This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
Despite its competitive price – the range starts at £649 inc VAT for a Core i3-1315U/8GB/256GB spec with Windows 11 Home – the E14 Gen 5 is everything a ThinkPad is expected to be. This graphite black laptop has the chrome ThinkPad logo on its aluminum lid, complete with the red-lit dotted “i” that gives it a hint of business elegance.
I tested the version with a polycarbonate/ABS cover, but you can choose aluminum. This adds nothing to the price and only 20g to the weight, and the latter is one of this laptop’s most attractive features: 1.4kg with the 47Wh battery, 1.5kg with the 57Wh option. However, with the bigger battery in place, the laptop only survived 7hrs 48mins in our web-surfing test. With this spec, we expected something over nine hours.
The power drain doesn’t come from Lenovo squeezing every last drop out of the supplied Core i7-1355U CPU. Although the E14 Gen 5 never missed a beat in my daily usage, the benchmarks don’t lie: Lenovo’s own ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 scored 8,979 in Geekbench 6.2’s multicore test to the E14’s 8,000. Similarly, in our Handbrake test, the E14 took 10mins 57secs to convert our sample 4K video to 1080p compared to 9mins 5secs for the X1.
(Image credit: Future)
Both machines have 16GB of RAM and, while the X1 has the advantage of LPDDR5 memory, it’s all soldered onto the motherboard. Here, 8GB is soldered on but there’s an 8GB DIMM that can be replaced by a 32GB module. You can also swap out the supplied 512GB SSD, a short but speedy M.2 2242 unit, or specify a 1TB model for an extra £60 when ordering.
The E14 continues Lenovo’s tradition of excellent keyboards, with snappy, deep-travel, chiclet-style keys, the trademark red TrackPoint and plenty of spacing. I loved typing on it and managed 91 words per minute in the 10FastFingers.com test with 97% accuracy, compared to my average of 88wpm with 91% accuracy. A smooth and centrally located touchpad adds to its attractions.
As ever with budget laptops, Lenovo has made a sacrifice with the screen. This is no wide-gamut affair, covering 65% of the sRGB space and 46% of DCI-P3. However, it’s strong in other areas: peak brightness of 374cd/m2 is actually 74cd/m2 more than Lenovo claims, while an average Delta E of 0.3 confirms excellent colour accuracy. It’s anti-glare, too, so great for office work, while a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution looks sharp over the 14in diagonal.
The excellent keyboard makes speedy typing for long periods a breeze(Image credit: Future)
A webcam perches above the screen, and it’s worth choosing the 1080p unit in my machine over the 720p option (at a cost of £20). It produced excellent video in good lighting, and even coped in low-light conditions. Autofocus and tracking were speedy, while using Windows Hello proved a breeze.
The dual mics did a fine job of focusing on my voice while keeping background noise to a minimum, and I was similarly pleased with the speakers.
Music emerged with discernible depth, mid-tones and highs. Take Megan Thee Stallion’s “Her”. The house music bassline hit hard, with no distortion even at the highest volume. Despite being lightweight and pretty slim – 19mm at the front, 22.7mm at the rear – Lenovo includes a generous number of ports. The left side packs two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI out and a combo audio jack. The right features a USB-A port, gigabit Ethernet and a nano Kensington lock. The latter adds to an impressive roster of security features, with a physical cover on the webcam, a self-healing BIOS and the option of a fingerprint reader (£10) built into the power button.
Ethernet and plentiful USB ports make this a fine workhorse(Image credit: Future)
Our price includes all these options, including Windows 11 Pro, but one of the great things about Lenovo’s approach is that you can customize it. For example, switching to a Core i5-1335U saves £200. You might prefer to spend some of this to extend the one year of on-site cover to three years; this has a list price of £210, but Lenovo frequently offers generous discounts.
So while battery life disappoints and we have criticisms of the screen and its outright speed, the E14 Gen 5 adds up to a strong choice for businesses on a budget. And even if you do cut it down to its most basic specs, it will exude professionalism for years to come.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
Despite its competitive price – the range starts at £649 inc VAT for a Core i3-1315U/8GB/256GB spec with Windows 11 Home – the E14 Gen 5 is everything a ThinkPad is expected to be. This graphite black laptop has the chrome ThinkPad logo on its aluminum lid, complete with the red-lit dotted “i” that gives it a hint of business elegance.
I tested the version with a polycarbonate/ABS cover, but you can choose aluminum. This adds nothing to the price and only 20g to the weight, and the latter is one of this laptop’s most attractive features: 1.4kg with the 47Wh battery, 1.5kg with the 57Wh option. However, with the bigger battery in place, the laptop only survived 7hrs 48mins in our web-surfing test. With this spec, we expected something over nine hours.
The power drain doesn’t come from Lenovo squeezing every last drop out of the supplied Core i7-1355U CPU. Although the E14 Gen 5 never missed a beat in my daily usage, the benchmarks don’t lie: Lenovo’s own ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 scored 8,979 in Geekbench 6.2’s multicore test to the E14’s 8,000. Similarly, in our Handbrake test, the E14 took 10mins 57secs to convert our sample 4K video to 1080p compared to 9mins 5secs for the X1.
(Image credit: Future)
Both machines have 16GB of RAM and, while the X1 has the advantage of LPDDR5 memory, it’s all soldered onto the motherboard. Here, 8GB is soldered on but there’s an 8GB DIMM that can be replaced by a 32GB module. You can also swap out the supplied 512GB SSD, a short but speedy M.2 2242 unit, or specify a 1TB model for an extra £60 when ordering.
The E14 continues Lenovo’s tradition of excellent keyboards, with snappy, deep-travel, chiclet-style keys, the trademark red TrackPoint and plenty of spacing. I loved typing on it and managed 91 words per minute in the 10FastFingers.com test with 97% accuracy, compared to my average of 88wpm with 91% accuracy. A smooth and centrally located touchpad adds to its attractions.
As ever with budget laptops, Lenovo has made a sacrifice with the screen. This is no wide-gamut affair, covering 65% of the sRGB space and 46% of DCI-P3. However, it’s strong in other areas: peak brightness of 374cd/m2 is actually 74cd/m2 more than Lenovo claims, while an average Delta E of 0.3 confirms excellent colour accuracy. It’s anti-glare, too, so great for office work, while a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution looks sharp over the 14in diagonal.
The excellent keyboard makes speedy typing for long periods a breeze(Image credit: Future)
A webcam perches above the screen, and it’s worth choosing the 1080p unit in my machine over the 720p option (at a cost of £20). It produced excellent video in good lighting, and even coped in low-light conditions. Autofocus and tracking were speedy, while using Windows Hello proved a breeze.
The dual mics did a fine job of focusing on my voice while keeping background noise to a minimum, and I was similarly pleased with the speakers.
Music emerged with discernible depth, mid-tones and highs. Take Megan Thee Stallion’s “Her”. The house music bassline hit hard, with no distortion even at the highest volume. Despite being lightweight and pretty slim – 19mm at the front, 22.7mm at the rear – Lenovo includes a generous number of ports. The left side packs two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI out and a combo audio jack. The right features a USB-A port, gigabit Ethernet and a nano Kensington lock. The latter adds to an impressive roster of security features, with a physical cover on the webcam, a self-healing BIOS and the option of a fingerprint reader (£10) built into the power button.
Ethernet and plentiful USB ports make this a fine workhorse(Image credit: Future)
Our price includes all these options, including Windows 11 Pro, but one of the great things about Lenovo’s approach is that you can customize it. For example, switching to a Core i5-1335U saves £200. You might prefer to spend some of this to extend the one year of on-site cover to three years; this has a list price of £210, but Lenovo frequently offers generous discounts.
