Is ‘Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’ the next PS5 must-buy? Plus hands on with SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova 3 Headset and Rival 3 Gen 2 Mouse.
When Death Stranding first launched back in 2019 there was a lot of confusion about what the game actually was. Was it secretly a walking game all about delivering packages, or more focused on stealth and combat encounters. The end result was a little bit of everything that coalesced into a truly fascinating title that was unlike anything most people had seen or Kojima fans had expected.
There’s no such surprise and intrigue surrounding Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. You know what you’re getting with this sequel, but the good news is that if you’re a fan of the original, then this follow-up is better in almost every way.
Set 11 months from the first game, Death Stranding 2 wastes no time in coaxing Norman Reedus’ Sam Porter Bridges out of retirement to connect Mexico and Australia to the chiral network. It’s not critical to have played the first game (and there is a slightly undercooked recap) but it will make your life a little easier, especially with the sheer number of unique terms and phrases Kojima and the team love to throw around, even with the introduction of a FFXVI-styled active time lore mechanic.
As the hours tick by you’ll likely be highly engaged to deliver that next package to understand the motivations behind new characters and experience what twist the story delivers next, especially once Troy Baker’s scene stealing Higgs gets involved.
Love it or hate it though, the courier-focused gameplay is once again front and centre for Death Stranding 2, albeit with some new additions to help keep you on your toes. Gate Quakes and flooding for example can lead to unexpected chaos in amongst journeys, while a new monorail system can actually dramatically speed up some trips as you utilise them like glorified ziplines. Right from the jump it feels like the gameplay is deeper and richer, and it makes Death Stranding 2 all the stronger for it.
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Thankfully combat has also been given some much needed love though, meaning it is now a much more viable tactic compared to its predecessor. Yes you can still primarily stealth your way around, but if you do choose to go loud you’ll have plenty of new options to fire your rubber bullets at enemy encampments and BTs. But the biggest win here is that it actually feels enjoyable to do.
The other thing you’ll likely be impressed with is how truly gorgeous this game is. Whether you’re on the baseline PS5 model or the Pro, Kojima Productions have done a truly incredible job here no matter which mode you play on. My jaw was agape at the intro scenes and the visual fidelity only ratchets from there, frequently feeling like scenes have been ripped out of real life – showcasing the untapped potential of the PS5 architecture.
If you were a naysayer of the original game, then Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is unlikely to convert you. But for returning players or those looking for an unconventional experience, this will go down as one of the year’s best PS5 games.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is out now for PS5.
Also out now…
Tron: Catalyst (Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Hot off the heels of Tron: Identity, Bitthel games heads back to the Grid with Tron: Catlyst. This time however, the interactive-novel styled gameplay has been switched out for isometric action as you take control of Exo, a courier caught up in some classic time loop shenanigans after coming into a powerful Glitch ability.
Said glitching allows Exo to restart the game’s server and your chapter in the same breath. At some points these loops will be due to your own poor decisions, while others will allow a natural progression of the story. Regardless, you’ll be able to carry across skills, information, or both along for the ride and it’s a mechanic that feels perfectly at home in the Tron universe.
But as much as I love Light Cycles and Tron’s signature neon aesthetic (both of which are very well accounted for in Catalyst), it is undone by some pretty shallow combat that does get a little repetitive. Power up your parry ability and you’ll end up turning most encounters into a cake walk, which does dampen a lot of that initial enjoyment.
Luckily the game never outstays its welcome, meaning if you’ve been itching for some more Tron content before Ares hits the silver screen, this is still a respectable choice.
Blades of Fire (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
If you were to mash God of War, Soulslike titles and Castlevania together, you’d end up with Blades of Fire, an action adventure epic that might not have a lot of buzz behind it, but is still plenty worthy keeping your eye on.
You’ll play as Aran De Lira, a blacksmith bestowed with an ancient power and tasked with the impossible task to take out a tyrant queen who also happens to be a family friend. Throw in a bit of a revenge and a light-hearted companion for you’re in for a pretty good time. But while it might not be an award-winning yarn, it does help pave the way for Blades of Fire’s biggest win: its combat.
That’s largely because Blades of Fires’ most interesting hook is also its most controversial. Each weapon you forge from Aran’s hands has a limited shelf life. Some can be extended through repairs, but at some point your weapon is going to break forever, forcing you to rely on another blade. While that won’t be a popular choice with all gamers, the approach does force you to be strategically dynamic, whether that’s keeping a steady arsenal you can fall back on or constantly switching up your tactics and weapons to keep each of them fresher.
