Review

Review of Xenonauts

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Xenonauts

Rating: 👍

The original X-COM series (Enemy Unknown, Terror from the Deep, and even Apocalypse) were among the most-immersive, deeply-strategic, and thematically-beautiful games of the 1990s. 2012’s reboot was fun, but it failed to capture the sophistication and complexity of the original: it lacked the ability to perform micro-customisation upon your soldiers (Want a strong guy whose job is just to carry ammo for everybody else? That’s fine!), bases (“Science” base at a secret location, surrounded by interceptor bases? No problem!), or mission strategy (Plan to fight a retreat back to the dropship, dragging the bodies of the stunned aliens with you for later research, losing the battle but advancing the war? Go on then!). And it suffered, for it.

Xenonauts, however, takes the genre back where it belongs: gritty, strategic, and with every game completely unique. More-impressively, it does so in a world that’s subtly-different from that of the original series: starting deep in the Cold War, and with aliens whose motivation and strategy is innovative and new, even to fans of the original series.

It’s not perfect: you’ll read science reports that make reference to weapons you haven’t yet invented, because you’re doing things in the “wrong” order… but at least the game lets you do things in the order that makes most-sense to you! I’d have enjoyed being able to use alien psionics against them, as you can in the original series (and even in the reboot), but (unless I simply missed out on the appropriate research opportunities), that’s sadly absent. And there are a few bugs, although I didn’t come across any game-breaking ones.

But what Xenonauts is is one of the best strategy games I’ve seen in recent years. Whether you loved the original X-COM series, or the reboot, or didn’t play either… it’s got something for you to enjoy. Go play it, Commander.

Review of for iPhone 5 Nano SIM Card Adapter Black

This review originally appeared on Amazon. See more reviews by Dan.

for iPhone 5 Nano SIM Card Adapter Black

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a bit of plastic, and it “just works”

It’s a piece of plastic that you put a nano (or micro) SIM into in order to make it behave as if it were a larger size. It “just works”; used it to put a nano-SIM into the micro-SIM port of a Samsung Galaxy S III; slightly fiddly, but that’s only because the thing is of course pretty small, but “just worked” and continues to work perfectly.

Review of Plugable 10-Port USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Hub with 48W Power Adapter

This review originally appeared on Amazon. See more reviews by Dan.

Plugable 10-Port USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Hub with 48W Power Adapter

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Works as a hub, but confuses my motherboard

On the upside, it works: once I’m booted, I can plug in devices (USB2 or USB3) and they’re detected by the computer. The charging ports behave as expected. The package is attractive and functional. So there’s that.

But unfortunately I can’t boot my computer with it plugged in! I have to unplug it, boot, and THEN connect it. It’s possibly something to do with my motherboard (Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI FORMULA), or it’s possibly something to do with the way that the device identifies itself as a hub, but my computer just “hangs” at the POST screen if I’ve left it connected when I press the power button: more than a little irritating!

Review of Mini Bench Vice

This review originally appeared on Amazon. See more reviews by Dan.

Mini Bench Vice

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good, but a little fragile: be gentle!

The table clamp portion doesn’t open very far, and if you accidentally try (even gently) to open it further than its full extent, the foot pops off and never re-attaches quite as firmly again. It’s a good little vice otherwise and it gets the job done.

Review of Kryptonite New York 3000 Lock NYL with Bracket

This review originally appeared on Amazon. See more reviews by Dan.

Kryptonite New York 3000 Lock NYL with Bracket

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A super-hardy, bulletproof lock with few downsides

This lock is pretty-much bulletproof. If you’re looking for the strongest possible lock for your bike, this is the one to go for (perhaps coupled with a flyout cable so that you can tie your wheels together and to the lock). Note that this is a “short” D-lock, which is far safer, because a would-be thief can’t do the usual D-lock-breaking technique of using a car jack on it, very easily, but it also means that you’ll sometimes find it difficult to fit it around both your frame and the thing you want to lock your bike to. Also note that it’s very heavy, and that the mounting bracket doesn’t fit around the thickest of frames.

