Life Archives | Disposable Media

Innokin Pocketbox Review

31st May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

I’ve been vaping for quite a while now, and largely I’ve been happy with my existing kit, like my Aspire Zelos. But there are new vape kits coming to the market all the time. So when the nice people at e-cigarette Direct got in touch to offer me a review product, I jumped at the chance. And that’s why you’re now reading this Innokin Pocketbox review.

The Innokin intrigued me for a few reasons. It’s an all-in-one (AIO) device which are becoming increasingly popular. But coming from a well-established brand, it offers more power than most of the similarly small kits. And it also comes ready to use as a Direct-to-Lung (DTL) device. Until now, I’ve mainly stuck with Mouth-to-Lung setups, which are the most similar to the technique you would use to smoke a normal cigarette. Whereas DTL is a quick inhale and exhale, producing bigger clouds and potentially releasing more flavour.

And finally it’s also an incredibly cost-effective option, so it makes vaping, and particularly DTL vaping, that bit more accessible.

The Innokin Pocketbox Review

The Innokin Pocketbox comes in at just £25.99, and has a weight of around 150 grammes. But it’s no lightweight when it comes to the vaping experience. The packaging is nicely put together and comes with everything you need aside from e-liquid. And it’s easy to get everything unpacked and skim through the quick start guide. As an all-in-one device with a coil on the bottom of the tank, it’s very easy to get started.

The build quality is great and feels nice and solid. The carbon fibre effect stickers are covered by the shell of the Innokin Pocketbox, so they shouldn’t fold up and peel off with use. Unscrewing the tank is nice and easy, and the threads feel solid enough to put up with plenty of use. And there’s a rubber coated fire button on the top of the device which feels reliable and fairly satisfying to use. So it’s an attractive unit, which is important when it’s about simplicity and ease-of-use rather than looking like a home-made Steampunk creation.

The biggest shock is realising exactly how tiny the Innokin Pocketbox is.

Innokin Pocketbox Kit Contents:

Inside the box, you’ll find everything neatly packed away:

1 Innokin Pocketbox
1 DTL Coil 0.35 ohm
1 Micro USB Charge Cable
1 Quick Start Guide
And some spare rubber which isn’t listed but always handy to have.

The quick start is easy:

Unscrew the top/cap and remove
Screw coil into the housing
No need to prime the coil
Fill e-liquid to max fill line
Replace top cap finger tight
Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes to soak the coil
X3 clicks of the fire button to turn on and off
Hit fire button to vape
Battery level LED: Green, Yellow, Red when the battery is getting low.

Using the Innokin Pocketbox:

The Innokin Pocketbox itself is roughly 4.8cm long, 5cm high excluding the tank, and around 2.5cm wide, according to my slightly wonky tape measuring. Including the tank only takes it up to 7.5cm high. That compares with about 13-14 cm for the likes of the Aspire Nautlius, ELeaf iStick and other similarly taller designs, which makes it a lot easier to slip into a coat pocket, or hide in the palm of your hand.

What this does mean is that the fire button takes a slightly different technique. I’ve got relatively small hands, but even I found it hard to comfortable vape using my thumb on the fire button. Instead, using my thumb and second finger to hold the device allows me to comfortably use my first finger to trigger it.

Is it worth adapting? I’d definitely say yes, based on my experience. It’s a little strange that an AIO device at a low price point comes with only a Direct-to-Lung 0.35 ohm coil as standard (rated for 20-40W). But it works incredibly well for creating surprisingly large clouds from such a small device. I’ve tried a few different DTL devices borrowed from friends and in local shops, and in terms of vapour output, it definitely outperforms for the size of it.

Using 50/50 VG/PG juices I’m familiar with, like IVGs Pineappple Blast and Blackberg, it delivered a decent amount of flavour. Certainly for the type of device it is, the Pocketbox definitely worked well. The dual airflow holes are easily turned to reduce the amount of air and increase the flavour a bit if you like, but honestly I didn’t feel the need as I like things pretty airy anyway. Switching to 70/30 or 80/20 would have been more appropriate for DTL vaping, but I wanted to mainly compare to the MTL experience I’m used to. But I did also check the Pocketbox will handle the thicker 70/30 without issues.

