Over the past few weeks I have been playing a wider variety of video games. Partly because the Souls-like bug bit me but also because I’m in the mood for varied and different storytelling experiences. This has led me down the path of older recently published games in the double A space. I had no interest in many of these games at launch. However, with some of them being deeply discounted several moons past their launch window they do seem like worthy purchases.

It is important to note that in my soiree thus far I have determined that there are two types of Double A games. Some are truly Double A in every sense but aim to wow in innovation and storytelling. These tend to lack a high level of polish. Others are simply triple A games with a Double A scope. These would be games like Chronos: The New Dawn(Bloober Team), Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown(Ubisoft) to name a few. These were published by developers who routinely feature heavily in the Triple A space but are projects that are smaller in scope and retail for less than full throated Triple A releases. The former would consist of games such as Hell is Us, Remnant I & II which were developed and published by smaller studios for a fraction of the budget of regular Triple A titles.

Often times and more recently with the advent of broken triple A games on launch there is an ever louder chorus to support more indie/smaller developers by purchasing their products within their launch window. This enables these smaller teams to be rewarded for their efforts while hopefully turning a profit much sooner which can further be reinvested in future titles. While a noble and worthwhile endeavour, not all Double A games launch with an acceptable degree of polish. Some are completely broken at launch while others have deep seated issues that require more time and effort to resolve.

One such title is Hell Is Us, published by Nacon and developed by Rogue Factor, a first time developer. This game was not expected to move heaven and earth. It is a unique take on a post-apocalyptic world with regular gameplay mechanics. This is a title I pre-ordered not only to show support for the studio but also because I found the concept alluring. Sadly, something does seem to be lacking with the gameplay. In particular, the playable character moves and feels unnatural in his movements. In addition, the game crashed my Xbox during traversal. I immediately uninstalled it and will only give at a go further down the line when it has been patched and most issues ironed out.

To be fair, I have also had Triple A games crash my Xbox albeit only two in my entire gaming life. Much larger games in terms of scope, budget and ambition.I recently purchased Lords Of The Fallen 2.0 and also experienced this seeming weightlessness of the playable characters. Remnant II also crashed my Xbox Series X within the first few hours of gameplay. As an interesting aside, these are all Unreal Engine 5 titles. Perhaps there is something these smaller developers are not getting right with the game engine.

On the other end of the spectrum are games like Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Chronos: The New Dawn. The latter being developed by Bloober Team and the former by Don't Nod. Both smaller studios with Bloober Team treading the line between the Double A & Triple A space. These games both run really well and have done so since launch. A rarity in the gaming space. Both were developed in Unreal Engine 5. These games while not revolutionary are carried by the strength of their storytelling, sound design, technical state at launch, voice acting, environmental design and more. A real boon to the Double A space and in my view worth the full price of admission.

Picture Credits, in order of appearance: CI Games; Rogue Factor; Don't Nod.

With the spectre of stick drift ever haunting my original DualSense controller, I finally opted to purchase a replacement. As I live in a third world country this either meant waiting to purchase one via an American relative and have it shipped over or find a specialist company which ships in such units and purchase one locally. The problem with the latter option is that the import duties are astronomical and the inherent poverty tax could easily balloon the price to twice its market value in the U.S. Fortunately, my contact had one in stock from an earlier shipment from when the controller was orignally launched. This translated to pricing that was approximately $200. For comparison, I purchased my Elite Series 2 Controller on sale from the Xbox store on sale, via a relative, for $159 just over a year ago. Standard pricing is at $200.

First impressions are thus far bleak. I am finding that the controller is somewhat awkward to hold even more so than the standard controller. This is mainly due to the two back paddles. While they do come in two different shapes and sizes I have struggled to come to grips with either. Perhaps this is mainly due to the fact that there are only two back paddles compared to the standard four in other pro controllers. My middle and ring fingers are constantly hunting for something to press. I haven't yet tried adjusting the adaptive triggers as doing so disables the mechanism inside and turns them into regular triggers. This being said, I do like them having the standard long travel as I am a casual gamer. I do not engage in hyper competitive shooters which often need hair triggers to replicate the sense and response of a mouse click.

While the DualSense Edge offers some additional functionality to the standard controller it doesn't offer as much freedom as its contemporary. It is hampered by having only two back paddles. On my Elite Series 2 controller, I have mapped all my standard buttons to the four back paddles leaving the buttons to serve other functions such as being the menu button, screenshot button and screen recording button. Having only the two back paddles on the PlayStation controller limit how and what I can remap. They can either be bumpers, triggers or two of either the face buttons or d-pad buttons. Additionally, while its Xbox counterpart allows one to literally remap any button on the controller, the PlayStation unit does not have an allowance to remap the screen-recording/screen-capture and menu buttons. This defeats the purpose of having a pro controller as you only have the illusion of choice. This software could easily be adapted to work with the standard controller and save for the option of the two back paddles they would not be much of a difference between the two. It is worth noting that the battery life is worse than the standard controller. I can go through a gaming session or two with the Edge controller while the standard controller will last me at least twice as long before I reach for the charging cable. In contrast, it takes me weeks before I charge the Elite Series 2 controller and I predominantly game on the Xbox Series X.

The charging case that both controllers come in are well put together with the plastic case of the PlayStation unit giving it a premium feel over the Elite Series 2 case. This being said, perhaps due to the mix of materials the Edge controller feels much cheaper in hand than the Elite. Its mainly plastic with partially rubberised grips. The Elite on the other hand is mainly rubberised with paddles made out of metal with the swappable sticks having stems coated in a metal like material. Additionally, as the Elite is heavier its heft adds to the sense of it being a premium item. The main reason to purchase the Edge controller is its party piece: The full housing for the thumbsticks can be swapped out in the event of stick drift.

In Captain America: Civil War Tony & Cap are at logger heads. In the film, the directors highlight that Tony has valid points but is idealistic in his views. Cap, who's weathered many storms has a realistic take on things and is willing to go outside the law. While Tony wants "good things" they are unachievable. Cap on the other hand wants to do what's right all the while staying true to who he is. Cap is not trying to just do or look good. He is good.

Even after multiple viewings, it is clear that Cap was right, or at least that's what the directors intended the audience to take away. Stripped of everything he still held on firm to his beliefs and to his friends even when they contradicted the existing laws.

In my view, Trump is Cap. Mr. Musk is not Tony but rather him and the entirety of the tech bros are Tony. No true moral centre or any particular beliefs serving as their foundation other than the pursuit of knowledge. Trump on the other hand is grounded by his beliefs: In his country, in his mission and the people he leads.

Image credit: Grok