Office ergonomics became a really important factor when everyone started work from home during the pandemic. Even the most careless people I knew invested in laptop risers or stands and wireless mice (along with basic keyboards) to reduce neck strain. And since many of us are still working remotely or from home, we often seek the best possible hardware to make our work lives a lot easier. And this is not just limited to your desk and chair, but extends to what's on your desk as well. There are several types of ergonomic mice available, and even several regular ergonomic keyboards. Most of these go with a bulge or a wave in the centre with the typical scissor switches and the usual key layout, which does not require one to relearn finger positioning making them quite easy to use and adapt.
Dicefolk Review
25.02.2024 - 19:13 / thesixthaxis.com
Dicefolk is an incredibly cool roguelike, but I don’t think it makes a great first impression. Upon booting the game up and jumping into your first run, you’re presented with the adorable art style, sure, but the first turn of combat simply presents you with some dice and three little dudes. It’s all a bit baffling, but there’s something special here once you learn what it all means.
The dice come in two varieties – white and black – each of which has a different effect when you click on it. Through this you get to choose the order in which everything happens, and that’s not just true of your own team, but also of your enemies. How many games are confident enough to let you be your own enemy?
You can customise your own dice faces by finding them as loot, or by buying them, and you can even by whole new die if you’re lucky enough to have the gold and find one in a shop. You have less control over your enemies, though. Dice let you do things like attack, make it so both sides attack, move your monsters around so a different one is in front, defend, and even re-roll other dice.
It’s a theoretically simple way of doing things, but becomes increasingly complicated as each run goes on based on which chimera you have at your disposal. You start with the same three little dudes, although they differ based on which talisman you choose at the beginning of the run, and then you can recruit more as you go, either by buying them, or by unlocking them at one of three statues in each map.
You can only choose one from those three statues though, so you’ll need to weigh up whether it’s worth getting the first one you find, or waiting and trying to get through more battles with your three little dudes. This one choice is, in my opinion, the perfect representation of the kind of decision you’ll be making constantly in Dicefolk. Every action in battle, each piece of equipment, which chimera you’ll be leading with, what node to go to next, all of these have pros and cons, and it’s wonderful to dig into the possibilities.
Then there’s the chimera themselves, each of which has its own ability and a trigger for that ability. Some might attack whenever the other team changes position, some might cause special status effects at the end of a turn, or attack when your main chimera attacks, but only once a turn. The “luck” aspect of Dicefolk applies not just to the dice in the battle, but which monsters you’ll be teaming up with, and which artifacts and items you get.
That’s a lot of RNG, but for the most part, Dicefolk still manages to avoid feeling unfair. It’s difficult, sure, and a lot of fights are decided before you go into them based on how prepared your team is, but the runs are fairly short and sweet, and ultimately, it’s a
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Backpack Battles Early Access Review
I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a certain satisfaction that comes from the Tetris-like puzzle of inventory management in some games – hell, a whole game based around that idea, Save Room, became its own hit. Meanwhile the autobattler genre that has exploded in recent years hits similar notes, providing the joy of seeing your planning and preparation pay off in PvP. The bite-sized indie joint Backpack Battles combines these two ideas, pitting your organizational skills and wits in creating RPG-like character builds against others in fast-paced one-on-one matches. After a dozen hours with its Early Access release, I've seen the seeds of something great in that concept, with the potential to grow into something unique and impressive. But as it stands now, Backpack Battles is light on content and variety – it's very much an Early Access game, with an emphasis on early.
Berserk Boy Review
There’s a huge amount of nostalgia for classic side-scrolling platformers like Mega Man X and Sonic, but that means there’s also countless games that have struggled to capture that same energy and appeal. I was worried Berserk Boy would be another one of those, but despite wearing it’s Mega Man X influences on it’s sleeve, there’s more to this game than meets the eye, and it’s easily one of the most impressive platformers I’ve played in recent memory.
Head Trip Review
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Sihoo Doro S300 Chair Review
VR might occasionally push you to stand up, and even occasionally flail your arms about, but generally speaking, gaming is done while seated. The sedentary gamer can often sink into a sofa for hours upon end, but your hip, back and neck aren’t going to thank you for it twenty years later. What you need is a chair, but in gaming circles, not just any chair will do. While there’s plenty of options out there, with faux leather and logos emblazoned across them, these are the Ford Focus’ of the gaming sphere, when what you’re really looking for is a Tesla. The Sihoo Doro S300 is a thoroughly modern take on the gaming/office chair, and it’s also the most comfortable one I’ve ever tested.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #1 spoiler-free review: goes hard on the action, but lacks the gritty tone of the first series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was a blockbuster series with a gloriously simple premise. Years into the future - and in a continuity separate from the original TMNT - three of the original Turtles have been killed in battle leaving only one survivor, Michelangelo, to avenge his fallen family. It was tougher and darker than most Turtles comics and fans lapped it up.
Review: Tekken 8 – A Nostalgic Hit
The release of Tekken 8 is a nostalgic hit. I recall spending hours of gameplay as a kid after being absolutely blown away by the game when it first launched on PlayStation all those years ago. It delivered insane excitement and was the envy of my brother, and even now, we often reminisce about how he cheated when he could never beat me. As the reigning champ in the family, I naturally had to test my skills with the new Tekken 8.
Slave Zero X Review
Games that pitch themselves as challenging experiences are a common occurrence these days, and Slave Zero X is one of them. Within that challenge, though, there has to be balance and a way for players to overcome them, combining growing player skill with levelling up, better equipment and more. At times Slave Zero X walks that tightrope, but at other time it feels so grossly imbalanced that all sense of any fun trying to beat the challenge is taken out of it.
Footprints Review
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Silicon Valley Review
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PlayStation Portal Review – A PS5 In Your Hands?
Firstly, let me be honest. Like 99% of gamers out there, I was convinced that the PlayStation Portal (Project Q, as it was once named) was just a clever money grab. I mean, why would players need a device that connects to their PS5 via WI-FI while they are out and about? We wanted a PS Vita 2 and not a glamourised tablet connected to a PlayStation 5 controller, right? Well, I’ll be the first to admit I was dead wrong. The PlayStation Portal is a lot more than a clever gimmick. It’s an innovative new way to play your favourite games while on the move. Let me explain.