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GameSir X2 Pro hands-on: The biggest problem with GameSir's controllers is finally fixed
Analog triggers are here, plus a free month of Game Pass with official branding included
GameSir has been on a tear coming up with some of the best mobile controllers on the market, where I last took the excellent GameSir X3 for a spin, but since the company has an all-new device launching today, I've spent three last couple of weeks running it through its paces to report my findings. The GameSir X2 Pro hits store shelves starting today for $80, offering a similar design to the original X2, but with the upgrades found in the X3 (sans its fan), and a few unique features all its own. So if your original X2 is starting to feel dated with its tiny face buttons and lack of analog triggers, GameSir is back with a refinement that damn-near perfects its best mobile controller design. Let's dig in.
GameSir X3 hands-on: Big on cooling and big on price
The GameSir X3 offers active cooling suitable for just about any phone, but it comes at the cost of portability
Side-by-side controllers that you can slap your phone into have been all the rage ever since Gamevice made waves with its iOS controllers for iPhones and iPads back in the 2010s. Soon after that, Gamevice partnered with Razer to create and launch the Razer Kishi, which now offers a successful follow-up that looks a heck of a lot like the Backbone, another iOS-specific side-by-side controller (coming to Android this winter).
Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus hands-on: A confusing but fun experience
Warhammer Tacticus offers decent gameplay, but it's unnecessarily bloated
Games Workshop is well known for handing out its licenses like candy, regardless of the quality of the finished product. Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is no exception; a free-to-play gacha game that is, at best, a mildly interesting diversion from other, better Android games. Set in the titular Warhammer 40,000 universe, you'll gather groups of characters from various factions and engage in quick turn-based battles across multiple game modes. While I was pleasantly surprised by the tactical gameplay, the ridiculous monetization makes it bloated and hard to recommend.
Diablo Immortal hands-on: Between the Devil and the deep blue sea
Blizzard's greed apparently knows no bounds
Yesterday Diablo Immortal started rolling out to the masses even though today is the game's official release date on mobile (with the PC beta going live today too). Since the stable version has been available for over 24 hours now, and since today is release day, I've taken the opportunity to dive deep for a hands-on, to offer my early impression of the stable release, with a lengthy gameplay video included that showcases precisely how Diablo Immortal plays (this includes the in-game shop and all settings). So if you've been eager to see what the stable release of Diablo Immortal has to offer, today's hands-on is for you.
Hands-on with Echoes of Mana: A patchwork of nostalgia enveloped in a gacha wrapper
The latest game in the ARPG series, but it doesn't stack up to the originals
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Over the last year, Square Enix has been busy celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Mana action RPG series, launching classic remasters like Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana on the Play Store. Of course, these are older games despite their remastering, so it's about time something new was brought to the table, and so Square Enix has developed an all-new title in the Mana series called Echoes of Mana. It's a free-to-play gacha game that offers a new story, and it just launched this past week, which is precisely why we've revisited our guide to ensure it's up-to-date for the global launch. So if you're interested to see how the global version of the game stacks up now that it's out across the world, you've come to the right place.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened hands-on — F2P has no business being this good
I'm talking Genshin levels of polish here, high-quality stuff
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is a collectible card game from NetEase that's found massive popularity in China and other Asian territories since its initial launch last year. Seeing that it made over $228 million in its first two months, the game is coming West. The English version is in testing now that's it's available for pre-registration, and so I sideloaded the title to test the gameplay while recording a lengthy gameplay video to share with everyone.
Torchlight Infinite hands-on: Beating Diablo Immortal to the punch
There's another popular ARPG coming to mobile, and it ain't from Blizzard
Last week XD Inc. announced that its upcoming action RPG Torchlight: Infinite would be entering closed beta on January 18th (hey, that's today). Of course, this is an ARPG similar to the Diablo series, and since Diablo Immortal still isn't officially out despite being announced four years ago, the developer behind Torchlight: Infinite has a chance to beat Blizzard at its own game, but that all comes down to how well this action RPG plays. Will Torchlight: Infinite be one of Android's best games, or is this yet another cynically-lazy ARPG designed to make some quick cash on mobile?
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are finally here. On the back of a mountain of leaks and speculation, Google is formally unveiling its 2021 phone lineup today at its Fall Launch event. We've been fortunate enough to get our hands on the phones, and after a few hours of playing with the smaller Pixel 6, I have to say, I'm getting really excited about it.
Google Pixel 6 Pro hands-on: Shaking up the formula with big, beefy changes
The big camera strip stares down on a brand new hardware design
Today is Pixel day, but I can’t tell you too much about the experience of actually using the Pixel 6 Pro just yet. (Sorry, embargo.) You know the specs, you know the features, and you know what it looks like in the abstract, but those are all promotional renders meant to paint the phone in the best possible light. What does it actually look like, in real life? How do the shapes meld and blend in reality? Our early first-look gives you a quick overview of Google’s changing design language and the physicality of the Pixel 6 Pro. And the elephant in the room is the elephant strapped to the back of the phone.
