We take the MOZA R3 racing bundle for a spin, then check out Magic: The Gathering – Assassin’s Creed, Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition & Anger Foot.
So, you’re an absolute lead head. You feel the need for speed, sink hours into racing games and are now looking to step things up to the next level. But where do you go from here? Investing in a sim-heavy racing kit seems like the obvious choice, but blimey it can be a pricey affair.
That’s precisely where MOZA would like to throw its hat into the ring with the company’s new R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals for Xbox & PC. That’s because as luck would have it, this Xbox-Licensed bundle is designed for an entry-level audience and combines both wheel and pedals, while still delivering the quality and realism you’d hope for.
Straight out of the box the MOZA R3 bundle is a weighty beast. The 3.9 Nm wheelbase and steering wheel pack a great amount of heft and feel suitably sturdy, especially once you hook up the table clamp which delivers a surprising amount of grip. During my time with the unit I was never concerned I would suddenly lose the wheel to the gravity gods, but you may just want to be careful not to grip too hard if you’re attaching to a valuable bit of furniture. I was also quite fond of the very purposeful X design in the wheelbase to signify the partnership with the Microsoft console. Completely unnecessary, but a nice touch all the same.
Meanwhile the MOZA R3’s pedals feel equally well built but are noticeably more open and barebones than the likes of something like Logitech’s Pro Racing Pedals (although it is worth noting that those particular pedals cost nearly as much as the whole R3 kit).
While the kit itself looks intimidating from the outside, getting things set up was surprisingly easy. For Xbox, you simply need to hook up the USB cable from the kit to your console and away you go – the Xbox buttons on the wheel instantly able to control your system.
And once you are in action the R3 feels bloody great. Booting up the likes of Forza Motorsport, the level of force feedback was instantly noticeable, as were the various track terrains whenever I veered wildly off course. It’s not going to blow your socks off like higher torque units, but I found the instant feedback to be incredibly helpful in detecting whenever I oversteered or understeered and that helped develop my overall skill level – something you simply cannot achieve with a standard controller. The MOZA R3 is also wonderfully quiet, which is huge benefit of the direct drive system the unit employs.
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Oh and there’s compatibility with a wide range of other racers as well like F1 24, Forza Horizon 5, the WRC series and plenty more.
Should you want to specifically tinker with settings all you need is the MOZA Pit House software which can be accessed via PC for those connecting to their primary machine or an iPhone/Android app for those connected to Xbox. I stuck with the app and it was painless to get gong and relatively easy to play around with.
The MOZA R3’s pedals meanwhile offer a decent level of resistance that do as well as they can without the inclusion of a more realistic load cell which would naturally blow the budget of this entry level unit out of the water. The one omission here though is a clutch pedal which will undoubtedly be an issue for serious racing sim fans. That said, as a more casual racer myself (and perhaps the audience this set is intended for) it was never something I was desperately seeking and was more than happy with the default setup.
I should also note that should you really want a clutch, you can buy an additional SR-P Lite Clutch Pedal from the MOZA store and add it to the existing setup. The same goes for many other additional aspects of the R3 bundle. Hop onto MOZA’s website and you can purchase anything from Formula Wheel Mods to a brake performance kit. It’s a level of potential upgradability that unquestionably outdoes it competitors and allows you to be totally flexible in your device by allowing future upgrades if/when you want them.
Getting into sim racing is not a cheap exercise, so as a result the MOZA R3 retails for $749 – more than the Xbox itself. Still, as an entry-level unit, it’s one of the cheaper direct drive kits out there, meaning if this is a passion you want to start sinking your teeth into it’s an incredible way to start your engines…
The MOZA R3 bundle is available now for $729.95 at Gamesmen.
Also out now…
Magic: The Gathering – Assassin’s Creed
Magic: The Gathering is certainly no stranger to crossovers, especially in recent times with the likes of Doctor Who, Transformers and Fallout. But now it’s set its sights on one of video gaming’s biggest franchises: Assassin’s Creed.
