighthouse, a saxophone, etc. – all things that make the house more interesting.
But as you set up your props after dark, you might bump into an escaped housemate who asks you for a favor: more airtime, a specific angle, a personal request to be filmed flirting with two people to really piss your mom off. It’s up to you to decide if you want to grant it or not. Going this route will reveal the stories behind the poolside fun and deep chats by the bonfire. Of course, there’s more going on than meets the eye. What fun it will be to discover the darkness that lingers behind the neon lights.
If The Crush House was simply a smart, funny photography and cinematography game, I would have been pleased and pleased. But the game offers players much more than that. Beneath the snappy text and playful design, it also has a quirky heart. It’s worth noting that the review build still had its moments of glitches, but the strength of the idea and execution far outweighs any technical issues. This in itself is remarkable. The Crush House is so much fun that I didn’t want to turn it off, even when some parts were a little broken. It’s a great way to spend the last cool evenings of summer, and the season ahead.
IIt’s a classic British comedy setup: an unknown young salesman from a major company is sent on a seemingly mundane trip to an eccentric town, and chaos ensues. This excellent game from small studio Coal Supper makes it clear from the start that it intends to stuff this setting with as much slapstick and surrealism as possible. Leaving the opening sequence set in a 10-storey office, the player is forced to climb out of a window, his fall prevented by the bus he must board for the rest of the journey.
When you arrive in the fictional northern English town of Barnsworth, a sort of gloomy reincarnation of early 1980s Barnsley, you’re supposed to meet the Mayor, but he’s busy, so you go out into the city. Here you encounter a bevy of odd characters, drawn in eerily bright colors and a deceptively childlike style. They usually greet you with a “nice to see you” and gather you together to deal with an absurd crisis. This might be a fat gentleman with his arm stuck in a drain, a fries shop owner whose fryer has broken, or an aging admiral who asks you to gather up some seagulls. But wherever you go, through the market, across the rooftops, down the lanes, you’ll encounter eccentrics doing odd jobs. The strange logic and spiraling…
A seemingly childish style…Thank you for having you here! Photo: Cole Sapper
As for comedic influences, the creators name-drop Reeves and Mortimer and The Mighty Boosh, but the interplay of slapstick, surrealism, and pop art also brings to mind Monty Python, Yellow Submarine, and the slightly subversive 1980s comics Whoopi and Wither and Chips. But don’t worry, you don’t need to know any of that to enjoy the game’s sheer exuberance and dark charm.
What might help is a little knowledge of northern working-class stereotypes: the number of shops with rhyming names (Doug’s Rugs, Nick’s Bricks and, my favorite, Raj’s Chargers, a mobile phone market stall), the unhealthy food offerings (fast food trucks selling Porky Nobbers, carts selling “Oily Bops”) and the almost psychotic competition between pie bakers.
An almost psychotic rivalry between pie makers…I’m so glad you’re here! Photo: Coal Supper/Panic Inc
But overlook these and plenty of other jokes emerge as you find keys and hammers, get a shy boy to beg for milk, or just enjoy the contributions of Matt Berry’s voice actor, who brings these eccentrics to life alongside the rest of the talented cast. In between the main quests, which build on top of each other like dominoes like the puzzles in Codemasters’ old Dizzy games, there are downright bizarre sequences that have you exploring the surface of a steak or collecting bubbles on a spirit level.
There’s also some light satire towards the games industry: graffiti on a wall depicts a man urinating on the word “Ludnarrative,” and in a filthy sewer area between the two locations is a sign that reads “Liminal spaces may not be as appealing as they seem.” Indeed, the game as a whole, with its relentless string of fetching tasks, could be interpreted as pasting the tedious conventions of open-world side quests.
The game’s three-hour runtime is packed with so many ideas, visual gags, wordplay, plants and rewards that you’ll need to play a few more times to take it all in. It’s great fun to play such a completely uncompromisingly silly game, but like a lot of the most ridiculous British humor, there’s also a quiet undertone of angst and despair in this one. The pie seller, the town drunk, the milk-scared child – they’re all trapped in their own quiet personal hells that just happen to be funny to the rest of us.
In the future, when the topic of the funniest comedy games of all time comes up, the usual names will likely pop up: Monkey Island, The Stanley Parable, Death Stranding (just kidding), etc. But now a new game will join them: Coal Supper has created perhaps the 21st century’s first fantastic abstract cartoon puzzle game set in Yorkshire. Thank goodness.
The Competition and Markets Authority has initiated a preliminary inquiry into Google’s collaboration with AI startup Anthropic, marking the latest in a series of probes into agreements between major tech companies and smaller AI enterprises.
Google has injected $2 billion (approximately £1.56 billion) into the firm by 2023, following a recent cloud-computing deal with Clode LLM and chatbot startup Anthropic.
The CMA is currently assessing whether the partnership may have led to “merger-related situations” that warrant a formal investigation. Public feedback is welcomed over the next fortnight.
This move comes amidst broader worries about competition in the generative AI sector, with Amazon also collaborating with Anthropic to secure a $4 billion stake in the company and serve as one of its cloud computing suppliers. The Amazon-Anthropic deal is also under scrutiny by the CMA for potential merger implications.
Additionally, the CMA has launched investigations into OpenAI and Microsoft, following Microsoft’s acquisition of a significant share in the commercial division of ChatGPT creator, as well as into Microsoft’s partnership with AI startup Inflection, where the tech giant obtained access to its AI models and recruited the startup’s founders and management.
An inquiry into Microsoft’s dealings with French AI startup Mistral was terminated in May.
Regulators are apprehensive about the dominance of big tech players, especially in competitive fields like AI, hence direct takeovers are improbable. However, the CMA is vigilant about agreements that could impede competition through other means.
An Anthropic spokesperson refuted any claims of a merger, stating that they remain an autonomous entity with no compromise to their corporate governance independence or partnership freedom.
A Google representative affirmed the company’s commitment to fostering an open and innovative AI ecosystem globally.
debtFor Gemma, her life is a puzzle. Ever since she was left on a stranger's doorstep as a baby, she's never felt like she belonged, and she's desperate to know what the world is like outside the small town where no one ever leaves. What's more, when she moves, the whole world moves with her, like sliding tiles, a series of conveyor belts. It's the puzzle that gets her from point A to point B.
Each scene in Arranger: Role Puzzling Adventure is its own sliding block puzzle, where you need to think a couple steps ahead to move Gemma and the surrounding objects in the right direction. Some things don't move with Gemma, like purple static-covered rocks and robotic birds, but everything else does. So you'll need to carry a sword towards an intruding monster, a key towards a door, or a banana towards a shy orangutan. As long as Gemma's path isn't blocked, when she hits the end of a row or column, she'll reappear at the opposite end, adding another layer of spatial logic.
The game is hard to describe, but strangely enough, it's incredibly intuitive to play. I'm not sure exactly how I solved some of the rooms (I had been struggling for ages with a particularly tricky one with lasers and mannequins, and then suddenly it wasn't). My brain just figured out the rules. It made sense how Gemma moved along a tiled conveyor belt. The arrangers added surprising twists to these rules, introducing rafts to cross water, joysticks to control robots, grappling hooks, and more. I'd probably play it for 30 minutes to an hour before moving on to the next idea. It pushed the sliding block puzzle idea to its limits.
The cutesy fantasy-inspired art style and writing didn't do much to complement the puzzles for me; it's not without personality, but it felt mostly perfunctory. Arranger hints at a coming-of-age story for misfits, but doesn't really deliver on it. Instead, it's full of surreal vignettes, like shearing strange creatures for a painter who uses them as muses, or a teenager trying to sneak out of her parents' house to meet up with her long-distance boyfriend. The cartoon-inspired frames indicate the action and emotion that happens between puzzle scenes, but Arranger feels more cerebral than emotional.
Sure, it was brain-wracking at times; I briefly couldn't understand the logic of the puzzle's conveyor belt, not figuring out how to get three blocks to land on three separate switches at the same time, and just moving things around in circles. But mostly I felt trapped, racing through levels, placing them almost by instinct, and feeling like I was playing Tetris. I've reached the end of Jenna's adventure, so I'm definitely done with block puzzles for a while. But it's rare to play a game that explores one great idea so thoroughly.
yesWhile the name might lead you to think of a game about herding sheep, it’s actually a lot stranger than that. teeth They’re sheep, but they’re fluffy flying sheep that float around after you as you ride on the back of a giant, colorful bird. Every now and then, they’re sheared and knitted into new jumpers or hats with pom-poms so the sheep look like naked, purple, aerial sausages with eyes. But the majority of your flock is actually made up of flying fish. Or are they fish? Some are curvy like eels, some moo like chickens, and some look like winged whales. Like we said, it’s pretty weird.