Not necessarily the most subtle!

Charging is easy enough via your computer with the supplied USB cable for 1-2 hours. And it supports pass-through so you can vape at the same time. The internal battery is a 1200mAH for those interested. That generally lasts around 1.5-2 tanks of juice, with a bit of a drop in performance as the battery indicator turns to yellow and red. But you can’t really expect all day performance from something so small and discrete to carry around.

So far so good. Being a DTL kit, you will get through a tank of liquid relatively quickly. And refilling is simple, by just unscrewing the top, dropping your liquid in to the Max Fill line and doing the top back up.

Refilling is probably the biggest Achilles heel for the Innokin Pocketbox. It’s simple enough to do, but having a black max fill line on a dark background means it’s really easy to go over. And there’s not a lot of leeway before reinserting the coil inevitably causes liquid to leak around the top of the tank. Obviously if you go a lot over, that’s a lot of potentially wasted juice down the sides of the Pocketbox.

You get used to it over time, and learn to keep some tissue handy. But It’s much easier to keep overfilling than with other tank designs, and has happened to me far more than with other kits.

Sadly the Pocketbox only comes with the one DTL coil. So I can’t compare it to my MTL kits, beside a few puffs with the airholes almost closed. And it’s just about usable in that way, but it would have been good to have an MTL coil included, particularly as that’s often the style chosen by beginner vapers who smoked before switching. Which is exactly the sort of market the Innokin Pocketbox seems ideal for.

It’s also slightly harder to find replacement coils for the Pocketbox than for more establish tank set-ups. So you’ll probably need to order replacements online from somewhere like e-cigarette Direct, with a five pack costing you £9.99 – comparable to other vaping kits and coils.

Innokin Pocketbox Review – The Conclusion:

I’ve been really impressed by the Innokin Pocketbox, as this review probably shows. Having been tempted to switch to more Direct-to-Lung vaping, I wanted to be able to try it without investing lots of money. And it does that job perfectly. It’s simple, easy-to-use, and immediately went into daily rotation at home alongside my Aspire and Eleaf kits.

The build quality is also great for the price and I’ve had no problems with it besides overfilling. And that’s really the only flaw. You’re going to get through liquid pretty quickly, especially if you’re out and about. And refilling pretty much guarantees some spillage if you’re not in good light and very careful. So while it’s great to fit into a pocket, purse or handbag for a night out, you’re probably also going to need to pack a fair bit of kitchen roll. And you might not make it all the way through the night before needing a recharge.

Would I recommend the Innokin Pocketbox? Definitely if you’re mainly vaping at home, and you’re either looking to try Direct to Lung vaping as a new vaper or after using MTL for a while. And also as a back-up, spare or alternative to have when your main kit is out of action or with an alternate flavour. I’ve always run two kits with different flavours at the same time, which really helps minimise getting bored or having issues if there’s a problem with one of my kits. And for £25.99, the Innokin Pocketbox is great to have around to play with some DTL flavours.

Disclosure: The Innokin Pocketbox and 3 eliquid samples were supplied for review by e-cigarettes Direct. No payment or editorial input was supplied and our review is based entirely on our honest opinions of the product.

House of Feasts Restaurant Review

30th May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

When you think of gastronomic destinations, Peterborough might not be the first place that springs to mind. For a city of around 200,000 people, the choices have always been a little limited. But that’s changed over recent years with a number of new restaurants opening. One of the most notable has been House of Feasts, which began offering European and Polish rustic fine dining in June, 2017.

It’s actually located in Eye Green, which is a short 10 minute drive from the city centre. And noted chef Damian Wawrzyniak recently invited a group of bloggers and journalists to sample a new 12 course tasting menu to demonstrate why it’s definitely worth the journey.

House of Feasts Smalec & Sourdough Bread & Pickles

Damian has a comprehensive pedigree as a chef. He’s been voted a UK Top 10 Food Pioneer by BBC Good Food, appeared on the BBC Mary Berry Easter Feast programme, gained experience at the world-renowned NOMA, and was a Head Chef at the London 2012 Olympics. And he’s also recently become the first chef to be awarded the Polish Knights Cross, a prestigious award equivalent to an OBE in the UK. He also cooked for Prince William and Kate Middleton during a Royal visit to Poland, including the traditional Polish Smalec pictured above.

