Razer Naga Pro Gaming Mouse Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out The Razer Naga may be the most iconic MMO gaming mouse of all time. It’s no exaggeration to say that its thumb grid changed the way many gamers play, both inside and outside the MMORPG genre. As a result, it’s been a mainstay in Razer’s lineup since 2009, going through multiple iterations and inspiring more than a few clones. With the Naga Pro, Razer has severed its tail, fitted it with a 150 hour battery, and improved its internals – but does it do enough to justify the upgrade from the Naga Trinity? [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=razer-naga-pro-review&captions=true"]

Design and Features

The Naga Pro shares a lot of similarities with its predecessor, the Naga Trinity. It looks the same and feels the same in the hand. It features the same ability to swap the side panels and carries through the Naga’s history of versatility above all. Of course, looks are only skin deep, and once you take a closer look, the Naga Pro stands apart as the best Naga yet. This is a mouse laden with inputs ready to be mapped to the different skills and spells from your favorite MMO, but its benefits don’t stop with just one genre. The 12-button thumb-grid comes pre-installed and is clearly designed with skill-rich MMOs in mind. When you need fewer buttons, you simply pull the panel from the magnets holding it in place and swap it with the six or two button panels that also come included in the box. You don’t even need to turn the mouse off in between: Razer’s Synapse software will automatically detect the new panel and swap your keymaps on the fly. It’s an ingenious system that allows the Naga to be, in essence, three mice in one and is seamless in its execution. This system debuted on the Naga Trinity, but has definitely been refined here. The speed and ease of swapping plates, and how instantaneously Synapse reacts, reflects a level of polish that’s impressive and makes the system feel natural. Like its predecessor, there are three panels: a 12-button grid that’s perfect for MMOs, a 6-button for MOBAs and RPGs, and a 2-button panel for shooters. The middle panel has been changed since last generation, dropping the circle layout for two straight rows with buttons that are tall and narrow, extremely reminiscent of the Logitech G604. The mouse wheel also tilts to either side for two additional inputs. By default, these are mapped to “repeat scroll”  and will rapidly move up and down web pages and documents. It’s neither as fast or fluid as the Logitech G502’s Hyper Fast scroll wheel but is definitely an improvement over normal scrolling. Depending on your configuration, you could have anywhere from 9 to 19 inputs, plus one more if you count the profile button on the bottom. That’s already quite a few, but using Hypershift or combining inputs with modifier keys can easily double, triple, or even quadruple this button count. Unlike some of Razer’s more traditional, lower input mice, using HyperShift felt like a viable option here since I had buttons to spare. The ergonomics of the mouse are great no matter which side panel you’re using. It’s on the larger side and is wide as well as tall, so feels like an ideal fit for palm-gripped gamers, but I was able to comfortably claw grip it just fine. The right side flares out to support your ring finger, which decreases finger drag in games and helps brace the mouse to stay on target while triggering side buttons. I especially liked how the scoops on the left and right buttons guided me toward the wheel, which made tilting the wheel feel like second nature. Coming to grips with the layout of each side panel is surprisingly fast. The trickiest could easily be the 12-button grid, but Razer has angled each button and contoured the whole side to make it apparent which button you’re on without needing to look. Reaching the bottom row is just as difficult as past Nagas, however. The 6-button panel is likewise intuitive thanks to the narrow face of each button. I also really liked that each of the side buttons offered a nice, mechanical click instead of the spongy bump on my old Logitech G600 MMO mouse. The Naga Pro uses Razer’s latest HyperSpeed Wireless technology to deliver a steady, fast connection. The company claims HyperSpeed is 25% faster than any other wireless technology on the market today, tested by a third party certification body, and even faster than many wired gaming mice. I tested it side by side with wired options from Logitech and Corsair and can’t say that it felt noticeably more responsive to me, but even more importantly, but it didn’t feel any slower despite being wireless, and glided like a dream on its new PTFE mouse feet. This wireless gaming mouse also supports Bluetooth, which isn’t as fast, but is a welcome addition for when you need a mouse on the go. The battery life is excellent, with 100 hours using HyperSpeed Wireless and 150 using Bluetooth. I’ve used the mouse for around 30 hours and can report 30% lost battery, so the numbers seem accurate. The only thing I feel is missing is an indicator LED, which would eliminate the need to go into Synapse to check the remaining battery. Both the sensor and switches have also undergone major upgrades. The Naga now uses Razer’s premiere Focus+ Optical Sensor. It’s the cutting edge of what the company has to offer with a maximum DPI of 20,000 and advanced features like automatic surface calibration and Motion Sync to improve accuracy. The switches are also optical and the same as found on the Viper Ultimate. They use infrared light, not mechanical contacts, to actuate, which improves their responsiveness by eliminating debounce delay and cuts down on wear and tear over time. Compared to a typical high-end mouse switch, often rated at 20 to 50 million clicks, the Razer Optical switches are rated for 70 million. I obviously wasn’t able to test the mouse over the long-term, but the dreaded double-click issue that plagues aging mice should be a thing of the past with the Naga Pro.