Your job in Flock is to find them in the wild, identify them from their short but varied and obvious written clues (“drooping proboscis,” “vertical stripes,” “often mistaken for a noisy radish”), and fill a field guide full of these big-eyed, flying-fish-like creatures. They all resemble sea creatures through a slightly surreal pop art filter, but are so well drawn that you can now tell the difference between a Cosmet and a Beul, a Thrips and a Rustic. Some camouflage among weeds and leaves, others flee when you approach, and others chirp at you while sunning themselves on rocks. You can find a piper to teach the birds to sing, and then collect them like a piper into a cloud of creatures that will follow you.
I’m still not very good at charming creatures. I can’t get the timing right and often end up frightening the birds with my off-key shrieks instead of leading them into the flock. But I morning It’s good at finding them. The flying is done for you. Birds fly around trees and mossy rocks automatically, so you’re free to observe your surroundings and listen for the chirps and twitters that announce the presence of undiscovered birds and fish. I navigated by sound as often as by sight. The nature-inspired soundscapes are one of Flock’s strongest features, along with the eye-catching art and cute, witty writing.
I enjoyed my few days with Flock, though I wish it were longer. There were some really interesting environmental puzzles that made me want to find other creatures hiding out on the plateau. Most creatures were easy to find, but a few required some fun deduction from a single sentence in the field guide. Once or twice, a creature in my entourage would tell me the location of another creature or help me find something, but most creatures just follow the player around and don’t do anything. I couldn’t help but imagine a more ambitious version of this game, one where the main creatures give you interesting abilities once you’ve filled out the field guide, and you can do things with your friends in races and challenges. But in under five hours, I’d done everything there was to do.
And yet I keep firing up Steam Deck just to fly around the swamps and moss forests for a few minutes – it’s so relaxing, so fun to look at, and so endearingly quirky that it stands out from the crowd.
Samsung’s first entry into Microsoft’s new Arm-powered Copilot+ PCs is the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, set to deliver impressive speed and battery life that can compete with Apple’s MacBook Air.
This sleek, ultra-thin laptop comes in 14-inch or 16-inch sizes and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, aiming to challenge Intel as the top PC laptop chip.
Prices start at £1,399 (€1,699/$999.99) for the base model, with the top-of-the-line 16-inch version priced at £1,700, positioning it as a premium competitor to products from Microsoft, Dell, and Apple.
The Galaxy Book features HDMI, USB-A, a microSD card slot, and a USB4 port, all in an incredibly thin and light 16-inch design. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The laptop boasts a familiar Samsung Galaxy Book design with premium aluminum construction, but lacks originality in its aesthetics.
The standout feature is the vibrant OLED touchscreen display, though it may attract fingerprints and could be brighter. The anti-reflective coating enhances usability under various lighting conditions.
While the keyboard is standard, the oversized trackpad feels somewhat redundant with its traditional mechanical design. The speakers are decent but can be obstructed when using the laptop on soft surfaces.
The 16-inch model includes a number pad on the right side, contributing to a slightly off-center keyboard and trackpad layout. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The laptop’s webcam offers AI effects but lacks facial recognition, requiring a fingerprint scan for unlocking.
Specifications
Screen: 14″ or 16″ 3K AMOLED 2880 x 1800 (120Hz)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 512GB or 1TB
Operating System: Windows 11 Home
Camera: 2 megapixels (1080p)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, 2 x USB4, headphones, HDMI2.1 (USB-A and microSD 16″ only)
TThe best-selling PC game of 1997, Riven It now seems like a relic of a lost creative era. Set on a sunlit archipelago that would be swarming with Instagram influencers if it were real, the game combines computer-generated stills from postcards with live-action footage to create an elaborate island-scale escape room. Packed across five CDs, the game is a technical marvel, but its depths were only understood by those with the tenacity and tenacity to master lateral thinking. Few designers have come close to matching ingenuity or ability since. Riven– Similarities; the memory sank like a pebble in a still ocean.
After 30 years, this remake is back Riven The mysterious and enchanting world of Islands is recreated as a fully realized destination. To explore these islands, you walk over scorched cliffs and through stone-cold tunnels, rather than clicking through richly rendered still images (there’s also the option to play with a VR headset, for those ready and equipped for it). The basic beats and rhythms will be familiar to fans; you’ll still be playing with a mouse in one hand and a notebook in the other, cracking codes and figuring out how the world’s creaky underlying mechanisms fit together. But much has also changed, including the solutions to some of the puzzles. And there are new characters, including a star-studded appearance by real-life investigative journalist Ronan Farrow (who, along with his mother, actor Mia Farrow, is an avid fan of the islands). Riven And its predecessor mist).
The oppressive, murky pace won’t be to everyone’s tastes, and you’ll need a powerful machine to recreate the world as the author intended, but surprisingly, Riven‘s mystical powers have only grown stronger with each passing year. There’s nothing quite like it. As many of us count the days until summer vacation, it’s a destination without tourists, with lush scenery and tricky puzzles that, when solved, provide an invigorating, satisfying feeling.
ohOne of the biggest changes in the modern video game industry is happening just beyond the reach of the average console gamer. Free-to-play gacha games, where you spend real money or in-game currency for a randomly selected set of characters and weapons, are booming in the Chinese market, led by publishers like miHoYo, NetEase, and Yostar. Some of the most popular games in this genre include Genshin, Arknights, and Another Eden, with tens of millions of players on smartphones and significant revenue from players willing to pay to enhance their collections.
More recently, the genre has expanded beyond mobile with Zenless Zone Zero, the newest addition. Developed by HoYoverse, the game is an expansive, anime-inspired action role-playing adventure set in a chaotic sci-fi dystopia. Earth has been invaded by extra-dimensional aliens, and human survivors now reside in New Eridu, a city built on the remains of a previous civilization. Players can choose to play as Wise or Bell, sibling hackers who run a video rental store, or as proxy agents sending teams of warriors on missions for clients.
Everything you do earns you some form of currency… Zenless Zone Zero. Photo: HoYoverse
Similar to the popular Persona RPG series, Zenless Zone Zero combines story, beat ’em up, and life simulation elements. Players navigate through various activities like fighting aliens, managing a video store, running errands, playing games, and capturing photographs of neighborhood cats. Actions in the game earn players currency, which can be used for upgrades and acquiring new characters. Completing contracts involves solving puzzles before battling aliens, leading to more lucrative missions and a continuous cycle.
Combat is straightforward with one button for attack and another for dodging. Characters have unique abilities and weapons, each with special and ultimate moves for enhanced gameplay. Switching between characters during combat adds visual effects and explosions, making it engaging.
Laser beams, bullets, blades flying…Zenless Zone Zero. Photo: HoYoverse
Visually, the game embodies cyberpunk anime with a rundown cityscape contrasted by advanced technology. Marauding gangs, AI raids, and cute robots coexist in a dystopian setting reminiscent of Studio Ghibli and Ghost in the Shell. The game allows for exploration of the environment, interactions with characters, and development of human relationships among the agents. The gacha system in the game entices players with rare items available for limited times, encouraging engagement through in-game currency or real money.
Zenless Zone Zero is a captivating gacha game with a mix of gameplay elements and a compelling narrative. Despite the controversial nature of gacha games, the experience offered by Zenless Zone Zero is engaging and rewarding, making it a fair exchange for players invested in its world.
The latest Surface tablet from Microsoft is expected to bring significant improvements, moving beyond just being faster, quieter, and more efficient. The key change is the switch to an Arm-based processor at its core.
This shift to Arm chips is not new for Microsoft, but this particular machine, the Surface Pro 11, has been touted as the most successful one yet, outperforming its predecessors like the Surface Pro X from 2020 and Surface Pro 9 5G from last year.
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chipset, the Surface Pro 11 offers improved performance and efficiency. While the new Arm chips offer advantages, there are still some compromises in terms of software and accessories.
The exterior of the new Surface Pro remains largely unchanged from its predecessor. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Despite the new chip, the Surface Pro 11 retains key features that made its predecessor successful, including a robust built-in kickstand, high-quality aluminum frame, improved speakers, and faster Windows Hello facial recognition. The 13-inch OLED display on the high-end model is top-notch, offering an exceptional viewing experience.
However, the Surface Pro 11 comes at a premium price, starting at £1,049 (€1,199/$999/AU$1,899) without the keyboard. The higher-end model with an OLED screen and faster Snapdragon X Elite chip is even pricier, starting at £1,549 (€1,799/$1,499/AU$2,699).
The Flex Keyboard continues to function even when detached, offering versatility for users. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Surface Pro 11 works well as a tablet, but a detachable keyboard is essential for maximizing its potential as a laptop. Microsoft offers various keyboard options, including the high-end Flex keyboard priced at £340.
Specification
Screen: 13″ LCD or OLED 2880×1920 (267 PPI) 120Hz
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus or X Elite
RAM: 16 or 32 GB
Storage: 256, 512GB or 1TB
Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno
Operating System: Windows 11 Home
Camera: 10.5MP rear, 12.2MP front, Windows Hello
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, 2 x USB-4, Surface Connect
Size: 287 x 209 x 9.3mm
Weight: 895g (without keyboard)
Snapdragon Power
The tablet includes two USB4 ports and a Surface Connect port for charging and accessories, but lacks a headphone jack. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The transition to the Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite chip offers improved efficiency and performance over traditional Intel chips. Performance comparisons have shown promising results, with the Surface Pro 11 performing on par with top Intel chips and Apple’s M1.