But despite his accolades, House of Feasts mixes tasting menus including the ‘Feast 5’ and ‘Feast 7’ with more affordable set menus and roasts from £18 per person for two courses, and outdoor events including hog roasts and barbecues. And the vast majority of ingredients come from nearby East Anglian suppliers, including Damian’s own garden on some occasions.

The House Of Feasts: ‘Feasts 12’

The menu for my visit actually consisted of 13 courses. And that certainly wasn’t unlucky as it allowed the dishes to cover a wide range of British and Polish influences. Obviously it was a considered selection, which encompassed a variety of meat, fish and vegetable delicacies in a way which allowed the meal to flow from one combination to the next.

And it started strong, with an Aged Beef Tartare, accompanied by a cured egg yolk and pickles. If House of Feasts occupies a light, airy and pleasant former pub location, the food delivered the impact you might be needing. The beef was perfect, and the dish was lifted by the sharpness of the pickles to be the perfect starter for me. In fact, I could have quite happily eaten 12 more portions and not tired of it.

House of Feasts Aged Beef Tartare

The tartare was followed by the Smalec, which is a traditional Polish pork lard spread. The House of Feasts interpretation is made from three cuts of British Pork with apple, herbs and in-house made pancetta. Plus a choice of Sourdough bread, charcoal bread, and pickles.

Charcoal then reappeared as a Tuile de Pan, alongside a beetroot puree and lemon pear to accompany another of the highlights of the Feast menu, which was a Cured Herring. I’ve tried various cured and pickled herring dishes in various trips to Europe, and this was certainly one of the best. Delicately balanced, moreish, and just delicious.

House of Feasts Cured Herring

Next up was the visually impressive Leek Tree in tempura, with a light cream and smoked cheese. Served on hot coals, it provided a break before the double act of Beetroot Cured Salmon, followed by a particularly nice Sea Bass with fermented asparagus and lovage leaves. If the salmon was another delicate fish dish with leek ash and star anise cured beetroot, the sea bass was perhaps even better.

It was time to move towards the meatier end of the menu, via a Potato Cottage Cheese and Ash dish with spinach and potato ash to lift what might have otherwise been a little too plain, even as a palate cleanser and respite. And with hindsight, it was a good break in the menu before we were served a deliver Short Rib of Beef with preserved elderberries and cured carrot, a wonderful Lamb with preserved nettles from Damian’s own garden and a lamb jus, and a Brined and Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Pickled Tindora. In the midst of this meat trio, there was an unusual vegetable dish with ‘All about Parsnip’ involving lemon preserved, honey cured, and pickled examples of a generally overlooked vegetable.

House of Feasts Short Rib of Beef

Just about the only criticisms of the entire meal came with a perhaps slightly underdone example in my trio of parsnips, and a pork belly which was perhaps a tiny bit over. Which meant both dishes were only good, rather than amazing. But when it’s up against the sublime Beef Tartare, Cured Herring, Sea Bass and the extremely tender and tasty Lamb, it’s hard to keep perspective about any dish which is good but not great.

Finally came the desserts and two more highs. First was a Faworki Mille Fuille. The combination of the French pastry slice with deep-fried Polish pastry worked brilliantly. It’s possible to order home-made sourdough bread for collection from the House of Feasts online shop, but I could quite happily order a box of the Faworki Mille Fuille and finished them before I finished the 10-minute drive home.

House of Feasts Faworki Mille Fuille

The final of the 13 courses was an aerated chocolate mousse which rounded everything off nicely. And it’s fair to say that after so many delicious plates of food, it was almost a struggle to finish the final spoonful. Although I probably could have been tempted by just one more plate of tartare or another mille fuille.

