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Katana Zero – first impressions

19th April 2019 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

Okay, sure, 2019 has already given us plenty of great games, and at the end of 2018 I already knew most of the titles I was looking forward to, but Katana Zero – a game originally planned for release in 2015 – surprised me with its release this month. I had been following the game for a while and I tried not to obsess over news and information as much as I’ve done with other unreleased stuff, so maybe it kind of crept up on me. In any case it was absolutely worth the wait.

Katana Zero – slo-mo assassination

Katana Zero

Katana Zero is a 2D (side-on) action game where you play a blade-wielding assassin accepting jobs to take out targets and possibly getting wrapped up in bigger things along the way (but Disposable Media doesn’t want to say too much about that…) Like Hotline Miami, progress is made by eliminating every enemy in an area before being allowed to move on, and most things die in one hit – including your character. However, there’s a lot that makes Katana Zero unique – you’ll be facing gun-wielding goons, turrets and other ballistic hazards, but aside from some throwable items you’ll have to take them on with your blade. This means slowing down time to dodge or deflect bullets, rolling through hazards, and working around the environment so that you can ambush a group of enemies rather than bursting in through the front door. At times it can feel cruel, frustrating, and impossible, but you’ll end up persisting.

Bullet ballet

Katana Zero

One reason for this persistence comes from the fact that the pacing is judged well – you rarely feel like you go for too long without finding a new room and another checkpoint – however, the best payoff comes from the replays. You’ll use the recharging slow-motion feature a lot to get through environments, but the game is portrayed through a grainy VHS filter, and every time you clear a room you have the option to see a real-time replay of your actions. Viewing these sequences stripped of the godlike slo-mo is the ultimate bullet ballet, as projectiles fly around the screen and the character is never touched. If you ever watched Zhu Zhiqiang’s stick-figure animation series “Xiao Xiao“, Katana Zero is the closest I think a game has got to giving those kind of combat sequences a playable equivalent (er, not counting the playable games Zhu’s made, of course.) It’s that feeling of witnessing the classic one-man-against-all-odds battle, but you’re playing and controlling it, and there are enough items and paths in the levels for a player to improvise and come up with their own solutions.

Katana Zero – tough but fair

Katana Zero

The difficulty does ramp up in time – a later chapter named “Bunker” makes it very hard to manoeuvre safely, and checkpoints in the chapter are spaced quite far apart – but you rarely feel like there’s anything that brings progress to a halt for good. Towards the end of the game things get a little more strategic; you’ll be tasked with not wasting the slow-motion ability, and even though each sequence is against the clock you barely take notice until those later (larger) areas demand that you work quickly. This leads to a tightrope-walk between shaving seconds from your run and avoiding rushed decisions that lead to your demise. I believe there are more things for me to discover and more dialogue branches to try, but after this initial playthrough I had to offer some early thoughts. If you’re a fan of 2D action and cinematic stylings, and you’re willing to stick with a game’s more challenging sequences, Katana Zero is definitely worth your time.

Katana Zero is out now on PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch

Filed Under: Games, Reviews Tagged With: askiisoft, games, katana zero

Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review

15th April 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Named after the variety of orange used as main ingredient, Jaffa Cakes have been a best seller since they were first introduced in 1927. And aside from the eternal and slightly frustrating cake or biscuit debate settled in court in a VAT tribunal in 1991 (they’re legally cakes), they remain a fine snack product. But can other flavours work? Find out with our McVitie Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes review.

I don’t blame McVitie for trying new flavours with the ‘Limited Edition’ tag. After all, it’s worked brilliantly for brands like Oreo. It gives the marketing department something to work with, and even if just 1 in 5 current customers try out the new range, it gives a nice lift in sales for a while.

Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review
The Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes

And it must do something good for Jaffa Cakes, because this isn’t the first appearance of the Limited Edition Strawberry version. In fact, it first appeared back in 2009. But if you haven’t experienced them yet, you can pick them up from most supermarkets, including Tesco. They cost £1 for a pack of 10 light sponge cakes.

Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review

Ripping open the box and plastic packaging reveals the Limited Edition versions are basically identical to the standard Jaffa Cake. Although they have what appears to be slightly darker chocolate with possibly more cocoa, you’d struggle to pick them out of a line-up.

Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review - Box
Plain and standard packagining, with the small Limited Edition tag in the corner

It’s only if you peer inside that you can spot the red strawberry jam filling. So no bonus points on the plate. But how do they taste?

All three family members and reviews agree for once. The taste of strawberry just isn’t strong enough to make a difference.

Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review - In Half
Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes – just not enough strawberry…

The strawberry jam jelly is fine, and tastes stronger if you pick it out of the sponge cake and chocolate. So it seems that McVitie might have upped the cocoa flavour to avoid the Jaffa Cakes becoming too sweet. But the result is that the Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes are inoffensively bland.

Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review - Dissected
There’s strawberry in there – you just can’t really see or taste it without taking the Jaffa Cakes apart!

Considering they’ve been around for a decade now, it seems strange that the strawberry flavour isn’t allowed to be stronger. After all, it’s the tang of orange that makes a normal Jaffa Cake so good, and McVitie’s also produce Lemon and Lime versions. Especially when the company never trademarked the actual Jaffa Cake name, so there are plenty of cheaper store brand alternatives – stronger flavours would demonstrate a premium brand. And limited editions are all about standing out.

So to conclude our Limited Edition Strawberry Jaffa Cakes review, they’re perfectly acceptable and inoffensive. But you’re basically better off sticking to the standard orange versions we all know and love.

Filed Under: Life, Reviews Tagged With: Biscuits, Cakes, Jaffa Cakes, Limited Edition Jaffa Cakes

Chemical Brothers – No Geography review

12th April 2019 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

As much as I tell myself that my musical tastes have drifted away from the kind of music produced by The Chemical Brothers, I can’t deny that Born In The Echoes was a great release and brought me back into the loop again, and so I was looking forward to getting hold of their new release, No Geography. Back in November of last year we received news that a new album was happening, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since – the duo have eased the wait a little by revealing the likes of Free Yourself, MAH, Got to Keep On, and We’ve Got To Try… but it still feels like it’s been a long wait (not helped by an online store originally giving a release estimate of “01 January 2020” – thanks for that.) Happily, the wait has been entirely worthwhile; No Geography is packed with great melodies and bumping rhythms that dispel any doubts I had about “outgrowing” the Chemical Brothers.

Opening grooves

Eve of Destruction introduces No Geography with some bumping house style beats, moody robotic voices, escalating effects and a drop into an insanely smooth bassline. Some of the other vocal bits work less well than others, but the jazzy backing keeps your head nodding and it’s a strong opener. Maybe it’s a bit too simplistic to have lasting appeal, but as a first impression it’s pretty good, and it leads into the next track pretty well. In fact, EoD and Bango complement each other very well; both showcasing a simple but effective rhythm and structure with some memorable vocal interludes.

No Geography – safe but daring

No Geography

Elsewhere, No Geography is everything you’d hope from a title track – a luxurious build-up with a few vocal samples and beeps that set the mood before everything is pared back so that the haunting effects can work their magic on top of a wonderfully rich beat. In fact, I kind of wish it had a bit more of an extended runtime – just when you start getting into the groove it drops things back to mimic the intro’s atmosphere, before ending the song. Following No Geography is Got To Keep On, but I already covered this elsewhere on the site – I still think it’s a bit too “safe” to make a lasting impression, but generally it’s pretty inoffensive stuff. On the other hand, Gravity Drops is at completely at the other end of the scale – daring and mysterious whilst still having some great hooks. It’s not something that will fill a dancefloor but I get the feeling that it will stay with the listener for a while – the long, drawn-out effects, pretty beeps and deliberately slow beats working together in a hypnotic manner.

No Geography – dreamy and powerful

No Geography

The Universe Sent Me tries to maintain this dreamy vibe with some gorgeous vocals from Aurora that lull the listener into a false sense of security before the effects slowly build up around the vocal. After the chilled atmosphere of Gravity Drops, the escalation of TUSM almost catches the listener off-guard… but the ambush is more than welcome. Things wind down back into safer territory after this back-to-back brilliance; the tail-end of the album has most of the tracks that fans will already be familiar with; We’ve Got To Try has a fairly simple structure but some great strings, Free Yourself still has bizarre laser sounds drowning out a catchy floor-filler and MAH has a banging rhythm but some slight repetition in places. The album is closed with Catch Me I’m Falling, a slow but powerful track brought to life by the vocals.

No Geography – essential

So there it is – the album has catchy funky bits, formulaic samey bits and some surprisingly relaxing moments near the end. I can definitely see myself adding EoD and Bango to my daytime playlist whilst I’m out, and then winding down in the evening to Gravity Drops or No Geography. It’s a shame that the album doesn’t strike gold all of the time – I still think I’d find it hard to think of a single track from Come With Us that isn’t needed – but there’s more than enough in here to keep old and new fans happy.

Filed Under: Music, Reviews Tagged With: chemical bros, music, no geography, the chemical brothers

Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits Review

8th April 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t enjoy a good biscuit? Lots of people, judging by the success of the Oreo cookie in America, and more recently in the UK. The standard version isn’t terrible, but I can’t understand what would make you choose it over a custard cream or bourbon – unless you’re combining it with ice cream. But will my opinion change with our Oreo Happy Birthday biscuits review?

Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits
Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits

The Oreo is the bestselling cookie in the U.S, having been introduced in 1921. The creme-filled creation was originally known as the Oreo Biscuit, and only became the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie in the 1970s.

Over the years, Nabisco has created a range of special and limited edition Oreos, including the Birthday Cake Oreo in 2012. They came with birthday cake flavoured creme and sprinkles inside. And on one cookie there was a brithday candle with the words ‘Oreo 100’. And now they’re back, without the special lettering.

But with the Oreo cookie range on sale for half price at Tesco at the moment, would a birthday biscuit convert me, and make the existing Oreo fans in the house happy?

Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits Review

The standard Oreo Happy Birthday biscuits come in a pack of 14, with a ‘double stuf’ amount of filling. It’s a caramel flavoured creme (29%) with sprinkles (0.14%).

Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits Close Up
Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits Close Up

The chocolate outer biscuits of the standard Oreo are as you’d expect. And having more creme inside is always a good thing. So we’re off to a good start.

But I have two problems with the Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits.

The first is the choice of caramel filling. If you’re a fan of caramel, then it’s a decent flavour and comes through reasonably well. But what’s the link with birthdays? I’ve lived in the UK and America, and had birthdays in both – and I’ve never had a birthday memory associated with caramel.

Could it be because there are other biscuits in the Oreo range with caramel in? And it’s a way to re-use the same filling?

The second problem is probably the cause of my cynical outlook. If I’m celebrating a birthday, I expect a multitude of sprinkles. Not 0.14% of the total amount.

The picture above tells the story. There are hardly any sprinkles, and certainly not enough to taste or notice when you’re eating one of the Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits. You wouldn’t even know they were meant to be there without reading the packaging.

It’s the sprinkle equivalent of having a birthday party for 20 children, and then having them share one birthday hat.

If you’re just looking for some caramel-filled Oreos, then the taste and flavour is actually pretty reasonable. Our resident Oreo fan thought they were alright, and they were a hit with our caramel-loving reviewer.

But if you’re looking for something to celebrate, then the verdict of our Oreo Happy Birthday Biscuits review is that you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. And they’ve confirmed my view that the only good Oreo is one that’s either surrounding or buried in ice cream.

Filed Under: Life, Reviews Tagged With: Biscuits, Cookies, Oreo Birthday Party Biscuits, Oreos

Mr. Oizo – Rythme Plat review

27th March 2019 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

The music of Quentin “Mr. Oizo” Dupieux has gone from strength to strength throughout the ’10s (is that what we call this decade?), with The Church and All Wet providing some wonderfully varied and catchy tunes that quickly found a permanent residence in my MP3 library. This year there had been plenty of teases in social media for the latest EP, Rythme Plat, and the four-track collection was finally released for streaming, download or vinyl purchase last week. I was kind of caught up taking in various news and releases over the past few days and I didn’t really get a chance to write about Rythme Plat as soon as I would have liked, but I feel like it’s worth sharing my thoughts on it now that I’ve had time to give it more attention. The selection of tracks can be enjoyed in less than ten minutes, but it’s hard not to appreciate the catchy hooks and hypnotic beats that Mr. Oizo can deliver so reliably.

Rythme Plat – a safe opening

The opening track, Rythme Plat, begins as a confusing array of sounds – a woodblock beat in a bossa nova-style rhythm contends with something approaching an air-raid siren as a vocal repeats the title of the song – but eventually it settles into a slick groove and it’s hard to avoid nodding your head to the hypnotic rhythm, simplistic as it may be. There are no massive upsets to the format of this opening track, only a few elements being dropped in and brought back, but that’s perhaps for the best. This vibe of slow and catchy grooves is continued through to the second track of Rythme Plat; “Viandes Légumes Véhicules”. That name translates as “Meat Vegetables Vehicles” (according to the internet; my French probably isn’t what it used to be) and once again is vocally repeated throughout the track. It’s accompanied by a slow, simple beat, but this unassuming start allows Mr. Oizo to slowly bring more effects into the track as it continues. Some might argue that Viandes Légumes Véhicules is a bit too pared down and that it needed a few more minutes to really expand beyond that basic melodic structure, but I think the length works in the track’s favour, bringing things to a close before they get too repetitive.

