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Tuesday, 30 April 2019

The Flash Redeems Some Familiar Villains

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Warning: Full spoilers for The Flash Season 5, Episode 20 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review for Season 5, Episode 19.

After this week, there are only two episode left of The Flash Season 5. But you’d barely know if from watching “Gone Rogue.” This episode was clearly less concerned with setting the stage for the final showdown between Team Flash and Cicada and more interested in having fun with its oddball assortment of villains. Nora’s brief flirtation with villainy made for a fun diversion, but not the eventful, dramatic addition to the season the series really needed.

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Oculus Quest Review

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Virtual reality is a total blast, but up until now, it hasn’t been very accessible to normal folks. The HTC Vive, for example, launched at $800 and required a beefy gaming PC to play, and the Oculus Rift also required a PC. The Oculus Quest changes that, offering a fully standalone headset with room-scale tracking for $400, with no wires and no gaming PC necessary. And sure, it comes with a few downgrades from PC-based systems, but all told, the Quest is loads of fun, and brings true VR to a whole new audience.

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IOGear Kaliber Gaming Fokus II Mouse Review

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The Kaliber Gaming Fokus II gaming mouse is part of IOGear’s refresh of its gaming product line, which also includes the HVER PRO RGB mechanical gaming keyboard and Nukleus gaming headset. The Fokus II offers up RGB lighting, a high DPI range, and an ambidextrous design at $49.95 (See it on Amazon). That puts it in the category of mid-range gaming mice, and though it has the specs to keep up in that category, its overtly gamer-y design doesn’t help it.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2VEcdPL
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Monday, 29 April 2019

Arrow Hits the Mark With Another Risky Episode

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Warning: Full spoilers for Arrow Season 7, Episode 20 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review of Season 7, Episode 19.

Arrow finds itself in a bit of a bind as the Season 7 finale draws near. The series took its sweet time establishing Emiko Queen and the Ninth Circle as this year’s dominant threat. That leaves little room to build on that foundation and escalate the conflict before the season finale. Fortunately, the season gained plenty of ground thanks to “Confessions,” a tightly plotted episode that made the most of its unusual format and left Oliver Queen in a bad way. And when Ollie suffers, you know that means May is right around the corner.

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Sound BlasterX G6 External USB Soundcard Review

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There was a time when the world was a simpler place, when I could (mostly) explain technology to my dad. Those days are long gone, and nothing better illustrates that than the Sound BlasterX G6 (See it on Amazon). It’s a combination hi-res DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and headphone amplifier that plugs into your PC or gaming console, offering up dramatically better sound than what your rig provides on its own. It's for audiophile gamers who want better sound quality than that offered by whatever soundcard is embedded on their motherboard. In other words, it’s a high-quality external sound card – I suppose it’s not all that complicated after all.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GQNP5g
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Sunday, 28 April 2019

Game of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 3 Review

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This review contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 3, titled “The Long Night." To refresh your memory of where we left off, check out our Season 8, episode 2 review, and check out our predictions about who lived and died in the Battle of Winterfell to see if our guesses were right.

Game of Thrones promised us something unprecedented for the third episode of Season 8, and it delivered in ways we never could have expected.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Lb2MDz
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Saturday, 27 April 2019

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season 2 Review

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This is a (mostly) spoiler-free review for DreamWorks Animation's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 2. All 7 episodes are currently available to stream on Netflix. 

In 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power hit airwaves, giving young girls everywhere their own mythical hero to emulate. She was flawed, but in a landscape where cartoons for women erred towards the light and fluffy, She-Ra gave them something different. Thirty-three-years later, Netflix revived the heroine, giving her friends of equal stature with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The second season of the animated cartoon, set to hit Netflix April 26, picks up right where season 1 left off - continuing to dive into the waters of not just superherodom, but issues of identity, friendship, and romance.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2ZFXFyc
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Friday, 26 April 2019

Risk of Rain 2 Early Access Review

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Responsive third-person shooting, fun four-player co-op, and the promise of attaining roguelike godhood with distinctly flavorful items make it dangerously easy to play “just one more game” of Risk of Rain 2. There’s a lot to do even now in early access, like chase down game-changing unlocks and Easter eggs across the continuity of multiple runs, even if there are a few rough edges like online stability. I’m enamored with what’s already here, and am left eagerly awaiting what comes next for one my favorite co-op surprises this year.

Risk of Rain 2’s basic formula is straightforward and instantly gratifying: you and a team of up to three others crash onto the surface of a planet’s pleasantly stylized environment and fight your way through an unending onslaught of ever-more-challenging enemies to earn loot. Some of the rarest items, like the Brilliant Behemoth that adds an explosion to every attack, provide transformative effects that can take a build from great to straight-up-busted, in the most satisfying way. And, since there’s no limit on how many of a given item you can collect, the absurdity of what you’re able to luck into is both ridiculous and supremely fun.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2ZEMl5C
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Netflix's Chambers Season 1 Review

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This is an (almost) spoiler-free review of Netflix's new teen-horror series Chambers, all 10 episodes of which are streaming on Netflix.

