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Review: Remote Life

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The first horizontal (or side scrolling for the retro crowd) shoot’em up that took the world by storm was Irem’s R-Type. There was also Konami’s Salamander (aka: Life Force) too, followed by the Thunder Force series on the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis. These titles have become iconic in the shmup genre, so it is our privilege to announce that there is a new contender to be added to this illustrious list, Remote Life.

Just looking at the screenshots we have in this review, you’ll agree that Remote Life looks darn amazing. Coupled with the gorgeous visuals is a great soundtrack and sound effects, but most importantly, the action is top notch! With a myriad of weapons to pick up and cycle through, your ship can arm itself to the teeth to take care of enemies (and other obstructions) standing in your way. The game mechanic and control system is intuitive with modern controllers (moving, shooting, cycling weapons etc), making Remote Life an absolute blast (pun fully intended!) and fun shmup to play on your given system.

To think that this fabulous shooter was created by a single developer (Next Game Level), totally boggles the mind. It has a AAA look and feel, without the price, which is a massive win for us gamers. The inspiration of Remote Life may be old schools shoot’em ups, but it stands on its own, with its own unique shooter features.

Remote Life successfully merges the classic shoot’em up formula with its own new and unique improvements to differentiate itself from the crowd. One very cool feature is the 360 degree shooting, which is unusual for this genre, expanding the combat mechanic, while the presence of support machines such as allied automatic turrets or temporary drones, and even usable vehicles that drastically change how combat plays out, are welcome additions that modernise the shooter gameplay. The variety is another positive, with differing types of enemies – with new ones revealed in each level, and many unique and visually amazing mid and end-level bosses – each with their own attack patterns to keep you on your toes.

As mentioned, the weaponry is varied with new weapons introduced at each level, each requiring the player to pick up them up. The twist in the weaponry is the limited ammo, so you will have to be wise in what weapon to use on any given level. There are 16 missions which are quite varied, with some feeling more “open world” than others, so there is a ton of content to test your shoot’em up mettle!

If you have any interest in shooters/shoot’em ups, then we can’t recommend Remote Life enough – it is a visual, aural, brutal and fun extravaganza! This is one of the best shmups we have played in a long long while!

Details:

  • Game: Remote Life
  • Developer: Next Game Level
  • Publisher: Ratalaika Games
  • Release Date: May 27, 2022
  • Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S & Nintendo Switch
  • Price: $18.99 / €17.99 / £14.99



Disclaimer: The Xbox Series X|S review code for Remote Life was provided by PR Hound.

Galacticon – Nintendo Switch Review

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Galacticon is exactly the type of game our Nintendo Switch has been screaming out for! There is something familiar and comforting about Galacticon, its look, feel and sounds hark back to our arcade days from the 80s.

Upon starting Galacticon, you are reminded that it is inspired by a couple of iconic Williams titles, Defender and Joust – not a bad way to start. Where you constantly scroll at breakneck speeds in Defender while attacking enemies and rescuing some poor souls, Galacticon implements this mechanic in mostly a single screen, making the game a tad easier to play. We aren’t saying Galacticon isn’t challenging, far from it – but at least you don’t contend with the constant sideways scrolling and getting hit by an enemy that you can’t see.

The graphics, sound, control and gameplay could’ve easily been ripped out from the early 80’s arcades, they are that cool and add to the overall experience of this title. Did we mention how amazing the raster scanline patterns look? Your eyes will love you for it. This game oozes nostalgia for those with an 8-bit retro heart, but modern players aren’t left out in the cold, as they too get a romping great game that is fun to play and looks and sounds darn awesome.

The mix of blast and rescue (with a sprinkle of puzzle) gameplay action is a welcome distraction for our Switch. Galacticon will have you flying back to it over and over, either to beat your previous score or get yourself onto the world high score table, this is one fun way to spend quality time on your Nintendo Switch! Highly recommended!

