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Review: Star Wars Jedi Survivor

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The new Star Wars game continues Cal Kestis’ galactic adventure
Prices vary; PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

A narrative-driven Star Wars game is what many wanted and the 2019 Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order gave that to its loyal fans. Now building on the strong base laid down by the Fallen Order, the Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga that continues Cal Kestis’ journey and his fight against the Empire. Playing the previous game is recommended but newcomers to the series will also fit right in as the game offers a quick recap at the start. 

It’s been five years since the events of the Fallen Order with Cal now arrested by the Empire. The arrest, however, turns out to be a ruse for the Jedi to extract more intel but the mission goes sideways and expectedly, the game wastes no time to put Cal’s combative skills and abilities to test early on. The good thing about the sequel is that it retains skills from the previous game without having Cal relearn or unlock them. 

However, some abilities and features get unlocked over the course of the game. One of these are stances and there are five stances to choose from that help you define the combat playstyle. Our favourite is the one where you can wield a lightsaber and a blaster that lets you fight enemies from a distance and the crossguard lightsaber that delivers the most damage but at the expense of speed. These different playstyles coupled with the detailed skill tree add depth to the combat, which only gets better from the previous game. A successful attack, defence or parry is satisfying but the game also punishes for dying. Death during a fight means you lose the accumulated experience points, respawn at a meditation point (save point) and the only way to get it back is to strike (and hopefully kill) the enemy who killed you in the recent fight.

The game allows customising Cal, weapons and his robot friend BD-1. Right from Cal’s appearance to BD-1’s body material and paint to the lightsaber’s colours and materials, it brings lots of customisations to make the central character look different for different players. 

Jedi Survivor takes Cal to six different planets throughout the game and each region is well-designed, elaborate and distinct that will want you to explore and discover secrets of the place, find loot boxes for customisations, new shortcuts and pathways. Traversing the regions can be done on foot or take help from some tamed animals that will allow them to fly or ride them. The game also involves a decent amount of platforming with wall runs, air dashes and double jumps.  

Our playthrough on the PS5 was relatively issues-free. We did experience one random crash and performance issues like screen tearing and graphical glitches but that did not hamper our overall playing experience. 

In conclusion, the Jedi Survivor took good things from the previous game and made it fitting for a sequel with great combat mechanics and a decent storyline. 

RATING


WE’RE IMPRESSED Combat, story

WE’D IMPROVE Performance

THE LAST WORD Jedi Survivor brings great action and story, making it a must-play for every Star Wars fan

Review: Dead Island 2

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Dead Island 2

HELL Yeah!
Prices vary; PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

The development journey for Dead Island 2 has not been easy. Announced in 2014, the game saw multiple developer changes with Deep Silver finally settling with its own Dambuster Studios four years ago. The zombie-filled adventure is set to release later this week and we got an early copy to see if the sequel was worth the wait.  

Set in Los Angeles aka HELL-A, the flashy town is now the insane playground of flesh-eating zombies and slayers who paint the town red by killing the undead. You start as one of the immune slayers and depending on who you choose (out of the six slayers) at the start of the game, you receive some unique abilities. You cannot change the slayer once you start the game, so it’s better to go through their abilities before slaying zombies around the streets of Bel-Air or house-hunting in Beverly Hills.

Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 is all about slaying. Sure, there’s a story and quests that you need to do to advance the game but let’s be honest, dismembering some zombies in unique ways is why everyone wants to play Dead Island. The game focuses on combat and while you get access to guns later in the game, melee combat is where Dead Island 2 shines. Scattered throughout the map, you can use almost anything to kill the biting zombies. Right from a broken piece of timber to a pipe to even Wolverine-like claws, there are a variety of weapons at your disposal that will turn them into a pulp, in a matter of seconds. The weapons, however, come with a durability bar, which can be restored at the workbench, spread throughout HELL-A.