Netflix has been delving into the young adult programming landscape for a while now, but with its new horror series Chambers, they manage to deliver something strange and unique but ultimately uneven. Whilst the slow-burn chiller definitely isn't for everyone and doesn't fully deliver on the mystery at its core, genre fans will still likely be intrigued by the atmospheric offering.

Set in the sprawling landscape of Arizona, Chambers centers on a teenage girl, Sasha, (Sivan Alyra Rose) who suffers an unexpected heart attack during a moment of intimacy with her boyfriend. She almost dies but is saved by an unexpected heart transplant, and quickly becomes drawn into the privileged and alien world of the donor's family. The first couple of episodes of Chambers offer up a chilling and often visually distant world which is clearly separated into the haves and have nots. Sasha's world is working class, dusty, and rural, but the donor - Becky - and her family come from a world of clean lines, white marble, and glass.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2vov9U0
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Doom Patrol Gets Emotional (Again)

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Warning: Full spoilers for Doom Patrol, Season 1, Episode 11 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's our review for Season 1, Episode 10.

Doom Patrol may play host to the most miserable and dysfunctional superheroes you'll find on television, but at least the series isn't afraid to allow these characters to grow and evolve. What passes for an overarching narrative in Season 1 is almost always a secondary concern compared to the emotional arcs of characters like Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and Robotman. And because the series is so darned good at making you connect with these characters and feel their pain, that flimsy narrative isn't a problem. "Frances Patrol" is yet another example of this fact.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2PvTKPU
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Thursday, 25 April 2019

Gotham Series Finale Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the Gotham series finale follow...

While Gotham's endgame might not have been everything we hoped for, it's still light years beyond what many thought we'd get as a wrap up back when the series first started. With both Batman and the Joker tied up as off-limit properties, fans wondered if it would all end with Bruce simply heading off to foreign lands to train, or if we'd get the Smallville treatment and only see the cape and cowl in the final frames, with only a basic hint of Batman lingering in the musty air.

All in all, we still only got a "hint" of the Caped Crusader. So some fans wound up being half-right, overall. But "The Beginning..." ultimately worked because of the 10-year time jump and the show's willingness to ditch actors David Mazouz and Camren Bicondova - the former appearing at the top of the episode as Bruce (then relegated to providing the altered voice for Batman) and the latter being recast completely. Which is a swap-out that lands well because of the striking resemblance between Bicondova and replacement Lili Simmons (Banshee, The Purge TV series).

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2VqpDyB
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Mortal Kombat 11 Switch Review

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On a fundamental level, Mortal Kombat 11’s Switch port is totally fine. It runs at a relatively consistent 60 frames per second, both in docked and handheld modes; (almost) every mode present in the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC versions are accounted for; and even though a ton of sacrifices were made on the visual side to make it run on Nintendo’s substantially less powerful hardware, few if any of them affect the actual fighting gameplay. That being said, there are numerous absolutely puzzling differences between the Switch version and its more powerful brethren, leading to a port that is in many ways better than expected, but at the same time, worse than it should be.

Before we dive in, make sure to read my Mortal Kombat 11 review for the console versions to get an idea of what it's like at its best, because this review will largely focus on the technical differences between those and the Switch version.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2DyNemK
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SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless Xbox Headset Review

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The SteelSeries Arctis 9X is the company’s latest wireless headset and it's designed specifically for the Xbox One. It features Xbox Wireless connectivity, and it also serves up Bluetooth to add to the Arctis 9X’s value proposition (See it on SteelSeries' site). With Bluetooth, you can use the Arctis 9X to listen to music on your phone, movies on your laptop, or use it with any Bluetooth-enabled device. Not only that, but you can connect via Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth at the same time so you can listen to your own personal soundtrack while still hearing the sounds of the game you are playing. At $199.99, the Arctis 9X is $20 more than the competing LucidSound LS35X, but the LS35X doesn't have Bluetooth, so the Arctis 9 seemingly has it all.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2W4JgJX
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Days Gone Review

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Days Gone kicks off relatively simply: you play as a biker riding through an open-world zombie post-apocalypse, seeking answers around his dead wife and smashing enemy faces in with crunchy, weighty melee weapons. Sometimes, there are spectacular hordes of them. So far, so straightforward. Yet through its 60-odd-hour ride, Days Gone loses its focus with repetitive missions, a meandering and thematically unsatisfying storyline, and an excess of bugs and busywork. When you slow down for a minute or two, these issues combine with a dreary, uninteresting open world and add up to an uneven and mostly toothless zombie experience.