Rythme Plat

…and a late surprise

If the first two tracks gave listeners the impression that this was going to be an EP full of slow tempos and samey hooks, the latter two tracks defy that notion and are a little more creative. Dolce Vita sees Phra join in for vocal duties, with some interesting lyrical work being draped over an easy-going backing hook and a fantastic (if subtle) bassline. Admittedly, listeners may need the help of a translator to get the full effect of the lyrics, but the individual elements complement each other really well. This is the last time Rythme Plat threatens to be slow and safe, however; Nuque is the last track on the EP and is probably my favourite of the four. With a more upbeat tempo, this track is given ample opportunity to change and evolve more frequently over its duration, and it’s much better for it. Then again, even if I prefer the mood of the latter two tracks, the whole EP is varied enough to please all Mr. Oizo fans. (On a more personal note, Discogs suggests that it’s currently only available on vinyl and digital – as a fan of CDs (at the time of writing) I kind of would have liked another shiny disc for my collection, but it’s no big deal.) I’m sure lots of people will have their own favourites from the EP, so go and take a listen today.

Rythme Plat is out now on vinyl and digital formats

Filed Under: Music, Reviews Tagged With: Mr. Oizo, music, review, Rythme Plat

Got To Keep On released by The Chemical Brothers

1st February 2019 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

Got To Keep On is the next big release from The Chemical Brothers, and another track that will feature on their 2020 album “No Geography”. Their last studio album release was 2015’s “Born In The Echoes”, and Disposable Media welcomes any news of new albums or singles. Before the release of “Got To Keep On”, we had already been treated to two other tracks from the forthcoming album; Free Yourself, and MAH. Free Yourself never truly endeared itself to me – it sounded a little repetitive at times and the onslaught of phaser blaster effects after just over a minute of intro… well, let’s just say that they seemed like they were on the wrong side of the line that separates “daring and bold” from “random and out-of-place”. MAH originally came across as standard Chemical Brothers fodder, but repeat listens have converted me and I think it’s probably the best of the three tracks revealed so far. Anyone who follows the Chemical Brothers on social media was given a sneak preview of Got To Keep On a few days before the full track was revealed, and it appeared to be a slower number, but one with plenty of charm and elements of funk and pop throughout. A few more previews – short snippets around 15 or 16 seconds long – were later released, and each one made me keener to check out the whole thing.

Got To Keep On – that classic feel

This morning I hurriedly opened up social media to see if Got To Keep On was available to stream or download yet, and since then I’ve been enjoying repeat listens of the track, and thinking about how it compares to the other tracks we’ve heard so far. It’s a very upbeat tune, and the funky effects and chants of “gotta keep on” give it a kind of retro disco vibe. As you continue to listen, the track only reveals more character and more layers – there’s the catchy guitar twanging that creeps in, a slow drum build-up that leads into the quieter breakdown around the halfway point, a more aggressive build-up into harsh noise… and then the sudden drop back into funky sounds and melodic bells. For all of the shifting tone and mood, however, it still feels like a classic Chemical Brothers track… and maybe that’s the most important thing.

Got To Keep On – funky but safe

Obviously these are all still very early impressions, and it will be a long time before I find out if this turns out to be one of the standout tracks from No Geography (rest assured we’ll have plenty to cover between then and now). Right now, in terms of quality, I place it somewhere in the middle of the three tracks we’ve heard so far. I think it’s a very “safe” track that’s easy to listen to without going too crazy too often; the funky feel works more successfully than Free Yourself’s minimalism, but MAH has a little more energy than Got To Keep On. Too often when I play a new Chemical Brothers album, I find that the sensible catchy tracks are the first ones I come back to when I’ve done a first listen of the whole album… but they’re also much less memorable than more varied tracks. It’s the difference between Star Guitar and Denmark – one’s full of lush, rich sounds and catchy beats; the other has more variety and goes to more places. I feel like this could also be the difference between Got To Keep On (sensible and catchy) and MAH (more varied) – but again, these are only day one impressions, and my thoughts on the tracks will assuredly change a lot between now and the release of the full album. As always, let us know if you’ve been listening to the new tracks, and if you have a current favourite from the ones that have been revealed.

Got To Keep On

Listen to Got To Keep On with Spotify here.

Filed Under: Music, Reviews Tagged With: chemical bros, chemical brothers, music, the chemical brothers

Tetris Effect: first impressions

9th November 2018 By Qazimod 1 Comment

Tetris Effect is a game with a pitch that either sounded like the daftest idea ever or something that made perfect sense. Think about it: “Rez developer does Tetris”. On the one hand, this is an update of a game that dates back to the 80s and could be probably played on any modern portable electronic device, yet said update has been given an audiovisual upgrade so lavish – including support for the PSVR headset – that it verges on pretentious arty garbage. On the other hand, Enhance Games have made some of the most mesmerising gaming experiences in recent generations, and Tetris itself is a game that can be quite entrancing when you’re eager for one more go at level 9 high 5 but you don’t realise that you started playing three or four hours ago. In short, it’s a pitch so daft that it might just work.

