We check out Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Pokémon: Shining Pearl, and go hands-on with the Audio Technica ATH-GL3 gaming headset.
With Christmas fast approaching you’re going to need some quality video games to fill the stockings of friends, family, or even your own! As luck would have it, Pokémon Shining Pearl and Kena: Bridge of Spirits would both make wonderful options. Let us explain why…
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (Switch)
Before Pokémon fans lose their collective minds of the open world epic that Pokémon Legends: Arceus, presents, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aim to whet the appetite while also providing a fresh coat of paint on the 2006 DS titles. The core story has remained the same but visuals have been completely overhauled with a more child-like top-down 3D art style. It’s a decision that certainly won’t be for everybody but we grew to appreciate it over time, even though we wished everything looked a tad sharper.
We were also thankful for some quality of life improvements as well, like shared experience for your whole team, even if it can make some battles a tad easy.
At its core, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are a faithful remakes perfect for the fans. The loop of collecting the pocket monsters is still a treat and the music will constantly have you bopping along. That said, if you were hoping for something a bit more different from the franchise, best hold out until January.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5, PC)
If you’ve ever wondered what a video game made by Pixar would look like, the answer is Kena. The first major takeaway about this adventure game is how bloody good it looks. It might have been developed by a small team but this tale of a young spirit guide on a quest to visit a mountain shrine makes the PS5 shine.
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Thankfully the gameplay is also enjoyable, although it certainly harkens back to somewhat of a PS2 experience. As a result there’s plenty of hacking, slashing and collecting, but there’s a decent challenge at play here that’ll keep you busy. If you’re looking for a family-friendly positively charming PS5 game – pick up Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
Far Cry 6: Vaas: Insanity (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, XBO, PC)
When it comes to video game villains Vaas Montenegro remains one of the best, so making him the star of Far Cry 6’s first DLC content was a risky move. It’s a gamble that’s paid off though with an enjoyable single-player rogue-lite adventure that delves pretty darn deep into the antagonist’s mind.
Taking place entirely in Vaas’ head, the core FPS action of Far Cry 6 remains as he searches for pieces of a MacGuffin to escape his internal woes. Die during that quest and you’ll start again, until you gradually start to be able to upgrade your weapon and perk capabilities with each subsequent run. This is obviously a much shorter and smaller affair than Far Cry 6, but that also prevents the experience from outstaying its welcome.
Vaas: Insanity is without doubt one of the most unique Far Cry experiences around and great fun if you’ve already seen all Yara has to offer. We’re keen to see more experiments with the Far Cry formula going foward.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster (Switch)
Though it expectedly deals with quite heavy themes, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is an impressively engaging experience. You take control of a young woman who heads back to the family-run hotel where she grew up so she can sell it and move on with her life. But when a blizzard strikes and Nicole gets trapped she finds herself investigating a 10-year old local conspiracy that had devastating effects on your family.
What follows is a walking simulator experience whose story will inevitably shape how you feel about the overall experience.
While we were quite taken with the tale, the way the game tackles some themes likely won’t bode well for everybody. That said, clocking in at only three hours, it’s an experience well worth giving a shot if you’re searching for a unique experience.
Hands on with the Audio Technica ATH-GL3 gaming headset
Audio Technica is certainly no stranger to audiophiles, their headsets highly beloved in the professional world. Now the company is hoping to make more moves into the video game space with its new closed-back ATH-GL3 and open-back ATH-GDL3. We’ve been testing out the former for a few weeks now and been happy with the result.
The first thing you’ll notice about the ATH-GL3 is how shockingly light it is. Where most gaming headsets are weighed down by serious bulk, we barely felt the ATH-GL3 during our playthrough of Halo Infinite.
Thanks to some smart rubber placement and a super flexible design, the headset will neatly fit on your head without any pressure during long gaming sessions. It’s a testament to the design of the headset which looks quite sleek as well – focusing on simple yet effective design choices that doesn’t get too flashy for its own good. All in all it’s a well-built device but admittedly the lightweight nature of the ATH-GL3 does make it feel a little fragile – especially towards the ear cups themselves. We also would have preferred a touch more cup padding to prevent our ears from hitting some of the internals
When it comes to sound though, the ATH-GL3 shines. Whether it be the bullet-ridden action of Halo or the vehicular roars of Forza Horizon 5, the headset managed to easily handle whatever we threw at it. The closed-back design also helped keep most of our audio contained (as opposed to more leakage from the open-back ATH-GDL3) – perfect for those gaming next to a significant other. The bass won’t blow you away, but is balanced well in amongst the rest of the soundscape the headset offers up, and does well for its price point – retailing at around $169.
Flexibility is also central to the ATH-GL3. A 3.5mm connector means the headset can easily switch between your PS5, Xbox Series X or Switch and an in-built volume dial prevents you from having to pause the action to adjust any levels.
At the end of the day the Audio Technica ATH-GL3 ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. It feels like a feather, sounds great and won’t break the band. Well worth a look.
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