The House of Feasts Tasting Menus are available on selected dates, and start from £48 for a five dish selection accompanied with Amuse Bouche. Normally, you can choose from the A’La Carte Menu from Wednesday to Saturday, and the Sunday Roast, along with the special events offering a more set menu at a lower price. It’s certainly something I’d recommend as a treat for anyone with an interest in amazing food and casual fine dining. Damian has also opened a similarly modern Polish-influenced restaurant named Jan in Clapham, London, so it’s proof that you don’t need to travel to the capital from Peterborough any more to experience extremely high quality food from an accomplished and renowned chef. You don’t even need to drive down to Cambridge. Instead you just need to take a trip out to Eye Green. And if you’re not from the area, it’s more than worth making a detour and a stop-over for.

House of Feasts is located at 41 Crowland Road, Eye Green, Peterborough, PE6 7TP. Find out more and make a reservation, book a wedding or BBQ, or purchase from the shop on the House of Feasts website.

Disclosure: The above meal and drinks were provided to us for the purposes of unbiased and independent coverage.

New Sonic Trainers From Puma And Sega Miss The Mark

22nd May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Remember a time before gaming became cool? When merchandise and tie-ins generally resulted in products that were a little bit naff at best? We hate to be unkind, but these new Sonic trainers from Puma and Sega have taken us back to the 1990s. But not in a good way.

There are two designs available globally from June 5th, 2018, based around the iconic duo of Sonic the Hedgehog and his nemesis Dr Eggman. The PUMA x SEGA RS-0 Sonics are inspired by the Green Hill Zone with the green and yellow accents. You also get details like the familiar gold rings. But the main blue suede is textured to resemble fur.

What sounds like a cool idea ends up looking like your mum threw your new sneakers in the washing machine. And you couldn’t find a lint roller afterwards. I don’t blame anyone for thinking it might be a cool idea to try, but surely there must have been a pre-production model that demonstrated it just doesn’t work? It looks like someone took a promo pair of trainers from 1991 and stuffed them in a dusty attic for 27 years.

The only explanation is that Sonic runs so fast and generates so much static that he attracts dust and fluff wherever he goes?

The details inside the new Sonic trainers from Puma and Sega are about the only redeeming feature. Why have gold rings in the inner sides of the shoes, but not use them for actual lace holes, for example? And I’m still struggling to get past the fur effect.

But there’s more.

Now we have the PUMA x SEGA RS-0 Dr. Eggmans. And at least they’re not furry. But if you watched gaming TV shows or read videogames magazines back in the day, you might remember when clueless celebrities would be wheeled in to try and play a game whilst promoting their latest products. These shoes just make me think of Ginger Spice or a similar pop star making a hamfisted attempt at a Sonic speedrun.

Again, the character image and insole look OK. But the yellow and black striped accents on red? I’m not a designer, but why? They could have gone with red and black, and a giant bushy moustache instead.

I can’t image why anyone might want the new Sonic trainers from Puma and Sega. But if you do, they’ll be on sale from June 5th, 2018, and will cost you $130. And your dignity, obviously.

New Ducati Glasses Throw Some Motorcycling Shade

18th May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

We don’t always get around to covering the latest fashion news. For something to register with us, it tends to have to be fairly cool. And closely related to something we’re passionate about. Like motorcycling for example. And these new Ducati Glasses demonstrate that nicely. And the Italian firm is regular mentioned as one of the coolest brands around.

They’ve been produced with eyewear firm Mondottica. And as well as working under a motorcycle crash helmet, they also have an innovative elastic hinge with a more forceful screw. And that means even if you have a screw loose, the glasses should stay stable and comfortable.

Obviously the styles include something sporty, including a pair designed by professional Ducati MotoGP racer Andrea Dovizioso. And some more vintage, Ray-Ban, type styles. There are different colours available in acetate or metal. And you can buy the new Ducati glasses though normal opticians/high street eyewear retailers and also selected Ducati stores.

H/T to our sister title Rescogs where you can see a bit more info on the new Ducati Glasses ranges.

Stream-powered System Mines Bitcoins for Ocean Research

20th April 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

New technology always comes with some kinks and downsides to iron out. And cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are no exception to that rule. So it’s nice to see some of the positives being highlighted. Like when this stream-powered system mines Bitcoins for ocean research.