So while battery life disappoints and we have criticisms of the screen and its outright speed, the E14 Gen 5 adds up to a strong choice for businesses on a budget. And even if you do cut it down to its most basic specs, it will exude professionalism for years to come.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
Kyocera’s EcoSys P2235dn is a compact mono laser printer, designed for moderate use in small groups or businesses. It’s well specified for the price, with a 250-sheet cassette and 100-sheet multipurpose feed, plus duplex printing as standard. It’s also equipped with a gigabit Ethernet port, but there’s no Wi-Fi support; you’ll need the P2235dw for that.
Most laser manufacturers regard photoconductor drums as a consumable, typically good for 10,000 to 40,000 pages, but Kyocera fits a ceramic drum designed to last the life of the printer; in this case, 100,000 pages. The drum is guaranteed to reach that, or to last for three years, but in the UK the printer itself gets a stingy one-year RTB warranty.
The P2235dn has a basic control panel comprising a few lights and buttons, so it’s odd to see it also has a USB host port, which is typically paired with a text or touchscreen so you can browse and select which contents to print. We searched Kyocera’s website and documentation, experimented with different files and button combinations, checked in the driver and combed through the web admin page, but simply couldn’t find out how to make direct prints.
Kyocera’s ceramic drum is designed to last the life of the printer(Image credit: Future)
Using our trusty PC, we subjected the P2235dn to our usual battery of print jobs. It’s a fast device, turning out a first page of text in 17 seconds, and continuing at 28.8ppm over our 25-page job. It extended this to 29.4ppm on a 50-page document, and even reached 12.5ipm when duplex printing ten sides of graphics onto five pages. We were particularly impressed by its 27.7ppm on our challenging 24-page graphics test.
Sadly, the P2235dn seems in too much of a hurry to print particularly well. It’s rare that we criticize text quality from a laser, but up close, character outlines weren’t as crisp as we’d expect. More significantly, mono graphics suffered from fine banding, something we’d usually only expect on the cheapest laser devices.
When considered with its 1.8p per page running costs, this lackluster print quality takes the shine off the P2235dn. It’s a good choice if speed is all important, but there’s little else to recommend it.
The Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad is an affordable laptop cooling pad, designed to prevent your laptop from overheating during heavy gaming sessions or creative workflows. Given its price point, it would be reasonable to assume you’ll get only moderate-weight cooling. But blow me down: its three 100mm fans, two 80mm fans and one 70mm fan help you secure some pretty cool running.
I ran it through the 3DMark Stress Test on our Acer Predator Helios 300 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, and the cooling it offered was genuinely pretty glacial. After running 15 minutes of running, the temperature of the laptop had risen from 22.2ºC to only 37.5ºC. That’s a temperature rise of just 15.3ºC – and, in the time I've been testing laptop pads, is the most extreme cooling I’ve seen. It's significantly better than the 31.9ºC warming I saw on our baseline test of the laptop alone.
Despite being frostier than a penguin whose name you just blanked on, the Liangstar’s fans are pretty quiet. Ten minutes into the test, I used a sound meter to measure noise – from a few inches away from the device and at my head height. At 59dB and 45dB respectively, the results weren’t really any worse than any of the best laptop cooling pads I’ve tested, and roughly equivalent to the noise the Acer Predator Helios 300 made on its own.
When it comes to design, the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad is well put together, in that sharp, angular style common to a lot of gaming gear. Using it felt ergonomically comfortable; I was able to tilt it to the right angle for my wrists, while the flip-up rests didn’t get in the way of using the trackpad or keyboard. Meanwhile, the monochrome lighting is a little more subtle than the RGB type common to many cooling pads – whether this is a positive or negative likely depends on your chromatic predilections, but I feel it’s nice enough here. I’m less keen on the tribal back tattoo at the bottom of the Liangstar, but maybe I’m just not the target audience.
With its powerful performance, you’d be forgiven for expecting this laptop cooling pad to be pricey. But it’s actually competitively priced in most markets: the blue-lit version I tested retails for just $19.99 / £20.99, although Australian readers will have to pay AU$66.91. In the US, you can also get red, white or multi-color lit versions for $22.49, $19.99 or $22.99 respectively. All told, this is a decent saving compared to the $29.99 / £29.77 / AU$49.77 TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad or $26.99 / £21.99 Tecknet N5 Laptop Cooling Pad – despite the fact the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad offers superior cooling. So all told, if you care most about getting the best cooling for your cash, the Liangstar should be your go-to.
(Image credit: Future)
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad review: price & availability
Released December 16, 2019
Current price of $19.99 / £28.99 / AU$66.91
First launched on December 16, 2019, the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad is currently available for $19.99 / £20.99 / AU$66.91 from Amazon, with the US price being the lowest we’ve ever seen it. There may be some fluctuations here, though: the MSRP in the UK is listed as £28.99, yet prices have dropped as low as £14.44, so it’s worth keeping an eye on our price trackers, as you may be able to pick up even more of a bargain.
However, even at Amazon’s current prices, it undercuts most other products we’ve tested. The only exception is if you’re based in Australia – over there, the TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad comes in cheaper at AU$49.77, but in tests I found its cooling less impressive than the Liangstar, meaning you may well find the extra AU$17.14 is a price worth paying.
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad?
Buy it if…
You want the best cooling Thus far, the Liangstar delivers the best cooling performance I’ve seen from a laptop cooling pad at the affordable end of the market, keeping our testing laptop at a pretty balmy 37.5ºC during its intensive stress test.
You want an absolute bargain price Even compared to other affordable laptop cooling pads, the Liangstar is surprisingly cheap. It’s priced much cheaper in the US and UK than many other cooling pads, despite the fact it offers superior cooling.
Don’t buy it if…
You want specific styling The Liangstar is neither fish nor fowl in terms of design. Without conspicuous RGB lighting, it may not have enough of a gamer vibe for the esports crowd, but its hard angles and tribal logo might be a bit much for creatives.
You’re buying from Australia OK, this is less of a "don’t buy" than it is a "think before you buy". The Liangstar has a bit of a markup in Australia, even more than we’d expect from the exchange rate and extra shipping. So it's worth considering if it’s as much as a bargain in your market.
(Image credit: Future)
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad review: also consider
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad The TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad can’t quite rival the Liangstar for cooling – its temperature rise was 22.8ºC versus the Liangstar’s 15.3ºC – but it does almost make up for it when it comes to cool points. Its customizable RGB lighting guarantees to give your gaming setup that extra pop, offering 10 different settings for its rainbow-hued LED trim. Read our full TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad review.
How I tested the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad
Tested it over multiple days
Ran a stress test and measured temperature difference with a thermal camera
Recorded the volume of fan noise 10 minutes into test with a sound level meter
To test the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad, I carried out all of the standard benchmarks we run on laptop cooling pads. Firstly, I measured our Razer Predator Helios 300 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 testing laptop’s hottest point to set a baseline, then ran a 3DMark Stress Test for 15 minutes with the cooling pad set to its maximum setting and then remeasured the temperature.
In addition, I checked how much noise the device kicks out with a sound level meter. Once the test had been running for ten minutes, I recorded the sound levels from three inches away and from head height to get a sense of the immediate and subjective noise levels generated by the cooling pad and the laptop combined. I then contrasted this against the noise generated by the laptop’s fans alone.