In everyday use, the Surface Pro 11 is fast and responsive, running quietly most of the time. Battery life is comparable to its Intel-powered predecessor, lasting around 8 hours. However, under heavy workloads, the Surface Pro 11 with Snapdragon X Elite chip offers better battery life.
While many apps have been updated to work well on the new chip, there are still compatibility issues for some legacy software, resulting in slower performance. Additionally, certain Windows apps and games may not work at all on the new system, highlighting the need for further updates from software developers.
Paint’s Cocreator uses AI to enhance manual drawing, helping you turn rough outlines into impressive works of art. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Surface Pro 11 also introduces new AI tools from Microsoft, such as Paint’s Cocreator system, offering unique creative capabilities. While these features add value, some AI functions may be limited by current implementation.
Sustainability
The tablet’s removable SSD is accessible through a small door on the back. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Surface Pro 11 demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to sustainability, with 72% recycled materials incorporated into its design, including aluminum and rare earth metals. The company also offers repair services and recycling programs for old devices, contributing to a more environmentally-friendly approach.
Price
Starting prices for the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 range from £1,049 (€1,199/$999/AU$1,899) for the base model with Snapdragon X Plus and an LCD screen. The higher-end model with Snapdragon X Elite and an OLED screen starts at £1,549 (€1,799/$1,499/AU$2,699).
Keyboard options are available starting at £139.99 (€159.99 / $139.99 / AU$239.95), with the premium Flex keyboard priced at £340.
Verdict
The Surface Pro 11 raises the bar for Arm-based Windows tablets, offering a sleek, powerful, and quiet device. However, app compatibility remains a crucial factor in determining the overall user experience.
While the performance is commendable, the Surface Pro 11 falls short in delivering promised battery life improvements. The premium features like the OLED screen and Flex keyboard come at a steep price, which may deter some potential buyers.
Although Arm chips show promise for lightweight devices, issues with app compatibility and AI features indicate that there’s still work to be done to fully embrace this technology.
Cons: High price, lack of included keyboard, app and accessory compatibility issues with Arm chips, absence of USB-A port, microSD card slot, or headphone jack, underwhelming AI features.
MaWhat I love most about Luigi’s Mansion are the little details: the way Mario’s timid little brother nervously hums along to the music as he stumbles through the spooky mansion; the slapstick animations when he falls into a fireplace or gets blasted into a secret room on a foldout bed; the laughs and goofy expressions on his face as the ghosts start to play tricks on you. As you use Luigi’s trusty ghost vacuum to flip up carpets to reveal secret trap doors (or secret spiders) and suck up bills and gold coins hidden throughout, you can’t help but notice how every little sound, scene and secret has been carefully placed to give you little moments of joy.
This ghost-busting puzzle game was a very welcome surprise sequel when it launched for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. Its diorama-like mini-mansions and peepholes gave Nintendo’s artists ample opportunity to show off the console’s stereoscopic 3D effects, enabled by a small slider on the side of the screen. But now, 11 years later, the game has launched on the Switch and two things have changed. First, the 3D effect it was designed around is no longer there, and second, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is here and it’s vastly improved.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. Photo: Nintendo
Considering Luigi hasn’t made a single spooky film in a decade now, it’s hard to begrudge him a graphically improved remake. But Nintendo has priced Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD at almost £50, which is especially infuriating when you consider it wasn’t much more expensive to begin with. It looks better – the interiors of all five mansions have been revamped, with impeccable detail on everything from sofas and spider webs to armour – but it plays exactly the same, broken up into mini-missions that interrupt the flow of the game and take Luigi out of the creepy abode he’s exploring at 10-minute intervals, and back to paranormal investigator E. Gadd’s laboratory.
Gadd is constantly calling Luigi on his little flip phone, which is very cute, but also distracts from the gameplay. While many Nintendo games suffer from too many tutorials for the first hour or two, this game has these interruptions from start to finish, making it hard to enjoy leisurely exploration. It’s not a scary game, but it would be better without the constant chatter. Maybe the levels needed to be broken down like this to fit the game on the tiny 3DS cartridge, but it feels dated now. Another irritation is the multiplayer, where two people can’t play together on the same console. Unlike Luigi’s Mansion 3, you can’t play with your child or partner.
Structural quibbles aside, there’s no disputing Luigi’s Mansion 2’s design is sound: the puzzles are great, the ghost combat is fun and clever, and the attention to detail creates an abundance of endearing moments, but Luigi’s Mansion 3 delivers on all of that. and For the same price, you get even more attractions: you can explore a haunted hotel without being interrupted by anything but poltergeist activity;
Enjoy circle as you step through the door of This exhibition. The first sight that greets you is the PDP-10, a giant mainframe computer that programmed SpaceWar, the groundbreaking video game. Adjacent to it sits a vibrant yellow Pong arcade cabinet from 1972. Moving on, you’ll encounter the classic cabinets for Puck Man (later Pac-Man) and Space Invaders, evoking a sense of nostalgia for gaming enthusiasts. While seasoned players may not discover new insights at Game On, they are sure to revel in the experience.
Game On, an exhibition that debuted at the Barbican in London in 2002, offers a captivating journey through the evolution of video games. Despite being closed briefly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been touring internationally since its inception, finally opening in Edinburgh. As someone who attended the exhibition with my father 22 years ago, I am excited to now take my children and introduce them to the classic games I loved in my youth. The exhibition allows visitors to play a wide range of games, from Donkey Kong to Guitar Hero, offering a nostalgic trip through the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s.
Puck Man and Pac-Man at Game On at the National Museum of Scotland. Photo: National Museum of Scotland
The exhibition has evolved over the years, not just reflecting technological advancements in gaming but also highlighting overlooked figures like Carol Shaw and Jerry Lawson. It also pays homage to Scotland’s gaming legacy, showcasing not just mainstream hits like Grand Theft Auto but also lesser-known Scottish indie games.
While the initial decades of video game history were marked by technological advancements, the recent years have seen a shift towards human-driven innovation in game development. Game On provides a comprehensive overview of gaming consoles and their associated games, offering visitors a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
A screenshot from the Scottish indie game “Viewfinder,” which reflects the countries the team is touring. Photography: Sad Owl Studios
Game On presents a conventional yet engaging history of interactive gaming, with a strong emphasis on gameplay. Although it may not delve deeply into the development processes or creators behind the games, visitors will delight in playing over 100 games in a lively, family-friendly setting.
Apple’s latest Beats-branded earphones offer the sound, fit, and Android compatibility of the popular Studio Buds but in a smaller, cheaper, and longer-lasting package.
The Solo Buds follow in the footsteps of last year’s Buds+, offering full integration with a range of Apple’s devices and Google’s Android, providing the best of both platforms.
However, Beats has trimmed some features and lowered the price to £80 (€90 / $80 / AU$130), half the price of the brand’s other truly wireless earphones.
The appearance is very similar to the Studio Buds and Buds+, and while the compact pill shape remains, the shape has been slightly improved for increased comfort. They are light, fit well, and come with four different sizes of earphone tips.
The tops of the earbuds protrude slightly from the ears, making them easier to grip. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
A hidden button just above the “b” logo allows you to control playback, access your phone’s voice assistant, adjust the volume, and more, although it doesn’t pause your music when taken out of your ears like AirPods do.
Unlike most earbuds, the Solo Buds do not have a battery inside the case to charge them when not in use. Instead, each earbud has a powerful built-in battery that provides 18 hours of playback on a single charge.
The case charges the earbuds when connected to a USB-C cable, but with no built-in battery, they are 40% smaller, 55% lighter, and easier to fit in your pocket. The earbuds also emit a chime when charging or in pairing mode instead of an indicator light on the case.
specification
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AAC
Battery life: 18 hr
water resistance: none
driver: 8.2mm
Earphone Weight: 5.7g each
Earphone Dimensions: 16.7 x 18.5 x 18.9mm
Case Weight: 22 g
Case Dimensions: 34.7 x 66.1 x 23.7mm
charging: USB-C
Perfect for Android or iPhone
It takes 80 minutes to fully charge the earbuds via USB-C. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Like the more recent Studio Buds+ and Solo 4, the Beats’ big advantage is their broad cross-compatibility with Android and iOS.
It integrates better with iPhone than the competition, with controls accessible in Quick Settings, instant pairing you only need to do once to use with your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple products, and an Audio Sharing option so you can use two sets of headphones with one device.
If you have an Android or Google device, many of the same features are supported, including instant pairing, syncing and switching between Google devices, and spatial audio with compatible Pixel devices. The Beats Android app provides controls, a battery widget, settings, and other features.
The earbuds are also integrated with Apple and Google’s Find My systems, meaning you can locate them if you lose them, regardless of platform.
Good sound quality but no noise cancelling
The Solo Buds have good sound quality but lack noise cancellation. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
One big feature that was cut to achieve the lower price point was noise cancellation, so the Solo Buds rely entirely on silicone earbud tips to block out the outside world. They perform reasonably well when playing music, but they can’t completely block out the noise of your commute like the Buds+ can.
