The original LiberNovo Omni is the best desk chair I have ever sat in, so when I saw that the company was launching a "pro" model with integrated fans and some updated features, I was a bit sceptical. For starters, the original chair, which retails for around $1,000, does not need a yet more premium price. It was already the most expensive gaming chair I had come across, and definitely felt like it was geared toward the Herman Miller, "pro" end of the market.

Oftentimes, when a great product gets a "pro" model sibling, you see one of two things. Either it's the same exact product with a very novel and slightly pointless feature added, like, say, upward-firing fans in a chair's seat cushion. Or, a pro model will have the tiniest, most insignificant, and unnoticeable changes that are used as an excuse to charge more money.

I didn't expect the Omni Pro to give me one of those gimmicky features, and it would actually turn out to be useful. I didn't expect subtle changes to make a big, overall difference to how I use this chair for gaming, but they have. The new Omni Pro's even more ludicrous price of $1,109 is undeniably absurd for an office chair of any kind, and it makes it hard for me to recommend it to you. But I have to be honest, this is somehow an even better version of the best chair I've ever sat in. If you can afford it, there simply is no better gaming chair.

Assembly

One of the biggest pain points I had with the original LiberNovo Omni was its assembly process. Since it's a radically different type of chair from most you'll see, it has a very different construction. Yes, you follow a lot of the same steps, like putting casters into a wheelbase and a gas piston into that, before assembling the seat base, armrests, and backrest. But when there are wiring elements to think about, when there's a dynamic backrest with vertebrae-reminiscent slats across it, when there's a central spine to the chair itself, it's a more bespoke assembly than you might be used to.

I knew that with time, this process and LiberNovo's instructions for it would all become streamlined. I always point to Secretlab as the gold standard for packaged chairs, assembly instructions, and how streamlined the process is from box to you sitting on something. But that's because the folks at Secretlab have studied it, they've iterated, and they're constantly trying to find more efficient ways of packaging and assembling their goods. LiberNovo's first-ever chair was the Omni, so of course it'll take time for its assembly to get to that level of slick efficiency.

Even since I tested the first iteration, the Pro model has shown a big improvement in this department. The most annoying part of the process was hooking the backrest onto its spine clips, and this wasn't half as annoying as it used to be because the brand has slightly redesigned how the parts attach to one another. There's also a clearer instruction video to work alongside now too.

I'd say that if you've built flat-pack furniture before, you won't be completely out of your depth here, but the assembly process for the Omni Pro isn't nearly as daunting as it could be for a chair with such a distinct design. Thankfully, all of its parts are fairly light, and I didn't have any issues throwing them all together on my own.

Design & Features

If you're not up to speed with 2025's wunderkind chair, let me fill you in. The LiberNovo Omni went viral on Kickstarter last year after offering a very different ergonomics philosophy to pretty much every chair on the market.

It has a fully dynamic backrest, so as you sit back into it, you'll feel it able to pivot from side to side and flex between its upper and lower halves. Its use of plastic panelling in its backrest might turn you off when you're being charged such high costs, but it's used for a reason: its flexibility. The backrest of the Omni adheres to your back as you rest your weight into it; it flexes into shape because its design mimics human anatomy. It's a chair that moves with you, supporting not only your lumbar with its S-shape and adjustable, bionic controls, but the whole alignment of your back by maintaining your posture as you move, shuffle, and reset your position umpteen times a day.

The improvements made to the most recent batch of Omni chairs mean that they now have even more backrest slats. In theory, these add even more posture support since there's now even more weight distribution and flex as you move around in it.

The other unique thing about the LiberNovo Omni is that it has the best recline system I've ever seen in a chair. As you recline back into its set positions, the armrests slide back with you, your head stays almost level with where it was so you can maintain focus on your screen, and the backrest maintains its shape no matter how relaxed you want to get. In standard chairs, this recline system doesn't exist, so you end up sliding down the backrest as it folds back. You then lose the ergonomic benefits of it, and your armrests end up at odds with your sitting position.

Why this matters for gamers is that your armrests, head, and neck stay in complete agreement with how you set up the chair in its upright mode. No need to alter the armrest position when reclining, because they stay level with your desk and your mouse aim will be unaffected. The Omni Pro (and all new versions of the Omni) will now have an extra recline level which is specifically meant for gamers. That means recline levels are up from three to four, plus the upright position. The new gaming setting is the first level of recline, so it allows you to relax just a little bit more than you would in upright mode. Then, if you want to chill out even more, you've got ways to tilt further back.

These modes are pivotal to the Omni's identity as a gaming chair because they create a beautiful distinction between your desk as a place of work and a place to relax and play.

Of course, the Omni Pro also gets access to the same perks and features of the original model. There's seat depth adjustment, tilt tension, height adjustment, 4D armrests, a neck/headrest that pivots with you and can be fit to your height, and, if you're so inclined, a step-sync footrest to bundle in. For the pro model, that takes the price up to $1,183. There are two sizes of each Omni, one with 48cm seat depth and one with 45cm.

The new recline levels and extra backrest slats are more practical improvements that have been made to the whole Omni lineup from now on, but the Pro specifically also gets upward-firing fans in its seat cushions, which work on two power settings. Perhaps the coolest part about them is that they're weight-activated. If you're not sitting in the chair but left the function running, you won't lose power because the fans will stop. Sit back down, and the fans will kick up again.

This is definitely going to be more useful for some users than others, but it's not the only novel feature here. The Omni Pro still has the built-in stretch system of other LiberNovo models, so if you want to decompress your lumbar, tilt all the way back and take a very relaxing breather for five minutes.

The Omni Pro is still only available in black (Graphite) or grey/white (Glacier) colorways though, which is a bit of a shame. The base Omni has now gained a beautiful deep green version, which I'd have loved to test out. I do think LiberNovo is missing a trick by not expanding colorways sooner rather than later. The two available for the Pro model are lovely, classy, and neutral enough to fit into any setup, but the missing opportunity for consumers to express themselves might be something that holds this brand back in the gaming market specifically.

I do notice a massive improvement in build quality and upholstery in this model of the Omni, compared to my original. Its fabric is woven a bit thicker but is no less stretchy; it doesn't feel like a cheap material anymore; it feels like a proper, premium fabric. This is an improvement I didn't realise was needed until I tried the Pro version. With build quality, the chair is as rock-solid as the original, with no squeaks or creaks during my testing time, but the controls, battery, and electrical elements all feel more robust.

Performance

To start with the novel bit, I really didn't think chairs with fans would be worth anyone's money until I sat in the LiberNovo Omni Pro. We've already tested one or two with fans and heating systems, namely the Mavix M7 and the AutoFull M6 Ultra, but these elements have ultimately ended up feeling like gimmicky extras.

I wouldn't argue the fans in the Omni Pro are a necessity unless you live in a really warm country, but I also wouldn't classify them as gimmicks. There are uses to the fans here to add a bit of ventilation, which came in really handy for me during one of the summer heatwaves here in the UK. I doubt I'll get much use out of them during the cold winter months here in Scotland, but anytime I get a bit warm, they're perfect for a bit of refreshment. The fans can be a tad loud on their more powerful setting, and you'll definitely wear down your battery life more quickly while using them, but they're pretty powerful and can create a cooling sensation even through thicker clothing.

Not to mention, the sit-to-activate part is genuinely really cool and brought a big jaw drop and smile to my face when I discovered it. Is it worth paying all that extra money for when the chair itself is so expensive? I'm not so sure, but depending on you, your preferences, and the temperature in your home, it could be.

Elsewhere, the chair performs beautifully. It's every bit as comfortable as the LiberNovo Omni OG but with a bit more build quality and assurance that the upholstery is going to stand the test of time. This stands for the reclining controls, which I've mentioned feel more robust, but also for the adjustable armrests, which now slide forward and back and rotate with much better, less cheap-feeling plastics.

If there's something I wish was an extra improvement for the Pro model, it's even more controllable lumbar support. While you can raise or lower the lumbar curve on the Omni and its Pro variant, there is part of me that wishes the control wasn't so all-in-one. In other words, on Secretlab's Titan Evo NanoGen, or Corsair's TC500 Luxe, you can control the depth and height of the lumbar support separately. Here, because of the design of the chair, you control both at once. It works great, but more control is always going to be welcome in this department since it's such a particular thing for each person.

The new recline setting is excellent. I would use the slightly deeper option on the original Omni for gaming regularly, but part of me did find it was a tad far back for when I still wanted to be focused and competitive in multiplayer games. Now, I find myself using the first "gaming" recline setting for mouse and keyboard play, but if I'm playing with a controller, I'll kick back deeper and enjoy a more relaxed position.

Either way, the armrests, the back support, and the beautiful combination of plush cushioning and excellent ergonomics mean this is a chair I feel confident working and gaming in for full days and evenings.

Should you buy the LiberNovo Omni Pro?

When it comes to choosing a gaming chair, there's a checklist of things you should be looking for if your budget allows.

First, you want something that's going to be comfortable and good for your body to sit in for long stretches at a time. The LiberNovo checks that box with its awesome ergonomics, beautiful feeling of comfort, and dynamic backrest.

Second, if possible, you want something that's adjustable, not just so it can enhance the previous point, but so that you can bend it to your desk setup and gaming positions. It's a bit of a meme that gaming chairs can make you better at your favorite titles, but this kind of adjustability is the thing that's going to actually impact that. Thanks to its refreshed recline system, excellent armrests, and ability to move with you throughout the day, I'd say there's no chair I feel more confident gaming in to make sure I play to the best of my ability.

Thirdly, you want something that's long-lasting, and with improvements to build quality, I'm more confident than ever that the Omni Pro will stand the test of time.

Any novel, funky, or borderline gimmicky features you can afford to throw in on top of that are a bonus, and although they won't be necessary for everyone, I think there's value in the fans of the Omni Pro. Are they worth the extra money? I'm not so sure, but thankfully there's now a range of Omni chairs that might better suit your budget. The Omni SE, the Omni, the Omni Pro, and the Omni Maxis for larger bodies. Whichever you go for, I'm certain it'll be the best seat in the house.

How I tested the LiberNovo Omni Pro

I used the LiberNovo Omni Pro for around two months before this review was penned. Before that, I had used the LiberNovo Omni as my daily driver when I wasn't testing out other chairs from month to month. To test the Pro model, I made frequent use of the fans and electronics, compared build quality and sitting experience to its original, and evaluated how both impacted my posture and wellbeing through a long period of testing.

For more on how we test gaming chairs, check out the full GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Looking for more gaming furniture? Here are the best gaming desks, the best standing desks, and the best console gaming chairs.

The middle section of Marvel's Wolverine feels like it nails the game developer Insomniac Games wanted to make. Set in a small semi open world Tokyo district, it sees Logan exploring and fighting – grumpily following leads as he criss-crosses the area following the clues that have brought him there. It's lively, layered, and just a fun place to be: full of cool little alleys, laden with eye-grabbing posters and neon lights, and, often, interesting places that, sure enough, wind up being somewhere you revisit in more detail later.

There's an enjoyable variety here where the texture of the game changes nicely, a range of gameplay and moments breaking up combat as you literally sniff out trails, look for clues, and enjoy existing in the buzzing neon lit space. I spent a lot more time than I needed here looking in shop windows, examining signs, listening in on conversations, or watching people just mill about. Most importantly there's a solid sense of progression to your time in Tokyo, with a clear arc and purpose to take you through it all, that feels meaningful.

By contrast the rest of the game feels thin, and largely consists of boxy corridors that top and tail Tokyo with shallow combat luges broken up by cutscene checkpoints and little else. Unlike the studio's Spider-Man games, Wolverine is strictly chapter-based and linear, more like Uncharted but without the finesse. You might find a corner here, hiding a collectible, or a forked path there, to give you a little agency to the type of forward progression you choose, but it's surprising just how nothingy these areas feel, especially in the opening act. After Tokyo, flow improves a little, with some occasional extra variety and scope, but combat still overwhelms many spaces that don't do much more than exist to house it, while the story sort of vaguely wafts its hand at reasons why it's all happening.

Not quite the best there is

Wolverine's gory, knife-handed combat is enjoyable for the most part, at least. It's functional and well formed, but it does lack the sort of magnetic snap that a great fighting system has when you lock into a flow. There's a good toolkit of moves to deal with enemies and situations, with a leaping attack to clear spaces fast as you bounce between meatbags, and some satisfying special moves you can pull out to mince through crowds or target single opponents for an unnecessary level of beatdown. It's bloody, messy and feels suitably Wolverine as claws end up in guts, faces, skulls and more.

However, all this people blending is built around a Rage system that feels both overcomplicated and inconsequential at the same time. There are three tiers: the first gets you started and enables a regenerative revive if you're downed; the second adds extra damage to combo finishers; and, finally, tier 3 amps up all damage and lets you perform insta-kill critical strikes against low health, staggered, or intimidated enemies.

That all sounds fine in theory but it never really feels like it actually does that much outside of the Last Stand revival. Insta-kill criticals are fickle at best thanks to the criteria needed to trigger them, and because certain key elements are locked behind Adaptation perks you need to unlock and equip - all the things that really make Rage sing is in these Adaptations, making it feel like you have the trial version for most of the game until you unlock its full potential.

By contrast, progression in the Techniques tree just sort of unfolds via a ladder of abilities that, thanks to an abundance of experience points, all gradually unlock over the course of play. The deepest choice you get in your build here is deciding on which four of the six special abilities you'll have equipped.

Combat ready

There's also the odd choice to keep the ability to parry multiple simultaneous attacks locked behind a fairly late game skill. That's a total game changer as, without it, you're trying to parry single individual attacks while surrounded by a horde swinging freely at all times. Until you get that multi-parry ability you're deflecting one attack only to be hit by another a split second behind it. But, once you have it, combat comes alive in a dance of ripostes as you weave through enemy crowds like a Whirling Dervish made of knives.

As a result, as you pick Adaptations and skills it seems less like you're improving Wolverine's combat, and more like you're just making it what it should be. The end result, when you've basically unlocked everything, feels like where it should have started. It means combat has some good moments, mostly as it improves much later into the game, but for a character defined by fighting it leaves a lot to be desired.

There's also an odd stealth system that sort of appears occasionally, but it's the kind of 'magic grass' set-up where you have no real control over it – just areas you automatically hide in. You can't wall hug, hide on cue, peek around corners, or lure enemies. Instead, you have to read the layout of what's ahead to plan a route that will take out the most enemies without raising the alarm. It's a strange system that, like a lot of things here, never feels like it was fully worked out.

The plot itself consists of three largely unconnected sections hot-glued together via a semi formed MacGuffin that changes purpose as the story develops, as well as a few basically random events.

I can't explain too much without spoiling things but everything's held together so loosely that you can't look directly at it without it all unraveling. You can feel it straining to exist in its own world, trying to carve out an existence devoid of most notable mutants and characters like the X-Men - the story starts with you attached to what is functionally a school for gifted youngsters but not that one.

Much of Wolverine feels like it's ended up in a shape it wasn't meant to be in, with both mechanics and plot points introduced haphazardly, and just as likely to be forgotten about as used again. Numerous combat, gameplay, and story ideas drift in and out of use or existence – audio diaries pop in and out of being 'a thing', for example; the story ping-pongs between antagonists looking for a firm villain, while re-using one of the (only two) enemy factions with a new leader at a later stage. There's also a relatively minor character that suddenly becomes pivotal to a sizable chunk of the story before largely disappearing again, save for a loose thread pinching last minute cameo.

Marvel's Wolverine is never a bad experience, just an underwhelming one full of odd choices. I enjoyed it enough for the most part but never really felt blown away, or like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved. Especially considering this is the same studio that literally let Spider-Man soar on PS5. It also feels lightweight for such a blockbuster release – you'll struggle to get more than 20 hours out of it even if you 100% what there is, and replaying missions just highlights how straightforward many of the areas actually are. There are some nice moments and ideas but they're muted overall by lengthy and monotone combat, inconsistent gameplay, and a track jumping story. Ironically, for a character that's the best at what they do, this is basically OK.

Wolverine was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher. All screenshots where taken in Performance Mode on a standard PS5.

Jamey Stegmaier is both a publisher and game designer. He’s best known for Scythe, which cleverly blends a complex resource optimization puzzle with the pushing and shoving of area control, delightfully packaged in a novel steampunk universe with giant mechs. But that universe also features in another of his games, Expeditions, where players take the part of explorers, controlling individual mechs, delving into darkest Siberia in search of a mysterious meteorite.

Multiple games set in the same shared universe is nothing new. But Stegmaier’s latest offering, Duel of Meloch, is a very novel take worthy of the best board games in terms of ambition: it’s a stand-alone game that allows two players to go head to head, one using the rules from Scythe and the other the rules from Expeditions, with a little judicious tweaking. You don’t need to have either of those titles to play but, if you do, you can use their factions or characters in the duel, and vice-versa.

Triple the rules

This means, as you might have guessed, that playing Duel of Meloch requires you to learn three different sets of rules: one for Scythe, one for Expeditions and one for the Duel itself, which is mercifully simple compared to the other two. Neither of those games are particularly lightweight so, unless you’re already familiar with one or both of them, this is a fairly herculean task. Neither are their rules included, so you’ll have to crib them from the internet if you need them.

Running a game with two entirely different rules sets feels like it shouldn’t work, but the secret sauce is that both titles use similar hex-map boards and have similar victory conditions. In Duel of Meloch, each hex space has double the number of icons, some of which are used in the Expeditions rules and some of which are used in the Scythe rules. The latter, for instance, is an engine-building game, so the hex icons you need to pay attention to are what kind of benefit they provide if your workers take a “produce” action there as you spread your miniature empire across the board. The former, meanwhile, is more about card management and allows you to take actions to play or refresh those cards based on the icons of the hex your mech is currently in.

In both games players race to earn stars by fulfilling certain conditions, and the same is true of Duel of Meloch, which hands victory to the first player to gain four stars. The included “triumph track” has eight possible spaces for stars, with different conditions for both players printed on each. Both games have a coin resource, for example, so there’s a star available for the Scythe player earning 12 and the Expeditions player earning 9. Often the requirements are very different however: another star is available for the Scythe player deploying their fourth mech, and the Expeditions player upgrading their mech three times. Importantly, and unlike the base games, these stars are exclusive. So once one player has taken a slot, it’s blocked to the other player.

This immediately makes the game more directly interactive than either of its parent titles, but that’s not the only point of interaction. The two players can also fight directly in Duel of Meloch, basically using the card-based combat system from Scythe. The Expeditions player can gain these cards from using certain map icons and combat is triggered if their mech moves into a hex containing mechs or workers belonging to the Scythe player which, given the relatively small board, is pretty common. In combat each player secretly selects how much of their power resource they're willing to spend, plus bonuses from optional combat cards, one per unit in the fight. This gives the Scythe player an edge in fights, as the Expeditions player only ever has one unit.

Double the fun

The most astonishing thing about Duel of Meloch is how well these two entirely different systems work together. It’s a bold experiment, and mechanically speaking it’s entirely successful. Both Scythe and Expeditions are very enjoyable games in their own way, and this Duel version preserves that enjoyment near-perfectly.

The Scythe player is still focussed on the complexities of building their engine through optimal movement and resource management. Indeed, arguably, Scythe here is marginally more fun than it is in the original game, particularly for beginners, as the sheer scope of the full board can feel overwhelming. Expeditions is still about the struggle for card management and collecting upgrades that fit your strategy as you try and tame corruption across the board. This portion of the game suffers a little from the smaller board and the lack of face-down hexes that give the original a real feel of exploration, but it’s still plenty fun enough.

However, the degree to which the two games meld into one in Duel of Meloch is almost too perfect. There’s a nagging question as to why, given the smoothness of the translation, you’d choose to play this format over simply playing one of the original games with two. It’s true that both parent games work better with more than two, but that feels like a relatively thin reason to have to internalize both different rules sets, plus modifications, to play a single game. You can, however, use the small maps here to play quickfire two-player games of just Scythe or just Expeditions, if you own that particular original game.

A potentially more compelling reason is the degree of interaction in this head-to-head version. Expeditions isn’t a very interactive game at all. Scythe is more so but it’s deceptive; although it looks and feels like an old-fashioned combat game, growing your engine is a far more important plank of victory than combat. The relatively cramped maps in Duel of Meloch - there are two, on opposite sides of the lovely neoprene mat that serves as a board - do ensure more interaction, but not as much as the game seems to promise. The Expeditions player can stop the Scythe player’s workers from producing in a hex, so it’s tempting to use that blocking power on undefended hexes. But because they’re weaker in combat they need to pick their battles very carefully, making actual fights relatively rare.

It’s a similar story with the triumph track. While, in theory, having each space as mutually exclusive should invite competition, it also makes it dangerous. If one player draws ahead in a race for a particular slot, it’s generally wise to stop competing for it, otherwise you’re potentially wasting precious actions. As a result, the bulk of each faction’s gameplay is still very much focussed on doing the core things from their own parent game rather than engaging with the things that make Duel of Meloch stand out.

Where this box really shines, though, is when you own and are already familiar with both of its source games. Having a new faction for Scythe and a new character for Expeditions is great, and both are designed to feel distinct from the existing options. Plus the miniatures for these new options look great, really adding to the visual pop of the original games. Similarly, having both parents allows you to swap their factions and characters into Duel of Meloch, giving you a ton of variety to mess around with. While you’ll mostly be sticking to the rules and actions of the source box, lining different options up against each other in the included “Tournament of Meloch” campaign version.

Should you buy Duel of Meloch?

There’s a pretty simple path to recommending Duel of Meloch: if you have access to, and enjoy, both Scythe and Expeditions, it’s entirely worthwhile. Having it as an expansion to the base games is reason enough. The option to play a two-player Duel campaign, or use the included components for fast, two-player variants of the originals, is just gravy.

If you’re not, or if you only own one of the games, not only is there not really enough here to engage with but the entry barrier is frustratingly high. You’ll need to learn an entire new game to enjoy Duel of Meloch and the results feel too similar to the original games to stand out. While it’s a fascinating experiment in mechanical blending, you’re better off simply picking up one of those games, or sticking with whichever you already own.

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more details on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Last year's Alienware 16X Aurora actually represented solid value at the time, but its lack of OLED display and RTX 5070 configuration cap kept it from being one of the greats. Dell's fixed both of those problems in its 2026 re-release, and then some.

This is the brand's middle child. It's got more grunt than Dell's new Alienware 15 hybrid systems and has more meat than the entry-level Alienware 16 Aurora (a cheaper rig that didn't see this year's OLED upgrade). It's not a flagship, though, so while the Alienware 16 and 18 Area-51 models can take you further up the GPU pole, we're still firmly in mid-range territory.

It's a 16-inch gaming laptop for those who want to splash out on an upgrade from an RTX 40-Series or RTX 30-Series card, but don't need the full 4K force of an RTX 5090 or the no-holds-barred 1600p performance of the RTX 5080. It's a relatively slimline machine (not a true work / play hybrid, but still more manageable than the Area-51 line) with the rounded edges and soft-touch internals you'll find in similar aesthetically conscious rigs.

Does the new Plus range of Intel processors have any meaningful impact on day-to-day gaming performance? No. But that new OLED display certainly does. It's one of two headline new features here. Alienware's Anti-Glare OLED screen sidesteps the glossy implementations across the rest of the best gaming laptops, instead opting for a matte finish that changes the game. Accompanied by upgradeable RAM and SSD bays, this is a real investment for those happy to wait for memory and storage upgrades while prices are sky-high.

Meanwhile, stretching the GPU menu into RTX 5070 Ti territory means the 16X Aurora can also push 12GB VRAM at the top end of its spec sheet. That's going to allow for a little more headroom in higher-resolution gameplay, and, going by my benchmarks, should get you comfortably playing in 1600p across more demanding titles.

Alienware 16X Aurora configurations

As a mid-range device, the Alienware 16X Aurora keeps its sights firmly in the middle of the GPU scale, stretching a little towards the higher end of available CPU options. Lighter builds are covered with 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD configurations (though that SSD looks to be exclusive to the US at the time of writing), but if you're going all out the 16X Aurora also accommodates 64GB / 4TB RAID storage pairings as well.

It's a healthy mid-range tasting menu overall, allowing for prices to start at $1,529.99 in the US while still keeping that OLED display. The numbers run a little more northerly in the UK, however.

The configuration I tested paired up an Intel Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus processor with an RTX 5070 GPU (it should be noted that this is the older 8GB version rather than the new 12GB release). That's with 16GB RAM and a 1TB Gen4 SSD (you'll need to be at 2TB or more to get zippier Gen5 tech).

The final bill on this configuration comes to $2,679.99 / £2,499.99, which is a little squeaky to say the least. Gaming laptop prices have ballooned in the last year, and 2026's releases require a different hat to evaluate their value compared to the generation before.

Back in July I scoped out average RTX 5070 gaming laptop prices when the new 12GB card hit the shelves, with the then-average MSRP of these mid-range machines (at Best Buy) sitting at around $2,500 (not including savings). Alienware's just on the wrong side of that fence here, then, but those figures add important context for what I'm about to say next.

An RTX 5070 configuration of last year's Alienware 16X Aurora came in at under $1,600. The RTX 5060 version I tested (with 32GB RAM) totalled $1,449.99. We've got a big price gap between the two generations, but not one that's isolated to Dell.

Looking at the rest of the market, Alienware is just teetering into the more expensive category - by around $200. That's nothing particularly new, Dell's best Alienware laptops have always been pitched at a premium.

Alienware 16X Aurora performance

The Alienware 16X Aurora performs in line with the rest of my RTX 5070 testing pool, frequently coming out ahead of slimmer machines like the Razer Blade 14 and Acer Predator Triton 14 AI while matching (if slightly trailing) the similarly built Asus ROG Strix G16.

Across 3DMark tests, it keeps on par with other RTX 5070 decks in Steel Nomad, the more true-to-life run, while topping the pack in Fire Strike and coming in behind the Strix G16 in Time Spy. Of course, it's 2026, and with RAM shortages blazing onwards, it should be noted that the G16 I tested last year had 32GB RAM under the hood, while this Aurora only has 16GB.

In all likelihood, you're going to be sacrificing a little memory to pick up a gaming laptop in 2026, but that's not going to cause too much harm at the power level of the RTX 5070. While the Aurora is slightly behind the G16 in both lighter and more demanding 1080p runs, we're still comfortably over 60fps even in Cyberpunk 2077 at full RT: Ultra. The Aurora is still holding its own though, performing just about as well as the 32GB G16 with half the memory. If you're worried about your overall performance when taking a RAM cut, the Aurora's gameplay figures should put your mind at ease a little. Obviously, that's future-proofing notwithstanding.

At the top end of the resolution scale, the G16 does sometimes take us closer to a more comfortable 60fps+ position in titles like Total War: Three Kingdoms. It's these kinds of strategy games where memory could play a larger role in overall performance, and the Asus's 68fps in Ultra graphical settings are far less squeaky than the Aurora's 62fps average. Still, we're firmly in smooth-running territory here still.

Most RTX 5070 rigs will fall below that 60fps threshold in heavy duty titles like Cyberpunk 2077, so it's no surprise that the Aurora follows suit. We can still hit those goals in high settings slightly further down the performance scale, on Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered, even if the Alienware averages slightly under the G16 at full Ultra settings.

Overall, though, the Alienware 16X Aurora manages to perform inline with the rest of the RTX 5070 testing pool, even with half the working RAM.

Alienware Aurora 16X OLED benefits

A matte OLED revelation

I was a little surprised when I first opened the lid. The new anti-glare OLED display Alienware has slapped on its Aurora's face takes a little getting used to, especially if you're coming from a more traditional glossy model. It's a strange sight to behold, with an affect I originally mistook for being dulled compared to the panel on my Razer Blade 14. But it's not dulled, there's simply no reflections giving it the annoyingly shiny topper you'll find elsewhere on the market.

