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Trouble in paradise
I picked up Europe at the suggestion of a friend, but his recommendation (“she is very pretty”) underestimated her impressive beauty. Designed by environmental artist Helder Pinto (whose credits include supervision 2) and created by a small team of developers in their spare time, it feels like a labor of love; At one point I ended up sobbing at the keyboard, although it should be noted that at that point I was quite tired and generally a bit sentimental.
Despite these factors, it is an emotionally resonant story about the “last living human” of a little android boy (named Zee, equipped with a jetpack) who wakes up and sets out to discover the secrets of the leafy paradise of Europe. Encouraged by the words written on the pages of his late father’s notebook that he finds scattered along the path, he jumps, floats and glides across lush fields, abandoned ruins and frozen wastelands, solving elegant puzzles and steering clear of mechanical creatures (“gardeners”). “) who care for the flora and deeply resent the presence of any person in human form. It’s initially very calm, but the more sinister elements of the game slowly wash over you, magnificently enhanced by Matthew Thomason’s soundtrack.
The gameplay is a joy, especially when maneuvering Zee in flight, with smart in-game devices guiding you down the right path. But it’s the visuals and cinematics that really draw you in and propel you forward, and with no display screens to distract you, you’ll become completely absorbed in Pinto’s extraordinary world. Many of the creatures (both real and fantastic) are inspired by Cornish wildlife, and when Zee occasionally pauses in his search to draw them in his own notebook, actual sketches of those animals (by artist Uriel Cordas) are revealed. reveal on the screen. Pinto aimed to recreate “the illusion of a watercolor animated film within a game engine,” which he has certainly achieved. Europe It’s a timely tale of nature trying to protect itself from humanity’s worst excesses, but it’s told with tenderness and affection. I adored him.
The art of noise
Razer’s new flagship headphones bring together some of the best aspects of its range: flexibility, long battery life, surround sound and LED lighting. The biggest draw, however, is the integration of its new haptic technology, Sensa HD, where compatible games can send feedback to the headset. So you’ll feel the roar of a vehicle or the shot of a gun in your head, and it doesn’t just respond to audio; Effects can be programmed by the developer (Hogwarts Legacy is a current example). They come with a control center with a screen that can show anything from graphics card diagnostics to details of the music you’re listening to. (Speaking of which, dub reggae plus haptic feedback is really something.)
a good turn
If you’re standing in an empty room, 360-degree VR games are amazing. However, when they are sitting, they are engaged in a battle with your brain. If your character turns, you can’t, and that disconnection between your eyes and your inner ear is deeply uncomfortable. (Recognizing this, the developers rotate the game in 30-degree increments if you’re sitting still, which is far from ideal.) Roto VR, working alongside Meta, has cleverly addressed this with a chair that physically rotates you as the game requires, effectively eliminating motion sickness. A sitting session playing. Iron Man VRfirst without and then with the chair, it was like day and night. Setting it up for the first time takes about 45 minutes, but afterwards it’s a liberating thrill.
Squeaky performance
Gram for gram, this superlight carbon fiber mouse is more expensive than saffron. It was developed by ASUS’ high-end gaming brand, ROG (Republic Of Gamers), in collaboration with esports professionals, and is a perfectly contoured and highly tactile device; There are no surprises in terms of buttons (left, right, front, back and scroll wheel), but its operation is highly customizable across multiple user profiles through the Armory Crate Gear software. You can connect via Bluetooth, a USB cable, or an RF dongle (included); the latter two can optionally be connected via a thumb-sized amplifier that boosts the polling rate to 8000Hz, which is as high as any mouse can go. The reactive lighting effects are the icing on the cake. €239.99
game and bike
It is not a gaming product, but an electric motorcycle inspired by retro games, specifically the Game Boy Color “Atomic Purple.” Freed from the limitations imposed by gasoline (e.g. engines and exhausts), designer Simon Dabadie has embraced the idea of creating motorcycles as works of art. All of the design cues for this machine are taken from the Nintendo console: a body made of translucent plastic to show off the mechanics, handlebar-mounted controls based on the D-pad and AB buttons, a home button old game cartridge and hidden cheat codes. integrated into the bike’s software to unlock special features (e.g. display variations and 8-bit sound effects). And everything is manufactured in the Peugeot motorcycle factory, the oldest in the world. From €14,900