However, they are equipped with the same drivers as Beats’ more expensive earphones, so the sound quality is worth the price. They produce great, easy-to-listen-to sound with a decent amount of bass balanced with the highs. The earphones sound great across a range of genres and never sound shrill or cheap. Sound separation is solid, but they lack a bit of detail and aren’t quite on par with the best in the business.
There’s no equalizer or other adjustments available, and they lack the spatial audio tech found in the company’s more expensive earbuds, making movies and TV shows less immersive when watching them on Apple devices, though the Solo Buds are compatible with Google’s spatial audio system in Pixel devices.
Call quality was very good in both quiet environments and noisy city streets, and although my voice sounded slightly compressed, it did a good job of blocking out background noise during calls.
sustainability
The case is much smaller and does not contain a battery but does contain some electrical components visible in a transparent red color. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Apple does not disclose the expected lifespan of the battery but should last for more than 500 full charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of its original capacity.
Apple offers out-of-warranty repairs “Battery Service”. The company has not released environmental impact statements for its headphones and other accessories, but it offers trade-ins and free recycling for products, including non-Apple products.
In comparison, Beats Studio Buds are £160, Studio Buds+ are £180, Apple AirPods 3 are £169, and Fairphone Fairbuds are £189. £129Nothing Ear (a) is priced at £89.
verdict
The Solo Buds are a great set of budget earphones that straddle the line between Android and Apple platforms better than the competition.
For just £80, you get more than the basics: great sound quality, extremely long battery life, a small case, and a very comfortable fit. Perfect integration into the iPhone is something only Apple can offer, and Android offers much the same functionality with the Beats app.
There are some shortcomings compared to the brand’s more expensive earbuds and competitors, the biggest of which is the lack of noise cancellation, which may be a turn-off for some, as well as the lack of hands-free Siri support, water resistance rating, and Apple spatial audio, but these may be negligible given the price.
The battery is not replaceable and the earbuds are not repairable, so they are ultimately disposable, which will cost them a star.
Strong Points: Great sound quality, cross-platform compatibility with enhanced features for iPhone and Android, great battery life, small case, compact and comfortable for long periods of use, stable button control, low cost.
Cons: No noise cancellation, no Apple spatial audio, music doesn’t pause when removed, not repairable.
The Solo Buds are great, affordable earbuds that fit in your pocket. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
TThe film’s premise is a classic of the genre: one day, workers on the oil rig Beira D hit something with their drill, and soon a nameless monster descends on the vessel, killing the crew one by one. At the same time, Glaswegian electrician Cameron “Caz” McCreary is already on the verge of leaving the rig, having been fired from his remote workplace where he took refuge from the police after a huge bar fight. It is in his work boots that we step on as he desperately searches for a way out.
The team behind Still Wakes the Deep is hardly the same as The Chinese Room, the developer behind previous hits Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, both of which share the same trademark high visual fidelity, realistic soundwork, and emotive acting. Still Wakes the Deep is set on perhaps the most realistic oil rig ever seen in media, down to the hundreds of tiny hissing valves and labyrinthine metal staircases that groan dangerously. This wouldn’t be the place for health and safety talk, even without the terror looming from the deep, and the rig is by far the game’s most prominent character.
Still Wakes the Deep is also probably the most Scottish game you’ll ever play, and there’s a surprising amount of it. Each snippet of dialogue is a great example of how natural conversation should be, whether Kaz is talking to his few remaining colleagues or reflecting on the events that led him to Beira D. But at around six hours, the game is short, and there isn’t enough time for character development beyond a perfunctory introduction, which makes it hard to empathize with the characters, and isn’t helped by the clumsy device of having several characters call you in succession only to die over the phone.
The most realistic oil rig ever made in media…and yet it awakens the deep sea. Photo: Incognito mode
This is one of The Chinese Room’s most interactive games, doing more than just walking around and looking at things. But its gameplay design has one big problem: me, the savvy player. All of Still Wakes’ gameplay devices are used in so many games that I couldn’t help but groan the first time I saw yellow paint splattered on a ledge to grab onto. After that, yellow is everywhere: yellow tarps showing you where to climb, yellow edges on targets you can jump through, etc. Beira D goes from an interesting maze to a smooth parkour course.
When enemies appear, Caz can’t fight them; instead, he must sneak through them. Areas are littered with crouching spaces and items you can throw as distractions, and they’re often in rooms that you’ll need to cross multiple times before you can take cover. Ideally, this should be a source of tension, but as with navigation, the game makes it very clear what’s coming (and what’s going: at one point a rig worker literally shouts across a loud, echoing room that a monster is actually leaving), so there’s little you can do as the player other than follow the path.
Still awaken the abyss. Photo: Incognito mode
I was frustrated when I found the light from my headlamp didn’t bother the monsters, making it incredibly easy to sneak around. Or I’d fail a jump for purely camera-related reasons and have to listen to McCreary swear as he falls to his death multiple times, and I felt the tension melt away. The ever-present desire to help the player contrasts with horror games’ need to leave us in the dark sometimes. Every time the illusion crumbled, I left the game to put up with just to see what would happen to a character I wasn’t particularly attached to.
Still Wakes the Deep manages to create an atmospheric portrait of an ordinary person with no special skills simply trying to survive in the harshest environment imaginable, but there aren’t enough real scares or compelling moments to make it memorable beyond that.
The Solo 4 headphones are an improvement on the fan-favorite headphones that made Beats famous, upgraded with longer battery life, improved sound quality, and the latest features favored by Apple and Android.
The original Solo HD was launched in 2009 and was updated in 2016 as the Solo 3 after Apple acquired Beats. Now in its fourth generation, the Solo headphones are the company’s smallest and lightest at £200 (€230 / $200 / AU$330), making them cheaper than the £350 Studio Pro.
The design remains essentially the same but has been updated with premium materials and color options. While competitors have moved away from this shape, Beats continues to offer on-ear headphones that sit on top of the ears rather than around them.
A slight reduction in pressure on the sides of your head and softer ear cushions make these headphones more comfortable than previous models. They fold up for easy transport and come with a compact, easy-to-use case.
The “b” logo in the ring surrounding it and the volume buttons are easy to use as they make a satisfying click sound when pressed. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The left ear cup houses a Beats button with playback controls and a volume rocker, as well as a small, easy-to-miss white LED next to the 3.5mm headphone socket for the detachable cable, indicating power and connection status – a rare feature on wireless headphones these days.
The right cup houses the power button and a USB-C socket for charging the headphones, or for wired listening or calls with USB-equipped devices. The battery lasts up to 50 hours with Bluetooth playback, and the headphones can also be used without battery power using the included 3.5mm analog cable.
specification
weight: 217g
size: 177 x 158 x 68mm
driver: 40mm
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C audio and charging
I
If Franz Kafka were alive and commenting on the video game adaptation of his work, Playing Kafka, the big question might have been: “Where’s the sex?” This interactive version of The Trial has branching narratives, but it’s lacking in sexuality. It’s not hard to imagine the author and playtester being infuriated by the lack of sadomasochism or desire. Overall, the choices made in this literal and lightly interactive adaptation seem tuned to be appropriate for leaving it running on an iPad in a museum. The barrier to entry is low with simple binary choices and touchscreen controls, and there’s no imagery to frighten classroom visitors.
Playing Kafka, released just a few weeks before the 100th anniversary of Kafka’s death, is a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut and developer Charles Games (a studio, not an individual). It adapts Kafka’s unfinished novels The Trial and The Castle, along with lengthy, critical letters Kafka wrote to his father about their relationship.
Playing Kafka.
Photo: Charles Games
The Trial lost the most in translation, speeding through the text and stripping away the complexities of its protagonist, reducing him to a hollow, docile avatar. Video game mechanics can offer stories and experiences other media can’t, but in this case they’re not enough to make up for what the developers gave up. And Kafka’s letters to his father don’t gain emotional weight from formulaic dialogue and pattern-matching puzzles; his father probably would have loved them.
Bigger and deeper than any of Kafka’s plots is his world and the Kafkaesque sense of an anonymous institution that is indifferent and incomprehensible to its participants. This contrasts with the practice of good game design, which demands clear rules, victory conditions, and systems that work as you expect them to. In Kafka’s world, the court is unknowable. It’s outside the courthouse, in attics and tenements, in wallpaper and lamplight. There may be no courthouse, no rules, no meaning at all.
So Playing Kafka doesn’t suggest that you can achieve anything with the experience. It’s full of movement without progress, choices without consequences. It can be a boring video game for players and purists. The German character light is adapted to the system and language of a mobile game with a story choice.
A screenshot of playing the Kafka video game.
Photo: Charles Games
This is where The Castle works best: Kafka didn’t give the novel an ending, which may have relieved the developers of the pressure to reach a certain point; their version is free of burden and admirably silly and playful, a boring exercise in what is probably nothing.