That means it's still packing a serious visual punch while also keeping darker details highly visible even in daylit environments. At full brightness, there's no loss of color impact or sharpness with that additional overlay. Cyberpunk's internal sets are gritty and moody, with neon pops of color exploding out of the screen. Take gameplay outside and the streets are filled with vibrant hues, each one represented with pinpoint clarity and a surprising amount of depth.

I can't remember a time I've ever specifically praised an Alienware laptop for its display, but 2026's iteration has knocked it out the park.

Sturdy battery life

16-inch gaming laptops, especially those in this slightly chunkier form factor, aren't typically designed as battery-first devices. The Alienware 16X Aurora isn't either, but it still manages to hold its own in productivity scenarios. I was able to complete a full eight hour work day on a single charge multiple times through my testing (that's nearly double what I got out of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14). Granted, gaming only yielded me about three and a half hours, but that's on par with some of the slimmer machines more geared towards endurance than performance.

In it for the long haul

Ok so, you're not likely going to want to shell out for a 32GB or, God forbit, a 64GB configuration of the Alienware 16X Aurora in 2026 - not unless you're far wealthier than most players. However, while the 16GB model is going to be the only one suiting the budgets of mainstream portable PC purveyors, Dell's got a fix waiting in the wings.

The Aurora is particularly easy to upgrade further down the line. The bottom cover is held in place pretty simply, with Philips-head screws, and once you're in you'll find two DDR5 slots to play with (should those prices become more manageable in the next few years), as well as two M.2 bays supporting 2230 and 2280 drives. The Aurora supports up to 64GB RAM across two slots.

Alienware Aurora 16X OLED drawbacks

A slight letdown in the keyboard department

A few years back Alienware released its M16 R2, and it featured one of the best-feeling keyboards I've used, even to this day. Since then, Alienware has stuck to a soft-touch, but highly satisfying internal control feel, from the gentle Aurora before this one to the snappy mechanical deck on the Alienware 16 Area-51.

Something feels a little less polished here, though. The keyboard is fine, it's got a confident level of travel with an easy tension under each key that makes for fast repeated presses. There's no sense of mushiness or softness here. It just doesn't have that tactile sparkle I've felt from the brand before.

These keys are a little too loose to give me that same sense of satisfaction and the trackpad has just a little too much depth to match previous releases' super slick push gestures.

On the heavier side

It feels like Alienware laptops are always going to be a little heftier than their counterparts from other brands. While we're not exactly in the dark days of the 2010s here, the Alienware 16X Aurora is going to put more of a strain on your shoulders than others in its class. This machine ranges from 2.57kg to 2.61kg - a heft that's only beaten by the 2.8kg Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo in my 16-inch testing pool (and that's carrying a whole second screen around).

It's heavier than the MSI Cyborg (2.1kg), Acer Nitro V16 AI (2.43kg), Lenovo Legion 7 Gen 10 (1.99kg) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI (2.3kg). In fact, of all the 16-inch gaming laptops I've tested over the last two years, this is easily one of the heaviest.

That's not going to make too much of a difference if you generally keep your laptop at home, or only travel shorter distances. However, if you're after a 2-in-1 work and play machine, that strain is going to make itself known.

Should you buy the Alienware 16X Aurora?

Gaming laptop prices are in a tricky spot right now, and Alienware's propensity for leaning slightly over average when it comes to the final bill isn't going to help it too much. The 16X Aurora trends towards the top end of the price range without any discounts applied, but it does have plenty to keep big spenders interested once those numbers have been digested. Its OLED display is going to serve anyone tired of battling glare during brighter hours, its performance still has it standing tall among its peers, and its upgradeability is going to go a long way to keeping that 16GB configuration interesting while prices are as mad as they are right now.

After spending three weeks with the Aurora, I'd happily recommend it to anyone looking to invest in an RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti machine in 2026, though likely only if travel isn't going to be too intense.

How I tested the Alienware 16X Aurora

I used the Alienware 16X Aurora as my dedicated gaming and work laptop for two weeks, while also testing alongside a mini PC for an additional week. I ran the machine through in-game benchmarks on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered, and Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p, 1600p, and UHD+ in each game's high and highest settings. Each test was completed three times, with the final result above representing an average of each run.

I also used 3DMark's Time Spy, Steel Nomad, and Fire Strike benchmarks for more synthetic performance data, again running each test three times. Day to day, the Aurora's been running Restory, High on Life 2, and Doom: The Dark Ages.

For more information on how we test gaming laptops, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also on the hunt for the best Razer laptops and the best Asus gaming laptops, or check out the best gaming handhelds for something even more portable.

It says a lot that I'd consider recommending Wingspan Pocket to someone over the original. Don't get me wrong, the first game is a modern classic that's earned its glowing reputation. (We called it "one of the greats" in our Wingspan review.) But this bite-size version fixes some of the original's most common criticisms, so it's hard not to be won over.

After running multiple test sessions with friends and family, I'd go so far as to say Wingspan Pocket is the perfect introduction to this series. It's also ideal for existing fans who want a shorter alternative or something they can play on the go.

Corvid combos

Wingspan is often listed amongst the best board games for a reason, so this pint-sized version doesn't mess with the formula; your aim is still to collect resources and buy birds from a central market that provide points alongside special abilities. Whoever earns the highest score at the end will win.

However, it streamlines the process. Rather than using multiple biomes that require specific kinds of birds, you play all of them in a single row beside your 'nest.' So long as you can pay their cost (be it specific resources, eggs, or a mix of both), you're allowed to place birds without restriction. Plus, the way you gather those resources is much more straightforward than before; each bird card has a random resource symbol printed on the back, and these can be drawn from the central market as well. It's a far more elegant solution than the OG game's dice.

Wingspan Pocket ends once someone has played six birds, so it's important to choose your lineup wisely. That's because most birds have unique abilities that help you throughout the game. These are incredibly varied; some might allow you to earn extra resources each turn, while others let you hunt birds for bonus points later on. No matter what, these powers stack and (usually) activate at the end of every turn, so it's possible to construct some very clever combos if you're careful.

Because all birds have an end-of-game points score, you'll have to weigh up their value versus how useful their ability is going to be. This is where the game gets clever.

Nip and tuck

If you're patient, you can create some incredibly powerful match-ups. As an example, I played a bird early on in one session that earned no end-game points… but it allowed me to choose two extra cards (resources or birds) each turn if I discarded something. I combined this with another bird that let me swap a resource to 'tuck' cards underneath for points. Using the two in tandem allowed me to build momentum fast.

It's true that you're at the mercy of whichever cards are available in the market. But the key is recognizing combos and being flexible enough to act on them. If you win, it's because you were skillful – not because you got lucky.

When you act is also crucial. Putting down a card at the right time can spell the difference between victory and defeat. For instance, that bird I used early on would be useless if played near the end of a match. But played right away? It got the ball rolling.

This is the kind of clever gameplay that makes Wingspan so beloved… albeit at a faster pace, with fewer obstacles to surmount. That's why I became so enamored with Wingspan Pocket after just a couple of tries; it has all the brilliance, with fewer barriers to entry.

Should you buy Wingspan Pocket?

If you're new to the franchise and want an easy-to-understand entry point, you won't find a better option than Wingspan Pocket. While the likes of Finspan are just as accessible, Pocket is faster to play and more streamlined on the whole.

As for existing fans, this is a great choice if you want something quicker or more portable. It loses none of the original's strategic splendor, but addresses many of its criticisms. Wingspan Pocket isn't as deep, I'll admit, but it captures enough of its predecessor's magic that you won't mind.

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more details on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

So many controllers try to do the same things these days, so I'm always pleasantly surprised when I come across one that feels distinct. Particularly in the Xbox market, a lot of gamepads shoot for their own spins on a tried-and-tested formula that captures what people like about the institution that is the Xbox controller. Sadly, that can lead to a lot of them feeling identical in the hands, but the Scuf Valor Pro Wireless isn't in that camp. It's got these chunky, fat grips that make a bit of a statement as soon as you pick the thing up, and I love it.

Of course, they feel a bit familiar. A while back, I tested the original Scuf Valor Pro controller, an odd case study. We had waited years for a new pro gamepad from Scuf, and what it brought to market was wired-only, behind the times in terms of its features, and it didn't feel too useful in the shooter genre it was supposedly built for.

The Valor Pro Wireless modernizes things with TMR sticks, wireless capabilities, and a slew of eye-catching designs worthy of this brand. It might not seem as though much has changed, but this is definitely more like it. Besides a price of $199 / £179 that pits it against some of the most feature-rich gamepads on the shelves, it's one I'd happily use in my own rotation for its comfort alone.

Design

If you're familiar with the original Valor Pro, you'll know what to expect here. In truth, very little has changed besides its wireless capabilities and other internal substitutions. Scuf seems to really believe in this design since it's now forming the skeleton of the brand's new 8K polling PC controller, the Nemesis.

The Valor Pro Wireless is an asymmetrical controller with some to-be-expected Scuf notes. The Hex rubberized grip texture is back, as are some cleverly angled back buttons that almost wrap themselves around your middle finger. These aren't quite as enveloping as the ones on the Scuf Envision Pro, but they do a good job of positioning themselves in an easily accessible manner.

What's noticeably distinct about this pad are its chunky grips. There are loads of different ways to design comfortable controller grips, but Scuf has focused on depth here in a way I've not seen many times before. The width and length of them are fairly average, so you might not get a sense for it just by looking at the controller's face. Extra girth has been added in the back, which gives the Valor Pro a bit more for you to hold onto. This device feels really substantial in the hands, and if anything, the shape just makes the back buttons easier to actuate because your palms have more of a surface to counter-squeeze into when your middle finger flexes.

As is always the case with Scuf's products these days, there's a magnetic faceplate and loads of cosmetic options for you to choose from. There are options for making a fully custom version of some Scuf controllers (this one included), but faceplates are the brand's answer if you don't want to go through the nitty-gritty details of dialing in every single element's color.

Features

The Valor Pro Wireless sports TMR thumbsticks, improving on the original wired model's Hall sensor modules. To my frustration, Scuf's slippery thumbstick tops are unchanged from the original model. I can't really understand how this brand gets away with supplying uncontrollable thumbstick tops like these when it prides itself on being an FPS controller brand first and foremost. Thankfully, there are swappable nubs in the box, and the taller one that I prefer to use on my right stick has a domed shape that's a little less reminiscent of a Mario Kart banana.

Perhaps controversially, the Valor Pro Wireless uses membrane face buttons. In a world set against them as we see more and more gamepads adopting microswitches, the Valor Pro is staying true to tradition, and I don't mind it in the slightest. Clicky buttons aren't for everyone, and Scuf has done a good job of making these face buttons responsive without the need for clicks.

The Valor Pro Wireless features four back buttons, with the bottom pair responding with standard plastic actuation. The top two, angled slightly further away from your fingers, are microswitches that take a little less effort to push in - a smart move.

The Valor Pro Wireless will naturally be locked to the Xbox's lacklustre polling rate (between 150-400Hz) on the console itself, but there is capability on PC for it to utilize a 1,000Hz polling rate if you use a wired USB-C connection. This is a bit of a shame since it'll need to go through the same annoying process as the original Valor Pro to update and activate it. I'd have hoped Scuf would have cracked the code on this by now, and we'd see 1,000Hz wirelessly as we do on its rivals.

Compared to those rival Xbox controllers, the Valor Pro doesn't come with a carrying case or many swappable parts. Its USB dongle, cable, and swappable thumbsticks come in the box with it, but there's very little to help you hold onto all of those things together. Similarly, there's no charging stand either, which is a bit of a shame considering a lot of licensed Xbox pads at this price offer all of these things. Even the GameSir G7 Pro has a charging stand, and it's under $100.

You can play with the Valor Pro Wireless on PC, Xbox, and via Bluetooth thanks to a connection switch on its back. There are trigger stop switches too; just be aware that due to the triggers being a bit short, their corners can end up feeling as though they're stabbing into you if you press too hard while in microswitch mode. I much prefer the longer trigger shape on the Envision and Omega.

Performance

The best thing about the Valor Pro, without doubt, is its comfort. I mentioned it above, but the unique grip shape really lends itself to hours and hours of gaming at a time.

This thing is an absolute joy to hold, and I'd say it's one of the most comfortable controllers I've tested this year. I played about 3 hours worth of Forza Horizon 6 one evening while catching up with a close friend of mine, and the Valor Pro Wireless was just another element that made that session fly by in a heartbeat. This is a super comfortable controller, especially if you have larger hands and like having a bit more of a hold on your gaming peripherals.

Like any TMR controller, the Valor Pro responds really well in first-person shooters. Having those four back buttons so close to your middle finger is a really nice bonus too, and helped me to feel like I didn't need to take my thumbs off the movement and aiming controls. If Scuf wanted to hone in on this aspect even more, it'd be nice to have those higher back buttons wrapped a little more snugly around the middle fingers, as they are on the Scuf Omega and Envision.

For a membrane button controller, it still feels really snappy to use in games that require a fast reaction. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero and Clair Obscur both felt great with this thing in hand, with bumpers and face buttons snapping down well in heated moments.

In platformers, I really liked the thumbsticks and the D-pad especially. The 8-way D-pad is set fairly small and sits level with the faceplate, so it almost tricks your brain into thinking it's embedded into the controller. Its textured directions make it easy to use, and overall, I really like it.

Should you buy the Scuf Valor Pro Wireless?

The Valor Pro is a great all-rounder whether you're driving around, playing a narrative game, looking for action in a shooter or fighting game, or puzzle platforming in a metroidvania. It feels authentic to Xbox while putting its own unique spins on Microsoft's controller blueprint that are actually worth making.

We can find awesome pro-level features in so many gamepads these days but, to me, comfort will always be king, and the Valor Pro's comfort is such that I'd be happy to keep it in my rotation going forward, even if there are better controllers out there for nailing down certain genres.

That's going to be the main issue of the Valor Pro wireless, in my opinion. Its competition is priced similarly and offers more specialization in customization, in certain genres, or more functionality. Meanwhile, the Valor Pro wireless is a highly comfortable all-rounder that does a bit of everything well. Which sounds more appealing to you?

How I tested the Scuf Valor Pro Wireless

I put the Valor Pro Wireless to work over a period of two to three weeks before writing this review. I compared it closely to other Xbox controllers I've reviewed, as well as other Scuf products - specifically the original Valor Pro wired gamepad.

I did my usual sweep through a wide range of gaming genres to test its capabilities, as well as a few extras as my testing lined up with my own gaming time.

For more on how we test controllers, check out the full-length GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Want more gamepad recommendations? Take a look at the best PS5 controllers, best Switch 2 controllers, and best joysticks.

In 2011, Iello and Richard Garfield released King of Tokyo, a kaiju-centric game in which players wrestled for control of Tokyo. The heart of the game used a Yahtzee-like mechanic, in which players repeatedly rolled a set of six dice. Different symbols translated to different results, ranging from gaining resources, dealing damage to other monsters, or gaining victory points. While the game has seen several variant versions over the years, it always wore its largest inspiration on its sleeve – the iconic monster franchise Godzilla.

After 15 years, Godzilla is now part of the King of Tokyo franchise. This summer, Iello released a new King of Tokyo: Godzilla game, featuring six monsters from the Godzilla series. The new edition is a loving homage as a result, with dozens of art pieces made by Markus Erdt. Not only does the new game pay proper respect to the monster IP that inspired what is one of the most enduring and arguably best board games, it also wisely retains the core King of Tokyo franchise, making it extremely accessible to players of all skill levels.

Power up

King of Tokyo: Godzilla sticks with a time-tested game formula that has held true for the last 15 years. Each player controls a single monster, each of which comes with a bespoke game board and an evolution deck. The game board tracks a player’s overall health and victory points. In certain conditions (which we’ll get to later), players can draw from their evolution deck and choose an evolution that upgrades their monster in some way. Each monster has their own evolution deck, with abilities that range from one-time uses to persistent buffs.

The final "piece" of King of Tokyo: Godzilla is the power deck. The power deck consists of generic abilities that any player can purchase if they have enough energy. These range from one-time use abilities to persistent power-ups that stay in play for the rest of the game.

So far, so familiar.

The one new wrinkle in King of Tokyo: Godzilla's gameplay is the use of Event cards. These enter play when placed into the power card marketplace. Every Event comes with an effect that impacts all monsters for the duration that the card remains in play, as well as a discard ability. Players can purchase the Event with energy and discard it, gaining some kind of benefit.

While this is the game's major change, it's not the only addition. Another way that King of Tokyo: Godzilla stands out is its premium wooden components. The dice, and energy markers are all made of wood, and even the cardboard standees are built from sturdier material than other games in the series. While King of Tokyo: Godzilla isn’t billed as a premium edition, it certainly feels like one solely due to the quality of the game components.

Be prepared

King of Tokyo: Godzilla’s gameplay is precisely the same as the base version of King of Tokyo, so your mileage will vary depending on how familiar you already are with that system.

Players take turns rolling a pool of six dice, setting aside the results they want to keep. You can usually re-roll your dice up to two times, and every result returns different effects. A monster footprint deals damage to other players, a heart restores life, energy symbols gain energy that can be used to purchase power cards, and victory point symbols score victory points (but only if a player gets three of the same number). If a player rolls three hearts, they can bypass the healing and opt to gain an evolution instead. It's nice and simple.

Outside of rolling dice, players also battle for control of Tokyo. You score victory points for entering the city and gain more for remaining in control of it at the start of your turn, so it's the prize everyone's got their eye on. This is where the game's strategy rears its head; while in Tokyo, a player’s attacks can target all other monsters, thus dealing waves of damage to each opponent. However, you'll also be the target of every other player’s attacks and can’t heal on your turn either. Because you can leave Tokyo at any time, you've got to weigh up risk versus reward. How long do you stay?

There's an added layer to contend with as well. If a player cedes control of Tokyo, whoever's turn is next will immediately enter the city, so you need to always be prepared for the potential of taking a round of attacks from others. There's more to juggle than you might think.

Gameplay continues until one of two victory conditions are met. Either a player gains 20 victory points or one player is the last monster standing. I’ll note that in all my years playing King of Tokyo, I’ve never seen a game go until 20 victory points. That’s not to say that it can’t happen, but it’s far more likely that the game becomes an all-out monster brawl instead of a strategic race for victory points.

While King of Tokyo: Godzilla isn’t technically a party game, it’s enjoyed best in large groups. The game can be quite chaotic and a lot of the game is outside of a player’s control. Sure, players can take advantage of power cards and evolution cards, but there’s no way to mitigate bad dice rolls, and there’s few ways to block damage. The key to enjoying the game is to just embrace the chaos – you’re not going to win every game of King of Tokyo, but if you don’t take it too seriously, you’ll have a good time.

Should you buy King of Tokyo: Godzilla?

King of Tokyo: Godzilla is essentially a premium version of King of Tokyo. It has better components, better artwork, and actual recognizable monsters instead of generic homages to different sci-fi movies.

However, it’s still King of Tokyo, one of the more popular board games released over the past 20 years. If you have a base version of King of Tokyo, this version features a few new mechanics found in various expansions. If you’re a King of Tokyo fanatic, all this game offers is some new monsters and a single new novel mechanic.

Still, this was an easy buy for me. My family loves King of Tokyo and Godzilla, so this was a day one purchase for me. The artwork is fantastic and gives the game a very unique vibe that, when coupled with the premium components, makes this game feel a bit different from the base version. Even my veteran board game group ooohed and ahhed when I pulled this game out, precisely because it looks and feels so nice. So, if you like Godzilla or want a premium King of Tokyo experience, this game is definitely for you.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Looking for another new spin on an old favorite? Horrified: Ravenloft is a slam-dunk for D&D fans, but innovation is starting to be 'mist'.

This copy of the game was bought by the reviewer. For more details on our process, see this guide on how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Orzly has been knocking out cases since the original Nintendo Switch was all we knew. For years, the brand has provided options for those who want more color variety, plenty of game and accessory storage, and a way to protect and carry their pricey Ninty tech without spending more than they have to.

When the new generation of Ninty tech arrived, naturally so did a new Orzly case, and I was eager to see if it would take the best Nintendo Switch 2 case crown. While the brand hasn't rocked the boat with new dramatic changes, the Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2 is proof that Orzly remains the same budget-friendly kings of cases this generation as it did the last.

Design

The design of the Orzly Carrying Case is ripe for customization.

There are no large, garish logos plastered everywhere. Instead, the case features a glossy exterior with an embossed rectangular space in the center and tiny 'Orzly' branding towards the bottom right corner, and that's it. Not to mention, it's available in a huge variety of plain colors, so you have your pick of a base for whatever your artistic heart desires.

Throughout my time testing the clamshell case, I had to constantly fight down the urge to grab my acrylic paint pens and give it a makeover. I wanted to ensure it looked exactly how it would arrive at your door in my photos, should you choose to get one for yourself. However, I must admit, it wasn't easy to keep that restraint.

While the design of this case may be so simple that it feels like an open canvas for customizability, it still looks great. I was provided with a black, Poke, and blue version for review, but gravitated towards the black colorway for its sleek and professional appearance. The 'Poke' version is definitely a runner-up for my favorite colorway, as it opts for a red and black color combo that's more subtle than official Pokemon cases I've tested.

Features

Orzly doesn't just keep the exterior of the case plain and simple. The inside features space for the handheld, some games, and accessories, and that's pretty much all you get - but that's not a bad thing.

Orzly keeps things simple, but spacious. The interior of the case includes a fabric mesh pocket which can be fully zipped closed to keep the smallest of accessories from going missing. Behind this lies an empty pocket of space which would be ideal for gaming manuals, if they were still a thing. If you do happen to be someone who keeps physical notes on your Ninty games, you could use it for that too.

While the upper portion is where you'll find the accessory storage, the bottom is where you'll find space for both the handheld and some physical games. The case is moulded perfectly for the Switch 2, and includes a velvet-like fabric coating that helps protect against general wear and tear. The center of this moulded interior includes a velcro strap which is designed to adhere to a flap of fabric that sits above the console to keep it secure, and to give you a place to store up to 21 games in total.

Performance

During the weeks I used the Orzly accessory to protect and carry around my precious Switch 2, it was this spacious storage that impressed me the most.

Often, cases that include a fabric mesh pocket designed for accessory storage aren't actually that advisable to use. That's because overloading it with controller parts and spare Switch 2 microSD Express Cards can result in unwanted pressure being forced up against the display of your handheld during travel. However, Orzly gets around this as the carrying case includes a deep-set upper portion that allows plenty of space to float between whatever you choose to store and your Switch 2 below.

Rather than feeling like I was zipping up a ready-to-burst suitcase, closing the accessory each day left me feeling reassured that my tech was safe and away from harm. I will say, though, that the stress of worrying about an overloaded accessory pocket made me pack light, which likely helped further negate any undue stress on the display. During the entirety of testing, I made sure to only pack a spare set of Joy-Con 2 rails, a stylus touch pen, and a packet of four spare thumb grips with me any time.

My only annoyance with the case comes down to those extra designs I was provided with for review. I primarily kept to testing the black colorway, and so I assumed it'd have a black interior. However, even the lovely vivid sky blue version shared the same insides, which was a little boring. If I was opting for a colorful Switch 2 case, I'd hope that the interior was just as interesting to look at. Though there's every chance the plain black insides are what help keep the Orzly Carrying Case and all its many color options so affordable at $29.99, and less when there are sales abound.

Should you buy the Orzly Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2?

The Orzly Carrying Case isn't draped in colorful, officially licensed art of Mario and friends, nor does it boast flashy features like the best Switch 2 case champion, the Belkin Charging Case Pro. Yet, if you have a $30 / £20 budget and don't want to spend a penny more, it's this case that I'd recommend, with one little caveat.

The spacious interior I lauded earlier means that this is bulkier than your garden-variety hardshell option. If you're light on space enough as it is, the PowerA Slim Case is going to be a better fit, and it's $19.99 / £9.99, so it's even cheaper too. You will have to be okay with negating the existence of accessory storage altogether, but it remains the go-to option if you're already Tetris-ing the contents of your backpack as you game on the go.

If you can facilitate the added bulk and want a huge variety of color options to suit your Switch 2 setup aesthetic needs, this Orzly case is a winner. It's also one of those cases that's prime discount fodder when the biggest sales events come around, so you're bound to find it at an even more agreeable price point too.

How I tested the Orzly Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2

For this review, I was sent three different colorways of the Orzly Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2 to sample, but I spent most of my time testing out the black version. During a two-week period, the case became my main method of carrying the handheld with me wherever I went, whether that was from room to room in my house, into the city center, or just to a friend's for some co-op gaming. I also made sure to take advantage of and test its accessory storage by placing a range of physical games and smaller handheld accessories inside.

For more information on how we test accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2, check out our full GamesRadar+ Hardware policy.

I've also rounded up the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch microSD Express Cards, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 cameras if you're on the hunt for more top-tier Ninty accessories.

Time is always passing in The Blood of Dawnwalker. Time is also always static in The Blood of Dawnwalker. In this vampiric RPG (vrakhiri in the parlance of the game), recently-turned half-vampire 'Dawnwalker' Coen is less concerned with managing his supply of blood from the living than he is thumbing his time tokens like chips at a casino. With 30 days on the clock until his family and village are slain in a blood magic coronation by Vale Sangora's new, invasive vampire overlord Brencis, you have to consider which quests you want to spend time on.

Coen's task is urgent, but nothing in the world is. With so many side-activities boiling down to running into groups of enemies, unceremoniously offing them, and handing over a chunk of your time meter, I'm constantly left wondering if what I'm doing is worthwhile and usually thinking it isn't. The Blood of Dawnwalker directly asks me to question what's worth my time in an open-world RPG, and I'm not sure it's going to like the answer.

Sucking dry

A tight prologue leaves a better impression than the game that follows. Set on the day of a perverted vrakhiri mass, Coen's fellow villagers must gather to swap blood with their vampire overlords like cattle. With you and your neighbors struggling, and desperate to fight back, you have to juggle a single day's worth of tasks to alter how that night plays out. Though, ultimately, fate will always see Coen accidentally changed into a Dawnwalker and his village wreaked, its population enslaved.

Cue an almost The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild style loosening of the leash. Leaving the prologue and his village at the Northern tip of Vale Sangora, greater civilization and the province's castle from which Brencis rules is deeper in the south – enemies growing more deadly the further you explore. Nothing is gated off. Run all the way down avoiding murder boars to grab all the fast travel points if you want. A few leads at the village give you quests to pull at like a thread in order to grow more powerful and destabilize Brencis, but you don't need to do those right away or, indeed, ever. There's a dedication to letting you run wild I have to respect in The Blood of Dawnwalker.

Yet, without the focus of the prologue's tighter structure, there's every risk of The Blood of Dawnwalker quickly becoming a fairly aimless RPG as I poke and prod at what's worth spending time on. Curiosity leads me to follow will o' wisps through a series of combat encounters with angry wildlife, spending an hour opening a chest; clearing bandit camps and dedicating another hour to stuffing their loot into pockets; investigating the dead body of a woman near a pack of wolves to discover she was killed by wolves for… three hours. I only need so much loot, so once I've got solid gear I end up avoiding many of these activities that stack on time completing basic tasks for meager rewards. When leveling up beyond Coen's very basic skill upgrades costs both time and upgrade points as well, time isn't something I want to waste.

Before long, I find that while time is important to Coen, for most of Vale Sangora it stretches on forever. Civilizians may cry out for aid throughout the map, but will do so endlessly until you choose to loop back and help them. Prisoner transports march up and down roads in a loop. Brencis' army ransacks the houses of those he has declared enemies for days and days.

