News of Tyler, the Creator’s seventh album came as something of a surprise: it arrived a matter of months after he announced on social media that he wouldn’t be releasing any new music this year. The promotional campaign over the last couple of weeks suggested that Chromakopia would be a high-concept piece of work, the kind of album that takes listeners a long time to fully unpick. It involved a succession of mysterious videos that shifted from the sepia tones of an old TV show into full colour, sometimes – but not always – featuring the rapper wearing a mask and a military uniform: directing a platoon of men into a shipping container with the album’s title emblazoned on its side, which he then blew up; barging his way through a crowd of people before being assailed by a fan whose enthusiasm turns into a kind of eye-rolling madness and whose phone becomes a gun; rapping on top of a military aircraft within which his masked alter ego lurks, glowering. Speculation as to what it all meant followed, as it was clearly intended to: one frequently floated theory was that the album would involve the debut of new persona, possibly based on a character from the classic children’s novel The Phantom Tollbooth.
But, like the announcement that no new music was forthcoming, the business with the mask appears to be misdirection, at least as far as an alter ego is concerned. Lyrically, Chromakopia gives every impression of being both prosaic and personal: it feels somehow telling that none of the album’s guest artists – Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino among them – have been listed on streaming services, as if trumpeting their presence would distract from its inward-looking mood. There’s stuff about the pressures of fame (Noid and Rat Tah Tah prickle with distrust of everyone from Tyler, the Creator’s accountants to his fans) and a swaggering dismissal of his critics on Thought I Was Dead, but the main lyrical themes that run through it are the kind of worries that tend to beset people at that point in your 30s where it becomes abundantly clear to even the most ostensibly irresponsible and carefree individual that you’re now an adult. Whether your failure to find a lasting relationship thus far means you’re fated to live the rest of your life alone; whether parenthood is something you’re capable of embracing; whether you’re doomed to repeat the mistakes made by your own parents; whether the career you’ve been pursuing is sufficiently rewarding in and of itself.
These are seldom easy questions to answer, which perhaps accounts for why Chromakopia sounds so unsettled. The lyrics double back and contradict themselves – switching from boastful self-aggrandisement to crippling self-doubt and loathing, sometimes in the space of a single verse. On Tomorrow he goes from loudly proclaiming his free-spiritedness – “I don’t like cages, I’d rather be flooding” – to confessing a sort of despairing emptiness: “All I got is photos of my ’Rari and some silly suits.”
Elsewhere, its tracks have a tendency to end up in the last place you expect. Judge Judy starts out as a standard-issue sex rhyme – “body rubs, bondage and cream pies” – complete with a backing track peppered with orgasmic moans, but ends with a suicide note, while Like Him ponders the topic of paternal abandonment before winding up with the voice of Tyler, the Creator’s mother, informing him that it’s her fault he never met his father. On Take Your Mask Off, he admonishes a succession of figures for living a lie, from a homophobe who turns out to be a closeted homosexual to a wealthy but unhappy housewife, before suddenly turning the lyrical focus on himself: “You talk a lot of shit to not even be number one.”
The music is similarly unsettled. Tracks shift and slip their moorings, lurching from one sound to another, frequently changing completely over the course of a few minutes. Musical ideas gush chaotically forth. Noid is built around distorted, heavy-metal-ish guitars, but the power chords they strike keep abruptly short-circuiting to oddly disquieting effect: a striking sample from 70s Zamrock band Ngozi Family vies for space with Willow Smith’s softly cooing backing vocals. Elsewhere, minimal Neptunes-influenced beats abut lush Beach Boys harmonies, and folky acoustic guitar figures appear alongside lush G-funk-inspired synths and the sound of an 80s R&B slow jam is disturbed by machine-gun drum rolls. It’s held together by a profusion of gasps and grunts and feral barks that thread through the rhythm tracks, lending even the most laid-back tracks a claustrophobic feel.
After an hour, it ends without any real sense of resolution: the closing track is called I Hope You Find Your Way Home, but one doesn’t hold out much hope. It finds Tyler, the Creator still thrashing around – “I’m slipping, I’m slipping … I need a hand” – constantly contradicting himself about his hopes for the future. An album that began with its author denying its existence, Chromakopia ultimately seems to manifest a state of confusion, in which everything is in flux and nothing is quite as it initially seems. It achieves that to enthralling and exhausting effect.
This review contains full spoilers for Agatha All Along Season 1, Episode 6.
With last week’s not-so-shocking reveal that Joe Locke’s Teen is actually Billy Maximoff, son of the Scarlet Witch, it was on this followup episode to provide a logical explanation as to how that can be, what with Billy (and Tommy) disappearing into nothingness at the end of WandaVision. Episode six, titled “Familiar by Thy Side,” sticks the landing, offering new insight into Billy’s character and revealing his true motivations. Best of all, this episode feels the most focused since the premiere, largely because it’s squarely centered on one character instead of bouncing around between everyone in the coven.
It was great to see William Kaplan’s Bar Mitzvah given the importance of his Jewish identity in the comics. The party scene contained an excellent moment with Lilia (Patti Lupone), as she foreshadowed his fate and finally revealed it was she who placed the sigil on him. It’s not entirely clear why seeing his future prompted her to protect him from witches. Perhaps she sensed something else that went unsaid and placed it to protect him from what was to come. Hopefully we’ll learn the truth behind her actions in a future episode, assuming she didn’t drown to death in that goop.
Speaking of, it felt like a bit of a copout for Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) to just pull herself out of the muddy depths of the Witches’ Road, when it was initially made out to be so deadly. If she can do that then why didn’t Lilia and Jen (Sasheer Zamata)? Maybe they did and we just didn’t see it. But either way, making it so easy to get out really reduced the sense of danger on the road.
It was nice finally watching Billy and Agatha speak to each other with all of their cards on the table. Turns out the real Billy has quite the attitude and isn’t the goofy fanboy he made himself out to be. I’m unsatisfied with Agatha’s explanation as to how she knew his true identity. She said he has the same tell about his mother, but what’s the tell? What were the other clues that tipped her off? For a twist this pivotal, that definitely should have been explained.
Ultimately it’s a well-executed character study that brought together many of the show’s story threads in a cool way
There are a lot more nitpicky issues one could have with this episode (which I’ll list off later, just for fun), but ultimately it was a well-executed character study that brought together many of the show’s story threads in a cool way. William Kaplan dying in a car accident, only for Billy to take over his body moments later as the Hex dissipated, is such a tragic backstory. It was heart-wrenching watching Billy try to adjust to living in another person’s body, especially the moment when he practices saying “I’m William Kaplan” in the mirror. Learning about what happened to him, while also seeing how the witches of the coven were always a part of his life, made the show come together and feel more cohesive. Watching Billy piece it all together as Lorna Wu’s version of the ballad played gave me chills. Hats off to Joe Locke for showing us the full breadth of his acting ability, going from playing the shy William Kaplan to the moody Billy Kaplan who also got to show his comedic side while roleplaying The Mare of Easttown with Agatha.
The big unexpected surprise of this episode was the return of Evan Peters as Ralph Bohner. His presence in WandaVision never really made any sense, but I think this scene with Billy and boyfriend Eddie (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) redeems him somewhat. He’s become a paranoid mess (understandably) after being controlled by Wanda and Agatha, and the whole sequence was entertaining for how he bounced back and forth between comedy and despair. The revelation that he is the one who was forced to kill Sparky was a true shock, but I’m glad that the loose end from WandaVision was finally tied up. RIP Sparky.