For a gruff biker dude traveling through a zombie-infested (okay, they’re technically virus-infected humans called Freakers, but functionally the same thing) Oregon, Deacon St. John is an endearingly gentle and sweet-natured protagonist. His gruff charm and unassuming ‘I ain’t no leader’ demeanor is mostly well voiced by Sam Witwer (AKA Darth Maul on Star Wars: The Clone Wars), aside from moments where he inexplicably yells during stealth missions and an occasional tendency to over-act in more frantic sequences.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2IUeWxL
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Wednesday, 24 April 2019

Imperator: Rome Review

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Tackling the tumultuous years of the Roman Republic’s rise to power in a grand strategy game is no easy task, but Imperator: Rome proves Paradox is definitely up to it. This is a game built on columns of interesting internal politics, a fun and involved warfare system, and an enormous and detailed map stretching from Ireland to India with strategic elements that make previous Paradox games look downright archaic. I can’t give nearly as much praise to the interface or the mechanics for tribal nations, unfortunately, but Imperator still may set a new standard for historical grand strategy.

Imperator’s real-time historical sandbox gameplay is probably most comparable to Europa Universalis 4 at its heart, but it weaves in strong ideas from many of Paradox’s other games as well: population units from Victoria, characters and traits from Crusader Kings, and army automation from Hearts of Iron. There is a lot to keep track of, even for a Paradox game, to the point where it can feel a bit messy. But Crusader Kings 2 remains my favorite strategy game ever partly because it's messy; Imperator feels like a return to a messier age of Paradox games, which is honestly refreshing in a way – except that the interface doesn't keep up with the times.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2IVmOiu
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Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven's Hunt Is Heating Up

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While "Hunted" has proven disappointing so far, the problems with this latest Spider-Man crossover are mostly in the execution, not the premise. Writer Nick Spencer and artist Humberto Ramos have all the right ingredients for another classic Kraven vs. Spider-man tale. The hitch has come in the form of the agonizingly slow pace and the fact that most of the best material has been shoved over to the tie-in issues. Fortunately, that finally seems to be changing with Amazing Spider-m=Man #20. This issue gives the series a much-needed momentum boost and shows that the strong character work doesn't need to take place in ancillary books.

The general sense of pacing is much tighter in this new chapter. Spencer finally pushes the conflict beyond its initial starting place, revealing more layers to Kraven's plot that go beyond simply turning the world's richest hunters on captured supervillains like fish in a barrel. That, combined with Spider-Man's growing frustration over his own inability to stop the hunt and new complications surrounding characters like Black Ant and the Lizard, serves to give "Hunted" the richness and energy it had been lacking.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2IGWKIK
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Cobra Kai Season 2 Review

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This is a (mostly) spoiler-free review of YouTube's Cobra Kai Season 2. All 10 episodes are currently available to stream on YouTube Premium.

The three-decade-long legacy of the Karate Kid continues in Season 2 of YouTube's Cobra Kai, taking its characters to emotionally darker places this time around, yet still preserving those witty comedic aspects that made its first season so memorable. William Zabka and Ralph Macchio return to their respective leading roles as Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso - resuming their war for martial arts supremacy in the Valley.

Cobra Kai's tight 10-episode structure tells a big story in a short amount of time. Johnny's transition from former high school bully to honorable sensei is still charming, as he attempts to turn his dojo into a respectable business for kids to learn karate. And while Zabka's comedic timing is excellent, there are moments when the "trapped in the mid-eighties" motif goes a bit too far. In one particular scene, for instance, Johnny is trying to log on to the internet for the first time and doesn't even know what Wi-Fi is. We get it, he's out of touch, but come on... He's not that old.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2IV9WZG
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World War Z Review

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Some of my favorite gaming moments stem from co-op sessions with friends, and the chaos that can ensue when all your careful plans start to go awry. World War Z is a competent but basic shooter that seems designed to foster those sorts of memorable moments, and that is surely its greatest strength. It’s a good venue for a group of four friends to get together, topple massive zombie hordes, maybe save a few survivors here and there, and laugh about it when the results roll in. There’s nothing revolutionary or even that remarkable about World War Z, but the formula it follows is proven to be fun.

Comparisons between World War Z and the Left 4 Dead series are more than justified – unavoidable, even, as Valve’s decade-old series is still revered today for its fast-paced action and ability to throw dozens of raving zombies at you at once. Ever since, there’s been a certain set of guidelines one looks for when dealing with co-op zombie shooters. World War Z neatly checks every box on that list while upping the amount of zombies that can be on screen at a time considerably.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Zy97f9
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DC's Murder Mystery Takes a Disturbing and Fascinating Turn

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Warning: Because it's difficult to talk about the contents of this issue without spoiling the big reveal, this review contains spoilers for Heroes in Crisis #8!