As well as this quantitative data, I made sure I got plenty of experience using the cooling pad so I could assess its ergonomics and how well it functions in practice. Here I benefited from the many years I’ve spent testing gadgets as well as the 30 years I’ve spent using gaming setups.
The Apple Nike Sport Band is a workout-ready wrist strap that’s built for the sporty type. At $49 / £49, this is by no means one of the cheaper Apple Watch bands available, but it does, admittedly, have a premium feel to it that takes your workout monitoring to the next level.
Specifically, this band is constructed of the sweat and waterproof material, fluoroelastomer. Apple says that each strap has at least 30% recycled fluoroelastomer and that the flakes littered across the strap are made from a minimum of 66% fluoroelastomer – pretty neat. Interestingly, these flakes are scattered in a randomized manner, ensuring that each Nike Sport Band is unique.
More generally, this is a very nice looking band. I tested the Midnight Sky variant, where the flakes created a starry sky impression against the gray-black strap. Other than Midnight Sky, you can choose from: Blue Flame (blue and orange); Cargo Khaki (green and blue); Desert Stone (a sandy color with orange and blue details); Magic Ember (pink); Pure Platinum (white with mulit-colored splodges); and Volt Splash (green). I was a big fan of the many color options available – whether you want a more muted, professional looking option like Midnight Sky or an in-your-face vibrant band like Magic Ember, there’s a style for anyone – something we always look for on our hunt for the best Apple Watch bands.
That’s not the only variability to mention, though, because there are also a number of size options. This strap is compatible with three different case sizes: 40, 42 and 46mm. You can also get it in either small-to-medium (140-190mm) or medium-to-large (160-210mm). I used the former and found it very easy to get a comfortable fit – just poke the aluminum pin through one of the many holes in the strap and you’re good to go.
Even when keeping this strap on for entire days at a time, I never felt any irritation or annoyance. The high density of holes means there’s plenty of room for your wrist to breathe and the material is inherently resistant against water and sweat, making this strap ideal for workouts, for instance. I went on a run and many a walk and never realized any strain or damage, so you can rest assured that there’s plenty of quality here.
And quality is exactly what you’d expect for an Apple Watch band of this price. At $49 / £49 this thing isn’t cheap. There are some third-party alternatives – like the CeMiKa Silicone Sport Straps or Yoohoo Adjustable Metal Strap – that can be yours for less than $15 / £15. But really, I think you’ll feel the difference. The quality of material, excellent color design and more premium look of the Nike Sport Band makes it a superior companion for your Apple Watch – especially if you’re someone that loves to get active.
(Image credit: Future)
Apple Nike Sport Band review: Price & specs
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Apple Nike Sport Band?
Buy it if…
You’re the active type If you’re someone that likes to stay in shape – whether that’s running, lifting weights, swimming (maybe all of the above?) – this is the ideal watch strap for you. It’s made from a water-resistant material and has holes to let your wrists breathe – it doesn’t get much better than that.
You want an easy-to-fasten strap Something I love about the Apple Nike Sport Band is how easy it is to fasten to your wrist. Just poke the aluminum pin through one of the strap’s holes and it will lock into place. No more messing around with an awkward buckle.
Don't buy it if…
You’re on a tight budget The only real issue I can take with this strap is its price. I don’t think it’s crazy expensive given the quality on offer, but it’s certainly not cheap. If you’re looking for a massively budget-friendly strap, this one is to be avoided, unless you find it at a significantly discounted price.
You want an ultra premium option If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and want a top-tier premium watch strap, this might not be flashy enough for you. There are high-calibre metallic options like the Milanese Loop, for instance, but that will set you back almost $100 / £100.
Apple Nike Sport Band review: Also consider
Apple Braided Solo Loop We’ve been hands on with the Apple Braided Solo Loop and found it to be comfortable, easy to fit and conveniently waterproof. It is certainly quite pricey though, coming in at $99 / £99 – ouch. The stretchy band is ultra-easy to slip on, but it may cause some overhang – so maybe stick with this Nike strap if you want a more practical, fitness-oriented option. Read our full Apple Braided Solo Loop review.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems to have benefited from its extra time cooking in the fire, as developer Ubisoft Quebec has created an excellent new entry in the action open-world role-playing game line of its behemoth stealth series.
Review info
Platform reviewed: PS5, PS5 Pro Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC Release date: March 20, 2025
It has all the right ingredients to make it a delicious large-scale experience, from rewarding exploration of a beautiful world to some exquisite combat that’s the best in the whole series. That's on top of its dual protagonist system, which offers the best of both worlds on a gameplay front.
But one word I kept coming back to in particular while sinking dozens of hours into Shadows was ‘balanced’. For example, the balance between protagonists Yasuke and Naoe’s styles, skill progression, and landmarks discovered via exploration constantly tempts you to play further.
As a result, Assassin’s Creed Shadows hits the mark in an awful lot of ways and is right up there when it comes to the best Assassin's Creed games. Yes, its story darts about all over the place to its detriment (although it earns credit for deviating from the obvious means to tell a narrative) and peters out rather, and the Hideout mode demands a fair bit of resource grinding, but these minor quibbles never halted my enjoyment of roaming Feudal Japan and unraveling its many mysteries.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
A world worth waiting for
One of the stars of the whole show is the setting of Feudal Japan in the 16th century. In short, it's perfect for the lore and gameplay of an Assassin’s Creed game. This rendition of the period is an absolute beauty with breathtaking vistas, varied and eye-catching typography, and exquisite landscape features from water courses to lush vegetation and a wonderful utilization of Japanese landscapes, architecture, and gardens.
The environmental and weather effects are both visually and audibly varied too. There are snow blizzards you can’t see through, pounding rain that makes the ground muddy, a distinct hazed redolent of that which often sits on the Japanese landscape, and gusts of wind lightly rustling brilliantly blooming cherry blossom trees.
Not only that, the world is filled with plenty of things to discover, stumble upon, and do. From tombs and parkour paths to find loot in, strongholds to clear, meditation and temples to gain knowledge points from, to painting wildlife and completing contracts, there’s loads to sink your teeth into. While many of these would feel at home in the likes of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, for example, the slightly smaller map size helps to keep it all in check and creates an emphasis on quality over quantity.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
There are plenty of viewpoints to climb and get vantage across the land - no AC game would be complete without them - but climbing them doesn’t automatically reveal everything in a region. It’s no longer a one-stop show-me-everything trick. Instead, a few question marks and maybe the next nearest viewpoint or two will appear on your map, but the emphasis is on inspecting the world and identifying the places you want to go to next.
This change in exploration ensured I was immersed in the world and I loved the sense of discovery. The shift to putting the onus on you to actually go to places or find locations is something I’ve wanted from the open-world line in the series for a while - and it works. This also works on a micro scale when looking for evidence or people during missions; you really feel like you’re snooping about and every discovery feels a little more earned.
Thus, even the world itself has a nice balance to it. Its overall size, the amount of things within it, and the distance between those locations and activities make for a well-filled world that reveals itself and can be explored at your own pace.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Dual blades
As a long-time fan of this series, I was originally unconvinced about the dual-protagonist setup in Shadows. However, after previewing the game at the Quebec studio, and now spending dozens of hours with it properly, I can say that it really works.
Naoe and Yasuke are incredibly specialist and feel honed to their specific niches. It’s still worth remembering, however, that this dual protagonist setup is not like Assassin’s CreedSyndicate for example, where both playable characters are members of the Assassin brotherhood; here, we’ve got one stealth-attuned assassin and one bombastic samurai who’s best suited to all-out combat.