Time is at a premium, but simultaneously there's very little sense of urgency, of true immersion that'll have you naturally wanting to plug in more time. Instead, I circle waypoints to determine if they're worth my time, backing off all too often when I discover it's a bandit camp, monster den, ancient circle, or haunting site, or any of the game's many tasks that involve killing a group of enemies and then opening up a chest. If I need some more loot, I can come back later. Often, I never do.

Despite some interesting worldbuilding with a historical folklore hook, and interesting supporting characters to match, questlines usually don't make the most of them. Even then, I'm sometimes left struggling to feel like they're worth Coen's time. One of the longer quests has me investigating a supernatural murder – it's one of the best in the game – but I still let out a little groan when all it got me was a new amulet to equip that was several degrees worse than the one I was already wearing. Unlike The Witcher 3, where almost every side-quest is a joy to complete just for the story, the presence of the time cost here undercuts the narrative addition. The Blood of Dawnwalker has turned me into a miser.

The role-playing itself is a bit confused. Coen may have powers that use his mastery of blood, but the vampiric roleplay fantasy isn't a major factor in The Blood of Dawnwalker. Instead, I'm role-playing a careful market customer, walking the Vale and weighing up what's worth Coen's dwindling time. Coen is always well fed and thriving. Mention in the story is made to his urgent need to feed, but rarely backed up by gameplay mechanics. There's an interesting element that can replace his dialogue options with the urge to feed on blood when on your last segment of health, something that only happened to me once when circumstances forced it, because otherwise healing is so plentiful.

Sure, regaining health by feeding on foes in combat instead of using blood-based healing potions is a mechanic, but I'm never asked to consider that as making a moral compromise. There's a corruption meter that rises, unlocking the ability to upgrade vampire powers, but in my unreserved playthrough no downside to this is ever felt. There's simply no need for Coen to feed on innocents in the streets of Svartrau, no downside in play to the half-vampire he's become despite all the talk to the contrary. Something like Vampyr with its dense urban setting was constantly making me weigh up the moral decisions of bloodsucking. Here, it often just feels like Coen has superpowers without any negatives.

Dark gift

Using supernatural powers in fights are where these dark gifts are mostly felt. During the night, Coen can swap his sword for his claws if he wants, and unleash a variety of vampiric powers –from bloodsucking itself to a creepy blood scream or, my favorite, exploding an enemy like a crushed bloodbag. In daytime, he has access to witchcraft using runic symbols carved onto his skin (which are healed when he becomes a vampire at night, limiting them to this time of day), such as cursing foes with damage over time, or sending spirit birds flying at them.

Swordcraft abilities, meanwhile, can be used in either block of time, and are just as effective on any type of enemy, meaning even a ghoulish spirit or the final boss is humorously vulnerable to 'Dirty Trick', which has Coen hurl pocket sand at an opponent to blind them for a few free hits. Both vampire powers and witchcraft come with a health cost to use (and both can be upgraded to allow you to get health back), meaning outside of there being different skilltrees to spend points and precious time on, they don't actually feel that different to use. Especially as the best weapons seem to be swords anyway.

Omni-blocking without a direction input always works, but reduces Coen's stamina, whereas perfectly timing a block in the incoming direction – displayed on a marker – makes that block free while opening them up to damage. Similarly, Coen can direct his own strikes, mix-ups making it tougher for enemies to block, and an early unlock meaning perfect blocks then display a perfect strike follow-up direction that deals critical damage. This can all get a bit muddled in fights with large groups thanks to a tetchy lock-on, and the fact that you're both blocking and moving with the same analogue stick.

In duels, directional combat can work well, though once you get used to the timing and input it makes even tough battles very doable at the cost of your own time as you wear down big health bars in a war of attrition. And expect to do a lot of fighting – they form the bulk of most quests. Even when I thought I'd be smart and knock out some key enemies early from appearing later on, the major questline in which this was a factor just replaced those boss battles with waves of regular enemies instead, which to be honest are just as tiresome to deal with and maybe more annoying.

Much of The Blood of Dawnwalker feels like The Witcher 3 to control through combat, exploration, and even navigating its weight-based inventory (developer Rebel Wolves includes veteran staff who worked on The Witcher 3, so that makes sense). Curiously, Coen's heavy movement feels closer to Geralt's pre-patch movement (which remains in that game as a toggle if you want it).

At times, this can be annoying as Coen's rooftop maneuvers with his vampire powers mean it's easy for his heavy momentum to have him jog off a ledge or wall. It's hard to get too irked, though, thanks to quick saves and a janky vibe to all supernatural traversal that you just have to accept. Walking on walls is a nice idea, but this is sluggish and best avoided except for when you absolutely need to bamf Nightcrawler-style up heights to progress. A handful of activities, in the city mostly, are locked behind this nighttime traversal style by virtue of an epidemic of unlocked balcony doors.

For an RPG that keeps telling me that it matters I've been cursed to be a vampire, and constantly has a clock hanging over my every move, The Blood of Dawnwalker feels too frictionless and forgiving once you get used to its almost theme park-like static nature. Disco Elysium is also an RPG with limited time that passes as you take actions, but there those small increments and its dialogue make you conscious of it slipping through your fingers. The Blood of Dawnwalker's larger increments, and clear signposting of insubstantial rewards, instead turns me away from getting lost within it.

The Blood of Dawnwalker is an ambitious concept, but the implementation is so straightforward, activities and quests so basic, that it feels like an all too simplistic approach to getting it all to work on paper. Games like Gothic 1 Remake, Disco Elysium, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 revel in a weirdness and unfriendliness that make them memorable and interesting, the act of trying to figure out what they even are is a compelling hook for a first playthrough. All too soon after Coen takes his first steps out of the prologue I get The Blood of Dawnwalker, I know exactly what to expect from its skilltrees and rudimentary activity icons across its map, even if it's up to me to thread those simple adventures into a shape of my own. What I don't get is what Rebel Wolves want me to take away from that, bending unexpected design choices into an RPG shape that's all too expected.

So much of this RPG is repetitive I can't imagine having much fun playing it again for a different build, or to make different choices, as it often feels like you'd just be doing the same thing anyway. There's plenty of time to sample most of the main questlines before you reach a point of no return. Like a vampire's victim I feel compelled to say the obvious – enough works in The Blood of Dawnwalker that I'd be thrilled to see bigger swings taken with a sequel should it prove immortal enough. As it stands, there's not much reason to lift the coffin lid just yet.

The Blood of Dawnwalker was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

Thirsting for more blood? Our best action RPGs list will tempt you!

Despite the fact that you collect souls from fallen enemies, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is not a Soulslike. In fact, if you've ever dabbled in the genre but found yourself thinking "I'd probably be enjoying this if I felt that I was making any progress", this may be the game for you. The only punishment for death is being sent back to the last autosave, difficulty increases over time rather than the game resenting your very existence from the first moments, and – oh my goodness – you can pause. There are even accessibility options!

In fact, the game asks you to go through a selection of these options before starting to play (larger subtitles are always great to see). This is great, but it did result in me accidentally selecting English audio rather than Japanese – something that can only be changed via the main menu for some reason. I ended up keeping the English audio though, as it soon became apparent that this is a game that's not afraid to be goofy in any language. Some of the line deliveries in English wouldn't sound out of place in a corporate training video, which fits in nicely.

Hell to pay

Miyamoto Musashi (sporting the likeness of Toshiro Mifune, as seen in the likes of Seven Samurai and Shogun) is a samurai aiming to prove his might in Kyoto. Ambushed by Genma – creatures escaped from the depths of Hell – he is killed, and sent on his way to the hottest joint in the afterlife himself. However, he is resurrected (against his will) by having the Oni Gauntlet thrust upon him, which gives him the power to fight the Genma and absorb their souls.

I enjoyed playing through Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but one word that kept popping into my head as I played was "inconsistent". This certainly applies to the storytelling. Appropriately enough for a game including Mifune's likeness, it feels somewhat like a movie, but very much a wonky B-movie rather than a samurai classic.

One moment, the goofiness shines through with athleticism in a cutscene, or one of Musashi's dismissive comments at the end of a fight ("They were shit," the mighty samurai declared of a band of unearthly horrors after one encounter, to my great amusement and delight). The next moment though, it might be aiming for an entirely unearned moment of intense emotion, or lean on unremarkable melodrama. In a few rare moments, there is a surprisingly effective horror angle, and I do wonder what the game might have looked like if this had been the direction throughout.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword does have a difficulty curve, but this is where inconsistency comes in again, as that curve wobbles about quite a bit. Things start off a little too easy, then the challenge jumps up in some areas while remaining trivial in others. By the halfway mark, it more or less hits its stride, although some bosses prove more of a hurdle than others with no clear rhyme or reason.

Nonetheless, credit must be given for allowing the player good time to get to grips with the intricacies of combat before mastering all corners of it is necessary. Generally speaking, you know the drill; dodges, parries, counters, enemies become vulnerable to a pre-rendered attack when you knock their stamina bar to zero. What's particularly interesting, though, is that there are two countering moves that are more demanding than the others, not essential to use but highly rewarding.

The parry window is marginally more generous than it tends to be in similar games. Opt for a deflection instead, and your timing must be more precise, but the enemy's stamina loss will be greater (this is worth learning, and it's not too hard to do so). The real challenge is Issen attacks. By hitting an attack button just before an enemy attack connects, you'll leap forward and counter with a mighty blow of your own. The timing on this is incredibly demanding, and messing it up will see you punished in no uncertain terms. You can get through the game using them little or not at all, but it's a great layer to explore for those who like to challenge themselves.

As the game becomes more challenging, combat becomes more satisfying. Weapon attacks are best parried or deflected, while unarmed attacks are most effectively dodged and then countered. Working out which is which (not always immediately clear with demonic enemies) and reacting accordingly in a split-second, again and again until you emerge victorious, is a thrill. There's nothing like successfully deflecting a series of boss attacks, getting some hits in, then dodging or parrying everything again until they lie vulnerable for a big ol' chop with your sword.

As you land hits, different souls will emerge (red for upgrade currency, yellow for health, blue to charge the Oni armament gauge for a brief use of a special Oni weapon). There's an upgrade you can unlock to absorb souls while attacking, but still, choosing your moment for absorption so you don't leave yourself vulnerable remains important. Leaving them floating around is always a risk, though. If an enemy lands a particularly heavy hit on you, you'll be knocked to the floor, and they'll absorb souls from you (as well as any unclaimed in the arena) in order to power up. This can turn the tide against you fairly quickly in a boss fight, and you'll need to be vigilant until they power down again. Think of it like killstreaks in Call of Duty; if a boss is doing particularly well against you, they'll be handed extra abilities for even more of an advantage.

Fireman samurai

This isn't an open-world game. There are missions, fast travel, plenty of cutscenes, and quest areas that exist in isolation from the Kyoto map where the shrine you base yourself at is. Unfortunately, Capcom didn't have the confidence to stick with the linear approach. There are activities and side missions in the area around the temple, primarily to help bolster your collection of upgrade materials. OK, fine; but Onimusha commits the cardinal sin of introducing such activities by forcing you to complete one more than once. This shatters the flow of the game up until these points, and crucially, running around town really isn't as fun as following the carefully curated path of one of the main story missions.

While I can't give any detail regarding the game's final area, I should tell you that it really feels as though the developer had run out of ideas (and/or time and money) by the time they got to the end. It's not bad, just distinctly unimaginative. Also, a warning: the final boss is, in my most humble of opinions at least, significantly overtuned. Considering the fact that this area is a point of no return (which you are explicitly warned about) that cuts you off from almost all opportunities to gather upgrade materials, I strongly recommend that you ensure you buff yourself up as much as possible beforehand.

Still, I applaud Capcom's approach to accessibility here. In addition to options that allow for color blindness and various UI tweaks, you can adjust the difficulty whenever you like (although there are only two options), and both allow you to enable on-screen button prompts if you wish. I played around with this for a little while, and I was surprised at how effective it is. I'm not a huge fan of enemies wearing button prompts like brooches, but boy oh boy does it work well. Maybe it was because I'd already played through the game, but I found that these prompts enabled me to react to attacks correctly instantly every time. They enhanced my reactions without feeling intrusive; it was like I'd developed my own spidey-sense.

I've not held back in shining a light on what doesn't work here, but that's because so much of it does work well. A lot of the success comes from what isn't here. Not every action game needs an open world, a hundred weapons to collect, item crafting, and running through empty fields. Onimusha: Way of the Sword may not have Nioh 3's mastery of risk and reward, or Beast of Reincarnation's intelligence and rich atmosphere; but it has heart, and it has respect for you and your time.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is fun, not afraid to be goofy (including with a few post-credit unlocks that encouraged me to keep playing), and the flow of combat feels great. It's certainly not perfect, but whenever you hit a point of frustration, you can be sure that there's another moment of greatness close by.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publisher.

Our best action RPGs has more recommendations if your own way of the sword directs you on even more adventures.

You know that family member that can occasionally be a little frustrating to talk to, but you love them anyway? That's Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2. It's a lovable upstart clearly working on a relatively limited budget, which makes three good decisions for every not so good one. Suit up marine, this is a bug hunt, and it's gonna be fun.

You don't need to have played the first Aliens: Fireteam Elite in order to keep up with the story or mechanics, but if you have, there's some warm familiarity to settle in to. This includes a few returning characters, including the General of your ship who is called General Shipp (yes, really). The dialogue and acting are… not great, and your character is given the eye-roll-inducing tag of "Hotshot". Nonetheless, there's a little joy to be had out of it in terms of new characters Raptor and Wrench at your base. Raptor has some crushingly bad dad jokes, and Wrench – for no apparent reason – can be prompted to give you a handful of bird facts over the course of the game. I love this.

The squad size has been bumped from three to four, with AI synth companions again taking the place of any gaps. The class upgrade system remains as it was in the first game, with a bunch of new options to put in there. Similar to the classic Resident Evil inventory system, perks and their modifiers come in different shapes and sizes, and must be rotated to fit into the available space (which slowly increases as you level up). With the added complication of certain pieces needing to be adjacent to others, there's excellent scope for each class to have an evolving build while requiring you to think carefully about what you equip.

Xeno evil

The campaign takes place across 15 missions, most of which will take you about half an hour to complete. The story, while unremarkable, rings one of the franchise's lore bells by finding a way to loop in the Engineers. It's a suitably Aliens story, and a lot of effort has gone into nailing the atmosphere.

Outside environments, while rare and brief, are cold and barren. There are plenty of gloomy corridors with tight corners and hissing steam. When xenomorphs come galloping towards you, and you're pouring bullets into them alongside your squad, it can be a gripping experience.

The problem – and it is a problem – is that the Aliens atmosphere I crave is broken several times. I'd rather just fight the creatures from the movies, but OK, I can accept that the team (and perhaps you) want more variety than that. I have no problem with fighting the androids, and the Pathogen – the milky xeno variant from the first game – fit in pretty well. But robot spiders? Bipedal robots that look like cheap toys, for some reason? That's not Aliens at all. A new hybrid is introduced late in the campaign, which I'll give a pass, as it's not nearly as ridiculous as the silly monsters from the end of Alien Resurrection or Alien Romulus.

One thing that particularly irks me – and how much this bothers you will depend on how big a fan you are of the movies – is that the pulse rifle sounds wrong. It doesn't have that iconic TTHHRRRPP sound like a Terminator farting, instead it's something much more generic. After levelling it up to maximum, you unlock the 'classic' pulse rifle, but this still doesn't have the right sound. A huge shame.

Despite this disappointment, weapons are still a highlight of the game. They all feel great, with a good variety to unlock, upgrade, and purchase. The Marauder gets the smartgun from the beginning, and boy oh boy is this always fun to use. Spraying bullets everywhere with autolock only gets more enjoyable when you've maxed the weapon out, and get the ability to purchase and install special ammo. Hundreds of rounds of explosive ammo, anyone?

Ripley and tear

Naturally, there are flamethrowers to unlock too (the huge Vulcan for the Marauder, and a smaller rifle variant equippable by any class). The drive for new weapons, attachments, and class perks is the main thing pushing you forward. The campaign is good – best enjoyed initially on standard difficulty, then attempted on Intense and up when you're powered up – but unlikely to keep you coming back again and again.

There's a Horde mode with three maps, which may prove to be the main draw for replay value. At time of writing, it can be a struggle to find a full squad despite crossplay; but that may be because the game has only been out for a few days, and not many people have completed the campaign in order to unlock it (about 6% of PS5 players at the moment, according to trophy stats).

It's a more intense experience than the campaign, but in a good way, and it really highlights the importance of a well-balanced squad. If you don't have at least one Medic and one Marauder, you're probably going to struggle.

Still, there are a few questionable choices for teamplay. Sticking with Horde, there's a vote every five waves on whether to continue. If 'continue' wins, everybody stays, including anybody who wants to leave. You don't want a less than enthusiastic member of the squad, and if overconfident squadmates force you to continue and everybody dies, rewards are pitiful. Similarly, any selected challenge cards (which increase or decrease rewards attached to a buff or debuff) apply to the whole squad and can't be opted out of, but generally, these are a welcome way of spicing up gameplay and boosting XP and credits.

The frame rate is unreliable, I've had two instances of a medkit that can't be picked up, Xenomorph corpses sometimes dangle from the ceiling on death; yet I'm happy to keep going back for more. This is Aliens-flavored jankcore, and I am here for it.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publisher.

If you're no alien to playing with pals, check out our best co-op games ranking for more adventures you can share while you wait for Alien Isolation 2.

Despite its self-aggrandizing name, Lego The Mighty Bowser isn't overexaggerating; it really is an impressive monster of a kit. Actually, I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best Lego sets ever made.

Or at least, it was. This behemoth has now been retired, which means it's becoming harder to get hold of now that Lego has stopped producing it. In fact, it'll only be available so long as stock lasts at third-party retailers like Amazon. Because Lego The Mighty Bowser is one of my all-time favorite models, consider this a plea – if you love Super Mario, consider this set before it vanishes into the ether forever.

Lego The Mighty Bowser (#71411) features

This enormous figure is easily the most detailed and accurate Lego version of Bowser available… and that includes the new Lego Super Mario range. Although it's not to-scale with the interactive Mario figures, it should sit nicely alongside the Mario Kart set as well as the Lego Luigi and Mach 8 kit. They seem roughly the same size.

In terms of what this model can do, it isn't just a pretty face; its head, arms, hands, fingers, mouth, eyebrows, and eyes can all be moved for some quite distinct poses. Lego The Mighty Bowser also shoots a fire bolt from his mouth at the push of a button.

Build

Despite the size and apparent complexity of Lego The Mighty Bowser, I generally found it to be a straightforward project. It doesn't have many small fiddly bits, and the build develops in a very logical way. I was able to make quick progress as a result; it only took me around five hours to finish across a few evenings. I suspect it could last up to 10 hours if you're not as experienced with building Lego, but it's not a mammoth project like Lego Rivendell.

However, I do have a bone to pick with designers here. The instructions don't put the usual lines around pieces you're supposed to be adding, which makes seeing what to do next a (very frustrating) game of spot the difference. I missed certain pieces as a result, and had to go back a step when things weren't adding up.

Design

This is the most impressive figure in the Lego Super Mario range, no questions asked. Sure, the Mario Kart figures are great and the old question block is soaked in nostalgia. The Lego Piranha Plant is full of character, too. But none compare to The Mighty Bowser. It's the sort of set that'll elicit a "woah" when seen in person, and is a dead ringer for its on-screen inspiration.

The fact it's so posable gives it a real sense of life, too; it's easy to personalize how Bowser looks on the shelf, and those moving eyes (a rarity for Lego figures) really help with that expressive nature.

Because it's so sturdy, you won't have any trouble adjusting it on the fly either. Sure, it won't stand up to rigorous play from younger fans and is most definitely a display-only kit. But it's far more robust than other models of this kind, such as Lego Optimus Prime.

Finally, I adore that the themed base feels like a slice of Bowser's castle. It melts into the background compared to the King Koopa himself, but brings back memories of those boss battles if you look closer. The stone 'cracking' under Bowser's weight is a particularly nice touch.

Should you buy Lego The Mighty Bowser?

Because this kit is going to the Mushroom Kingdom in the sky and will become increasingly difficult to find, I'd recommend grabbing it sooner than later if you were at all interested. While it's possible we'll get a new and improved version down the line, that's far from guaranteed.

So long as you can find it at a reasonable price, I think it's pretty great value too. There's nothing else like it in Lego's repertoire, and even though issues with instruction clarity let it down, everything else shines.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more collectible recommendations, don't miss the best Super Mario merch or our guide to the best toys.

The Lord of the Rings is a series packed to the gills with iconic moments and visuals throughout its 682-minute runtime. But if you ask me, the most iconic of all came from the first and best film (an opinion I'm sure nobody would disagree with), Fellowship of the Ring. Lego The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook (#10367) showcases that moment, when Gandalf decides he's going to solo the mighty Balrog while the rest of the squad runs off, and utters those four iconic words that are now forever etched onto that Lego tile: "You shall not pass."

This iconic Middle-earth smackdown is the one of the latest to join Lego's 'Book Nook' series. And while others in the range feel more packed with details, the star of the show this time comes courtesy of the titular Balrog, which is a very in-depth posable figure. In fact, three of the nine bags of bricks included in this Lego Balrog Book Nook set are dedicated solely to the construction of the creature.

However, the trade off is that the majority of the set just simply isn't quite as exciting, and you'll be spending the majority of your time constructing the frame that holds the scene together.

Lego Balrog Book Nook (#10367) features & design

The main draw of The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook (#10367), is naturally, its form factor. The showdown between Gandalf and the Balrog can be displayed nestled within your books on a shelf, or, if you fancy, you can let the Balrog spread its wings and make the arena a bit more open. Although in doing so the fact that this isn't exactly a set that's filled with detail may be more apparent.

You have a new Gandalf The Grey minifig (it's different to the one featured in Lego Rivendell AKA one of the best Lego sets around) which comes with a staff and sword combo, with a grey set of pillars adorned with flames around the side. The Balrog's wings slot into this frame allowing it to display its might in both configurations, plus it has a fiery whip to even the odds somewhat.

Build

Ultimately, given its symmetrical design, the book portion of the build is the least interesting. While the final product looks good, it does become a bit of a drag as the build goes on. Plus, I found some of the smaller pieces and the flames to be a bit fiddly.

The building of the Balrog took me about 2 hours by itself, and while there are some awkward bits on some of the smaller details, such as the 1x1 slope tiles on its head and some of the mechanics of the legs' tube pieces, it proved a far more satisfying build, and makes for the highlight of this set.

Design

The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook (#10367) build can be siloed into two parts. First is the 'book' which takes the form of some detailed pillars of grey bricks, and the second is the Balrog itself, which is the undeniable highlight. The figure naturally towers over Gandalf and has pretty fantastic articulation across its limbs, wings, mouth, and claws. My only real nitpick is the plastic sheet included for the wings as opposed to built wings, but even then I can't say it bothered me too much, although exercise caution while putting it together, as it's that same flimsy material that feels like it'll rip if you blow on it.

The Balrog however is a bit awkward in the book. It has no room for studs on its feet and so it's held in by the pipe pieces on its wings, which allow it to fold them in when the book is closed.

Should you buy the Lego Balrog Book Nook (#10367)?

I really like The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook (#10367) set. But there's some major caveats. First of all, for the $130 / £110 price point, it is a bit bare. It's the same price as the far more detailed Sherlock Holmes and Dumbledore's Office Book Nook sets, and while Lord of the Rings is the far better series of the three in my opinion, you are basically paying for a big Balrog figure.

If you'll be using it for its intended Book Nook purpose? It looks great nestled in a book case, but the bare look does make it a bit less of a must have if you'll be displaying it open.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested the Lego Balrog Book Nook

This review sample was gifted to me for my personal collection.

I built The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook (#10367) over the course of two nights in two two-hour sittings. I've had it displayed both in a bookcase and among other places in the house, always checking on the opening and closing mechanisms.

I've been a big Lego guy over the last few years, and this is my first non-Super Mario set I've built (well, aside from Sonic Green Hill Zone and the Game Boy, but still). While I'm not the biggest Tolkien die-hard, I've watched the Peter Jackson trilogy a number of times, and have a soft spot for those old school animated movies, because where there's a whip… there's a way.

For more collectibles, why not check out the best toys?

Deadly rats are out, but a new supernatural threat is in. Underdog slingshot fights are replaced by brutal, punchy sword combat. Bleak, muddy Medieval France gives way to the gorgeous sunshine of a Greek island, temples displaying vibrant colors. Yet, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy still feels like a Plague Tale game through and through. Set before the events of the other games, protagonist Sophia must forge herself as she pursues a treasure with rivals hot at her heels, with stakes both personal and world-shattering thanks to a strange curse.

If previous games felt like a medieval riff on The Last of Us, then Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is developer Asobo Studio's take on Uncharted or modern Tomb Raider, trading guns for snappy swordplay. With incredible production values and a real sense of craft across puzzle and level design, this is the team's slickest production to date and – given it's been so long since the last Uncharted or Tomb Raider – Sophia's adventure really holds its own in comparison. If, like me, you're always on the lookout for a new single-player, story-driven action-adventure game to play while flinging popcorn into your mouth, look no further. Resonance is a treasure that doesn't need dusting off – this gleams.

Bring the plunder

As a prequel, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy can be enjoyed standalone as Sophia's journey is complete in and of itself. Even so, Plague fans will find plenty of rewarding expansions to the series' lore, themes, and worldbuilding, adding much more than I initially expected – though I'll avoid spoiling quite how it relates.

We're introduced to Sophia as a child, confined to a convent where a strange substance is pumped into her veins, and nuns force her to detail the visions she has as a result. These nightmares point to the legendary Minotaur Island that was once home to the advanced Minoan civilization, revolving around a series of dark holes and a bull-headed figure that seemingly brought ruin to the forgotten people.

Before long, she's freed from imprisonment by her father, who takes her back to his home of plunderers, smugglers, and pirates. The game's opening tutorials have an almost 007 First Light quality with its smart use of jump cuts as she's trained in combat, evasion, and stealth by her rough-and-tumble but loving found family of misfits. All the while, her father uses her visions to hunt for the island in the hopes of freeing her from the hold of the curse (with plenty of booty up for grabs as a bonus). The crew come tantalizingly close, finding the island, but struggling to crack its defences without a special key, an artefact they finally get a lead on when Sophia herself has become a young adult.

Cue a Venetian heist that, in typical treasure hunting fashion, doesn't go completely to plan. Before she knows it, Sophia is sailing off key-in-hand with only her thieving friend Leni at her side, with plenty of other interested parties hot on the trail, and no idea who else she can trust.

While the pair can use the key to crack the island's puzzles, better equipped rivals are more gung-ho about smashing their way through the already crumbling and flooding ruins, careless about what else on the island they may awake in the process.

Sophia's smuggler home, Venice, and the Minoan island itself are all simply gorgeous, full of sights that'll have you lingering just to take it all in. Playable flashbacks – Sophia's visions become stronger once she's on the island – add to the sense of splendor, ruins you explore in the present being shown in all their decorated, vibrant glory as Theseus fights through a tournament to crown King Minos' successor.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is a linear, chapter-by-chapter adventure, but some sequences are wider than others. A couple of moments have Sophia tracking down navigation landmarks through large jungle spaces, and another highlight offers up four challenges around a hub area I can tackle in any order.

At other points, Sophia must retread the grounds of sacred trials in a more direct manner, puzzling out ancient tests while contending with half-destroyed environments through snappy navigational puzzles. These all have an immediacy that complements how good Sophia feels to control, which are a far cry from the slower pace of Amicia in previous games having to carefully navigate rat-infested areas.