Release Date: May 22, 2022 (Nintendo Switch & Steam)
Developer: Radin Games
Publisher: Flynn’s Arcade / Pikii
Price: €4.99/$4.99/£4.99 (20% off in the first week of release)



Taito Milestones – Nintendo Switch Review

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ININ Games has been quite prolific of late in teaming up with iconic arcade brand, TAITO – they keep giving us a jolt of nostalgia with their TAITO classics remastered for a new generation of systems (and gamers) to enjoy. Taito Milestones is the latest output of this collaboration, bringing a compilation of 80s classic Taito arcade games to the masses.

This special retro compilation may not be for everyone, but for those gamers of a certain age that played these arcade games ‘back in the day’, these games represent a new way of playing them on their contemporary consoles. Let’s get straight to the point, this Taito Milestones compilation is for those that seek a hit nostalgia, which is always welcome. For those that have no nostalgic pull to any of the games in Milestones, don’t be fooled by the simple graphics, as these games were designed to pull the player in and extract as many coins from their pockets.

There are 10 classic Taito arcade games which you may have heard of or even better, played them in the 80s! For western gamers, there may be a few titles that you may have not gotten to play as they were either exclusive to Japan or not widely available to play in arcade centres. There are the obvious classic titles like Elevator Action, Qix, Alpine Ski and The Ninja Warriors. That doesn’t mean that the other six titles are unheard of or not playable, they were just lesser known by western audiences back in the 1980s. We love platform and shooter/shoot’em up games, so Space Seeker, The FairyLand Story and Halley’s Comet are welcome additions – we have to say, we loved Halley’s Comet as it is a super fast paced vertical shmup with great enemies and power-ups. The emulation for all ten titles is absolutely spot on, so there is nothing to be concerned about on that front – just play and enjoy!

If you are a retro fan and don’t already own some of these games on the Switch, and want to dive into a nostalgic gaming experience by playing ten classic Taito arcade games, then Taito Milestones is for you. There is definitely something in this collection for every retro gamer. Is it worth the A$58 (digital) – only if you don’t already have some of these.

The physical edition (starting at €39.99/A$58.00) and the digital download version of TAITO MILESTONES for Nintendo Switch launches on April 15th, 2022.

QIX (1981)

Space Seeker (1981)

Alpine Ski (1982)

Front Line (1982)

Wild Western (1982)

Chack’n Pop (1983)

Elevator Action (1983)

The FairyLand Story (1985)

Halley’s Comet (1986)

The Ninja Warriors (1987)
image source: ININ Games



Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch review code for Taito Milestones was provided by PR Hound.

Slipstream: Retro Arcade Racer Review – Nintendo Switch

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With the Australian F1 GP being on this weekend, we’ve been playing Slipstream non-stop on our Switch for this last week, and we must say, this is the closest we’ll get to a modern OutRun, especially OutRun 2006/Coast 2 Coast (with a mix of F-Zero & Sonic The Hedgehog), with amazing drifting, slipstreaming and speed mechanics, complimented with a cool time rewind feature and a thumping synth pop soundtrack.

Slipstream has been a labour of love for Brazilian solo developer, Sandro Luiz de Paula (ansdor) since 2015. The love and attention to detail really stands out. Sandro’s Slipstream has pulled us right into one of our favourite arcade racer periods of the 80s and early 90s with gorgeous 2D sprite scaling and colourful pixel art graphics. This all amounts to an authentic retro experience on modern consoles with smooth and constant 60fps gameplay.

The entire package of Slipstream, from its graphics (with Pixelated, CRT and NTSC filters), speed and racing mechanics, awesome soundtracks to its six game modes, all combine to draw you into racing across a variety of twenty exotic locations from all around the world, including cities, deserts, forests, mountains and beaches. With a plethora of other retro inspired racers out there, Slipstream stands out with its speed, drifting, rewinding and slipstreaming mechanics, which add depth to the driving gameplay, resulting in a strategic, challenging and fun experience – what more could you ask for?! Oh yeah, it gets better, grab a few friends or family members and have yourself a local 4-player split-screen race.

The six game modes add longevity and variety for solo players, with different challenges. If you are time poor and need a quick fix of racing, then the single race or time trial modes are for you. If you have a bit more time on your hands, then the other modes (Grand Tour – just like in OutRun, Cannonball, Grand Prix and Battle Royale) provide ample challenges to test your racing skills. There are also some secrets to discover, which we won’t spoil for you here. Just like the arcade racers from yesteryear, Slipstream’s difficulty is dialled up, but luckily you don’t have to pump coins to continue enjoying the racing!