The Apple TV+ dramedy “Shrinking” is — or at least, was — about a therapist, Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel), throwing professional ethics out the window in the wake of his wife’s tragic death. Whatever one thought of how the show portrayed therapy, and plenty were appalled by the idea that doctor-patient boundaries are more annoying inconvenience than ironclad principle, Season 1 of “Shrinking” at least had a hook-y premise to structure its broader study of grief. Season 2, which premieres this week after a 19-month hiatus due to last year’s strikes, backs away from this basic foundation, leaving a story that’s just as tonally muddled but even less focused.
To the show’s not-really-defense, it’s never taken a strong stance on Jimmy’s new approach, which followed a year of catatonia, debauchery and pawning his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) off on their neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) to surrogate parent. When the Season 2 premiere sees Jimmy’s boss and mentor Paul (a curmudgeonly Harrison Ford) demand his protegé stop treating Sean (Luke Tennie), the veteran with anger issues crashing on Jimmy’s couch, it’s unclear why he’s putting his foot down now rather than at any earlier juncture. But on “Shrinking” — a team-up of Segel and “Ted Lasso” collaborators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein — Jimmy’s antics are neither a new turn in the widower’s downward spiral nor a brilliant innovation his peers could stand to learn from, however problematic such an angle might be. They’re just a setup for a handful of vaguely comic situations, like Jimmy crashing a patient’s date. Having taken a minimal interest in the practice of therapy to begin with, “Shrinking” already finds itself distracted.
In Season 2, Jimmy gives his technique a name (“Jimmy-ing”), but seems to do less of it than ever. With Sean off his docket, a natural new focus would be Grace (Heidi Gardner of “SNL”), a woman who snapped in the Season 1 finale and pushed her abusive husband off a cliff, inspired by Jimmy’s unfiltered advice. This outcome is a logical prompt for Jimmy to do some serious introspection. That never arrives, subjecting poor, jailbound Grace to a wildly oscillating spectrum of stakes. Jimmy’s other patients don’t appear until past the season’s halfway mark; he takes on no new ones. Sean sticks around, but his relationship with Jimmy and Paul bears increasingly little resemblance to any kind of therapy, traditional or not. He’s just another participant in a shaggy hangout, one oversharing friend among many.
Jimmy’s colleagues are similarly disengaged. Paul pushes his longtime charge Raymond (Neil Flynn) out of the nest, leaving him to focus on his Parkinson’s prognosis and budding romance with neurologist Julie (Wendie Malick). Gaby (Jessica Williams), Jimmy’s coworker, close friend and sometime fuck buddy, has largely turned her attention to teaching a college class, as well as some family strife that’s abruptly introduced. Along with Miller, Williams gives one of the few performances that seems to understand “Shrinking” is a sitcom at its core, but she remains marooned on a more enjoyable show.
This pivot begs the question: If “Shrinking” isn’t about therapy, what is it about? The long tail of mourning continues to loom large, with Goldstein casting himself as a character with an important part to play in Jimmy and Alice processing their trauma. The specific role is considered a spoiler, though the performance contains ample opportunities for Goldstein to look pained while on the verge of tears. Perhaps the writer and performer wanted to show off his dramatic range. The arc is nonetheless an overcorrection from the comic ire of “Ted Lasso’s” Roy Kent.
But for the most part, “Shrinking” sans shrink-ing is a shapeless, listless mess. The show takes place in a version of Pasadena, the affluent Los Angeles suburb, that seems to be the size of a snow globe, or maybe Stars Hollow with palm trees. Characters constantly collide at random, like when Sean’s semi-estranged father stumbles on the food truck he’s started with Liz. The Sean-Liz partnership is one of many random-seeming relationships among the ensemble, an undifferentiated mass where everyone seems equally, unconvincingly close to everyone else.
Jimmy’s lack of boundaries may no longer be as relevant to his professional life, but it’s still felt in the series’ structure, or lack thereof. Storylines feel increasingly atomized: Jimmy’s friend Brian (Michael Urie) considers having a baby; Gaby counsels her students; Liz, now an empty nester, casts about for a purpose. Performances, too, are discordant; Segel and Urie in particular go so big they drown out more subtle deadpans, like Ford’s, or dramatic work, like Maxwell’s. Platonic chemistry alone can’t provide enough glue to cobble these mismatched parts together. “Shrinking” is supposed to be about the work of healing wounds, but in Season 2, it’s broken into more pieces than when it began.
The first two episodes of “Shrinking” are now available to stream on Apple TV+, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays.
Meta Quest 3S made me feel like Tony Stark without needing his billionaire bank account. For just $299, I got to step into my own Iron Man suit right in my living room (shout out to Marvel’s Iron Man VR). Did I almost break my hand from being too into it? Maybe. But hey, if Iron Man can take a few hits in his suit, so can I.
Meta’s decision to launch a budget-friendly Quest 3 model took me by surprise, but it’s a welcome one. At $499, the original Quest 3 was already priced reasonably compared to other VR headsets on the market. And the now-discontinued Quest 2 — which got its price tag sliced down to $199 in April — was an even sweeter deal.
Still, with these stellar prices and features, it’s baffling why more people haven’t jumped into VR yet. Trust me, they’re missing out on an extraordinary experience.
SEE ALSO:
Meta Quest 3S vs. Meta Quest 3: What are the differences?
Meta Quest 3S price and specs
As mentioned, the Meta Quest 3S is a cheaper version of the Meta Quest 3, with a starting price tag of $299.99. This configuration comes with the following specs:
Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
8GB of RAM
128GB of storage
VR and AR capabilities
1,832 x 1,920-pixel resolution for displays
72Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz refresh rate support
Fresnel lens
The unit I tested in this review costs $399.99 and upgrades your storage to 256GB.
In my experience, 128GB is sufficient. Even with a 64GB Quest 2, I managed to store 40 games and apps with 12GB of storage left over. Titles range between 400MB and 4GB, so if you’re not a hoarder and you continue to delete games once you’re done with them, 128GB should be fine.
However, if you plan to take a lot of photos and videos (perhaps you’re a VR streamer), you’d be better off with the 256GB variant.
Meta Quest 3S design
If you’re wondering what you’re sacrificing in opting for the Quest 3S over the Quest 3, I’d definitely say out-of-the-box comfort.
Meta Quest 3S Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Quest 3S may be alright for casual activities, but for more high-movement games and services like Supernatural, Beat Saber, Gorilla Tag, and Superhot VR, you’ll want something with a lot less pressure on your cheekbones.
However, there is something you can get to make Quest 3S more comfortable: the $69 Elite Strap. What’s the Elite Strap? It’s an accessory that improves the weight distribution of the headset, as well as its adjustability, compared to the straps that ship with it. It alleviates pressure points and minimizes discomfort. If $70 is too pricey, the CNBEYOUNG Adjustable Head Strap and BOBOVR M3 Pro are awesome alternatives.
Get the Quest 3S sans the Elite Strap (or any of its alternatives) first. Test the comfort for yourself. After all, everyone is different. If you feel that you need a lil somethin’ somethin’ to help alleviate the facial pressure, the Elite Strap is what you’ll need.
Although the Quest 3S is bulkier in design, I was surprised to find out that it’s actually slightly lighter than the Quest 3 (514 vs. 515 grams). It is, however, heavier than the Quest 2 (503 grams). That being said, the Quest 3 has better weight distribution, which is why it’s slightly more comfortable than the Quest 3S.
