Packaging is normally such a boring thing to talk about, but Logitech always seem to make unpacking their products a simple little pleasure. The box has a chunky, slide-off lid that immediately reveals the headset which lies nestled in its own little molded plastic tray that also lifts out to allow access to a small box containing all the bits and bobs you need to get going, minus the official Logitech software which will need to be downloaded. There’s a lengthy micro-USB to USB cable used for charging the headset, a reasonably long 3.5mm jack for stereo connection and a 3.5mm splitter, meaning that in total the Artemis can can have up three audio sources feeding into it at any time, presumably in case you want to let people hear what the voices in your head sound like when they’re arguing. With the software installed you just plug in the wireless USB dongle, plop them on your head.The level of comfort and build quality manage to impress almost across the board, Logitech crafting within their mystical forges a pleasingly comfy set of cans that seem quite sturdy, although I’m yet to take a hammer to them in order to test this. The headset sports a relatively clean, black look with a few molded lines that break up the flow and a chunky design philosophy when it comes to the earcups, which look a bit like they’re actually some form of breaching charge intended for blasting through human skulls. It all feels solid in the hands aside from a small tendency to creak a little when being moved around, the entire unit feeling all the stronger for its relatively hefty weight of. The half-inch wide padding on the earcups is made of a sports mesh material with memory foam that is just a tiny bit itchy and warm for my own tastes but is otherwise extremely comfortable for those long sessions
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it was 2012 when the last proper Borderlands game was launched, and during that time Gearbox Software seemed to think that they didn’t need to make another game in the franchise. And yet here we are some seven years later with Borderlands 3 having finally become a reality. There’s a lot of hype about this one and for good reason.Things kick off with Lilith from the first two games who is still in command of the Crimson Raiders recruiting you to the cause. As a new Vault Hunter you arrive on Pandora in search of loot and glory but instead find yourself being greeted by Claptrap who proceeds to get himself in a bunch of trouble. It’s setup we’ve seen before, one that sets the stage for a game that will feel intimately familiar to anyone who has played the prior games.The first Borderlands often brought a smile to my face but it was Borderlands 2 that really nailed the irreverent, immature humour and frequently made me bust out laughing. Borderlands 3 aims to deliver the same tone and yet somehow misses the mark by a few miles, . There’s nothing specific that I can put at as an example, making it difficult to illustrate why about 80% of the jokes just didn’t land. The writing isn’t as sharp and the humor is more forced than it was before.Take an early character by the name of Lorelei who gives you a couple of side-quests involving getting her some coffee. At first her insane need for caffeine is kind of funny and the idea of going to a laid-back barista bot is enough to elicit a smile, but then…man, Lorelei becomes annoying super fast. The game runs the joke into the ground, and its something it does with almost every other joke in the game; they get stretched out far beyond being funny. It’s beating a dead Skag with a stick.Perhaps the problem is Gearbox tried to take the success of Handsome Jack in Borderlands 2 and apply it to everyone in Borderlands 3. Now, it feels like every character is wacky, loves to yell and is over the top. It’s too much all the time. If everything is crazy, then nothing is crazy. The few times the game takes a step back and just lets people be people are most welcome moments of respite and some of the best bits in the whole campaign.Then there’s this game’s bad guys, the Calypso Twins who have gotten themselves a cult of bandits and a taste for power. Their names are Troy and Tyreen, and Tyreen is capable of sucking up the abilities of Sirens, which in the Borderlands universe are rare people with immense powers. Titling themselves as Gods the twins are seeking out the Vaults so that they can wield supreme power, so it’s up to you to get to the Vaults first and kill a lot of stuff in the process.From a mechanical standpoint Borderlands 3 is easily the best game in the series, far surpassing the previous two games in combat and loot, even if it hasn’t improved on the core structure at all. There’s so much cool gear to be found, and the shooting feels fantastic But in terms of its humour and writing it doesn’t even come close to laughs that Borderlands 2 got out of me, which is a real shame.It feels cheap to say this both because it’s a cliche and because most other reviews have already said it, but Borderlands 3 is mostly just more Borderlands, for better or for worse. 4 out of 5
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AuthorTyrell CategoriesArchives
May 2022
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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