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Review: Final Fantasy XVI

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The latest Final Fantasy offers brings epic lore and engaging gameplay
Rs. 4,799; PS5

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy series has garnered a loyal fan base since the introduction of the first game back in 1987. Over the years, the anthology not only experimented with the storyline but also the combat and gameplay features. The latest instalment – Final Fantasy XVI builds on the real-time combat system of its predecessor but brings story to the forefront making the game fun for long-time fans and accessible to new players.

Final Fantasy XVI takes place in a fictional region called Valisthea that houses different realms as they fight for survival against the blight and the control of mothercrystals, which is the main source of magic for all kingdoms. The whole Valisthean setup gives a Games of Thrones-ey vibe given the portrayal of complex relationships and overall a darker and mature setting. But unlike GoT, Final Fantasy XVI focuses on one – Clive Rosfield. You play as Clive who is a likable young prince of Rosaria and serves as a protector of his younger sibling Joshua but fails early on. While Clive is the game’s central character and the story revolves around him, the game does a very good job of subtly touching upon different topics like the treatment of Branded aka slaves and deep-rooted politics.

Final Fantasy XVI

Truth be told, given the vast story, it seems overwhelming to follow at first but the game has a nifty feature called the Active Time Lore comes. It is akin to X-Ray on Prime Video so you can long press the DualSense to pause the cutscene and see important information and the character background for a more immersive experience.

Complementing a great story and protagonist are side characters like Cid and Jill that are portrayed by talented actors like Ralph Ineson and Susannah Fielding. Although they are unplayable but accompany Clive on different missions to help him in fights along with Clive’s trusty pet wolf – Torgal.

Final Fantasy XVI

Combat is another area where Final Fantasy XVI shines. It brings real-time action that may initially seem like mashing buttons for a favourable outcome but it is more nuanced with the ability to earn extra damage by executing combos with melee and magic attacks and eventually staggering the enemy for more damage. The game also adds the ability to use Eikon powers which Clive accumulates over the course of the game and can be changed in real-time to suit your playstyle. Speaking of Eikons, the Eikon battles are terrific with breathtaking visuals. Players can also upgrade Clive’s moves and abilities.

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI looks stunning and plays well on the powerful PS5 hardware. There were some busy scenes where you could sense a drop in frames but not a dealbreaker.

Final Fantasy XVI is a worthy addition to the franchise. While it deviates from some of the original gameplay elements but the game brings improved gameplay elements and a powerful story that will potentially bring new players to the three-decade-old franchise.

RATING

WE’RE IMPRESSED Combat, story
WE’D IMPROVE Basic RPG gameplay
THE LAST WORD Final Fantasy XVI is a strong addition to the franchise with a strong narrative and a great combat system

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

Review: God of War Ragnarök

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An epic journey across the Nine Realms fueled with action, emotions and heartbreaks 
From Rs. 3,999; PS4, PS5

God of War Ragnarok

The 2018 God of War set the benchmark high, which meant any game following up has to match the greatness of the critically acclaimed game, if not surpass it. And after playing through the main story of the God of War Ragnarök for about 30 hours, we can say that the sequel lives up to the hype.

If the previous game centred around Kratos coming to terms as a single parent, God of Ragnarök centres around their evolved relationship of father and son and forging new bonds or amending old ones. 

God of War Ragnarok

Its a story that was already in motion when Kratos killed Baldur and Atreus learned his identity as Loki in a prophecy. But since these incidents happened in the previous game, Santa Monica Studio offers a brief refresher found in the game’s main menu. Thoughtful, but the recap felt short and hurried, which may be difficult for the new players to grasp due to the different characters and storyline. We would recommend playing the previous game first or watching the videos online. Anyway, here we are, in Ragnarök, where Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey traversing through the Nine Realms with the hope to change the outcome of the prophesied war. 

God of War Ragnarok

But as they say, it’s the journey that counts and it’s true here. The different realms are beautifully designed and feature breathtaking vistas along with extreme attention to detail showing the uniqueness of each realm you visit.

When it comes to the narrative, there’s a nice ebb and flow to the story that feels well-paced giving users the rush and calm as we progress through the campaign. The story is predictable, but we were genuinely surprised by the few twists and turns. Sprinkled around the main campaign are side quests, which are abundant and can result in unlocking some cool gear and abilities. Enhancing the story further is a top-notch performance by all the actors involved. Mimir’s conversations (voiced by Alastair Duncan) keep us entertained throughout whereas the deep grunts by Kratos (voiced by Christopher Judge) show his interest in the conversation. However, it was Richard Schiff’s voice and acting that made Odin’s evil intentions seem noble and believable.   

God of War Ragnarok

Combat is where the God of War Ragnarök shines through. The hack-and-slash attacks originating from Kratos’ Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos are so satisfying that is elevated with runic attacks and adequate defence to take the enemy down. Of course, there’s no specific playstyle to defeat the enemy and the game encourages you to try different move combinations, be observant or just experiment with different gear. Atreus is no longer just a sidekick. Well, he still is but his combat is more in sync when fighting alongside Kratos. Atreus’ expanded role in the game means there are instances where you’ll play as Atreus and frankly, some of them were more enjoyable than fighting as Kratos. 

God of War Ragnarok

The God of War Ragnarök is available on both the PS4 and PS5 where players can choose to prioritise performance or quality. Playing on the PS5 has its advantages like faster loading via SSD, improved visuals, DualSense integration and 3D audio support but we went with the performance mode on the PS4 Pro and it fared fluidly without discernable compromises. 