Despite their distinct styles, playing with either has one thing in common: some of the best combat in the series. Whether I was implementing quickfire attacks in one-on-one combat with a Kusarigama hook-and-chain weapon as Naoe, or smashing through doors and mowing down gaggles of goons with Kanobo with as Yasuke, both characters are a blastic.
Shinobi Naoe is a true assassin, and, in a strong field, possibly one of the best to play as yet. She’s fast, lethal, and stocked with stealthy tools. Lurking in the shadows, utilizing her slick parkour moves, and infiltrating places unseen feels excellent. There’s something satisfying about mastering her vulnerability and high-risk one-on-one combat too; Naoe almost feels underpowered when out of stealth, and this successfully balances out her efficacy.
Best bit
Shadows’ take on exploration and discovery of the world is a welcome breath of fresh air for the series. Viewpoints only reveal some of your surroundings, and, as a result, the urge to get to locations and discover more of the world is strong, with more places of interest revealing themselves as you get to each one.
On the other hand, Yasuke is built for head-on combat. Focusing on all-out damage, he can wield the biggest weapons and create the largest devastation, and take the most punishment. Seeing baddies go flying from huge ground attacks or massive kicks brought satisfaction to combat when going big, and every hit felt impactful and spectacular.
Equally, the limits on Yasuke’s stealth abilities feel about right: he’ll get seen when trying to hide behind cover, he’s rubbish at parkour, and his assassinations are deliberately non-stealthy.
I did find myself playing as Naoe an awful lot more due to the excellence of stealth and assassination, but knowing I could rely on changing to Yasuke to go all out with a Kanobo club was a joy - even if the act of changing between them could be a little more seamless than having to re-enter menus.
The balance of the game comes to the fore again, but three-fold: first in the balance between what Naoe and Yasuke offer in style, second in the way that each is balanced in terms of capabilities, but third in terms of progressing both and their skill sets. For example, if you identify skills you want then you can act accordingly, pivoting away to gather specific knowledge points that unlock levels of skills rather than just encouraging you to hoover up one-dimensional skill points.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
A story that fades
Sadly, I can’t rave in the same way about the story as much as I can about everything else.
Told through a mix of flashbacks, main story-adjacent missions, and some linear moments, I appreciate the series trying to weave the narrative in a different way, but it all feels a bit scattershot.
However, there are redeeming qualities that do go some way to mitigating the otherwise spotty narrative. The performances, cinematography, and attention to detail in cutscenes - I was always taken by the characters’ eyes and the level of eye contact between them - is excellent and leads to a wonderfully cinematic feel. This helps to present the story and cutscenes in an engaging and sometimes gripping way - it’s just a shame that it never really got its hooks into me.
It’s worth mentioning that playing the main missions and going after the main targets often culminates in wonderful segments that focus on killing the right person in a sprawling, dangerous location, and then getting out.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find sub-groups and organizations of evil schemers that meant satisfying investigations and assassinations were not limited to one main group of big bads. Complementing this, main targets or not, were the kill screens which were an excellent artistic touch throughout, with the screen changing to black and white splattered by the bright blood of your victim.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Filling out the experience
Assassin’s Creed Shadows also brings some new facets to the series with it.
The Animus Hub greets you when booting up the game. On one hand this is a functional launcher-type screen that can act as simply the home screen for Shadows and the most recent AC games (from Origins onward). On the other, it actually handles the modern-day stuff well and provides a good launchpad for jumping into any of those games. A nice, apt base for the whole Assassin’s Creed experience.
Personally, I wasn't drawn much to the new base building-like Hideout mode and it does take some time in the main game to gather all the materials needed to build and upgrade everything. In terms of adding buildings to your settlement, there are tangible benefits to be gained such as more scouts that can reveal clues and locations on the map for you, adding engravings (upgrades) to weapons, and being able to remove regional wanted statuses.
In this way, it feels like an evolution of the Ravensthorpe settlement concept from Valhalla. However, I preferred the implementation in Eivor’s adventure which was simpler and wasn’t trying to be a whole new game mode.
Even so, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ various delays have clearly been worth it, as it’s some of the most fun I’ve had in the series in a long while. It takes all the best bits of the RPG line of games in the series and refines them, but also throws in some excellent stealth, combat, and exploration which makes for a memorable experience throughout. Its drawbacks are relatively small in comparison to its strengths and I am already committed to exploring all its nooks and crannies, well after rolling credits.
Should you play Assassin's Creed Shadows?
Play it if...
You want a huge open-world AC game to sink hours into Shadows is the next big Assassin’s Creed game and if you’ve been after another experience like that of Odyssey or Valhalla then Shadows will not disappoint with its large world and the amount of things to do.
You’ve been pining for a Feudal Japan setting for Assassin’s Creed The wait for Assassin’s Creed to take its adventures to Feudal Japan has been absolutely worth it. The landscapes, characters, and history of the place are perfect for the series and Shadows capitalizes on that well.
You enjoy different combat playstyles If you’re an action-adventure fan who likes to constantly mix things up in combat or have multiplayer playstyle options, then those offered by Naoe and Yasuke could scratch quite the itch.
You want an open-world game with rewarding exploration Shadows shakes up the series’ traditional approach to world exploration and offers something far more nuanced, immersive, and rewarding. Nothing is fed to you in terms of exploration, and areas aren’t suddenly filled after reaching viewpoints; the world entices you to explore it and the satisfaction of doing it is excellent.
Don't play it if...
You prefer the smaller Assassin’s Creed adventures Assassin’s Creed Mirage this is not, and if you prefer the more focused, small-scale adventures that the series has been known for in the past, then Shadows might be a bit overwhelming.
You don’t want to devote hours to resource-gathering and location completing While there’s so much to do across Shadows’ landscapes, you’ll need to spend a good while gathering resources to get the most out of the hideout mode and complete a lot of minigames and locations to unlock the top skills.
Accessibility
Ubisoft’s modern suite of strong accessibility options is available in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There are multiple difficulty levels (all of which are described in full) that affect combat and stealth, and you can also change the game to have one-hit assassinations. If you want to make exploration easier, you can turn on guidance for that to make discovery more straightforward.
There are options to change or turn off graphic effects such as blood, as well as alter the camera, and change inputs for actions. There are also plenty of options for subtitles, text size, background color for text, and language options. The game also features modes to cater to Red-Green and Blue-Yellow colorblindness.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
How I reviewed Assassin's Creed Shadows
I’ve played Assassin’s Creed Shadows for more than 40 hours for this review, going through the main storyline, undertaking a host of side quests, and taking time to explore the vast world. As well as thoroughly exploring the main game as both Naoe and Yasuke and using as many weapons for both as I could, I dedicated time to having a poke about the Animus Hub and spending time in the Hideout mode too to explore what both have to offer.
The game offered me two or three graphics modes depending on the display I was using. The standard, default two of Quality and Performance are present - with the performance mode being preferable on 60Hz displays - while a Balanced mode is available on HDMI 2.1 displays offering something akin to a quality-meets-40-frames-per-second experience. My preference by far was the latter and found it to be an excellent mix of both performance and overall image quality.
The Fulaim X5M is yet another option in what has become a boom area of content-creation tech: the miniature wireless digital microphone. Designed for vloggers, podcasters and the like, this set is a competitor to the likes of the DJI Mic 2 and Rode Wireless Micro, with clip-on transmitters wirelessly beaming an audio signal to a receiver that can be connected to a smartphone, computer or camera.