Rat in a cage

The eventual supernatural elements play into Sophia's speedier pace of play even as she has to utilize stealth to survive – though I'll avoid spoiling specifics around these enemies. In play, these threats revolve around being tracked rather than immediately swarmed.

Slow movement and cover can throw off this attention, but so can smoothly taking jumps or slipping through crawling spaces or cracks in walls. There are times you're better off being careful, and others where you should be making a break for it, with the exact boundaries between those in your hands. I love the mechanical moments this produces, but – again, avoiding spoilers – none of these manage to be quite as striking as a literal wave of gnawing rats.

Sophia comes on this journey with her dream journal, which eventually doubles as expedition notes for her father and his crew, meaning with the touch of a button she can consult notes for many of the puzzles that lay in wait, as well as jot down new observations such as uncovered runes and the like.

Functionally, this is an excellent riff on Nathan Drake's perennially underrated journal in Uncharted. Resonance doesn't evolve the mechanic all that much – you can move Sophia's hand to tap on parts of the page to have her comment in greater detail – but I still value its presence. Alongside the option to ask a companion for one of a series of escalating hints, it helps you follow puzzle logic in-game if you're stumped or need a reminder on information you've uncovered, while never being truly necessary if you want to remember bits on your own.

Replaying A Plague Tale: Requiem alongside Resonance, I could really feel the journal's absence, making a bunch of its puzzles less satisfying to engage with. Resonance really nails the vibe of solving riddles and traps in ancient tombs, all evolving neatly on a core light-reflecting mechanic that genuinely has some novel approaches to one of the medium's oft-revisited puzzle types.

There are plenty of collectibles to find, from ancient treasures to upgrade points – all of which glitter periodically with impossible white light like in Uncharted. With ancient ruins this intricate, they're a joy just to investigate, and I relished obtaining all of the optional swords that are hidden in tombs behind their own side puzzles.

Combat upgrades themselves are cursory – the ability to throw an enemy as a counter, or parry previously unparryable attacks – but they at least don't get in the way (the overwhelming menu'ing in previous Plague Tale games isn't a factor here). In part, the relative unimportance of Sophia's combat upgrades are because the core fighting system works really well with the kit you get from the beginning. Sophia will come up against plenty of enemies who she will cross swords with, and she's every bit as skilled a fighter as those she's against.

Simple, but snappy, Sophia can create order out of a fight's chaos. All enemies have health bars made out of pips, with basic attacks dealing one point of damage and charged attacks three, alongside a break meter that will temporarily stun them. These can be filled by parrying, but also by using Sophia's grapple to pull them off balance, or an always-available kick to knock to send them tumbling into walls or crates.

Stand next to an object like a dropped knife or a piece of pottery and a click of the stick will throw it at an enemy noggin, stunning them in place (this is a nod to Sifu, the developer told me earlier this year). Even the bulkiest foe stacked with pips can be stunned and then punted with Sophia's kick into one of the island's many mysterious holes.

Sophia herself only ever has three pips of health, but killing an enemy always restores one. It's a forgiving system that lends itself to the sense of pace and momentum Sophia always embodies. She can't take many hits, but plowing through enemies with satisfying, quick finishing moves will always put her back on top. It's a great way to keep melee combat rewarding and approachable without detracting from Resonance's cinematic ambitions, and the sense this adventure is always unfolding at a fast clip.

There are moments I'm reminded Resonance doesn't quite have the massive budget of something like Uncharted 4. While I enjoy each fight, combat areas are often quite basic and static – though I do appreciate a commitment to having lots of pits to kick enemies into. Likewise, only a few areas really have particularly interesting traversal – the grapple is used more as a weapon in combat than it is for exploration, and when it does it's always fairly simple.

Still, it's testament to great design craft that more often than not I'm not thinking about these limitations. Resonance does more than enough with the tools it has to deliver a fantastic treasure hunting adventure, with action and puzzling that escalates and varies enough that I'm always thrilled to be tackling something new as Sophia's quest builds to its inevitable conclusion. More than a detour, Resonance shows just how much more the Plague Tale series and Asobo Studio still have to bring to the table – and I'm more excited than ever before to see what comes next.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

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I hire Tagoz Tru fully expecting him to die. The Weequay bruiser isn't one of Star Wars Zero Company's big-name signings, like Tel-Rea the Jedi ronin or Cly Kullervo the Mandalorian bounty hunter. These characters – both of whom I have to google, just to make 100% sure they're not lifted from some Star Wars cartoon – come with their own dedicated side quests and hours of bespoke voice acting. And even they can be lost forever in battle. So what chance does a randomly rolled recruit like Tagoz have?

Better than I'd expected, as it turns out. Zero Company's permadeath is a tradition borrowed – like so many of this game's essentials – from XCOM, the seminal tactics game in which you fed faceless soldiers into an extraterrestrial meat grinder. There, finishing the campaign with a couple of dozen body bags to your name could be written off as an unqualified success.

Zero Company dangles this threat right from the beginning, killing off one of your starting roster in the tutorial, just to show that it means business. But that also illustrates just how thoroughly you need to fail for this ever to be a concern.

Death stars

A character whose health bar hits zero will drop to their knees, where a squadmate can revive them, Gears Of War-style. They'll get back up with an injury that limits their combat effectiveness, and it's only on the third wound that you lose them forever. At least on the default difficulty setting, it's pretty hard to get anyone killed, but that doesn't mean it has no effect.

Just knowing that permadeath is possible powers some brilliantly tense final turns. Most missions feature an objective – slice this computer terminal, rescue these captives – then an extraction, to pull you from one side of the map to the other. By the time the extraction zone appears, generally on the far side of an enemy reinforcement spawn point, your squad might have taken a wound or two achieving their objective. So, do you hunker down and fight off those reinforcements before a nice peaceful stroll to the exit, or just try to make a run for it?

The latter might sound like the easy option, but it can require at least as much brainpower to pull off. Each operative gets a very different mileage out of their three Action Points per turn – a heavy like Tagoz Tru isn't going to be able to keep up with a fleet-footed Jedi – and you probably still want to stick to cover, unless you've got some plan for running between the raindrops.

This leads to a lot of squinting at every character's abilities, which are presented on a thumbstick-friendly radial wheel. Is there some way of shunting spare AP from your speedier characters to the slowpokes? Can you tie up the pursuing foe with overwatch covering fire, or protect a more exposed route using smoke grenades?

Finally, if one of the retreating party does take a hit and get downed, do you send someone back to revive them, at the risk of the rescuer also catching a laser bullet? Once there's at least one body in the extraction zone, you can choose to end the mission there and then, leaving the others behind MIA. I'm not entirely sure how this works, though, because I can never quite bring myself to do it. No man – or Weequay – left behind.

Base elements

Back at base, you're dropped into the body of Hawks, the custom-created protagonist you can bring into missions as another unit (but, story requirements aside, don't need to). Wandering about the place in over-the-shoulder third person, chatting with squadmates, it's all very reminiscent of being aboard the Normandy, in Mass Effect.

Zooming the camera in from the aerial perspective of turn-based battles, to show that these little chess pieces actually have detailed faces and expressive animations is a cool trick, and it all holds up impressively well to close scrutiny. But look past all that and you'll find something that once again hews pretty close to the XCOM formula.

There are research projects for you to choose between, providing upgrades which won't bear fruit until after your next sortie, and opportunities to convert experience earned in missions into level-up rewards. There's also a med-bay where you can heal up those injuries, in exchange for cold hard credits. Even in the glory days of the Galactic Republic, it seems, the galaxy didn't offer free healthcare.

Running Zero Company, the eponymous mercenary outfit headed up by Hawks, you never have quite enough money to afford everything you want. That next big-ticket upgrade is tantalizingly out of reach, unless you're willing to let a couple of employees tick along with permanent injuries. So yes, it might look different – and incredibly shiny – but underneath it's that same old 'just one more go' XCOM magic.

Personally, I don't have a huge problem with Zero Company's reticence to reinvent the wheel. Not least because, well, it's a really damn good wheel. Besides, it's been long enough.

In the decade since XCOM 2, we've been blessed with a wide variety of takes on the format, from Into The Breach's bonsai-tree perfection to Mewgenics' wild excesses. And of course, Marvel's Midnight Suns, the missing link between XCOM and Zero Company, which was more experimental (for good and ill).

Having played them all, I've still got room in my heart for a more conventional take – especially one with the kind of big-budget production values I never expected to see lavished on this genre. Even when the game is idling, waiting for you to punch in your next set of orders, laser fire will dance across the battlefield, as both sides lay down suppressive fire. Occasionally, one of these blasts will connect with Tel-Rea's lightsaber and be deflected with an effortless flick of the wrist. And every time, my eyes light up like a child watching their favourite toys come to life.

This spectacle is offset, however, by frequent technical issues. Beautiful as they are, the animations don't always line up perfectly – I often find myself cursing a shot that has missed its mark, before the game catches up a second or two later, remembers to display a damage number and my target crumples to the ground. The camera can struggle to keep up, too, so that I'm left to watch some pivotal manoeuvres from the far side of a wall. A day-0 patch has been promised that will hopefully iron out these kinks, but they persist throughout my time with Zero Company, right up until the eve of launch.

Tru faith

Still, none of these bugs – nor the game's more conservative design choices – is enough to dampen my enthusiasm for just one more go. And shallow as it might sound, at least some of that comes down to the fact that Zero Company isn't just an XCOM-like game but a true Star Wars game.

There's something deep in my DNA that will always thrill at the sight of an R2-style Astromech launching a health stim from the top of its head, across the battlefield and into the waiting hand of a Jedi. When my scoundrel-class unit automatically finishes off an enemy clinging onto their last two health points with a quick burst from their blaster, it carries all the associations of Han and Greedo in the Cantina. Playing Zero Company has even helped give me a fresh fondness for the Prequel Trilogy droid army. Those might not be great films, but that's not the fault of Lucasfilm's art department, and the Droideka is a design classic.

These superficial boosts aside, what can Star Wars offer the tactics genre? A veritable toybox of abilities for you to play with.

In my campaign, Tel-Rea barely ever ignites her lightsaber, because I'm too busy Force Pushing and Pulling enemies into crates and over the edge of cliffs, and positioning her in 'Noble Stance', the overwatch-equivalent ability that returns blaster fire to sender. Cly Kullervo has a Boba Fett-style jetpack that not only allows her to flank enemies but spits a circle of fire wherever it lands; touching down in the middle of a now-burning crowd, you can follow up with a few quick-draw shots from her blaster pistol, each refunding your AP as long as it's fatal.

As you move up the upgrade trees, even the more unassuming characters can grow into distinctive heroes. I spec Tagoz Tru into a damage-eating tank, making the most of the high health and defence he had when I recruited him (stat boosts attributed, in a wonderfully characterful touch, to his history of hard labor). This is not exactly an unusual role for a unit in a tactics game, admittedly. But then there's this mission, one that begins with my objective complete and demands only that the squad make it safely to the extraction, with a Vulture drone hot on their heels, blowing up sections of the level and insta-killing anyone lagging behind.

I let the rest of the squad run ahead to safety while Tagoz brings up the rear, using his taunt and retaliation abilities to draw and then return enemy fire. When things begin to get hairy even for his formidable health bar, Tagoz is protected by a smoke grenade courtesy of my little Astromech, then buffed with a performance-enhancing stim from Hawks.

So, the mission ends with Tagoz drugged up to the eyeballs and shrouded in smoke, the gray cloud lighting up red and blue by incoming and outbound blaster fire, as a strafing drone closes in overhead. I fully expect him to die – and what a way to go! – but at the last minute, a change of heart: Hawks and the Astromech can surrender their own AP and pass it over to their Weequay saviour.

Tagoz dodges laser and rockets and makes it to the extraction, on the last turn before everything gets blown to hell. It's a perfect reminder of why I play every XCOM-style tactics game that comes along, and all the sweeter for knowing that, having brought Tagoz along not much caring if he lived or died, I can't stand to lose him to permadeath – and for how perfectly Star Wars this moment feels. I'm willing to forgive a lot, for a game that can leave me feeling like I've dropped a proton torpedo down the exhaust shaft of my own personal Death Star.

Star Wars Zero Company was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

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Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft is a cozy board game, and you can't tell me otherwise.

OK, I hear you. The world it takes place in is a pulsing mass of awful that's as far from 'homey' as you could possibly imagine. But because it takes a beloved franchise back to its gothic roots by crossing over with what is arguably D&D's most popular adventure, it feels… well, nostalgic. That's why I've been more excited to try Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft than most of its predecessors. It's a homecoming.

The Mists take you

As the name would suggest, Horrified leans hard into horror tropes – but you aren't tackling them alone. This is a co-op game first and foremost, meaning you win or lose together. There have been numerous versions since the series launched in 2019 (ranging from the original which focused on Universal Monsters like Dracula to a Greek Myth-inspired spin-off), but the core mechanics remain the same regardless; complete unique challenges to defeat monsters who roam the board, all while trying to stop them from eating villagers. If a monster successfully attacks you or kills a villager, the 'terror' meter rises. Hit a certain 'terror' level and it's game over.

This leads to some fiendish Catch 22 moments. Sometimes you'll be stuck between a rock and a hard place by choosing whether to save a villager or let them die so that you can secure a vital advantage against your enemy. Time is of the essence, after all, and sometimes the ends justify the means.

Horrified Ravenloft uses the same framework, but brings back the class system introduced in the D&D-themed sequel. This time you're able to use the Warlock, Paladin, Druid, Ranger, or Sorcerer, each with special abilities activated by using a d20 die.

Seeing as it's based on D&D's iconic Curse of Strahd campaign where the party finds itself trapped in a grim world ruled by monsters, it also pits you against four foes from that setting: Baba Lysaga and her walking hut, the demonic Gulthias Tree, a creepy Carionette (which doesn't appear in the adventure but has since been added to Ravenloft), and the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. Each one possesses unique powers to ruin your day, and they can only be defeated by completing a special challenge.

These challenges are pulled directly from D&D, so fans will get a real kick out of the process. Randomly-drawn tarot cards determine the location of three items needed to kill Strahd, for example, and you must go to fortune-teller Madam Eva's tent to learn what they are… just like in the tabletop RPG.

Dark Pacts

That reverence for the source material is clear throughout Horrified Ravenloft. Whether it's seeing familiar faces amongst the villagers, exploring major and minor locations on the board, or drawing cards featuring obscure characters from lore, this game has clearly been made by fans.

It makes full use of the setting to introduce some wrinkles, too. While we've seen class abilities before, this version of the game shakes things up with Dark Pacts – the kind you can dabble in throughout Curse of Strahd. These provide a permanent bonus (like being able to take a free move action) but come with significant drawbacks. Visually 'corrupting' your player card is the least of it; my Ranger would damage any other player character sharing my space if I ended my turn there, for example.

Because you can use these Dark Pacts at any time, the tricky bit is knowing when to deploy them.

Similarly, the monsters are nuanced – and different – enough to provide a lot of entertainment. As a case in point, you've got to complete a maze puzzle to defeat Baba Lysaga, clearing her minions from each path so you can slide a gem token to the bottom. Meanwhile, the Gulthias Tree stays in place… but sends out malicious Tree Blights across the board in its stead.

All this combines with the already rock-solid Horrified formula for a compelling twist of the tale. Yes, the same issues still lurk beneath the surface. Luck plays a significant part in where monsters move and how hard they hit, for instance. You can also be screwed over by chance – villagers spawning on top of a monster or the item you need not appearing, say. Nonetheless, all the good bits are still here too. If anything, Ravenloft's additions only enhance them. It's engrossing from moment to moment, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

It's one of those games that's paradoxically harder yet more fun with more people, too. While monsters don't get 'extra' turns (they always act after every player, no matter whether that's two or five), it takes longer for your turn to come around in a multiplayer match so there's a greater chance of trouble. Seeing a monster march inexorably toward you when there's nothing you can do about it is tense to say the least.

Again, some may become frustrated by the fact that you can't plan too far ahead because you never know where the monsters will go. But for me, that's part of the fun. You're battling the unknown and Horrified Ravenloft is always hurling curveballs your way, so you constantly have to think on your feet. That's where the strategy comes in; it's about triaging priorities and being able to pivot.

Should you buy Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft?

Whether it's worth grabbing Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft will depend on how familiar you are with the franchise. If you've played many of the previous versions, you're unlikely to be bowled over by these additions (unless you skipped the last D&D Horrified, anyway). This is the same game with a few minor updates, not an overhaul.

If you don't have much experience with Horrified, on the other hand, you'll have a blast. This is a great introduction to the series and returns to its classic horror roots. I still think the original (Universal Monsters) is top dog, but Ravenloft gives it a good run for its money. Even if you have no idea who Strahd is, you'll enjoy this for its gothic feel and twisted baddies.

Love Curse of Strahd, on the other hand? Well, that's enough to circumvent most of the problems I raise above. You'll get a real kick out of battling foes you've spent hours opposing in D&D, and this is a vertical slice of everything that makes the campaign sing. It's nostalgia for Strahd in a box, so you'll often find yourself saying "oh, I remember that!" with much fondness.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

The Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) is the fourth mainline set based around Gotham’s notorious psychiatric hospital, and by far the largest. Next to Wayne Manor and the Bat Cave, Arkham Asylum is arguably the most famous location in Batman lore. And yet, it didn’t appear until Batman #258 in 1974. Since then, it’s featured in numerous DC comic books and movies, starred in Grant Morrison’s acclaimed Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth, served as the inspiration behind Rocksteady’s legendary Arkham Trilogy of Batman video games and is, of course, a playable location in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

Part of what makes Arkham Asylum so enduring is the link the location has with Batman’s extensive rogues gallery. And indeed, Lego has used this release as an excuse to include a whopping 16 minifigures: nine villains, four members of the Bat-Family, two guards, and Catwoman. In fact, there’s technically 17 minifigures, if you include a defaced statue.

While Lego’s previous renditions of Arkham Asylum have been facades, this latest incarnation is a Lego modular building. This means it features a 360-degree exterior, a full interior, and can be attached to other modular buildings to create a seamless diorama or incorporated into a wider Lego city. At a whopping 2,953 pieces, it’s easily the best Lego Arkham Asylum to date. But is it capable of holding Gotham’s most wanted? Or will a subpar design allow them to run riot?

Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) features

• 2,953 pieces
• 18+ age rating
• 16 minifigures

The Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) costs £269.99 / $299.99 and comprises 2,953 pieces, yielding a satisfactory price-per-piece ratio, especially when compared to many Lego Star Wars sets. Just don’t expect it to compare to non-licensed modular buildings like the Lego Icons Natural History Museum (#10326) and Tudor Corner (#10350).

The set can arguably be compared most closely to the Lego Marvel X-Men: The X-Mansion (#76294), which retails for £289.99 / $329.99 and features 3,093 pieces and 10 minifigures. However, price-per-piece ratios aren’t everything. Taking into consideration rising prices and the fact that Lego sets tend to get heavily discounted nowadays, I think Arkham Asylum is an expensive set, but it feels like an expensive set. It stands tall, looks good, and features a huge roster of minifigures.

Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) build

• Seven-to-eight-hour build
• Familiar modular construction
• Lots of fine details

This set comprises 3,093 pieces, split across 24 bagged sections and two instruction manuals. You get a neat bit of blurb at the beginning of the first manual, which not only explains Arkham’s history but also the 14 heroes and villains found within the set. It took me roughly seven hours and 40 minutes to build at a leisurely pace, and bar a few fiddly sections, it’s relatively easy to put together. The biggest challenge is patience, due to the large size of the set and abundance of small pieces.

You begin by putting together the prison van, which is a tidy, if unambitious, little vehicle. The rest of the build is fixed to Lego’s standard 32x32 modular building baseplate, with the structure being built from the ground up. The foundations and exterior tiling come first, followed by the front steps and main entrance. You slot a plate 1x1 round with bar (#6227897) into a brick 1x1 with stud on side (#6062574) and position the latter diagonally to achieve the necessary angle to attach the entrance (and what will later be built upon to create the central tower). This is fiddly, but a neat solution to a difficult problem.

Some interior details are then added, before building up the secure vault, some walls and then the main cell block on the ground floor. The cell doors are operated via a very simple sliding mechanism that features no elastic bands or gears. Once the top of the first floor is tiled off, you move onto the exterior fencing and the front gates.

The gates are the first section that present something of a challenge. I found it a little fiddly to ensure all of the posts were slotted in evenly and when adding the Technic beam at the top, it’s very easy for it to skew or slide too far down the gate. There aren’t many printed pieces in this set, but I do really like the pair of printed 1x1 tiles that represent locks, clipped onto the front of each gate.

With the prison van, ground floor and exterior finished, you then move onto the second instruction manual to tackle the first floor and roof. The first floor comes together much the same as the lower floor. You also build up the central tower above the main entrance, which continues to prove fiddly but ultimately looks the part. Interior details follow to kit out Dr Quinzel’s (Harley Quinn's) office. The walls are built up and the upper cells are constructed, featuring a similar mechanism to open/shut the sliding doors.

The guard tower, which sits atop the vault, comes next and then it’s time to build up the roof. Once that’s done, the final bag contains the statue that sits above the main entrance and the ‘Arkham Asylum’ arch that sits atop the front gate. This rather cleverly uses a piece of curved rollercoaster track, with six clip-on square 2x2 tiles (#6323189) attached to the track and used to accommodate stickers with the ‘Arkham’ lettering.

Overall, this is a fun build that’s challenging in places, but time is largely spent simply laying down Lego bricks. It’s a fun set to put together while watching a film or listening to a podcast because it only occasionally requires your full concentration. But it’s not just the size and piece count that justifies the 18+ age rating.

There’s lots of fun to be had by posing the various minifigures in and around the set, but the structure itself has limited playability. Accessing the interiors by removing the room and first floor can also be a bit fiddly, and younger Lego fans could easily drop or break sections of the structure.

Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) design

• Compatible with other modular buildings
• Full interior over two floors
• 70 stickers!!!

Despite being one of the most iconic locations in Batman lore, Arkham Asylum changes dramatically depending on the comic book run, film, or video game in which it’s depicted. As such, the designers kind of had carte blanche to build a functional representation of the location in Lego form.

This is a fine-looking set from the front. Photographs really don’t do it justice – I think it looks even better in person. That said, it doesn’t really feel like Arkham Asylum around the back and the right-hand side. Personally, I wish the designers had leaned a little harder into the gothic architecture.

Arguably the most famous incarnations of the asylum are Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth graphic novel and the first entry in Rocksteady’s incredible Arkham trilogy. In both instances, the main building looks more archaic, and I do wish that had been represented a bit more here.

It’s also a shame there’s no upper-floor roof interior. I own the now-retired Lego Marvel Sanctum Sanctorum (76218), which remains my favourite licensed modular building. Its gorgeous interior is split across three floors (including the roof) and I feel that was a missed opportunity here. Still, there was a lot for the designers to cram into Arkham Asylum and two holding cells, an admission room, office space, maximum security vault, control tower, foyer, and corridors is a lot considering the available space.

I’m also a fan of the large gated entrance and courtyard. This isn’t wasted space; it really adds to the aesthetic. Would I have preferred a few hundred more bricks dedicated to a larger roof space and a possible roof interior in place of the prison van? Possibly, but this is still a great-looking set that’s bursting with character.

And even if the gothic aesthetic isn't as consistent as I'd like, I was still impressed by the sheer level of detail. There's a hole being dug out from the bottom-right cell, climbing ivy spilling out onto the building’s exterior from Poison Ivy’s window, Joker graffiti sprayed over the Arkham statue above the main entrance, and a bent section of fencing that's been smashed through.

As you’d expect from a licensed modular building, there’s a lot of stickers (I counted 70 in total!). And many of them boast neat little Easter eggs or references for hardcore DC fans, such as the ambulance's number plate, which reads B258, referencing Arkham Asylum’s first appearance back in Batman #258. There's also a “Spoon missing?” note on a pin-up board, referencing a utensil which is actually being used to dig out of a ground-floor cell. Oh, and don't forget the newspaper on a desk that reads “The Batman Returns,” complete with a tiny image of the front cover of Frank Miller’s legendary miniseries The Dark Knight Returns.

I’m not a fan of stickers, but I have no problem with this. There aren’t as many printed pieces as I’d like, but Lego can’t print everything. What I’m not a fan of is unnecessary stickers, and there are several of those on the exterior of the building. The roof is the most egregious example, with three stickers themed around Harley Quinn, Penguin, and Riddler. They’re supposed to be graffiti, but they just stick out like a sore thumb and kind of cheapen the aesthetic.

The roof also features two stickers representing boarded-over holes and cobwebs. This could have been represented by physical pieces and really doesn’t do the set justice. It’s not as if this is a boring-looking set that needed to be jazzed up. It’s got plenty of character and detail, not to mention the huge roster of 16 minifigures to pose in and around the building. There’s enough vibrant comic book fare to satisfy anyone without resorting to unnecessary stickers.

I’ve also noticed more of my Lego stickers have been prone to peeling lately. After only a few days, the sticker on the water tank on the roof has peeled off. This isn’t an isolated incident, because a few stickers on my Lego Star Wars UCS Jango Fett’s Starship started to peel off within days, too.

Kudos to Lego for supplying a truly monster selection of minifigures. The Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) features 16 minifigures, which is seven more than the aforementioned Sanctum Sanctorum, three more than the more expensive Lego Harry Potter Gringotts Wizarding Bank (#76417), and it even beats the Lego Lord of the Rings Rivendell (#10316) by a single figure. And it’s a great lineup, too. The Bat-Family is the highlight, with lovely representations of Batman, Robin, Batwoman, and Batwing. Hardcore DC fans will likely recognise the fifth Robin, Bruce’s son, Damian Wayne, fan favourite Batwoman Kate Kane, and the second Batwing, Luke Fox.

Some of the villains are naturally a little less impressive, with Penguin, Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Bane, Killer Croc, and Joker in their prison fatigues. Every figure is technically exclusive to this set, apart from Mr Freeze. Exclusive figures aren’t always entirely exclusive. Sometimes they simply have a different headpiece or torso print, making them exclusive by technicality, but a lot of the minifigures here are unique enough to be considered proper exclusives, which is great.

We have seen Joker, Penguin, and Harley in (albeit different) orange jumpsuits before, but not the other villains. Joker’s face print isn’t new, either, but the other villains are all sufficiently unique. I’m a fan of the new Poison Ivy with a great headpiece and lovely printing. And although Harley’s donned an orange jumpsuit before, this variant has bags of character thanks to a face print with a pink bubblegum bubble, as well as her trademark carnival mallet and roller skates.

Riddler is another nice representation in full villainous garb, but Bane, Killer Croc, and Scarecrow are a little more disappointing. I do think it’s a missed opportunity that either an oversized Bane or Killer Croc wasn’t included, especially as a giant hole has been punched through a wall on the ground floor. Bane even sports a backpack with his Venom serum. The two guards are standard fare, but with nice torso prints. But it’s a shame we didn’t get a Mr Freeze update, because I really don’t think this is Lego’s definitive Freeze offering.

When it comes to the Bat-Family, Batwoman has a new torso print and a lovely new red cape. Robin also gets a really nice yellow cape and for the first time ever, we get a Batman with an asymmetric cape. I have to say, while this might not be the best cape for play, it’s perfect for display. It looks really dynamic and super cool – straight from a million Batman comic book covers. Bruce’s torso isn’t an exclusive and neither is his cowl, but he’s a solid-looking Keaton-esque figure that’s a shoo-in for one of the costumes in the recently released Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

Selina Kyle’s Catwoman is my pick of the bunch. She’s another all-new figure with some great printing, and in my mind, is a little bit of an Easter egg for fans of the Arkham Trilogy, closely resembling her appearances in Arkham City and Arkham Knight. She also comes with a little printed tile of kitty snacks, which is a neat touch.