Sure some of the action can get a bit repetitive and the difficulty can swerve on occasion but Blades of Fire should still be sharp enough to cut through some of its competition.
Rematch (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
After the success of brutal brawler Sifu, a soccer game doesn’t sound like the most logical choice, but somehow Rematch feels like a breath of fresh air in the space.
Where the likes of EA Sports FC focuses more on simulation, Rematch embraces the pure arcade-nature of something akin to FIFA Street. You can take to the field in 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5 games where the only rule is that there are no rules. Without having to worry about offsides or fouls, it allows SloClap to embrace pure style with animations that feel like they borrow a lot from Sifu while still providing a surprisingly deep gameplay experience.
There’s a lot of controls to learn here, and in the initial stages it’s a little overwhelming, but with a few games under your belt it’ll feel much more natural, even though it’ll take a while to master. Regardless each bout is fast, frantic and a hell of a lot of fun. It’s no surprise that Rematch already has quite the player base already, and I can’t imagine its legs will tire out anytime soon.
Arctis Nova 3 Wireless Headset & Rival 3 Gen 2 Series Mouse
It’s 2025 and gaming is getting damn expensive. Consoles now receive price hikes instead of cuts while premium releases frequently rocketing to $120 or more.
That’s what makes SteelSeries’ new Arctis Nova 3 Wireless Headset & Rival 3 Gen 2 Series Mouse such interesting propositions. At $199 for the headset and either $119 or $79 for the wireless or wired mouse respectively, the units now act as Steelseries’ more budget-friendly offering in their extensive line-up, balancing features and finish.
Take the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless Headset for example. To keep costs down the unit is primarily plastic instead of the usual metal finishes, but by doing so it keeps the weight down to a lean 260g. That allowed extended gaming sessions to remain extremely comfy, helped along by a clamping force that felt sturdy without being overbearing. The clamping force also feels just about right, and I thankfully couldn’t feel the drivers with my ears.
The other big win here is its multi-device connectivity thanks to both Bluetooth and a USB-C dongle. Whether you’re trying to connect to your phone, Switch 2 or PS5, the Arcits Nova 3 did it easily and seamlessly during my testing. Pick up the 3X variant (the unit I used for my testing) and you can even add Xbox to the party as well, which is value for money.
It sounds pretty darn good too. While it’s hardly best in class, SteelSeries has always delivered reliable audio performance in its Arctis line-up and this is no different here, with a respectable amount of bass while still playing nice with additional features like Sony’s Tempest audio. Plus, utilise Steelseries’ insane amount of audio pre-sets via the mobile app and you should be able to find something that suits your needs.
What’s interesting about the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless is that unlike many of its siblings, the microphone is a separate plug-in accessory rather than retractable. I’ll admit that I much prefer the retractable approach to avoid having to worry about storing another accessory, but I’m just glad that it’s not a permanently fixed feature. That said, the change has somehow led to an improvement in microphone performance, with both better clarity on team chats and the ability to cut out background noise like clanky typing.
If you’re interested, you can pick up the headset in a range of colours, ranging from white and black, to aqua and lavender as well – the latter two providing some serious flair that can pair well with the Rival 3 Gen 2 Series Mouse.
Speaking of the Rival 3 Gen 2, it follows the Arctis lead by providing significant bang for buck in the category from longevity alone. Capable of up to 200-hours in battery life via (or a whopping 450 hours in Bluetooth mode), plus a guarantee of at least a 60-million click lifespan, it’ll stay on your desk for quite some time. Luckily it’s pretty comfy too, with a shape that might not be great for those will smaller hands, but melded quite well to mine and never caused any irks or pains.
What did bother me though was its weight. Where most gaming companies are shooting for lighter and lighter offerings, the Rival 3 Gen 2 just feels heavy by comparison. Steelseries does allow you to drop to one AAA battery instead of two, but that’s still almost 30g heavier than some competitors.
If you can accept that caveat, it’s still an impressive mouse. With a TrueMove Air 18K DPI Optical Sensor, I was more than happy when it came to responsiveness. While hardly an e-sports competitor, I found it easy to handle in bouts of Call of Duty, while still able to easily handle regular day-to-day tasks.
Combined, SteelSeries have done a decent job at providing gamers a cheaper alternative in their suite of peripherals. If you’re just jumping in, or looking to spruce up your setup, both the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless Headset & Rival 3 Gen 2 Series Mouse could be a great option.
