Thanks to a huge influx of freshly added titles, there are now 97 games with a performance boost on the Xbox Series X|S consoles.
The frame rate increases vary between 60 fps and 120 fps. Most games will enable this boost automatically, but some games have to run at a lower resolution to reach the higher frame rates, and for these games, FPS Boost is set to off by default. To manually activate FPS Boost, you’ll need to go into the Manage game options. Check out the following link for more information on activating FPS Boost and Auto HDR:
We’ve tried out a few of these FPS Boosted titles, and it’s transformative. Many of these games already looked superb, especially at 4k, but the blurry 30 fps frame rate let them down. Playing at higher frame rates makes these games feel like a next-gen experience, especially those running at 120 fps.
We may be experiencing a bit of a drought of new games at the start of this generation, but when they make existing games better in the meantime, it makes picking up the new consoles sooner rather than later more worthwhile. The Series X is still hard to get hold of, but the Series S is regularly available now, and still a great console in its own right.
NOTE: Many of the games supporting FPS Boost are available in Xbox Game Pass and EA Play (included with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription). See the full list of Xbox Game Pass and EA Play games at the official website.
Another PS5 title and two PS4 games await you this May
Another month, another cracking line-up for subscribers of the PS Plus service.
On PS5, we have Wreckfest: Drive Hard, Die Last, while on PS4 there is the excellent Battlefield 5 and gorgeous looking survival game Stranded Deep. They will be available to download on Tuesday 4th May.
Existing titles Oddworld: Soulstorm, Days Gone and Zombie Army 4: Dead War are still available until Monday 3rd May, so grab them while you can!
Wreckfest: Drive Hard, Die Last | PS5
Burn rubber, break rules and shred metal in this full-contact racer from the creator of the FlatOut. Race and upgrade patched-together cars, improving their looks and toughening up their body armour to survive the epic crashes and neck-to-neck fights over the finish line in competitive races. Enjoy some hilarity in Challenge modes as you get behind the wheel of crop harvesters, three-wheelers and much more, then challenge your friends online in multiplayer up to 24 players.
Battlefield V | PS4
Enter mankind’s greatest conflict with Battlefield V as the series goes back to its roots in a never-before-seen portrayal of World War 2. Experience all-out multiplayer** with your squad in the vast Grand Operations and the cooperative Combined Arms, or take on single player War Stories. As you fight in epic, unexpected locations across the globe, enjoy the richest, most immersive Battlefield yet.
Stranded Deep | PS4
Test your survival skills in this open world adventure. In the aftermath of a mysterious plane crash, you are stranded in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Alone, without any means to call for help, you must do what you can to survive. Explore underwater and on land as you hunt for supplies to craft the tools, weapons, and shelter you’ll need to stay alive. Stay sharp: hunger, thirst, and exposure conspire against you as you brave treacherous elements and the dangerous creatures of the Pacific.
All games will be available for PlayStation Plus members to add to their library until Monday, May 31.
Judgment is a masterclass in video-game storytelling
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: 23rd April 2021
Genre: Action-adventure
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, Stadia
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X|S
Game Supplied by: Publisher
Originally released for the PS4 back in 2019, Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Yakuza spinoff still has all the underpinnings that make it instantly recognizable as part of the franchise but adds enough new elements and a noir twist that allows Judgment to stand proud as a fantastic game in its own right. We are reviewing the remastered version on the Xbox Series X, which improves on the PS4 original thanks to dramatically reduced loading times, 60 fps gameplay and a superior lighting system that breathes life and depth into the stunning city of Kamurocho.
If you enjoyed the Yakuza series you will feel instantly at home in Judgment. The fight mechanics, skills and combat upgrade trees are lifted straight from Yakuza. It’s even set in the same city! The humour is also still present in Judgment, but it’s not as frequent and is juxtaposed by the darker main storyline.
“a deftly crafted tale”
Our protagonist, Takayuki Yagami, is a former lawyer. When a client he successfully defended in a murder trial commits murder again, Yagami is consumed by guilt, turning his back on the profession. Flash forward three years, we find Yagami is now a private investigator and soon becomes embroiled in the investigation of a series of grisly murders.
What follows is a deftly crafted tale, that effortlessly weaves intrigue into a complex ‘who dunnit’ story with more twists than an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Where Judgment excels is in avoiding the common mistake of spoon-feeding the story to you. Each chapter and case you take on gives you time to think for yourself, weigh up the evidence and reach your conclusions. Speech prompts during conversations give you avenues of investigation to pursue, that rewards you with XP if you’ve been paying attention to the clues and select sensible questions. While you can’t directly affect the outcome with your actions, the way the game immerses you into the character of Yagami makes you feel like you are actively solving these crimes.
It’s these investigations that give Judgment its distinct flavour. Whereas Yakuza is all about going in fists first, Judgment often has you avoid conflict, and this is where many of the new gameplay mechanics come in. Investigations can include scanning an area for clues, picking locks and finding access codes, interviewing witnesses, sneaking into buildings or using your drone to spy on a suspect. Some of these mechanics are a little old-fashioned, though, such as unlocking doors, which involves tried and tested controller jiggling. For the most part, they are quite entertaining and just on the right side of challenging, especially with the added pressure of a timer.
In a nod to its gaming heritage, Judgment has quite a few QTEs (quick time events). As much as I normally detest QTEs, these have a generous activation window, so they aren’t a punishing test of your reflexes that force you to retry the same sections over and again. They show up most often during chase scenes, where you charge around on foot after suspects, leaping over and dodging obstacles, and in mid-fight cutscenes, usually accompanied by a healthy dose of gratuitous violence, which makes them much more enjoyable.
Whoo-pah!
Much like Yakuza, the violence is graphic, and the combat extends far beyond basic button mashing. You have two stances, one that allows you to carry out area of effect kicks useful for dealing with groups of enemies, and another that focuses on fast strikes for tackling single or tougher enemies. At first, you only have a limited skill set, but there are tonnes of new moves to learn, either through purchasing them or by finding skill books around the game world. Once you get to grips with it, the combat is gratifyingly intense, and although it’s not quite as smooth as the free-form combat of the Batman Arkham games, it works very well in the context of the game.
It’s not all attacking, though; Dodging, grappling and blocking are essential skills to master. Whilst damage taken in combat can be remedied with a meal at one of the dozens of restaurants in Kamurocho or by using a health powerup, tougher enemies wield weapons like Katanas that leave you with mortal injuries that cannot be healed with standard consumables, and limit your maximum health. These can be healed by visiting a doctor, but in the middle of a big fight, this might not be possible. This is why it’s important to keep well stocked up on consumables you can find in shops or dropped by enemies.
Judgment is played primarily in third-person, however, it’s possible to navigate much of the game in first-person if you wish. I found it a much better way to observe and navigate the surroundings, giving a smooth viewpoint and standard FPS-style movement. In third-person view, the camera tends to swing round in the direction you are moving. When combined with significant motion blur and an auto-recentering camera, it makes it harder to appreciate just how detailed and beautiful the game looks. The only major downside to the first-person camera is that it seems to be placed up above your head, and not at Yagami’s eye level.
A living, vibrant world
Outside of the main missions, Judgment is crammed full of things to discover and do. There are arcades filled with playable classic Sega games and claw-grabber toy machines, batting cages, a VR centre, interesting side-cases you can finish to earn some extra cash, relationships to pursue, and the excellent drone racing, which is better than some standalone drone racing games I’ve played, such is the depth of customisation and quality of its gameplay. This is of course normal if you’re used to Ryu Ga Gotuko games, but for anyone new to the series, prepare to be awed at how much interactivity has been put into Kamurocho.
A huge part of what makes Judgment so engrossing is the excellent voice acting. It is fully dubbed in English by an excellent cast, and although it’s a little jarring at first to hear the Japanese characters speaking with American accents, once you get past this you can appreciate the quality of their work. There is still overuse of Americanisms like “y’all”, but it isn’t hard to overlook. For purists, the original Japanese audio is still there, but I found the English dub to be of such a high standard I didn’t use it other than to quickly hear the characters’ ‘real’ voices.
Adding further immersion is the incredible audio. There’s a constant hubbub of sound around you as you explore the city, and the incidental music is first-rate. Muffled Japanese pop songs can be heard coming from the clubs as you pass them, muted basslines pumping in well-mastered surround. Step into investigation mode and there’s a classic detective-movie-style score, with musical stings when you locate a clue, while combat has an up-beat trap/dubstep vibe that perfectly complements the action.
If you purely restrict yourself to the storyline, there’s a good 30+ hours of gameplay on offer, but if you allow yourself to become lost in the world of Judgment, you can easily spend double that tackling the multitude of experiences it has to offer. The icing on this delicious cake, though, is the price; Judgment is just £34.99/$39.99 on the Xbox Series X|S and PS5. When you weigh that price up against the quality of the story and attention to detail that has been lavished upon this game, it’s easy to recommend this game as a must-buy for any fans of open-world action-adventure games.
Summary
The engrossing storyline and excellent voice-acting mark Judgment out as equal to, and in many ways better than, the Yakuza series that spawned it. It feels instantly familiar if you’ve played any of the Yakuza series, without ever feeling like you’re just retreading the same old game.
In terms of the remaster, Judgment doesn’t look massively different, but the improvements it has are significant. It now runs at a smooth 60 fps, and the often long loading times that hampered the PS4 version have been all but eliminated, with transitions between levels, cut-scenes and taxi rides happening in just a few seconds. It was a great looking game anyway, but the smoother action and darker, more realistic lighting makes this a gorgeous world to get lost in.
Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC (Steam)
Reviewed on: PS5 via backward compatibility
Game Supplied by: Publisher
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Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (2016)
A chance encounter between a young alchemist Sophie and a sentient book Plachta takes them on an adventure to recover Plachta’s memories and gain alchemic knowledge.
Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey (2017)
Firis has a modest dream of travelling freely in the outside world. After she encounters alchemy and is able to leave the town for the first time, she is taken on a magical journey that has no limits.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Paintings (2018)
Twin sisters Lydie and Suelle are two novice alchemists. One day, after discovering a mysterious painting, they get closer to turning their dream of running the best atelier in the kingdom into reality.
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If I am ever asked for a recommendation for a good entry-level JRPG for someone wanting to get into the genre, my go-to series is usually Atelier. The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy pack marks the definitive editions of the 17th, 18th, and 19th games in the series, so it’s a safe bet to say GUST knows a thing or two about what makes a good JRPG.
Some would also argue that the Atelier series is just hitting peak form with the last two Atelier Ryza games, so it might be of interest to newly converted fans to play some of the back catalogue games that were released in sequence just prior to Atelier Ryza. With a bare minimum amount of extra content for each of the game, the trilogy is not really something owners of the previous games would need to re-play here, but if you are new to the Mysterious Trilogy, there is a gobsmacking amount of incredible content over the course of three diverse games to play.
Is this a proper trilogy?
In order of when they were originally released and therefore the best order to play them is:
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (2016)
Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey (2017)
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Paintings (2018)
Although the games all follow a theme, and indeed, characters from the previous games make appearances in the later games, each story is self-contained and can be played in any order you so wish. Be that as it may, it is a superb adventure in sequence as not only do you see characters grow through the stories and into later games, but you also see how the games themselves change and adapt too.
Despite GUST churning out three games in three years, you would expect that each game would be very similar, and although they all have that laid back relaxing vibe to them, and drop-dead gorgeous visuals, major aspects of each are in fact different which therefore makes them all eminently playable. As soon as you have finished one, you will want to play the next.