Perhaps the main selling point of the X5M is its budget-friendly price, which undercuts premium rivals like DJI, Rode and Sennheiser by a wide margin. That makes it a tempting purchase for newbie content creators who are just getting started, particularly given the flexibility offered by its adapters, along with the ability to record directly onto the transmitter's own 4GB of internal storage.
I'd expect some concessions to be made with any budget product, and with the X5M I'd say the main ones are its rather cheap-feeling build quality, and the fact that its audio quality tops out at 16-bit where premium rivals offer 24-bit and even 32-bit float options. The display on the receiver could do with some tweaks to make it a little more readable too, but none of the above are what I'd call deal-breakers.
If more premium mics are out of your reach, and you want something a little more flexible than the smartphone-only Boya Mini, the Fulaim X5M is well worth a look.
The core Fulaim X5M set with two transmitters, the receiver and charging case (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
Fulaim X5M: price and release date
List price is $199 / £150 / AU$310 for dual TX set
Cheaper non-recording edition available
Sold only as a set
Dual-transmitter kits with a charging case don’t come much cheaper than the Fulaim X5M. Its list price is $199 / £150 / AU$311, but I’ve found it for far less at many online stores including Amazon US for around $90 / Amazon UK for around £100, so you’ll be paying a lot less than you would for the likes of the DJI Mic Mini or Rode Wireless Micro.
That’s the price for the version of the X5M I was sent for review, which includes built-in recording on the transmitters. An even cheaper version lacking that feature is also available, for around $30 / £22 / AU$35 less.
Both sets are available to buy now from a range of online stores, but it’s worth noting that you can only get the X5M in a full package that also includes two transmitters, one receiver, a charging case, USB-C / Lightning / 3.5mm adapters, two furry windscreens and a USB-C cable; aside from replacement bits like the adapters and magnets, the elements of this kit aren’t available for individual purchase, at least as far as I could tell.
The charging case with two transmitters, the receiver and all three adapters inserted (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
Fulaim X5M: specs
The receiver with its three adapters for Lightning, USB-C and 3.5mm devices. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
Fulaim X5M: Design
Most elements slot into charging case for transport
Entire package weighs 8.5oz / 240g
Adapters for USB-C, Lightning and 3.5mm included
The X5M, like many wireless mic packages, comprises two wearable transmitters, a receiver that can be connected to smartphones, tablets, computers and cameras, and a case that not only holds them but recharges their internal batteries. The case also has space for three connector adapters for the receiver (USB-C, Lightning and 3.5mm), a USB-C port for charging, and four LEDs on the front to give you a quick indication of its own battery life.
The whole kit will fit easily in your coat pocket, making the X5M wonderfully portable. I would have liked some kind of pouch or carrying bag to be included in the set though, as there’s nothing to stop the case flipping open in your bag and disgorging its contents. Also, there’s no room in the charging case for included accessories like the two furry windscreens or USB-C cable, so having a bag to hold everything would have made a lot of difference.
I found the general build quality to be okay, if a little cheap and plasticky. Pricier mic sets like the DJI Mic 2, Sennheiser Profile Wireless and Saramonic Ultra are all much sturdier than this – but that’s one reason you have to pay more for them, I suppose. There’s also no waterproofing on any of the elements here – at least nothing mentioned by Fulaim – so if you want to record outdoors in inclement weather you’ll need to exercise caution.
A Fulaim X5M transmitter with its furry windshield attached. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
The transmitters are small and lightweight, and can be attached to clothing via a clip or magnet. The clip is nice and strong, but I found the magnet pull to be a little weak, and I wouldn’t want to risk using it on any garment thicker than a lightweight T-shirt, lest it fall off.
Each transmitter has a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, as well as two buttons: one to switch power on/off and another that can be tapped to engage noise reduction tech and held down to start recording. It also has a 3.5mm input, enabling users to attach a third-party lavalier mic.
The receiver has a USB-C port for charging, plus an interface on the back that can accept one of the adapters, allowing it to be connected directly to products with Lightning, USB-C or 3.5mm ports. I tried it on my iPhone 13 and Panasonic GH6 II camera (with the Lightning and 3.5mm ports respectively) and found it to be a secure and fairly low-profile fit.
It also has a small non-touchscreen display that indicates battery life, recording mode, connection status and audio gain. This is a little hard to see from a distance at times, due to the choice of font and icons and its tiny size, but better to have than to not, I suppose.
The receiver also has two hardware buttons: one for power and one to toggle through five levels of gain adjustment.
Fulaim X5M: Performance
16-bit audio quality with noise reduction
Stereo, mono and safety recording modes
Transmitter can be used solo
There’s no sign of 24-bit or 32-bit audio here. The X5M, as befits its budget status, sticks with 16-bit audio – and I think that’s fine for a cheap wireless mic. Having tested the recording quality both indoors and outdoors on a blustery day, I’m more than happy with it – and I strongly suspect anyone who’s upgrading from a built-in mic on their phone or camera will feel the same. The sound is so much richer and fuller from a dedicated mic, while the furry windshield succeeds in cutting out wind noise when you're recording outdoors.
There’s even a noise reduction mode that, while I wouldn’t rely on it in truly challenging conditions, is very effective at reducing background hums – the likes of fans, air conditioners and road noise.
The X5M can record in three different modes: mono (which uses a single transmitter), stereo (where both transmitters record in tandem to create a single recording) and safety (where the second transmitter records at a slight gain reduction, as a backup track in case of the primary track experiencing a sudden loud noise or similar).
Each transmitter can be used for solo recording too, so you can ditch the rest of the set if you’re traveling really light. With 4GB of internal storage, it can record around nine hours of audio.
The X5M's receiver attached to an Apple iPhone 13 via its Lightning port. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
Battery life runs closer to six hours, however, with two full-recharge cycles being held in the charging case. In theory, with the charging case in your pocket you can get 18 hours of use out of the X5M before having to track down a wall socket or power bank, which is about average for a wireless mic set.
As for wireless range, Fulaim claims the X5M can work up to a range of about 650ft / 200m – that is, the distance between the transmitter and receiver. That’s in perfect conditions, of course, and I would expect the real-world figure to be a lot lower, although for the vast majority of users range is never going to be an issue. I certainly had no problems with connectivity or transmission during my review period.
Should I buy the Fulaim X5M?
Buy it if…
You want a versatile wireless mic on a budget
With its trio of adapters for connecting to all types of smartphone plus laptops and cameras, plus solo recording, this is a cheap package that isn’t restricted to a single mode of audio capture.
You’re a beginner content creator
The 16-bit audio recorded by the X5M is so much crisper, weightier, and richer than the sound you’d get from a smartphone or camera’s built-in mic, making it a cheap and simple way to elevate vlog audio.
Don’t buy it if…
You want to record in pro-quality audio formats
The X5M sticks with ‘good enough’ 16-bit audio recording, so demanding professionals who require 24-bit or even 32-bit float recording should look elsewhere – and be willing to spend more money.
You want super-tough build quality
The plasticky build quality, lack of weatherproofing, and lack of a carrying case or bag make this a mic set that needs to be handled with a little care. It’s not necessarily designed for the rough and tumble of frequent outdoor use.
Fulaim X5M: also consider
Boya Mini
This ultra-cheap, ultra-compact and ultra-lightweight wireless microphone is designed to work only with smartphones, meaning you can’t connect it to a camera. Like the Fulaim X5M, it records at 16-bit quality rather than the 24-bit offered by some pricier alternatives.