Software Programming

Getting up and running with the Naga Pro can take some time if you plan to customize the inputs, but Razer’s Synapse 3 software makes the process easy. Every button but left click can be remapped or assigned a secondary function with HyperShift. By default, the inputs match the numbers printed on their sides, which works well in games with numbered skill bars, but Synapse allows you to program macros, trigger program launches, send text, control your media, and much more just by selecting from a menu. You can save keymaps for each side plate ahead of time, so when it comes time to switch, your keys will be ready and waiting. The Naga Pro can also store five profiles to its onboard memory, so you can take these bindings on the go. The body of the mouse sports two lighting zones — the mouse wheel and palm rest — but, oddly, only the 12-button panel features is backlit. Each of these zones can be customized within Synapse, either by selecting a Quick Effect (Spectrum Cycling, Breathing, Static, etc.) or an Advanced Effect using Chroma Studio. The app can be thought of a bit like Adobe Photoshop for Razer’s RGB lighting ecosystem. Nearly a dozen effects can be customized and layered to create a unique lighting scheme to match your setup. The effect is enhanced the more Razer peripherals you have, but I was able to match the Naga Pro, my FireFly mouse pad, and the charging base from my Viper Ultimate (which is also compatible with the Naga Pro) to the Corsair RGB PC fans in my gaming PC within minutes. Razer Synapse has come a long way since its debut and has become one of the most powerful, easy-to-use pieces of software from a major brand today. Best of all, once your profiles are loaded onto the Naga’s onboard memory, you’re safely able to shut down the program and take your macros and keybinds with you.

Performance

My first experiences with the original Naga were with World of Warcraft, so I wasted no time hopping back in to try again with one of my alts. The 12-button side panel is the perfect option for games like WoW, rich in skills but big on movement. By keeping the grid matched to my number row, it covered my entire first action bar. Using the game’s keybind system, I assigned my three others to numbers and modifier keys: Shift+1, Alt+2, Ctrl+3, and so on. With just the time it took to save those, the Naga Pro allowed me to have 48 commands just under my thumb — more than what even most dedicated MMO players will use. Hopping into a dungeon, I was able to move much more freely, keeping my hands on the movement keys at all times. Since I never had to move my left hand, and my thumb was always on the grid, I was able to fire off skills more quickly and move out of danger without missing a beat. The mechanical click of each key also made sure I never missed a taunt when tanking Eye of Azshara. The Naga Pro also gave me much more control in Battlefield 5. Swapping over to the 6-button panel, I was able to map crouch and prone directly under my thumb, making it easy for me to drop the minute bullets began to fly. I mapped the alternate weapon, gadgets, and grenade below that, leaving my left hand on WASD and my right hand doing the bulk of the work. Swapping back to my Viper Ultimate, I immediately missed having these extra keys. Once I got used to using the Naga, moving those functions back to my left hand felt genuinely cumbersome. No matter what I was playing, Razer’s HyperSpeed wireless performed flawless. Connection never dropped or even faltered, staying rock steady the whole time. Not having the tether to my PC also made big sweeps of my mouse, taking in the vistas and doing spin jumps between bosses feel more free than I’ve experienced on an MMO mouse.