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book
Of the three games, the one that plays it safest is Atelier Sophie, but it is still an excellent experience.
The game revolves around the coming of age of wannabe Alchemist, Sophie, who through a magical book learns how to become much better at alchemy. As she unlocks more recipes allowing her to synthesize more items, more memories from the magical book “Placta” are revealed, and so Sophie decides she wants to restore Placta to her former glory. The game then revolves around this quest Sophie sets for herself. Sophie herself has a bright and cheerful demeanor with a tomboy-esque attitude, and it’s really easy to get caught up with her infectious enthusiasm on her adventures.
The additions as part of the DX version of the game include:
New episodes of Sophie’s growth and a new costume that will help her follow in her grandmother’s steps.
Three new cauldrons to assist in your adventures.
Sprinting option to make getting around a lot easier.
‘Fast Forward’ feature for fast-paced battles.
Lots of previously released DLC.
Photo mode.
Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey
Atelier Firis is completely different to Atelier Sophie. Firis herself is much more timid and fragile than Sophie, as she lives in an underground city and dreams of one day being able to leave the confines of it to explore the outer world. One day a passing Alchemist (Sophie) accidentally blasts her way into the underground city and therein introduces Firis to Alchemy. Finding out that Alchemy could be used as a means to escape the city, Firis is tasked to prove herself worthy and sets forth on her adventures to do so.
Atelier Firis is different to Atelier Sophie in many ways, not just the tone of the story but also the size of it! There are a whopping 600 missions in the game to complete, with twelve different story endings. The world itself is also around ten times larger than the world of Atelier Sophie and has a greater variety of environments to go with it.
The additions as part of the DX version of the game include:
Four new vehicles/exploration tools to increase efficiency & speed
A quest to defeat 7 new monsters and fight a powered-up version of Palmyra.
‘Fast Forward’ feature for fast-paced battles.
Lots of previously released DLC.
Photo mode.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Paintings
Atelier Lydie & Suelles main difference is in the title, as you play as twin sisters who run an Atelier. As well as the death of their mother, and the fact that their father is still in a state of shock and a little aloof, the Atelier they run is not doing very well. This is compounded by the town they live in being inundated with Ateliers, which makes it hard for Lydie and Suelle to make their Atelier stand out from the crowd.
One day they venture into the basement where their father keeps his paintings. On one such trip into the basement they discover they can enter one of these paintings, and in this fantasy world, find items that they can use to synthesize items back in the real world that no other Atelier in their town can. However, the girls are convinced they can hear a voice in these paintings and vow to find out who it is by searching ever deeper.
To add even more reason to replay the game, Lydie & Suelle has around ten different story endings depending on choices you make during the game.
The additions as part of the DX version of the game include:
A new painting based on the world of “Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World, featuring new story episodes and a new boss enemy.
New “Nelke’s world” painting fragments scattered around various painting worlds.
‘Fast Forward’ feature for fast-paced battles.
Lots of previously released DLC.
Photo mode.
A new year, a new game!
It absolutely staggers me that in a time where western developers take multiple years to make just a single game, GUST manages to churn out masterpieces year after year in such a short timespan. Of course the crux of the games are much the same, but even the base mechanics get a new tweak here or there. Combine that with the diversity of the stories, beautifully crafted into these gorgeous worlds and each game is refreshingly different to the last.
The constants through each game though are Alchemy, Combat, and Exploration.
Of the three, Alchemy differs the least, although it has slight tweaks where one game might have you trying to upgrade an item with a mini game, whereas another just shows in numbers how things would improve, with the end result pretty much the same crafted item, just in a different style.
The Combat, some could argue, is the most interesting aspect because not everyone (and by not everyone I mean me) is a fan of how the current combat system works in the Atelier Ryza series. Atelier Ryza has a fast, action based system, whereas here in the Mysterious series, they are of a more simple turn-based variety. It also has to be said it is pretty simple turn-based action too, however, that doesn’t mean it’s without depth. Like the timeless game of chess, the Atelier combat has a few basic moves for its pieces, but the tactical ways in which you use them never got dull, and it was fun to experiment. For example, you can use or upgrade a character to be a healer whereas another is more of a front line damage sponge/tank. Depending on your preferred playstyle, you will need to upgrade your characters accordingly.
What is really pleasing about the turn-based system over it’s current counterpart is that with a simple graph either left or right of the screen, you can plan your attacks, spells or other moves clearly on the board, as you can see how long an action will take to complete before your next go. Do you wind up for one big attack that you hope will finish the enemy off, knowing that if you don’t they will finish you in their next strike, or do you get two quick less effective attacks in, or do you heal? With these games you can sit and stew over these decisions, unlike in the Ryza series where that moment is gone in a realtime flash!
Probably the biggest area of difference is exploration. Whilst the world Sophie is set in is pretty standard in so much that the surroundings are for JRPG standards adequately filled with interest, it was also very pretty too. Firis, however, has a massive amount of ground to cover and thereby a lot of diverse environments to explore. Additionally, she can use vehicles to get around, unlike Sophie who is on foot. Conversely, Lydie and Suelle get to explore fantasy worlds in the multiple paintings they can enter, which are quite literally out of this world environments.
As you can see, each game not only has its own story but significant differences in gameplay variety that keeps each game feeling fresh and distinctive from the last.
Stunning Graphics and Fabulous Audio
The one constant throughout all of the games is the stunning art design and graphics alongside beautiful musical scores. You could tell this is a GUST designed game from this alone.
Each character has a wonderful hand-drawn watercolour quality that screams high end art to the viewer. The character models also have interesting clothes designs, from mildly drab to over the top weird. The animations of these characters within the game world are stiff, but as your mouth will be agape at the wonderful art in the surrounding settings, you won’t care. Although the worlds are not the most detailed by any stretch of the imagination, there has been effort to introduce interesting details to the environments and not just be a blocky green landscape like some of the earlier Atelier games.
Whether it’s the special effects when synthesizing, ther over the top actions when launching powerful attacks or the beautifully rendered cutscenes, it’s really hard to choose a favourite aspect. A little more rendering or extra layers of texture wouldn’t have been amiss, but for a sense of playing a game in a fantasy land in the middle of an anime series, you really can’t go wrong here.
The voice acting was also of great quality, with the exception of Lydie & Suelle. I have to be honest I found them a little too trite. Unfortunately, this is the only game in the trilogy that didn’t have an English audio option. For the two Atelier games that have English voice acting, it is a welcome addition, as some gamers are put off by subtitles.
The music is something that could be written about a lot. Each game seemed to have a base theme but also a lot of variety. Atelier Firis’s audio, for example, had a jaunty pirate sea shanty vibe whereas Sophie was more classical. Each game has sufficient variety in the music so even if you weren’t keen on one area’s background music, it wouldn’t be long before a more pleasant score arrived. Indeed, from the settings menu you can choose from a wide variety of tracks to listen to, so changing music that you aren’t a fan of is easily done.
Lastly, some of the extras.
As part of the Deluxe Trilogy pack you also get the digital art books for the games. Normally these extras are something I gloss over with little interest, as once you’ve seen one character model you’ve seen them all. However, I quite literally spent hours with these as the art style of GUST is remarkable. This content not only has in-game character models but also grander, more detailed concept art paintings, many of which I could have blown up and used a poster to line my gaming wall, such was the magnificence of the artwork. Captivating and beautiful, as all art should be.
Summary
DX or definitive edition, however you wish to describe these games, they are excellent value for money. If you have previously played these games or still own them, then there really isn’t much extra content to warrant purchasing them again for the extras. However, if this is your first time playing these games or you have been recently introduced to the Atelier series through Atelier Ryza and were curious as to what the previous games had to offer, then this trilogy is excellent value. It is a great starting point to see not only how the series used to do things, but it is also worth playing in its own right as each game is a magical experience.
The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy is gaming comfort food. It’s safe, wonderful, JRPG escapism, that you could spend hundreds of hours buried deep in, with each game feeling different to the last. Wholesome uplifting stories based around stunning graphics and addictive gameplay. What more could you ask for?
Secretlab has just revealed the Magnus desk, a brand new product built from the ground up to compliment their stellar lineup of chairs.
The Magnus desk has been designed with Cable management and their magnetic ecosystem in mind. Starting with the desk being entirely made of metal, this allows the top to be sturdy yet thin compared to the average IKEA desk you will see featured in most setups. This is also the keystone of the magnetic ecosystem, Secretlab has made a few accessories with more coming soon.
The ones we have seen so far include cable anchors that magnetize to the top of the desk, routing and keeping your cables from moving around and falling on the floor when not in use. Cable sheaths also magnetize to the legs so that you can run cables down them and keep everything hidden and tidy, there is also an RGB strip that can attach anywhere magnetically and lastly a headset hook that is made to attach to the bottom of the desk for easy headset storage.
Even the mouse mat that covers the entirety of the usable surface of the Magnus has been made with a magnetic underside so that once it’s on and in place it will not be moving.
The real MVP of the Magnus, though, is the integrated cable tray. At the back of the desk, there is a groove that has a flip-up panel. This panel has some special hinges fitted so that the desk can be flush against your wall and still allow the panel to flip up. Built right into the desk so that you won’t be needing to struggle for a clean aesthetic, it even has a pop-off section in the tray so that you can fit a monitor arm.
Looks-wise the Magnus is stunning, with Secretlab’s iconic clean and modern style with just a little edge mixed in.
The groove I mentioned earlier is the real eye puller; It has been made so that you can fit the magnetic RGB strip on the side of it and illuminate the slanted edge of the groove that has the Magnus text logo.
The light is said to also bleed an aura or light behind the desk for even more added style.
The Magnus desk in my opinion is set to be a dream feature for most gamers’ ideal setup, and I for one can not wait for the day I get to get up close and personal with one.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s critically acclaimed masterpiece is now playable on Xbox for the first time
When our very own Pete Keen reviewed Judgment on the PS4 back in 2019, he rated it highly, with only some light texture pop-in and long load times marring the experience. The remastered version addresses all of these issues, running at 60 fps with improved visuals, and loading far faster thanks to the new consoles’ SSDs.
We have our review copy of Judgment, and will be publishing our opinion of the remaster soon – in the meantime, check out this excerpt from Pete’s review for why we think Judgment is a must-play game:
“This is one of the best detective games ever made. Nothing gets my blood pumping more than a secret agent, sleuth/spy experience, and just when I thought I’d seen it all, along comes Judgment to trump everything. Following the case was an epic ride of thrills, excitement, and joy. You gently pick locks, sneak into buildings, tail a suspect, gather evidence, smash faces in, follow the trail, and get involved with a gripping, well-acted story. When you’ve done a bit of that and fancy something different, the game has you covered there too. You can dick around in glorious fashion in the multitude of other activities, or you can simply just go shopping, or eat in your favourite restaurant and make friends. It’s a complete gaming experience.
Ryu Ga Gotoku studios have pulled off what I didn’t think they could. They made a game so exciting in so many ways that it made me forget about playing a Yakuza game, even though it’s set in the same district! It is certainly my favourite game so far of 2019, and a GOTY contender? I’ll pass Judgment on that, and the verdict is most definitely guilty!”
SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s detective thriller, Judgment, is available now on retail and digital storefronts for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and digitally via Google Stadia for $39.99. Critically acclaimed from its PlayStation 4 launch in 2019, Judgment has been remastered for next-gen platforms and will mark the series’ debut on Xbox and Stadia, taking advantage of the new hardware with refined visuals in 60 frames per second along with improved load times.