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Heroes in Crisis is a very difficult series to judge on a month-by-month basis. There's little denying the book's technical brilliance, with writer Tom King tapping into the lingering effects of grief and trauma and artists like Clay Mann and Mitch Gerads ensuring the series remains one of the most visually stunning books on the stands. But no matter how strong any given issue may be, there's still a sense of deep concern looming over the series. Is it worth the cost? Is it worth breaking these toys and possibly doing lingering harm to fan-favorite characters for the sake of this one book? Those questions can only be answered once the series is completed. For now, these concerns become all the more pressing as the series reaches its penultimate chapter and the true killer stands revealed.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2UBQ9k4
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Viotek GFT27DB Gaming Monitor Review

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The Viotek GFT27DB (See it at Amazon) is a 27-inch monitor that features a 1440p resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time. It uses a TN panel to achieve its fast response time for buttery smooth gameplay, and it offers FreeSync technology to prevent tearing from a mismatch between your monitor’s refresh rate and your GPU’s output. While it is not among the few monitors stamped with Nvidia’s seal of approval for G-Sync compatibility, I can confirm that it does indeed play nice with G-Sync when manually enabled.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2DAg9H3
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Tuesday, 23 April 2019

The Flash Has Yet Another Lousy Killer Frost Episode

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Quite possibly the most annoying thing about The Flash this season (aside from Barry’s hideous costume) is that the writers can’t seem to separate the wheat from the chaff. “Snow Pack” is a perfect example. The series has plenty of great material to mine in this episode in terms of the falling-out between Barry and Nora and the question of how Eobard Thawne fits into everything. But this episode devotes just as much time to the agonizingly dull Killer Frost/Icicle storyline. Then, for good measure, Cicada stumbles back into the picture out of nowhere. This is easily one of the most uneven and frustrating installments of the show in a very long time.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2XEP7Gc
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Avengers: Endgame Review

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This is a SPOILER-FREE review of Avengers: Endgame, but honestly, you probably still shouldn’t read it. If you’re already sold on this movie, go see it, come back, and let’s compare notes. If you’re not, read on for some reasons why you should be.

The less you know going into Avengers: Endgame, the more you’re likely to enjoy it. Obviously, you wouldn’t have clicked on a review of this movie if you didn’t want to know something about the culmination of a decade’s worth of Marvel’s superhero storytelling, but trust me: more than Avengers: Infinity War, more than any Star Wars movie, Endgame is truly a story that needs to be experienced. Forget all the external noise from the deliberately vague teaser trailers, perfectly-calibrated celebrity soundbites, and footage leaks, and just strap in for the ride.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Pqn2zu
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The Elder Scrolls: Blades Early Access Review

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If you listed out everything that Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series is best known for, you’d probably include things like an open world, freeform character development, hundreds of NPCs with interesting backstories, and the freedom to go anywhere and do anything at any time. The Elder Scrolls: Blades unfortunately has none of those things. It’s a decent mobile RPG, but not a very good Elder Scrolls game, and it’s loaded with obtrusive microtransactions.

Blades feels like a collection of typical mobile game mechanics with a shallow coating of Elder Scrolls paint. It’s got the signature beauty in its world design and at first glance could be mistaken for sections in Oblivion or even Skyrim, but it lacks any of the depth that made those games so special.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2UBo902
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IOGear Kaliber Gaming NUKLEUS Gaming Headset Review

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IOGear is looking to corner the budget gaming headset market with its new Nukleus headset. The headset combines a slick look with all the basic features you’d need from a gaming headset, and it does it for just $34.95 (See it at Amazon). Of course, it’s not alone in the market, and the best budget gaming headsets are right there to challenge it. Amid the Corsair HS50, the HyperX Cloud Stinger, and the Logitech G430, IOGear’s Nukleus headset doesn’t have much room for mistakes. And, unfortunately, it makes a few.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2UCw3pT
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SteamWorld Quest Review

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Despite being full of cards, SteamWorld Quest doesn’t feel like a card game. As the first RPG in the SteamWorld series (the excellent SteamWorld Dig 2 being the previous entry), it bears far more resemblance to a game like Final Fantasy than Hearthstone or Gwent. Instead of letting its deck-building mechanics take over entirely, they instead give SteamWorld Quest one of the most flexible and fun turn-based RPG combat systems I’ve played with in a long time.