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Paradise Killer Review

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Disclaimer: Former IGN host Alysia Judge worked on Paradise Killer, providing the voice of Judge.

Detective stories are almost always centred around the search for proof: that key bit of evidence, that slip-up in testimony, that missing cornerstone which holds together the rest of the story they’ve been searching to understand. But, if we’re honest, actually proving things isn’t really the detective’s job – they find evidence, piece it together, and present what they believe to be a plausible truth. It’s not proof so much as the confident suggestion that it could be proof. It’s a subtle distinction, and one that Paradise Killer understands intimately – and, as its credits rolled, I realised the entire game is about that distinction. Well, that and a demonic pleasure-world of ritual sacrifice performed to satiate the psychic energy-lust of unknowable, goat-headed cosmic entities. It’s about that too.

To be simplistic about it, Paradise Killer is something like a visual novel exploded into the structure of an open world game. It borrows much from Japanese mystery games, most notably the Ace Attorney and Danganronpa series, but eschews their carefully unfolded, mostly linear whodunnits for a fully explorable (and initially overwhelming) first-person investigation across a near-deserted island, ending in a trial at which you present the story you believe to be the correct one.

You play Lady Love Dies (which might be the least strange name on offer here), an immortal “investigation freak” who was exiled from Paradise 3 million days ago, and is only invited to return after a locked-room murder spree forces the island’s egoless arbiter of justice to bring in the only person deemed capable of solving the crime. Oh, and you get back from exile by skydiving from a mile-high plinth suspended above the actual game map while the opening credits roll.

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Yes, Paradise Killer is weird, with an aesthetic that can probably be best described as “Vaporwave Satanism” – imagine a neon sign covered in gouts of blood, and you’re on the way there. Among its best tricks is that it doesn’t just force you to piece together its mystery after the fact, but the workings of its entire world. People still act like people (and lie like people), but how does detective work change in a universe where ghosts can exist, gods can be imprisoned, and taxis can open transdimensional rifts? You’re essentially running two investigations: one building a case in your head, and the other building the world in which it took place.

That also means that telling you too much about that world would spoil some of the fun, but at its most basic level: you’re on an island, Paradise, built like a beautiful holiday destination, but actually created to offer ritual human sacrifices to gods from beyond the galaxy, run by The Syndicate, a group of immortals hiding in a pocket dimension beyond the reach of humanity. Honestly, that’s the basics. It’s one of the more compulsively unique fictional words I’ve come across in recent years – enough so that I’d welcome a sequel out of interest for that setting alone.

As Lady Love Dies, you travel the island entirely at your own discretion and pace, investigating its jarring mix of 3D architecture and 2D populace, combing for clues left behind at crime scenes, wrenching testimony out of old friends, and generally making a nuisance of yourself, as any investigator should. The beauty of that open-ended approach becomes apparent very quickly – the first piece of evidence you find, which can more or less be anything, will inevitably point you to another clue, which might offer a different line of conversation with one of many wild suspects (who range from married ex-assassins, to a horny Scottish doctor living on a yacht). That conversation might, in turn, break the alibi of someone else, or even open up an entirely new sub-case, promising brand new mysteries to find. The pleasure of unspooling a blood-drenched, twisting story behind the crime you set out to solve is only increased by the fact that you’re more in charge of how that crime’s solved than almost any other detective game I can think of.

Evil Vibrations

Special mention has to be reserved for Paradise Killer’s soundtrack, composed by Barry “Epoch” Topping. The mixture of vaporwave synths, infectious grooves, and Japanese city pop influences feels absolutely at home in the tropical setting, and totally at odds with the subject matter in a way that feels fittingly creepy. Wonderfully, the soundtrack has to be earned over the course of playing, with new tracks awarded for finding radio towers scattered across the island. I’m not a collectible hunter in almost any game I come across, but I went completely out of my way to grab every track before I closed out my time with Paradise Killer. I recommend listening to ‘Leaving’ immediately, and repeatedly.