For under US$10/A$15, you get bang for your buck here, with an abundance of modes and amazing content. This all amounts to transporting gamers back three or so decades, when racing games were pure fun. The nostalgia that Slipstream induces is strong, so if you ever played and enjoyed racing games in the 80s and early 90s, then we highly recommend you add Slipstream to your games library!



Disclaimer: Nintendo Switch review code for Slipstream was provided by BlitWorks.

Taito EGRET II Mini Arcade – It’s So Awesome

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When the Taito Egret II Mini was announced in 2021, our collective jaws dropped at this cute and awesome little arcade unit. The Egret II was packed with Taito’s greatest arcade hits, which was a good start. But that wasn’t all! To differentiate itself from the Sega Astro City Mini and any other mini arcade unit on the market, Taito’s offering had a rotating screen (just like its big brother), so you could play games in either TATE (portrait) or landscape (horizontal) orientation – how clever and awesome is that?!

You turn me on!

The games menu is quite intuitive. The orientation of the game is also depicted, which is a great feature

The downside to all this great news was that the Egret II Mini was only going to be available to a limited set of countries for pre-orders. But, we managed to get our hands on the Taito Egret II Mini, and we must say, this thing is so cool and oozes quality – everything looks and feels top notch! The rotating screen is something to behold and feels industrial grade, which is a relief. The other great feature is the ability to switch and lock the joystick in 4-way mode or the usual 8-way – this makes a big difference for games that only have four directions of play!

8-Way or 4-Way – another neat feature!

Taito’s Egret II Mini comes pre-installed with 40 games (see list below), from platformers, shoot’em ups to puzzle, beat’em ups and fighting games to keep you entertained. There are bound to be games you like in Taito’s stable of arcade hits that come with this mini arcade unit. We absolutely love Bubble Bobble, Tatsujin (aka: Truxton), Elevator Action Returns, Rastan Saga and The New Zealand Story to name just a few.

Horizontal? No way!

You spin me right ’round, baby, right ’round

Vertical – that’s much better!

Taito Egret II mini vs Sega Astro City mini: Both are darn cute & awesome!

An essential purchase with the Egret II Mini is the paddle and trackball games expansion set, which incudes the aforementioned paddle and trackball controller and an additional 10 games on an SD card! Speaking of which, we can’t wait to see what the clever modders out there will do with the SD card slot on the Egret II.

It is still early days playing on our Egret II Mini, but so far during this honeymoon period, we love it. This mini arcade unit is packed with great games and feels pretty good to play on. Let’s be honest, this thing is great, but its price does cause a wince. The standard Egret II mini is approx. AU$280 and above (depending on the exchange rate) and that is without shipping. If you want the limited edition (blue joystick top and blue fire buttons), then you pretty much double the price of the standard unit, but we reckon save your dollars and stick with the standard if you really got to have the Taito Egret II mini.

For anyone in Australia looking to get the Taito EGRET II Mini, check them out on Play Asia!

We love the little extras we got with our Taito EGRET II mini

Egret II specs and features:

  • 40 pre-installed games, including arcade classics
  • Special in-game features like: Save states, adjustable lives and rapid-fire
  • 5-inch 4:3 rotating monitor (1024×768 resolution) for horizontal and vertical alignment and an optimal adaptation to the selected game
  • 6-button arcade layout and joystick that is individually adjustable for each game – easily switch from 8 directions to 4 directions
  • HDMI output to also play the games on newer TVs
  • SD card slot to add more games
  • Own integrated sound through stereo speakers
  • Two USB Type-A controller ports for the additional, optional EGRET II mini controllers
  •  Power Source: Above 5V/2.4A (12W)

Games:

image source: ININ Games



Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure – Review

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Zen Studios teased us late last year with their Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure game for their Pinball FX3 platform and we have been eagerly awaiting the release ever since!

Well, the day has come where we can now play the famous and popular 1993 Williams Indy pinball title right on our Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series S! We loved playing the Mark Ritchie designed IJ:TPA pinball machine back in the day at our local arcade centre, with many many coins being pumped into it – it was very addictive. Luckily for us, this version doesn’t require coins to play it, but you will need Pinball FX3 (which is free!).