What would have been my pick of the bunch is Batwing. Not only is this the first time he’s been represented in minifigure form, but he’s a true premium figure with exquisite torso, hip, leg, and foot printing, as well as a lovely grey cowl with blue eyes. However, his backpack requires a sticker and I firmly believe that minifigures should remain entirely printed.

You'll also find two little buildable penguin figures, as well as a hidden 17th minifigure in the form of the Arkham Statue. This is a great touch, with two face prints: a normal one and one with Joker graffiti sprayed all over it, which is a great touch.

Should you buy the Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300)?

Lego has set the bar very high indeed with past modular buildings and while I don’t think the Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) quite makes the pantheon of all-time-great modulars, it’s still an incredible Lego Batman set. I do wish that it leaned a little more into the gothic aesthetic, had fewer stickers and a roof interior, but this build still looks fantastic in person, and is bristling with detail and character.

What really makes it stand out is the huge selection of minifigures, comprising some of Batman’s most notorious villains and foils. This allows you to dress the set for display, showing the inmates taking control of the asylum as the Bat-Family fights back. For a licensed set with this number of minifigures, it’s competitively priced, and if you can eventually find it on sale, it’ll become even more enticing. Ultimately, as a first modular building for the Lego Batman theme, this is an excellent start. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a modular Wayne Manor in the future.

Ratings

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300)

This review sample was provided by Lego.

It took me multiple sittings to build the Lego DC Arkham Asylum (#76300) over a period of seven hours and 40 minutes. It sat in my study for a couple of weeks and was ‘played with’ during the photo shoot, where I moved the set around, accessed the interiors and posed the various minifigures.

Not only have I been collecting Lego since the ‘90s, but I’m an avid fan of the caped crusader and collector of DC graphic novels. Billund and Batman are a match made in heaven for me!

For more information on our procedure, take a look at how we test products.

For more collectibles, don't miss the best toys.

Even amongst the turmoil of the RAM Storage Crisis, new SSDs haven't stopped dropping. But the Lexar Play X PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD sets itself apart from other new releases by providing storage for PC and handheld fans in one.

The best SSDs for gaming traditionally come in a 2230 or 2280 form factor, and you need to decide which is best for you before you check out your online shopping basket. Lexar has instead packaged a 2230 drive alongside a 2280 bracket, so you have the best of both worlds and can decide what's right for you right until the very moment you need to install. Without a gaming laptop or a handheld that's suited for a compact Gen 4 drive, I wasn't able to take full advantage of Lexar's ingenuity. That being said, Lexar's hybrid SSD was still a solid and speedy addition to my desktop PC.

Design

If you've ever upgraded the storage of your PC, you're probably more familiar with 2280-sized drives, however, the Play X consists of both a 2230 and 2280 in one. Smaller 2230 drives aren't anything new, but they're usually marketed specifically towards those with gaming laptops or handhelds, rather than being offered as a storage solution that's "compatible with M.2 2230/2280 slots."

Lexar achieves this wider range of compatibility by including a 2280 adapter with the smaller drive right in the box. This was a relief for me, as my current testing rig doesn't facilitate drives with a 2230 form factor. Once the adapter is hooked up, the Play X looked and acted more like a traditional 2280 SSD, so if you're in the market for a traditional 2280 option, don't let the 'hybrid' nature of this option put you off.

Features

The Lexar Play X is a PCIe 4.0 M/2 NVMe SSD drive that's available in 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities. For this review, I was provided with the 1 TB model, which offered me 952 GB to play around with once formatted as part of my testing rig, which is pretty much what I'd expect.

The drive is powered by TLC NAND flash and according to Lexar, is designed to deliver "instant game loading and rapid level transitions" with its on-the-box 7,400 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s sequential read and write speeds. The brand's older Play 2230 PCIe 4.0 SSD was able to achieve read and write speeds up to to 5500 MB/s and 4,700 MB/s, respectively, so this is a big step up from its predecessor.

Additionally, Lexar packs in a 5-year warranty with the drive, though with an endurance rating of 1,200 TBW for the 2TB model, you shouldn't need to rely on it. The SSD is also packaged with a set of two stickers, so you can label them at your discretion. They have a slight holographic sheen to them, which I really appreciated, even if I never saw them once the storage was inserted into my motherboard.

Performance

Slotting the compact Lexar Play X SSD into the adapter was pretty straightforward, but I can't pretend there wasn't a lot of hesitancy before I put the two together. Gaming storage is worth its weight in gold right now, and my anxiety led me to believe I was going to break both along the way.

I thankfully didn't, as otherwise you wouldn't be reading this very review. Once it was all set up I was able to format it like any other traditional 2280 Gen 4 SSD. Afterwards, I ran it through CrystalDiskMark, where I was able to achieve average 7,074.43 and 6,551.29 MB/s read and write speeds. Compared to 7,400 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s as advertised on the box, the drive came pretty close and even managed to do slightly better than expected when it came to write speeds. Write speeds measure how fast a drive can save data, so this is good news if you need storage for not just gaming, but saving hefty amounts of information, which can be pretty common if you're an artist or a content creator on the side.

It missed the mark slightly where read speeds were concerned, but anything above 7,000 MB/s is still what I hoped to see. Regardless, all of those numbers don't mean much when they're not put to the test by running actual games, which is exactly what I did next. Loading up Counter-Strike 2 took an average of 25.61 seconds (over a period of three tests) to get to the menu screen where my booted-up character was waiting. While it wasn't faster than the built-in PNY CS1030 drive of my testing rig, there was only a 2.62-second difference. This set a precedent for the rest of my tests, as Lexar's drive wasn't faster than my onboard storage, but it wasn't that far behind, with just a few-second differences each time.

That's not exactly the "instant game loading" the marketing spiel stated it would be, but the lightning-fast loading times were still felt. No matter if I was loading up CS2, Dispatch, Marvel Rivals, or a plethora of my other current gaming obsessions like Mina the Hollower and Peak, there was no moment where I grew impatient waiting for anything to load, nor did I experience any noticeable differences running games straight off the SSD as compared to the onboard drive.

During testing, the compact storage managed to keep its cool too. While I still don't have a DC meter at my disposal, checking the Windows 11 settings informed me that the Play X managed to sit around 40% for the majority of the time I had it equipped in my rig, only bouncing up to 48% at the most when I was putting it through its paces running Marvel Rivals. That's pretty much what you'd expect, with the Samsung 990 SSD reaching similar temps while part of the same setup.

Much to my chagrin, I didn't have a compatible setup to test the Play X in its 2230 form factor alone. With that in mind, I can't justly say that it'd be the best addition to your laptop or PC handheld over alternatives, but if it's able to putter along at the same (or similar) speeds as I managed to achieve on the PC, you'd likely be in good hands with this small but mighty drive.

Should you buy the 1TB Lexar Play X SSD?

The Lexar Play X has yet to be released in the US, so the question of whether any of you across the pond should buy it can be answered pretty quickly.

For those of you in the UK, the answer is a little more layered. The 1TB model I reviewed today is sitting at £241.99 at Amazon, and even amongst the RAM-pocalypse, there are plenty of 1 TB options out there which are far cheaper. In the end, I'd still recommend this as an option should you want a 2230/2280 hybrid drive with fast speeds and if your budget can allow for it.

Plenty of older 2230 drives can't muster the same prowess as that of the Lexar Play X, including the brand's own past releases. The 1TB 2230 Lexar Play SSD launched with box quoted 5200MB/s and 4700MB/s read and write speeds, so you'd be getting more bang for your buck. Well, if the 2230 form can muster the same performance it managed when attached to its 2280 adapter, anyway.

If budget is at the forefront of your mind, I'm still going to recommend doing your best to pick up the 1 TB Samsung 990 Pro instead, which tops our general and best SSD for PS5 guides. It's reached as high as £229.99 at Amazon in May earlier this year, according to my CamelCamelCamel price checker, but can drop below the £200 mark without a heatsink. If that option is available to you (and you're looking for a 2280 design and not a 2230 one), that should always be your priority. However, Lexar's Play X is a valid choice if you must have have hybrid form factor at your disposal.

By the way, there's a chance I put the stickers on the wrong way round during testing, so feel free to excuse that in the photos.

How I tested the 1TB Lexar Play X SSD

I put the Lexar Play X SSD through its paces by attaching the 2230 drive to its 2280 adapter, hooking that up to the M.2 drive of my testing PC. Afterwards, I formatted the drive and used the CrystalDiskMark benchmarking tool, where I ran the drive through a series of four tests and calculated an average from those speeds. That average was then compared to its advertised on-the-box speeds. Additionally, I downloaded titles like Marvel Rivals, Counter-Strike 2, and Dispatch via Steam and timed how long it took to load to their respective start screens and compared this to past SSDs that I've tested so far. To read more about the ways we test SSDs and the rest of our gaming tech, have a look at how we test SSDs and our hardware policy.

Check out our guides to the best SSDs for PS5, the best PS5 external hard drive, and the best Xbox Series X hard drive if your gaming platform of choice could use a little boost.

Call me a Debbie Downer, but I initially assumed the Intec Time Breaker Lightgun would ultimately be a waste of time. I figured that a wireless, modern-day recreation of the mighty PS1/PS2 Guncon that's compatible with modern TVs would be riddled with caveats, especially compared to an original CRT experience. You know what they say about assumptions, as after having a blast playing all my favorite arcade shooters with the faux firearm, I now feel like an ass.

My original reservations were linked to the Intec Time Breaker Lightgun for PS1/PS2 being fully compatible with original retro consoles, rather than flat screen compatibility. After all, I've already put plenty of modern alternatives through their paces, including the mighty Sinden Lightgun for custom PC emulation setups and the G'AIM'E Time Crisis Lightgun console that serves as its own standalone system. Those retro setup sidearms serve as enthusiast and entry-level options respectively, whereas Intec's console-compatible piece sits somewhere in the middle.

That's not to say this retro controller is "mid-range", it's more that it's one of the only modern PS1/PS2 compatible lightguns that'll play nice with modern gaming monitors and TVs. I do have qualms with calling this acessory "plug and play", as you'll need to go through the usual calibration rigmaole to start your retro raid. But, once you have things set, this plastic pistol offers respectable responsiveness and accuracy that justifies its $160 price tag.

Assembly required before jumping into action

I'm not entirely sure why, but Intec's light gun is separated into two parts. Before getting started, you'll have to unite the grip with the body, which feels a bit like being a gunsmith. However, there's a specific step that is a bit iffy for something at this price range, as you'll have to connect wires to a socket in the magazine.

Sure, given that I fix retro consoles and mess around with PCs, I'm comfortable plugging cables into bare PCBs. I suspect some people might find it uncomfortable, though, and there are various ways you could damage the socket or yank the wires out of their connector. You'll also have to slide the mag into the body without pinching the wires between the plastic, so keep that in mind if you've already picked up these plastic arms.

That said, the two-step assembly process is fairly simple if you take care, and once you've secured a side hex screw into place to hold everything together, you're ready to start shootin'. Or, you're at least primed to plug either the included PS1 receiver or PS2 USB dongle into your Sony console of choice and start calibrating.

Calibration obligations

The Time Breaker boldly states that it's "plug and play" on the box, so you might be fooled into thinking you can simply plug in your appropriate console dongle alongside the included IR receiver on the top of your screen and start landing virtual bullets in the noggins of fictional terrorists.

Compared to the Sinden Lightgun, the Time Breaker's plug-and-play qualities ring true since you won't have to touch additional software. You also won't have to go through a whole calibration rigmarole every time you switch your system on (looking at you, G'AIM'E console), but if you don't get the initial tweaks quite right, accuracy will feel more like "plug and nae".

Unlike either the Sinden Lightgun or the G'AIM'E system, Intec's accessory works more like a Wiimote. No, that isn't a dig, but the fact its camera sensor uses the IR bar to calculate positioning does feel more rudimentary. This works in conjunction with additional screen edge mapping, represented by two LEDs on the back, that can help you determine the top corners and set a more exact boundary.

Not unlike the G'AIM'E box, the Time Breaker comes with both a quick setup sheet and a full manual. Both will guide you through the calibration process, but I found that while it details each step, there are some intricacies it could have elaborated on more. I'm specifically hung up about the pivoting side dial that adjusts the camera sensor angle for vertical calibration; if that's not precise, it will throw off the horizontal mapping step.

After messing in the Time Crisis 2 initial calibration screen trying to get everything to play ball, I eventually figured out how to accurately adjust the vertical sensor angle. It sounds obvious as I typed this out loud, but the best approach is to get the moving reticule on screen (by shooting the target and sticking the thumbstick), then tweaking the dial so that shots land exactly in view of the top orange iron sight.

Once the vertical side of things feels precise, you'll find that the back lights will let you better set the horizontal screen boundaries. You'll know things are functioning when the LED displays one red and one green when pointing at the left and right corners, allowing you to press their respective buttons and fire to confirm their positioning and achieve all green.

Of course, environmental factors can throw off the Time Breaker's aim too, like bright lights near your screen or the IR sensor sitting at a weird angle. You'll also want to pay attention to the manual's distance advice based on your display size, as that will absolutely matter. Providing you've nailed the steps both via the pamphlet and the nuances I've described above, you should be ready to start making a ruckus in your favorite PS1 and PS2 shooters.

A solid shooter with surprising features

Again, I feel like a fool for doubting the Time Breaker when it comes to build quality. I figured it would feel slightly lighter in the hand than both the Sinden and G'AIM'E light guns, but it actually feels more solid than the latter and includes plenty of fancy extras that give it a premium vibe.

Naturally, the Time Breaker avoids looking exactly like a Guncon for copyright reasons, but it still looks very much like a spiritual successor. It's got plenty of detailing on the body, like faux barrel and "cocking serration" ridges that actually serve a purpose on a real gun, not to mention it's got big A and B buttons on the sides that add to the '90s at-home arcadey vibes.

Simply put, it nails the Guncon aesthetics and sprinkles in some lavish extras like RGB side lights and illumination behind those aforementioned A and B buttons. That should all come second to the actual feel of this piece in the hands, and I'd actually go as far as to say that it pleases my hands more than the G'AIM'E and Sinden guns, albeit in different ways compared to each.

I don't want to accuse the G'AIM'E guns of now feeling plasticky, but they are certainly on the light side compared to the Time Breaker. Yes, part of that is all the extras, including the 3,500 mAh rechargeable battery crammed into Intec's accessory. The latter also means you won't have a cord pulling the magazine ever so slightly downwards, which in itself is a testament to the benefits of cutting the cord.

The Sinden gun is far weightier than either light gun, providing a heft that's closer to the arcade pistols. That's in part due to the solenoid recoil that provides each shot with an extraordinary kick, but I do almost prefer the clickiness of Intec's trigger switches and the larger side buttons.

I still think the Sinden is a different class of light gun, providing perks like pump action reloading and a d-pad before we even get to overall performance accuracy. That said, the Time Breaker feels more like a comfortable PS1/PS2 Guncon alternative that'll suit modern players, providing conveniences like on-board toggles for rapid-fire, recoil, and a full thumbstick where the hammer would live for a modern controller feel.

The Time Breaker aims to please, but only in Guncon games

Behind the scenes, I've been putting together a general run-through on how to play PS2 games using an original console and other means. The Intec Time Breaker has accompanied me on that journey, assisting in the light gun side of things, and while raining bullets upon masked goons in the Time Crisis series has been delightful and surprisingly close in feel to a CRT TV setup, the experience is exclusive to Guncon-compatible games.

The intricacies of lightgun tech aren't often relevant in 2026, largely due to options like the Sinden working with emulators via a PC app for compatibility. Where the Time Breaker differs is that it has to spoof the functionality of an actual accessory for specific games, and it has chosen to mimic Namco's light gun exclusively.

There is a technical reason for sticking to one, as the OG Guncon used different tech to the likes of the Konami Justifier. The latter solely relied on specific game programming and the PS1's controller port, whereas both the Guncon 1 and 2 tap into your retro console cable's composite signal. It's a clever process that uses video sync data for frame timing, allowing for more accurate shots based on calculated aim coordinates.

Of course, that technique can only be used by CRTs since it relies on detecting a white flash drawn by an electron beam scanlines. That's why I'm now talking about a modern alternative in the first place, but the Time Breaker still needs to mimic the inputs of that process back to your console using signals from its IR strip and camera sensor combo. I suspect the issue is that it'd either cost more or be more complicated to also mimic the solo controller port elements used by non-Guncon games, but it does limit your library scope.

With that in mind, my tests exclusively apply to Guncon games for now, even if I may delve into workarounds in the future. That means playing a hell of a lot of Time Crisis 2 and 3, and the Time Breaker really struts its stuff when gunning down Wild Dog's silly soldiers.

All I really want from a light gun is to gun down some guy on a balcony like I'm 007. Bond's shots always seem to land true in every old flick, with said soldier normally hurling to their demise following the traditional Wilhelm scream. The Time Breaker basically helped maintain that vibe in both Time Crisis games after getting calibration on point, and I was pretty taken aback with how accurate every shot felt when really trying to use the iron sight.

I suspect in most cases you would get away with minimal setup if you're playing casually. I've played on enough neglected Time Crisis cabinets to know that you can Scarface your way to the end by carefully watching the shot animation and adjusting your aim accordingly. Actually lining up your shot and kneecapping a goon really hits different, though, and it proves this gun can boast the same precision as the OG accessories.

I even had more success during the frustrating speedboat segment in Namco's shooter sequel, which is a bit of a bugger. The 60fps camera tech of the Sinden gun does ultimately feel that bit more pinpoint compared to the Time Breaker, but shots landing first time is a win in my book. Plus, keep in mind we're talking about a setup with no white borders, which feels like an appropriate tradeoff.

Ducking to reload matters just as much as unloading your mag, and the Time Breaker's button setup works wonderfully. I prefer to hold my thumb on the left A button when it's time to open fire, but the larger C button at the bottom is nice to have too. Using the on-board crouch feels nicer on Intec's gun compared to both the Sinden's smaller buttons and the G'AIM'E's oval toggles, but both of those options do have easy access to additional pedals.

Let's face it, stomping on a big switch to fire is far more satisfying than a button press. I do wish the Time Breaker came with a foot pedal for the price, but I ended up realizing late that you can actually plug a 3.5mm into into the bottom of the gun. I haven't had a good chance to test this yet, or sourced a pedal that will work, so I'll come back with an update once I've messed around with the setup.

Less clack clack, more rumble rumble

Let it be known that I think it's nice that the Time Breaker includes recoil at all. I also fully believe it enhances the experience, but it ultimately feels more like traditional rumble than a proper hand-shuddering clack.

You're only going to get that arcade recoil feel from the Sinden Lightfun since it uses a solenoid, whereas the G'AIM'E and Time Breaker guns stick with a subtler rumble response. Even though both are using weighted motors, the latter is a subtler burst compared to the Time Crisis console, and I suspect that's tied to preserving wireless battery life.

The feedback is still more than enough to aid immersion, not to mention it makes less of a racket when playing, say, at 2am when you should be sleeping (what can I say, this job really isn't a 9-5 affair). It does highlight how bananas the Sinden's actual moving recoil is, though, serving as a reason to go for the emulator-friendly gun instead.

That battery holds a lot of bullets

By including wireless connectivity and a built-in battery, the Time Breaker is opening itself up to more scrutiny. I feel like Intec knew it couldn't drop the ball on either, as managed to get over 12 hours out of the lightgun before reaching for a USB-C charger, and that's with the LED lights on and recoil enabled.

Yes, that's hardly surprising since most controllers boast a similar runtime these days, but it's still a nice feat. Recharging measured in at just over an hour and a half, and the gun also seems to retain its charge when unused, which is good considering the specific genre use case of this accessory.

The 2.4Ghz wireless also means there's minimal latency with the Time Breaker, and that's a godsend since we're basically talking motion controls. The last thing you want when shooting those rocket-launcher idiots in Time Crisis is your aim having noticeable lag, and as far as I can tell, there's minimal delay to any movements replicated on screen.

Should you pick up the Intec Time Breaker Lightgun for PS1/PS2?

I'll admit that $160 feels like a lot for a single-genre accessory for the OG PlayStation and PS2, but the Intec Time Breaker proves its worth. It's the only light gun I know of out there right now that will fill the compatibility gap left by the transition from CRT TVs to modern LCD and OLED displays on an actual console, and focusing on the latter comes with bigger library benefits.

You could say that the Time Breaker further highlights the main issue with the G'AIM'E Time Crisis Console, as while it has nice wired lightguns that mimic the Guncon, it's confined to just four games on a static box. That pales in contrast to Intec's gun, which has every Guncon-compatible game released on the PS1 and PS2 on its plate, not to mention you can just pop a disc in rather than messing with emulators and more advanced software like with the Sinden.

Add the fact it's wireless into the mix, and you've got a modern light gun that feels like what should have been normalized in the post-CRT era rather than Wiimotes, Kinect, and those dorky Sony Move controllers with the big glowing ball. The Time Breaker's build quality and even small touches like RGB should serve as a blueprint for bringing back the neglected accessory type, but there are still caveats to be found.

I do think that if you want a reliable way to play Guncon games on a flat screen using an actual PS1 or PS2, the Time Breaker is the way to go. The main thing that's really holding this light gun back is being confined to just Guncon games, as it adds a sting to its $160 price point. That, and some calibration confusion aside, I do think Intec's accessory is a standout option for casual players, even if it doesn't quite knock the Sinden from the emulation enthusiast throne.

How I tested the Intec Time Breaker Lightgun for PS1/PS2

Over the course of a month, I used the Intec Time Breaker Lightgun as part of my PS1 and PS2 setup to play Guncon games like the Time Crisis trilogy. During testing, I assessed the accessories build quality compared to rivals like the G'AIM'E Time Crisis console and Sinden Lightgun while comparing its calibration process, accuracy, and additional features side by side.

For more information on how we test retro console and accessories, swing by our full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy for a deep dive.

Swing by the best retro handhelds if you'd prefer to play your favorite classics on the go.

For years now, I've been banging on about how flagship desktop processors are kind of pointless. "Mid-range" options really aren't mid-range anymore, to the point where you can pretty comfortably pair a Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 with a powerful 4K graphics card and not really run into tangible bottlenecks. So what are you paying for with a Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9? Usually, higher temperatures, bigger power draws, and slightly better speeds all in the name of saying you have the best CPU for gaming inside your computer.

Intel seems to be catching onto this. It might be really impressive for these brands to say "we make the fastest processor ever built" every time they launch a new family of chips but, let's face it, the headline-grabbing ones are probably going to be too expensive for most gamers and PC builders to even consider. Moreover, when mid-range options can offer unreal performance, I'm not sure that many people outside of an enthusiast lens should really care. It's the 5- and 7-tiered processors that have my attention when a new range is announced, and that's because they're all you're really going to need.

Intel has opted not to launch a Core Ultra 9 in its Arrow Lake refresh; instead, it's throwing all of its backing into the new Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. There's no claim that it's the fastest processor on the shelves; rather, a claim that this is the fastest processor this brand has ever made. I like that, because it speaks to the new self-improvement era Intel seems to be in. It's not trying to be better than AMD; it's trying to work on itself and its own relationship with consumers, which is exactly what a $299 / £299 price is going to do.

Specs & Features

Similar to the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, there's a marked improvement in value for money when you look at this CPU's spec sheet. Intel wanted to make an enthusiast processor in the 270K Plus without making it an inaccessible flagship people couldn't afford, but I also see the pricing here as a sign that Intel knows it needs to strike a better value line if it wants to keep up with AMD.

The good news is that despite fairer pricing, there's also an improvement over the spec sheet of the last-gen Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, which had 20 cores and 20 threads compared to the 24 of each in the 270K Plus. A last-gen boost clock of 5.5GHz might look a little consistent with the 265K, but with extra performance and efficiency cores and a more affordable price tag, the new version is definitely going to outclass it.

The interesting part comes when you compare the 270K Plus with last gen's actual flagship, the Core Ultra 9 285K. It had the exact same cores and threads configuration as the 270K Plus, the same cache size, and only a slightly faster boost clock of 5.7GHz. Its price was a much more demanding $589 in the US and £549 in the UK, which goes to show the value for money struck with the 270K Plus.

It also shows that Intel seems to have learned a lesson about CPU tiering. What's in a name? Because this might as well be a flagship - in fact, looking at its spec list, it is one in all but name. The 270K Plus is a Core Ultra 9 in disguise but, if you go back far enough, Intel Core i5s have been even older flagship i9s from previous generations hiding in plain sight. Intel has always offered more cores and threads than AMD, but it might finally be learning that it's the tiering structure and over-pricing of each one that's been keeping it behind in the race.

Speaking of the competition, the obvious rivals to a processor like this are AMD's X3D heroes. Intel might have more cores and threads in the 270K Plus than some of them, but it's not got the same clever double-decker cache. It seems to me like Intel's answer on the software side was to create tools that could increase efficiency, namely, the Intel Binary Optimization tool.

I love the idea of this. If you can't answer the raw hardware innovation of Ryzen, find another route to glory. I'm sure this is something that will be worked on as time goes on, and we'll see it build with each new range, but right now I haven't noticed any tangible performance gains through it. Other reviewers have, so take my thoughts with a pinch of salt, but I also hope we see the list of supported games expand for it because, as you'll see from the names below, it's not the most useful so far.

• Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Assassin's Creed Mirage
• Borderlands 3
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Far Cry 6
• Geekbench 6.3+
• Hitman 3
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
• Naraka: Bladepoint
• Remnant 2
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

Performance

As I mentioned when reviewing the 250K Plus, I came to this new generation of Intel CPUs with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Having come from Intel's two most recent Raptor Lake i7 processors, I had a long list of quality-of-life improvements I was hoping to see. I was utterly sick of my PC's fans spiking up at random, my processor being pretty much impossible to cool even with the might of NZXT's AIOs, and I detested having a CPU that was so powerful, yet suffered constant frame rate stutters and dips due to volatile architecture.

I was definitely appeased by the Core Ultra 5. It offered excellent 4K gaming performance when paired with a PNY Slim RTX 5080, but its temperatures were sublime, and it felt like hard work finding tasks that would bring it to 70 degrees Celsius.

When first installing and playing around with its beefier sibling, I worried I was back to the status quo. Fans were a little louder, and the temperature reading on the pump head of my AIO was fluctuating. Truth be told, I think this was all in my head, really.

After weeks of testing this processor, I don't think it's fair to compare it to the Raptor Lake i7s at all. It isn't unruly; its temperatures are actually very controlled for a chip this powerful; it's just a hefty one that's naturally going to demand a little more than the Ultra 5. Hell, if I think of it like the Ultra 9 it sort of is, its temperatures are brilliantly calm for the power it gives you. I find that it idles between 36 degrees and 39 degrees depending on which work tasks I have running and, although some spikes during benchmarking took it up to the 80-degree mark, I only saw a peak of 86, which came during a Cinebench test. Again, compared to plenty of Raptor Lake products that reached boiling point in tests like these, the Arrow Lake refresh Ultra 7 might as well have ice in its veins.

For the most part, when gaming and not doing maximal tests, this CPU stays in really manageable temperature ranges in the 60s and low 70s, which is really impressive for the kind of numbers it can churn out.

The 270K Plus certainly achieved some impressive content creation benchmark scores. Of the chips I've tested in Cinebench's refreshed multi thread test, the 270K Plus scored the highest, and by some margin. It's trounced even the 250K Plus in the multi thread test when it already had a pretty impressive result over the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F in the Quoted Tech Horizon build I reviewed. In the single thread test, the gap wasn't quite so large between the 250K Plus and 270K Plus, and AMD's Ryzen 7 9700F actually scored higher.