The world you travel through to do that is almost equally fascinating, a mixture of the mundane and the bizarre slotted together seamlessly. Climb humble apartment blocks to hunt for hidden clues, or the many collectible Relics that offer glimpses at what this grim world once was, and you’ll stare across a landscape dotted with blood donation points, grotesque statuary, and pyramids jutting out from an endless sea. In an unexpected twist, Paradise Killer is also a platformer of sorts, asking you not just to travel the island, but work out how to in some cases - even offering unlockable double jumps and other abilities to help you find its most inaccessible corners.

You’re not travelling towards an ending, as such, more a culmination – you can begin the murder trial that closes the story at any time after its introductory sequence. The best comparison I can think of, weirdly, is in how you can take on Dragon’s Dogma’s final boss at any time, with almost no impediments put in place to stop you from doing so – it would likely be absolutely terrible to do it too early, but you can if you want to. But that element of choice in when to stop also lends Paradise Killer its greatest air of mystery – you’re never told when you’re done, you simply have to intuit whether there could be more clues out there that you’re yet to find. Are you confident enough to make your case on what you have, or will you keep scouring the island for more?

Unfortunately, that air of mystery gives way to Paradise Killer’s only real point of frustration. After around 10 hours of exploration, clues begin to dwindle, suspects have less and less to say and, without being able to effectively revisit any hints they may have offered, you can simply be left to trudge across a near-empty island for several more hours, looking for a glimmer of possibility based on nothing else than a hunch. Yes, that sounds authentically like a detective story, but in practice it can get pretty dull – in reality, you’re likely to start the final trial because you’re a bit bored of fast-travelling to areas you’ve already scoured, rather than because you have steadfast conviction in your conclusions.

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But no matter how you get there, that trial sequence itself is the jewel in Paradise Killer’s crown. For obvious reasons, I won’t discuss its story contents, but the structure is wonderful – an hour-plus long riff on Ace Attorney’s trial sequences, seeing you accuse suspects and then present your collected evidence to back up those assertions. Except, in Paradise Killer, there’s no truly wrong answer.

While there is a set backstory to be unravelled, it can be interpreted in different ways – the evidence I’ve collected might support one side, and the evidence you collect might support another, and the trial can account for both assertions. That’s not to mention the potential for corruption, as you could purposely accuse the wrong person to save an obviously guilty character you grew to like along the way, or just throw someone under the bus for no reason other than an evil whim. The characters who survive – of course there’s a death penalty – can be wildly different depending on any given playthrough.

Paradise Killer has no narrator in place to tell you the “true” story of what happened, and you’re never told if the actions you take – at any point – are right or wrong. You live as Lady Love Dies up until the bitter end, and your conclusions, whatever they end up being, are hers too, shaping the outcome of your time in Paradise. This is, in essence, a first-person game in more than physical viewpoint. It’s a truly bold storytelling choice, and one that makes Paradise Killer feel more authentically detective-like than almost any game of its kind.