Steam World Quest tells the charming tale of a group of ragtag fantasy robots out to save the world from an evil army, rising to the threat before them despite their inexperience. It’s not exactly a unique premise (except for the robot part, I suppose), but the twists and turns it takes along the way make it stand out in interesting ways, and the big bad behind it all is a compelling one to fight. The story digs into larger themes about heroism and growing up with some nicely written dialogue that’s never long enough to drag the action down, and can even be genuinely funny or touching at times.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2IHGrvp
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Monday, 22 April 2019

Arrow Does Right by the Diggle Family

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Warning: Full spoilers for Arrow Season 7, Episode 19 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's our review of Season 7, Episode 18.

Arrow went through a bit of a lull period early this year, as the show transitioned away from the extended prison storyline and tried to establish a new status quo for Oliver Queen and friends. It's been a fairly bumpy road these past few months. But as is so often the case with the Arrowverse, the momentum is rapidly accelerating as the season finale looms. Far more than just a Diggle-focused side-story, "Spartan" may well be the most jam-packed and eventful installment of Season 7 so far.

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Lenovo Legion Y740 Gaming Laptop Review

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Over the past couple of months I've tested two laptops equipped with Nvidia new RTX GPUs; one with an RTX 2080, and one with an RTX 2060. These laptops were impressive, but I've been eager to get my hands on a laptop with the mid-tier RTX GPU, the RTX 2070, just to get an idea of how the three different GPUs stack up.

Luckily, I now have Lenovo's Y740-15ICHg in-hand (See it at Lenovo) and it has an RTX 2070 Max-Q in tow. The particular unit I received is the top model on Lenovo's site and the only model with an RTX 2070. The rest of the lineup features the RTX 2060, ranging in price from $1,679 to $1,919. The entire lineup is priced competitively when compared to the previous RTX-equipped laptops I've tested.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Iz8Qn9
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Mortal Kombat 11 Review

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When it was first introduced a staggering 27 years ago, Mortal Kombat always had that reputation of being “That fighting game where you rip people’s heads off.” Known more for its gore and violence than its gameplay. Things have changed since then with MK9 and MKX bringing the quality of gameplay up to meet the quality of violence. That upward trend continues with Mortal Kombat 11, which is not only the best Mortal Kombat has ever been, it’s also arguably Netherrealm’s best game yet. This is one of the most fully featured fighting games you can buy, with both single- and multiplayer modes that will last both casual and hardcore audiences a long, long time.

Mortal Kombat’s defining quality among 2D fighters is that its combat centers around two punch buttons, two kick buttons, and a block button. This is actually more unique than it sounds. While other 2D fighters typically have some combination of light, medium, and/or heavy attacks, with weaker attacks linking into stronger attacks, Mortal Kombat has no such concept. Instead, MK employs a “dial-a-combo” system that requires knowledge of very specific button combinations in order to build a combo. It’s definitely not a super-accessible combat system for newcomers, but fortunately, Mortal Kombat 11 comes with one of the best fighting game tutorials I’ve ever played. It covers everything from basic fundamentals all the way to the most advanced techniques such as frame traps, jailing, and block strings, all while highlighting key concepts and clear instructions on how to implement these techniques.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2VZY2l4
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Sunday, 21 April 2019

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 Review

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This review contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 2, titled "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." To refresh your memory of where we left off, check out our Season 8, episode 1 review

Now that’s more like it.

While last week’s Season 8 premiere was a solid, scene-setting hour, it sometimes felt like the script was checking boxes rather than telling an organic story with a fluid sense of pacing. Every episode has to do a certain amount of narrative legwork to get its characters from A to B, obviously, but the strings seemed more noticeable in the premiere than they have elsewhere.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2vh9s8o
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Friday, 19 April 2019

Doom Patrol Introduces DC's Weirdest Supervillain

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Warning: Full spoilers for Doom Patrol Season 1, Episode 10 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's our review of Season 1, Episode 9.

In terms of sheer tonal variety, this week's Doom Patrol might be the show's wackiest to date. "Beard Patrol" introduces one of the most bizarre villains in the entire DC Universe, even as it sheds light in the tragic past of Niles Caulder and steers the team toward their inevitable showdown with Mr. Nobody. A lot of shows might struggle to balance such extremes of silly and serious subject matter, but it's all in a day's work for Doom Patrol.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2UMkCkG
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IOGear HVER Pro RGB Gaming Keyboard Review

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As part of IOGear’s updates to its Kaliber Gaming line of peripherals, the company has launched the HVER Pro RGB mechanical keyboard (See it on Amazon)It's a high-spec mix of its older HVER mechanical keyboard and the cheaper HVER RGB mem-chanical keyboard. At around $80 the HVER Pro RGB is priced just below many of the best gaming keyboards. Most budget friendly models like the Logitech G512 Carbon tend to cost a bit more ($99) or leave out features like per-key RGB or mechanical switches, so the HVER Pro RGB seemingly has everything it takes to be a great keyboard. Let’s see how it manages while keeping the price below the competition.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2vaj1Wx
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Thursday, 18 April 2019

Star Trek: Discovery Season Finale Review

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Full spoilers follow for this episode.