For the most part, the presentational polish does what it’s supposed to do. The main campaign, Journey Mode, takes you through several self-contained challenges where you must clear a certain amount of lines to move on. Each challenge introduces you to a new “theme” with its own unique background, music track and flashy effects that trigger when the player does well. As the player closes in on their line target, they pass certain milestones that amp up the effects and music for a bit of variety; consequently, the desire to see what comes next provides incentive to play well. Play itself has a mixture of old and new – you can move and rotate blocks, you can instantly drop them by pushing up, you have ample time to adjust a block’s positioning before it “lands”, and you can “hold” a block in reserve if you’re planning a particular setup. However, a couple of key features elevate Tetris Effect above the average block-spinning effort.

Beyond the Zone of Tetris Effect

Tetris Effect

I feel like the feature that everyone raved about during the pre-release previews was the “zone” state; by clearing lines you build up a zone meter, and when this is full you can activate the zone state, where time will slow and “cleared” lines will be frozen at the bottom of the well – once the meter runs dry, all frozen lines will disappear, allowing you to clear more than the usual four lines. It’s a smart feature that incentivises clever setups as players push the system further to see how many lines they can clear at once, and it invites risk-reward play as you’re torn between setting up a 16-line “Decahexatris” or giving yourself more room in the play area. However, there was something else that stood out to me more as I played through the campaign; something that goes hand-in-hand with Enhance’s desire to create emotive and engaging experiences…

Since Journey Mode gives you a target number of lines to clear for each challenge, Enhance Games knew that the game couldn’t just start you at Level 0 speed with each challenge, because the gameplay experience would feel the same from one challenge to the next. That’s why some challenges start fast, and others start fast but slow down, or vice versa. Some areas have you polishing one challenge off at a sensible speed before the next one ramps things up immediately. This enhances (no pun intended) the experience more than anything – you don’t know what’s going to happen to the speed once you hit the next milestone so you’re hurriedly trying to keep things as tidy as possible. Now, Tetris games have been around for decades, and jumps /drops in speed have probably been done in many clones or game modes… but it feels so much more appropriate here. Tetris Effect sees Enhance Games acting as the conductor, setting a pace for you to follow and then either winding down to an intermission or building up to a crescendo. Finally, that daft premise in the opening paragraph makes sense. This wasn’t merely about slapping some particle dolphins into an old Gameboy game; this was about tapping into the core of Tetris – “do the thing… now do it faster” – and turning that slowly escalating tension into a more varied emotional voyage. What begins as complacency turns into mild panic and ends up as cautious preparation until, finally, you tame the monster that your misplaced blocks had created.

Playing devil’s advocate to my own praise, this rollercoaster of tempo can prove frustrating at first if you’re trying to save yourself from disaster and a speed boost comes at the worst moment, but you quickly learn the cues and timing of each song and discover when you should start preparing for the worst. There are only a few “milestones” where the speed alters in each challenge of Journey Mode so it’s not long before you’re ready for whatever will be thrown at you, and perseverance makes the final successful run all the more satisfying.

Tetris Effect – an easy purchase for fans

Tetris Effect

Outside of Journey Mode are a few gameplay variants that impose time limits, line limits, speed tweaks, combo challenges and more – you can also enjoy themed “playlists” that have predetermined stages for you to play through, and playing most of the modes allows you to level up and unlock new avatars for your player profile. Some players may be disappointed at the lack of any multiplayer modes, but it’s difficult to see how that might work with the game’s transforming visuals and music. And, of course, you can play the game with virtual reality enhancements if you use the PSVR headset – it may only result in particles being thrown at your face rather than the screen, but closing off outside distractions could potentially result in a more immersive gameplay experience for players.

If you enjoy Tetris and are a fan of Enhance Games’ previous output, Tetris Effect is the easiest purchasing decision you’ll make this year. If you’re a veteran from the Game Boy era, there’s plenty to challenge you here. Even if you like Enhance Games’ work but struggle with high-level Tetris, there are various difficulty settings and gameplay variants that can keep you entertained. That original pitch may not have been so daft after all…

Tetris Effect is available now for PS4. PSVR is supported but optional. You can visit the official website here.