Beyond an intense noir of murder and mystery within Judgment, this remastered edition will feature all available add-on content including drone components, healing items, Yagami Detective Agency decorations and more.
The offerings we get with Games with Gold have become gradually less impressive now that Game Pass is stealing all the highlights. That’s not to say the games are bad, but they’re either old or just alright if you like that kind of game. Still, free is free, I guess.
Game Pass subscribers still have Second Extinction joining the service on its launch into game preview this week and have recently received day-one releases of AAA titles Outriders and MLB The Show 21, so there’s still a silver lining. Assuming, of course, that you use Game Pass (and you should).
From Xbox Wire:
The May Games with Gold lineup is here! On the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, battle to claim the throne in Armello, and uprise and take over the overworld in Dungeons 3. And for our classic lineup via Backward Compatibility, put on the cowl and fight crime in Lego Batman, and rule and manage your island nation in Tropico 4.
Xbox Live Gold members will have exclusive access to these games for a limited time as part of Games with Gold. So will Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, who receive all the fantastic benefits of Gold plus access to over 100 high-quality games with Xbox Game Pass.
Armello A grim fairytale board game comes to life, this swashbuckling adventure brings together the deep tactics of card games and the rich strategy of tabletop games, all combined into a character-building RPG. As the hero, you’ll wage epic battles, explore the vast kingdom, cast spells, and vanquish monsters, all with the ultimate goal of becoming the next King or Queen of Armello.
Dungeons 3 Help the Dungeon Lord succeed in conquest in this dungeon building, real time strategy game. Head the frontlines under the guidance of his chief lieutenant, the dark elf Thalya, and command the most terrifying army the world has ever seen. Choose among orcs, succubae, zombies, and more, and use every trick in the book to take down the do-gooders of the overworld once and for all!
Lego Batman He is vengeance… He is the night… He is Lego Batman. Build, drive, swing, and fight your way through Gotham as the caped crusader and his sidekick, Robin. And, in a gameplay twist, play as the villains in story mode and help in their nefarious plans to take over the city.
Tropico 4 As El Presidente, the ruler of your small island nation, it is your job to gain the support of the people, negotiate with foreign superpowers, and even deal with any natural disasters which threaten your country. Test your political mettle and remember that everyone has an agenda, so while it’s good to keep your friends close, it’s better to keep your enemies closer.
ASUS’s first HDMI 2.1 gaming monitor features a 43‑inch panel, 144 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms MPRT, and Display Stream Compression technology
TVs tend to steal a lot of the limelight when it comes to console displays, but I’d argue if you are even slightly serious about your gaming, you should be using a monitor. Now that HDMI 2.1 equipped monitors are an actual thing you can buy, something like ASUS’s XG43UQ makes a lot of sense.
The 43″ W-LED VA display is packed full of technology that should make your games not only look amazing but run super-smoothly and be far more responsive than on most TV sets. HDMI 2.1 allows you to run games at 4k 120 Hz on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and FreeSync Premium Pro enables adaptive sync simultaneously with high refresh rates, 4k resolutions and beautiful HDR.
With its 10-bit panel and claimed 125% sRGB and 90% DCI-P3 coverage, the colours should be popping on this display. We’ve reviewed a lot of ASUS’s new notebook range, and if the quality of their portable displays is anything to go by, the XG43UQ is going to be a bit special.
Available in a two-tone black and white colourway, with a stunning all-white rear cover, the XG43UQ is a stunning bit of kit. It also comes with the obligatory RGB, with Aura Sync ROG logo lighting that can be synced up with your PC and peripherals. Another welcome addition is the inclusion of a remote control, which is essential for ease of use on a display of this size.
Key features
HDMI 2.1 – 4K 120 Hz on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and compatible PCs
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown – Head to Head trailer reveals… CGI, and Gambling
I know it’s not uncommon for developers to release teaser trailers that are deliberately sparse on the details, but they need to give us something to work with. The CGI trailer shows very little apart from what we’re assuming is confirmation that the Casino is coming back. It was an OK distraction for a bit in TDU2, but it’s hardly a showcase for a driving game.
More interestingly, there seems to be a renewed focus on customising your vehicles, with a blinged-up Range Rover being driven by an equally blinged-up woman with gold nails. She then lines up alongside an Aston Martin, before driving out of an underground tunnel into blooming sunlight… And that’s it.
We do know KT Racing are trying to create a “driving and lifestyle experience”, set in a real-world location built at a 1:1 scale. While the lifestyle experience part sounds interesting, as I enjoyed visiting my mansions in the previous games and checking out my garages, it’s the 1:1 scale real-world location that has me really intrigued.
More information is going to be released in July 2021, but seeing how little we have seen about the game, this points towards a significant wait for the actual release.
The first two Test Drive Unlimited games were very good fun, but not without their problems. The actual open-world you got to explore was great, and very scenic, but the handling model was occasionally iffy. Even so, I’m still looking forward to the new game, even if they don’t seem that bothered about showing us anything to actually make us excited yet.
Xbox Series X|S FPS Boost Now Includes 13 EA Games, 23 Games In Total Support The Feature
The full list of games that support FPS Boost is below, including many games that are available on Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate. You will need a compatible TV or Monitor that supports 120 Hz to use this feature, of course, however, they are steadily finding their way into more homes. If you’ve been on the fence about upgrading your display, perhaps this will persuade you to take the plunge!
Some of these games can only enable FPS Boost by lowering the resolution. For these titles, you’ll have to manually enable FPS Boost. Luckily, it’s a straightforward procedure:
To enable it manually, go into the Manage game section of any title, and then select Compatibility options.
To enable FPS boost, simply check the box. If you prefer to disable FPS boost and play the game in its original form, untick the box. Same goes for auto HDR. However, you need to enable the Allow HDR10 feature in your console settings to make the option to check Auto HDR available to you. To do so, select Go to Settings. FPS boost and auto HDR aren’t available for all backward compatible games. For unsupported games, the option to turn on these features is greyed out. If the game doesn’t support either option, the Compatibility options feature won’t appear.
Note If you wish to change these settings while playing a game, you’ll have to close out and then restart it. Highlight the game from the miniguide on the left side of the screen, press the Menu button on your controller, select Quit, and then restart the game. To confirm that these features are enabled, press the Xbox button while in the game and check the top right corner of your screen.
Old People Mayhem Sandbox ‘Just Die Already’ to Launch on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 20th 2021
Just Die Already is an old people mayhem sandbox game created by the designers of Goat Simulator.
You are an old retired person in a near future where people aren’t having any children. There isn’t anyone to pay for pensions due to those ungrateful millennials who prefer playing video games instead of doing actual work. With no one to cover your living costs, you – just like all other old people in this world – have no other choice but to survive on your own. How will you survive in a world that wants you to Just Die Already?
To make things worse, you’ve just been kicked out of your retirement home, and your only option now is to perform dangerous challenges and explore the world for retirement tickets to qualify for free retirement care. So with society wishing you dead, isn’t it finally time to live a little?
KEY FEATURES
BE OLD, BE BOLD
You get to be an old person. Angry, fragile, poor and hating the world: the dream you didn’t know you had until now. Finally, you have found something in common with your grandparents.
BREAK A LEG… BREAK A NECK
Discover the joys of being old and made of glass, anything can break you and you can break your everything.
DON’T TRY THIS AT (RETIREMENT) HOME
Complete dangerous challenges that you will never ever try at home and answer existential questions like: can you launch yourself from a catapult and land on someone? Or, can you survive losing your head, grabbing it and whacking someone with it?
ONE MISSION: RETIRE!
Earn rewards by completing dangerous challenges, your goal? To qualify for a proper retirement home. That makes perfect sense. Word of advice: try and stay in one piece so you can enjoy it in the end…
SANDBOX MULTIPLAYER
Play alone, or with up to 4 players in online multiplayer. Complete challenges together, or just cause mayhem and rip your friends’ limbs off!
BE OLD. TWICE
You get to be an old person. So good we said it twice.
LIMITLESS INTERACTION
Pick up and interact with a very wide variety of objects. Everything from giant trouts, trampolines, guns, electrical wiring, and fireworks, just to mention a few. Bazookas, axes, trombones, air horns and jetpacks to mention a few more. Yes they all can be used to hurt and maim.
EMBRACE YOUR INNER BOOMER
Wreak havoc on the millennial and zoomer population (we forgot Generation X, just like everyone else). NPCs react differently depending on their age – some will laugh and clap at others getting hurt while others will run away in terror.
THE GAME CAN BE AS CRAZY AS YOU
The city is filled with detailed environments, loaded with secrets and hidden paths, that encourage detailed exploration and quirky experimentation to truly see it all.
OLD. PERSON.
Okay that’s the last time we promise
ONE MORE THING!
Wait wait one last thing! Did we mention you can find a glue gun that lets you for example attach fireworks to a bike, and then ride the bike? Or that you can disrupt traffic and make a traffic jam and make cars explode? Or that you can attach wings to your arm and fly around?
Live the emotions of the Official 2021 Season, managing all the aspects of your race with the new edition of the Managerial Career. Take full control of your bike, monitoring the Brake Temperature and experience a new level of simulation thanks to the revised Bike Suspension System. With the new Bike Retrieval System if you fall, you have to get up and get back on your bike, as fast as you can. Be careful and follow the rules, because the Long Lap Penalty feature is now in the MotoGP™ videogame franchise!
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I have long been a fan of the real MotoGP racing series, and have dipped in and out of the games over the years. I have platinumed a couple of the games but skipped a few yearly iterations because they never seemed to be much different from the previous year. In the meantime, I have ploughed hours into Ride 4, and can currently call some of the fastest Ride 4 racers on the PlayStation Network my friends. With their help, I have been learning a trick or two on how to be competitively fast. So starting up MotoGP 21 on my PS5, I licked my chops with a confident swagger. Eager to channel my inner Rossi, I jumped into a race, sure of my riding ability.
Minutes later I was quite literally being brought back to the ground with a bump over and over again as the harsh reality of trying to keep a MotoGP bike upright while racing is a lot harder than it looks! It was time to knuckle down because this game is a serious attempt at sim racing, and despite all my years of MotoGP, Ride, SBK and even Motocross games, I quite clearly needed to start all over again with a fresh set of eyes, and a new set of leathers!
Excellent Tutorials
The newer MotoGP games have a complicated range of assists and settings, such as TCS, AWS, PWR, EBS, Tyre Wear, and Long Laps. I thought I knew what they did, but I still needed to re-learn them properly. You can adjust the bike settings to “Real”, which means that if the bike of that time didn’t have TCS or AWS, then it’s not available as an assist in-game but it is highly advisable to ensure you have every assist unlocked as you will need them all!
Fortunately, MotoGP 21 has a comprehensive Tutorial section that I recommend you play through. It goes through every nuance of the game, even down to the difference in feel and performance caused by using smaller or larger brake discs. The impressive thing is, you really can feel the difference, not just in stopping distances but in the handling!
After you have gone through the tutorials, you can then explore what the game has to offer. During our review window, the online aspects of the game were unplayable due to the fact the servers weren’t live yet.
Where the fun starts
To start with, I clicked on a single race weekend Grand Prix and was offered options from a whole selection of warm-ups and qualifiers to take part in. Going straight into a race on a bike I’d never ridden, on a track I hadn’t practised, even on the below-average AI difficulty was borderline pointless. The reason is, and it’s quite a key one, you really need to spend time on each bike to understand it, and how it reacts to how you ride. You then need to make setup adjustments from your feedback.