All in all, though, this is an ultra-hardy lock that should discourage all but the most-determined of criminals.

Review of Focusing: How To Gain Direct Access To Your Body’s Knowledge: How to Open Up Your Deeper Feelings and Intuition

This review originally appeared on Amazon. See more reviews by Dan.

Focusing: How To Gain Direct Access To Your Body's Knowledge: How to Open Up Your Deeper Feelings and Intuition

Rating: ⭐⭐

Wishy-washy pseudoscientific nonsense, wrapped up in unengaging writing

I can’t imagine the person to whom this book would actually provide value. It’s full of wishy-washy, unscientific, and unverifiable ideas, all wrapped up in an unengaging and badly-written package. There are a handful of good ideas, but they’re few and far between.

Review of Gunpoint

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Gunpoint

Rating: 👍

So much fun. A quick, silly, stealth-and-hacking romp through a ludicrous world of jumping, falling, leaping, climbing.

Review of BioShock Infinite

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

BioShock Infinite

Rating: 👍

Fun, beautiful first-person-shooter. I disliked Bioshock and I hated Bioshock 2, so I was glad to discover that Bioshock Infinite is not terribly like either of them, but is something else – something more fun – entirely. Playtime was a little shorter than I’d have expected for a game of its price, but it was still worth having.

If you haven’t played it, you should. Or failing that; wait for it to be on sale.

Review of Little Inferno

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Little Inferno

Rating: 👍

This game was so much better than I anticipated. I was given it as a gift by my sister, who raved about it. “It’s okay,” I thought, as I stuffed things into a fire and watched them burn, “But is this all there is to it?”

No: there’s so much more. This is a game about materialism; about finding the courage to step outside your comfort zone… and, yes, about serial arson.

Go play.

Review of Dear Esther

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Dear Esther

Rating: 👍

Not so much a game as a semi-interactive ghost story in a beautiful, Source-powered landscape, Dear Esther is worth playing… so long as it’s on sale. The gameplay’s not long enough to justify a £6.99 price tag, and there’s almost no challenge at all in the gradual exploration of a Hebredian island and of the mind of the story’s narrator… but it’s still a great story.

Play it slowly. Take your time. Turn the lights off and have a glass of wine with this game. Make sure that you keep your eye on the screen, because there are incredibly subtle and short-lived elements that appear for moments, and then are gone.

But do play it. At least: if you can get it on sale.

Review of FTL: Faster Than Light

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

FTL: Faster Than Light

Rating: 👍

This game is just pure fun. It’s not easy, and there’s a lot of learning to be done, but it sort-of reminds me of playing NetHack for the first time, if NetHack were set in the Battlestar Galactica universe (or perhaps Firefly) rather than in the Dungeons of Doom. Seriously lots of fun, and great to “come back to”. You’ll never forget your first win.

Review of Shiny EN001/NP01 Pre-Inked Paid Stamp

This review originally appeared on Amazon. See more reviews by Dan.

Shiny EN001/NP01 Pre-Inked Paid Stamp

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

It’s a stamp. It stamps. Hurrah!

It’s a stamp. It stamps. It looks like it’s going to dry out, but it doesn’t. It works, and it’s great.

The only thing it could have benefited from would have been the word “PAID”, the appropriate way up, on the top of the handle as well as the bottom, so it’s easier to double-check that it’s perfect before you stamp.

Otherwise: a perfectly good product at a perfectly fair price.

Review of Sid Meier’s Civilization V

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Sid Meier's Civilization V

Rating: 👍

Needless to say, I can’t recommend this highly enough. The pinnacle of the series of Civilization games still keeps me coming back time and time again.

Review of Super Meat Boy

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Super Meat Boy

Rating: 👍

In an age where platform games are few and far between, and don’t “feel” like platform games ever used to, one game tries to make an exception. And it’s beautiful and fast and stylish.

Review of Flight Control HD

This review originally appeared on Steam. See more reviews by Dan.

Flight Control HD

Rating: 👍

Good clean fun. Warning: addictive!