Filed Under: Games, Reviews Tagged With: enhance games, games, puzzle, tetris, tetris effect

The Prodigy: No Tourists review

2nd November 2018 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

Thinking about The Prodigy‘s last couple of albums prior to No Tourists makes me think of an identity crisis. A few years ago one group of fans would welcome the shouty, punk vibe of Omen and Wall of Death, whilst another bunch of followers would lament the apparent death of The Prodigy’s roots, as it stepped further and further away from the techno-rave aesthetic that defined the Experience album and certain parts of Music for a Jilted Generation. Some might argue that the evolution began with hit single Firestarter and continued from there; the same people who would pin the “blame” on poor Keith Flint headbanging and shouting in an abandoned London Underground tunnel. Personally I’m a fan of each of these “eras”, but this also meant that I wasn’t a dissenting voice – it meant that I was probably part of the problem. Maybe that’s why I feel some relief in knowing that No Tourists has taken steps to work on that identity crisis and maybe even embrace it.

No Tourists – a history lesson

No Tourists
Listening to the ten tracks of No Tourists is like embarking on a journey through Prodigy history; Light Up The Sky has vicious sounds, big beats and simple, shouty lyrics (not to mention some minor effects that sound straight out of Breathe and Their Law) – it carries the same punch as something like Nasty from The Day Is My Enemy. Elsewhere, We Live Forever sounds like a lost track from the Experience album; you’re listening to the chatty vocal sample and half-expecting it to tell you it’ll “take your brain to another dimension”. Later on, Champions of London and Boom Boom Tap have the kind of hurried tempos that you’d normally hear on a drum ‘n’ bass record, bringing to mind the similar urgency of Roadblox. Of course, there’s always the chance that Disposable Media is being swept up in the thrill of the new here, and maybe certain tracks will lose their shine over time (I personally found that Need Some1 and Fight Fire With Fire were kind of weak to begin with), but right now it feels like No Tourists has a little something for everyone. My personal favourite at the moment is Resonate; it combines distorted vocals and heavy beats with classic synth sounds – and somehow it all works together gloriously.

No Tourists – no “buts”

No Tourists
As I listened and collected my thoughts on No Tourists I was surprised at the overall quality and variety of the album, and I was wondering if there would ever be a “however” moment in this article. My only minor issue I found with the album – and it probably won’t be an issue for some fans – was that there’s an aggressive, loud, merciless vibe throughout the whole thing… and there’s little room to take a breather. As much as I love this, I also enjoy the chilled intros and slow build-ups of tracks such as Climbatize and Weather Experience, and I was waiting for a similar moment when listening to No Tourists. There are definitely some slower tracks on the album, but nothing with the same vibe carried by those older tracks. Even so, the consistent quality and variety in each of these relentless tracks is more than enough to satisfy me; when tracks were being revealed before the album’s release I felt like I had a new favourite every other week – now I’ve listened to the rest of the album and have yet more favourites to think about. No Tourists sees The Prodigy doing what they do best, whilst also respecting the evolution of the Prodigy sound throughout the group’s history. That in itself is enough of a reason to pick this up.

No Tourists is out now – buy it on iTunes or stream it on Spotify

Filed Under: Music, Reviews Tagged With: album, music, no tourists, prodigy, review, The Prodigy

New Halo Vapour Co. Shortfill Vape Liquid Reviews

22nd October 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

I’m always on the hunt for new vaping liquids. Even when you have a favourite eliquid or two, it’s fun to discover a different vape juice. Plus it stops things from getting dull over time, and fires your taste buds up again. So I’ve enjoyed doing these new Halo Vapour Co. shortfill vape liquid reviews, as I already knew the UK-made brand from their very nice Pineapple Juice liquid.

New Halo Vapour Co. Shortfill Vape Liquid Reviews

The team at ecigarettedirect.co.uk kindly sent over samples of the new Menthol Blend and Forest Berry liquids for my honest opinions. Both come in a 70-30 VG:PG ratio, which means they’ll work with a good range of mainly DTL vaping kits. To give reasonable opinions, I used my Aspire NX75/Atlantis Evo tank for direct-to-lung, and also tried both liquids in my Aspire Zelos/Nautilus 2 tank to see how they work for mouth-to-lung out of curiosity. In both cases fresh coils were installed prior to testing, and the tanks were given a good clean!

Obviously a lot of vapers prefer shortfills due to the cost saving by getting 50ml of liquid rather than 10ml bottles. For me, it’s actually now as much about the packaging and environment, as I don’t mind paying for liquid I’ll really enjoy, but I do feel bad throwing out so much plastic.

 

Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend Vape Liquid:

Testing a pure menthol flavour was definitely interesting for me. As a former smoker, I hated menthol cigarettes. The cold flavour of them seemed really harsh and nasty, and I avoided them as much as possible for years. And yet since quitting smoking, I’ve found I really enjoy vape liquids with fruit and menthol mixes.