The “Ocean Miner” project was set up by FF Los Angeles to raise funds and awareness for the Tara Expéditions Foundation. The foundation has spent the last 15 years studying oceans to help preserve it from climate change. But apparently it’s always difficult to raise funds for environmental charities, which apparently get less than 3% of all charitable donations. So why not see if some cash can be made from the sea itself?

So the system itself is pretty simple. A new hydraulic turbine was installed in the Gulf of Morbihan, which is in Brittany, France. The marine tides and streams are at their strongest there, so the action of the oceans drives the turbine. That’s converted into electrical energy.

The energy generated is used to power a computer, which is set-up to mine Bitcoin. Mining a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin means following a computer process which generates a registered operation in a public register of transactions, in what’s known as the Blockchain. And each operation results in an amount of Bitcoin being assigned to the owner of the computer, which can then be used to fund ocean research. In this case, the Bitcoin was then exchanged into Euros, presumably because they’re still a little easier to spend widely compared to cryptocurrency.

So the turbine creates electricity. Which powers the computer. And the computer generates money all by itself over time.

The system was in place for one month. So how much did ‘Ocean Miner’ make? Well, the information from FF Los Angeles doesn’t say whether the computer was donated or the cost was subtracted from the amount generated. Or whether the mirrored weather protection, which also meant the Brittany coast didn’t just have a computer plonked on it, was factored into the amount raised. But it did allow the Tara Foundation to collected nearly 0.0015414 BTC per day. Which meant around 200 Euros raised over the month.

OK, so not enough to fun the charity for a long time. But that wasn’t really the point.

“This system certainly won’t cover the needs of the scientific research, it is only a drop in the ocean: a minimal symbolic contribution made to the expeditions led by Tara. It is, however, a powerful way of recalling that only the mobilization of everyone together will make it possible to fund the research to study, understand and to better protect the Ocean in the future,” explained Romain Troublé, Managing Director of the Tara Expeditions Foundation.

So don’t expect charities to all switch to stream-powered Bitcoin mining for funding. But given that the electrical power required to mine cryptocurrencies on a large scale is a real and big concern. And that the costs of the project would obviously decline over time, maybe there’s something in generating cryptocurrency from renewables in a way that could actually started to produce real money. After all, we’re becoming more and more accustomed to wind farms and solar panels. And 5-10 stream-powered Bitcoin mining set-ups would be approaching a living wage of potentially 1000-2000 Euros per month. Which would be significant for any individual or small charity.

New PlayStation-Themed Nike PG-2 Trainers Look Amazing

22nd January 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

How cool are the new PlayStation-themed Nike PG-2 trainers? They’ve been created with basketball star Paul George and designed by Tony Hardman, working in conjunction with both Nike and PlayStation. It’s the second sneaker from George and Hardman, hence the PG-2 name. But the inspiration comes from the PlayStation 4 and DualShock 4 controllers.

Paul George is a small forward for Oklahoma City Thunder, and apparently he’s been a Sony fan since getting a PlayStation 2 as a child. So there are plenty of console elements in the shoes, including light-up logos in the tongue of each shoe operated when you press theme, and which illuminate and pulsate like a PlayStation 4 start-up. Battery-powered, they’ll last about 150 hours.

Other details you might spot include the circle, x, square and triangle controller button symbols embossed into the leather of the shoe, and the colour-coded eyelets. Completing the crossover is a barcode on the back of one of the shoes which can be scanned to put an exclusive Paul George theme onto your PlayStation 4.

The Nike PG-2 Paul George PlayStation-themed sneakers are due out on February 10th, 2018, and they’re not ridiculously expensive at $110. But they’re likely to be popular and sell out, so you’ll need to either get in early or be prepared to pay a premium.