God of War Ragnarok

Overall, God of War Ragnarök tells an epic story that fuses gameplay, character performances and the overall atmosphere so well. It’s a must-play for a GoW fan and for someone who is dipping their toe in the franchise for the first time.    

RATING 5/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Story, visuals, optimised performance
WE’D IMPROVE N/A
THE LAST WORD God of War Ragnarök is a fitting sequel and our GoTY for 2022 

Review: TP-Link RE505X

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Not the usual Wi-Fi range extender
Rs. 5,999, tp-link.in

It’s safe to say that most of us have a wireless router at home but there have been instances where the Wi-Fi network is spotty in some areas compared to another in your home. One can address these deadspots is by installing a repeater or use mesh routers. Both TP-Link and Asus allow transforming select regular routers into mesh ones but TP-Link has gone a step further by allowing repeaters to act as mesh network nodes. This month we have the RE505X, which does exactly that. It works as a repeater for any non-supported OneMesh router but transforms into a mesh node with a compatible one.

Clad in white, the RE505X has a design similar to most other repeaters in the market but two things that set it apart are the external antennas for better reception and its sheer size. The RE505X is a giant compared to other repeaters but sports a clean, streamlined design. There are four status LEDs on the front with the WPS button and reset key on the right whereas the gigabit ethernet port is placed on the left.

One can setup the repeater via the web interface or can download the Tether app from the respective app store. The RE505X can be used as an access point or as a repeater. Irrespective of the modes you use, setup is a cinch. The only thing we did not appreciate is the fact that it does not allow to set a separate password of the extended network. It allows to create a separate SSID but keeps the same password as the network that is being repeated.

The RE505X is an AX1500 range extender, which means it supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard. Needless to say, older devices are compatible as well and supports theoretical speeds of up to 300Mbps on 2.4GHz band and up to 1200Mbps on 5GHz.

The RE505X delivers decent coverage to eliminate deadspots and even comes with handy features like Location Assistant that is accessible via the app. A quick scan will tell if the repeater is placed in a good wireless coverage area of the main router. There’s an intelligent signal light on the device as well that indicates the same. The app and the web interface gives granular controls to get the most out of the RE505X. One can control the wireless coverage and access, enable/disable high-speed mode that repeats the router’s connection via one frequency band and transmits on the other. OneMesh works with compatible TP-Link routers and all it takes a single to transform the RE505X into a mesh node.

That said, RE505X is a power-packed range extender that delivers on what it is intended for. Get a compatible OneMesh device and you can create a cost-effective mesh network of your own.

RATING 4/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Performance
WE’D IMPROVE Set separate passwords
THE LAST WORD A power-packed repeater that can be transformed into a mesh node with OneMesh support.

Review: BenQ EX2780Q

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Gaming monitor with an entertainment card up its sleeve
Rs. 34,220, benq.co.in

Gaming monitors are available at varying price points, but if you are willing to part with the kind of money BenQ is asking, you’d want something immersive, right? Well, that’s the thing about EX2780Q. It’s a gaming monitor that offers good quality visuals and audio for an improved immersive experience that not only appeals to gamers but users who watch a lot of multimedia content.

EX2780Q’s design means business. It doesn’t try to attract anyone with flashy RGBs but keeps it minimal and classy. The large display and thin bezels on the three sides do the talking while a thick bezel at the bottom houses an ambient sensor and two speakers. The easy-to-attach metallic brown stand matches the monitor’s colour tone and features space in between that lets you keep things like the monitor’s remote control in between. The compact remote control allows controlling OSD settings, change input, volume without having to touch or fiddle with the buttons on the monitor. However, if you still prefer, there are buttons at the back with a 5-key navigator. There’s a volume wheel at the bottom of the left-hand side. In terms of connectivity, everything’s hidden at the back with two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, USB Type-C and a 3.5mm audio jack. Overall, we like the design except for the part that the EX2780Q only tilts and does not allow any height adjustment or swivel.

When it comes to visuals, the EX2780Q does not disappoint. The 27-inch IPS panel supports QHD resolution (2560×1440) with a pixel density of 109ppi. The result is good viewing angles and crisp looking text. The colour reproduction is great with 95% of DCI-P3 colour space support and decent contrast. The high 144Hz refresh rate ensures smooth gaming along with FreeSync Premium support for tear-free gaming experience. The monitor also comes with features like black equalizer that expose the shadows and colour vibrance to give an edge during gaming.

The monitor features BenQ’s proprietary HDR implementation – HDRi that delivers three different HDR results, depending on the mode you choose. Display HDR delivers standard HDR10 output while the Game HDRi focuses on brightening up the dark areas, and Cinema HDRi improves colour saturation. The screen is certified with DisplayHDR 400, which is not great but not bad either considering it’s crossing the minimum threshold for HDR.

Audio in monitors is always an afterthought, but the EX2780Q is an exception. Powered by treVolo’s 2.1-channel audio, the front hosts two 2W speakers while a 5W sub-woofer is at the back. The audio isn’t loud enough to fill up a room but scores high on clarity and one of the best you’ll hear on a monitor.

RATING 4/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Performance, audio
WE’D IMPROVE No height adjustment or swivel
THE LAST WORD The EX2780Q promises to deliver an immersive experience, and it does with a combination of good audio and video performance.

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