So could I ever enjoy a pure menthol eliquid?

In any case, the Halo Menthol Blend liquid comes in the standard 50ml size with the normal gap in the bottle for your nicotine shot, in a 70:30VG:PG ration. It’s been created to be slightly lighter and sweeter than the current Halo Menthol Blast, so would it work for me?

New Halo Menthol Blend Shortfill Vape Liquid

I do like the packaging for the Halo Vapour Co. brand. It’s a nice clear design which looks fairly stylish. And there’s no issues with adding the nicotine, shaking it up, and letting it steep a little. I know everyone debates how to prepare their liquids, but I managed an impatient 24 hours or so before letting rip.

And it’s really good. There was definitely an initial Menthol shock from the first few puffs as I kicked off with the N75 and DTL. If you regularly vape menthol flavours already, I suspect it’d be much smoother, but it took a minute or two for me to get used to pure flavour. And it certainly has the coolness you would expect. But the lighter, sweeter finish meant that it wasn’t unpleasant for me. And I got used to it very quickly.

Over the coming days, I really started enjoying the Menthol Blend flavour. It works brilliantly as a light, regular, all-day vape. And it’s really refreshing as a break from something sweeter and more powerful. It’s not the strong, overpowering menthol I’d feared, so it works well as a ‘palate cleanser’. But it’s also got enough flavour to be enjoyed on its own merits, and definitely has a nice coolness. It’s great if you’re somewhere hot and need to chill with your vaping.

I also gave it a quick go in my mouth-to-lung set up. I wouldn’t recommend a 70:30 liquid for most MTL vape kits, but some will handle those ratios. And sometimes you need an emergency solution. As a lighter liquid, it’s actually worked pretty well with my Zelos and Nautilus 2. Obviously coils do tend to struggle and need replacing more quickly, but they’ve still tended to last a few days. Whereas sweeter, thicker 70:30 liquids can sometimes kill them in 24 hours or less.

So for me, the Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend is pretty much spot on. It’s £14.99 from ecigarette direct, which is a fair price. And it’s a great all-day vaping choice which goes well for DTL vaping. Plus it’ll work for MTL if you need it to. I don’t think I’d have wanted anything with a stronger menthol taste, but I can go through two or three tanks in a stressful day and really enjoy it.

And it also works well if you have a couple of kits running. Just alternate it as a break from whatever bizarre flavour you have in your other vaping set-up. Full-on menthol addicts might want to stick with the Menthol Blast in the 10ml bottles. But I’d say it’s definitely worth trying to see how you get on. And you definitely save money with the larger shortfill bottles.

 

Halo Vapour Co. Forest Berry Vape Liquid

I’m a huge fan of fruit flavours for vape liquid. And apparently, I’m not alone. So I was happy to get the Forest Berry shortfill sent for review. The Cream Custard sounded intriguing, but personally I tend to stay away from cigarette flavours like the Tobacco Gold.

There’s no equivalent 10ml, although Halo Vapour Co do have a range of fruit flavours, and the Blueberry Burst is probably the closest. Like the Menthol Blend, the aim is a light flavour suitable for using all day, every day. And that’s something which can become an issue with sweeter, more sickly fruit flavours. Even some of my favourites can become overpowering after more than a few days, so if you’re going to be working through 50ml, something more subtle is definitely a good choice.

New Halo Vapour Co. Forest Berry Shortfill Vape Liquid

And it’s definitely a more subtle, nuanced flavour than most. It reminds me of a diluted summer fruit cordial rather than a neon-coloured fruit squash.

And it definitely seems like a mix of mainly blackcurrant and blueberry, with some bilberry in there as well. It smells and vapes like a very ‘natural’ e-liquid. Some fruit flavours feel very synthetic. But the Halo Vapour Co. range always seem closer to an actual fruit juice in my experience. Which means you don’t get any nasty synthetic taste or a bad aftertaste.

There’s no menthol in the Forest Berry, which I appreciated. A lot of berry flavours come with a heavy menthol hit, and that can be another reason why they can be a bit much by the end of the day. And obviously if you do want to add menthol to it, you can add an appropriate nicotine shot.

As with the Menthol Blend, it produced a smooth vaping experience and some decent-sized clouds if that’s your thing. Certainly I didn’t have to play around too much with the wattage settings, and it worked well at the lower end of the coil ratings on every device I used.

It’s definitely a flavour to live with rather than try for just one or two puffs on a tester kit. If you came to it from a strong blackcurrant, it might seem a little weak. But by the end of the first tank you’ll be appreciating it more as something you can enjoy for long periods without becoming too much to enjoy. And it also means it doesn’t interfere with your taste buds if you’re eating or drinking something straight after.