The Indy trailer that Zen Studios teased us with late last year!

source: Zen Studios

Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is the 100th table to Pinball FX3 and the first Williams recreation to Pinball FX and the newest classic to Williams Pinball mobile too. Zen Studios have recreated many other popular Williams titles, and we are here to tell you that this latest one is just as awesome, fun, addictive and faithful to the classic pinball machine.

The real pinball machine that this game is based on was released in 1993 as part of Williams/Midway’s “SuperPin” line of widebody games. It was also the very first pinball machine to use Williams’ DCS sound system (Digital Compression System). The Indy machine has a plethora of playfield features to keep you flipping, like pop bumpers, slingshots, active pinballs, standup targets, kick-out holes, ramps, 3-bank drop targets, captive ball and three video modes. The cooler features and toys are the player-controlled tilting upper playfield and the rotating idol head which releases the balls into play. Of course no pinball machine game is complete without multiballs! This one has plenty, with a 3-ball regular multiball, a quick 2-ball multiball, a “Well of Souls” 6-ball multiball and an “Eternal Life” wizard mode (6-ball).

Nothing beats playing Indiana Jones on our PinSwitch cabinet!

All of this grabs and immerses the player in Indy’s adventures and gets the heart racing. As soon as we started playing the game on our Switch, our heart was racing and we couldn’t wipe off the smile from our face – it was that awesome!

As far as getting the physics right, this is as close as you’ll get to playing the real pinball machine in the digital world. Zen has painstakingly and lovingly put together a brilliant recreation, remaining faithful to a timeless classic Williams pin. But that is not all, Zen have also injected a new way to play the machine with extra 3D effects in the ‘Enhanced’ version that includes side wall art, ball trailer effects, particle effects and a whip-wielding Indiana Jones. Playing this title was non-stop fun, from playing it on our 55″ TV, in handheld mode to playing it on our custom PinSwitch cabinet – it’s a whole lotta flippin action!

There’s a lot to live up to when a huge franchise is taken on, and we can confidently say, the Holy Grail of Pinball finally arrives in a first digital recreation. If you are into pinball games, then this is a must have!

Title: Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (Pinball FX3)
Available: March 10, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Switch & PC (Steam)



Disclaimer: Nintendo Switch review code for Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure was provided by Sandbox Strategies.

Doing The Math on the Atari VCS Classic Joystick & Modern Controller

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“Have you played your Atari today?”

We have been on a roll lately with product reviews that have surprised us. For this review we test drive Atari’s VCS Wireless Classic Joystick and their Wireless Modern Controller.

Atari needs no introduction for many of you, so we will spare you their history, as it stretches back almost 50 years! The modern Atari company is a very different beast from the one that Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell found all those years ago.

With a back-catalogue of awesome Atari IP to choose from, the modern Atari has brought two controllers to the market, one being a throwback to their single button CX40 joystick with a modern twist with their VCS Wireless Classic Joystick, and the other, the Wireless Modern Controller being for the modern gamer that requires total control for their games on contemporary gaming systems. Oh yeah, seeing the Atari logo on a controller is another big selling point!

Atari Wireless Classic Joystick – $104.95 at GAMORY

First cab off the rank was always going to be the joystick! We started our gaming life on a joystick with a single fire-button, so the Atari VCS Classic Joystick felt right at home. We must admit, we were sceptical at first, but upon opening the package, the joystick looked top notch. But looks aren’t everything if the device isn’t much chop. The stick is on the short side, so if you like to grip the joystick by forming a fist around it,  then you are out of luck – unless you have really small hands. However, we never like to grip our joysticks that way, preferring the thumb and index finger control, which works and feels superb on this Atari modern joystick. The fact that the joystick doubles up as a paddle for games like Break Out (and Arkanoid), is another feather in the cap for this modern take on a classic stick. Oh yeah, there is also a second fire-button, which is conveniently positioned on the base for those games requiring two fire-buttons. Remember the orange band around the rubber boot/base of the original Atari joysticks? Well, on the modern stick, the band is replaced with a very cool LED light effect, which immediately makes you smile. Rotate the stick and watch the orange lights glow! It is these little touches that add up to a darn cool joystick for any retro or modern gamer.