Would Kafka approve? Of course not; he never wanted to publish it in the first place. But if Kafka’s adaptation doesn’t satisfy the author, it will trap him in a hell of his own making. Playing Kafka Playing Kafka would have been Kafka’s ultimate nightmare: lost in a maze of his own words, stumped by unclear (or non-existent) objectives, bewildered by dialogue options that offer no alternative, and ultimately unable to proceed after a glitch prevents his lawyer character from smashing through the floor. There’s something at least a little Kafkaesque about the idea.
TWi-Fi hi-fi maker Sonos has finally released its long-awaited first headphones, the Ace, which combine the best elements of products from Bose, Apple, and other high-end rivals with premium comfort, sleek style, and a killer party trick for owners of the company’s soundbars.
These high-tech noise-canceling headphones are priced at £449 (€499/$449/AU$699), putting them at the top of the market alongside the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Sennheiser Momentum 4, and Apple AirPods Max.
The Ace has a pleasantly sleek, unobtrusive design, with plush, slim earcups that don’t protrude too much from the sides of your head, and the headband has two types of foam, with a softer peak that, like the Sennheiser, relieves pressure on the ridge at the top of your skull.
The Ace comes in black or soft white, with a subtle logo on one ear cup that’s only visible in certain lighting. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The hidden hinge allows for plenty of adjustability while preventing your hair from getting caught in the mechanism, just like the AirPods Max. They’re very comfortable for extended listening sessions and stay in place when you move around without squeezing your head too tightly.
The left earcup houses the power button and USB-C port for charging and wired listening using USB or the included USB-C to 3.5mm cable, while the right earcup has the noise-canceling control button and a nice slide button for volume and playback controls.
The battery lasted a few hours longer than the rated 30 hours when tested over Bluetooth with noise cancellation enabled, and about 14.5 hours when connected to the Arc soundbar, which is plenty for most uses. It takes about three hours to fully charge and can be quickly charged to 10% in just three minutes for up to three hours of playback.
specification
weight: 312g
size: 191×160×85mm
driver: 40mm
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint, Wi-Fi, USB-C audio and charging
TEnnis is one of those sports that only intermittently works well through video games. The odd major series like Pete Sampras, Virtua Tennis, and Smash Court come along, but more often than not we end up relying on old favorites (Take a Bow, Super Tennis). It's been 13 years since TopSpin 4 was released, and the title is considered to be an authentic simulation of the sport that people love. Still looking for a copy until today. But perhaps not anymore. 2K Games has finally produced a sequel. This is a true champion contender.
From the get-go, TopSpin 2K25 has all the details you'd expect from a modern licensed sports sim. All major stadiums and championships are here. However, the playing environment is only well-detailed and not the spectacular theater of photorealism you've come to expect from EA Sports. The opening roster features 25 star players, from Emma Laducane to Andre Agassi. The selection isn't huge, and the quality of the caricatures varies, but it's good enough, and 2K says they plan to add more in the future.
If you don't want to cosplay as Carlos Alcaraz, you can join the full career mode as your own player. Mine is shockingly adorned with his pink Lycra and neon yellow sunglasses, a look that looks like it could easily carry over into real life. There are exhibition matches that you can easily knock out against the AI or up to three friends (online or split screen), and you can also participate in ranked and friendly online tournaments. Your appearance and skillset are fully customizable with a variety of outfits earned through play or (a feature that now seems inevitable) by purchasing a season pass or browsing the store. is. It's great that you can also choose to build a player with a prosthetic leg.
Of course, what really matters is the experience on the court, and that's great. The control system is complex but easy to access, with joypad buttons giving you access to flat, slice, lob, topspin and drop shot options, with power controlled by how long you hold the button down. As with TopSpin 4, timing and positioning are important skills. This is not a Mario Tennis style hit and hope game. If you take your shot too early or too late, your shot will end up in the net, flying off into the top of the stands, or giving another player an easy smash. At the same time, you're always thinking about where your players are on the court relative to the shot you're about to make and the likely return from your opponent. The physical nature of very good players makes the decision-making process even more demanding. It reproduces the weight position and body momentum with delicate precision. Are you so proud of that rushing cross-court slice shot you just landed? Good luck getting back to baseline for Serena Williams' comeback.
For players used to the more visceral feel of Virtua Tennis or the generous forbearance of Mario Tennis, there's a tough learning curve ahead. This is highlighted by the presence of his TopSpin Academy, an in-depth instructional mode that steadily teaches players from basic ground strokes to advanced serve tactics and individual player techniques. Just learning the timing will require several hours of play. If you're just playing the odd knockabout with your friends, there's no need to stress too much, but if you want to progress through Career His mode or play against human opponents online, give yourself a “good” shot. It would be better to hit it. “Perfect” timing at least 75% of the time.
But this is a good thing. 2K Games has created a game that feels like a proper simulation in terms of the array of tactical options available at any given moment and the demands placed on the player's skill. By completing TopSpin Academy, I learned a lot about real tennis strategy and how professional players differ in the way they use their baseline and net plays. There's also plenty of room to grow as a player by experimenting with power shots, perfecting tricky drop shots, and redistributing player attribute points to support different tactical approaches. it is clear.
Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a new tennis sim, but TopSpin 2K25 is well worth it. If there's one thing this game teaches you, it's the value of determined patience.Well, and you can Looks great with pink Lycra and yellow sunglasses.
YYou might recall the Reigns series, known for its tie-in with Game of Thrones. The hallmark of the game is its Tinder-esque card swiping, where you swipe left and right to make instantaneous decisions before witnessing the outcomes. After crash-landing on a random planet, you find yourself becoming a part of an intergalactic rock band. This seems like an obvious choice, considering that you accidentally kill the band’s guitarist on a ship that spirals out of control. From there, you embark on a journey across the stars, visiting planets, picking up stowaways, encountering eerie space creatures, and occasionally uncovering secrets about space (or ships with mystical consciousness).
You’ll also experience numerous deaths. Rarely have I played a game where death occurs so frequently yet remains entertaining. I’ve succumbed to deadly space germs, suffocated by fluffy space bunnies, and even had my head bitten off by a shark-like manager. I’ve encountered explosions, gasped for air, choked, and starved. On one occasion, I accidentally wiped out all life in a solar system by plugging in a guitar amp. Each time you die, you’re reborn at the last planet you visited and ready to embark on another journey. With Reigns, there are no lasting repercussions, only temporary and catastrophic setbacks.
This doesn’t entirely eliminate the frustration. I lost most of my space battles, which quickly became tedious. When you aim to progress by acquiring a new guitar or visiting specific planets, random mishaps can lose their charm. Repetitive scenarios begin to surface fairly soon, within a few hours. However, Reigns never fails to be engaging, and I find myself eager to jump back in to see what absurdity unfolds next.
Reigns Beyond serves as a wild space adventure that you can dive into for brief 10-minute sessions, and the swift and witty dialogue is impressive. However, I began to question why I was part of a band. While you may land on a planet and perform a concert, these musical interludes are repetitive, unchallenging, and trivial. It’s amusing and surprisingly expansive as a space ensemble comedy, but somewhat superficial as a band buddy comedy. I also ponder if the title is facing any resistance at this point. “Reigns” made sense when it focused on being a monarch of varying competence, but it doesn’t quite embody comedic sci-fi, so it receives a pass. Sacrifices were made. It’s a minor tragedy. Because you won’t encounter anything as ludicrous as this multi-hour space journey for under-fives.
T
Tech company Nothing’s latest low-cost Bluetooth earphones offer great sound and noise cancellation at an even more competitive price, while still standing out from the crowd with their cool design.
The London-based company has launched the affordable £99 (€99/$99) Ear (a), which retains almost everything great about its previous Nothing earphones. That’s £30 cheaper than its predecessor and the new £129 (€149/$149) Ear, which lets you customize the sound and adds a few more features.
Ear (a) maintains the same shape as its predecessor, but with an infusion of color to make it more vibrant. The fit and finish remain excellent, and the company’s transparent design showcases some of the internal workings.
The Nothing earphones manage to stand out from the crowd despite their AirPod-like shape. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Stalks features the same playback, noise canceling, and volume squeeze controls as its predecessor. These are customizable and work really well by pinching once, twice, or thrice, or by squeezing and holding the stem. However, the double squeeze and hold gesture required some practice to master consistently.
The earbuds’ bodies and silicone tips provide a comfortable and secure fit for long listening sessions. The battery offers 5-6 hours of playtime and can be recharged an additional 3 times with the case.
The Ear (a)’s case is also compact, similar in size to industry leaders like Apple’s AirPods, and fits snugly into the watch pocket of jeans. It features USB-C charging, foregoing Qi wireless charging for a smaller form factor.