The other benefit to the lighter, all-day flavours is that any secondary vapour won’t be strong enough to cause any offence to people around you. Which is always a nice bonus if you’re vaping in company. In the Aspire NX75, the Forest Berry worked really well, and even in my MTL kits the coils lasted a reasonable amount of time.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed both the Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend and Forest Berry. The flavours work as liquids for using all day, every day. They taste great in an appropriate vape kit for 70/30 liquid, and will still work even if you bung them in something else as a stopgap. And in the right kit, they won’t put a strain on the coils or the wattage, meaning you’ll definitely get your moneys’ worth. The Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend and Forest Berry cost £14.99 each for 50ml at 0mg, and obviously you can order your choice of nicotine shot at the same time.

Filed Under: Life, Reviews Tagged With: Eliquids, Halo Vapour Co., Vape Liquids, Vaping

Twin-stick indie title Shudder available today

31st August 2018 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

Innovation is hard. Merely coming up with a gameplay hook that makes your game stand out among the crowd is one thing, but even when you’ve discovered a winning formula, you still need to communicate to your audience and show them why your game is something special. Shudder is a masterclass in how to do this effectively – letting the player discover the game’s unique aspects through play, allowing them to understand what their avatar can do and how that affects the enemies on the field. There is a tutorial available, but the concepts explained in the tutorial really need to be witnessed through play. Essentially, you’re tasked with defending yourself against multi-coloured enemies named para-bugs whilst consuming collectibles dotted around the environment. (Even without the tutorial, the fact that the collectibles aren’t chasing you is a visual tutorial in itself.) As you pick up these collectibles a coloured hexagon grows at the top of the screen – fill this out and you can hit a button to “shudder” and stun all enemies of that colour, preventing them from moving and allowing you to move into them and “consume” them. However, there are several ranks of coloured hexagons and associated enemies, and every time you use your shudder you have to build up your coloured hexagons from the lowest rank again.

Voids and cubes in Shudder

Shudder

This is just the start, though. Continue to consume enemies and eventually an onscreen text will herald the appearance of a Vortex Cube – as enemies swarm around and collide into the cube, it will eventually begin changing colour. If the last coloured hexagon you filled out matches the colour of the cube, you can use your shudder ability to make the cube explode in a shower of bonus pickups, and bigger bonuses await those with more completed hexagons. Not only is this a great example of teaching the player through association – the cube’s own colour cycling invites the player to discover what happens if they shudder when their colour matches the cube – but it creates a unique tension; use the shudder early to eliminate foes, or continue progressing through the colours and destroy the cube later for a big bonus? Similarly, the Energy Void teaches players through experimental shudder usage as it draws in your collectibles and cycles through colours. Here, using your shudder ability when your last completed hexagon matches the Energy Void colour will cause an explosion that eliminates nearby enemies. The additional gameplay mechanics succeed in giving the player more to think about, and encourage priorities – is using the basic shudder ability more useful than taking advantage of the onscreen furniture? Should you capitalise on the Energy Void’s explosion or wait to gain pickups from a Vortex Cube? In addition, the game is also very thoughtful when maintaining an appropriate pace for experienced players – climbing the initial ranks seems slow at first, but as your run continues it seems quicker to progress through the early colours upon respawning.

The twin-stick success of Shudder

Shudder

What this results in is a satisfying loop of alternately feeling helpless and fleeing the incoming waves of foes…only to eventually decimate anyone unwise enough to still be chasing you. Of course, as the colour ranks increase you need to ensure that you can build yourself back up in time for another counter-attack, and so the loop continues – only getting more and more desperate as the crowds get bigger and the action intensifies. This escalation is judged expertly – you never feel like the waves are getting too strong too quickly, or that the hexagons are too slow to build up in time for the player to prepare a counter-offensive. Failure is always on you, and death leaves you wondering if you got too greedy or were too quick to use your shudder.

Beyond the core gameplay, a large range of unlockable ships is available to players who continue collecting the pickups from the exploded cubes, each with variations in their speed and multiplier behaviour and essential for those players keen to improve their high scores. Browsing the available ships and their costs, you can tell that this is where much of the longevity resides, but Shudder has a core gameplay loop that’s compelling enough to encourage continued replay even without the unlocks. During the rise of Xbox Live Arcade it seems like everyone was keen to put their own spin on the twin-stick genre, but Shudder proves that there’s still lots of room for innovation, and the £5.79 asking price gets you a game with more charm and replay value than most big-budget offerings.

Shudder

Shudder is available now on Steam here.

Filed Under: Games, Reviews Tagged With: games, indie, pc, saberphrog, shudder, steam

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