Getting a grip!

We much prefer using our thumb and index finger for precision control

The joystick can be connected via USB (micro-USB cable supplied) or Bluetooth – we had a few issues trying to connect via Bluetooth (getting the dreaded unknown device message) on our Dell XPS laptop, but didn’t experience this on our other Lenovo laptop. With that said, once you are connected, you can really only play games that require one or two fire-buttons, which means this joystick is perfect for playing your old Amiga, C64, Amstrad, ZX Spectrum, Atari 2600, 7800, 400/800 and ST games (via emulation).

Love the orange light-up ring!

We tested this joystick on our LaunchBox (RetroArch / MAME) setup playing all of the two button Neo Geo games, and we must admit, the stick was absolutely flawless playing Sonic Wings 2 (Aero Fighters 2) with no lag, just total precision movement and firing, which helped us get very close to our personal best score, which says a lot for a stick we’ve had minimal amount of play time. The stick does have more freeplay when compared to something like the old TAC-2 joystick, but it snaps back to centre quite rapidly, which is exactly what a gamer needs, especially in games requiring ultra quick reflexes with precision control.

The stick is about as tall as the Sega Master System Control Stick

The old school QuickShot is built for a fist grip, whereas the Atari Classic Joystick isn’t!

The Atari Classic Joystick looks retro but has all the modern conveniences, like Bluetooth connectivity – the best of both worlds!

The more we played with the Atari VCS Classic Joystick, the more we grew to love it. It doesn’t knock the TAC-2 off the perch for our favourite joystick of all time, but the advantage of the Atari joystick is that it can be played on a multitude of gaming systems, albeit via emulation (mainly). We were going to test hooking up the joystick to our THEC64 Maxi, but ran out of time for this review. We will be sure to update this post when we do so and tell you all how we fared.

If you are yearning for a joystick to play your (one or two button type) games on PC or Android, then we highly recommend this Atari Wireless Classic Joystick – it is pretty darn awesome!

Atari VCS Wireless Modern Controller – $104.95 at GAMORY

After the awesome experience with the Classic Joystick, the Modern Controller had a lot to live up to!

It really isn’t fair to compare the joystick with the modern controller, as they couldn’t be further apart in aesthetics, controls, buttons and their use. Where the joystick can only really be used on games that don’t require too many buttons or multi-analogue input, the modern controller is right at home to be used on most (if not all) modern video games.

Just like the joystick, the controller can be connected via Bluetooth or cable (micro USB cable supplied) to your PC or via Bluetooth with an Android device. The detection and setup was a cinch. For comparisons, the Atari VCS Modern Controller is closest to the Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One controllers, so if you are familiar with those, then the Atari controller will feel right at home.

Atari vs Xbox

Face-off!

Since we do love our Xbox Series S controller, holding and using the Atari one to play games on our PC felt familiar and comfy. The triggers are just as clicky and the analogue sticks were equally as good. The D-pad is great and I prefer it to the clicky Xbox Series S controller. The Atari Modern Controller is great in hand, with smooth to touch surfaces – oo’er! We obviously love anything with a nostalgia inducing Mt Fuji logo, which is great to see dead centre on this controller. There is a feature that we didn’t understand which was the ability to switch the controller between PC or Xbox mode – we couldn’t figure this out, so if anyone has, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

Both the joystick and controller charge quite quickly and hold their charge for a fair few hours – we only had to charge them once while using them during this review (and they still have charge juice left!).

If you are after a modern controller to play on your PC, be it Xbox Game Pass games, AntStream, Prime Games, Steam, emulators and anything in-between, then you should check out the Atari Modern Controller. And if you are a sucker for the Atari brand, like we are, then you may not need too much convincing.

Where to buy:

Both the Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Modern Controller are available at GAMORY.

Too Cool For School!

 



Disclaimer: The Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Modern Controller were kindly supplied by GAMORY for this review.