But in all three Blender benchmark tests, the 270K Plus now holds the record-high scores of any CPU I've tested. I'd like to run some updated benchmarks with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D to see how things compare, but either way, Intel's clearly geared this thing toward excellent content creation performance at a $300 price point.

Gaming tests are similarly impressive - although I do feel the need to caveat them by saying that the Core Ultra 5 and 7 have been tested in the same machine, with the added help of an RTX 5080. Meanwhile, the AMD Ryzens were tested with varying components, mostly with an RX 7900 GRE, which packs less of a punch.

In Total War: Warhammer 3, both current-gen Intel processors performed brilliantly, but what's interesting is that the 250K Plus actually outperformed its non-flagship/flagship sibling by a measly frame in two tests. I did notice bigger temperature spikes in these benchmarks for the 270K Plus, so it could have been an anomaly due to higher thermals, but either way, not what I expected to see and really speaks to how well the 250K Plus performs.

In Homeworld 3 and all of my Cities: Skylines scenario tests, the 270K Plus ruled supreme on the Intel side of things. That said, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D's average frame rates in these scenarios are still comfortably in the lead. In these sorts of games, your CPU is going to make a big difference, and in Planet Zoo I did see a marked difference with the 270K Plus over the 250K of 78 up to 97fps.

For its ability to boot out higher numbers for the most part, the 270K Plus does keep its power draw under control. It idles at a similar 30W to the 250K Plus, which is great, but is a bit hungrier for wattage when you're using it more strenuously. In Total War: Warhammer 3's Battle benchmark, for example, the 270K Plus asked for a peak of 85W, while the 250K Plus only required 72W.

Should you buy the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus?

It's a flagship in all but name, offering bigger, badder performance without the price tag that usually goes along with an Intel Core i9/Ultra 9 package. I'd absolutely recommend the 270K Plus to gamers and content creators, but I'd caveat it by saying that not everyone is going to need it. See, while it avoids the typical annoyances of "flagship" chips, it's still a little more expensive, demands more power, and takes a bit more effort to keep cool. As impressive as Intel has made the 270K Plus, and as much as it's tried to avoid the pitfalls of an Ultra 9, the Ultra 250K Plus is also pretty damn good for a whole hundred less of your hard-earned dollars.

I'd say that if you're a content creator, or you spend a lot of time playing very CPU-intensive games, you'll benefit from the extra money spent on the Ultra 7, but if not, most gamers will be able to pair the 250K Plus with a decent 4K GPU and won't be left asking where their frames are.

The 270K Plus is certainly priced competitively, which is what it needs to be to win people over against pricier X3D rivals from AMD. In my experience, though, those can offer extra gaming performance and plentiful forward upgrades, so it's still a difficult toss-up.

Intel certainly seems like it's turning over a new leaf, and in many ways, the accessible price and fantastic performance of the 270K Plus is testament to that. It's a fantastic investment in the CPU market right now, but it's up to Intel to make sure that stays true well into the future.

How I tested the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has been socketed in my gaming and work PC for a few weeks now, and I've run the full gauntlet of CPU benchmarks on it before writing up this review. I paired it with an RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of G.Skill DDR5 RAM, and an NZXT Kraken Plus 240mm RGB cooler.

I performed content creation benchmark tests through Blender and Cinebench, watching power draws and temperatures through NZXT Cam software. I also performed gaming tests through various CPU-hungry games. I compared scores and value to similar gaming CPUs.

For more on how we test gaming PCs, take a look at the full-length GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

There are other components to research if you're looking to buy one of the best gaming PCs. Take a look at the best RAM for gaming and the best graphics cards.

Trick-taking games are enjoying a moment in the tabletop space right now, with several top games exploring cooperative trick-taking elements. Typically, trick-taking games are highly dependent on the draw of the cards. Some games have ways to mitigate weak hands, but very few games can totally negate the power of a strong hand. For better or worse, luck remains a key element of the trick-taking genre, no matter what the surrounding rules are.

Crits & Tricks doesn’t shy away from the randomness and luck of trick-takers. However, players are ultimately left to build their own luck. Players combine a hand of cards that represent suit only and couple them with differently sized dice. Each suit has its own win condition, meaning that rolling low at the start of the game isn’t necessarily a game-ender. Plus, if you’re unhappy with the value of a die, you can always play it and choose to re-roll it, giving you a second chance to change your luck.

Although chance plays a big role in Crits & Tricks, the game invites players to constantly test their luck for better or ill.

Crits & Tricks features & design

Crits & Tricks is a combination card and dice game that wears its Dungeons & Dragons influences on its sleeve. Each player has a set of dice from D&D and the best tabletop RPGs ranging in size from a D4 to a D20, which they will roll at the start of the round. Each player also has a miniature screen reminiscent of a DM Screen that they use to obscure their unplayed dice from other players.

The Crits & Tricks game deck consists of six different suits of cards, four of which will be used in every game. Each suit is named after a different D&D class and two sets of rules – one dictating their CRIT ability and one dictating the suit’s win condition when played to lead the round. Critically, only the CRIT ability is displayed on the card, so players will have to remember the suits’ win conditions or refer to their DM screen. One suit – the Bard – will always be used, but the other three suits can either be chosen at random or deliberately selected to create different gameplay variations.

In addition to the individual dice and the shared suit of cards, players will also use a deck of quest cards and a set of four barkeep challenges. The quest cards are individual challenges that players can try to complete for points and range from collecting a specific number of cards for a specific suit to avoiding certain cards for the entire round. Some quests can be completed during a round of play and can immediately be turned in for points. Other quests require the full round to play out. The barkeep challenges represent an additional win condition that all players can complete for additional points.

Victory points are represented via loot, which comes in the form of both coins and various magic items. Collecting a magic item doesn’t result in additional benefits, but they’re more fun to collect than a standard stack of coins.

Each round lasts six tricks, with players collecting loot throughout play and at the end of the round. The game lasts for three rounds, and the player with the most loot ultimately wins the game.

Gameplay

Anyone who’s ever played a trick-taking game will understand the basics of Crits & Tricks. Your general goal in Crits & Tricks is to score the most loot, which is collected by winning tricks and completing quests. Some quests are counter-intuitive to winning tricks, such as playing a D4 dice with a specific suit of cards, so it’s highly unlikely that a player will be motivated to win every trick. Of course, the various values of the dice and the variable win conditions for tricks makes it highly unlikely that a player will win every trick anyways, but sometimes it makes more sense to “lose” a trick to complete a quest because it nets more loot.

At the start of each round, players “summon their strength” by rolling all of their dice behind the screens. Once a dice is rolled, its value is fixed until it is played. However, when the dice is played is left up to the player. Because of the variable win conditions (which reward high values, low values, and even second-highest values), there’s not necessarily a poor set of dice rolls, depending on the suits active during a game. Once everyone rolls dice, four quests are dealt to each player. Every player selects a quest and then passes the remaining quests to the player next to them. This draft selection continues until each player has four quests. Then gameplay starts, with the lead player either being the player with the most loot or the player that rolled the highest on an initiative-determining D20 roll.

From there, gameplay largely plays out as any trick-taking game would with a couple of key differences. For one, when a player chooses what card to play, they also select a dice and play it on top of the card. If they don’t like the value of their dice for some reason, they can choose to re-roll it and have to take the new result. The lead suit determines the win condition – the Barbarian wants the highest dice value, while the Rogue wants the lowest value. Wizards want a value closest to 5, while Druids want the second-highest value. Paladins want the highest value, but only of whatever dice type was played by the lead player. As a wild card, Bards have no specific win condition but instead take the win condition of whatever card they’re meant to represent.

In addition to choosing what card and what dice to play, players can also choose to activate a CRIT ability. Each player can activate up to two CRIT abilities during a round of play. Some CRIT abilities increase or decrease dice values, force other players to re-roll dice, or guarantee a win during a tie. My personal favorite CRIT ability is the Wizard’s Transmute ability, which allows you to swap a player’s current dice with another dice they’ve already played. This allows a player to really maximize a well-rolled dice.

I also like the decision that comes from activating CRIT abilities. They are pulled out of a player’s hand, ultimately removing a card from future play. Not only does a player need to decide when they play a CRIT ability, they also need to decide whether to play a CRIT ability at all, as it ultimately limits their future options on hands. Playing a CRIT ability early might mean they can no longer have the suit they need for a future hand.

Should you buy Crits & Tricks?

Crits & Tricks uses the trappings of a trick-taking game to hide something that involves lots of quick decisions and strategy. Players aren’t really limited by their hand or dice results. Since players score more points by completing quests rather than taking tricks, it’s all about figuring out what plays will net players the most amount of loot in any given round.

The downside to Crits & Tricks is that there are a lot of moving parts, all of which can make a mess of properly preparing a strategy. A CRIT ability can be negated by another player’s counter, and of course there are times where you simply don’t have the lead suit, which automatically eliminates you from a win. There’s no such thing as a dominant hand in Crits & Tricks, but players can easily be prevented from implementing their strategy, which can lead to them scrounging for loot throughout a round.

Crits & Trick is also a fast-paced game, lasting only three rounds, so players who simply don’t have luck on their size can play another game pretty quickly without much problem. I like that gameplay can differ greatly based on which suits are selected for a deck, and I could see future expansions adding new suits into play without much difficulty or cost. Overall, Crits & Tricks combines strategy and luck in a very satisfying way, making for a game that tests both.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

This review was conducted using a product sample provided by the publisher.

For more recommendations on what to play next, be sure to check out the best board games or the best tabletop RPGs.

QD-OLED monitors are really starting to swarm the gaming monitor battlefield, and if this were a Lord of the Rings battle, the 32-inch Philips Evnia 32M2N8900 would be a traditional orc. It smashes its traditional WOLED competition with superior contrast, color accuracy, and peak brightness, but having tested the screen as part of a “nightmare scenario” for the screen tech, it’s easy to see why it now has an enhanced successor that’s effectively an Uruk-hai.

Alright, I’ll drop the dorky Lord of the Rings references and say that the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900 trades blows with the best gaming monitors, but its third-generation QD-OLED panel falls into traditional pitfalls. Notably, you’ll want to stick to the usual light-controlled conditions that help Quantum Dot panels excel, as that will help this screen really shine. If, like me, you decide to pitch up a new monitor testing station right next to a very bright window, though, you will immediately realise why there’s now an enhanced 32M2N8900P model.

I don’t want you to think the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900 isn’t worth looking at, especially if you can find it for the right price. I wouldn’t pay near the same as its “P” successor, but its maturity means you could end up with a Samsung 4K 240Hz QD-OLED panel for much less than alternatives by Dell or even Samsung’s own Odyssey G8. Plus, it’s got some lovely bells and whistles like Ambiglow backlights and a KVM switch, which do felt distract from some of the, in the grand scheme of things, minor caveats.

Philips knows how to make a pretty panel

Gaming monitors should be judged on more than just their panel. That’s a hill I’m willing to die on, as while grabbing a screen with incredible panel capabilities should be a priority, it should also look great when doing absolutely nothing. I feel like Philips understands this assignment, as its Evnia 32M2N8900 model holds onto the elegant design cues of its predecessors to blend in with both garish gaming setups and subtler areas of your living space.

Look, I love screens that stick out like a sore thumb. You’re talking about the person who has a ridiculous CRT TV collection, but sometimes it’s nice to use a screen that looks like a classy, contemporary feature rather than a piece of tech invading your living room or office. These things naturally boil down to subjective taste, but to me, the Evnia 32M2N8900 provides a clean vibe via its silver bottom bezel and marle-effect V-shaped stand.

Both elements work to break up the black (or perhaps purplish, as I’ll get to) abyss of the panel itself, helping it look far more decorative than if it used a big dark pedestal. I imagine you’ll have a better chance of convincing your loved one to let you add this screen to your living room than something in the LG UltraGear or Samsung Odyssey range with their large hexagonal plinths, and the lighter color scheme means it’ll at least look like a monitor for your PS5 if you’ve got one of those already invading.

Cable management conundrums

I enjoy the minimalist, clean vibes of the Evnia 32M2N8900 and its slimline V stand. What I am concerned about is where cables are supposed to hide, as while there’s a natural vertical passthrough on the pedestal itself, you’ll be limited in ways to tuck wires in behind the scenes.

Depending on your setup, the Evnia 32M2N8900 stand and 32-inch panel might be enough to mask just the power cord and a DisplayPort or HDMI cable. Add more than that into the mix, or take advantage of the USB ports, though, and you’ll certainly have some visible wires back there. The fact that it places all the ports under the back hump doesn’t help things directionally, and it will mean having to reroute things upwards and potentially off to the side if you want zero clutter.

There are probably ways you can help the Evnia 32M2N8900 look super clean, but I’ve certainly witnessed better cable management solutions integrated. I wouldn’t say the Evnia 32M2N8900’s lack of cable concealment really spoils the overall package, but it’s worth mentioning for those of you who can’t look past it.

About that glossy screen…

Upon thumbscrewing the stand onto the monitor and plonking it on my living room workspace, I was presented with a familiar, tired-looking face looking back at me. It almost felt like I had a naff alter ego similar to Dark Link, but alas, it was simply my reflection being beamed back at me via the Evnia 32M2N8900’s ridiculously glossy screen.

Yes, I did the one thing you probably shouldn’t do with any QD-OED monitor: set it up next to a very bright window with just straight wilderness letting the sky shine right through. The result is a black mirror effect that, while powered off, actually adds to Philips’ classy silver and marbled elements. The catch is that, when powered on in these conditions, you will have to crank the brightness up fully, and when daylight hits the panel, a traditional polarizer isn’t there to save the blacks from looking purple.

FYI, this is something that impacts even the best QD-OLED models out there, including the semi-glossy Alienware AW2725Q. In truth, I would try to angle even matte screens away from broad daylight, and the ideal environment for Quantum Dot displays is a light-controlled room. Still, I haven’t experienced a mirror effect quite like this since checking out the Dough Spectrum Black 32, and I know it will concern some players that aren’t aware of the optimal setup conditions.

Please spare me from the nub

Okay, look, I get that not every gaming monitor is going to include a remote. However, I’m going to rant whenever I’m made to play around with awkward nipples and nubs to access the OSD. I hope that, one day, a set of wireless buttons isn’t going to be classed as a premium perk, and Philips already proves it can make a nice remote with the larger 42-inch Evnia 42M2N8900.

I’ll concede and admit that as far as OSD controls go, the Evnia 32M2N8900’s square nub isn’t awful. The angled edges help provide some extra definition to presses, whereas rounded joysticks can feel a bit precarious. It helps that the menu itself is pretty clean and traditional, with options relating to elements like image presets, game mode, inputs, and setup dials living in top subheadings that can be clicked down into.

I’d still say that the Evnia 32M2N8900 deserves a remote control, if not simply to help it excel as a console monitor. This model has built-in speakers, so if you’re using it as a high-end 32-inch gaming TV alternative, having quick access to buttons makes sense. I’d even argue that being able to instantly toggle brightness up and down helps when you’re in a room that’s bright during the day since it’ll let you crank things up before toning them down once you’ve got dusk helping the QD-OLED tech.

Not just an Ambiglowing panel peacock

I am fully aware that once a monitor starts presenting you with flashy lighting and other visual tricks, it’s easy to get distracted from the panel meat and potatoes. I’ll circle back to some of the nice extras, as the Ambiglow lighting is a reason to grab the screen. But, there’s little point investing in a 4K 240Hz QD-OLED screen if it isn’t snappy, vibrant, and a cut above some of the now cheaper WOLED screens, and the Evnia 32M2N8900 more than makes the cut.

Credit where credits due, I deliberately put the Evnia 32M2N8900 in a less ideal environment for testing. Again, my current setup is right next to that south-facing window I mentioned, but the screen’s VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 HDR abilities thankfully managed to power through the drenching daylight, and the 250nits SDR brightness is more than adequate too. This, in turn, helped mask the reflections on the glossy display even under bright conditions, meaning the QD-OLED’s caveats are less prominent.

The Evnia 32M2N8900 also demonstrates through its vivid colors and contrast why you’d want a QD-OLED in the first place. Even something like a base PS5 on this punchy panel, it becomes clear that it’s a step above run-of-the-mill OLED monitors, with that glossy screen helping crisp up the edges of visuals while adding depth to the already inky black levels (provided you’re in a light-controlled room).

Perceived sharpness is a touch behind Dell’s absurd Alienware AW2725Q, but that makes sense given this is a 32-inch panel that isn’t striving for 166 pixels per inch. You’re getting 140ppi instead, which is absolutely solid for 4K issues. Numbers aside, everything from PS4 romps like Spyro the Dragon to fully fledged PS5 outings is delightful on this UDH display, and nothing looked noticeably soft while using this screen for slower-paced console outings.

We’re talking about 240Hz, though, so it’s got competitive expectations on its shoulders, albeit looser than if I was testing a 1440p panel that can hit over 500Hz. I typically ease screens into fast-paced tests with upper-end console speeds, and Overwatch feels just as snappy as I’d expect at 120Hz while making use of the Evnia’s 0.03GtG response times.

Yes, those are arguably more noticeable when armed with a mouse over a DualSense, but the experience still feels nice and snappy without any noticeable ghosting, latency, or motion blur. The takeaway here is that you’re getting a top-end feel from Philips’ QD-OLED on console without any noticeable drawbacks compared to other console-friendly monitors harnessing HDMI 2.1.

Switching over to PC, and you can tell the shackles are off at 240Hz. Again, I’m using Overwatch for testing since I’ve got some fps familiarity over other shooters, not to mention it’s easier to max out frame rates using the shooter. Having boosted around as Pharah on plenty of faster panels, I wouldn’t say the difference there is minimal, but I would likely forget the sense of responsiveness those screens provide after a period away from them.

It’s worth noting that there’s a trend of including dual-mode functionalities these days with 4K 240Hz screens that are really handy when trying to hit higher frames by dropping resolution. Those are most beneficial to players who are using GPUs that can comfortably hit way higher refresh rates at 1080p, but need to tone things down at 4K. The Evnia 32M2N8900 is really targeting players who are either simply looking to hit the fastest UHD refresh rate possible, or don’t mind just letting the panel upscale the traditional way in fps games, and that’s still a viable option.

Okay, let’s hit the lights

I’ve already played with Philips’ Ambiglow lightshow with the larger Evnia 42M2N8900, but I’ll dive back into the lighting rig for the new readers. Before you get the wrong idea, this isn’t quite the same thing as the Ambilight LEDs on the back of the company’s TV range, and adds up to a subtler effect with less impressive tracking than the fully fledged feature.

That’s not to say it’s not still thoroughly enjoyable: the Ambilights are bright enough to reflect immersive matching colors onto your wall in most scenarios, making for a perhaps more meaningful RGB experience without having to use a separate kit. That mode is perhaps better suited to darker rooms since the colors aren’t as bright compared to the static, audio-visualizing, or pattern modes, but once you’re in the right environment, it is a neat extra.

If you want something super bright that gives you that wall-drenched effect when watching lightsaber battles, you’ll probably want a kit by the lights of Govee or Nanoleaf. Those do require extra boxes and cameras, though, so I can completely see why the subtler built-in lighting of the Evnia 32M2N8900 is a big draw.

Serviceable speakers round off a nice screen package

I don’t like to put heavy expectations on monitor speakers unless they’re specifically highlighted as a selling point. You’re getting two 5W stereo drivers included with DTS sound, and they’re absolutely fine. If I’m being picky, they’re on the tinny side, just like most basic setups, but I’m glad they’re included for the console players who really just need an all-in-one way to play PS5 or Switch 2 games.

The other main extra, that USB hub with KVM switching, works really well too on the PC side of things. It’ll serve up to 65W Power Delivery, so it’s a nice addition for laptops or even gaming handhelds if you fancy using a Steam Deck OLED as a secondary low-spec platform. It’s a perk that really only usually shows up with premium panels outside of the instances where a Chinese manufacturer outdoes itself and includes it, so that should factor in when looking at discounted Evnia 32M2N8900 options.

Should you pick up the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900?

Even in 2026, the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900 is a stand-out option that, despite succumbing to some of the drawbacks of the tech, hits some really high QD-OLED notes. I am hoping to also test the new Evnia 32M2N8900P version that enhances the experience with a fourth-gen panel, combating some of the caveats of the panel, but the original is still relevant right now if you can grab it for the right price.

Yes, I would only really go for the Evnia 32M2N8900 for a chunk under its MSRP, and that should be the case if you find it available in your region. The full tag should be reserved for the new version, but if you go for the slightly older model to save cash, you’re still going to end up with striking Quantum Dot visuals that provide vibrant OLED results by way of a glossy screen, and extras like the Ambilight LEDs and KVM USB switching give this display heaps of value potential.

The only people I reckon should completely avoid the Evnia 32M2N8900, or most other QD-OLEDs out there, are those of you who hate reflections. I personally think it adds to the classiness when powered off, but if you’ll always be playing in a brightly lit room, those reflections will drive you bananas.

How I tested the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900

For a month, I used the Evnia 32M2N8900 as my main monitor for gaming and productivity. During specific testing sessions, I used both the PS5 and a PC to assess sharpness, brightness, vibrancy, and HDR abilities while assessing the speed and latency of the 4K 240Hz panel using games like Overwatch.

For more information on how we test gaming monitors, check out our full GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Swing by the best monitors for PS5 for panels that pack a console punch.

I've unwisely let my inventory fill up, even as The Sinking City 2 bleeds my ammunition. I'm back-tracking, but the road back to the safe room is long, and more writhing, water-logged, bloated undead lunge at me through half-flooded spaces than were there previously. Before I can make it to safety and combine resources from my item box to concoct more ammunition or healing items, a new enemy type unceremoniously appears and throws me across the room. Screaming, I unload any remaining bullets into whichever part of its fishy skin looks to be a weak spot. The Sinking City 2 truly has the survival horror juice to be in conversation with modern Resident Evil and Silent Hill entries.

The Sinking City 2 is clearly influenced by both those horror series. At times, it feels like a love letter to iconic survival horror moments, and it wisely lifts some of their best features – from Resident Evil 2 remake's color-coded maps for the item-hungry, to an early section set in the flooded streets of Arkham that reminds me of wandering through Silent Hill 2 remake's urban early hours. Inventory management, safe rooms, and item boxes are present – including crafting recipes that share resources between ammo and health, meaning you have to make agonizing decisions about what you most need to press further into the unknown. Yet, The Sinking City 2 uses its Lovecraftian, cosmic horror theming to push beyond its contemporaries.

Sinking feeling

So much of what makes the best survival horror games great, after all – is the not knowing. It's what made considering when to use the titular gun in Resident Evil Requiem such a thrill in its early hours, after all. Yet, I'm now so familiar with Resident Evil and Silent Hill games that even in new entries I largely know what to expect.

The beauty of The Sinking City 2 on a first playthrough is that I don't, despite the familiar genre touchstones. This may be a sequel, but its predecessor was an open world detective game that mechanically shares very little with this one. In fact, for all of that game's neat ideas it was rather clunky – especially whenever it forced you into combat. While The Sinking City 2 has a respect for classic survival horror, it feels wonderfully modern to play, with reactive movement and solid gunplay that makes it easy to jump from other genre contemporaries to this – more of a Resident Evil 2 remake-like than a Resident Evil 2-like.

The set-up is simple. When something goes wrong during a dream ritual conducted by occultist partners and lovers Calvin Rafferty and Faye Bennett, only Cal wakes up. Searching for a cure for his slumbering love thrusts him into probing the dark corners of Arkham as it's gripped by a supernatural flood that brings horrors from the depths. The only non-evacuees sticking around, Cal included, have some serious issues.

Faye still has a strong presence on the story, and the pair's largely positive devotion to one another almost feels subversive for survival horror – closer to Rick and Evelyn from the '90s Mummy than any relationship in Silent Hill. It also means that despite the cosmic weirdness haunting Arkham, Calvin is gung-ho and ready to accept whatever new threats appear with a sort of morbid curiosity. These bodies alive now? They alive now.

The Slither – a gross cross between big slugs and eels – power the many base zombie-ish foes Calvin will have to navigate through on his quest for forbidden knowledge. Worming their way into dead bodies, they re-animate them and then stumble, sprint, and tumble towards you, with even basic enemies able to cause devastating damage if you fall into their clutches.

Headshots are not the way forward here. Instead, once active, The Slither will form up as pus-filled mounds on flesh, meaning weak spots can appear on any part of an enemy. On normal difficulty, they twitch around enough where it can be quite hard to take out even a couple of Slither, let alone a group. This is a great mechanic for the most part, though at times waiting for a new pus boil to emerge can feel a bit artificially annoying. Plenty of moments throughout The Sinking City 2, ammo and health feels scarce enough to the point I have to seriously consider which enemies are worth blasting out of my way or simply trying to dodge my way around.

Because, even when felled, The Slither can keep coming. Even now, I don't fully understand how this works, but the wormy abominations that burst forth from a defeated enemy can dart across to a new corpse to animate, making some areas feel like slaughterhouses with how many Slither keep coming. A stomping melee attack can be used on enemies who fall to the ground (shooting their legs is always an option), but can also crush Slither, potentially stopping them from continuing to find new hosts.

But, there's also so many Slither writhing on the floor of some areas that the active ones can be hard to spot. Does crushing inactive Slither before enemies appear help at all, or is only the ones already in bodies that are a problem? Joyously, I don't know for sure, and while exploring some of The Sinking City 2's denser areas which have plenty of item-juggling back-tracking I was always delightfully on edge. I probably screamed more at this than playing Resident Evil 4 remake or Silent Hill f. I wouldn't consider this better than either in totality – but good old fashioned survival horror squealing certainly means something.

Maze runner

The bulk of The Sinking City 2 revolves around exploring a sequence of big areas that pleasingly spiral into complicated spaces filled with themed keys, puzzles, and a large amount of optional upgrades to find. Some of these tip the fedora to its predecessor, a detective mind-map allowing you to pin clues obtained from written notes in order to suss out, say, how to activate a mysterious obelisk behind a church, or how a collection of stuffed fish relates to a safe code.

It's always worth going out of your way to fully explore each side-area and obtain upgrades, from precious inventory expansions to whole new weapons. But, they often involve well-designed moments of back-tracking.

Almost every moment spent retreading steps throws something new at you, from spooking you with exploding bulbs or lightly forcing you to re-navigate around new rubble, to new waves of enemies emerging that you'll likely want to duck past as you make one final sprint to nab your goodies from an area you know you can leave behind you once the deed is done. If there's nothing in the way, you can be sure there will be something on the way back. Rather than rote, the well-timed dialing up of pressure is wonderful, and often audacious enough to have solid horror impact rather than feel annoying.

By the time you near the end of The Sinking City 2's largest areas in the middle of the game, each one teems with ridiculous threats snapping at your heels. I'd definitely recommend finding a difficulty where this works for you rather than gunning your way through (after all, that's what the many Resident Evil-like post-game unlocks can be used for – allowing unlimited ammo for certain weapons and the like).

The Sinking City 2's zones feel quite delineated, each spotlighting its own ideas more distinctly than I'd imagined during my early hours playing. Cal's boat, used to navigate flooded streets throughout which he has to investigate small areas to raise floodgates, a mechanical nod to the first game, is only used in the very first area of the game. A later hospital, meanwhile, adds biopunk-style face locks to explore a different theme beyond just horrors from the deep. For the most part this works well, though areas can at times feel a bit divorced from what came before, and I'd like to have seen a bit more wrung out of some of these ideas – especially the boat. But, perhaps that's better than overstaying its welcome.