My Disposable 2017 – highlights from the year

30th December 2017 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

When I published my 2016 retrospective in late December of last year, I decided to cherry-pick a few key highs and lows of the year rather than listing out hundreds of different things. It’s a format that I was quite happy with, and considering how picky I have been this year there’s no harm in doing the same here. What follows, then, is my Disposable 2017 – a quick rundown of everything that I enjoyed this year. A lot of the highlights will be familiar if you’ve checked out previous reviews on this site, but it’s worth remembering what made the year so special. For me, at least…

RPG sequels in my Disposable 2017

Let’s start with the games. 2016 could have been the most exciting year in gaming for me; a repeat of 2009 that saw a new mainline Street Fighter title and a new mainline Persona game released in the same twelve-month period. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be, but Persona 5 was still worth the wait even if it didn’t surpass the standards set by its predecessor. Yes, some one-off dungeon gimmicks outstay their welcome; yes, people might prefer 4’s intimate mystery to 5’s sprawling epic; yes, there are repeated character archetypes… (Not to mention the unshakeable feeling that P4 had more main characters that were instantly likeable.) However, it still plugs a nice 90-100hr slot for anyone with time on their hands. And on a more positive note: the presentation is better than ever, the sprawl of Shibuya is the liveliest location yet with lots of discoveries and distractions, and the battle system tweaks are welcome. I never really got to talk a lot about my admiration for the Persona series during Disposable Media’s break and subsequent relaunch, but I was simultaneously nervous and excited about the release of 5 – yes, it’s got to live up to one of my all-time favourite RPGs… but if it ends up improving on the formula it would be a phenomenal experience. In the end it fell short of my expectations, but I’ll still hold out for a bunch of spin-off announcements and maybe even get around to importing The Day Breakers.

Thinking about it, the most fun I had with a game in my Disposable 2017 was probably with Nier Automata. The original Nier was a niche action RPG that had an engrossing, twisting storyline, wonderfully memorable settlements, unique bullet-hell magic combat, a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, superb camera tricks and an unfortunate amount of rough edges and jank. With Platinum Games at the helm of Nier Automata, fans were hopeful that the gameplay could be tightened and – provided that the RPG roots were respected – this could be a surprise classic. In the end, Platinum followed the format of the original more faithfully than I ever expected. Seamless shifts from 2D to 3D are everywhere, sidequests, levelling and customisation are all present and correct and multiple playthroughs are surprising and rewarding. At a time where Scalebound was getting cancelled and TMNT looked ropey, I can’t pretend that I didn’t have my doubts for a moment, but Automata more than makes up for those moments of uncertainty. And yes, I know that some Platinum fans were new to Nier and got burned when they realised that it wasn’t a pure character action game, but I don’t think it’s fair to criticise the game because of this. If that were the case, we may as well start criticising Dropmix for not demanding beat-perfect button presses, or slam Dissidia for its lack of turn-based combat. Developers are allowed to do different things, and you can’t criticise a game because you didn’t know its genre.

Top tracks of my Disposable 2017

Whilst away from the joypad I’ve enjoyed a lot of great music during my Disposable 2017 – The Upbeats released two superb new EPs with De-Evolution Part III in March and Punks in November, not to mention the remix collection Re-Evolution. All of these have numerous tracks worth recommending, and have provided me with a bunch of new favourites. Playlists were made and re-made, tracks were added and removed all of the time, standouts were picked and re-picked, but in general The Upbeats’ output this year has been remarkable. Elsewhere, Major Lazer’s Know No Better EP had an annoyingly catchy opening track with some fun extra tunes (including one of the most misleading build-ups in Jump) and a few notables on the remix collection that was released later in the year – meanwhile, Shobaleader One returned with a set of covers that are much more immediately likeable than d’Demonstrator’s offering, ditching the vocoder in favour of revitalised classic instrumental jams. (Going from work to the high street to pick up Electrak and Nier Automata was a particularly fun Friday afternoon.)

Even though a variety of artists released a lot of good material over the course of the year, my most played tunes of my Disposable 2017 probably come from The Upbeats; despite the fact that there are a few tracks on De-Evolution Part III and Punks that aren’t all that memorable, I’m still not bored of the standouts. The Upbeats have proven that they can handle slow tunes, fast beats, aggressive tones and more restrained vibes, and it’s this diversity that keeps me coming back. The title track of Punks is quick and catchy, but Oddity has slow beats and fun wobbly sounds; meanwhile, Veiled is a haunting and moody piece from De-Evolution III which is contrasted by the relentless title track.