Conducting Our Reconnaissance on the Recon 500 Gaming Headset and Recon Controller

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Objective reviews are always tough! What we love may be absolutely loathed by someone else. But, we are always up for a challenge, especially when it is to convince us that a set of products we’ve never used would blow our minds. This was the case with being urged to review the Turtle Beach Recon 500 headset and the Recon Controller on our Xbox Series S – let’s say that we didn’t need too much convincing to accept the challenge!

Now if you are not one for wired gaming peripherals, then you may want to stop reading here and go and play some video games. If you are intrigued and want to know our thoughts on the headset and controller, then read on!

Recon Controller (Wired) – Xbox (Series X|S & Xbox One) & PC (Win 10)

There is a lot to love about the Recon Controller. Firstly, it is versatile to be used on the latest Xbox consoles (Series X|S), Xbox One and also on any PC running Windows 10! The other very obvious one is the additional buttons and controls on the face that manage all of the audio controls – this was probably our favourite aspect of the controller, as we could easily mute/unmute ourselves instead of fiddling the same controls on our headset. The four EQ presets were also cool, which you can choose to suit your own aural tastes. The mic monitoring and control was a welcome feature, as we could manage and adjust our own voice for clear online chat comms.

From an ergonomic perspective, we actually preferred using the Recon Controller over the Series S pack-in controller – which we didn’t expect! The grips, which are purported to have micro-cooling channels and are a comfy shape to hold, did feel good in hand, especially when playing Forza Horizon 5 for a few hours. Even after a couple of hours, we didn’t suffer any sweaty hands or fatigue, which meant we could game longer without giving our poor hands a break. The analogue sticks were a tad clickier than the Xbox Series S controller, but that didn’t deter play and we got used to their smooth control pretty quickly. On the other hand, we immediately loved the D-pad on the Recon as it wasn’t as harsh with its clicking as the Xbox controller – it was way quieter,  meaning we can use it at night when the household is asleep.

The 3 metre (10 foot) cable is a nice length, but it depends how you have your gaming system setup – if you are sitting 4 metres away, then you may need to move your chair (or couch) a tad closer. Since our gaming chair is within a metre of our console, the cable didn’t really hamper our play. Another very welcome addition are the two (Pro-Aim) mappable quick action buttons underneath the controller. These buttons can be used to program your favourite functions, which you can also save up to four profiles.

The Recon Controller took us by surprise as it blew our expectations by a long long way. It is now our go to controller on the Xbox Series S. Having our Windows 10 laptop nearby, it is versatile to unplug from the Xbox and into our laptop to play on it. If you are in the market for another controller for your Xbox (Series X|S and XBOne) or PC, then you should seriously consider this one!

Recon Controller (Wired) by Turtle Beach retails for $99.95 on Amazon AU.

Recon 500 Multiplatform Gaming Headset – Xbox (Series X|S & Xbox One), PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch & PC

It is always welcome to have a gaming peripheral that can be used across multiple devices, and let’s face it, we all have a mix of gaming system, from green, blue to red!

We used the wired Recon 500 headset with our Recon Controller on the Xbox Series S and let’s just say, they go together like hand in glove. However, the strength of the Recon 500 being wired with a 3.5mm jack, is that it can be used on pretty much all modern day consoles and PCs. Since we had recently reviewed the EPOS H3 Hybrid headset, we could pit the Recon 500 against it and see which one we preferred.

The Turtle Beach over ear headsets we have previously tried, all seem to have large cups, which for us, is great. Perhaps the shape of our head and ears are perfectly suitable for this, as the cups sit nicely over the ear, meaning they are comfortable and you get the best audio blast from the larger cup. Pitting these against the EPOS H3 Hybrid, we found the Recon 500 to be a lot more comfortable on ear. The headband is nice and soft, ensuring the top of your head is well looked after, especially if you don’t have too much hair to provide cushioning!

The build quality is pretty good and durable for a $130.00 headset, but it does not compare to the higher quality of the EPOS H3 Hybrid, but then again, the EPOS headset is 120% more expensive – so don’t forget that. More importantly, how does it sound? Well, the patented 60mm Eclipse dual-drivers that separate the high and low frequencies gives you an immersive and ultra-detailed gaming audio – It’s like having a massive soundstage between your ears. As mentioned earlier, the precisely engineered earcups (injected with wood pulp composite) deliver rich and natural sounds that need to be heard to be believed. We keep going on about the earcups, but that is because they are supremely comy and suit our head and ears so well – they are amazing!