The flip-top case has a clear lid that makes it easy to slip into your pocket, but the glossy plastic base is prone to scratches. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
specification
water resistance: IP54 (splash proof)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC, AAC, LDAC)
Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC (24.5 hours with case)
Earphone dimensions: 30.9×21.7×24.3mm
Earphone weight: 4.8g each
Driver size: 11mm
Charging case dimensions: 47.6×63.3×22.7mm
Charging case weight: 39.6g
Case charging: USB-C
Great sound for the price
The Nothing X app for Android and iPhone shows battery life, updates, controls, and customize sounds. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 and have multi-point capability, allowing you to connect two devices simultaneously for easy switching. They support SBC and AAC Bluetooth audio formats as well as the high-quality LDAC, common on Android devices.
Nothing continues to deliver superior sound quality compared to its competitors at this price point. The Ear (a) is well-rounded in its sound profile and closely resembles its pricier Ear counterpart. It handles complex tracks effortlessly and offers a wide and expansive soundstage. While it delivers deep bass, there is also ample treble detail.
With the new bass enhancement feature, you can immediately experience more bass. This feature has 5 levels and can be adjusted in the Nothing X app along with the basic equalizer settings.
The noise cancellation is effective, particularly at maximum setting, in dampening out commute noises and office chatter. It performs well with high-pitched sounds and offers improved handling of keyboard clicks and voices compared to its predecessor. The ambient sound mode is one of the best available, and call quality in various environments is decent, albeit slightly artificial-sounding.
sustainability
Various internal parts are visible through the transparent shell, but cannot be accessed or repaired. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The earbuds and case batteries are designed to retain at least 80% of their original capacity after 500 full charge cycles. Out-of-warranty replacement cases or earbuds cost £39.99 each, but the earbuds are not repairable and ultimately disposable.
Despite containing recycled tin, Nothing does not offer trade-in programs for its audio products or publish environmental impact assessments. The earbuds have an estimated carbon footprint of 2.72kg.
price
Nothing Ear (a) is priced at £99 (€99/$99), available in three colors, and shipping from April 22nd.
For comparison, the Ear costs £129, the Fairphone Fairbuds costs £129, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is priced at £179, Google Pixel Buds Pro at £199, and Apple AirPods Pro 2 at £229.
verdict
The Ear (a) has set a new standard for quality in the low-end market. At just £99, it offers better sound and noise cancellation than most rivals, and has an interesting-looking transparent design.
The earbuds perform well, provide a comfortable fit, have good controls, support multipoint Bluetooth, and offer solid battery life. The new, smaller, more pocket-friendly case is a clear improvement over previous Nothing earphones. While it may lack advanced features like a full equalizer or spatial audio support, for top-notch audio quality and noise cancellation, it’s a great value. However, to enhance everyday user experience further, a larger investment may be necessary.
The major drawback is the non-replaceable batteries in the earbuds and cases, making them disposable in the long run. Fairbud has shown it’s possible to have replaceable components, prompting others to follow suit.
Strong Points: Great value, interesting design, great sound and noise cancellation for the price, comfortable fit, great call quality, stable controls, multipoint, Bluetooth 5.3 with cross-platform apps.
Cons: Disposable, case easily scratched, no head-tracking spatial audio support, no future-proof LC3 or Auracast support.
The Ear (a) is a great set of affordable earbuds that beat the competition in sound and noise cancellation and have a standout design. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
VIDEO gaming conventions are usually noisy as thousands of attendees line up under the screens for a chance to play one of the hundreds of unreleased titles on display.
Somerset House, now in its 10th year, play this now Mainstream exhibitions are to folk festivals what raves are to folk festivals. None of the experimental games featured here are going to be advertised on the side of the bus. Especially since many of them are his one-off games that use custom-made controllers (like thick rope, hatched with copper bands, or an old suitcase lined with speakers) connected to a bus. Access the laptop through the tangle of wire in the umbilical cord. Few of these games adhere to the traditional rules and trends found in mainstream video game design. It may not have a “win state” or it may offer a set of “open play” tools that allow visitors to create their own rules. The key is eccentricity. If you have played other games, the program will suggest: play this now.
This year's theme is fashionably chosen as Liminality. Liminal spaces (places that exist on the border between two states) have become a popular hashtag on social media, even though the term is most often applied to a general atmosphere rather than anthropological criteria . Perhaps all video games are liminal spaces that exist between reality and fantasy, but these exhibits go beyond just a shared aesthetic. In the words of Artistic Director Maria Lujan Oulton, they aim to provide a space for “activation, creation, and reconfiguration of the world.”in the other side of the gardenFor example, artist Laura Paravecino revisits the animal-rich forests of her childhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. This work is a melancholy recreation of a lost world. “Now we rarely see these animals that once flew and leaped all around us,” she wrote.
Concessions are being made to ease new entrants.In the first room I found crash boardNow, stand on a real skateboard and control your avatar by leaning from side to side. Your avatar surfs through glitchy cyberspace on a vast projector screen in front of you. This is a reassuringly recognizable entry point, as publishers of mainstream games were exploring exactly this kind of interface at the height of the Nintendo Wii's popularity.
That's true edge of the world Video work by Natalie Maximova exploring the cutting edge of commercial video games (not all exhibits are strictly interactive) cyberpunk 2077, where the virtual world flattens and disappears. This is Machinima, one of several works by him that remix or reinvent existing works. Serafin Alvarez 2014 Strategy of the maze Another amazing example is the endless series of interconnected hallways, each recreated from sci-fi movies such as: forbidden planet, event horizon and ender's game.
Lo-fi rules…young visitors playing hopscotch. Photo: Ben Peter Catchpole
Some of this year's exhibits are culturally familiar. hopscotch – arguably the most lo-fi exhibit – is taped to the hallway floor and shows how our homes became stages of transition between two social stages during lockdown .Andrew Sheerin's Memory game for forgetfulness/Memory game for memories It's essentially a card game called Concentration, except that the image on the back of the oversized card is a satellite photo of a conflict zone in the Middle East. This is the work of Astro.Log.IOHere, you enter your initials, date, time and place of birth, squat in a tent and listen to the “sonification of the sky at birth”. This is an eerie return to the celestial context of one's own starting point.
Astro.Log.IO of “celestial body”. Photo: Ben Peter Catchpole
Visitors expecting the latest blockbuster or escape room style puzzles will be disappointed. Play Now Now you can answer the question, “What happens when nerds go to art school?” As befits an event about interactivity, the festival rewards those who participate, not just observe. And as video game publishing giants continue to narrow the realm of video game possibilities, each release seems like an attempt to recreate their previous successes. fortnite or call of dutyhow refreshing it is to step away from the ruthless demands of commerce and witness the breadth and brilliance of interactive art.
TFor a kid growing up in Britain in the 1980s, the Atari 400 and 800 machines seemed incredibly appealing. Most of my friends had a Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum (occasionally he also used an Amstrad or Acorn Electron), but I only saw Atari computers in cool TV shows and movies like Videodrome and Police Story. That never happened. These two models, released in 1979, featured an Antic video processor that provided excellent graphics for the time, and a sound chip named Pokey to improve audio. These, like the Apple II, were seminal machines for young game programmers looking to create new types of experiences beyond simple arcade conversions.
Opening up the new Atari 400 Mini was a strangely emotional experience. The latest nostalgic release from Retro Games is an exquisitely detailed recreation of the original computer, featuring a non-functional version of the famous membrane keyboard in luscious 1970s beige, orange, and brown. It has 4 joystick ports (currently rather USB) (from the original Atari joystick port standard). The console comes with a new version of the classic Atari CX40 joystick, with the subtle addition of eight buttons that can now summon the keyboard to provide additional input options in Atari 400/800 games. Masu.
It includes 25 games that show the range of what was being produced on the 400 and 800 (the 800 was a higher-end model with more memory and a better keyboard) in the early 1980s. There are quaint home versions of classic arcade titles like “Asteroids,” “Millipede,” and “Battlezone,” which are, after all, what home console and computer developers had to do at the time. It’s a fascinating reminder of the compromises that weren’t made. And there are many more to come, including Capture the Flag, Paul Allen Edelstein’s two-player first-person tracking game, and his MULE, a multiplayer colonial strategy game that influenced the entire management simulation industry. You can get a glimpse of the genre.
There’s also some interesting experimentation in creating fast-paced 3D visuals in the form of futuristic racing sims Elektra Glide and Encounter. Written by Paul Woakes, who later went on to create one of his most fascinating 3D sci-fi adventure titles of this era, Mercenary.
Some games will be familiar to anyone who bought a C64 Mini or other retro machine, but the Atari 400 version was often the first to be released, so you get the primary source material here. Well almost. Although there is no original hardware used, the emulators that Retro Games employs to run all these games are robust and accurate, allowing them to recreate these 40-year-old gems very well.
400 Mini Millipede. Photo: Atari/Retro Game/Prion
And while they’re definitely older, many of these titles, including Boulder Dash and Lee (originally titled by Bruce Lee, whose license has probably expired), remain as truly playable relics. Saved. Either way, I’ve had many hours of fun discovering games I’ve never seen before, as well as familiar favorites in various guises. Additionally, in typical mini-console style, there is a rewind feature to fix mistakes, and the game can be saved to memory. You can also fine-tune your visual settings and choose CRT effects that mimic the display style of a traditional TV. A virtual keyboard is also available if you want to play games that require more input options. It’s not always easy to use, but it’s nice to be able to use it when necessary.