Dead Island 2

Workbench can be used to repair weapons, mod them to enhance their effectiveness or customise curveball weapons. Some curveballs include stinky blood that can attract zombies to it, shurikens to throw at them or plain ol’ pipe bombs for instant karma. The supply of curveball items is endless but it comes with a cooldown time. However, our favourite way to slay a bunch of them is to take advantage of the environment. Pouring water on the livewire or a battery will electrocute zombies or add fuel to the fire to create an explosion. The combat possibilities are endless and it depends on how you choose to tackle the undead – with force or strategy.

You can even upgrade your playstyle with different skill cards that can be earned by completing quests or scavenging from zombies. The activated card gives different power and abilities that help in combat.  

The hellish version of Los Angeles is very well-designed. The abandoned villas to the iconic beaches and hotels show how badly riddled Los Angeles is with zombies. But it’s the gory graphics that sets Dead Island 2 apart. Zombies getting maimed, revealing of the body innards after quick strikes, beheadings and even smashed skull graphics feel a bit over-the-top but oddly satisfying.   

Having said that, we experienced some glitches in our PS5 playthrough but nothing that would hamper the playing experience. Besides, a launch day patch should fix most of the issues.

Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 is a little different than other zombie-centric games. It does not take itself seriously, which is evident with the over-the-top action and dark humour sprinkled throughout the game. Some might even feel the gameplay is repetitive but frankly its wash, rinse, repeat formula coupled with gory graphics is what makes Dead Island 2 work.

Rating

WE’RE IMPRESSED Gory graphics, combat
WE’D IMPROVE Repetitive gameplay
THE LAST WORD Dead Island 2 will fulfil your mindless zombie-bashing itch

Review: Resident Evil 4

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A fitting refresh of the hit classic game
Prices vary; PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S

Capcom should be lauded for its decision to bring its classic games to newer gaming platforms. They started with Resident Evil 2 in 2019, Resident Evil 3 in 2020 and here we are with the latest remake – Resident Evil 4. Capcom has perfected the remake recipe to captivate fans who missed playing the original and bring new ones to its successful survival horror franchise.

Resident Evil 4 is set six years after the disastrous events at Raccoon City and with years of experience under his belt, Leon S. Kennedy is no more a rookie. He now works directly under the United States president and is tasked with locating and bringing back the president’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham.

In true Resident Evil fashion, the game puts you (as Leon) right in the action to unravel the mystery and the weirdness of the European village. There are no mutated zombies to kill but Plaga-affected villagers who don’t take lightly to any trespasser. Aided by formidable bosses like the chainsaw man at the start, the game wants you to constantly evaluate your survival strategy as taking the grotesque enemies head-on can work against you sometimes.

But more often than not, fighting is the only way out, and for those moments, Resident Evil 4 offers ample ways to cull the infected villagers. Resident Evil 4 brings a decent spread of weapons that can be found or purchased along with some nifty weapon upgrades. You can also use a knife to parry but its effectiveness diminishes with every strike and can be repaired only with a visit to the merchant. Our go-to choice was a maxed-out rifle with a biosensor scope that highlights the enemy’s weakness so you can quickly kill without emptying the precious bullets.

In addition to combat, crafting and resource management are other areas of survival in the game. You can craft ammo by combining different components or improve health by mixing different types of herbs. Crafting also helps manage the inventory space in the upgradable attaché case that can be used to store weapons, ammo, gun parts and herbs.

Powered by the RE Engine, the game looks and runs fantastic on PC. The customisable settings ensure it runs smoothly with minimal framerate dips, irrespective of being played on a budget graphics card or outperforming when equipped with the latest Radeon RX 7900XT. We cranked the settings to the highest with FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 enabled and the RX 7900XT consistently delivered up to 100 fps for sustained performance.

The well-paced story keeps you busy, however, we feel, Capcom could have trimmed a chapter or two. A full playthrough along with scouring for collectables takes around 20 hours, which can vary depending on the difficulty. The game encourages replayability that can unlock weapons with infinite ammo but it’s hard work considering you have to fulfil some conditions. For players wanting more outside of the main story, there’s The Mercenaries, a timed mode to take on hordes of enemies for a high score.