Durability
The main concern I have with the Quest 3S are the fabric straps. Frequent use and sharing of my Quest 2 and Quest 3 caused wear and tear on the straps within a year, so handle the Quest 3S carefully to avoid extra stress on them.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
I’m serious; don’t just yank it off your head or pull it down your cranium. Be careful with it.
You’ll also have to keep in mind that the all-white straps get dirty quickly — especially if you’re sharing the headset often. To keep them pristine, you’ll likely have to clean it every two or three times of usage. If you don’t care to do that, that’s fine, but say hello to your new off-yellow straps.
But even if something happens to the straps, they can always be replaced.
There’s also a soft foam padding on the Quest 3S that is designed to enhance comfort with an ergonomic shape that fits the contours of your face. It’s breathable and lightweight, but it can collect a lot of sweat.
Aesthetics
I understand that Meta likely wants to stand out from the crowd with the mostly-white chassis of its Quest line, but I would be ecstatic of the company could make a black variant, similar to the Quest Pro. I mean, how can I snack on Doritos and Cheetos worry-free with a milky headset?
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Meta Quest 3S has its sensors arranged in two sets of three, forming triangular patterns on either side of the front panel. There’s nothing particularly eye-catching about the Quest 3S except for the fact that it’s pretty insect-like, with the dual clusters making the Quest 3S look like a half-bot, half-arachnid creature. Despite not being mind-blowing, I appreciate the practical design. I don’t need my VR headset to look pretty to enjoy it.
No annoying wires
The best part of the Quest 3S is that, like the Quest 3 and Quest 2, it’s a standalone headset.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
This means you don’t need to worry about wires, gaming rigs, tracking stations, connection cables, etc. You need absolutely nothing but the Quest 3S, a Wi-Fi connection, and a decent-sized play area to operate the new budget-friendly headset.
No seamless IPD adjustment
The one thing the Quest 3 has over the Quest 3S (that I miss dearly)is the IPD adjustment wheel. For those who aren’t familiar with IPD adjustment, this feature lets you position the lenses in a way that provides the clearest, most focused visuals. However, the Quest 3S only has three levels of IPD adjustment whereas the pricier Quest 3’s adjustment wheel allows for more precise calibration to find that “sweet spot.”
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
As such, for me, the Quest 3’s focus is a lot more clearer and easier on my eyes because I’m able to find a “lens spacing” position that is right for me. But because the Quest 3S only has three levels, the focus is always slightly off.
Meta Quest 3S displays
The Quest 3S’ displays, emanating 1,832 x 1,920-pixel resolution, are a downgrade from the pricier Quest 3, which has 2,064 x 2,208-pixel resolution panels. The Quest 3S shares the same display specs as the Quest 2.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Is there really a big difference between the Quest 3 and Quest 3S as far as the display is concerned? I didn’t notice it right away. But when I compared my Quest 3S and Quest 3 headsets side-by-side, there is definitely a recognizable upgrade, with the latter offering slightly more detail and more vividness. Since the Quest 3S uses fresnel lenses, which are less advanced than the Quest 3’s pancake lenses, I noticed some “god rays.” However, if you’re new to VR or haven’t used headsets with better lenses, you might not even notice them.
However, even with the Quest 3, you have to temper your expectations. The displays are still quite middling, but they’re sufficient enough for you to enjoy games in the Meta Quest Store.
When it comes to streaming videos, the quality is impressive. No, it’s not as vivid and rich as the display on my M2 MacBook Air nor my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but the details are shockingly crisp and sharp. I watched this “Costa Rica in 4K” YouTube video on the Meta Quest 3S, and it does a great job at capturing textures, like the glistening body of a tree frog and the scaly skin of a snake.
I also watched some episodes of The Boys via the Prime Video app, and I loved expanding the virtual window to great lengths while kicking back and enjoying the show.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Quest headsets no longer support a dedicated Netflix app, which is a bit of a bummer because it had one of the best viewing experiences on the headset. On the plus side, you can always access Netflix through the browser. It’s arguably better than the now-defunct Netflix app, too, because it streams at 1080p, up from the app’s 480p cap.
Meta Quest 3S ports
Unlike the Meta Quest 3, the Quest 3S doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio port. In other words, you won’t be able to connect wired earbuds to the Quest 3S, but it’s not necessary. The audio that emanates from the Quest 3S is crisp and sharp, and it gets sufficiently loud, too.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
However, there are instances where you may want to connect some earbuds. (Perhaps your rowdy family is in earshot and you want to don’t want to break the audio immersion.) In this case, you can still use USB-C headphones or Bluetooth-supported variants. You’ll find the power button on the left of the headset, but if you want to reduce or increase the volume, you’ll find the rocker nestled on the chassis’ underside.
Of course, there’s a USB-C port, too, allowing you to play some PCVR games by connecting Oculus Link to a VR-ready PC or gaming laptop. This will free you from the confines of the Meta Quest Store, allowing you to explore Steam VR for more graphics-intensive games.
Meta Quest 3S controllers
The Quest 3S borrows the new Touch Plus controllers that were introduced with the Quest 3 last year.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
I don’t know which Meta engineer came up with their brilliant design, but they deserve a raise. The Touch Plus controllers scream ergonomic, with a comfortable shape that closely follows the natural contours of my hands, allowing for a secure grip. The buttons and thumbsticks are positioned for easy access, so I don’t need to stretch my fingers much to reach them.
The black part of the controllers, located at the top, is slightly tilted, which thoughtfully aligns with my thumbs’ range of motion.
The Quest 3S controllers are a joy to use, but make sure to make use of those wrist straps. If you accidentally let go of them, the wrist straps ensure they don’t go flying across the room.
Meta Quest 3S games
I’ve must’ve played at least 100 Quest games. My top three are Laser Tag from Rec Room (free), I Expect You to Die 2, and Superhot.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
However, while testing the Quest 3S, I’ve discovered two new awesome games: Marvel’s Iron Man VR and The Light Brigade.
The first game taught me a lesson, though. Don’t be lazy and move everything out of the way. While being too immersed as Tony Stark in Marvel’s Iron Man VR, I swung my arms to fly across the sky. And it was exhilarating — until I hit my hand so hard against a wooden chair that I thought I broke my fingers. Ouch! Moral of the story? Get obstacles out of your playroom, stat!
Did that stop me from playing though? Only for an hour. I hopped right back into the game as Iron Man, and even saved Pepper Potts from a burning plane while zipping around the sky in a heroic metal suit. The Light Brigade is another badass game with a lot of action, allowing me to wield a rifle and take down enemies.
And the best part is that there’s something for everyone. If you enjoy silly sim games, you may like I Am Security and Job Simulator. If you like sporty action, you’ll enjoy Nock, Eleven Table Tennis, and Sports Scramble.
If you prefer a laid-back puzzler, I highly recommend Moss and Moss 2.
The sheer number of Quest 3S games may be overwhelming, but filtering them so that the Meta Quest Store only shows games that are four stars and up has never failed me.
Meta Quest 3S mixed-reality
There are more mixed-reality games this year compared to last year when Meta debuted AR capabilities with the Quest 3. However, compared to VR games, AR games are still catching up. For the uninitiated, VR games give you total immersion while AR games merge your environment — thanks to its color passthrough capabilities — with virtual effects.
For example, First Encounters, Meta’s free game that showcases the headset’s AR prowess, continues to be one of the best AR games you can play. With my living room in sight, I got swarmed by tiny, fuzzy alien invaders. And with my weapon, I can shoot them to reclaim my home. I have yet to find any AR other game that beats First Encounters, but I will say that Starship Home comes close.