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The Boys Season 2, Episode 6 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out This review of The Boys Season 2, Episode 6, titled "The Bloody Doors Off," contains full spoilers. Amazon recently announced that it's developing a spinoff TV series based on The Boys that's described as "part college show, part Hunger Games." Check out our episode release schedule for The Boys Season 2 to find out when new episodes are debuting on Amazon.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Amazon's The Boys delivers another thrilling adventure this week with an insane action-packed sequence inside the Vought testing facility, plus a shocking reveal about Stormfront's true intentions for the future of the diabolical corporation. And while the mayhem throughout "The Bloody Doors Off" is glorious to behold, writer Anslem Richardson along with director Sara Boyd do a solid job of character building as well. While Queen Maeve's storyline concerning her troubled relationship with Elena continues its lackluster journey to who knows where in Season 2, the exploration of Frenchie's backstory in this week's episode is really engaging. The parallel between Frenchie's story and Shawn Ashmore's Lamplighter is cleverly executed as we discover how their histories are connected. It makes so much sense now why Frenchie is so concerned with protecting Kamiko after we learn that he still feels a tremendous amount of guilt over abandoning his old comrades... Even if they were a bad influence on him. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/the-boys-creator-breaks-down-that-insane-whale-clip-from-season-2"] And speaking of Lamplighter, Ashmore does a brilliant job of imbuing his character with a bit of menace and vulnerability, especially since we tend to remember him as that baby-faced version of Iceman from the X-Men film franchise. As with most of The Boys ensemble, Lamplighter is another memorable example of why it's so important to give your characters a bit of nuance instead of keeping them one-dimensional. At first, it was easy to hate Lamplighter after learning he was responsible for burning a bunch of kids alive, but after getting to know him better even in the short amount of on-screen time he has here, we're hoping he sticks around for a few more episodes. The complex (to say the least) romance between Stormfront and Homelander is definitely one of Season 2's highlights -- it's all just so unbelievable but somehow it works. Sure, Eric Kripke and his team of writers know how to craft a compelling story, but it's also Antony Starr and Aya Cash's palpable chemistry that pulls you in. Starr's bewilderment at Stormfront's reveal in the episode's final moments is suspenseful due to the face that you're never quite sure how Homelander is going to react in a given scene. Stormfront is just as difficult to read even when she appears to be telling the truth about her connection to the Nazis. Ok, so let's chat about that bonkers Vought facility scene. For fans of the comic books series, Kripke dropped a few Easter eggs in there like the unexpected appearance of the well endowed Love Sausage (played by Andrew Jackson), who uses his... manhood as a weapon. There's also a new character named Cindy (Ess Hödlmoser) who can crush or explode anything she desires. Perhaps she's the most powerful superhero out there? With only two episodes remaining in Season 2, it's unclear whether Kripke is just planting a seed with Cindy for something down the road in Season 3, or if she'll make more of an impact before the Season 2 finale. Time will tell. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-boys-season-2-gallery&captions=true"] And finally, it looks like The Deep is gathering more recruits in the form of A-Train. It's difficult at times to take this particular story seriously, however. particularly as Chase Crawford's charming performance usually offers a few good laughs with each new episode. How A-Train will play a role in the Church's scheme remains to be seen, but this particular arc doesn't appear to be wrapping up anytime soon. While not the most compelling story of Season 2 (so far), I'm still very curious if The Deep will truly change his ways and actually do something selfless for once. What do you think?