And there you have it: The USS Discovery has disappeared a thousand years into the future, apparently never to be heard from again in the 23rd century. And not just that, but everyone who knew of its true mission into time has agreed to keep it a secret even from Starfleet Command, essentially wiping the ship and her crew from the history books. I guess…?

Look, the Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 finale crams a lot into its running time, and it’s as sloppy as much of the overall season has been, raising as many questions as it answers in its attempts to sync with canon. But like much of this second season, it’s also pretty effective, offering up nice character interplay, crazy visuals and effects, and some “whoa” moments of Star Trek grandeur.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GkbfhY
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Here's How Gotham Sets Up Batman's Rise

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Since Gotham is wrapping up its final season, we'll be reviewing the final two episodes This review contains full spoilers for Gotham Season 5, episode 11, "They Did What?" 

Gotham's penultimate episode - the storm before the storm, if you will - closed out the series as we know it in preparation for a massive 10-year time jump that will give us both Batman and Joker in next week's finale. This chapter paid off the forward-glimpse we caught in the beginning of the season, where Jim teamed with Penguin and Edward in a firefight against an aggressive clump of soldiers.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GqQDVp
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Joker Challenger Pack DLC Review

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If there’s one thing that’s become readily apparent with DLC guest fighters appearing in the Super Smash Bros. series, it’s the unreal amount of care and detail put into making them feel right at home in Nintendo’s fighting game. Persona 5’s Joker is no exception.

The first of the five planned Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Challenger Packs, which are available for $6 individually or $25 for all five, Joker may seem like an odd duck at first, given that his native JRPG isn’t even available on the Switch (for now?). But between the flashy fighting thief and his bombastic stage, the choice is a surprisingly fitting one. And even if you aren’t familiar with Persona 5, its signature slick design is present and eye-catching in almost every aspect of the Joker content.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Pq6qYN
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The Curse of La Llorona Review

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This was originally reviewed out of the SXSW film festival.

The Curse of La Llorona is set on the outskirts of the blockbuster Conjuring franchise, which may lend it a mainstream commercial appeal but also a by-now deadened familiarity thanks to the series’ well-worn formula. We’ve seen many of this film’s supernatural scenarios before -- in this franchise and in bogeyman/haunting films in general -- but in the end The Curse of La Llorona ekes by due to its occasional playfulness and the sympathy engendered by its main family.

After a brief but brutal prologue set in 1673 Mexico -- where we see how “The Weeping Woman” of Latin American folklore came to be by drowning her own children in a jealous rage, thus cursing herself to roam forever as a specter searching for other kids to kill -- the film resumes in Los Angeles 1973, a period which Conjuring-verse fans will know is not long after the events of the LA-based Annabelle. (A supporting character from that film, Father Perez, pops up here to provide the bare minimum of connective narrative tissue between the films.)

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GlctcX
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Katana Zero Review

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Taking more than a few cues from Hotline Miami, Katana Zero is a blisteringly fast slash-em-up with action that’s an absolute adrenaline rush. Which is appropriate because it’s largely about a neo-noir-inspired samurai who sticks a bunch of needles in his body.

It wears its inspirations on the sleeves of its kimono, but Katana Zero refines the tried and true one-hit-kill formula in a manner that makes it feels fresh, exciting, and innovative in surprising ways.

Katana Zero puts you in control of a nameless samurai assassin with the power to manipulate time and see into the future. In an extremely clever and fun framing of the action, every level is contextualized as being the planning of an assassination. So, instead of your character dying, you’re told “No… That won’t work,” as your precognition rewinds to the start (complete with old-timey VCR effect), giving you a chance to find a solution that doesn’t end in your death. Every level even ends with a security camera recording of what “actually” happened, which serves not only as a way to see your moment of triumph played back, but also to subvert expectations in interesting ways later on.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Is2dmG
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Wednesday, 17 April 2019

The Lizard Steals the Spotlight From Spider-Man

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"Hunted" is one of those cases where if you aren't reading the tie-ins, you aren't getting the full experience. Whether that material should have just been integrated into the main storyline is open for debate, but the point remains - these issues provide in-depth, character-driven stories that we aren't getting from the core Amazing Spider-Man comic. And Amazing Spider-Man #19.HU might just be the best yet.