Now you might think it would be a simple case of doing that once and applying the same setting to each bike you ride thereafter, but how wrong could you be. Each bike reacted differently to my riding style. Some bikes, for example, braked evenly when I wanted them to, others not. Some bikes I could hit every apex and be accurate but slow, others fast and wild.
Therein, in a nutshell, lies the beauty and depth the game has if you scratch beneath the surface. With over 120 bikes in the game, you will quite clearly need to find the right bike for you and spend quality time on it to make the right tuning, to then be consistently competitive. Even then, the tuning setup you have for your bike at one track will need to be different at the next.
The Moto 3 bikes were the only ones that didn’t require much tinkering, but even they can bite the unwary or the aggressive rider. Moto 2 bikes, in my opinion, were the worst. When set to real-world electronics, therefore with no TCS, I simply found them unrideable. This was because, even with the haptic feedback on the PS5 controller, no matter how softly I gently squeezed the throttle, I was still having rear wheel spin up wash-outs at each and every slow corner exit!
For example, at a dry sunny Silverstone, at the end of the Wellington Straight, into Luffield, over a bumpy corner, I was millimetre by millimetre squeezing the power on but no matter how gently I tried to apply the throttle, the rear end washed out from underneath me, and my rider fell off so many times his face is now part of the track. In comparison, on the same track, I jumped onto a MotoGP bike to race in the wet and didn’t fall off once! It’s not that a MotoGP bike is easy to ride either, it just confirmed to me that these bikes need all the settings they can get to make them rideable and you just have to find what works for you.
Your Engineer is your best friend
There are many settings to change on each and every bike; Gear ratios, spring settings, it’s all there for the real tuning geeks to mull over a click or two up or down. However, if you are a mere mortal like me, the in-game race engineer soon becomes your best friend. He can, via a few simple clicks, adjust the bike for you based on the feedback you give him, and it works. Slow leaning into a corner, he can sort that. Missing apexes through understeering? He can solve that too.
My only issue with this was the game didn’t make it clear if making a second adjustment to your bike altered the first, and that you yourself really need to have some basic understanding of what’s going wrong to advise him correctly in the first place. If you don’t then there will be a lot of experimentation, and therefore the need for all those Free Practice sessions on a race weekend.
The second element to the handling of each bike was that the bikes themselves aren’t all equal. Each bike in its class is rated by the manufacturer, from 100% down to 75%. It was unclear what the differences were for each bike, but I suspected it was mainly power and handling, so if you wanted to ride the lower-rated bikes, you would need to figure out what it needed work on.
Snoozeville
For most, the best part of the single-player experience will be the career mode, and it’s where the meat of the game is. Players will get the choice of either dropping right into a MotoGP team in the elite league, starting at the base level of Moto 2 or Moto 3, or indeed creating a bespoke team of your own.
The career mode has just as much to do off the track as it does on it, but unfortunately, the off-track content is more of a means-to-an-end RPG aspect than anything interesting. For example, when you are part of a team you can assign team members to the development of parts to upgrade your bike. The more members assigned to a part the quicker it gets developed and onto your bike. Although I respect the fact that the game gives you this opportunity to delve deeper into what goes on behind the scenes of a real MotoGP team, there is absolutely nothing exciting or worth stressing about to make this aspect of the game worthwhile. Do you commit seven members to a part to get it in two weeks or split them to get two upgrades in four weeks? That is about as thrilling as it gets.
As rewarding as building up the team and the bike you ride is, once you start to improve you will get offers to join a new, probably better team with a better bike anyway, and would have to start the process all over again. Also, winning more money and fame attracts better quality crew members, so that accelerates the process somewhat too.
The meat and potatoes of the career mode are race weekends. and the thrill of racing. MotoGP races and the draw of what makes them exciting is faithfully recreated here, not just on race day but in the build-up too. I can’t understate the sense of achievement and reward of being 1.5 seconds off the pace at the beginning of the weekend, only to get the tuning correct and end up getting a front-row qualification time. Then, the dismay at all that hard work being unravelled by either getting a poor start off the line or being wiped out turn one. The pain is real! You can of course rewind or start the race again, but the more realistic the setting the bigger the payoff.
The racing itself is excellent. Milestone has improved the A.N.N.A in-game AI engine, especially when compared to RIDE 4’s version, as the AI riders certainly don’t behave as erratically or aggressively. They don’t want to fall off just as much as you don’t. However, the AI might for some be just a little too safe. This was especially noticeable towards the end of races.
When I began races, I managed to set them up with just the right amount of difficulty so that the AI times were matching my own. For three quarters of the race, I would be having thrilling side by side, duck and dive racing action. The last quarter though, as the consumables of the bike deteriorated, i.e. the tyre wear, I seemed to be suffering far worse than my AI counterparts even if I still had the right amount of grip and correct tyre selection.
While I’m sliding sideways into corners through a lack of tyre grip just like Marc Marquez, my AI counterparts are still smooth as silk and untroubled. This was a problem because you need to correctly balance the bike to be able to pull away from a corner quickly; A slight wobble here or there means the rider you were right behind starts to pull away. Although the AI riders do crash, brake late, or at times move erratically, they never seem to struggle with braking or late-race grip. This attention to detail would have given the game another superb layer of realism, as it could be argued these two aspects make or break a race.
So, you have brought your bike up to speed through free practice testing, got a decent qualification time and fought your way through the field until you are within sight of the leaders with a couple of laps to go. Pushing has taken its toll, though. You are starting to get low on fuel so have to turn the power down, but manage to catch their slipstream to still gain on them – nearly fall off as the right side of your tyres are down to their last moments of grip and come into the last corner on the tail of the leader. You have been fighting the bike the whole race, but are now within sight of your first win, if only you can get the power down this last corner smoothly and catch their slipstream, the win is surely within your grasp!
By the time the race finishes, you are truly feeling exhausted but elated, so much so, that at times even finishing a lowly 7th or 8th felt like a win! Manifest the ups and downs of one week over the course of the entire season and welcome to MotoGP racing! It’s not hard to see why, if you get the balance right, it’s utterly compelling, and a must-play experience.
The look and sounds of racing
Graphically, Motogp is very sharp and detailed but lacks a certain amount of real live rendering to the environments. Although for the most part the tracks you race on and their locations will be nothing more than a blur as you are focussed on racing and the bike in front, when you do stop to look around, the areas are far too bland and stark. Everything around you looks brand spanking new. The grass is uniformly green, the buildings clean, it’s just a bit too fake. The road surfaces are excellent, as are the bike models and rider animations when shifting. Close-ups of the characters when in the pits or during career mode look extremely dated and a little scary!
It’s hard to criticize though, as the graphics where it counts – on the bike and on the road – are excellent. Tiny little details like the blur of a sponsor’s logo on a wheel rim, or the scrub of damage on the fairing of the bike if it receives damage show off the best of the attention to detail the game has.
The audio was for the most part excellent too, but occasionally awful. Riding the Honda Repsol MotoGP bike sounded more like a knackered one-cylinder petrol lawnmower than a highly tuned expensive piece of motorbike engineering. Contrast that with the throaty sound of the Ducatis or Yamahas, or the tinny whine of a Moto3 bike, and you wonder why all the bikes didn’t get that attention to detail. The highlight, however, is being in the middle of a large field of bikes. Regardless of the class, it feels alive, with a cacophony of engine noises around you, all at different pitches in glorious surround sound.
Other content
There are also three other classes of bikes to race other than the current MotoGP series. These are Moto GP 800 4-Stroke, Moto GP 990 4-Stroke and Moto GP 500 2-Stroke bikes. Unlike in previous games, there are no scenarios to reenact with the historic bikes, just a race with riders from the same period on the same period of bikes. As fun as it is to race the different machines, there really isn’t much to this section of the game other than you can try out a few different bikes.
Summary
MotoGP 21, has certainly moved away from the arcade race experience of old to a whole new level here in 2021. MotoGp21 is hardcore, very hardcore and not something for the casual racer. Even the most basic of bikes require the utmost respect. Each race felt like a major event, especially when managing your tyre and fuel degradation alongside the racing. However, with all this effort comes immense reward which is utterly addictive when your hard work pays off. If you are up to the task, put your big boy pants on, and enjoy one of the best MotoGP games in the series, but come prepared to work for it. This game will high-side any who want a casual experience so only serious contenders need apply.
Acer’s upgraded Orion 3000 with the Nvidia RTX 3070 has a near-perfect balance of price and performance
Manufacturer: Acer Predator
Model: Orion 3000 PO3-620
Part number: DG.E21EK.OOD
Price when reviewed: £1499
Supplied by: Acer
It’s a deal, it’s a steal
When we reviewed the Orion 3000 PO3-620 with RTX 2060 last year, we praised its excellent price to performance ratio, recommending it as an ideal jumping on point for anyone wanting to try out PC gaming. Although it didn’t boast any top of the line components, everything it had was well balanced and offered performance way above it’s very reasonable price. We knew an RTX 30-series was in the pipeline, but what I didn’t expect was for it to come in at such a competitive price point, and with staggeringly good gaming chops.
The Orion 3000 RTX 3070 costs just £200 more than its RTX 2060 equipped sibling, but at 1440p it manages to pump out frame rates over double what we measured last time. Our test-bed of games and software has increased significantly since then, so we don’t have as many comparison points as we would have liked, but the new model comfortably outclasses the RTX 2060 model, and most other gaming systems we’ve tested recently, too.
With supplies of the RTX 3070 (well, all GPUs) becoming as rare as rocking-horse excrement, that you can purchase a reasonably priced prebuilt for just £1499 is incredible, and even more so when it has recently been in-stock and available to purchase. In the words of Tom, in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, “It’s a deal, it’s a steal, it’s the sale of the fucking century!”
Design and build
The Orion 3000 is still distinctively gamer-focused, but if you’re only familiar with Acer’s older Predator desktops, they’ve dialled back the aggressiveness and settled for what is a great blend between flashy gamer vibes and desktop-friendly style.
Even though it packs a heavyweight punch, it’s packed into a compact case that easily fits onto a desk without dominating your gaming space. It also weighs just 10 kilos, which caught me off guard when I first picked it up.
In the previous model we tested, we only had the mesh side panel, but our new review model had both the mesh and tempered glass side panels available.
The main body of the PC is metal, with the front panels assembled from plastic. Build quality is solid, with all of the panels assembled securely and despite the prominence of plastic, it doesn’t look or feel cheap in any way. There’s a hefty dose of RGB, that can be easily configured with the Predator Sense software, but it’s reasonably subtle in its application and doesn’t dominate the appearance.
Most of the connections are located at the rear of the PC, but there is a convenient set of quick-access ports beneath a flap on the front panel. An integrated pop-out headset hanger is located just above this, and a carrying handle is integrated into the top of the case. It’s a well thought out design and it’s well manufactured and assembled, however, the flap covering the ports and the headset hanger in particular don’t feel very sturdy.
Internals and upgrades
The 18 litre case only just accommodates the GPU and motherboard, which does make the interior look a little cluttered, especially with the clusters of cables towards the right-side of the MOBO. It’s not the tidiest of builds, but it can be hidden away if you use the mesh side-panel. As much as I usually prefer clear sides on my PCs, the metal panel is designed in such a way that it blocks view of the loose cabling and draws attention to the cleaner parts of the installation.