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Amazon's Utopia: Season 1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out This is a spoiler-free review of Amazon’s Utopia. All eight episodes are currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. [poilib element="accentDivider"] After six months of enduring a pandemic, many of us have likely seen at least one conspiracy theory making the rounds on social media, suggesting that the virus has been engineered as part of a shadowy plan to control us. Amazon’s Utopia - the US remake of a stylish British thriller - asks the outlandish question: what if the conspiracies were true? The result is a satisfyingly twisty, well-paced labyrinth of mysteries that delivers on thrills, but can’t quite live up to the high bar set by its source material. It should be made clear out of the gate that, despite its timing, Utopia is not a response to our current world situation, nor is it actually all that interested in exploring the effects of an epidemic. There are no masks or social distancing here, and the story largely follows in the footsteps established by the 2013 British original, back when nationwide quarantine seemed a sci-fi concept in itself. However, the current pandemic does add an uneasy layer of paranoia to the proceedings that Utopia doesn’t provide itself. Penned entirely by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, Utopia follows the gradually more desperate journey of a group of comic book nerds obsessed with Dystopia; a graphic novel that predicted a variety of deadly epidemics via messages hidden in its artwork. Within the first hour, the group discover that an unpublished sequel - Utopia - exists, and that it could hold the key to solving the mysteries behind a future epidemic conspiracy. But as the group travel further down this intriguing rabbit hole, they face violent opposition from those who’d rather the secrets were kept in the dark. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/18/amazons-utopia-season-1-official-trailer-2020-john-cusack-rainn-wilson"] The best of these obstacles is Arby (Christopher Denham), a ruthless hitman offset by a childlike demeanor. His sloped shoulders and schoolboy haircut, combined with the occasional use of an inhaler and continual munching of chocolate raisins, contrast fantastically with his brutal efficiency. His methods seemingly have no bounds, resulting in the show’s most alarming, impactful sequences. He’s the tool that keeps The Harvest - Utopia’s shadowy force - continually dangerous and unpredictable. The Harvest itself delightfully revels in all the best conspiracy tropes. Its methods slowly escalate over the season, from simple assassinations to the obsessive construction of false identities and online scapegoats. As more is revealed, the group becomes progressively more cult-like, which neatly encapsulates their genuine belief in their own monstrous actions. Flynn’s writing is at its best when scripting John Cusack and Rainn Wilson’s characters, who admirably tackle their roles as major players within the pharmaceutical company attempting to battle the virus outbreak. Cusack’s Dr. Kevin Christie has a remarkable calmness about him - he’s a wise dad to staff and family alike - which makes his delivery particularly magnetic. Meanwhile, Wilson’s virologist, Michael, is amusingly thrilled by the potential oncoming apocalypse’s link to his previous work. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20puzzle%20box%20mystery%20format%20actually%20pays%20off%20audience%20dedication."]Unfortunately, Utopia’s core cast of comic obsessives are less engaging. While part of the charm is that they are regular folk in over their heads, they’re all a little too regular. Bluntly, they’re forgettable (with the exception of Jessica Rothe, who brings to Sam the same delightful energy she displayed in the Happy Death Day movies.) This sadly also covers Jessica Hyde - the conspiracy’s lynchpin, played by Sasha Lane - who, despite her ragged appearance, simply doesn’t feel odd or unpredictable enough. I’d had high hopes for Lane, but despite a clear dislike for showers and a taste for grim violence, there’s little about her that’s unsettling. She’s just a bit flat, and that’s a great disservice to a character that’s not just fascinating conceptually, but also delightfully strange in her original British incarnation, played by Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Characterisation is not the only area where this US remake pales in comparison to the British original. 2013’s Utopia, created by Dennis Kelly (who serves as executive producer on this remake), was shot using a CMYK color model, with prominent use of acidic yellows and eye-searing cyan skies. Its direction was mathematically precise, with static, perfectly framed scenes contrasting with both the chaos of the narrative and the brutality of its violence. It was scored by a soundtrack that layered wheezy breathing, strange beats, and unusual melodies. In short: it’s one of the most striking shows produced in the last decade, and stands as proof that style can become substance. Amazon’s Utopia has no style. It’s shot like a regular TV show. A good TV show, yes, but it looks and feels like anything you’d expect from a decent network or streaming service. Utopia should feel different. I can only imagine what kind of a show this would be if headed up by, say, Legion’s Noah Hawley, or even David Fincher, who was set to create it alongside Flynn when this was a HBO project several years back. I’m not asking for a replica of that original style, but this is a show that absolutely needs its own stamp. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-utopia-20-images&captions=true"] But what if you’ve never seen the original? Well, you’re still getting one of the most enjoyable TV conspiracy thrillers since The X-Files ruled the airwaves. In essence, it’s the same fantastic lyrics, just set to less interesting music. The puzzle box mystery format actually pays off audience dedication; you’re kept in the dark until the very end, but major plot reveals are dropped at just the right moments, creating an energetic pace. And that mystery is delightfully dark; a twisted look at how people in power can twist the world around their little finger that is unashamedly fictitious rather than reflective of the real world. Sadly, it’s also a show so fascinated with its own puzzle and mythology that its characters barely get a look in. The people you meet in the pilot are left essentially unchanged by their experiences; still boring, still sometimes inexplicably able to find meaning in the art of a graphic novel, just now injured or wearing worse clothes. Again, it’s a shame Utopia stumbles here, because the perfect blueprint for these characters - a different version of the same series - has been sat there since 2013.  

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