DJI Mic Mini A premium and versatile alternative that’s currently quite a bit pricier than the Fulaim X5M, the Mic Mini features 24-bit audio and Bluetooth connectivity, meaning you can bypass the receiver altogether. Its transmitters are quite a bit smaller than the Fulaim X5M’s too, which is handy if you want something a little more discreet.
I used it solo, and paired with iPhone 13 and Panasonic Lumix GH6 II
In order to see how it fared in different environments I tested the Fulaim X5M in a range of scenarios, from the quiet and relatively controlled environment of my home office to the windy coast of southeast England.
I also recorded with it in several different ways: using the transmitter’s built-in recording capability; with the receiver connected to my Apple iPhone 13 using a Lightning adapter; and with the receiver connected to my Panasonic Lumix GH6 II mirrorless camera via its 3.5mm analog adapter.
It's very hard to say that a drive that sequentially reads nearly 12,500MB a second doesn't live up to expectations, especially not when its performance everywhere else is better than anything else I've tested, but that sticker on the box of the Samsung 9100 Pro that promises up to 14,800MB/s sticks in the craw of an otherwise perfect M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD.
Starting at $199.99 for a 1TB capacity drive (about £155/AU$315), the 9100 Pro is Samsung's first 'true' PCIe 5.0 SSD after the Samsung 990 EVO and Samsung 990 EVO Plus. Both those drives are PCIe 5.0, but they only use two PCIe 5.0 lanes, which limits their practical speeds to PCIe 4.0 standards.
The 9100 Pro, meanwhile, is a full-fat PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 drive, meaning its theoretical max speed for sequential reads is upwards of roughly 15,000MB/s and 14,000MB/s for sequential writes (this number has been edging up over the past 3-5 years, so take that theoretical maximum with a grain of salt at this point).
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Samsung promises that its latest drive can hit up to 14,800MB/s sequential read and 13,400MB/s sequential write, and the Samsung 9100 Pro gets there somewhat. It clocks in a max sequential write rate of 13,066MB/s in my testing, but the 9100 Pro's maximum sequential read speed only hit 12,427MB/s. This is still incredibly fast—but, it's not what's promised on the box.
Could that change with BIOS or firmware updates, sure. Possibly. But it's not like other PCIe 5.0 drives like the Crucial T705 aren't hitting close to 14,500MB/s. The T705 hits a max sequential read speed of 14,390MB/s in CrystalDiskMark 8 on the same testbench with a Gigabyte Aorus X870E motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor, and 32GB Corsair Dominator DDR5 running at 6,600MT/s and integrated graphics, so there's no interference from a graphics card.
Meanwhile, compared to its predecessor, the Samsung 990 Pro, the 9100 Pro is a much better overall drive, but there are circumstances where the 990 Pro still manages to outperform its successor such as same and secondary drive copy time and random read and write speeds.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
On balance, the Samsung 9100 Pro isn't the undisputed best SSD you can buy, and for some users (such as gamers or general-use enthusiasts), you will likely be happier with other PCIe 5.0 or even PCIe 4.0 drives on the market, many of which will be cheaper than the 9100 Pro.
That said, this is a drive for professional users and for those who need to save or otherwise write large files to disk regularly, and for that, the Samsung 9100 Pro is the best M.2 SSD on the market.
Gamers won't find much here worth the investment, unfortunately, with even the 990 Pro outperforming the 9100 Pro in 3DMark's SSD benchmark, which is a gaming-exclusive test. It also falls about 17% behind the Corsair MP700 Elite PCIe 5.0 SSD on this benchmark as well.
For general business users, the 9100 Pro is better than its predecessor but lags behind the Crucial T705 in PCMark 10, which tests general productivity speed and performance as well as its performance as a data drive rather than your main system drive.
Given all this, you'd think that the 9100 Pro should score lower, but it really comes in strong on sequential write performance, which is a very big deal for professional users who might need to save media projects that are many, many gigabytes large.
Nothing disrupts a workflow more than a project autosaving for up to half a minute or more, and this is where the 9100 Pro shines. Offering up to 39% faster sequential write performance than the Crucial T705, its nearest competitor in this category, the Samsung 9100 Pro really leans into its pro branding here.
The 9100 Pro unit I tested did not come with a built-in heatsink, so its thermal performance is largely a factor of the excellent PCIe 5.0 heatsink on the Gigabyte Auros X870E motherboard I used for testing (I also used the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and 32GB of Corsair Dominator DDR5 RAM at 6,600MT/s), so I can't speak much to the heatsink's quality in this review.
Also, I tested a 9100 Pro with a 4TB capacity, whereas every other drive I tested had a 2TB capacity. This, in itself, shouldn't impact baseline scores too much, if at all, but it's worth pointing out that while I still consider this an apples-to-apples comparison, it's more of a Cosmic Crisp-to-Red Delicious comparison, so your actual experienced performance might vary slightly from mine.
All that said, the other major problem with this drive is its price. It's an expensive drive, and for a lot of gamers and those who are more interested in faster loading times for their programs and files, the Crucial T705 is simply a better option with comparable write speeds but close-to-max read speeds for a lower price.
If you're looking for a drive that you can use in more of a professional capacity with frequent saves of very large files like video projects or video game packages in Unreal Engine, the Samsung 9100 Pro is the best SSD you're going to get for that purpose and it will absolutely speed up your everyday workflow considerably.
Samsung 9100 Pro: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How much does it cost? Starting at $199.99 (about £155/AU$315)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia
The Samsung 9100 Pro is available in the US, UK, and Australia starting on March 18, 2025, for $199.99 (about £155/AU$315) for a 1TB drive.
Higher capacities will cost you more, with the 2TB capacity going for $299.99 (about £230/AU$470)and the 4TB capacity going for $549.99 (about £425/AU$865).
The 9100 Pro 8TB capacity drive is expected to launch in H2 2025, though its price hasn't been released yet.
This puts the 9100 Pro roughly 30% more expensive to start over the Crucial T705 1TB, and slightly more expensive than the launch MSRP of the Samsung 990 Pro it replaces.
Samsung 9100 Pro: Specs
Should you buy the Samsung 9100 Pro?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Buy it if...
You need pro-level sequential write performance Are you writing 20GB files to disk every time you save your architecture project? This drive is for you.
You want an M.2 SSD with high-capacity options With a 4TB drive available now and 8TB capacity coming later this year, this is one of the most spacious M.2 SSDs on the market.
Don't buy it if...
You're on a budget This is hardly the cheapest PCIe 5.0 drive out there, even at this level of performance.
You're looking for a PS5 SSD If you want a new SSD for your PS5 console, this drive is way too fast for the PS5's PCIe 4.0 interface. You're better off getting the 990 Pro.
Samsung 9100 Pro: Also consider
If my Samsung 9100 Pro review has you looking for other options, here are two more M.2 SSDs to consider...
Crucial T705 The Crucial T705 is the best all-around PCIe 5.0 drive you can buy, with stellar performance across the board and a fairly accessible price point.
Samsung 990 Pro The Samsung 990 Pro is the best PCIe 4.0 SSD going, and for 95% of users, this drive will be more than enough for your needs at a decent enough price.
I used it for gaming, content creation, and general storage use
I used my standard suite of SSD benchmarks as well as daily use
To test the 9100 Pro, I ran it through our standard benchmark suite, including CrystalDiskMark 8, PassMark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, and our proprietary 25GB file copy test.
I used this drive as my main system storage (C:\) drive for over a week on my test bench, where I used it extensively for loading games for graphics card benchmarking purposes, content creation, and more. This included loading games and large batches of photos for editing in Lightroom and Photoshop for various reviews.