Screenshot of ‘Starship Home’ mixed-reality game Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Similar to First Encounters, it has an alien theme, but it’s not as action packed. It transformed my living room into a spaceship. I traveled to new planets and even owned my own extraterrestrial plant that I got to water.
Another interesting mixed-reality game is Hello, Dot, which lets you play around with a little pet critter, and showcases the Quest 3S’ hand-tracking capabilities.
There’s a cutie patootie in my living room! Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It’s not as seamless and smooth as the Apple Vision Pro, which makes sense because its costs just a fraction of the value of that high-end headset, but isn’t half bad. If I could put an arbitrary figure on it, I’d say that the hand-tracking is responsive about 80% of the time, which is OK for a sub-$300 VR headset.
Meta Quest 3S concerts
For those who don’t give a rat’s behind about games, perhaps you’ll enjoy the concert series on Quest 3S. I got to see some of my favorite artists, Sabrina Carpenter and Doja Cat, right before my very eyes as they performed some of my favorite songs, from “Espresso” and “Feather” to “Say So” and “Kiss Me More.”
Sabrina Carpenter concert in VR Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
I discovered these concerts in Meta Horizon Worlds, which also features the likes of BLACKPINK, Victoria Monét, and The Kid LAROI.
In most cases, it feels as if you’re right front of the artist. In the Carpenter concert, it felt like I was actually on stage with her. There are some times, like the Doja Cat concert, that you’d be thrown back into the nosebleed seats, which always perturbed me. But this is only for a few seconds to give you some perspective of the “vibe” of the stadium, giving you a view of fans enjoying the Doja Cat concert just as much as you are.
Doja Cat concert in VR Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Overall, the Quest 3S is one of the best ways to consume concert content nowadays.
Meta Quest 3S performance
The Meta Quest 3S is packed with the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 as the Quest 3. I’ve tested 13 games on the Quest 3S so far. For almost all of them, I experienced relatively fast load times, smooth gameplay, and zippy graphics rendering. However, just as the PS5 is a powerful console, but still has games that may suffer from bugs and other issues due to developer shortcomings, you may encounter similar experiences with the Quest 3S.
YUKI Space Ranger game on Quest 3S Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
For example, Iron Man VR, the Moss series, Pistol Whip, and Beat Saber run like a dream. But the likes of I Am Cat, a simulator where users step into the shoes of a furry pet, and Hello, Dot are a little rough around the edges when it comes to ensuring that real-life controller maneuvers translate well in the game. To be fair, though, these are early access games, which means they’re bound to have some hiccups.
Meta Quest 3S battery life
Meta claims that the Quest 3S has a battery life rating of 2.5 hours.
I put this to the test while playing the Quest 3S nonstop; I didn’t take a single break. To my surprise, the runtime matched Meta’s claims on the dot. According to my testing, the Quest 3S lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Is the Meta Quest 3S worth it?
Absolutely. For under $300, the Quest 3S delivers an impressive entry into the world of VR with its solid mixed-reality capabilities and access to Meta’s expansive content library. The budget-friendly price point makes it an attractive option, especially for newcomers or casual users looking to dip their toes into VR without splurging. The Quest 3S makes VR accessible, offering immersive experiences at a fraction of the cost.
That said, it does come with trade-offs — most notably, the lack of a precise IPD adjustment and the fresnel lenses that fall short of the clarity provided by higher-end models. While it may not rival its pricier counterparts, the Meta Quest 3S still provides a compelling and affordable VR experience that’s hard to pass up. If you’re willing to embrace a few limitations for the sake of affordability, then the Quest 3S is definitely worth it.
For under $300, the Quest 3S delivers a stellar VR experience that feels like a steal — offering incredible immersion at a fraction of the cost.
What do you call a Big Mac that’s afraid of the dark? A Chicken Big Mac!
Or that’s what you call a Big Mac that has chicken patties on it instead of hamburgers. Which is what McDonald’s rolled out in stores nationwide on Thursday. For a limited time, those who prefer chicken to beef (or simply enjoy McDonald’s McChicken sandwiches) can get a Chicken Big Mac.
The sandwich features two chicken patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese and pickles on a sesame seed bun. Not quite as catchy as the original Big Mac jingle, but close enough.
While McDonald’s is far from my favorite fast food burger chain (Wendy’s rules nationally, In-N-Out crushes regionally), there is a time and place for the golden arches. Is it a time and place of desperation and weakness? Absolutely. But in those moments, a Big Mac and fries are a salty salve for the soul.
There is indeed something special about a Big Mac, from its double-decker presentation to the briny combination of special sauce, pickles and onions. The burger quality is of no consequence, mostly a canvas for condiments. So I was very curious how swapping the beef for chicken would fare.
It tastes pretty much how I expected — like a McChicken with Big Mac sauce. Which is pretty good! You’ll never mistake a McDonald’s chicken sandwich for an elite one from Chick-fil-a or Popeye’s, but there is a certain nostalgia to this style of low-grade chicken patty. And it is indeed elevated by the sauce, pickles and onions. The fact that this is technically a menu item McDonald’s could always serve — they always have Big Mac ingredients and chicken patties — does make this feel a little less special. But it doesn’t make it taste any worse.
Is it better than the original Big Mac? Nope. The sauce goes better with beef than chicken, and it’s hard to beat the original. I didn’t even like the Double Big Mac, which came out earlier this year, as much as the classic Big Mac.
And I’m not chicken to admit it.
Related coverage:
• I tried the Wendy’s Krabby Patty Kollab meal so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.
• I tried Chick-fil-A’s banana pudding milkshake so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.
• I tried Taco Bell’s cheesy street chalupa so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.
• I tried McDonald’s Kit Kat banana split McFlurry so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.
• I tried Wendy’s triple berry Frosty so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.
SpongeBob SquarePants, the beloved Nickelodeon character, turns 25 in 2024. To celebrate, Wendy’s has recreated the most beloved meal in all of Bikini Bottom — the Krabby Patty. As if that wasn’t enough, they even made a new Frosty to go with it.
Much of the iconic animated show takes place at the Krabby Patty, the fast food joint where SpongeBob works. Anyone who has watched the show has wondered what made the restaurant’s eponymous dish so delicious. I mean, Plankton was always trying to steal the secret recipe for a reason, right?
Well, the secret’s out. The Krabby Patty Meal came to Wendy’s on Tuesday. For $10.79, you can get your hands on a Krabby Patty Kollab Burger topped with American cheese, tomato, pickle, onion and “top-secret Krabby Kollab” sauce on a toasted bun, a medium order of fries and a Pineapple Under The Sea Frosty. While seasonal Frostys are nothing new for Wendy’s, this one includes a “pineapple mango flavored puree swirl” in a vanilla Frosty base.
That all sounds unassailably delicious, right? Wendy’s doesn’t really miss when it comes to burgers — it’s the best national burger chain, hands down. And while I’ve had my qualms with some of their Frostys, their biggest crime has always been that the original chocolate version is flawless. So I went into this with high expectations.
Turns out, the redheaded girl and yellow sponge guy are a match made in fast food heaven.
While the Krabby Patty Kollab Burger is hardly the most ambitious thing a burger joint has ever done, it’s objectively delicious. Wendy’s burgers are elite and don’t need much more to shine. The addition of the secret sauce, which tastes pretty much like typical burger sauce, made this one of the better fast food burgers I’ve had in a long time. It kind of tastes like if Wendy’s made a Big Mac.