Where issue #18.HU focused on the sad plight of perennial D-Lister The Gibbon, this follow shifts to one of the oldest and most iconic Spider-Man villains of them all - The Lizard. Though actually labeling Dr. Curt Connors a villain these days would be a misnomer. He's just a guy trying to enjoy the second chance at a happy family life in the aftermath of The Clone Conspiracy. And that's where "Hunted" comes in. With his son Billy trapped inside Kraven's murder dome, Curt will do whatever it takes to rescue him. Even if it means letting the animal inside run loose once again.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GjAMbd
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Anno 1800 Review

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Once I got over how ugly my budding villages were going to look if I wanted them to be efficient and profitable, Anno 1800 sunk its teeth into me. The hours flew by as I ignored its many automated suggestions that I should step away from the computer for a break. This seventh iteration of the long-running village-management series goes back to its origins, trading in the futuristic setting of the last two entries for the more traditional sails, Schnapps, and sugar cane. The change of setting doesn’t instantly make it better by itself, but it is refreshing and supports a fun real-time strategy game.

The complex and satisfying routine in Anno 1800 is built upon the creation and collection of various resources that you need to keep the inhabitants of your island colony happy. It’s a constantly evolving puzzle that plays out on three levels: Production lines, trade routes, and town layouts. Every level of technological advancement requires more ingredients, more educated workers, and more sophisticated facilities. The puzzle becomes even more complex when you add in that many of the pieces can’t be found or crafted on your starter island; that’s where trade routes come into play. Expansion is an option, but trade is a crucial mechanic for survival.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2ZiBRZr
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Marvel's Latest Crossover Has Some Familiar Problems

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There's no doubt that The War of the Realms is a good time. This miniseries carries over the zany, heavy metal-inspired tone of Jason Aaron's Thor run. Where else can you see the Avengers teaming up with the valiant heroes of Asgard to do battle with Frost Giants, Fire Demons, Angels and Dark Elves in the heart of New York? The problem - and one which is becoming more apparent as time passes - is that this series doesn't capture everything that has made Aaron Thor saga one of the best ever told. The fun and spectacle are there in droves. But the emotional thrust is lacking so far.

For the most part, issue #2 continues the same action-heavy focus as the first. This gives artist Russell Dauterman, colorist Matthew Wilson and letterer Joe Sabino ample room to do their thing. Dauterman's art impresses as much in its energy and fluid sense of motion as it does in its sheer detail. He painstaking renders panel after panel of fantastical heroes and monsters doing battle in a fully realized New York. Dauterman's style is perfect for a story where traditional superhero action collides with high fantasy and Norse mythology.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2v9vQ3c
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Pathway Review

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If you’ve played your fair share of roguelikes and turn-based tactics games, Pathway presents as a familiar and extremely appealing package. Most obviously, it is a hybrid of XCOM-style combat and board game-style movement punctuated with text-adventure-style scenarios, a la FTL. But upon closer inspection, you’ll also find shades of Into the Breach, Diablo, and Dead Cells. All of this is neatly wrapped in pixel art representing World War II-era colonial Africa and the Middle East, which loudly calls back to Indiana Jones. It delivers the promise of putting all those pieces together seamlessly, but only to a point: Pathway is designed to be endlessly replayable, but barely has enough variety to sustain a single playthrough of its five mini-campaigns.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2v73O8L
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Batman's 'Knightmares' Reaches a Haunting Conclusion

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Short of that ill-advised Batman/Wonder Woman team-up arc, no chapter of Tom King's Batman run has proven more frustrating than "Knightmares." The series has devoted a large number of issues to telling what is ultimately a very simple and straightforward story - Batman is trapped in his own nightmares and fighting to get free. Batman #69 finally wraps up that prolonged odyssey. And while it still doesn't justify the decision to devote seven whole issues to Batman's dream journey, it does wrap up this saga on a high note.

There is some story-based reasoning for why it took Batman so long to make sense of his predicament and move forward. Every guest star in "Knightmares" has been nothing more than a projection of Batman's own mind, reflecting different facets of his personality or serving as psychic defense mechanisms. This who journey has been about Batman steeling himself to confront his greatest fear and push through it. Only at the end is Batman finally prepared to allow himself to reunite with Catwoman and confront that fear head-on.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2XoAjeJ
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Kali Audio LP-6 Studio Monitor Speakers Review

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There’s been a welcome trend over the past few years of high-quality audio companies entering the gaming market. Industry newcomer Kali Audio is jumping in head first with its debut studio monitor, the LP-6 (See it on Amazon). The company was formed at the beginning of 2018 by JBL Pro alums, and their knowledge of speaker design shines through with the LP-6. They are excellent speakers with thumping, clean bass and a nice, round midrange.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2UIPLFu
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Tuesday, 16 April 2019

The Flash Almost Achieves Greatness

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Warning: Full spoilers for The Flash Season 5, Episode 18 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, check out our review for Season 5, Episode 17.