I've been testing hardware components for TechRadar for over three years now, including several major SSD reviews from Samsung, PNY, and others, so I know what the latest SSDs are best for and whether they are worth your hard-earned money.
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch Available on: Nintendo Switch Release date: March 20, 2025
2053 A.D. The last bastion of humanity flees Earth as it’s caught up in a conflict between two unknown alien factions. The White Whale mothership crash lands on the seemingly habitable planet of Mira where humanity has a chance to begin again, but their struggles are far from over. Two months later, you’re discovered in a drop pod without a single memory save for your name. And so begins Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition - easily one of the best RPGs (role-playing games) I’ve played in recent years.
As the newest resident of New Los Angeles - humanity’s massive home base that successfully landed on Mira mostly intact - you’re swiftly encouraged to join BLADE (a handy shortening of Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth), an elite force tasked with everything from exploring Mira and subduing threats to gathering resources and keeping the peace on home ground.
Within your first hour, you’ll select one of eight BLADE divisions to be a part of, each specializing in a particular field (though these are fairly inconsequential outside of the online modes which I wasn’t able to try for this review). These include Pathfinders who specialize in deploying FrontierNav probes to expand the map, and Interceptors who’re tasked with handling dangerous fauna. No matter which division you pick, you’ll still get to explore Mira in pretty much any way you like.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
While Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition does have a main story to follow, it’s not as much of a focus compared to the other three games in the series. Instead, you’ll be spending the bulk of your playtime ticking off side quests and party member affinity missions (of which there are plenty of both) in order to meet requirements for unlocking story missions and expanding your home base of New LA.
On paper it sounds like a slog - and indeed many quests can boil down to simple item fetches or enemy hunting. Thankfully, the context of each quest makes almost all of them worth doing. Each one meaningfully expands the lore of Mira and its many alien races. There’s also a fantastic feeling of progression here, as a good amount of quests will unlock more features in New LA as well as allow these other races to gradually inhabit the city.
There’s a real feeling of growth and community that’s seldom seen in the genre. And, if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice the various races co-existing. They’ll form their own friend groups, frequent commercial establishments, develop romantic relationships, and contribute to New LA in their own ways. It’s not a real-time simulation by any means, but it all still adds so much detail and flavor to the world around you.
In summary, I love the world of Mira, and I love Xenoblade Chronicles X’s approach to character development and overall progression. Sure, the lengthy gap between main story missions won’t sit right with everyone. Think of it like a hot bath; dipping a toe in can be intimidating, but if you allow yourself to slowly settle in, you’ll find an incredibly rewarding and satisfying experience. It might well be a re-release, but Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is handily one of the best Nintendo Switch games today.
The world’s your (extremely dangerous) oyster
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Besides the hub of New LA, Mira is split into five distinct (and utterly massive) biomes. Bordering the city is Primordia, a lush grassland dotted with lakes and mountains. To its west is Noctilum, a labyrinthine forest that combines wide open spaces with plenty of narrow pathways to explore. In the east you have the desert-like Oblivia, then off to the north is the ethereal Sylvalum and then bordering that is the volcanic region of Cauldros.
Best bit
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Exploring the world of Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is its own multi-faceted reward. It aids with overall progression, sure, but it’s also full of individual moments that wowed me. As an example, running through the towering forests of Noctilum for the first time while its vocal-driven theme kicked in was a simply awe-inspiring moment. The Xenoblade series has some of the best music in gaming, and that’s certainly no different with X.
While these all sound like your cookie-cutter video game biomes, each has unique touches that help them really stand out. Noctilum, for example, is dense with large coral-like structures. Oblivia is dotted with towering ruins of an ancient civilization. Cauldros is heavily industrialized, having been largely taken over by the antagonist Ganglion race.
As you might expect from the Xenoblade series, there’s no shortage of breathtaking vistas to discover and the sense of scale is truly unmatched. The old adage of ‘if you see it, you can go there’ is often claimed but rarely actually true. However, in Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’d better believe that this is absolutely the case. Especially later in the game when you unlock the Skell, a flight-capable mech that greatly enhances your traversal options.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
What’s especially great about Xenoblade Chronicles X is that you’re free to explore much of Mira from the off with your party of four including the player character. At first, your key objective in exploration will be finding FrontierNav sites at which you can unlock new fast travel points and reveal surrounding points of interest such as treasure locations or powerful Tyrant-class enemies.
On the topic of enemies, you’ll swiftly find that Mira is an incredibly dangerous place. High-level mobs are abundant, often strategically placed to discourage careless exploration. Xenoblade Chronicles X is not a power fantasy; you will frequently fall foul of enemies more than happy to ambush you when you least expect it. Thankfully, punishment for a full party wipe is lenient, simply taking you back to the nearest landmark or fast travel point.
Enemies are also surprisingly dynamic in their behavior. Many only appear at certain times of the day. They can also change their approach to you depending on your mode of travel; some may be perfectly willing to leave you be if you’re on foot. But in your Skell, they might be more hostile. Skell travel, while convenient, isn’t exactly a free lunch, either. Skell fuel is a limited resource and certain airborne mobs will attack if they spot you flying around.
This may sound super frustrating, but the flipside is that eventually, you will be able to fight back against enemies that previously gave you a hard time. It’s so satisfying to plow through an area that was at one point impassible due to the level gap. As you continue to improve your ground gear and Skell builds, you’ll gradually find that more of Mira opens up to you in a very natural way.
Guns, blades and indigens
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Describing Xenoblade Chronicles X’s combat in full would require at least another 5,000 words and my boss would hate me, so I’ll do my best to detail the highlights instead. In short, X’s battle system is rich in depth and so incredibly fun once you get your head around it. But thanks to Definitive Edition’s better tutorialization, things are generally much easier to learn.
You and your party members will have access to a pool of Arts (read: skills) depending on their class (you can freely upgrade and switch yours as you progress, too) which you’ll assign to one of eight slots on the Arts Palette. Arts are color-coded; orange and yellow are melee and ranged attacks respectively. Green Arts provide support such as buffs or healing. Purple Arts typically apply debuffs to enemies, while Blue Arts grant the character an ‘aura’ which provides various temporary benefits.
What makes combat in X so engaging is you can’t just be throwing out Arts willy-nilly. Most will be more potent when used under certain criteria, such as hitting an enemy from its side, or activating the Art while you have an Aura active. It’s largely up to you which Arts to put on your Palette, but the game strongly incentivizes using Arts that synergize with one another.
A new ‘quick cooldown’ button has been added to Definitive Edition, too, which lets you immediately use an Art without waiting for its cooldown. The Art usually won’t be as powerful in this state, but it’s a very handy thing to have if you’re clearing out a group of weaker mobs or looking to quickly reapply a debuff.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
That’s most apparent with Xenoblade Chronicles X’s coolest combat feature: Overdrive. Unlocked early on in the story, Overdrive is a massively powerful party-wide state. It lasts for about half a minute, during which time your Arts cooldowns will be greatly sped up and the party will be able to access a variety of bonuses based on the Arts you use.
In Definitive Edition, it’s easier than ever to tell which Arts to use, thanks to a color-coded chart displayed on-screen during Overdrive. For example, using three melee Arts in a row will boost the experience gained from the fight. Using a Blue and Green Art in succession will provide healing, and using a Green Art followed by any other will double its hit count which increases your TP (the resource required to enter Overdrive in the first place) gain.
