We visit a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars Outlaws, then check out Concord and the EVERBOOM portable speaker.
What do you get when you toss a dash of Uncharted, a sprinkle of Red Dead Redemption and a generous a serving of intergalactic Assassin’s Creed all together? Well, you get Star Wars Outlaws – an intergalactic romp that is largely enjoyable, but also isn’t quite able to outrun all of its flaws.
You fill the scoundrel-ish boots of Kay Vess, a theif who is down on her luck and riddled with debts. So when a well-intended heist once again goes sideways, Kay finds herself wanted, stranded and in serious need of cash. Set between both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it’s an interesting setup that will see you galivanting around a number of planets as you work with criminal gangs and build up a crew of your own.
After spending the last few years with the likes of Cal Kestis, dabbling with a more rebellious lead was a rather enjoyable change of pace. Kay herself is an interesting protagonist and she opens the door for a lot more moral flexibility.
That’s largely conveyed in Star Wars Outlaws’ clever new syndicate system. With a whole range of rival gangs in place, it’s up to Kay (read: you) to choose who to work with and who to turn your back on. It’s a core part of the scoundrel lifestyle and I was always keen to see how much choices affected the world around me. Lose rep with one gang and maybe they’ll come gunning for you, or make a particular region of the map more difficult to access. The system never dramatically alters the game’s plot, but as a first crack I’m keen to see further iteration.
But while Star Wars Outlaws does well to set the scene, some of the other gameplay choices do fall a tad flat. Stealth sections, for example can often feel a little slow (some with annoying insta-fail conditions) and the gunplay never really evolves into anything particularly engaging.
As a whole it leaves Star Wars Outlaws as a perfectly enjoyable romp, but there’s definitely room to grow this formula a little more.
Love Gaming?
Get the latest Gaming news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Star Wars Outlaws is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. You can buy it from Amazon here.
Also out now…
Concord (PS5, PC)
There’s been a lot of talk about Concord already, but table that for a moment and you might be surprised to learn that developer Firewalk Studios’ 5v5 live-service multiplayer hero shooter is actually a lot of fun to play.
Each of the 16 Freegunners feel unique to play as and present their own strategy, even if many feel as though they’ve been lifted from competitors like Overwatch. The actual shooting feels equally solid, but what I found most appealing was Concord’s approach to trialing out the wider roster.You see, that’s because once your Freegunner dies, if your next selection has a different role, the previous character’s role-specific perk stacks on top of that, creating a potential player that is buffed up the wazoo.
Yet despite the inherent enjoyment I had, the biggest issue surrounding concord is its potential future. With a shockingly low player count on PC (and no real indication on how that fares on PS5) you can’t help but wonder if Concord has the legs to continue for the long-term.
That’s a real shame because the underlying game here is actually quite enjoyable, so I do hope that PlayStation is able to find a way to turn the ship around. That’s not to say buying Concord isn’t recommended, but you should do so armed with the knowledge of what you’re investing in.
Ultimate Ears EVERBOOM Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Ultimate Ears has been pumping out their portable speaker line for a number of years now, producing a suite that exists in all shapes and sizes. The newest kid on the block though is the EVERBOOM and I’ve been playing around with it for a couple of weeks. Situated smack bang between the MEGABOM 4 and the much larger, far pricer EPICBOOM, the EVERBOOM sits in an interesting space.
As a result, the speaker will set you back $349, which is by no means a cheap investment, so what exactly can you expect from it? Well first off is a full 360-degree sound profile. During my testing that worked reasonably well compared to the lower-end of the Ultimate Ears line-up, with a much more encompassing sound and pretty wide soundstage no matter where you place yourself in the room. The tech obviously pales in comparison to competitors like the Sonos Era 3000, but that’s not at all surprising considering that unit is double the price and not at all designed for portability.
In terms of aesthetics I’m a fan of the more squared off design (similar to the EPICBOOM), allowing it to blend a little better into general decor should you leave it tucked away on a shelf, and the colourways continue to showcase great flexibility between playful and bright or simple and clean like the black and yellow combo I used.
I was also incredibly impressed with how loud the EVERBOOM is able to get. In my relatively normal—sized study I barely touched half the volume limit, meaning when I was exploring the great outdoors I never lacked for audio. If you do find yourself maxed out, that’s where the new outdoor boost button comes into play, delivering a much more bass-heavy 1 decibel sound. It certainly delivers as promised, but just be prepared for that to come at the expense of overall clarity, which personally wasn’t a huge deal considering most times I used the feature it was for background noise anyway.
Meanwhile, for those who enjoy gaming on the go, I did manage to pair my EVERBOOM to my Nintendo Switch. The device is obviously no match for something like a proper soundbar, but the EVERBOOM deliverers a much punchier sound than the consoles stock speakers, making it perfect for those wanting to indulge in some multiplayer tabletop gaming while outdoors or even during a weekend away.
Yes there are extra features like the speaker’s ability to float or be used as a megaphone, but how much mileage you’ll get out of either of those functions will certainly vary – especially the latter, which at the moment feels more like a gimmick. But even once all that’s said and done, the Ultimate Ears EVERBOOM is a well-rounded speaker that’s bound to serve you well.
You can pick up the EVERBOOM for $349.95 from the official Ultimate Ears website.
For more on this topic, follow the Gaming Observer.