For the Orion 5000, Acer fits a couple of removable panels inside the PC that help conceal these cables and those connected to the HDD and PSU, which is something I’d have liked to see attempted here. Considering how compact the case is, though, it would have made the interior look tiny and no doubt obstructed airflow, so it’s a compromise that I’m willing to accept.
As far as upgrades go, you are restricted to upgrading the single M.2 SSD, which at 512 GB could certainly do with replacing if you have a large game library (or play Call of Duty Warzone). There are two SATA drive bays, one of which has a 1 TB HDD included, so you can significantly increase storage. Unless you are prepared to copy games back and forth or play from the slower storage, though, the smaller M.2 SSD is likely to be your first port of call when upgrading.
The included 16 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM is sufficient for most games, and it’s seen an increase in clock speeds from 2666 MHz to 2933 MHz in comparison to the RTX 2060 model, which helps performance. You can fit up to 64 GB of memory in the Orion 3000, though in gaming situations you aren’t likely to see a huge benefit in performance that would justify the upgrade.
This is clearly a PC designed for people who just want to buy a PC and play on it, without worrying about compatibility or which power supply they may need. For these people, the Orion 3000 is ideal. Although limited, the upgrades available are simple to make, and for most gamers it performs more than well enough for it to never become an issue.
Connectivity
The Orion 3000 has a good selection of ports that should suit most users. I would have preferred to see an additional USB-C connection at the rear in case you need to connect a high-speed hub, as racing sim peripherals in particular can take up a surprising number of ports, but this is an edge case scenario.
Most of the ports are located at the rear of the PC, but as mentioned, the flap on the front case conceals a 3.5mm combi-jack for headsets, a mic input and single USB-C and USB-A 3.2 ports.
The upgrade to RTX 3070 graphics means the Orion 3000 now has an HDMI 2.1 port, as well as three DisplayPort 1.4 connections from the GPU, along with a DVI output, 4 x USB 3.2, 2 x USB 2.0, an RJ-45 Ethernet port, and separate microphone and headphone jacks.
Network connectivity is handled by Killer Ethernet E2600, BlueTooth 5.1 and an Intel WiFi 6 card. The wireless range was sufficient for our modest sized office, and suffered no drops or significant stutters.
Gaming Performance
For £1499, it’s not likely you are going to get much more bang for your buck. Triple-digit 1440p Ultra gaming is achievable on pretty much all but the most resource-hungry RTX games. It clears the 60 fps ceiling so efficiently that you’ll be able to pick up any game for the foreseeable future, confident that it’s going to run very well.
With the RTX 2060 model of the Orion 3000, 4k gaming was unsurprisingly a mere pipe dream on any reasonably demanding title. With the upgraded model, even if it is better suited for 1440p gaming, it can still hit 4k 60 at Ultra on many titles, and with a tweak to the settings pretty much everything is playable at 60 fps. If you don’t already have a monitor, though, 1440p is going to give you the best overall performance in the years to come.
This is the first RTX 3070 desktop we’ve tested, but in comparison to everything else we’ve tested, including RTX 3080 16 GB notebooks costing double what the Orion 3000 does, only the £4,300 MSI Aegis Ti5 has it consistently beaten. Games that are more dependent on the CPU tended to fare better on the newer Ryzen 5000-series processors, but this is only by a small percentage and on systems costing far more.
It used to be that if you wanted to optimise a game for your system, you’d have to tinker with the settings to find the best balance between visual acuity and performance. Nvidia’s modern GPUs are now widely supported by their GeForce Experience software that offers up optimised settings for your configuration, and it works brilliantly well. Unless you are playing at 4k, though, you don’t need to touch it. Ultra settings, turn everything up to 11, and away you go.
What’s it good for? Everything!
If you are a fan of esports titles, a lot of these are heavily optimised to run well on lower-spec PCs anyway, but if you want to chase the maximum frames available, there’s enough grunt to easily power your way to 200+ fps. CS:GO is renowned for being able to run on the oldest potato of a machine, but even so, we had consistent frame rates above 300 fps, even running max detail at 1440p. Likewise with Rocket League, a frankly staggering 410 fps average was effortless (and far faster than any retail monitor on the market).
Of the more demanding titles in our test-bed, Control maintained a 77 fps average at 1440p, with everything ramped up to its beautiful, ray-traced maximum (albeit with a helping hand from DLSS). Borderlands 3, another demanding game despite its cartoony cell-shaded appearance, averaged over 82 fps. Another benchmarker’s favourite, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, turned in a very respectable 77 fps with RTX on and even managed 52 fps at 4k.
If I was to identify a weak point in this build, it’s that the Intel CPU is the limiting factor in pushing higher frame rates in many games. The i7-10700K would arguably have been a better choice, even if it bumped the price up by a fraction. As can be seen in the benchmarks, several titles only vary by a small percentage when comparing 1080p and 1440p performance. As such, if you primarily intend to play games at 1080p on a fast refresh monitor, you’d be better served by a system with a more potent CPU. 1440p is definitely the ideal resolution for this PC.
We’ve listed our fully benchmarked games below, but I played quite a lot more games for fun that aren’t listed, and they all performed wonderfully. It’s deeply satisfying to be able to pick any game from your collection and enjoy it at not only high frame rates but also maximum visual settings. For £1,499, you really can’t go wrong.
Benchmarks
All benchmark tests were carried out with fan control set to Automatic in the Predator Sense software. In-game settings use the Ultra preset (or equivalent) where available. If DLSS was available, it was set to performance mode. (If an RTX game comfortably runs above refresh rates you are happy with, we recommend switching DLSS to Quality, as it makes a noticeable difference to image clarity.)
We’ve listed a range of computers and GPUs for comparison, including some high-end notebooks, ranging from the RTX 2060 of the other model Orion 3000 to the monster RTX 3080 of the MSI Aegis Ti5. This should give you an idea of how it compares against a wide range of processors and system configurations. We find these comparisons useful for consumers looking for not only the best overall performance but also the best value, too.
Comparison systems
MSI MEG Aegis Ti5
i9-10900K
RTX 3080 10GB
128 GB DDR4-3200
£4,299
Acer Predator Orion 3000 RTX 3070
i7-10700
RTX 3070 8GB
16 GB DDR4-3200 (2933 MHz)
£1,499
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo SE
R9 5900HX
RTX 3080 16GB
32 GB DDR4-3200
£3,499
Acer Predator Orion 5000
i7-10700K
RTX 2070 Super 8GB
16 GB DDR4-3200
£1,999
ASUS ROG Strix G15
R7 5800H
RTX 3070 8GB
16GB DDR4-3200
£1,699
Acer Predator Orion 3000
i7-10700
RTX 2060 6GB
16 GB DDR4-2666
£1,299
System Benchmark Results:
Regular usage and moderate productivity tasks like basic photo and video editing are effortless on the Orion 3000, thanks to the excellent i7-10700. There’s not much you can do that will trouble this CPU, and outside of power users, it will smash everyday use. Multitasking is great on the Orion 3000, too. Thanks to the multiple video outputs, it’s a cinch to add an extra monitor or two, and I was running multiple screens with Netflix playing on one, and another with my primary desktop set up for writing and editing, with no sign of any slowdown.
It falls behind the other systems we compared it with when it comes to rendering images, but unless you are used to a much more powerful system, it’s unlikely that the small gap between the Orion 3000 and the comparison systems will be problematic in real-world applications.
System Tests:
Cinebench R15
CineBench – CPU (Single)(cb)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 198 cb
CineBench – CPU (Multi)(cb)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 1627 cb
CineBench – GPU (OpenGL)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 182.88 fps
Cinebench R20
CineBench – CPU (Single)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 477
CineBench – CPU (Multi)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 3908
Cinebench R23
CineBench – CPU (Single)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 1246
CineBench – CPU (Multi)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 10335
3DMark – Time Spy (DX12)
Time Spy Score – 12335
Gaming Score – 13126
CPU Score – 9196
3DMark – Fire Strike (DX11)
Fire Strike Score – 24056
Graphics Score – 32936
Physics Score – 21567
Combined Score – 8444
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 – 7105
Essentials – 10226
App Start-up – 15204
Video Conferencing – 7814
Web Browsing – 9002
Productivity – 8794
Spreadsheets – 9987
Writing – 7745
Content Creation – 10823
Photo Editing – 16032
Rendering and Visualisation – 13987
Video Editing – 5655
Bright Memory Infinite RTX Benchmark
Very High – DLSS Setting: Quality
1080p: 79 fps
1440p: 49 fps
2160p: 24 fps
High – DLSS Setting: Performance
1080p: 121 fps
1440p: 80 fps
2160p: 40 fps
UserBenchMark
Gaming – 153% UFO
Desktop – 101% UFO
Workstation – 147% UFO
CPU – Gaming – 98.20%
Graphics – 158%
Boot Drive – 206%
Storage
The Western Digital PC SN530 NVMe M.2 SSD in the Orion 3000 records decent results in the benchmarks, even if it does fall behind the blazing speeds in more premium systems. Peak read and write speeds were 2.4 GB/s and 1.8 GB/s respectively. This equates to rapid system boot-up times and solid performance in games, with loading times pleasingly short.
In the previous RTX 2060 configuration that we were sent, the SSD was partitioned into two, but the Orion 3000 RTX 3070 has no unnecessary partitioning of the drive.
An additional 1 Tb HDD is also included for storing files and documents, or temporarily storing games that aren’t in your current rotation so you don’t have to redownload them in future. The HDD speed is significantly slower than the SSD, but it’s perfectly fine for music, videos and photos, and even gaming if you’re prepared to tolerate lengthier loading times.
CrystalDiskMark
The following are the results recorded in CrystalDiskMark, with figures measured in MB/s
Cooling
Acer’s 4th generation FrostBlade RGB fans are highly effective in the Orion 3000. Under maximum load, the fans are barely audible when set to automatic control. I tested the Orion 3000 with fans set to the gaming mode, and they spool up a lot faster and louder, but they are still relatively quiet. You should only need to use auto fan control, though, as the PC runs cool even during stress testing.
With the entire system under full load, the maximum GPU temperature was just 78°C (75°C with the fan set to Gaming), and the CPU averaged 74°C. There were occasional peaks as high as 86°C whilst gaming, but this was infrequent.
Impressively, the CPU will run at boosted clock speeds for extended periods, with the i7-10700 sitting comfortably at 4.1 GHz. Under sustained load for 30 minutes, we only saw a reduction of around 10% in CPU performance, which is acceptable.
Summary
The Acer Predator Orion 3000 was already a great offer with the RTX 2060, but when you throw in the RTX 3070, it becomes phenomenally good value. Gaming performance is outstanding, and it can handle moderate workstation duties, too. You are slightly limited in how much you can upgrade this system down the line, but its gaming ability is potent enough that by the time it can’t handle new releases, you will probably be looking at a new machine anyway.
For £1,499 it represents extremely good value for money, with very little compromise. As someone with a family to support, getting the best deals is important. I can confidently say this is one PC I would happily add to the top of my wish list.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is launching in limited beta on Chrome and Edge browsers for Windows 10 PCs and the Safari browser for Apple mobile phones & tablets starting Tuesday, April 20
At the moment, access is by invite only while they squash any bugs and get feedback on functionality and stability, but it shouldn’t be long until it rolls out to all users.