My Disposable 2017 – a solid year

I can’t say that any of these highlights are my New Favourite Thing Ever – Nier Automata has its flaws, P5 isn’t as good as P4, older Upbeats and Major Lazer releases probably have more standout tracks than the latest ones – but they represent a small part of what has been a fine year. As for the future? The Prodigy have already announced a new album for “early next year”, we should finally see the releases of Dissidia and Dragonball FighterZ and there will surely be some surprises along the way. As always, let us know what you’ve enjoyed this year and what you look forward to in the next twelve months.

Random battle: the impact of loot boxes in gaming

12th October 2017 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

You’d buy a game, and you’d make the most of the gameplay options available – powerful guns, fast cars, special moves – in order to progress to a satisfying conclusion. Whether you were working through a solo campaign or helping a team in an online shooter, everything you’d need would already be on the disc, but loot boxes in gaming seem to be a growing trend. Whilst downloadable content already offered exclusive gameplay perks to players – new weapons found in Bloodborne’s DLC, for instance – those gameplay perks existed in the DLC as guaranteed drops that became available after fixed conditions laid out in the DLC had been met. Loot boxes in gaming, however, offer a random reward – and if you’re not happy with what you’ve got, you’d better pay up for more boxes.

Loot boxes in gaming: the gamble

It’s easy to see why gaming communities around the internet are finding the nature of loot box gambling pretty gross. Admittedly, not all loot boxes in gaming offer gameplay perks to players – for instance, the likes of Overwatch restrict loot box content to purely cosmetic items such as a new tag or a unique emote that you can use. You’re hardly going to be too upset if someone performs a goofy taunt after they’ve just eliminated you, but the practice gets less palatable when loot box rewards extend beyond cosmetics. You only need to look at the model used in the Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta – where upgrades for a character can either be earned through a conventional gameplay-based grind or through loot box gambling – to see how they can cause disruption in a game’s community. Maybe opening up loot boxes can be acceptable when you’re playing a free-to-play game and it needs to be supported in some way, but rolling the dice on gameplay bonuses after already spending £40 on a disc can leave a bad aftertaste. And what about the press – especially the reviewers who need to go out and buy a game and don’t receive a special copy with everything unlocked? Should reviews cater to the person who expects to enjoy themselves with the free content that’s on the disc, or the person who shells out for 50 loot boxes whenever they have the opportunity to do so?

Loot boxes in gaming: what next?

Loot boxes in gaming are exciting and rewarding when done well, but toxic and offputting when abused. I can’t speak for the whole of Disposable Media, but whilst I’m not about to crusade against loot boxes throughout this site, I think it would be worse if people said nothing in response to this trend. The entertainment community Rllmukforum largely stands against the more questionable practices used to get players to shell out for loot boxes, and a few helpful forum members have linked to a petition calling for amended gambling laws that address the addictive nature of loot boxes in video games.

The petition is a start, but maybe we just need greater awareness outside of the law as well – people need to be educated when their kids want an account to be credited with funds that will be spent on a glorified slot machine. There are those who have said that loot box dice rolling is different from conventional gambling because you’re guaranteed to get something out of it, but this argument becomes ridiculous when you consider that any loot box addict will eventually come across duplicates of things that they already own. When that starts happening, loot boxes have as much value as your fruit machine spins – maybe you’ll get something decent, but it might not be after several bad results. And if loot boxes endorse this behaviour, nobody will come out of it looking good.

Update: on October 26th there was a government response to the petition I mentioned a couple of paragraphs up. It’s too wordy to quote in its entirety, but their argument claimed that the activities associated with loot boxes only constituted gambling if the loot box rewards could be exchanged for “money or money’s worth” – it seems like the man doesn’t see the dice-rolls of unknown loot box unlocks as a problem as long as the items can’t be traded. As always, feel free to share your thoughts on loot boxes (or your thoughts on this response) in the comments below.

Cool New Nendoroid Overwatch Mercy Classic Skin Figure

14th August 2017 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Did someone call a doctor? This cool new Nendoroid Overwatch Mercy Classic Skin figure looks awesome. Whether you’re a Mercy main, or want to make sure you always have a healer or your team, it’ll look great next to your PC or console.