Resident Evil 4 brings everything together you expect from an RE game in the form of an engaging story, combat and gameplay.

RATING 4.5/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Gameplay, story
WE’D IMPROVE Replayability
THE LAST WORD Resident Evil 4 is a testament to why Capcom is the king of remakes. It’s a must-play for every RE and survival horror genre fan

Asus Launches ROG Phone 5s Series

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Republic of Gamers (ROG), a premium sub-brand of Asus, has announced the launch of its ROG 5s series in India. The company has introduced ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro as the latest upgrade to its ROG Phone series.

The ROG Phone 5s series is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G Mobile Platform, featuring advanced 5G capabilities and premium Snapdragon Elite Gaming features. The processing power is complemented by up to 18 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM. The optimised and upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system with AeroActive Cooler 5 (fan accessory bundled with ROG Phone 5s Pro only and optional for ROG Phone 5s), and the performance manager in Armory Crate ensures maximum performance is available for any gaming scenario.

Commenting at the launch, Dinesh Sharma, Business Head, Commercial PC and Smartphone, System Business Group, ASUS in India said, “We are constantly innovating and aiming to provide only the best and premium features in our Ultimate Weapons for Smartphone Gaming i.e. ROG Phone, to our ROG community. We are thrilled to launch two new additions to the ROG family – ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5 Pro to upgrade the cutting-edge capabilities we offer for the mobile gaming ecosystem.”

The 144 Hz / 1 ms AMOLED display used in the ROG Phone 5s series now boasts an upgraded 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate and upgraded ultra-low 24ms touch latency for a super-smooth, seamless, and ultrafast gaming experience. Additionally, the ROG Phone 5s Pro features a colour version of the innovative ROG Vision rear matrix display, which shows customisable animations in response to a variety of system events. The AirTrigger 5 control system now supports the two rear capacitive touch sensors on ROG Phone 5s Pro, giving mobile gamers more control capabilities in their games. The ultrasonic shoulder side sensors on both models also support dual gestures, such as tap-and-slide or tap-and-swipe, for total control.

With the clock speed now up to a blistering 3 GHz, the CPU performance is designed to deliver matchless mobile processing power. ROG Phone 5s Pro also feature up to 18 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of fastest UFS3.1 storage to dramatically increase the overall gaming performance. The upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system in the ROG Phone 5s series has an optimum thermal structure featuring a centred CPU with the battery split into two parts, one located on each side of the CPU. The re-shaped 3D vapour chamber and extensive graphite sheets also help to spread the heat evenly across the device to reduce heat build-up in the middle.

Now boasting an uprated 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate and uprated ultra-low 24ms touch latency, the 144 Hz / 1 ms Samsung E4 AMOLED display delivers a super-smooth gaming experience, with an ultra-low touch latency. Tuned in collaboration with leading visual-processing company Pixelworks, the supreme visuals are enhanced even further with world-beating colour accuracy, always-on HDR technology to improve non-HDR visuals, and a screen that’s protected by the toughest ever Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

The ROG Phone 5s Pro additionally features a colour version of ROG Vision, the unique rear display that highlights the ROG creative spirit. ROG Vision can display a variety of cool animations that show you whether ROG Phone 5s Pro is charging, if there’s an incoming call, whether X Mode is enabled and more. Gamers can even create custom animations to make their phone even more personal.

The GameFX audio system on ROG Phone 5s series features symmetrical 7-magnet dual speakers for truly balanced stereo sound effects and a 3.5 mm headphone jack in conjunction with a Hi-Fi grade ESS DAC. Both have been optimised via a collaboration with audio specialist Dirac, giving the ROG Phone 5s series truly impressive audio quality and a wider soundscape. In addition to the premium sounds, GameFX also delivers crystal-clear in-game sound effects and powerful aural soundscapes.