The Frosty wasn’t quite as impressive. The pineapple mango puree tasted painfully artificial at first — considering Wendy’s hasn’t been able to make peppermint or strawberry taste real, it’s unsurprising they’d struggle with even more ambitious flavors. But after a few bites I started to like the fruit flavoring better, even if it was more mango than pineapple. Though by that point the puree was gone and I was mostly just eating a vanilla Frosty.
Wendy’s says the Krabby Patty meal is only available for a limited time, which is a bummer — I’d get this burger all the time if I could.
“Throughout my life, I have witnessed many extraordinary events and have met incredible people,” Melania Trump writes in her Author’s Note to Melania, preparing her readers for the platitude-ridden tale to come. It’s a cliché in publishing to describe a reaction to a new book by how quickly one read it, how little one put it down, but it’s true that I read Melania in a few uninterrupted hours shortly after its release. This was purely for professional reasons, Skyhorse having declined to furnish VF with an advanced review copy. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend that anyone else do the same.
Over the following 256 pages (if you count the photo insert, broad in space and content), Trump details her life in words—too many, some might say, and not quite the right ones—though they coalesce around certain central themes: feuds, cheering and chanting, motherhood, her special ability to communicate with Donald Trump, weirdstuffwithworld leaders, and limousines.
The book has much of what one would expect from a partner to Donald Trump. There are wobbly depictions of the 2020 election. (She points a finger at “the media, Big Tech, and the deep state,” and perpetuates unfounded claims of “suspicious voting activity.”) She throws some bones to the trad wife movement. (“It was my priority to safeguard his welfare, meticulously attending to every aspect of his life,” she writes of her early marriage and, later, “My career took a back seat to the most important role of all—being a devoted mother.”)
She dedicates much ink to recounting compliments that people have paid her. Following a QVC appearance, “Callers often complimented my style and jewelry: ‘It’s so nice to talk to you. I love your style; I love your jewelry.’” Elsewhere, she writes, “People frequently asked me about my regimen, marveling at the health of my skin.” She notes that she “was pleased to hear my name also being cheered, amid the clamor” after casting her vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. (There is so much cheering for the Trumps in this book—so much cheering and chanting and erupting in applause.)
Perhaps it’s also no surprise that Trump, granddaughter of a renowned Slovenian onion breeder and, by her own account, possessor of “a deep appreciation for the finer things in life,” is most comfortable dwelling in those shiny parts. Her origin story brims with childhood anecdotes designed to refute the “bleak and inaccurate picture of my upbringing” in her native Slovenia, from her father’s “exquisite vehicles”—Ford Mustangs, German BMWs, a Ford Cougar XR7, “prestigious Mercedes-Benzes,” a Citroén Maserati SM—to the “private nanny,” an alternative to kindergarten, who made elaborate cakes for her and her sister.
Of arriving in New York on a modeling contract, she writes that the limousine her new employers sent to the airport “exuded elegance. I felt an immediate sense of comfort and ease.” On the night she met Donald at a Kit Kat Club party, she arrived in a “sleek black limo.” She notes the two limousines that she and Trump and Michelle and Barack Obama rode on inauguration day and includes a photograph of herself in the Presidential limo, “The Beast.” Her excitement over the great city of New York is admittedly limited, extending “from the chic boutiques on Madison Avenue to the busy streets in the Financial District.” She lingers on descriptions of her wedding dress and her inauguration outfits. “In my couture gown, I danced with my husband to the timeless melody of Frank Sinatra’s iconic ‘My Way’ at the Liberty Ball and the Freedom Ball.”
Amid the glitter, though, the book is bad.
At times, Trump has the narrative instincts of a hound in a fish store, following her nose from one exciting scent to the next, beginning anecdotes only to abandon them. More than once, I found myself flipping back and forth between Kindle pages, wondering if a paragraph had gone missing. She begins one section with, “It was a Saturday in October, a seemingly normal weekend, when my memories of 9/11 came flooding back.” There have been no memories of 9/11 discussed thus far in the narrative, though she does mention seeing the Twin Towers standing “proudly against the horizon” upon her 1998 arrival to New York. The anecdote to follow moseys first through an explanation of the difference between weekends and weekdays in the White House, and then a scene in which her husband invited her to the situation room during a mission to kill the ISIS militant Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (President Trump himself has seemed to conflate Hamza and Osama Bin Laden with al-Baghdadi.) It ends with Trump’s memory of giving a medal to the Belgian Malinois, Conan, but the 9/11 connection remains unexplored.
“It was not an easy process,” she writes of gaining US citizenship, declining to elucidate further. In a description of a trip to Japan she mentions that she doesn’t eat raw fish. Why not? I still don’t know. In a chapter detailing her experience of this July’s assassination attempt, she writes that “it had been a relatively quiet Saturday in Bedminster. Barron played sports outside. I was working on finishing my project.” Which project? Couldn’t say. Repetitions abound: “‘I think it’s very sexy for a woman to be pregnant,’ I told the readers of Vogue, making clear that I believe that a pregnant woman is very attractive.”
She pinpoints the origin of the Be Best campaign to the internet bullying targeting her son Barron, which she called “not only cruel but invasive,” specifically a video of Barron that Rosie O’Donnell posted, in which she asked whether he was autistic. “There is nothing shameful about autism,” Melania writes, “but Barron is not autistic.”
It’s a sad account, but one that falls victim to Melania’s tendency to skate over useful information in favor of gassing up her husband. “I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband,” she writes of O’Donnell. “It all began when Donald extended a helping hand to Miss USA, offering her the support she desperately needed to overcome her addiction. His powerful act of kindness not only changed her life but also sent a powerful message: that with compassion and understanding, we can help others rise from their struggles.”
A lot of our relationship with art — any art, whether it’s film, books, music, television, or yes, video games — is defined by when we discover it. Sometimes, things come into our lives at the right moment and stay forever. Dragon Ball came into my life when I was seven years old. It’s hard to think of more of a “right moment” than that. I was obsessed. I did my homework around when Dragon Ball Z would air on Toonami. I stayed up late on weekends to watch Dragon Ball Z: Uncut on Adult Swim. I watched all the straight-to-video movies (shoutouts to Bojack Unbound, which is low-key the best one).
And I played the hell out of the video games. Whether it was the Legacy of Goku games on the Game Boy Advance, or the Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi games on the PS2, Dragon Ball was a massive part of my life. Once, when I got sick with the flu for two weeks, my dad, who was a submariner and often at sea when I was a kid, bought me a copy of one of the Budokai games to help me get through it. Fighting games have always been one of my great loves; I grew up in arcades. Dragon Ball and a fighting game seemed like a match made in heaven.
Back From the Dead
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
So when I tell you I’ve been waiting for a game like Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero for a long time, well… the last game in this series, known as Budokai Tenkaichi in the west until this point, came out in 2007. I was 17 years old and still in high school. I’m 34 now, have a Master’s Degree, am happily married, and live in a completely different state. Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was half my life ago. But Sparking! Zero feels like coming home after a long time away, only this time the house isn’t the way you remember it. It’s better.
Sparking! Zero is a Sparking game, and that means there’s a lot to it. There are 182 characters in Sparking Zero, and the roster spans all of Dragon Ball’s history, from the original Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Super and everything in between. That means characters from every era of Dragon Ball, including GT, the films, both canon and not, and the upcoming DAIMA. Yes, some of them are various transformations. If you look at the character select screen, you’re going to see a lot of Gokus. But these aren’t all the same character. Every single one has different combinations of Skill and Blast attacks, as well as unique combos. So you’ll have to learn every single one of your characters on your team to get the most out of them.