Coupled with the Recon Controller, we were able to use the EQ presets (on the controller) to change the sounds, which the headset happily obliged. We did find an EQ preset that we liked, so we stuck to it. Playing modern games with such personalised sounds is a great immersive experience. We also tried the headset on our Switch, and just like the Xbox Series S, the sounds were crystal clear and meaty for us to fully enjoy our gaming experience.

We aren’t eSports professionals, we found the TruSpeak removable, noise cancelling mic delivered reliable and super clear voices in online chats. Having a removable mic meant that we could also use the headset with out smartphone to listen to some tunes.

If you are in the market for a gaming headset that you can use on pretty much on all current gaming platforms, and you don’t want to spend more than $130.00, then we’d say you can’t go too wrong with the Turtle Beach Recon 500 (wired) headset.

Recon 500 Gaming Headset (Wired) by Turtle Beach retails for $129.95 on Amazon AU.

image source: Turtle Beach



Disclaimer: The Recon Controller and Recon 500 headset were kindly supplied by Five Star Games for this review.

Review: PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon

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There has been one aspect of classic gaming that we’ve always enjoyed, and that is books! There have been a number of awesome classic gaming books released over the years which we have covered on this site, and we are quite chuffed to review the latest book from Cook and Becker, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon.

The iconic PAC-MAN (and his ghostly foes, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde) needs no introduction, as the arcade game captured the hearts of millions around the world upon its release 41 years ago, and has been played many times over on home systems during the intervening years. There is a reason that the arcade machine is still the number one highest-grossing arcade machine of all time – it was and still is an amazing action maze chase game. Once PAC-MAN crossed over from niche fascination to mainstream appeal, there was no stopping this gaming juggernaut.

The Standard Edition

The Collector’s Edition

PAC-MAN’s appeal has transcended generations of gamers, and this officially licensed (by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.) book, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon, is the ultimate tome that is filled with historical facts about the yellow dot muncher, including; origins of the game (and going from Japan to America), design philosophies, original arcade source code, concept designs, art, archival imagery, marketing campaigns, merchandise and its impact to popular culture to name just a few. PAC-MAN’s story spans decades, touching everything from video games, pop culture to our world today, and PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon captures it all beautifully in a quality book that has fast become the definitive work on the iconic dot muncher.

Lots of great chapters on all things PAC-MAN!

Go Toru!

Pac-Man Fever!

With every page filled with eye popping art and images, it is the stories told that capture your attention and keep you glued to each and every page till the last word. We absolutely loved reading the journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the actual game and its inevitable success. The road from Japan to America is another fascinating insight into how Puck Man became PAC-MAN. Oh yeah, to read about Toru’s early life and love of pinball was another cherry on top of an already amazing layered cake. Another aspect that was a pleasant surprise which our inner geek loved, was the PAC-MAN Gameology. This portion of the book lists details about every PAC-MAN related video game from 1980 to today – we were gobsmacked to see (and learned something new!) that PAC-MAN features in so many games!

The design philosophy behind the golden age arcade hero!

The art inspiration of the yellow dot-muncher

The co-authors of this special tome,  Arjan Terpstra (Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book) and Tim Lapetino (Art of Atari and other books), have captured every aspect of PAC-MAN and translated it all into an amazing, hefty and beautifully presented book which every PAC-MAN fan and video games historians need on their bookshelf. PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon will reignite your PAC-MAN Fever, so you have been warned!

Pac-Man invades popular culture!

There are two versions of this book that can be pre-ordered right now; the PAC-MAN: Birth of Icon standard edition (AU$89.95) and the limited to 2,000 copies Collector’s Edition (AU$169.95), which includes:

  • The PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon book;
  • A unique PAC-MAN shaped box and level 256 glitch shaped slipcase, celebrating the visual history of PAC-MAN;
  • An exclusive PAC-MAN arcade token; and
  • A limited, brand-new 7” vinyl pressing of the 1981 smash hit “PAC-MAN Fever” by Buckner & Garcia!