The ROG phone 5s series features multiple antennas to ensure you are always connected to the internet with maximum speed and fidelity no matter how you hold the device to game, vertically or horizontally. To also ensure you’re connected to the fastest mode of internet, the ROG Phone 5s series features the amazing HyperFusion. HyperFusion allows the ROG Phone 5s to automatically choose the fastest internet connection and for apps that allow multiple connections, Hyperfusion can also connect to both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Wi-Fi channels at the same time, or it can combine both the Mobile data and Wi-Fi together increasing your internet connectivity speed.

The ROG Phone 5s series comes with a 64MP Flagship Sony IMX686 sensor main camera, offering you up to 8K Pro video recording, Pro mode for Photos and videos, and Superb Night mode performance. It also has a secondary 13MP camera to capture ultra-wide angles and offers a HyperSteady video-recording feature. And lastly, there’s the 5MP Macro camera for when you want incredibly close-up detail. For superior selfies, the front camera is a 24MP camera that can shoot 4K as well.

ASUS ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro will be available from 18th February 2022 in India on Flipkart. The ROG Phone 5s 8GB / 128GB will be available at ₹49,999, ROG Phone 5s 12GB/256 GB will retail at ₹57,999 and the ROG Phone 5s Pro 18GB / 512GB will carry a price tag of ₹79,999.

Colorful launches Intel B660 Micro-ATX Series Motherboards

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Colorful Technology Company Limited, a professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions, and high-performance storage, has launched its Intel B660 micro-ATX motherboard line-up which consists of the CVN Series and Battle-AX Series models. These are the CVN B660M GAMING FROZEN V20, CVN B660M GAMING PRO V20, and the BATTLE-AX B660M-HD DELUXE V20 motherboards.

Based on the Intel B660 chipset for the 12th generation Intel Core processors, the COLORFUL B660M motherboards offer PCIe 5.0 support and the use of older-generation but cheaper DDR4 memory in a compact micro-ATX motherboard form-factor. These motherboards are the budget-friendly options compared to the premium Z690 motherboards, offering PC builders the opportunity to incorporate the latest Intel Core processors at a lower cost.

COLORFUL CVN B660M Series

The CVN B660M Gaming Frozen and the CVN B660 Gaming Pro motherboards feature PCIe 5.0×16 slots. They also offer support for the latest high-end NVIDIA or AMD GPUs. Furthermore, both motherboards come with four DDR4 memory slots that support up to DDR4-3200 and up to 64GB (4x16GB) memory capacity. For storage, the motherboards have two M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots that support high-speed PCIe Gen4-enabled NVMe SSDs along with four SATA 3.0 ports for SSDs and HDDs.

The COLORFUL CVN B660M Series motherboards sport a 15+1 digital power phase design with 8-pin + 4-pin 12V ATX power connectors offering decent overclocking capabilities for unlocked 12th generation Intel Core processors. The motherboards also feature a high-speed USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port with 10 Gbps transfer speed. For networking, both motherboards come with Intel 2.5GbE LAN. The CVN B660M GAMING FROZEN motherboard features a built-in Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth module for wireless networking.

Designed for gaming PCs, the CVN B660M Series motherboards come with 3 fully customizable RGB lighting zones. For enthusiasts looking to build an all-white gaming PC, the CVN B660M GAMING FROZEN is integrated with white heatsinks and a white PCB. Below are specifications of both the CVN B660M GAMING motherboards.

Gaming Pro
Gaming Frozen

COLORFUL Battle-AX B660M Series

The COLORFUL BATTLE-AX B660M-HD DELUXE V20 is an entry-level motherboard, ideal for system builders on a tight budget adopting the latest 12th generation Intel Core processors. The motherboard has a PCIe 4.0 X16 slot for graphics cards and two DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB (2x32GB) of memory. Nevertheless, the BATTLE-AX B660M-HD DELUXE supports plenty of storage components which includes two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots for NVMe M.2 SSDs and four SATA 3.0 ports for SATA SSDs and HDDs.

The BATTLE-AX B660M-HD DELUXE’s rear I/O consists of a VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort output ports, four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, PS/2 port, and 1 GbE LAN port.