In addition, each also has access to the various transformations you’ll see throughout Dragon Ball’s history, though not all at once. The Goku from the beginning of Z can’t transform into Super Saiyan 3, for instance, and you won’t see Vegeta with a tail doing the Fusion dance. But if you pick a character in the right era, and it would make sense for them to have a fusion or a transformation, they will. So, who you play in Sparking! Zero is really up to you. You can run solo if you really want to, or you can choose up to five people. And yeah, you could start with Super Saiyan 2 Kefla if you wanted, but it’s kinda more fun to start with Caulifla and Kale and fuse them yourself.
I Need a Hero
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
One of the fun things about Sparking! Zero is that it’s not really concerned about things like “balance” and “fairness.” What it is concerned with is making the characters feel as powerful (or as weak) as they are in Dragon Ball. That means both versions of Broly (either Z or Super) are absolute monsters who wouldn’t have too much trouble wiping the floor with, say, Krillin. It also means guys like Frieza, Perfect Cell, and Beerus are very, very strong, and Yamcha is… well, likely to end up face-down in a crater in that pose if he decides to throw down with them. This can make for some fun matches, especially if you pull out a win against a character that’s much more powerful than the one you’re playing with.
And you can, if you’re good enough. And that’s, I think, where Sparking! Zero surprised me most. Arena fighters, which are more or less what the Budokai Tenkaichi games have always been, are not generally known for their depth. But there’s a lot of it in Sparking! Zero, to the point that it can feel a little overwhelming at first. To play a character effectively, you’ll need to learn all their combos, Skills, Blasts, and Transformations, and then the combos, Skills, and Blasts for all those Transformed versions of the character, too. It’s a lot.
What gives Sparking! Zero its depth, though, are the system mechanics. There’s the obvious stuff, like managing your ki, which determines when you can vanish, use Skills and Blasts, and so on, but it’s more complicated than that. It’s about knowing when (and how) to do things like use Perception to automatically dodge and punish any attacks (while leaving yourself open to throws), or when to activate Sparking! Mode, or what a Step-In Sway is, or how to do a Z-Counter, and so on. There’s a lot to keep track of here, and some of it is fairly hard to do in the moment, but once you’re using High-Speed Evasion to get behind your opponent, winning beam battles, and nailing long combos, it feels awesome. Your reactions will have to be on point, and you’ll have to know what tools you can use when, but once you use Super Counter or a Sparking! Combo to end a close match, you’ll be hooked.
Every Frame a Panel
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
It’s a lot to take in, and practice, and implement in real-matches, but the best fighting games always make sure you have things to learn if you want to improve. Nobody would accuse Sparking! Zero of having as much depth as Namco Bandai’s own Tekken 8, but there’s plenty to keep you busy in training mode if you really want to tinker under Sparking! Zero’s hood to maximize your performance.
Which brings me to just how much stuff there is to do in Sparking! Zero. Silly as it sounds, it starts with the menus. Sparking! Zero nails Dragon Ball’s look and feel during matches, and like Dragon Ball FighterZ before it, you’d swear certain animations were ripped straight from the show or the manga. They look that good, and the attention to detail is there in matches, too, if two characters that have history are throwing down. And not just in a cool voice line way, but in a “this throw animation only happens if these two characters are fighting each other kind of way.” That rocks.
That same level of dedication carries over to Sparking! Zero’s menus. Navigating between menus means watching Goku fly or teleport to a new place full of other characters. Heading to Episode Mode or checking out the Custom Battles? You’ll be vibing with everyone at Bulma’s house. Getting ready to play the Tournament mode or just wanna fight? You’ll be chilling outside the World Martial Arts tournament. Wanna spend some time at the Gallery? Take a trip to Mr. Satan’s house to see him, Videl, and Majin Buu. Buying things at the shop? Pay Master Roshi and crew a visit at the Kame House. All the while, you’ll hear characters talking to each other or see them interact in the background.
Who Run the World? Girls
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Every part of Sparking! Zero takes place in the Dragon Ball world. If you go into the Gallery, you can even listen in on a group call where Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Videl talk about the different versions of each character. All of this may seem really minor, but it adds a lot to Sparking! Zero’s charm. The attention to detail here is stellar, and it really adds a lot to the general vibe. I liked the Girl Talk segments in the Encyclopedia section of the Gallery so much that I spent a while just picking characters at random and listening to what the girls had to say. And then I called my wife over to show it to her. Things like this are rare in AAA games these days, and I really enjoyed them.
And then there are the modes. Holy hell (or should I say HFIL? The real ones know), Sparking! Zero has a lot of modes. Your first stop should probably be Super Training, so you can come to grips with everything you can do. While there’s a lot here, Sparking Zero’s tutorial is very good. It’ll walk you through everything with pretty detailed explanations, will give you demos of what things look like, and makes it easy to retry something if you mess up. Fighting games live and die on their teaching tools, and Sparking! Zero is no exception. Thankfully, the folks at Spike Chunsoft understand that, and they nailed it the first time.
Once you’ve got the basics down, you’ll probably be spending time in Episode Mode, which guides you through the Dragon Ball story from the perspective of several characters, including Goku (shocker), Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and a couple other surprises. These are pretty long and involved, though the cutscenes between missions are generally stills or short animated scenes. That said, it works because of the way it’s presented. Thanks to Whis, the whole of the Dragon Ball timeline is stretched out before you, and you’re zooming in on little sequences. It’s neat.
I Want You to Hit Me as Hard as You Can
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
The other cool thing about Episode Mode is the branching paths. Doing certain battles in certain ways — like say, defeating Android 18 really quickly as Vegeta or beating Frieza as Goku without the Spirit Bomb — open up cool, “What if?” scenarios. These are generally pretty hard to get because a lot of them boil down to “beat this character you’re just supposed to survive against fast”; you’ll probably have to come back after upgrading characters with the Capsules you can buy with the Zenni you’ll earn from playing the game, but it gives you a reason to play the story multiple times and some of these branches are pretty involved and quite long. I miss things like this in fighting game stories, and I’m glad Sparking! Zero is bringing this back.
Episode Mode is pretty grand, but it does have some downsides. If you clear a battle but want to try it again, you’ll have to skip through the following cutscenes, get to the next fight, and then quit and select the battle you want to replay. It’s a minor annoyance, but it can add up if you just want to unlock an alternate path. The sometimes drastic differences in power levels between you and the characters you’ll fight also mean there are some pretty intense difficulty spikes. Sparking! Zero is kind enough to ask you if you’d like to reduce the difficulty after you get dropkicked in the Dragon Balls a couple times, and you can get around most of them by equipping better Capsules or just getting better at the game, but it can be rough as you’re learning early on.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of other stuff to do. You can play several tournaments, drawing from in-universe rulesets like the Tournament of Power (you can’t fly, and lose if you go out of bounds) or customizing your own rulesets. There’s local versus against the CPU or another player, but weirdly local versus matches with another person are limited to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber stage, and nowhere else, which is a bummer.
Kill Your Friends, Guilt-Free
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
By far the coolest additions, though, are Bonus and Custom Battles, fun little scenarios you can play and then use to build your own scenarios, complete with unique win conditions, character dialogue, and more. There are several Bonus Battles for you to play if you’re not feeling super creative, but if you are, there’s a ton here. And like Super Mario Maker, but for Dragon Ball, any Custom Battle you design and complete can be uploaded to the internet so other people can play it. And there’s an in-depth tutorial there to lead you every step of the way early on. So if you’re a masochist out here to ruin other people’s day, Dragon Ball style, great (provided you can beat the sicko nonsense you’ve dreamed up yourself). If you just wanna have fun, you can do that, too. But either way, I love that Sparking! Zero lets you be creative.