Over 100 games are available to play from the Game Pass catalogue, with a compatible Bluetooth or USB-connected required to play the full selection, or you can play over 50 games with touch controls.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft to request access to the Beta so we can let you know what the latency and resolution are like on a bigger PC screen. Much like the mobile version, the quality of your experience is heavily dependant on the quality of your connection, but with most PC players having the option of using ethernet, it’s likely to be far better than regular 4G/5G or even WiFi connections.
That being said, streaming is limited to just 720p on Android devices, and early rumours suggest it will be the same for PC. It’s not the end of the world, but if you’re playing on a high resolution 27″+ monitor it could end up looking disappointing. Microsoft are updating their servers to Xbox Series X consoles (or equivalent) over the coming years, so hopefully we’ll see that resolution improved over time.
It has not yet been confirmed if Xbox Cloud Gaming will work as a replacement for console streaming within the Windows 10 Xbox app, which is not supported on the Xbox Series X|S consoles. It’s a feature I used frequently for capturing gameplay and screenshots, as well as gaming when the TV was in use by the family, so it would be excellent if this turns out to be a viable alternative.
Unlike the original xCloud beta, there is nowhere to register your interest in the service (that we’ve seen, anyway), so if you want to try out the new service, you’ll have to play the waiting game.
I spent so many 10p pieces on the Turtles arcade machine back in the day. Once the argument over who got to be Michelangelo and Donatello was settled, I’d stand huddled around the oversized arcade cabinet with my besties, kicking foot clan butt.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge has perfectly captured the aesthetic of the classic Turtles games, while bringing it up to date with a few modern twists. It is being developed by Dotemu, who are known for their remakes like Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, and Tribute Games, who have made a name for themselves with their retro themed indie games.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge has already been confirmed for Windows PC (Steam), and this new announcement focuses on its scheduled launch on Nintendo Switch. It’s unknown whether it will eventually make its way to the Xbox and PlayStation, but we certainly hope it does!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge features groundbreaking gameplay rooted in timeless classic brawling mechanics, brought to you by the beat ’em up experts at Dotemu (Streets of Rage 4) and Tribute Games. Bash your way through gorgeous pixel art environments and slay tons of hellacious enemies with your favorite Turtle, each with his own skills and moves – making each run unique! Choose a fighter, use radical combos to defeat your opponents and experience intense combats loaded with breathtaking action and outrageous ninja abilities. Stay sharp as you face off against Shredder and his faithful Foot Clan alone, or grab your best buds and play with up to four players simultaneously!
With Bebop and Rocksteady assaulting Channel 6 and stealing super gnarly devices to support Krang and Shredder’s latest twisted plan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge sees the Turtles battling across a righteous range of timeless TMNT locations. From Manhattan and Coney Island, to city rooftops and dank sewers, help the fearsome foursome trounce Foot Soldiers, Triceraton Warriors, and Rock Troops all the way to Dimension X!
Enjoy stunning full-color pixel art graphics and a vintage TMNT vibe that will rock you straight back to the awesome 80s. Every character, vehicle, weapon, item, and background is directly inspired by the 1987 TV show, making you feel like you hopped into the television — with a dope mix of killer humor and action-packed adventures!
● Gnarly game design takes you back to the ’80s ● Beautiful full-color pixel art graphics ● Old-school gameplay enhanced with super-fresh mechanics ● Up to four players simultaneously ● Play with iconic TMNT characters and vehicles in diverse gameplay options ● Radical new story mode ● And totally more to come!
It’s not unusual for manufacturers to add some unique styling or features to their flagships, but MSI has gone full Cyberdyne Systems with the Aegis Ti5. Looking like a robotic head from a Neil Blomkamp movie, the Aegis Ti5 is an imposing bit of design. Outside of the custom-built PC market, it’s rare to find anything other than the traditional big rectangular box styling of most desktop PCs.
The MSI MEG Aegis Ti5 goes above and beyond regular design conventions, and it’s a truly unique PC, but it’s also a very cleverly engineered system. The MOBO has been mounted upside down, and the CPU and GPU are partially separated by a dividing plate to help channel airflow and cool the outrageously powerful tech inside. It’s unconventional, but damn it’s effective.
You also get the quality assurance that comes with purchasing from a big-name manufacturer rather than relying on a 3rd-party builder. If you want something that’s going to turn heads, they don’t come much more flamboyant than this!
Design and build
The styling of the Aegis Ti5 is likely to be as divisive as marmite. Even if you do favour the sci-fi trappings of the Ti5, there’s still the question of whether it will fit into your setup. Personally, I think it looks fantastic, and although it doesn’t match my more traditional setup, it’s such a good PC I’d be willing to redesign my gaming area to match the futuristic styling.
It’s a very large PC (551 x 239 x 511 mm W/D/H), but most of this size is because of the large stand and aesthetic additions; Inside, it’s actually a micro-ATX setup. It’s also very heavy, weighing about 17 Kg.
Rather than the usual clear side panels allowing you to see inside the PC, the Aegis Ti5 is a mostly sealed unit. The side panels do have a meshed section that lets you just about make out the illuminated MSI logo on the CPU cooler inside, but any view of the internals is mostly obscured by the enormous radiator. A dark tinted panel across the top of the Ti5 appears almost black when the PC is switched off, but when you power it up it shows the huge triple-fan RTX 3080 in all its RGB bathed glory.
The use of RGB in the Aegis Ti5 is bold but restrained. Instead of unfiltered lighting beaming out from all sides, MSI’s implementation utilises diffused light to add highlights to the case, and I think it looks fantastic without being overbearing. The usual complement of lighting customisations are available, so it’s easy to match the Aegis Ti5 to your personal style.
MSI has relied on using quite a lot of plastic in the external panels, and although you could question why they wouldn’t use more metal given the high cost, this is already a heavy PC, so at least it keeps the weight down somewhat. The panels are well-sculpted, but in some places feel excessively thin, such as on the side panels which have a hollow rattle when tapped. Initial reservations about the quality of some of the materials used aside, it’s a sturdy and well-made PC.
We haven’t had any similarly specced systems in for comparisons yet, but a comparable system I found, with a bespoke case, costs roughly the same as the Aegis Ti5. There is competition out there from the likes of Razer, Alienware, ASUS and others that offer similar performance for a considerably lower price, but they tend to come in more traditional cases. If you choose the Aegis Ti5, make sure the styling is a significant factor in your decision, as you are paying a hefty premium for it.
Dialling it in
It’s not all just styling for the sake of it, though. Aside from the excellent cooling, there’s another distinctive and unique feature, the gaming dial. Featuring a mini-OLED display, the gamer dial can be configured to perform loads of useful functions. When it’s inactive, MSI’s dancing dragon mascot is displayed on the mini-display, but it can be switched out for a logo or .gif of your choosing. Turning the dial will adjust the volume of your PC, but if you press it first it opens up a whole load of customisable features. It can display system monitoring information, such as system temperatures and clock speeds or you can customise macros that will launch the game of your choice and alter the RGB and performance profile. It can even display the weather, though when you have a PC this powerful, who wants to go outside?
I only had the Aegis Ti5 for a couple of weeks, but I found that I frequently reached for the dial to launch games or to adjust the performance profile rather than going through the settings on the PC, just because I could. It’s also handy for monitoring temperatures; In its default setting it cycles through all the various clock speeds and every conceivable sensor’s output, but if you only want to check CPU and GPU temperatures you can disable the rest, keeping the pertinent data displayed. I’m not sure it’s the revolutionary addition that MSI possibly envisioned, as it doesn’t really do anything you can’t easily do already, but it does have practical uses and looks effortlessly cool. Frivolity aside, when you are paying over £4000 for a PC you expect some flair, however unnecessary.
Internals and upgrades
Inside, despite the somewhat alien outer appearance, it’s actually a fairly traditional layout, but with some clever use of dividers and chambers to manage temperatures more efficiently. As mentioned, the motherboard is inverted, so access is on the right-hand side of the case. The GPU is upside down at the top, with the massive radiator for the AIO cooling system below. Although you can completely remove the radiator, it’s designed with a clever hinge mount at the bottom so you can fold it down and gain access to the Z490 motherboard without needing to remove the AIO cooling system.
While it is technically possible to upgrade this PC, it’s quite a complex installation and could be daunting for all but the most confident of users. The things you are most likely to want to upgrade eventually, such as the GPU, RAM and SSDs, can be accessed without too much disassembly. However, the variant of the Aegis Ti5 we received is so massively powerful that I can’t imagine anyone needing to even consider changing anything for many years.
Of the two main SSDs, only one is easily accessible. The other is tucked in behind the GPU, so you will have to remove that first.
There are two additional 2.5” storage drive bays located behind the left side panel. They don’t have the connections in place as standard, so you’ll have to thread cabling through to the MOBO which looks to be a slightly fiddly task. There is an extra M.2 2280 slot, however, that is easy to access.
The main 3.5” drive bay is far easier to get to, accessed via a removal panel at the rear, between the stand and main chassis. The 3 TB drive that came with the Aegis Ti5 is ample for our needs, but if you do decide to upgrade it’s very easy to do.
If you need to change the power supply, it’s going to be a massive undertaking, as it’s built into the stand and the cable routing is complex and tightly fitted. As alluded to earlier, though, this PC is already plenty powerful, and if you’re buying a pre-built system then you probably aren’t expecting to make huge upgrades. Given how efficient the cooling system is, I’m surprised there wasn’t any factory CPU overclock; Generally, people buying pre-built systems won’t be that knowledgeable about how to overclock their system. If you do go down that route, MSI Dragon Centre puts everything you need in one handy app.
Connectivity
The Aegis Ti5 has a full suite of connectivity options, plus a couple of extra and very welcome additions in the Thunderbolt 3 and dual ethernet ports. It’s a great selection of ports that should cover pretty much every requirement for most people. Although you’d expect it at this price point, there have been no corners cut in providing the best high-speed and high-quality ports.
At the front of the top panel alongside the power button are some convenient quick-access ports:
2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, and headphone and microphone jack ports. Unlike most new PCs, the headphone jack is not a combi jack for headsets, so you may need a splitter cable depending on your headsets connectivity.
At the rear are:
3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, 2x USB-A 2 ports, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, 2x RJ45 ethernet (1GBPs/2.5GBPs), Thunderbolt 3, and a seldom-seen old-school PS/2 input for mouse or keyboard.
There is also a good selection of audio I/O, including an S/PDIF Toslink port, surround speaker jacks, line in and out, and additional mic input.
Display connections are handled by the RTX 3080. There are three DisplayPort 1.4 connections and an HDMI 2.1 port, and an additional HDMI 2.0 output from the motherboard array.
For networking, both 1 GB (Intel I219V) and 2.5 GB (Intel I225V) ethernet connections are available, as well as Intel® WiFi6 AX201 and Bluetooth 5.1. The wireless connections are solid with a good range, and I experienced no dropouts or network stutter during my testing.
Gaming Performance
Ah, the gaming performance. Whilst the styling and design choices are subjective, the superb gaming performance is unquestionable. The Aegis Ti5 is leaps and bounds better than anything we’ve tested so far. Plug it into a 4k display, crank everything up to max, and away you go. It’s a great feeling when you can enable all of the effects and enhancements for a game and be confident that it’s going to look as good as it possibly can.