Grab yourself the starter kit and you’ll be able to get cracking with one of two decks: one focused on Eivor from 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and the other being beloved fan-favourite Ezio Auditore da Firenze. But while long-time fans might be initially skeptical of the crossover, it’s clear that a fair bit of throughout has been put into how the Assassin’s Creed universe plays into Magic’s card creation and gameplay.
Ezio’s blue/black deck, for example, relishes in the more sneaky, high offense, high-risk maneuvers that shot the franchise into popularity in the first place. That also feeds into the introduction of Free Running which allows you to cast a card at a discounted cost on the proviso that you’ve damaged your opponent in the same turn with one of your assassins or commanders. It’s a quick and often highly effective strategy that feels designed to quickly turn the tide of war.
Eivor’s red/white set meanwhile is all about brute force and the ability to buff other cards via attaching equipment cards also plays a much larger role in this deck. Choosing which approach, you prefer (much like the upcoming Shadows game) and how to combat each one will be critical and does well to add greater complexity to Magic: The Gathering as a whole.
Much like Magic’s other sets, even if you don’t feel like mastering the new mechanics, there’s a boatload of gorgeous new art to enjoy and collect, from ambushing assassins to sunset-soaked mountain lands, the game has made a wonderful transition to card format. If you have the money for Collector Boosters (a whopping $49.95 per pack), things get even nicer, with stunning representations of ancient plains and borderless artworks of previous protagonists like Shay Cormac and Jacob Frye.
Needless to say if you’re a fan of Assassin’s Creed, Magic: The Gathering or both, this is another killer set.
Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, XBO, PC)
Despite the fact that Ubisoft continues to be relatively silent on the longstanding sequel, Beyond Good & Evil fans can eat well this month thanks to the release of this special re-release.
For those who may have missed it two decades ago, in Beyond Good & Evil you play as Jade, a young investigative reporter on a quest to expose a government conspiracy with a camera in hand and her loyal pig friend Pey’j by her side. To this day it’s an intriguing story, and the video game interpretation of journalistic/photographic gameplay remains unique.
While the game has received a number of re-releases already, this 20th Anniversary Edition sweetens the pot with revamped visuals/audio and a smattering of quality of life upgrades. What that leads to is the most feature-rich version yet and certainly the best way to play if you’ve yet to experience the cult classic.
The one caveat to that is the platform you choose to play on. While the more modern consoles offer 60fps gameplay, I spent my time with the Switch iteration which is unfortunately locked to 30fps.
For a game this old to have such a restriction is disappointing, but it didn’t seriously hamper my experience and, aside from the off bit of slowly in combat-heavy areas, ran mostly fine. It’s also a tradeoff I was willing to make for sheer portability and the world shines on the OLED screen.
We might be waiting another 20 years for Beyond Good & Evil 2, but at least now we have the definite way to play this absolute classic. Check it out.
Anger Foot (PC)
You’ve got to hand it to Devolver Digital, they’re nothing if not original. Case in point is Anger Foot – a game that allows you to take down your dastardly foes with just your trotters because your sneaker collection was rudely (and abruptly) stolen. As you might expect, what follows is pure chaotic mayhem that consistently brings a smile to your face.
Operating in a similar style to classics like Hotline Miami, levels in Anger Foot are designed as short-burst speed runs as you galivant around Crime City. Each section can feel like a labyrinth, but how you tackle said maze is up to you, be that smacking enemies with your foot, using a range of weaponry or utilizing any number of environmental physics.
Expect countless deaths as you learn your preferred path and enemy placement, but there’s a certain level of glee that comes from nailing a perfect run after plenty of practice. Add the competitive spin of time-chasing and it’s easy to get sucked into a devilishly addicted loop. No matter how frustrated I would get from a violent flurry of deaths, I still couldn’t help but smile as I watched my foes pump away to the beat over my crumpled body. Such is the chaotic vibe of Anger Foot.
While I also tested Anger Foot on my AYANEO device (it’s also Steam Deck verified), I can attest it’s not the ideal way to play. Anger Foot is a game that relies on your twitch reflexes and fast-thinking, and an analogue stick just doesn’t allow for that flexibility.
If you need a fast-paced, high-action shot of adrenaline in your video game, check out Anger Foot. You won’t regret it.
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