Ideally, to get the most out of tough encounters, you’ll want to get your TP back up to 3,000 within your Overdrive window in order to activate it again, replenishing its timer. If managed correctly, you can keep the Overdrive state active throughout an entire fight. Pulling that off feels so, so satisfying and in the late game, it became the reason why I think X has the best combat system in the whole series. It’s up there with Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s take on the Chain Attack systemfor me.
As great as the on-foot combat is, I unfortunately can’t say the same for Skell combat. It’s as slow and clunky here as it was in the original. Skells feel incredibly floaty, and the Arts provided by its equipment typically have much longer cooldowns. You also can’t use the quick cooldown feature while in your mech. They can certainly be powerful, and hopping into your Skell if you’re running low on health is a viable tactic, but I do wish developers Monolith Soft could’ve taken the time to tighten up Skell combat as it just doesn’t provide the same rush as the on-foot Overdrive loop.
The fairest of them all
(Image credit: Nintendo)
While Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is certainly a little dated in the visuals department, by no means does that make it an ugly game. On the contrary, it provides some of the most gorgeous environments I’ve ever seen rendered on Nintendo Switch. Improved character models and an overall bump in resolution also help Definitive Edition look much sharper and cleaner than its Wii U counterpart.
As ever with the series, draw distance is incredibly impressive for a Switch game. However, some pretty egregious object pop-in is still an issue, especially in the busy hub of New LA. Non-player characters (NPCs), objects, and moving vehicles can materialize right in front of you. This can also happen out in the open world; I’ve had many times where I’ve descended onto a seemingly empty patch of earth to grab a treasure or open up a FrontierNav site, only for a group of high-level enemies to spawn in and obliterate my Skell in an instant.
In better news, performance is a mostly stable 30fps (frames per second), only rarely dipping when loading into a new area after fast travel. Load times are also impressively quick for the Switch; it wasn’t often that I had to wait longer than 10 seconds to beam into a new location, making general exploration extremely quick and convenient.
Lastly, I have to make a note of Xenoblade Chronicles X’s god-tier soundtrack. Composer Hiroyuki Sawano - well-known for his work on Attack on Titan and Kill la Kill - provides a legendary score for this game, and he’s back with new music for Definitive Edition, too. His work here does feel distinctly anime, with epic, sweeping tracks for the game’s biomes and vocal-driven battle themes that I never get tired of listening to.
Should I play Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition?
Play it if...
You want to get lost in a unique RPG for potentially hundreds of hours Xenoblade Chronicles X is a very unique game even within the confines of its own series. The glorious sci-fi setting matched with a deep and involving battle system provides a consistently moreish experience.View Deal
You love exploration This game simply gets exploring a vast, open world so right. Expanding your map via FrontierNav to discover new, interesting locations as well as treasures and powerful enemies is incredibly rewarding throughout the experience.View Deal
You like mechs Despite the weak Skell combat, it’s more than made up for in their aptitude for exploration and sheer customizability - which includes everything from weapon loadouts to color schemes.View Deal
Don't play it if...
You just want to get on with the story You’ll be spending a lot of time in Xenoblade Chronicles X completing side quests and affinity missions in order to meet requirements and recommended levels for main story content. If you’re not willing to take things slow then you may find progression to be irksome especially later on in the game.View Deal
Accessibility
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is unfortunately very minimal in terms of accessibility features. You’ve got subtitles on by default and you can adjust dialogue text speed, but that’s really about it. There are no colorblind options, which would have been helpful to some players given the battle system’s reliance on color-coded Arts.
How I reviewed Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition
My playthrough of Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition lasted around 80 hours. This included the main story, most side quests, a good amount of affinity missions, and the new postgame content. I unfortunately wasn’t able to test the game’s online features for this review, as these will open up on release day.
I played the game on my Nintendo Switch OLED in both docked and handheld modes. I found it to be surprisingly playable and stable in handheld mode despite the drop in overall image quality and resolution, but still looks noticeably less soupy than other Xenoblade titles on that OLED screen. For docked play, I played on an LG CX OLED TV primarily with a GameSir Nova controller.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
HP’s OfficeJet Pro 9012e is almost indistinguishable from the 9010e we crowned inkjet Labs winner this time last year. It’s a chunky-looking, businessy MFP aimed squarely at home and small offices. While it’s clearly not an enterprise-class device, it’s built to take moderately high use, with a one-time maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 25,000 pages.
In reality this MFP is unlikely to print anywhere near that volume, but it’s well set up for its recommended 1,500 pages a month. In its base you’ll find a 250-sheet paper cassette, while on top there’s a 35-sheet ADF. It can print, scan, copy and fax, with direct control coming via a 6.9cm color touchscreen running a user-friendly menu. It’s hidden slightly on the left side, but you also get a USB host port for direct prints and scans.
The “e” on some HP printers denotes that you must sign up to HP+ to activate the device, and thereafter leave it connected to the internet for it to function. Happily, that’s not the case here, with users allowed to choose whether to activate HP+, the Instant Ink subscription service, or neither. We asked HP to clarify whether it had changed its “dual SKU strategy” which obliged users to choose HP+ or not at the time of purchase, but didn’t hear back before we went to press.
Regardless, the 9012e offers the best of all worlds. Choose to sign up to HP+ and you’ll get an additional year’s warranty and six months of Instant Ink for free. Opt out and you can still get two years’ cover with online registration, and choose to sign up to Instant Ink if you want. We discuss the economics of this in View from the Labs, but without it – at 1p per page in black or 4.2p in color – the 9012e is cheap to run for a cartridge-based inkjet.
Control is via a user-friendly 6.9cm touchscreen(Image credit: Future)
HP claims the 9012e has self-healing Wi-Fi, but we had issues connecting it to our regular Labs router – an unremarkable dual-band TP-Link. It couldn’t detect the 2.4GHz network until we rebooted it, after which the printer failed to connect and lost sight of it again. We tried the 5GHz network with similar results, eventually giving up and using our main router. Although this worked without any problems, it’s further away from the test area, which may have slowed the 9012e down.
If it did, we can’t say we especially noticed. The OfficeJet Pro 9012e took quite a while to spool and start printing multi-page jobs, but once started it was the fastest inkjet in this group. It hit 21.1 pages per minute (ppm) on our 25-page text test, and reached an equally impressive 6.9ppm over 24 pages of color graphics. Encouraged by these results we tried our 50-page Alice in Wonderland test, but with a very long spool time this proved slower at just 11.6ppm. The 9012e was also underwhelming when duplexing, reaching only 3.4ipm when printing ten sides of color graphics.
For an inkjet, this is a fast copier, managing single black pages in nine seconds, and needing only ten seconds in color. It rattled off ten mono copies in 71 seconds, and again needed little longer in color, taking 79 seconds. A 10-page, 20-side duplex color photocopy took nearly five minutes, however.
When it came to scanning, this was again the fastest inkjet here, dispatching low-resolution A4 scans in only ten seconds. We were even more impressed at higher resolutions, the 9012e needing only 12 seconds to capture a 10 x 15cm photo at 600dpi.
The 9012e isn’t a great photo printer, with its pigment inks drying to a dull, semi-matte finish. We were also disappointed in its slightly dark and dingy photocopies. Otherwise, it’s hard to fault the quality of its prints and scans, particularly on typical office jobs such as text and color graphics. It’s certainly good enough for printing formal correspondence, and it would be great for archiving documents – if only it came with software that could save scans as searchable PDFs.
Overall, this remains a great MFP for a typical home office. It’s fast, robust, produces good results, and is almost as cheap to run as cartridge-based inkjets get. However, its purchase price has crept up somewhat compared to the 9010e, so it loses out on value for money.