The Sinking City 2 works less well whenever it throws you into a mandatory gauntlet of enemies or a boss battle. These moments can feel deadly at first, but you quickly get used to cruising for constantly appearing item boxes for more resources and filling enemies with lead – and they almost take the sting out of the tail of some of these otherwise intimidating foes. I understand Frogwares wouldn't want to risk players softlocking like in Resident Evil: Code Veronica, but I wish there was a way for these narratively dangerous moments to feel as dangerous as the, well, regular bits where I'm huffing and puffing through hallways as monsters moan and gurgle down my neck.

They're not problems suffered by The Sinking City 2 alone, though. Most survival horror games struggle with power curves and sticking the landing. But, it's the terrific moments of unease that'll stick with me, nervously pushing through Arkham's ruins as I struggle to understand what Cal is even trying to survive. Considering I really did not like its predecessor's combat sections, I was nervous when Frogwares announced it was pivoting to full survival horror here. But, my dark dreams have been answered – despite the odd misstep The Sinking City 2 works phenomenally well, bursting with forbidden ideas that its survival horror contemporaries could do with learning from. I have a new favorite survival horror series to follow.

The Sinking City 2 was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publisher.

Want more horror? Check out the best Resident Evil games and the best Silent Hill games for more to keep you up at night!

Should you play The Sinking City 2?

Play it if...

You love modern-style survival horror

Definitely in conversation with recent Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, The Sinking City 2's dense maps filled with locks and puzzles feel great to work through in much the same way as the genre's latest and greatest.

You're a cosmic horror fan

While blasting back at the unknowable isn't 100% in-keeping with Lovecraft literature, the unsettling vibes of cosmic horror remain intact here. If you know your stuff, there's plenty of neat references to the lore throughout, as well as fresh twists.

Don't play it if…

You like detective games, not survival horror

Considering its predecessor is all about open world detective work, you'd be forgiven for expecting that here. Instead, The Sinking City 2 centers on playing through a sequence of survival horror areas, with very light detective theming compared to the original.

You don't like Lovecraftian-style, eldritch horror

The Sinking City 2 has its own spin on Lovecraftian lore, but it still centers on unknowable, watery abominations from the deep. If slippery, watery slug things re-animating dead bodies doesn't vibe with you, this is unlikely to change your mind.

How does The Sinking City 2 compare to the first game, and other Frogwares games?

The Sinking City 2 gameplay is very different to The Sinking City and Frogwares' Sherlock Holmes games, but there are some similarities. Both this sequel and its predecessor, for instance, are set in cities dealing with a supernatural flood. But, while The Sinking City 2 has a detective theme for puzzle solving, it's only a side activity, and the bulk of the game revolves around traditional Resident Evil-style survival horror set within a sequence of levels.

With that said, this feels like the developer's most polished and confident work to date. The Sinking City 2 feeling different isn't a bad thing at all, but it's worth keeping in mind if you are looking for something more in-line with their previous titles.

How does The Sinking City 2 compare to other survival horror games?

The Sinking City 2 has a lot of its own twists on survival horror that come through its Lovecraftian theme, but largely the game feels like a fusion of modern Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, close in action to Resident Evil 2 remake and Silent Hill 2 remake respectively. At times this feels a bit lower budget, but for the most part it stands strong against those other great games, as The Sinking City 2 is a slick game to play through.

With blue and red color coded rooms on the map with in-character annotations, limited inventory space, safe rooms, and item boxes, previous survival horror game knowledge will serve you well here. But, enough feels fresh that The Sinking City 2 doesn't feel like a genre retread, either.

Mortal Shell 2 is a game about a ripped monster-man who looks like they just wandered off the set of Prometheus. This fellow likes to leap into and possess special corpses – the 'mortal shells' of the title – to spy on their memories and play with their superpowers. Amazingly, it only gets weirder from there. More importantly, it's also great fun, and a superior sequel to Mortal Shell in almost every way.

True, it's yet another Soulslike that's copied a lot of Fromsoftware's homework. So, melee combat is brutal but supremely satisfying, dying means you only get one chance to collect all your levelling up currency, it's a dark fantasy world that's seen better days, yada yada yada.

Shell to pay

But, this sequel makes inspired changes immediately. In the original Mortal Shell you moved at a pace that would embarrass snails. Now, you might as well be playing as a Ferrari. Stamina management has also been nixed entirely. You can dodge, attack, and – praise the gaming gods – sprint as much as you like. Soulslike purists may be spitting blood right now, but it gives Mortal Shell 2 its own speedy flavor that's heavenly after the wading-through-molasses slowpokery of the original.

That shot of speed pairs nicely with a game that constantly throws ideas and surprises at you, some pleasingly silly. Oh, it still takes its bizzaro main narrative seriously, don't you worry. But it also contains a library full of killer books throwing themselves off the shelves at you, and a fight with a wizard who messes with the game's controls. It opens with a riff on Ari Aster's Midsommar (seriously) and has beaten Playground's Fable to the punch of calling me a "twat" by a year.

Instead of fretting about stamina, you have a bar of 'resolve', which you replenish with successful melee strikes. Resolve powers the game's many combat treats. Once you've found enough equipable tarstones by exploring its world – nowhere near as vast as Elden Ring's, but still plenty big – you can use resolve to power devastating special attacks and add debuffs like poison to your melee strikes and to the shots from the firearm now living on your hip. There's some brilliant death-dealing toys to be found, and since certain shells can't be equipped with certain stones, it encourages you to keep switching them out.

The mortal shells are hidden throughout the world and make for an excellent motivation to explore every crevice of it. One is a master of stealth, perfect for when you just want to run through a nightmare area to hopefully get your dropped level-up currency back. Another shell is covered in enough armor to let you tank swarms of rank-and-file enemies. Incredibly useful, especially as Mortal Shell 2 increasingly enjoys swarming you with multiple foes, the cad. Another shell likes to restore his health by chowing down on a human heart. OK then.

Best of all, each new shell comes with a new skill tree to play with. Proxima has a hookshot that yanks enemies towards her – or, if they're too chunky, her towards them – and gives them a nasty electric shock in the process. This can also be upgraded so that every time she uses it, she becomes 1% more effective against that enemy permanently, which quickly racks up. A fantastic solution for when you've hit a brick wall with the game and just want a Hades-like bit of perma-progress each time to get you over the edge.

You also unlock playable flashbacks for the shells as you upgrade them. They're fun little micro-dramas with some pleasingly surreal twists. I've played tons of Soulslikes but I'm pretty sure this is the first one to make me fight a giant bottle symbolising alcoholism (subtle!).

Not to sound shallow but it's also a real looker. The frequent sections in black and white make for such glorious eye-candy that I sorta wish the whole game had committed to that aesthetic. A new camera angle frames all these visual treats as epically as possible. Clearly inspired by the last couple of God of War games, the camera leans in far closer now, making the action more intense and visually dramatic.

This doesn't come without cost, unfortunately. Just like God of War, the game has to rely on big red marks on the screen to tell you that enemies are just outside your field of vision (you can turn these off, but probably shouldn't).

And occasionally, when cornered or a little too close to a wall, the camera panics and gives you the most unhelpful view of the action possible. Doesn't happen constantly, but happens enough to make you consider changing to a less cinematic but more clear angle, something you can thankfully do in the options.

Camera freakouts aside, my only major issue is that Mortal Shell 2's power set can be generous to a fault. The most difficult boss I faced was about ten hours into the game, where I spent two hours furiously reattempting this speedy git who loved crushing me with a big wheel.

That's not a complaint. Being smacked around by a boss in one of these games until I finally get the upper hand is basically my happy place. But eventually I found a tarstone that gave me an attack where I leapt into the air, then came crashing down on the enemy for huge damage. Upgrade it and it does stagger damage, which fills a bar that can let you do an almighty finishing move. Upgrade it again and that stagger damage hits anything nearby, too. Did I mention I'm also untouchable when airborne when I use this?

Frankly, bosses should not be tolerating this nonsense. They should be yanking me out of the sky, slamming me to the floor, and demanding I fight them properly. I'm in a New Game Plus run now (and it does warrant a replay, mainly to see every shell's story) and have forced myself to bury that stone in my inventory. I'm having fun and enjoying a meatier challenge, but it's annoying to pour so many resources into an upgrade only to realize you've snapped the difficulty curve in two.

If you do want more challenge, there's an NPC who can turn the world to nightfall which makes all the enemies stronger and drop better rewards. Now, I don't know if you've ever been out at night but it makes things a lot harder to see. This is a world of sheer cliffs with sudden drops and easily-missed secrets, and I found navigating it in the dark more an exercise in frustration than a compelling test of skill. You're probably better off frequently swapping out shells and weapons you find to keep the challenge up. Fingers crossed for a patch that balances things better.

That's a fair bit of moaning for a four star review, but rest assured the game earns a recommendation. It's one of the finest Elden Ring-a-likes yet, and a lovely apology from GamesRadar+ after they made me suffer through a Code Vein 2 review earlier this year. Mortal Shell 2 is a bizarre, surprisingly funny, beautifully-made Soulslike with such terrific sights to show you. If you also have the ability to leap into and possess people's corpses, you could do a lot worse than jumping into one who owned a copy of this.

Mortal Shell 2 was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

Want more tough adventuring? Check out our best Soulslike games ranking!

While I usually don't like to date reviews too much, I'd be hard-pressed not to mention that we're experiencing a time when just about every aspect of gaming is getting more expensive. Consoles continue to get price hikes, and finding SSDs and storage for a reasonable amount of cash is almost unheard of, so it makes sense that anyone after one of the best gaming headsets may not want to spend a fortune. If that sounds like a familiar scenario, then the Corsair HS35 V3 might be up your street.

The wireless version I've reviewed today is just $79.99 / £69.99, and provides more than enough to warrant its MSRP. You've got wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4GHz wireless support, compatibility with a range of platforms including the PC and PS5, and it's an absolute joy to have on the head. The pair doesn't do quite enough to knock my favorite sub-$100 pick out of my gaming accessory rotation, but it's easily become one of my new go-to budget recommendations to date.

Key specs

Design

This is the third iteration of the HS35 (if you didn't already surmise from the 'V3' tacked on to its name), and Corsair chose to model it more after the second release. I'm pretty glad they did, as I much prefer the pill-shaped earcups over what came before.

For this over-ear, closed pair, the exterior of each cup features the Corsair logo printed on a recessed and textured circular pad. It's a purely aesthetic choice, as the design isn't textured enough to form a good grip, but it looks pretty swell all things considered. But then again, I'm always pretty privy to the look of the brand's headsets - the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless and its space-age metal look is still up there amongst my favorites in the brand's repertoire.

For this review, I was provided with the White version, but the pair is also available in Carbon black, and there's a cheaper £39.99 / $49.99 wired version available in the same two-color combos. The white version contrasts nicely with the grey soft fabric ear pads and matching floating headband. When it comes to color, that's pretty much all she wrote, as there's no RGB lighting to be found on this new Corsair release.

Features

As far as features go, the HS35 V3 keeps things pretty simple. There are 50mm neodymium audio drivers powering these cups, with a sound that can be personalized with Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio (via the PC Dolby Atmos app). There's no iCue connectivity here, which is ideal for those who aren't big fans of Corsair's proprietary software and want to keep software bloat to a minimum.

Besides the sound, Corsair has included a detachable omnidirectional microphone, up to 30 hours of battery life, and Tri-mode connectivity. The cups come packaged with a USB-C cable for charging and wired connectivity, along with a two-part wireless dongle. The dongle is a USB-A adapter and USB-C port in one, and the USB-C part neatly attaches to the side to form one of the handiest and most compact wireless transmitters I've ever used. And trust me, I've used a lot.

Performance

Before I started testing, I made sure to toggle off any 'Audio Enhancements' via Windows 11's sound settings. By default, these can render the Dolby Atmos app entirely useless. If you just bought the HS35 V3, or have any other headsets that rely on Dolby Atmos, I highly recommend you check that you haven't got any silly Windows settings interfering with your personalization. Ah, the joys of Windows.

The existence of the Dolby Atmos app is why I chose to start with PC testing; that and the fact that it was incredibly handy for GamesRadar+ purposes. Its plug-and-play attitude made it my go-to choice when chatting to the rest of the hardware team about what we were getting up to, and it's likely going to make appearances in many more Google Team meetings to come. For gaming, it doesn't provide a sound mighty enough to knock the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Omni off my desk, but it was still pretty marvelous.

By default, there's a lot of power going on. The HS35 V3 can get plenty loud, and it was a relief after testing the unfathomably quiet Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay. From the get-go, there's a pretty evenly levelled sound to low, mid, and high frequencies too. The Counter-Strike 2 title screen jingle sounded pretty fantastic for one, though it did feel like it was missing that oomph I always strive for when it comes to headsets or headphones of any calibre. Equipping the 'Warm' Game setting in Dolby Atmos helped rectify that pretty fast, and it even made bullets feel just that much more impactful.

Luckily for me, a lot of those were being fired into the enemy and not at me, as the spatial audio tech helped me flank down folk pretty fast. Additionally, I made sure to load up Marvel Rivals on Steam to see how it meshed with the Corsair cups. Ensuring the 'Warm' setting was on to boost the bass and lower frequencies equally helped even out the soundscape with NetEase Games' hero shooter. When it came to playing the PS5 version of the game, I did noticeably miss its more rounded-off sound, particularly as it helped the backing music and sound effects of my pulsating Invisible Woman attacks mesh together in a more cohesive way.

That's not to say the HS35 V3 sounded bad with its default audio on the Sony console. It was just audibly missing that extra creamy sound, which, when you factor in that Dolby Atmos is only available on PC platforms, leads me to recommend it for PC players above all else. I ended up using the cups for music the most out of everything, as its super lightweight 250g form factor and easy setup made it easy to pop on and off. Any time I wanted to have a little alt-rock disco to myself at my desk while listening to Garbage's self-titled 1995 album, or head-bop to the pop, bassy stylings of Troye Sivan's 'One Of Your Girls', the HS35 V3 got the job done. Of course, having Dolby Atmos's app in my corner helped just as much as it did for gaming.

I made sure to toggle on the 'Warm' setting under the 'Music' subheading to crank up the bass, and that made them a dream for pretty much all of my most liked tracks on Spotify. Regrettably, I didn't have the app at my disposal for listening to music on the go, so I left these at home. But I've been seriously considering swapping out my SteelSeries Arctis Game Buds for this headset for my weekend music-filled train journeys regardless.

Of course, if I were, I'd have to make sure to leave the microphone at home. Thankfully, that's an easy feat as it's detachable, which is how I personally like my microphones to be. I also like them to be easily adjustable, and Corsair has that down pat, as the boom arm is made from a bendy metal arm, which actually stays in place. There's nothing more infuriating than a headset microphone that flails around in your peripheral vision.

As you can hear from the sample above, the microphone in question sounds pretty great. It was louder than I had hoped, so you may want to tweak your audio settings before joining in on a game of Big Walk, or, in my case, Marvel Rivals, with your mates. However, just like the Corsair Void Wireless V2 review, I was yet again impressed by the brand's mic quality.

Should you buy the Corsair HS35 V3 wireless gaming headset?

The Corsair HS25 V3 is not the most revolutionary new headset, but it's a less-than-$100 pair that's super comfortable, looks great, sounds pretty fabulous, and just does the job. If you're specifically looking at options below that price mark, it's definitely one I'd recommend picking up, particularly if you're a PC die-hard and aren't too fussed about its minimal EQ options.

Is it my favorite sub-$100 option out there? Technically no, if you can find the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless on sale. The 3 Wireless retails for $109.99, but is prone to discounts that mark its price down to below that sweet $100 spot. Much like the HS35 V3, it's a no-fuss pair that's compatible with the PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and more, but it has the benefit of having SteelSeries' app to back it up.

With no iCue support and the Dolby Atmos app on Windows being your only source of audio customization, console players are not going to be able to take full advantage of the HS35 V3. Meanwhile, you can use the SteelSeries phone app to tailor the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless's sound to your liking and select from hundreds of game audio presets. That's why it remains my top value headset pick, but should you not dig SteelSeries' vibes, Corsair's HS35 V3 is a valid alternative.

Plus, the built-in "headset connected" voice is one of the nicest I've heard on a piece of tech, if you should care about those things.

How I tested the Corsair HS35 V3 wireless gaming headset

To get the full lay of the land of what the Corsair HS35 V3 had to offer, I used the headset for a little over two weeks. Whether I was chatting to co-workers in meetings, catching up with friends on Discord, or playing on my PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, the headset was with me. On PC, this meant using it get good at Counter-Strike 2, Marvel Rivals, and Dispatch. Meanwhile, on the PS5, I used the pair to see how it compared with the console version of Marvel Rivals, Doom Eternal, and Lego Batman Legacy of The Dark Knight.

When it came to the Switch 2, I tested it alongside the usual testing games of choice, from Mario Kart World to Donkey Kong Bananza, as well as Splatoon Raiders and Final Fantasy 14. When not gaming, I turned up the volume and blasted out bands like Garage, Biffy Clyro, and Boards of Canada on Spotify. I also used the headset to catch up on new additions to Netflix, including the documentary A Toxic Love Story. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

Check out our best PS5 headset, best PC headset for gaming, and best Nintendo Switch headset guides to see how we rank the Corsair HS35 V3 against the best cups on the market today.

Dead bodies. Danger. A small-town conspiracy. A grizzled vet and a plucky upstart trying to crack the case.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

At first glance, Lanterns treads old, murderous ground in the 'backwater' of Rushville, Nebraska after a mass shooting at a high school football game. The grimy tendrils of True Detective, Top of the Lake, and even Fargo stretch out in familiar fashion across the grounded superhero detective show's first seven episodes.

But then, a flash of green light and we're suddenly stepping into the territory of two sets of three letters: HBO and – perhaps more intriguingly for comic book fans and crime aficionados alike – the DCU.

Those hungry for a prestige procedural, as fans of the channel that brought us The Wire and Mare of Easttown can rest easy, even if they may be quick to raise an eyebrow over its DC trappings.

The origins of the incumbent Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler, in superbly irascible form throughout) – essentially a space cop, with jurisdiction over Earth in 'Sector 2814' – are wisely breezed over in favor of Lanterns' magnetic not-so-buddy-buddy cop dynamic.

Hal, world-weary and just as quick with a vicious barb as he is at manifesting green-hued matter through his Lantern ring, has been in the job for decades by the time we meet him in 2016. There, he descends on a town filled with upstanding law enforcement, suspicious benefactors, and a John Dutton-esque patriarch in the shape of Garrett Dillahunt's fearsome cowboy William Macon.

In Hal's rear-view mirror is his trainee: hungry young lion John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), all restless charisma and eager to prove he's more than a "backup quarterback."

In brightest day...

A promising premise if ever there was one, only bolstered by an all-star creative team (Ozark's Chris Mundy, Watchmen and The Leftovers' Damon Lindelof, and comic book legend Tom King) injecting the sort of narrative momentum that puts most glacially-paced miniseries to shame.

In Lanterns, cliffhangers are sudden and meaningful. Each episode ends on a beat that will make the week-long gap between new entries excruciating and exciting in equal measure.

The plot, too, moves with such immediacy that you'll scarcely have time to take in the vivid and sharply-drawn wider cast, including Kelly Macdonald as the perma-conflicted Sheriff Kane and Laura Linney as a matter-of-fact Guardian of the Universe pulling strings in the background (not to be confused with James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, it should be said).

One mid-season episode could even be mistaken for a finale; such is the speed the investigation – which soon introduces an alien race familiar to DC fans – unspools and later resolves itself.

Thrillingly, the writers appear to have thrown plot armor to the wayside, too. Rushville is a nasty, odd, and lethal place to live – and Lanterns makes that known at every turn.

It's a brave and bold approach which, from the jump, turns this DC adventure from a twist on standard comic book fare into HBO's most dangerous show since Boardwalk Empire or classic Game of Thrones. At any given juncture, no one is safe, and Big Moments can happen at any time.

But this isn't just about the crime; it's mostly about the characters. In Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Lanterns couldn't have chosen a better pairing. It also ensures any danger of the HBO series falling into comfortable, uninspired genre rhythms is soon swept away in favor of exploring the fiery side to the duo's relationship – and a shared history that, admittedly, dilutes the uniqueness of how Green Lanterns are chosen. More on that in a moment.

Not only does the pair being at constant loggerheads scratch the Rust Cohle and Marty Hart itch we've been clamoring for ever since True Detective's first season, it skilfully turns expectations on what a hero truly is in this fledgling universe on its head.

This isn't Superman's good-natured intentions, nor is it a flawed Supergirl or Guy Gardner's cocky bluster. Lanterns teases something far richer, the sort of emotional complexities that can only be drawn out by spending eight hours with our protagonists. There are even shades of Damon Lindelof's Watchmen in how Lanterns subtly confronts deep-rooted race issues in America alongside Hal's rapidly decaying sense of self-worth.

...in darkest night

Yet, it's not all perfect. There are times, particularly in an oddly-placed third episode that over-explains John Stewart's backstory, where Lanterns loses faith in itself and attempts to outwit an imaginary comic book audience.

In a series of events that will likely rankle with a dyed-in-the-wool DC pack, Green Lanterns lore is twisted, reframing John's lay-up of a hero's journey as a faintly unpalatable 'destiny' that robs him of most agency and comes dangerously close to a dual act of character assassination for both John and Hal, who also has an indirect part to play in John's childhood.

Those misdemeanors, though, are mild and don't derail the show – even if the lack of faith partially betrays Lanterns' primary mission of frontloading narrative shocks amid a surprisingly restrained use of CGI and color.

Yes, let's talk about the green elephant in the room. No, Lanterns is not a wide-eyed spectacle that looks like it's leapt off the pages of Geoff Johns' classic Green Lantern run. Its palette is frequently brown, muddy, and muted. Nor does it come close to approaching cosmic territory, save for a sprinkling of Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) that feels almost unfair in both how good it is and how infrequently the DC supervillain is deployed.

But does it matter? Absolutely not. This is, in many ways, a deliberate departure from 2011's Green Lantern movie. Not that you'll be thinking about the Ryan Reynolds bomb here. You'll be too busy getting lost in a captivating mystery, drenched in subtle character work and wrapped around a masterful Hal/John dynamic that almost begs to be wrung dry across multiple seasons.

Dead bodies. Danger. A small-town conspiracy. You know the rest. Yes, we've been here before. Lanterns, though, is a fascinating blend of comic book caper and murder mystery. Its core pairing of Hal Jordan and John Stewart – despite some controversial deviations from their traditional origins – crackles with tension and genuine physical threat in a manner that feels novel to both the superhero genre and the many detective shows it successfully emulates.

Better yet, it's a confident story being told at a time when the foundations of the DCU are at their shakiest. After all, Supergirl faltered big time at the box office, and James Gunn's post-Man of Tomorrow plans have not yet materialized. The DCU needed this win.

Whether it's in brightest day or blackest night for the DCU, Lanterns is guaranteed to be a shining beacon of light among its superhero TV contemporaries – and close to essential viewing, whether you're a DC fan or otherwise.

Lanterns airs on HBO and HBO Max Sunday, August 16 in the US and on HBO Max in the UK on August 17.

For more on what that means for you, check out our Lanterns release schedule.

Mario's younger brother is often stuck in second place compared to his more popular sibling, but not with the Lego Luigi & Mach 8 set. This model gives him the spotlight he deserves.

Honestly, this is a great model. Is it going to top a list of the best Lego sets any time soon? No, because I think the Mario equivalent looks just that little bit better. It's also more iconic. But considering how excellent Lego Luigi & Mach 8 is, that says a lot about the quality of the company's recent Mario kits. This is a fantastic design.

Lego Luigi & Mach 8 features

This is the second of Lego's 18+ Mario Kart display models; it follows hot on the heels of the Lego Mario & Standard Kart design from 2025. Rather than putting Luigi in another bog-standard vehicle, though, it gives him the kart he was closely associated with in Mario Kart 8 marketing – the Mach 8. This was introduced in the aforementioned game and feels like a jet turbine with wheels (it's got excellent speed but poor handling). This model nods to that idea with 'flames' pouring from the back.

Actually, it has a need for speed in general. The wheels move so it's able to 'drive' along, and they can actually be turned using the steering wheel itself.

As for Luigi, he's made to scale with the previous Mario set and seems roughly in line with Lego The Mighty Bowser. Don't expect him to stand alongside his brother and greatest foe, however. Luigi's legs are locked into a sitting position.

Build

Putting this model together was a more sedate experience than I'd expected. Despite the size, it doesn't bog you down with too many small pieces; you should be able to rattle through it quickly. It took me between five and six hours to finish.

OK, there are a couple of tricky bits around the head and face that require patience. But otherwise, it's a very straightforward build. Even if you're new to Lego or haven't made sets in years, you won't struggle with this one.

Design

It turns out that Lego's excellent Mario & Standard Kart set wasn't a fluke, because this one is equally great. So many large-scale Lego figures squat in the uncanny valley (remember the "I've seen things" Chewbacca, or even Lego Pikachu and Poke Ball?), but not Luigi. It's a dead ringer for the character despite being made of blocks and bricks.

Frankly, this is Lego showing off. The only thing that'd make it better is the option to straighten his legs so you can have a Luigi figure standing beside his brother and Bowser.

Actually, that's a lie; the only other thing it needs is the option to swap out his eyes to create the Death Stare Luigi meme. I mean, c'mon. It's low-hanging fruit, and would be the cherry atop the cake.

Should you buy Lego Luigi & Mach 8?

If you're building a collection of Lego Mario kits, have the Mario & Standard Kart already, or adore Luigi, this model is a no-brainer. If you're trying to find a great display piece, it's also a winner; it's characterful and looks fantastic on a shelf, whether on its display stand or just stood on the wheels.

If you just want one Mario Kart (or Super Mario-themed) set and don't adore Luigi, though, I'd suggest Mario instead. It's very similar and manages all the same tricks, but is more iconic.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Lego Luigi & Mach 8

This review was made using a kit supplied by the manufacturer.

I spent roughly a week on and off making Lego Luigi & Mach 8, mostly at the kitchen table or on the sofa while watching TV. I made sure to take note of any highlights or problem areas during the build so I could better make a verdict. If you want a more exact idea of how our testing process works, check out the full GamesRadar+ review policy.

As for myself, I've been building Lego since I was a child in the '90s (one of the first models I remember making was the Arwing from the Star Fox SNES game). Professionally speaking, I've written news, features, and reviews about Lego for over seven years.

This isn't the only great model based on a beloved Nintendo icon; Lego Eevee is hands down one of our favorite Pokemon sets.

Scuf recently launched its second PS5 controller, the Omega. But looking at it, I could only see a very clear resemblance to the brand's PC controller from a few years ago. As it happens, the Envision Pro has always eluded my testing bench until now, so now that the PS5 model is out, it makes for an interesting time to finally go hands-on with it.

When you look at the Envision Pro, you can see a PS5 controller that never was. I'm very curious to know the story behind this, because without a PlayStation button and official licensing for Sony's console, this thing is a deadringer for the Omega that launched this year. I wonder if the brand had difficulties securing licensing for it at the time, and the Envision Pro ended up being a PC-only venture that had always been geared toward PlayStation's ecosystem.

Either way, for the $169.99 / £169.99 it retails for, it offers a lot of unique charm. It has four back buttons, a magnetic faceplate you can swap out at will, Hall sticks, and perhaps its most standout feature, additional side buttons for you to map. I've loved these on other controllers, and have been so keen to try them out here. Unfortunately, what should be the biggest reason for me to recommend you the Envision Pro is the exact reason I'd probably tell you to steer clear of it.