Doing all of this stuff completes challenges for Zen-Oh and Whis, which reward things like Zenni, titles, and even Dragon Balls, which can be used to wish for even more Zenni, titles, characters, and so on. No matter how you play Sparking! Zero, you’re always making progress towards the next thing. And that’s awesome.
[Insert Goku Power-Up Scream Here]
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Of course, there is online play, but I wasn’t able to test it before the game’s early access release. Hopefully, it’s good. If not, well… There’s plenty here to keep you occupied if you’re just playing solo. And if you’re worried about online play being the same three overpowered characters over and over again, don’t be. Team compositions are limited by a point system; the better a character is, the more points they cost. You can absolutely use those crazy powerful characters; you just won’t be able to use a lot of them at once.
I ended my time with Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero much the same way I started it: really excited to play more of it. I’ve already dumped a lot of time into Sparking! Zero, but there’s still a lot more to see. I have more alternate paths to complete, more costumes to unlock, plenty of other mechanics to master, more Capsules to play with, new teams to build… I could be here for a while, now that I think about it. The greatest compliment I can pay to a game is to say that I want to keep playing it after I’m done covering it. I want to keep playing Sparking! Zero. It’s been a long, long time coming, but Sparking! Zero is worth the wait. That little kid who grew up loving Dragon Ball would love that. I’m really happy for him.
This review is based on an early digital PC copy supplied by the publisher. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero comes out on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 10th, 2024.
Will Borger is a Pushcart Prize-nominated fiction writer and essayist who has been covering games since 2013. His fiction and essays have appeared in YourTango, Veteran Life, Marathon Literary Review, Purple Wall Stories, and Abergavenny Small Press. His games writing has also appeared at IGN, TechRadar, Into the Spine, Lifebar, PCGamesN, The Loadout, and elsewhere. He lives in New York with his wife and dreams of owning a dog. You can find him on X @bywillborger.
A giant portion of my life has been dedicated to Dragon Ball media. I’ve watched the series constantly; it introduced me to manga, and I’ve played every game release religiously. My favorite of the game titles was Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. This was because it had such a huge roster of characters, allowing me to make a team of up to five characters from the series to face off against any other five. My favorite thing to do was create scenarios in my head as to why these characters would be fighting. My hype and excitement for when we got the announcement to continue the Budokai Tenkaichi series reached a measurement you could not find on the Richter scale.
Game Name: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Reviewed) Developer(s): Spike Chunsoft Publisher(s): Bandai Namco Release Date: October 11th, 2024 Price: $69.99
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero marks the return of the Budokai Tenkaichi series, and it has a lot of substance to dive into. Once again, you’ll go through the story of Dragon Ball Z, starting from the Saiyan Saga and continuing through, but this time it extends to the end of Dragon Ball Super, concluding with the Tournament of Power. Fortunately, that’s not all Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has to offer players.
Going Through Dragon Ball Again
Just like most Dragon Ball games, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has you progressing through the series chronologically, starting from the Dragon Ball Z Saiyan Saga. In this game, you do this by playing through Episode Mode. In Episode Mode, you choose a character to experience the series from their perspective. Initially, you can only select Goku, but you’ll unlock other characters by completing Goku’s episode. One key difference this time around is that the game introduces choices at certain points that can alter how the story unfolds.
One example of this system is the option to team up with Piccolo at the start. If you choose to join forces with Piccolo, you’ll fight Raditz alongside him. If you decline, you’ll face Raditz with Krillin and Master Roshi by your side. So, with this, you can see that it doesn’t follow the anime story directly and gives you the option to deviate from the story we’ve seen for decades.
But that’s not the only way the game deviates from the traditional Dragon Ball story. If you meet certain conditions during a fight, you can change its outcome. For instance, if Goku has more energy at the end of the Raditz fight, he can actually dodge the Special Beam Cannon. This can happen on either path you choose, and it leads to three different possible outcomes. In one, Goku dies with Raditz; in another, Goku survives the fight with his friends’ help; and in the third, Goku survives after fighting alongside Piccolo. These choices dramatically change the story, creating two new alternate outcomes. This was the moment I became really excited about Episode Mode. It made me think of all the possibilities the game could offer, and honestly, there were even more surprises than I expected. I loved this feature—it pushed me to try harder in every fight, knowing that any battle could potentially alter the canon story.
You can start Episode Mode through either the start button or the story map button. The story map is a 2D overworld that displays the stages you can access, with green arrows indicating stages that have alternate outcomes based on your performance. There are also blue markers on stages that are either fully cinematic or involve making choices that affect the story’s outcome.
Even though I love the changes in Episode Mode, I have to admit that the mode has some issues. It’s very hit-or-miss when it comes to animating certain segments. Sometimes, the game chooses to use static poses with models instead of fully animating the scenes. For example, this is yet another game that skips the Final Flash moment during the fight against Perfect Cell, even though the Final Flash attack looks amazing. It also tends to skip segments of a character’s story. Gohan’s Episode Mode doesn’t even start until the Cell Saga—everything he did in the Saiyan Saga, Namek Saga, or Android Saga is either shown through someone else’s episode or skipped entirely.
There’s also a frustrating moment in Vegeta’s “What If” section where something you wish had happened gets pushed aside, only for it to be told from Goku’s point of view in his episode. Vegeta’s accomplishments just get told to us rather than being shown.
Creating Your Fantasy Fights
The Episode Mode isn’t the only way to experience Dragon Ball stories. There’s also Custom Mode, which is all about creating fights the way you want them to play out. You can customize fighters from the cast of playable characters in the game and pit them against any other characters. You can also set triggers that activate various effects during the fight. For example, if Future Gohan hits Android 17 with a Masenko blast, you can display a text of Android 17 getting angry at him.
There’s a good variety of effects and triggers to create fights exactly how you envision them. You can even set specific scenes to happen during the fight or force certain skills to hit their opponent. The sheer number of options makes it really enjoyable to create and watch things play out. I usually have to test stages a few times to iron out all the hiccups with my custom triggers. Trust me, you’ll want to test things thoroughly to ensure the best experience.
Custom Mode is going to make Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero a game that fans can return to time and time again—or in my case, maybe I’ll never leave it! I kept coming up with more and more ideas for fights I wanted to create, and it was a blast being a scenario editor for Dragon Ball battles. However, this also led to some frustrations with Custom Mode. The list of text options for displaying battle dialogue is enormous. While the sorting system is okay, the inability to filter or search through the text options means I often spend a lot of time trying to find exactly what I want the character or narrator to say.
Additionally, the characters aren’t sorted very well when you need to select one for the text. I’ve developed muscle memory for finding Gohan’s name since I use him a lot in Custom Mode, but when I need to find someone like Videl or Kefla, I have to scroll through a long list of names before I can locate them.
Bringing The Fight In Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero’s gameplay is addicting, especially for someone who is a massive fan of the prior Dragon Ball Z . Once you get used to the combat and the speed, it’s hard to play any other arena fighter. You can choose a team of up to five characters to battle against another team of up to five. You can also opt for single battles. There are 181 characters available, or 182 if you pre-ordered and got Goku (Mini) in your roster. This adds a lot of variety to your team builds.