I had the luxury of trying the Aegis Ti5 out on a few different monitors, including a 120 Hz 4k and 165 Hz 1440p monitor. As much as I loved the pin-sharp resolution of 4k, even the mighty Ti5 lingered around the 60-100 fps range. On a modestly sized 32” monitor I much prefered the incredible frame rates I was getting at 1440p. As you can see from the benchmark results, 4k is great, but at 1440p I was getting frame rates well into the hundreds, and once you’ve experienced that level of smoothness it’s hard to go back. There are, however, a couple of games where even the enormous power of the Ti5 still struggles to hit 4k at 60 fps, but that’s on games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Control with RTX enabled.
We’ve tested some notebooks recently with the all-new Ryzen 5000 series CPUs that actually outperform the 10900K in the Aegis Ti5 on some CPU dependant games, but as soon as the GPU becomes the deciding factor, it positively annihilates everything we’ve tested previously. It’s going to be a good few years before any games come out that you won’t be able to run at very high settings.
I loved playing games on the Aegis Ti5 and finally got to experience Cyberpunk 2077 at a quality that made it (almost) possible to overlook the still rampant bugs and irritating pop-up police. A particular highlight for me was playing Forza Horizon 4 at a solid 120 fps at 4k, it’s simply stunning and breathtakingly smooth. To be fair, though, everything I played should be classed as a highlight.
If you want a PC that can provide high frame rates without having to make tradeoffs with maximum resolution and visuals, the Aegis Ti5 is a great (but expensive) solution.
Benchmarks
All benchmark tests were carried out with power management and fan control set to Extreme in the MSI Dragon Centre software.
*We tested Cyberpunk at a range of different settings, both with and without ray-tracing. For comparison purposes, we used DLSS set to quality and RTX on medium as it provided the best overall balance of image quality and performance.[/su_spoiler]
Performance comparisons
We’ve listed a range of computers and GPUs for comparison, ranging from the RTX 2060 of the Orion 3000 to the powerhouse RTX 3080 (mobile) from the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo SE. This should give you an idea of how it compares against a wide range of processors and system configurations. We find these comparisons useful for consumers looking for not only the best overall performance but also the best value, too.
The 10-core 20-thread i9-10900K is exceptionally good. It ploughed through everything we threw at it and barely tickled the CPU’s thermals. Even under 100% load it still maintained a boost clock of 5 GHz, which is very impressive. This CPU is currently being superseded by the new 11th Gen Intel processors, and there will no doubt be an upgraded Aegis Ti5 with the new CPUs, but unless you are a power user to some insane degree, or you want to top the overclocking leaderboards, there is ample performance here for almost everyone.
When it comes to RAM, 128 GB of DDR4 is overkill for the vast majority of users. Even if you are the kind of person who multitasks to an outrageous degree I find it hard to imagine anyone genuinely needing this much RAM. This is a top-shelf product, though, and it’s certainly an impressive bragging point in a game of PC Top Trumps.
System Tests
Cinebench R15
CineBench – CPU (Single)(cb)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 213 cb
CineBench – CPU (Multi)(cb)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 2411 cb
CineBench – GPU (OpenGL)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 196.25 fps
MP Ratio
11.31 x
Cinebench R20
CineBench – CPU (Single)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 518
CineBench – CPU (Multi)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 5894
MP Ratio
11.38 x
Cinebench R23
CineBench – CPU (Single)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 1334
CineBench – CPU (Multi)
(High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 15755
MP Ratio
11.81 x
3DMark – Time Spy (DX12)
Time Spy Score – 15042
Gaming Score – 16829
CPU Score – 9392
3DMark – Fire Strike (DX11)
Fire Strike Score – 29342
Graphics Score – 40191
Physics Score – 28133
Combined Score – 9913
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 – 7550
Essentials – 10174
App Start-up – 14507
Video Conferencing – 7928
Web Browsing – 9168
Productivity – 9046
Spreadsheets – 10548
Writing – 7759
Content Creation – 12693
Photo Editing – 18609
Rendering and Visualisation – 19114
Video Editing – 5940
Bright Memory Infinite RTX Benchmark
Very High – DLSS Setting: Quality
1080p: 103 fps
1440p: 65 fps
2160p: 31 fps
High – DLSS Setting: Performance
1080p: 150 fps
1440p: 106 fps
2160p: 56 fps
UserBenchMark
Gaming – 193% UFO
Desktop – 97% UFO
Workstation – 223% UFO
CPU – Gaming – 91.70%
Graphics – 213%
Boot Drive – 323%
Storage
I was a little surprised that faster SSDs weren’t used. With peak sequential read and write speeds of 3.5 GB/s and 3.1 GB/s, they are still stonkingly fast and comparable with those in most high-end systems, but you can get far faster SSDs now.
There’s a good amount of storage included, with the 2x 1 TB WD PC SN730 M.2 2280 SSDs (Raid0) and 3 TB 3.5” HDD, and the two additional 2.5” SATA HDD bays and additional M.2 SSD slot on the rear of the motherboard means storage is never likely to be an issue.
CrystalDiskMark
The following are the results recorded in CrystalDiskMark, with figures measured in MB/s
SEQ1M Q8T1 Read
3526.54
SEQ1M Q8T1 Write
3100.91
SEQ1M Q1T1 Read
2579.6
SEQ1M Q1T1 Write
2646.82
RND4K Q321T1 Read
534.26
RND4K Q321T1 Write
356.8
RND4K Q1T1 Read
47.19
RND4K Q1T1 Write
130.64
Cooling
The MSI 240mm AIO liquid cooling kept the CPU in check no matter what we tried. Even during prolonged stress tests, it never rose above 65℃, and during gaming, it averaged just 62℃. It’s not just the CPU that stayed cool, though, as the GPU is also very well managed. The peak temperature recorded was 77℃ and the average under sustained load was 74℃.
In order to keep the temperatures so low, you’d probably expect the fans to be kicked into overdrive, but the Aegis Ti5 is actually one of the quietest PCs I’ve ever used. The fans rarely had to ramp up above a whisper to keep things cool; Most of the time, your gaming is accompanied by a gentle hum.
Obviously, all this heat has to go somewhere, and the air coming from the back and the side with the radiator gets very toasty. It was fairly cool spring weather when I tested the Ti5, and I enjoyed the warmth, but I can imagine it becoming a tad uncomfortable in the warm summer months if you keep the tower to your left.
Overall, I’m highly impressed with what MSI has done here.
Summary
The MSI Meg Aegis Ti5 is a hugely impressive PC. It’s capable of running even the most demanding games at high frame rates and should be able to continue doing so for many years to come. It’s a fantastically well-engineered system, and the cooling systems are extraordinary, keeping the monstrously powerful internals cool with barely any fan noise.
You are paying a significant premium for the unique styling, though in comparison to other similarly outlandish PCs it’s not unreasonably priced. That being said, £4,299 is a huge price for a gaming PC, so you need to be 100% all-in with the sci-fi aesthetic.
As far as flagship products go, the Aegis Ti5 is a stunning showcase of what MSI can accomplish without budget restrictions. As long as you can afford it, as a package, it’s hard to beat.
To celebrate 50 years of the competition, WRC 10 offers a unique anniversary edition, bursting with new features and driving thrills. A retrospective mode offers players the chance to relive 19 events that have shaped the history of the Championship. These challenging special stages put drivers’ skills to the test by imposing conditions specific to each era. Drive six historic rallies, including the legendary Acropolis Rally (Greece) and Rallye Sanremo (Italy), with over 20 of the WRC’s most iconic cars: Alpine, Audi, Lancia, Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Toyota… With more content than ever, fans will love WRC 10 and its homage to 50 years of rallying.
Even more immersive
The physics, which have already been praised by critics and drivers in WRC 9, have been further improved to offer players an even more realistic experience. Control of aerodynamic forces, the turbo and braking have received particular attention on all surfaces, so that WRC 10 recreates ever more accurate and intense driving sensations. Immersion has also been increased with a completely reworked audio design for this new edition. Experience rallying as if you are there!
Create your own team
The hugely popular Career mode has also been improved with a new livery editor and the chance to create your own team. You can now apply your own colours to championship cars to complement the 52 official teams of the 2021 season. Take up the challenge with your own custom team! Produced alongside Automobilist.com, world-renowned for its automotive poster designs, NACON is also revealing the game’s packshots:
With WRC 10, the leading off-road racing simulator is reinventing itself once more! Finish the 2021 season atop the podium and relive the most intense moments at the wheel of iconic cars to celebrate 50 years of the competition.6 historic rallies, including Acropolis, San Remo, Germany, Argentina…Over 20 legendary cars, including Alpine, Audi, Lancia, Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Toyota…4 brand-new rallies: Estonia, Croatia, Belgium and Spain52 official teams of the 2021 season (WRC, WRC2, WRC3, Junior WRC) WRC 10 will be available on September 2, 2021 on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and on Nintendo Switch™ at a later date.
Experience the most exciting and immersive beat-em-up combat system ever – become a kickass ninja and slice some demons in style! Join a band of wisecracking warriors in a bloody adventure through the land of mythical monsters and mysterious machines.
FEATURES
Play solo or with friends: 4 player local co-op
Experience immersive and intuitive controls: right analog stick controls your weapon giving you instant access to extensive moveset
Enjoy gameplay that never gets old: master the multilayered combat, overcome clever enemies and face epic bosses
Experiment with freestyle combat system: mix and match combos, switch characters on the fly and turn enemy abilities against them.
[/su_spoiler]
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One of life’s little pleasures is that satisfying feeling when you receive a high-level experience or service for a rock bottom price, and Shing! on the PS5 is the gaming equivalent. Shing! not only feels like a rock solid AAA experience you would expect from an industry renowned developer but it also “feels” like a really good next-gen PS5 game, too.
The PS4 version of the game has been on the market for over a year, but if you already own it, you get a free PS5 upgrade. If you don’t already own it, at just £15.99 it is still a steal! For that price you will get around a four-hour romp through a wonderful Japanese style mythical adventure, that is full of colour, action, excellent gameplay, and a wisecracking cast that even South Park fans would giggle at. It’s not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but the flaws certainly don’t outweigh the rollicking good time to be had here.
The star of the show
As a true hack and slash connoisseur, one of the most important aspects is the game’s ability to let the player express themselves with flowing movement and strikes so that you can seamlessly dance around the battlefield striking as you go. Not only does this little 2D side scroller let you do that, but it adds another superb layer of playability over the top, with its intuitive right stick swordplay. After a simple tutorial and the first few missions under my belt, I was beaming like a Cheshire cat that got not only the cream but the cow as well.
Shing! has arguably some of the best hack and slash mechanics ever: Moving the right stick upwards slashes the enemies in front of you into the air; At a 45-degree angle, it slashes at enemies heads; horizontally, strikes are directed at their midriff; and 45 degrees down, the slashes hit enemies kneecaps! Where the eyes go, the hands follow and it is instinctive, slashingly simple good fun. The brilliance of the game doesn’t end there, though, as you can choose to use buttons instead with one of the easiest button mapping mechanics I’ve ever used in the game. Simplistic beauty!
With four different characters to choose from, each with their own weapons, there was also a variety of play styles. Each character can unleash flashy moves by rotating the right stick or building up a meter to set forth a high damage attack. Throw in the ability to parry, dash and jump, and it won’t be long before you are a blur on the screen, laying waste to all around you.
Beautiful artwork
Alongside the superb, simple but intuitive swordplay was the silky-smooth graphics and clear animations. Shing!’s art style is best described as a comic book meets a manga/Japanese anime mix, with bold, vibrant and varied backdrops alongside an interesting playing field. The areas are not devoid of interest or bland, as they have various amounts of detritus lying around to smash, and burning buildings or waving foliage in the background. The use of contrast in the lighting was also superb. For example, a flaming sword really stood out on the battlefield like a beacon, and when it was flailing away slaying enemies, the slash of a white-hot blade weaving amongst the fallen bodies was utterly compelling.