Hands on with Battlefield Mobile alpha: Is this that hard or am I that bad?
A mobile shooter for the most hardcore of gamers?
With the success of Call of Duty Mobile, it was only a matter of time before Electronic Arts found someone to develop a mobile version of Battlefield. We've known since April that Battlefield Mobile was in development, with a fresh Play Store listing that popped up at the beginning of September. This listing was published in preparation for the first alpha test launched in Indonesia and the Philippines this past weekend. As you can imagine, gameplay videos have been leaking online, and it would seem EA forgot to region lock the game, which is how I was able to sideload the APK to record a 25-minute gameplay video at 1080p/60FPS. So if you'd like to take an extended first look at how the alpha for Battlefield Mobile is shaping up, I've got you covered.
Mighty Doom hands-on: Send this one back through the portal to hell
A callous cash-grab from Bethesda
Mighty Doom is a new mobile game from Bethesda, and it's currently in testing in select regions like New Zealand. Since this shooter is still in Early Access, thus unavailable in most territories, I've sideloaded the title (v 0.5.0) to take a closer look to report on my findings. Now that I've spent some time with the game, it's clear that Mighty Doom is basically a clone of Archero, and so it's a free-to-play casual top-down shooter that has little to do with the Doom franchise beyond the ham-fisted skin. As you can guess, Bethesda is looking to cash in, and so I'm here to let you know if this blatant shovelware is worth playing.
Hands on with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, a worthy mobile port of a classic RPG
For once there's an RPG on mobile worth playing
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II was recently released on Android after a six-year wait. Since this mobile port was many years in the making, I figured a hands-on would be in order. This was a AAA game back in the old days, so how good can it be on Android? How does it perform, what options does it provide, and how does it translate to a touchscreen? We're going to answer all that, so strap in and get ready to hit lightspeed. There's a new RPG on the Play Store that's actually worth playing.
We've got a Pixel 4a 5G — here's our first look at Google's $500 smartphone
Unboxing the Pixel 4a's bigger brother
The Android Police Pixel 4a 5G has arrived, and while you'll have to wait for our full review to get all the juicy details, I've spent most of this morning with it. Here's your first look at the Pixel 4a 5G. In short: If you're familiar with the much-loved Pixel 4a, Google's latest phone does more than just share its name.
Angry Birds Legends is a new card-based RPG from Rovio, now available in beta
Is Rovio out of ideas? Let's take a look
For the last few years, Rovio has really been scraping the bottom of the barrel with its Angry Birds franchise. It would seem the dev has been slapping the property onto just about every casual gaming genre out there, from bubble poppers to match-3 titles, and then right back to bubble poppers, Rovio is clearly out of ideas. This is probably why the company is currently testing Angry Birds Legends in the UK, Sweden, and Finland as we speak. It's a card-based gacha RPG that stars Angry Birds characters, and since it's currently in testing in select regions, I've gone ahead and sideloaded the APK (v2.0.1) in order to take a closer look.
PAYDAY: Crime War is a new first-person shooter for Android that recently entered into a closed beta on September 10th, and it runs until October 14th. Unlike Payday 2, you can now play as cops and robbers, which is an interesting twist. The idea is that teams of fours cops face get to off against teams of four robbers, and it works out well. Of course, this is still a Payday title, so you can also expect plenty of loot to collect, equip, and upgrade, along with a ranked mode for those that take their mobile shooters seriously. It's Payday in your pocket, and it's coming soon to Android.
I can't say I have ever heard of 4L Games before today, but since their first release Fracter isn't coming out until this summer, it stands to reason that they would be mostly unknown. After taking a quick look at their upcoming isometric puzzle adventure game, I have a feeling the studio isn't going to stay unrecognized for long.
The recently-released Dandy Dungeon is a free-to-play dungeon crawler that offers an increasingly unique and quirky story with solid gameplay, which is all set on top of adorable pixel based graphics.
I had a chance to go hands-on with the Moto Z and Z Force today (full name: Lenovo Moto Z DROID Edition and Lenovo Moto Z Force DROID Edition... which, OK), and here are my initial thoughts. Videos also follow.
The Nexus 6 came in for a landing on my doorstep yesterday, and I've been happily exploring Google's new phablet ever since. Because I've had it for just one day, there's no way I could write anything resembling a review, so instead I thought it may be fun to do a very basic "initial impressions" post. There are a few things that immediately strike me about the device, so I'll discuss those here, with more details to come in the full review.
Samsung has formally taken the covers off the Galaxy Tab S, and now it's time to see what this puppy is capable of. Okay, you will actually have to wait for reviews to start flowing in for that, but in the meantime, the company has released its official first look video. Here you can see a spiffy young gentleman break down all the niceties about the tablet that we've covered a few times before. But hey, a picture's worth a thousand words, and video has to be worth even more. So save yourself some reading and give this thing a gander.