You don’t get too many opportunities to get something special like this book, so if you have the opportunity, we highly recommend either of these editions. And if you were bitten hard by the PAC-MAN Fever back in the day, then we highly recommend you grab the Collector’s Edition – it is amazing!

PS: Australian readers can order either PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon edition via our friends at PixelCrib!

No matter your language, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon has you covered!
image source: Cook & Becker



Disclaimer: The ‘PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon Collector’s Edition’ book was kindly supplied by Cook and Becker for this review.

Review: EPOS H3 Hybrid Headset

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We are the type that get freaked out by noise cancelling over-ear headsets. This is a personal preference, so when we received our Ghost White EPOS H3 Hybrid headset, we were eager to try them out on multiple platforms, from our current gen gaming consoles, Windows 10 PC, to our Android and iOS devices.

The beauty of the EPOS H3 Hybrid headset is that it has multiple connectivity options, so no matter if you are using it on PC, Mac, Xbox (One or X|S), PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch or any other Bluetooth compatible devices, the H3 Hybrid can be your one stop headset, so no more carrying different headsets for multiple applications. Being an EPOS product, you expect a premium gaming audio experience, which we can safely say the H3 Hybrid delivers. The high quality digital audio extends to mundane uses, like those daily never ending Zoom calls – which we must admit, our colleagues were quite in awe of our headset and wanted to know more about them, which speaks volumes of the design.

The EPOS H3 Hybrid follows on from the success of the recently released H3 wired closed acoustic headset, but amps it up with multiple connectivity options, a removable boom arm, simultaneous Bluetooth® for audio mixing, and a very importantly, a long-lasting battery for on-the-go Bluetooth® audio – unlocking the Power of Audio anywhere. This is where the H3 Hybrid really shined – we took it to task during our 8+ hour work day, connected via Bluetooth to our PC, which we had multiple Zoom, WebEx and MS Teams meetings. We also had music pumping throughout the day, which was tremendous to listen to with amazing acoustic clarity and deep base (via EPOS’ 7.1 surround sound) – our ears were truly in aural heaven! Our work colleagues also commented on how clear we came across in our calls, so that is testament to the detachable boom arm (main mic, with the secondary mic in the ear cup – which can be used when the main boom arm is detached). Even after all that work day punishment, the battery was still green, meaning we had heaps of juice left to use our H3 Hybrid headset on our gaming systems. According to EPOS, the headset provides 37 hours of Bluetooth audio (between charges), which is great, as we loathe to be charging stuff every day.

The headset feels like a quality product in your hands, but how do they feel on your head and over your ears. Well, we can say that they felt pretty good. We did find that after 3 or so hours of continuous use, we had to take them off to give our ears a break, which again, is a personal preference. The headset can be adjusted via its built-in stainless steel headband slider, so no matter the size of head, it can be adjusted to fit accordingly.

There is no doubt the H3 Hybrid is designed and aimed at gamers that want one high-quality headset that has the versatility to be used both wired with their preferred gaming platform and simultaneously or separately connected via Bluetooth for other uses, like using a 3rd party chat app on their smartphone while enjoying latency free in game audio on their PC, which it does with ease and does it brilliantly. The headset is available in Onyx Black or Ghost White, so not much choice in the colourways – but who needs a turquoise headset anyway?! Inside the package, you’ll find the headset, USB cable, 3.5mm console cable and the boom arm cover plate.

With its renowned EPOS engineered high quality build, multiplatform compatibility, simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity, dual microphones, EPOS Gaming Suite (Windows 10) compatibility and the detachable boom arm, the H3 Hybrid does feel like a next-level headset which we highly recommend you try out! Now, to connect these babies to our pinball machines……

The Details:

  • Make/Model: EPOS H3 Hybrid (review unit – Ghost White. Also comes in Onyx Black)
  • Compatible with: 
    • Wired: PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
    • Wireless: Bluetooth devices
  • Release Date: September 14, 2021
  • Price: $258.89 via Amazon

image source: EPOS

Disclaimer: The EPOS H3 Hybrid headset was kindly provided by Events Engine for this review.