Although the game sells itself as a 2D sidescroller, it is as near as damn it a 3D game, as there is also a small, albeit limited, amount of depth to the playing field. Players sometimes have to navigate in and out of the environment to hit enemies, return fire or solve puzzles, so I feel the developers sell themselves short here.
Where the game falters
Normally I’d start a review with a brief synopsis of the story of the game and give an overview of the setup. However here I didn’t because frankly, it’s one of the worst aspects, if not THE worst aspect of the game. The story, if you can call it that, is that some bad types have stolen a star seed and you are part of a gang of 4 who have to slay hordes of enemies to get it back. That’s about it! This is somewhat alleviated by the fact that the wisecracking group you play as really do have some witty lines of narrative to deliver, and with the voice acting being so good it made their dialogue very enjoyable to listen to, even if the overarching storyline was bland. The humour can at times be a bit juvenile but it still made me chuckle and is serviceable throughout.
The other main issue the game has is balancing. I played the game with various difficulties, expecting things to get easier the lower I set the difficulty. When I did put the game’s setting down to easy, the only real change was that the damage I received was reduced and not that the enemies died quicker.
The problem with this was that even the most basic of grunts needed at least 8 or 9 hits before they died and because it took so long to down even the simplest of enemies, it was far too easy to be overwhelmed by even a small mob of monsters. Add to this, one of the best and rewarding mechanics is timing a parry. If you block an enemy’s attack at just the right point, you have a split second to then move the right stick in the direction of choice to unleash a one stab kill. However, the timing to do this excellent move was tenths of a second and even changing the difficulty to easy, it was far from achievable to do so. Surely the easy setting could have expanded the window of opportunity? (You’re getting old, Pete. Rusty reflexes 😉- Ed)
As the enemies get tougher and require more thought in the way to kill them, it becomes tougher and tougher to complete simply due to being overwhelmed, not outmatched (for example, some wear protective armour that means only hits from certain elements or direction of your weapon will hurt them). Dancing around the battlefield whittling down the numbers is easy to do, but it would have been better to have had fewer enemies but making them harder to kill. In fact, the area where the combat shined the most was the one on one boss fights.
When it comes together
Once you really start to get to grips with Shing!’s systems and the variety of enemies they throw at you, it becomes a merry dance around the screen. Juggling enemies in the air, building high combos, swapping out the player you are using and finding items to use against the enemies makes for satisfying gameplay. There isn’t really any reward for getting more and more proficient at the game as there isn’t a skill tree or upgrade system to use with your weapons or characters, you simply try to get high combos for the sheer fun of it.
The other gameplay aspect apart from the slicing and dicing is the occasional puzzle. Unfortunately, they weren’t the best or interesting puzzles, more of a bump in the road until the next bit of hack and slash. Puzzles consisted of nothing more taxing than blocking a bit of light into a receiver or pulling levers in the right order etc. The trouble with them was, unlike most other games, there isn’t an on-screen hint (that is helpful anyway) to give you an idea of what you needed to do. I’m ashamed to admit, the first few puzzles I came across I needed to use a YouTube guide to solve, simply because I couldn’t really figure out what I was supposed to be doing to solve the puzzles anyway. When you then understand how the first few puzzles work, it then makes more sense for the subsequent puzzles.
Fantastic audio
Last, and by no means least, is the game’s outstanding audio. There could be some who would argue that this is indeed the best aspect of the game!
The audio effects of the swordplay, and indeed the titular “shing” when you parry, is fantastic, and very very addictive to listen to. Slashing through enemies, the “pit-pat” of footfalls and the excellent voice acting really drive home how good the in-game effects are. However, the synth pumping, hard rock mix using not only modern techniques but also traditional Japanese musical instruments in the backing tracks was outstanding.
Summary
Shing! is an outstanding product the development team at Mass Creation should be proud of. It is a shining example of a talent-laden indie developer begging to be paired up with a bigger budget to produce something even better. Shing! has some outstanding gameplay mechanics, superb audio and fantastic artwork. Apart from minor balancing issues with overwhelming numbers of enemies that take too many strikes to kill, and a forgettable storyline, there really isn’t much wrong with this rollickingly good fun and tight gaming experience.
At an accessible price point, it is also currently one of the best hack and slash games PS5 owners can enjoy, too. For a new IP from an Indie developer, this is a big-hitting experience punching far above its weight.
The excellent Zombie Army 4: Dead War is the latest game to get the Series X|S upgrade treatment.
Zombie Army 4 has been well supported with seasonal content and DLC since launch, but not content with resting on their laurels, developer Rebellion has now brought out a Series X|S upgrade.
Rebellion was originally going to target 4k at 60 fps, but because that worked so well, they targeted 120Hz at 1080p, too. We already loved pinging zombies in the head with a sniper rifle, but now that it’s much smoother and more responsive, it genuinely feels like a new experience.
As a package, the reduced load times from the SSD, the atmospheric visuals, booming explosions, and responsive controls gives the player an enhanced Zombie Army experience that is new to this generation of consoles. With the game now on Xbox Game Pass more players will get to experience the game for the first time which is very exciting for us.
Steve Archer, Senior Producer at Rebellion (Source: Xbox Wire)
Zombie Army 4: Dead War is also one of only a handful of games on Xbox that supports mouse and keyboard gaming, and with the new upgrade it’s the closest I’ve come to recreating a high-end PC experience on a console.
As much as we all want to see new games sooner rather than later, it’s great to see developers breathing new life into their back catalogue, especially when it comes at no additional cost to us, the gamers.
Sony is shutting down the PS Store for PS3, PS Vita and PSP: What this means for you.
It’s really hard not to think negatively of Sony closing the store down for the aforementioned platforms as it feels like Sony doesn’t respect the legacy of its own games. As we stand right now there is currently a shortage of PS5 consoles on the market, and the ones that have been fortunate enough to get their hands on one, have been met with a dearth of PS5 only games. Bearing that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine that while we as consumers wait for more PS5 gaming content, we fall back on the older systems to compensate for our gaming time. So to shut the store access down on the older systems at this time, some would argue, is a needless and heartless move by Sony. In short, the timing couldn’t have been any worse.
When the store does shut down, the only way to purchase some of the classic games will be via the disc version, which is an issue for any western consumer trying to buy one of the many excellent Japanese games. To compound this, any DLC for those games, be them western or Japanese, will be unobtainable and forever lost. Considering there are many franchises and classic games that have not been updated to the PS4 or PS5, you may want to check out the store while you still can.
To name just a few; SOCOM, Sly Cooper, Metal Gear Solid 4 and The Puppeteer will be lost from the PS3 library. We also stand to lose Muramasa Rebirth, Persona 4 Golden and Unit 13 on the PS Vita, and Syphon Filter and Gran Turismo on the PSP. There are far too many to mention here, that all deserve better than being lost to the annals of history.
Of the above, the one that stands out the most is Muramasa Rebirth. This game is regularly in the PS Vita’s top ten games of all time, but is expensive to get a hardcopy shipped over from Japan. Add to this, there are three sets of DLC that add so much excellent content to the game and are all superb value. Gems like this will now be lost, forever!
As an ardent fan of Sony and owner of all three of these systems, the closing of this store (and recently the movie store), when compared to the magnificent backward compatibility and accessibility of the Xbox library is quite galling. Whereas Xbox seems to have embraced their backlog of games, Sony is shunning them. Times move on, obviously, but there really is a stench of “we don’t care” wafting from the Japanese behemoth. Streamlining the system to make things better for the future is fine, but don’t disrespect the legacy of the games that got you there in the first place.
As a current PS Vita, PS3 and PSP owner myself, the thing I find most perplexing is that the industry has been pushing gamers towards digital-only releases for years, yet access to those games is now being removed?! This is especially galling for the still-thriving PS Vita community (the system that just won’t die), because there have even been new digital-only game releases for it in 2021!
I would regularly check the PS store on my PS3 and PS Vita to see if I could pick up games in sales that I had never got round to playing, however, it’s been a very long time since either system has had a sale of any kind! By not having sales, were Sony deliberately trying to make the systems irrelevant? For example, Persona 5, one of the last big titles the PS3 received, currently has a price tag of £74 on the PS3 store for the deluxe edition. If you want to ensure there is no interest in buying games off the store, and thereby having a reason to shut the store down, having games at full RRP years after their release will certainly do that.
So, well done Sony. You got what you wished for. You have deliberately pushed down interest in the PS Vita, PS3 and PSP stores to enable you to have a reason to shut it down.
Note: Existing titles you already own will still be playable and available to redownload from your download history, but anything you do not yet own will no longer be purchasable. The same goes for DLC – this is your last chance to purchase any additional content.
Could it be that Sony has an alternative plan for these titles? Will they be added to PlayStation Now, or are they really being discarded in favour of “streamlining”? When it came to building up hype for the new console, Sony’s less-is-more approach worked very well, but when it comes to things like this, the lack of transparency starts to become downright frustrating.
Sony came into this generation in a domineering position, but decisions like this are helping their rivals narrow the gap.
Here is the official statement from Sony.
“We are closing PlayStation™Store on PlayStation®3 on 2 July 2021 and on PlayStation®Vita devices on 27 August 2021. Additionally, the remaining purchase functionality for PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) will also retire on 2 July 2021. After thoughtful consideration, we decided to make these changes in an effort to focus our resources for PlayStation Store on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5, which will enable us to enhance the customer experience even further. We thank you for your support on these platforms throughout the years.
What does this mean for you?
You will no longer be able to purchase PS3, PS Vita and PSP digital content, including games and video content.
You will also no longer be able to make in-game purchases through games on PS3, PS Vita and PSP.
While the PSP storefront was previously closed in 2016, the remaining PSP purchase functionality (e.g. in-game purchases) will now be fully retired.
What about content you already own?
• You will still be able to download your owned PS3, PS Vita, and PSP content, including games and video content.
• You can download your owned content onto your PS3, PS Vita, or PSP by accessing the Download List on the respective device.
• If you have purchased a PS3/PS Vita cross-buy bundle and have only downloaded either the PS3 or PS Vita version, you will need to download the other version prior to the closure of PlayStation™Store on the relevant device.
• Video content that you own can be streamed on PS3, PS4 or PS5 through the My Videos app, or on mobile devices through the PlayStation™Video app.
• You will still be able to re-download and play game titles you have claimed through PlayStation®Plus as long as you remain a member of the service.
What about vouchers, wallet funds, and cross-buy content?
• You will still be able to redeem game and PlayStation®Plus vouchers on PS3, PS Vita, and PSP devices once PlayStation™Store and purchase functionality for these devices close.
• You will no longer be able to redeem PSN wallet fund vouchers (e.g. gift cards) on PS3, PS Vita, and PSP devices once PlayStation™Store and purchase functionality for these devices close.
• Your PSN wallet funds will remain in your PSN account, but you will only be able to use your wallet funds to purchase PS4 and PS5 products on PlayStation™Store on the web, PlayStation®App, or on PS4 and PS5 consoles.
• You will still be able to purchase cross-buy content through PlayStation™Store on the web, PlayStation®App, or on PS4 and PS5 consoles and access both the PS4 version and the PS3/PS Vita/PSP versions.”