Design

If you caught my manager Tabitha reviewing the Scuf Omega in recent months, you can go ahead and skip this section of the review. Literally without the PlayStation branding and some renewed designs, this is the same controller, which makes the Envision Pro feel a little surplus to requirements now, if I'm honest. With PlayStation and PC support, as well as extra bells and whistles, you might as well pay for the new model. That said, if you have no interest in PS5 compatibility, this could be a cheaper option.

There are accents and design points here that scream PlayStation, but without the licensing, it becomes a tad uncanny. For example, there are symmetrical thumbsticks, which is excellent for giving the Envision Pro its own identity and appeal to folks who prefer this thumbstick configuration and don't feel represented in the PC controller market.

But far weirder is the glaring space in the middle of its face where a touchpad should be. Surely, even if the story went that this was supposed to be the Omega a few years earlier, Scuf could have just committed to the bit and thrown its own touchpad or interface into the middle of the pad instead? Without one there, it's so obvious that something was supposed to be there, so you feel like you've been robbed of what the product designers actually wanted to give you.

Of course, this is a Scuf pad, so that means talking about its design is a little difficult. All of this brand's products now come with magnetic faceplates, which means you can swap them out for other designs if you so wish. You can also perform a full custom color sweep and design the controller of your dreams. There's a lovely selection of colorways outwith going full custom though, and despite my qualms about the missing touchpad, I do think this is a bloody good-looking controller.

I'm also happy to report that Scuf's best-in-the-biz grip texture is present on the Envision Pro too. It's got that embossed, rubberized, hex-shaped texture dotted all over the grips that means it's a joy to hold. There's plenty of room for all four of my fingers to wrap around them and grip comfortably, and the back button placement is ingenious, creating a small nook for my middle fingers where, in theory, a twitch should be able to actuate either one.

Features

Speaking of which, the Scuf Envision Pro features four back buttons, but as mentioned, these aren't set out vertically like a lot of other pro controllers, with one pair obviously on top of the other. Instead, they're set almost level but angled in opposite directions. This means they're designed for you to use them with your middle finger as opposed to your middle and ring fingers, and that would work wonders, but the way these buttons have been designed lets them down.

The "top" back buttons are mostly fine. They're angled microswitches that click in really easily, and I don't have too much of an issue with them. Unfortunately, the other extra buttons create an ergonomic mismatch that becomes the Envision Pro's self-sabotaging flaw.

The "bottom" buttons are angled, plastic panels that feel as though they want to be magnetic back paddles like the ones found on the Gulikit KK3 Max, but they're too rigid and wrapped too well around your finger for them to be that easy to actuate. That means they take quite a lot of pressure to press in and, because of their shape, the only way to really apply that pressure is by squeezing the grips of the controller from the side.

Your middle finger flexes with enough force to actuate the plastic back panel, and as a result, the palm of your hand gets pulled into the side of the controller.

Why is this a problem? Because the Envision Pro also features two side buttons, which the palm of your hand/inside of your index knuckle are responsible for actuating. To make these easier to press, they're angled outward so only a bit of pressure from your index knuckle is needed to press them in. But that means if you're not careful about it, you're going to be accidentally pressing these every time you squeeze the bottom back buttons.

In fact, Scuf has made these side buttons so easy to press that even if you're working quite hard with your thumbs on the microswitch face buttons, or you're pulling the trigger a bit too keenly, you'll be pressing these side buttons constantly without meaning to.

For the record, my problem is not the inclusion of side buttons. In fact, these are actually why I was so keen to check out the Envision Pro to begin with, because controllers with side buttons are so rarely seen. I have had great experiences with them, especially on the CRKD Nitro Deck+, where they're integrated right into the side panels of the controller, unraised, and take a more intentional press to use.

As I'll come onto, this has been causing me loads of problems, but thankfully, you can create and hot-swap between five onboard profiles thanks to some handy buttons, and unassigning the side buttons (or swapping out the buttons for blanks) on some of them might be your best solution. You can map the back buttons without the use of additional software, which is a relief, but if you want to fine-tune, you're annoyingly going to be at the mercy of Corsair's iCUE program. I get on better with this than I do Razer's Synapse or SteelSeries' software, but I stand totally against a need for these gaming hardware brands to force their intrusive, annoying, and bloaty software onto us just for buying one of their products.

I don't see any reason why Scuf couldn't implement Envision support into one of its existing Windows apps, because introducing iCUE into a PC that doesn't need it for its internal components could cause performance issues or annoying incompatibilities - this has happened to me with iCUE more than once.

There is vibration feedback here, but it's pretty weak, and I'm wondering if this is an area that Scuf cut some costs on back when it was likely trying to apply for PlayStation licensing. With official PS5 compatibility, the Envision Pro wouldn't have been able to have rumble or haptics inside it, so with whatever plans changed, it feels like Scuf may have just used some quick-fix motors here. Again, this is all conjecture though, so this is really just my best guess.

The Envision Pro is equipped with Hall sensor thumbstick modules, and some swappable tops are provided in the box so you can make them a bit taller if you like. Besides the magnetic faceplate, that's sort of it in terms of physical customization, which is a bit of a shame when so many pro controllers are shipping with carry cases and charging stands.

There is a USB dongle for wireless play, as well as a cable in the box. You can also activate some trigger stops for quicker actuation, and connect a 3.5mm headphone jack. These things are nice, but some more well-rounded customization options, or the ability to add some weights or change thumbstick tensions, would have given the Envision Pro another leg to stand on where its side buttons come up short.

Performance

I want to like, and recommend you, this gamepad based on its comfort, symmetrical shape, design, and decent features, but it's so difficult to ignore the glaring problems it has.

The ergonomic mishaps that I describe above mean that, no matter what genre of gaming I turn the Envision Pro to, its various elements are always dissonant, never singing in pure harmony with one another.

I loved the Envision Pro as a gamepad to have on my desk whenever I hopped into a car to drive around Cyberpunk 2077's Night City. There really is a lot of comfort to be had with this thing in hand, and I absolutely adore the shape of the triggers. They're longer and narrower than a lot of pro controllers tend to shoot with. It makes them reminiscent of the DualShock 4, and keeps them comfortable for driving in particular. What isn't so ideal is when you have the right-side button mapped to the A button, and as I'm squeezing the accelerator, V decides it's time to jump out of the luxury car I'm driving.

Similarly, the face buttons of the Envision Pro are clicky and satisfying to use. I had a lot of fun revisiting Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero for this review, since all that button mashing and ultra instinct reaction time needs a controller with great responsiveness. I managed to win some really hard battles I had struggled with a week prior while reviewing the ELO Vagabond. In fact, this may have been the only time those side buttons came in handy. In the chaos of it all, they just aided the slightly random button-mashy gameplay, and when used on purpose to dodge at a moment's notice or deliver a ki blast, they were great.

The same goes for FPS games, as setting one to a crouch button meant I could shoot and duck at the same time in Hunt: Showdown, which helps level out the movement abilities of controller and keyboard players. The thumbsticks felt smooth to use and helped me aim well, as I'd expect of any Hall sensor controller in this day and age.

Even without the side buttons causing issues, I do think those lower back buttons are just a bit too rigid to really be as helpful as they could be. I respect Scuf's design work in almost wrapping them around your middle finger, but this sort of positioning makes you want to be able to use them with a mere twitch like the switches on the Azeron Cyborg II, not a full-blown squeeze. I certainly found that when using them to jump around in Towerfall Ascension, as I needed that super-fast movement response and I just wasn't getting it.

It was in this game where I really wanted more obvious, crunchy feedback to make itself known, but the Envision Pro played it far too cool. Thankfully, trigger stops help to make it feel snappier. I'm not too sure about hiding the release switches for these under the triggers themselves though. As cool as that is from a design standpoint, it isn't the most practical choice, and it means you're going to struggle to use them mid-game.

Should you buy the Scuf Envision Pro

The Scuf Envision Pro does a lot of really cool stuff that makes me want to recommend it. It's comfortable, it's got some clever design points, it's got a symmetrical layout you don't see all too often in the PC market, and its face buttons feel great. I really applaud the innovative design work of the back buttons because they're positioned well; they've just been executed poorly because of how much pressure you need to apply to use them.

The side buttons are what drew me to this controller, and should be its biggest asset. Unfortunately, they've been integrated in a way that doesn't work well with the rest of the product's features, to the point where it's really hard to ignore it as a flaw. Sure, the solution might be to not have them assigned or replaced with included plastic covers to avoid accidental clicks, but that sort of defeats the point of buying this particular controller because it's then not doing anything differently from the rest of the options on the shelves.

I really want to recommend a controller with side buttons on it, because they're so hard to come across, so it's very frustrating that they haven't been designed well on the Envision Pro at all. If you can do the relearning and adjusting to your controller grip that's needed to adapt to them, I'm sure you'll love them, but for me, they're far too distracting and easy to misuse.

How I tested the Scuf Envision Pro

As is always the case with my controller reviews, I used the Scuf Envision Pro as my main gaming peripheral for around a week before coming to a verdict on it. I tested it across loads of gaming genres and put in hours using it both in more formal tests and as my own everyday controller for gaming. I tested its side buttons in a few different configurations and tried my best to adapt to its unique design points in order to get the best out of it.

I compared my experience closely to other PC controllers I've tested in the last few years, as well as my manager Tabitha's thoughts on this controller's PS5 successor.

For more on how we test controllers, take a look at the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Not convinced by the Envision Pro? You might want to look at the best TMR controllers instead, or the best Xbox Series X controllers.

Vietnam was a truly hellish experience for all concerned, and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, from Expression Games, has absolutely nailed that. I don't even mean for that to come off as backhanded. The game's firefights are intense, often unfair, sometimes heroic, and occasionally funny. Following on from the success of the original game's medley of WW2's Eastern and Western Front greatest hits, Vietnam is a mixture of what works in that game and a complete abandonment of peer-conflict battlefields. On one side, you have the USA, a military superpower, on the other, the North Vietnamese Army, who are, on paper, vastly outmatched. Just as in real life, however, the NVA have a host of tricks up their sleeves to level the playing field.

The most notable trick at the NVA's disposal is the ability to create tunnels that stretch across the map, linking tunnels and garrisons. While only four of these can be connected at any one time, they create an incredible sense of asymmetric warfare. Enter a tunnel, select where you want to exit, and you'll cut to a first-person cutscene of your (hopefully) claustrophilic soldier crawling to their destination. This is explicitly designed as a counter to the US-exclusive helicopters that are also capable of whisking soldiers across the map, albeit more slowly, and while vulnerable to RPGs and anti-aircraft fire.

M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E

Balance is always a fine line for a multiplayer game to walk, and it must be said, Expression Games has largely done very well. Most of the games I've played across the review period have been proper tug-of-war affairs, but a few times I've questioned whether the balance was actually a little too finely-tuned in favor of the NVA. Part of this is somewhat realistic, in fairness. The maps themselves are a tight mix of jungle, urban environments, and even some fairly desert-like sand dunes, and being able to pop up from a tunnel into the dense camouflage of the jungles accurately represents the home-field advantage of the NVA. That doesn't make it any less frustrating, however, to be shot by an enemy that you can't even see from 150-200 meters.

Part of the terrifying nature of the Vietnam War, for both sides, was that sightlines were appalling. Here, too, if an enemy gets their eyes on you first, you're pretty much done. It's no coincidence that the most memorable firefights in my matches are essentially urban warfare, reminiscent of the climax of Full Metal Jacket. One highlight takes place in a fairly self-explanatory Industrial Zone, all railway lines and warehouses, while another revolves around a dense pier, dodging fire and ducking between cargo containers. Crucially, in both of these battles, I could actually see the enemy.

What's less fun are the moments on certain maps where you spawn and walk 500 meters towards the objective, only to be gunned down by an enemy sniper concealed in a bush half a mile away. Realistic, sure, but fun? No.

When you're in a blazing battle, however, the weapons are an absolute joy to use. Whether you're using an M16 or Type 56, M60 or RPD, they're tremendous fun, and crucially, all sound very distinct from one another. It's easy to identify whether a nearby machine gun is an enemy or a friend, and iconic weapons like the spectacularly bloopy M79 grenade launcher are lovingly rendered. Each weapon also gets a fantastically detailed analysis voiced by the Royal Armouries' Jonathan Ferguson, with this treatment even extending to obscurities like Soviet smoke grenades.

Much like its predecessor, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a game that really lives and dies by communication. Hopping on voice chat is almost compulsory if you want to play well and be a good teammate. On the rare occasions that I end up with a completely silent squad, the game's fun takes a notable dip. The importance of teamwork is woven deeply into the game's DNA. Each side has a multitude of roles for you to step into, from your standard rifleman all the way up to grenadiers, pilots, tank commanders, and sniper spotters. Thankfully, the game does feature a tutorial this time, making it a much easier affair to get to grips with, and it's very comprehensive, teaching you the basics of a wide variety of specialisms.

Playing as a medic is where I feel like I make the biggest impact so far. In a game that's as brutal as this one, being able to resurrect players (who can be revived unless they've been shot in the head or blown to pieces) is very helpful, indeed. While I still rack up the occasional kill as a medic, it's a slightly less intense affair, but one that still makes you feel like a hero after dragging an ally to safety beneath a hail of gunfire.

I'll be curious to see whether Expression add more factions to the game over time, and what roles each faction may inherit. Let's not forget that when the original title launched, only the United States and Germany were present, and while we're unlikely to see Squad levels of factions – Anzac forces, the Viet Cong, South Korea and the Pathet Lao could all make for interesting additions. It would have been nice to see this at launch, but there's a very good selection of arms and equipment available already, so you're unlikely to get bored anytime soon.

For a game that's so rooted in history, with a strong sense of the atrocious nature of the Vietnam War, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam largely succeeds in recreating reality in all its bloody business. That is for both good and ill, but its undeniable frustrations are never quite able to take away from the game's stomach-churningly brutal battles or its moments of sublime teamwork.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

Take a look at our best online games ranking for more to play!

Every match in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls feels like it could be ripped fresh from the pages of a comic book in how it builds a tight narrative of clashing superheroes and supervillains. While it may begin as a traditional 2v2 bout, the end of a combo at the edge of a screen smashes the opponent out of one panel and across the stage when another hero suddenly joins, turning this into a 3v2, while each subsequent loss sees another hero jumping into the fray until it culminates in an epic 4v4 showdown. These are the largest teams of any tag fighter to date, and no franchise is better suited than Marvel, which gave birth to this sub-genre back in the '90s with X-Men vs. Street Fighter – which eventually morphed into the iconic Marvel vs Capcom.

The difference, however, is that this latest Marvel fighter has changed hands to another Japanese studio, and in the hands of Arc System Works, it's a much-needed course-correct following the nadir of Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. Without the heavy hand of the Marvel Cinematic Universe influencing story and art direction, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls instead goes back to its comic book with an anime twist that naturally fits the studio behind stylish anime fighters like Guilty Gear Strive and Dragon Ball FighterZ like an Infinity Gauntlet.

Living comics

Every frame of animation in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is just gorgeous to behold. You're so convinced that it's 2D animation of the highest caliber until you launch an opponent or execute a screen-filling super skill that shows these character models from a different camera angle. It's a style that Arc System Works has already perfected with its past titles, but also one that it wisely doesn't overly rely on.

To Sony and Marvel's credit, there's no attempt to shoehorn in a half-baked cinematic story mode with the existing assets. Instead, it leans into its origins by literally having episodes that unfold as comic books. And I don't mean the basic, visual novel-style bookends of Street Fighter 6's arcade mode.

These episodes are penned by acclaimed comic book author Kieron Gillen, each having its own visual flair and flavor thanks to a variety of artists – including Marvel veterans as well as renowned manga artists like Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima

Episodes have a dynamic presentation as comic panels tease out in a scene, changing in size and order around the page for emphasis, further bolstered by expressive voice acting and a surprising amount of DualSense haptics. It's certainly more lively than having character models standing around talking at each other with an endless amount of shot-reverse-shot (not naming any names).

The central plot of a worlds-threatening invasion that contrives a reason for our superheroes to fight one another is boilerplate stuff for a fighting game (though even the antagonists are actually deep cuts from Marvel history). But, what makes these episodes so memorable is that they are anchored in more tangible human drama, be it the fangirling Ms Marvel wanting to prove herself to reluctant mentor Spider-Man, or Storm's crisis of confidence as she tries to lead a beaten-down but still unbreakable X-Men against a backdrop of mutant prejudices at its peak.

In other words, real care has gone into the composition of each official fighting team, making for a diverse roster that strikes a balance between classic favorites and cult classics, with the addition of Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider, Blade, and Magik almost feeling like a shout-out to the sorely underrated Marvel's Midnight Suns.

Balancing act

Of course, outside of the story mode, you're free to pick your team of four as you see fit. Yet, as intimidating as the idea of a 4v4 fighter might seem on paper, ArcSys makes it accessible through a lot of smart choices. As mentioned before, you're eased in with a traditional 2v2, as you 'assemble' the full team over the course of the match. Having another team member automatically joining the player who's lost a round feels like gaining reinforcements, always teasing the possibility of an exciting comeback rather than getting swept away in your opponent's momentum.

In the same way, you can only unleash the show-stopping, maximum-meter-draining Tokon Assemble that uses all four fighters as a last-ditch ultimate when your opponent is on match point. Having the team sharing one health bar means it avoids the prolonged bouts in other tag fighters, such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, when you swap out low-health fighters, while also making it feasible for new players to just focus on mastering one fighter and using the rest as assists.

In usual Arc System Works style, Marvel Tokon is a four-button fighter at heart, though this entry emphasizes the simplicity of control that can bring. Pared back to a light, medium, and heavy attack rather than separate punches and kicks as Street Fighter has, the final button is an assist that can call in allies to supplement a beatdown.

With gatling combos, basic chains always respect inputs so you don't have to sweat strict timing outside of really fancy chains, while each fighter's core command inputs are identical (pour one out for fans of charging fighters). Having both simpler commands for specials – one direction with a squeeze of the trigger – and traditional motion inputs – say, a quarter circle and two buttons – available at all times allows for flexibility, be it if you struggle with the traditional Shoryuken motion, or your chain of moves just makes it easier to tap one input rather than the other.

More importantly, even with these shared inputs, each fighter's playstyle feels distinct, from the projectile-based Doom to the combination of tech-powered tankiness of Peni Parker and her mech SP//dr, as are their moves. So, while Cap and Iron Man perform an anti-air with the Shoryuken input, the same move for Spidey is a stylish counter, while Ms Marvel's is a grab.

This might be Arc System Works' most successful attempt at a simple to grasp fighting system yet, but it still has plenty of depth veterans of the genre will enjoy. As fast and fun as Marvel Tokon feels to play, it's going to be for nothing if your only recourse is eating humble pie against seasoned tag fighter players who know how to exploit its mechanics to a high level. Easy combos can be blocked, assist attacks batted away, and before you know it, your opponent's knocked you across the stage multiple times and has their full team criss-crossing to keep you locked into a juggling pile-on you can barely cry, "Stop, I'm already dead."

There are fortunately a range of modes to keep you occupied, including a very robust training mode breaking down every mechanic and character moveset, with combo trials that reveal plenty of depth even with simpler inputs. While the branching arcade mode in All Star Arena is a no-brainer, the most compelling is a roguelike-ish survival mode where your team gets buffs from Soul cards that you can also upgrade if you draw a duplicate card or change out for a different buff, while also encountering regular boss fights in the form of a mega-buffed opponent.

Time will tell whether it will be as beloved as Marvel vs Capcom 3, but after the dire mis-step of Infinite threatened to undo Marvel's long fighting game heritage, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a fantastic comeback that packs both style and substance, reminding the new wave of tag fighters like 2XKO and Invincible VS just who is the genre's champion.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publisher.

After another battle? Check out our best fighting games ranking!

Cooperative campaign tabletop games are getting leaner and more abstract. Traditionally, campaign games have acted as stand-ins for Dungeons & Dragons, complete with big boxes that contain a multitude of parts and an equally thick rulebook. However, we’ve seen a handful of campaign games skimp on the components recently in favor of really digging into the game system and squeezing out every last variance that it can support.

Take Time, a new title designed by Alexi Piovesan and Julien Prothière, is a very unique cooperative campaign game that makes the most of a simplistic system. Over the course of 40 rounds (divided into 10 chapters), players will attempt to work together to solve a relatively simple puzzle using the same deck of 24 cards. Each round features a unique set of challenges to overcome, with players either succeeding or failing as a group. The result is a campaign game that’s easy to pick up, with rounds that pass by in a few minutes and chapters with unique challenges that will leave players frustrated at times but exultant when they’re finally conquered – normally a preserve of the best board games.

Take Time features & design

Take Time isn't necessarily telling a story; it's abstract, like Azul. Publisher Libellud describes it as a limited-communication game that "invites players to slow down, reflect, communicate, understand one another, and build mutual trust."

Gameplay is split into three phases – a strategy phase where players discuss potential gameplay, a placement phase in which cards are played, and a resolution phase in which players see if they’ve passed that round's requirements. To win, players must play cards (generally facedown) next to segments of a clock, aiming to have the value of each segment arranged in an ascending order. However, you can't discuss which cards you have during play. You'll need to come up with a plan beforehand and attempt to guess what your team is hoping to do next based on their actions.

For a campaign game, Take Time is remarkably simple. There are 10 chapters, each of which contains a sleeve filled with four 'clocks' (e.g. four rounds) made of solid quality paper cardstock. Each clock consists of six segments, some of which have particular rules that must be followed during the course of the game. While there is some commonality between types of rules (which usually limit which cards can be played in specific segments), every clock is unique and the rules become increasingly granular and complicated as you progress through the chapters.

Gameplay

The goal of each round in Take Time is the same – players play cards in segments, aiming to have the value of all cards played on a segment either equalling or exceeding the value of the preceding segment. Basically, players are trying to arrange their cards so they resemble the face of a clock. The catch? Players can’t discuss what cards they’re playing on their turn and the cards generally have to be played facedown, much like Sky Team. Each round essentially becomes a guessing game where you’re trying to figure out what cards are in play and trying to figure out the optimal segment to play your cards.

Complicating matters is that each clock has at least one segment with a rule limiting what cards can be played on it, represented by various symbols. Some rules are simple – such as stating that a segment has to have two cards played on it or that a card can only have Solar or Lunar cards on it. Other rules are more complex, such as stating that a segment can’t have cards of a certain number played to it or stating that the highest card in play needs to be played in a certain segment.

The other complication is that players will only use half of the deck during any round, so there’s no guarantee as to what cards will be in play. The random selection of cards particularly comes into play when dealing with segments that have high or low card requirements. While you can assume that a "low" segment will contain low cards, you can never be sure if you’re getting a 1, a 2, or something even higher.

Players will never go into a round of Take Time totally blind though. Each round starts off with a Discussion Phase in which players can discuss general strategy options, such as where to play cards of a general value range. However, while cards are distributed to players before the discussion phase, they can’t actually look at them. So, players can only come up with a general strategy, and nothing specific to their actual hands.

Once a round starts, players have one more proverbial arrow in their quiver. On their turn, players can choose to play their card face-up. These face-up cards provide valuable information to the other players, often dictating how subsequent cards will play out. For instance, if a player plays a 7 on a segment that requires a value of 10, other players know that they need to play a 3 (or cards that add up to 3) to satisfy that requirement. At minimum, players will have three face-up cards to utilize on each round, but players get an additional bonus face-up card each time they fail a round.

In short, it's a fun challenge – but there are some niggles. One important thing to remember about the clocks is what constitutes a segment. While it might be easy to assume that a "segment" is the area between two points, it’s actually a portion of the clock consisting of a point and two line dividers. The line dividers are stylistically incorporated into the artwork of each clock, so it’s not quite intuitive. My gaming group wrongly assumed that a segment was the area in between each point, so we were confused about which segment a rule corresponded to. A good rule of thumb is to remember to play cards on points of the clock.

Should you buy Take Time?

Take Time is a fun cooperative game that mixes campaign elements with a set of simple mechanics that’s easy to learn but hard to master. Since players are never guaranteed to have the “right” cards for a specific clock, a lot of the fun comes from coming up with a strategy and then trying to implement it with an imperfect hand. However, it can be a little frustrating to play Take Time, as you’ll occasionally come up with a solid strategy but have to wait for the right hand to get dealt to implement it.

Although they’re very different games, Take Time reminds me a bit of one of my favorite games of recent years – The Two Towers Trick-Taking Game. Both games opt to dig into their respective game mechanics, exploring every nook and cranny of a rather simple set of rules as opposed to trying to overtune a game with a complex rulebook. Players will have an understanding of Take Time quickly, but mastering the game will come from understanding how to adapt their knowledge of gameplay into a series of increasingly complex scenarios.

Ultimately, Take Time is a fantastic game, which is why it ended up on the recommended list for the Spiel des Jahres. Every clock is a puzzle to conquer, and half of the fun comes from guessing how the other players are making decisions over the course of a quick-paced round. What’s even better – a failed round doesn’t cost a lot of time. Since each round takes just a few minutes to complete, a bad hand or a bad strategy won’t leave players feeling frustrated. At worst, it just takes time to beat Take Time. Well… time and a good strategy.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Razer's a little late to the party, but its first attempt at creating a multi-connection microphone is here. The Razer Seiren V3 Pro has capacity for both an XLR and a USB connection, and with a serious, studio, Shure-reminiscent design, it's clear that Team Sneki has not come to play around. This looks and sounds like a contender for the top spots on our best microphones for streaming and gaming list, but does it sound like one?

I, for one, am a little surprised to see some pro-level content creation gear coming from Razer in this day and age. Its Stream Controller X has been all but discontinued since Loupedeck was bought over by Logitech. Its presence in the capture card space is pretty much dead; its USB microphones are tiny, unicorn vomit devices that, although sound great, don't look like they want to be taken seriously. The Seiren V3 Pro has a professional, studio look to it that reinstates this brand as a name in content creation again. That said, I can't help but feel its XLR connection is without a friend because Razer's Razer Streaming Mixer is so out of date it should be in a museum.

But surprisingly, Razer has nailed it with this microphone. Its quality is excellent both in USB and XLR modes; it's easier to use than some of the other more premium XLR options on the shelves, and its price is only $249.99 / £249.99, which is actually on par with some of the other premium mics on the shelves today. Razer tax, where art thou?

Design

The Razer Seiren V3 Pro isn't subtle about the fact that it wants to go after the Shure SM7dB. Along with the BEACN Mic, the Maono PD200W, and Shure's MV6, it's joining the lineup of black, cylindrical microphones that want you to talk into them for your podcast, livestream, or YouTube video. This is an iconic look, and I like the way Razer has put its own spin on it.

Around its rim, there's an RGB ring which is fully customizable using Razer Chroma, and the capsule of the mic is covered by a familiar cylindrical pop filter/wind guard. There's some very subtle Razer branding which can be seen if it catches the light, but blends into the bodywork of the microphone so as not to overplay its hand and spoil the Shure lookalike contest.

What I really like about the design of the Seiren V3 Pro is that the mounting system complements the pickup pattern. A lot of XLR mics (and the Shure SM7dB specifically) require you to be pretty close and direct with them; hence why they opt for this black cylindrical design, and their mounting systems reflect that. The mounting arm here is more versatile in order to cater to a more generous polar pattern. I've attached mine to a boom arm and had it hanging down towards me, almost like it is actually a boom mic.

When in shot of my webcam, it does actually look like it's being held from somewhere out of view, and it gives my entire setup a premium podcast host feel. Its angular stand allows for that inverted type of mounting, but if you so please, you can leave it upright on its stand, or boom-mount it so it's facing up vertically. There's versatility here that I really like, and form complements function because the pickup pattern doesn't care about which direction you use it from.

The internals of the mic have had a lot of thought put into them too. The V3 Pro sports a 30mm Dynamic capsule with the below specs that I've compared directly to the Shure SM7dB for context.