Microsoft Surface tablet [year]

Microsoft Surface tablet 2025

February 13, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

I've been conditioned just like any other consumer to expect certain things from certain companies. When it comes to tablets, I expect Apple's to look and feel amazing, Google's to seamlessly blend online services such as Gmail and search, and Amazon's to have easy access to its online store.
So when Microsoft came out with its first tablet computer, the Surface, I wanted and expected a machine that is good for work. After all, its Windows operating system runs most of the world's computers, particularly in corporate environments.
The Surface is Microsoft's first attempt at a general-purpose computer. In the past, it made the software and left it to other companies to make the machines. But to catch the tablet wave led by Apple's iPad, Microsoft felt it needed to make its own device.
The Surface's price tag starts at $499, the same as the latest full-screen iPad, but if you are going to buy one, you'll want to spend the extra $100 or more fo..

Assassin's Creed Chronicles India Review

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles India Review

December 29, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

With Assassin's Creed games taking place in exotic locales like Rome and the Caribbean Islands, it was just a matter of time before Ubisoft's historical stealth-action franchise had an entry set in India. It's finally here and it's called Assassin's Creed Chronicles India.
If the game's screenshots didn't give it away, this isn't a brand new, 3D entry in the series complete with sprawling open-world filled to the brim with side-quests and distractions. Rather it's a 2.5D – 2D gameplay, with some design elements that allow you to move in the third dimension such as pillars you can hide behind – game in the style of Mark of the Ninja, or Assassin's Creed Chronicles China, which released last year. Stealth and action games have veered towards large, fully realised, realistic environments this generation, so the vibrant colours and locales of Assassin's Creed Chronicles India make for a welcome visual change.
(Also see: Assassin&#0..

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 review [year]

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 review 2025

August 4, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The tablet-computer market is like guerrilla warfare. One huge army – Apple – dominates the land, while a ragtag group of insurgents keeps raiding and probing, hoping to find some opening it can exploit.
With Samsung's new Galaxy Note 10.1, the rebels have scored a small victory. It's a tablet that does something that the iPad doesn't do, and it does it well. This victory won't win the war, though.
Available in the U.S. starting Thursday, the $499 tablet comes with a pen, or more precisely, a stylus. It doesn't leave marks on paper, but the tablet's screen responds to it. I found it a pleasure to use: It's precise and responsive, and it glides easily across the screen.
There are styluses available for the iPad, but they're not very good. The iPad's screen can't sense sharp objects, so any stylus has to be fairly blunt. Many of them have rubber tips, which resist being dragged across the screen.
The Galaxy Note has an additional layer in..

Gravity Rush Remastered [year] Review

Gravity Rush Remastered 2025 Review

December 31, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

If it weren't for the word “remastered” in its name, you wouldn't think that Gravity Rush Remastered is an updated, high definition version of the 2012 open-world PS Vita action-adventure game as the two games look worlds apart. The original release of on Sony's second handheld was beautiful in its own right, limited by the platform's limitations. On the PlayStation 4 however, it looks good enough to be mistaken for a game natively developed for it.
Gravity Rush has you in the role of Kat, who is a “gravity shifter”. As the name implies, Kat specialises in turning Newtonian laws upside down. It's an intriguing concept, so we were a little disappointed that the game used the well worn amnesiac hero trope; Kat has lost her memory, and doesn't know how she ended up in the floating city of Heskeville.
(Also see: The Best PlayStation Vita Games March 2015)
Over the course of the game, you will re-discover who you are, while slaying monsters and foiling a gra..

Street Fighter V [year]

Street Fighter V 2025

February 22, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

If we wanted to set the record for the world's shortest review all we have to say is that unless you're a big fan of the series, you should not be buying Street Fighter V right now.
However since you're here expecting a review and not just a “tweet”, you'll need a whole lot more to go by.
Street Fighter V, as the name implies, is the latest in the long-running series of fighting games. It has an eclectic set of characters, a number of varied stages, and a more than competent soundtrack that complements some of the most addictive gameplay around.
From detailed backgrounds complete with Bollywood movie posters, to hilarious belly physics on obese (but surprisingly powerful) fighters, the production values we've come to expect and love from the series are present, for the most part. The game's single-player story mode is bookended with water-coloured panels between matches. These do a decent job of conveying the plot, but they pale in comparison to the ..

The Crew [year]: Wild Run Review

The Crew 2025: Wild Run Review

December 6, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

Last year, Ubisoft, the purveyor of fine historical murder simulators, quirky strategy games, and oft-delayed tactical shooters, also released The Crew. It's a racing game that promised you'll never drive alone what with a sprawling open-world, mammoth missions that had you playing with friends, and deep customisation options as well as role-playing game-like levelling systems.
On paper, it sounded like the dream racer. The reality was a damp squib. Being an always online game, connecting to its servers was a chore, most of the missions amounted to busywork, and the driving was anything but enjoyable.
(Also see: The Crew Review: Definitely Not In Top Gear)
However, none of this seems to have fazed developer Ivory Tower. Over the last 11 months it's been pushing updates to The Crew from tweaking its wonky net code to adding new missions. And now, it's released The Crew: Wild Run, an expansion pack to the game.
The first thing we noticed was how much better it loo..

Supreme League of Patriots Review: Sloppy Fun

Supreme League of Patriots Review: Sloppy Fun

February 22, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Over the last few years, games have started to fall into two main camps. One camp said that gameplay is everything – and then delivered a string of interchangeable monochrome first person shooters featuring protagonists of questionable morality and two mandatory plot twists. The other group camp insisted that games are a transcendental art form – and then delivered a string of morosely monochrome titles featuring a young protagonist who would overcome terrible odds and learn something about his/ her self and/ or relationships, usually while jumping over platforms against the backdrop of a moody soundtrack.
Of course, there are plenty of games that still fall outside these two camps, and the steady revival of puzzle adventure games in particular is something we're very excited about.
Supreme League of Patriots is one such game. Released by Phoenix Online Publishing, which also recently released the 20th Anniversary Edition of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, it's bright ..

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3G - [year]

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3G – 2025

October 26, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

Amazon announced an updated Kindle Paperwhite in September last year. The refreshed ebook reader comes with various improvements including a higher contrast display, a faster processor, improved touch technology, and several software enhancements.
While the Wi-Fi variant started shipping in US the same month, the Wi-Fi + 3G variant became available closer to the holiday season. The Kindle Paperwhite 3G (2013) was listed for pre-orders in India last month, and is now available via Amazon.in as well as offline retailers across the country.
Does the new Kindle Paperwhite come with enough improvements to stay ahead of the likes of the Kobo Glo? We spent a little over three weeks with the ebook reader in a bid to find out. Let's dig in.
Look and feel
At first glance, you'll be hard-pressed to find a difference between the Kindle Paperwhite 3G (2013) and its predecessor. The two have identical dimensions (169x117x9.1mm). While the current model (222g) is marginally heavier than the..