This week’s Flash episode is one of those cases where the trailer wasn’t a very good indicator of what to expect. The series seemed to be building to a big showdown between Nora and Team Flash, with Eobard Thawne stepping out of the shadows and making his presence known again. Instead, what we actually got was more of an extended origin story for Nora, one punctuated by a dash of the West-Allen family drama teased in the trailer. But regardless of expectations, the end result was a largely satisfying episode that did a great deal to flesh out Nora and her relationship with Thawne.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Gk9bqk
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One-Punch Man: "The Human Monster" Review

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Warning! This review of One-Punch Man Season 2, Episode 2 contains FULL SPOILERS. You can check out our spoiler-free review of last week's Season 2 premiere right here

One-Punch Man's follow-up to its impressive Season 2 premiere doesn't waste time before getting to the good stuff. Garou makes a memorable debut at the Hero Association HQ by showcasing his brute strength with a ferocity that could rival Saitama. The episode is aptly named after the deadly villain - "The Human Monster" - who claims he has more in common with monsters than humans. But even though this very short episode (barely 22 minutes) is named after him, we still don't know much about Garou's intentions. It's safe to assume (having not read the Manga) that Saitama and Garou will battle at some point this season.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Dl6SCB
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Justice League vs. The Fatal Five Review

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This is a spoiler-free review of Justice League vs. The Fatal Five, which is now available on Blu-ray.

Justice League vs. The Fatal Five has multiple selling points for DC animation fans. On one hand, it features the return of the much-loved DC Animated Universe (the setting of classic shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited). On the other, it ventures off the beaten path to spotlight heroes who don't normally get their due in DC's animated projects. Both of these make DC's 34th "DC Universe Original Movie" worth watching, even if this effort never quite realizes its full potential.

Unlike the majority of DC's direct-to-video projects, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five isn't a direct adaptation of a preexisting comic. There are elements of past Legion of Super-Heroes stories and the work of Geoff Johns, but the movie is largely free to tell its own story. That's a good thing. The strict 70-minute run-time is never conducive to great comic book adaptations. Instead, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five focuses on a clash between the League and the titular quintet of villains, one which hinges on the rise of rookie Green Lantern Jessica Cruz (Diane Guerrero) and the plight of amnesic, time-displaced hero Star Boy (Elyes Gabel).

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GfNUhq
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Gaems Sentinel G170 Personal Gaming Environment Review

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Console gaming is usually reserved for the living room or game room. Once it’s set up and connected to a TV, that’s where it lives since a necessary component is the TV. If you want to bring your console over to a friend’s house, or on a trip where display availability is unknown, the Gaems Sentinel Personal Gaming Environment could be the answer (See it on Amazon). With a built-in 17.3-inch IPS panel, speakers, headphone jacks, and a way to secure your console, it covers all the bases for console gaming on the go.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2Di0egj
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Monday, 15 April 2019

Arrow Pays Tribute to Multiple Black Canaries

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Warning: Full spoilers for Arrow Season 7, Episode 18 below. If you need a refresher on where we left off, check out our review for Season 7, Episode 17.

Many of Arrow’s biggest problems since Season 4 boil down to an overly large cast. It always seems like there are too many heroes and not enough room to do them all justice. And now with the series rapidly winding down, it’s all the more critical that the show clean the board if Oliver Queen’s heroic journey is going to receive the finish it deserves.

The good news is that the writers seem mindful of the need to streamline things leading into the final season. The series already bid farewell to Echo Kellum’s Curtis, and we recently learned that Emily Bett Rickards is leaving after Season 7. Now it appears that Katie Cassidy-Rodgers is bidding farewell to the Arrowverse, too. “Lost Canary” marked the end of Earth-2 Laurel Lance’s tenure in Team Arrow, and it’s not a bad way for this incarnation of the character to go out.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2UDXvc1
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Nintendo Labo VR Kit Review

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It’s easy to scoff at the Labo VR Kit’s simple cardboard headset and collection of ridiculous add-ons as little more than Google’s Cardboard with Nintendo branding, but this kit is a surprisingly solid and in-depth introduction to the world of VR. While the display resolution and framerate fall far below the average dedicated VR headset and many of the associated games are extremely simple novelties, there are enough weird and whimsical games and tools included to provide a unique and (mostly) enjoyable experience when used in short bursts. The Virtual Boy 2, this isn’t.

Like Nintendo’s previous Labo kits, the initial focus of Labo VR is on cardboard construction and customization. And while interlocking large cardboard sections or putting the finishing touches on a project can be highly satisfying, the sluggishly paced instruction videos and countless steps involved can quickly turn the building aspect of Labo VR into a chore. The Labo accessories you’re prompted to build are sturdy and well engineered, but you’ll likely never come away from putting one together with the hope that your build time had last longer.

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from IGN Reviews http://bit.ly/2GjxHYs
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