Interestingly, one of the 400 Mini’s selling points is its ability to “load your own programs.” This is a euphemism in the instruction manual for the console to play game files known as ROMs, which can be loaded via a USB stick. Most people will find these ROMs on the internet, but the legality of freely downloading game files is murky to say the least. So Retro Games leaves it up to you to figure this out. I ran a few games to test this aspect and it was a surprisingly smooth process. The emulator accepts files in many popular formats and plays both Atari 400 and 800 titles, as well as his later XL/XE variations. When you insert a USB stick with game ROMs, you’ll see a thumb drive icon in the games list on the screen, and clicking on it will show the games you’ve added. The system also supports games that originally appeared on multiple discs. Additionally, you can reconfigure the joystick buttons to suit the input requirements of most games you’re trying out.
Lee (formerly Bruce Lee) riding a 400 Mini. Photo: Atari/Retro Game/Prion
At £100, the 400 Mini isn’t cheap, and the game is a great choice for new players who prefer their Mega Drive or PC Engine Mini machines with their attractive 16-bit visuals and familiar series. It may not be appealing. But as an accessible museum piece, it’s a fascinating and well-made device that reveals games you’ve never played in its original form, as well as an entirely fresh retro experience. This industry has always failed to protect its heritage and history. Official archives are often exposed and inaccessible. The Mini Console is a small attempt to address this issue in an intuitive and well-chosen format.
I’m a long way from that kid growing up in the 1980s now, but finally playing these Atari 400 gems reminded me of him and what he was fascinated by. That in itself gives value to this little machine.
TIt’s snowing heavily in South Park, Colorado, and young Eric Cartman is looking for a chance to skip school. Huddled in his bed, he clenches his fists and closes his eyes tightly, hoping that the blizzard will worsen to Biblical levels so that the next morning the school can declare a snow day. When he wakes up, the city is in panic – scores of dead, widespread panic buying of toilet paper, and weather so unprecedented that many fear it’s a sign of the end. Of course, he’s overjoyed.
What follows is the titular Snow Day, in which neighborhood children paint a fantasy war on a bright white canvas, in which elves and humans fight according to rules that may change in an instant with the development of a “random” card. Masu. South Park has always been great at capturing the bits of childhood we forget as we grow older, and with the premise of Snow Day!, developer Question Games has captured just such nuggets. I’ll find out. Give some kids a free day and a cardboard sword, and they’ll build an entire universe and bicker about exactly how it works.
What this means for players is the roguelike elements that were completely removed from South Park’s previous two 2D turn-based role-playing games, 2014’s The Stick of Truth and 2017’s sequel The Fractured But Whole It is a cooperative action game with
You can be forgiven for feeling some regret about that parting. Those story-driven games gave us countless gags that were too vulgar to tarnish this fine publication, and the abrupt transition to retro 8-bit graphics when they entered Canada When, for example, they found creative ways to use the medium itself for comedy. Frankly, the writing in Snow Day! isn’t all that sharp. But its advantage is its pick-up-and-play accessibility and unexpected depth as a roguelike.
Battle small children in your ramshackle Tolkien cosplay, deploying basic melee and ranged attacks as you race through the burbs, collecting toilet paper (new gold since panic buying began) and modifier cards. Masu. These are things like dealing extra damage to bleeding enemies or increasing the range of your farts. The more you progress through the match, the more specialized playstyles you can specify, making each battle more interesting.
Especially when a bullshit card drops. This gives you and your enemies ridiculous abilities like laser eyes and meteor showers. They’re done sparingly and are always met with enough ire from Cartman and others to remind you that these rules are supposed to feel like they’re being improvised by a 10-year-old.
Control isn’t always good. In fact, it rarely feels that way, as attack and movement animations are marred by the floating feel and lack of proper weapon feedback. But on snowy days! Keep your brain focused by allowing you to plot more efficient builds. Every card you choose has consequences, as there’s always a tougher battle around the corner and a boss fight at the end of your run. This won’t keep you and your pals in South Park’s perennial winter for as long as popular hangout spaces in co-op games like Fortnite. But for those nostalgic for the days when snow meant freedom, it offers a weekend of farting, chaotic fun.
TThe ending of 1985’s Super Mario Bros., soundtracked by the iconic 8-bit NES beeps and blips, sees Mario finally find the princess who’s been in a different castle throughout the game. As her mustachioed hero jumps to her side, a speech bubble displays the digitized name of the damsel in distress: Princess Peach. She expressed her gratitude, her credits rolled, and we bid her farewell.
As anyone who saw Anna Taylor-Joy’s performance in last year’s Mario movie will know, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom has become rather less one-dimensional these days – the past 40 years have seen the rise of video games and feminism. You guessed it, considering how far we’ve come in the years. However, this is the second game in which she plays the leading role, after the 2005 DS game “Super Princess Peach.” On Showtime, Nintendo’s Pink She Princess literally takes the spotlight. When her trip to the theater goes awry, she must take to the stage to save theatrical art from…the evil vines.
It’s a strange but fun setting, allowing Peach to dive into a series of genre-themed side-scrolling levels. Each new setting provides a new starring role for our heroine, whether she’s traversing through grass, running across rooftops, riding a horse through railroad tracks, or lassoing bandits as the dagger-wielding ninja Peach. All of them are impressively handsome. Showtime’s colorful visuals are a joy, with well-animated bosses that fill the screen and attractive cakes. Still, it only takes a few minutes of play before you figure out the repetition.
From pressing buttons to stir cake mix as Patisserie Peach to the simple jumps and combat that define everything from swordplay to superhero fistfights, Showtime’s gameplay is thinner than Paper Mario. An unusual highlight here is his level of ice skating as Peach, wearing a leotard, races through a whimsical winter wonderland. There’s even a few smiles during the action-packed kung fu scenes, and the visuals lend an enjoyable level of kitsch to the rudimentary fisticuffs pastiche.
The problem is that while Mario’s House usually strikes a good balance between depth and accessibility, Showtime feels shallow. Whether it’s the demonic mermaid level or Detective Peach’s hilariously incomplete investigation, many of these potentially fun ideas feel like prototypes that prematurely escaped from Nintendo headquarters.
While last year’s Super Mario Wonder entertained all ages, Princess Peach: Showtime has little to offer those of us who have mastered the multiplication tables. Brilliantly scripted cinematic moments and visual variety provide color and flourish, but it’s a great shame that the inventive animation and narrative setting aren’t accompanied by the same level of gameplay innovation. is.
Despite a fun premise and high production values, Peach’s long-awaited turn to stardom feels disappointingly condescending, one-dimensional and forgettable, compared to the more capable heroines of the Super Mario Bros. movies. It is the exact opposite. As the Nintendo Switch enters her final years, this was the perfect moment to give the monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom the celebration she deserves. But whereas in The Forgotten Land Kirby received an Iliad-esque epic worthy of Mario, this one is more of a flimsy pop-up book.
LLet’s talk about my piece, Bowie. As his name suggests, he is a beautiful, fair-skinned, slender magician with heavy makeup and big red hair. He is an extradimensional being, and his job is to support my adventures as Arisen, the fate-chosen ruler of this kingdom. That’s when I unknowingly landed the role.
Bowie wasn’t very good at his job. He often forgets to heal me when a harpy or goblin or ogre knocks my lumps off in the field and forces me to say, “Help!” Press the button while being held down by the Minotaur. When he travels to other worlds, he always returns with sour stories of how often he has fallen in battle, and how badly he has suffered at the hands of other Ariens. Anyway, I love Bowie. my pawn. Despite his failures, we have had incredible adventures together.
You might look at the screenshots and videos of this game and think I must be high, but Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the best adventure I’ve had in years. Yes, it’s a bit of a shock. Yes, the information on the screen is confusing and the controls take some getting used to. That’s right, you will always die because you will be caught outside after dark and will encounter a lot of ghosts that will instantly vaporize you. Yes, whoever designed the map needs to talk hard about the concept of color contrast. But give yourself a few hours to play Dragon’s Dogma 2, at least until you reach the capital city of Fermund. Then you will be released immediately. You’ll get carried away, and soon you’ll be on your way to a faraway land, zapping ghosts with a team of fellow pawns to bring them back to the next life.
If I had to describe this game in one word, it would be “more fun than functionality.” What you have to understand is that, in contrast to most of the other very serious fantasy novels out there, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is very silly. It’s a beautiful mess of ideas colliding and connecting, creating some really funny moments. For example, pushing a Cyclops so hard that it tumbles off a cliff, levitating around a haunted castle with skeletons chasing you, or accidentally killing your lover. An errant sword swipe forced her to sneak into the morgue later to revive them with a magic stone (which she didn’t care about). Unless you played the first Dragon’s Dogma 12 years ago, you’ve probably never played anything quite like it.