It’s the third Nendoroid Overwatch figure, following on from previous Tracer and Mei statues. Like them, it’s pre-painted in ABS and PVC and stands around 100mm tall. Mercy comes fully articulated, including movable wings, so you can pose her however you like. Or removed the wings completely if you want to emulate some of the Overwatch emote and victory poses.

Swiss medic Angela Ziegler is a popular character, even if her ability to resurrect whole teams has been reduced recently. The combination of her healing and damage boosting Caduceus Staff, her Resurrect ultimate ability and pulling off occasional kills with her Caduceus Blaster, she can make the difference between a team winning or losing.

The Nendoroid Overwatch Mercy Classic Skin figure comes with her gun, plus the staff has internchangeable parts, so you can switch between a closed and open tip. You can also add effect parts to let her appear to be healing other characters from the Nendoroid range.

The status isn’t self-supporting, so you’ll need to use the supplied stand to display Mercy in whatever pose or position you require.

About the only slight thing we’d question about this stylized interpretation is that the two struts which support her halo are a zigzag design in game, as opposed to the straighter versions on the figurine. But given the size and complexity of model-making, it’s forgiveable and easy to live with.

Nendoroid figures are generally only available in Japan. Fortunately you can pre-order the Nendoroid Overwatch Mercy Classic Skin figure in other countries via retails including Play Asia. It will cost you £30.99 or $39.99, and you’ll need to have placed your order by August 19th, 2017 for an expected January 31st, 2018 shipment date.

Now say it with me “Heroes never die!”

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Play Expo Blackpool 2017 Takes Place This Weekend

12th July 2017 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Looking for something to do on Saturday or Sunday? Play Expo Blackpool 2017 takes place this weekend, July 15-16, with a range of wide gaming and related entertainment. It’s the sixth year that Replay Events have put on the weekend, and it takes place at the Norcalympia Exhibition Centre from 11am each day (you can get in at 10am by buying a ticket in advance via the site).

So what is there to do at Play Expo Blackpool 2017? Sounds like quite a bit. Including a panel with System 3, responsible for games including The Last Ninja, International Karate, Myth and more, which will see founder Mark Cale and several of the developers talk about their history and take part in a Q&A.

Also appearing will be Big Boy Barry (Alex Verrey) from 1990s TV show Games World, former Ocean Software Director Gary Bracey (Saturday), and also a ZX Spectrum Next talk and demo from Jim Bagley. Plus Pacman World Record holder Jon Stoodley attemping to play throughout the weekend and set a new record on the 20th Anniversary arcade machine.

Indie games will be well represented with various playable titles. Plus studios and games already confirmed to appear including; 1st Impact Games – All Contact Lost, Asobi.Tech – MaoMao Castle, Huey Games – Hyper Sentinel, JForth Designs – Medieval Steve, Moon Storm Studios – Shadow of the Beast, Sinister Soft – Sinister Soccer and Sound Cakes – Space Toads Mayhem.

There should be plenty for retro fans, with 20% more space for vintage gaming. Which means 150+ consoles, handhelds and computers including single and multiplayer classics, and 80 arcade cabinets in action will include sit-down Outrun and Afterburner cabinets. And a selection of retro pinball tables.

Modern, next gen gaming attractions include Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Halo Wars 2, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, WipEout Omega Collection, Yooka Laylee and indie titles including Rime and Snake Pass. Plus a selection of virtual reality titles on the PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Microsoft Hololens.

More gaming attractions include a LAN arena, a rhythm game area including classics like Parappa the Rapper and Taiko Drum Master, and a green screen for photo shoots within some of your favourite classic games.

Aside from videogame action, there will also be trading card game tournaments running on Pokemon, Final fantasy, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi_oh, a selection of tabletop titles being demoed by Esdevium Games, a Cosplay Masquerade on both days with prizes for the best costumes, and some interactive puzzles to win a free session at Escape Room Centre in Blackpool.

Oh, and Play Expo Blackpool 2017 also has a shopping hall for you to blow your savings on retro gaming goodness. And probably loads more we’ve not mentioned.

If you do make it along, we’d love to know how your trip went, so do send us a report, photos or videos.