I can honestly say that I had no idea what was going to happen next. I also don’t know if some of my random daring feats were meant to happen or were just interesting bugs. One time I was sorting out my armory in the town square of Fermundo when I turned around to see a troll standing there, and the townspeople looked at me with obvious surprise. In a tense battle, I defeated it and destroyed half of the market stalls, but then everyone carried on with their work as if nothing had happened. Was that demon supposed to be there? I don’t know, but it was a great story.
Speaking of the story, it’s not the plot that got me here with this game. Hundreds and hundreds of medieval-flavored fantasies! – About the characters, and most importantly, my goal to oust the Queen Regent and her puppet puppets and take back my rightful place on the throne of the kingdom as the chosen Arisen. Everyone speaks in a mesmerizingly stiff, unspecific Middle English syntax (“What must we do, Arisen?”). The word “o” is used interchangeably to mean something, anything, or nothing. I’ve spent very little time following the plot so far. many I grabbed my sword and left the city, following the road forever, picking up random quests along the way.
The world is cruel. You can’t go near water. If you don’t, you’ll be swallowed up by an evil scarlet tentacle called Brine. When it gets dark, you can only see about 1 meter in front of your face, and fear looms over you from the night. Griffins, dragons, and other unconquerable giant beasts roam free, and taking them on won’t hurt most animals, so it’s best to know when to run away. If you don’t remember lantern oil, medicine, and a camping pack, you’ll be totally ruined by night.
Combat is what really drives the game. Whether you’re a warrior, a spearmage, a thief, an archer, or a wizard, work together with your team of hired pawns to engage in truly exciting and dangerous battles like monsters. Hunter or Bloodborne. All of these professions can be switched freely, so if you get tired of close combat, you can try archery or spell casting. Mastering each profession unlocks a huge tree of abilities to keep you fighting, always, and always having fun.
Continue to have fun fighting…Dragon’s Dogma 2. Photo: Capcom
Dragon’s Dogma’s world and enemies are unpredictable, and combat styles vary widely, which can make them inconsistent and unfair at times. A team of pawns makes up for this by essentially making combat much easier and allowing the player to offset any weaknesses his character has. In fact, I love Pawn. They combine the roles of narcotics, heroes, clowns and saviors, and the game is always told by their laments, curses and abuse. It’s a miracle they don’t get too annoyed when they hear one of them say, “That ladder looks sturdy enough to climb on!” I might kick them off of it again.
If this review feels chaotic, that’s because it’s a true reflection of the game. It’s crazy, fun, fantastical chaos, and I honestly love it. Before I started writing this, I had left Arisen and her lovably incompetent pawns on an ancient battlefield patrolled by dragons. We used a few ballista bolts to blow it up, then it flew out and smashed the ballista with its claws. At that point, I realized that I was somewhat outnumbered here and fled to some castle ruins to hide from the creatures. This seemed like a good idea until skeletal warriors rose from the ground, and I realized that this castle was very haunted. I don’t know how to get out of this situation. But I know it will be an adventure.
IIt’s fitting that this latest Alone in the Dark game chooses a generational curse as its premise, as the series that pioneered the survival horror genre hasn’t had a good run for nearly 30 years. Its various misadventures include the disastrous 2008 game of the same name. The game included a blink-only button, among many strange design decisions. But it was terrible, at least in an interesting way, and that’s more than can be said for this boring and derivative re-imagining of the game that started it all.
Set in early 20th century Louisiana, Alone in the Dark follows Emily Hartwood (Jodie Comer), who is sent to a mental health clinic after receiving a worrying letter from her uncle Jeremy. It depicts a visit to Tokoro Delceto Manor. So worried, in fact, that she not only hires private investigator Edward Carnby (David Harbour) to accompany her, but one of the first questions she asks Carnby is whether he’s “waving a gun.” I expected that there might be a need for it, so I was wondering if he brought a gun. She is there to meet her uncle.
As it happens, you get to choose between Carnby and Heartwood to swing the gun, and that decision creates a slightly different perspective on the same story. This reimagining retains the general premise of his 1992 original, but its presentation and mechanics are heavily borrowed from Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 2. Explore Delceto mansion in limited freedom and solve simple puzzles to unlock different rooms. This is interspersed with more action-oriented segments where you enter Uncle Jeremy’s dreams and fight monsters in locations inspired by HP Lovecraft’s stories.
Very boring most of the time…Alone in the Dark, 2024. Photo: Places Interactive/THQ Nordic
The southern Gothic manor house is fun enough to explore, and the puzzles it contains may be a little distracting. But for the most part, Alone in the Dark is pretty boring. The biggest problem is writing. The game aims for a snappy, noir-esque detachment, but it can’t match it with the fundamental silliness of a Lovecraftian mystery. The sudden switch in tone and location is more disconcerting than interesting. It also struggles to justify itself. Why do the dual protagonists spend most of the game apart, even though Heartwood specifically hired Carnby to protect her?
If Pieces Interactive was hoping that the star talent they hired would improve their writing skills, unfortunately the effect is quite the opposite. Comer seems confused as to what Heartwood’s character is. Almost every line she says is off-key. Simple filler phrases like “I need the key” sound like something a sarcastic teenager would say to her. Harbor sometimes sounds like he’s reading a script with one eye on the clock, but he does a somewhat better job of it.
It’s worth noting that the Resident Evil games aren’t narrative masterpieces either. But those people teeth Scary and exciting, the qualities of Alone in the Dark stumble past. Aside from a few instances, exploring the mansion lacks any sense of suspense, as combat and puzzle-solving exist in separate realms. Even in the dream world, encounters with monsters are surprisingly rare. Assuming you can’t stand enemies quaking in corners due to the game’s regular AI glitches, it might be fun to shoot them when they appear, but most other interactions are underwhelming or not at all It’s frustrating. Melee combat is sluggish, but opening doors and climbing ladders is excruciatingly slow.
The sudden change in sound is more disconcerting than intriguing… Alone in the Dark, 2024. Photo: Places Interactive/THQ Nordic
Moreover, for someone who is supposed to be lost in the abyss of madness, Jeremy’s dreamscapes are disappointingly mundane. These include Louisiana swamps, cemeteries, warehouses, and libraries (apparently ancient). You’ll visit some more exotic locations later on, but they’re too fleeting to have much of an impact. It takes enough effort just to hear real people talk about their dreams. If you’re going to force yourself to experience a fake person’s dream, you’d better make sure it’s very weird.
Where Alan Wake 2’s excellent surrealist horror offered a clear and compelling story while reveling in its weirdness, Alone in the Dark was too staid, too clumsy and, so haphazard that it evokes nothing more than a shrug. The mystery surrounding Jeremy’s madness isn’t worth the weighty unraveling, but the combat and puzzle-solving are just a shadow of Resident Evil 2’s excellent design. It seems the curse lives on.
IThis is a storyline worthy of a WWE Superstar. Smashed, widely ridiculed, and clearly on the way to obscurity, WWE 2K20 was video game wrestling’s lowest ebb. Less than five years later, the game, which has probably done all sorts of off-screen training him montages in Meat Locker, not only dazzles and even works well, but actually gives users It’s back activated with controls that will put a smile on your face.
Conceptually, wrestling has always been difficult to translate into games. Why not just hold the leather against your opponent’s face until they’re too shocked to resist the pin? Because that would make for bad TV, and you couldn’t tell from the smell of body oil and hairspray yet. Contrary to some people, this is the world of sports entertainment. No, being “good” in WWE 2K24 or its predecessors means putting on a show. So does it know how to make you do it?
There is always fluidity in the movements in the ring. Chops transition into grapples without annoying delays, and the highly varied animations ensure that even the most specific and situational actions are executed well, even allowing you to throw a slim-shelf gym into Cena’s face. In celebration of WrestleMania’s 40th Anniversary, Showcase Mode lets you play through the furry’s most iconic matches from the 1980s to the present. It’s a shame that we can’t rewrite history with such a well-recreated moment, but we have to respect the effort. The game also tries to faithfully reproduce his 80’s camera effects.
This is a modern sports game, offering around 40 different modes, and inevitably some modes are left to deteriorate between releases. (MyGM Manager mode is this year’s biggest casualty.) He has two newcomers among a dizzying array of match options. In Ambulance matches, your goal is to weaken your opponent enough that you can load him into the back seat of an ambulance parked right next to the ring inside the arena. It’s best not to ask too many questions to the ambulance. In the Special Guest Referee match, you play as…the Special Guest Referee. These sideshows also offer the shine and functionality fans have been dreaming of.
The story-focused career mode, on the other hand, offers two completely different interactive narratives. One positions you as a star female wrestler on the local indie scene trying to gain national attention, and the other positions you as a star female wrestler on the local indie scene trying to gain national attention, and the other places you in an unlikely play after Roman Reigns unexpectedly retires, leaving the title vacant. We will position you as an active male wrestler on Raw who is very successful. . Like just about every other corner of the game, they’re dripping with expensive production costs, fun star cameos, and endless different ways to beat people on TV.
Here’s an analogy about sports franchises. Taking a year off (like WWE did in 2020) could be a good thing. From the hilariously detailed character creation to the feel of Jarman’s suplexes, 2K24 hits the mark.
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