You can execute a five-hit rush combo, or mix it up by pressing the Ki blast button to trigger a special combo that can launch the enemy either above or below you. You can also hold the attack button for a charged attack that sends your opponent flying across the map. I often use the Dragon Homing skill to juggle the enemy up and down in the air after launching them. Dragon Homing allows your character to fly in sync with how fast your opponent is being knocked through the air, enabling you to strike them again—whether up, down, forward, or to the side—based on where you hold the analog stick.
During combat, you can use Vanishing Attacks to dodge by holding two buttons simultaneously. Alternatively, you can perform a regular vanish dodge by holding the guard button along with the dash button, turning your character into an afterimage, and placing them behind the enemy. From there, you can either start a combo or retreat to gather Ki. You can hold the right trigger to charge up your Ki, which is represented by a yellow bar beneath your health. You have five bars of Ki, and many actions, such as dashing, Dragon Homing, Vanishing Attacks, and Dragon Dashing (when you hold the trigger and dash button together to infuse Ki into your body for faster movement), all consume Ki. This makes Ki a valuable resource that you’ll need to manage carefully and replenish constantly. Performing combos can help restore Ki.
If you hold the right trigger, you can also access your skills. You have a total of two Blast skills, two standard skills, and one Ultimate skill. Blast skills consume a certain number of Ki gauges to launch at your opponent. These can either be Rush Blast skills or Ki Blast skills. Rush Blast skills have your character charge at the enemy and perform a strong physical combo, which can end with a giant Ki blast. Ki Blasts, on the other hand, can either be executed with a single button press or charged by holding the button to unleash a more powerful beam attack. For example, the Kamehameha is a beam skill that becomes stronger the longer you hold it.
An Ultimate skill can only be activated when you enter Sparking! mode. To trigger Sparking! mode, you need one available skill stock point, and you must charge your Ki beyond the five regular gauges into a single blue gauge. The blue gauge turns purple as your character gains a new aura. Once in Sparking! mode, you can hold the right trigger to activate your Ultimate skill, which can either be a Rush skill or a Ki skill depending on the character you’re using.
Sparking! mode grants infinite hits in your rush combos and allows you to Dragon Dash or Dragon Home without consuming Ki. However, Sparking! mode only lasts for a limited time, so make sure you use it wisely.
Beam clashes from the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi games have also returned, with a few tweaks. For the uninitiated, these occur when you and your opponent use beams simultaneously. In Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, these work the same way, but you’ll need to press the button as the bar reaches the end to amass more energy. You can also spend Ki to boost your timing and impact. The screen will enter a dramatic camera rotation between you, your opponent, and the beam clash. If you achieve the best impact, your character charges up their attack and pushes through the opponent, dealing significant damage. Be prepared for a substantial health loss if you lose the clash.
I remember being worried that the enemies would either be super cheap to fight or too easy, making the experience boring. I can confidently say this game has the right level of difficult AI opponents. They utilize counter and defensive moves effectively, requiring you to engage with the game’s mechanics to break through their defenses. Whether it’s timing a vanish after their vanish to continue your attack combos or ensuring you hit them in the back with your Blast skills so they can’t dodge or guard, you often need to get up close and personal. Most of the time, they will dodge or block, which can be frustrating if you’re about to execute a setup for an awesome combo into your skill blast, only for them to swat it away like a fly. However, it makes it all the more satisfying when you land a vanish combo and sneak in a Kamehameha before they have the chance to dodge.
There’s a lot of give and take with these enemies. The difficulty levels you can choose from are Weak, Easy, Normal, Strong, and Super. In Custom Mode, you can give them more specific strategies and increase their difficulty across twenty different levels. It’s incredible how much challenge you can add to enemies in that mode!
The Beauty In Sparking! Zero
Everything in the game is basically made in-engine, and it clearly shows how effective that approach can be. The faces and effects during fights are the same as those in the story cinematics, making each battle even more engaging and unique. This game is beautiful; the character faces, auras, energy beams, and the impacts from strikes all give weight to each combo and move during battle.
Even with the static model segments, the addition of effects and energy beams gives importance to these moments in Episode Mode. While they may not have recreated each individual moment from scratch like in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero establishes a formula that works for every scenario in the Dragon Ball universe. This is the ultimate Dragon Ball game with the foundation it has set.
I am not only excited for the game’s release so that people can finally play it, but also for its future and all the potential additions it can bring to the lives of Dragon Ball fans everywhere. I want to experience the Custom Modes that fans create, and I’m eager to share my Future Gohan stories with them as well. I want this game to be as big and as great as it can possibly be.
Hearing The Kamehameha
The audio direction of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is immaculate. Not only is the voice acting exceptional, but the soundtrack delivers banger after banger. The aura effects, energy beams, and every sound associated with Dragon Ball feel authentically lifted from the anime. The voice dialogue is also dynamic during fights. When you inflict damage on the enemy, they will express specific reactions based on the character you’re playing. Additionally, they can voice their fear during transformations, adding an extra layer of immersion. This game is a shining example of how gameplay can enhance storytelling. The small, simple interactions add a dynamic touch that deepens your engagement in the fight.
I previously mentioned how the UI felt basic, but due to how immersed I am while playing, I hardly notice the UI and HUD. Although they are still somewhat basic in design aesthetics, the character select screen could use a revamp to make it more manageable.
Each voice actor in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero truly gives their all in reprising their respective characters. This is the best Sean Schemmel has ever performed as Goku Black. I remember his earlier attempts in Xenoverse, where he struggled to find his footing. The Dragon Ball Super anime showcased a significant improvement in his portrayal, but this game is where he truly shines in the role. While he is already a fantastic Goku, I was thrilled to hear more from him as Goku Black.
Kyle Herbert also gets to flex his acting chops with the direction they take Gohan in some of the what-if chapters. Growing up with the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z, witnessing the progress each actor has made is an incredible experience. Christopher Sabat as Vegeta has always been outstanding, and we get to see more compassionate sides of him through the what-if chapters. I feel like these chapters add a wealth of personality to each of the main characters.
Dragon Ball Around The Globe
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO features online modes where players can enter lobbies based on various filters or use a lobby ID for private, invitation-only matches. Unfortunately, the game currently lacks cross-play support, which is a significant downside. If you have friends on other platforms, you won’t be able to play together. This is a huge hit for me and my friend group; half of us are on PlayStation 5, while the other half are on Xbox Series consoles. Additionally, I have a few friends who plan to get it on Steam. I intend to purchase the game on all three platforms to play with everyone, but I anticipate some challenges in doing so.
Surprisingly, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is well-optimized for PC. I tested it on both my laptop with an NVIDIA RTX 3060 laptop card and my desktop PC with a standard NVIDIA RTX 3060. For the most part, the game ran flawlessly at 60 fps with a 1440p resolution. The only dips I noticed occurred when Golden Frieza unleashed his multiple Death Beams and during heavy hit impacts around a character. Still, the game remained very playable.
I also attempted to test the game on the base ROG Ally and the Steam Deck, or at least I tried to. It performed well on high settings at 60 fps with a 1080p resolution. When I took it off turbo mode, I adjusted the settings to medium to maintain 60 fps. I would recommend playing this game with a controller. However, when I tried to launch it on the Steam Deck, it wouldn’t open, so I suspect it won’t be functional on that platform at launch. Since the review code I’m using is essentially final, I hope this issue gets addressed sooner rather than later.
The Ultimate Tenkaichi
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a game crafted by passionate fans of the Dragon Ball series, filled with references that only true fans will appreciate—especially those who grew up with the series during the Toonami era, transitioning from the Ocean Group’s dubbing to Funimation’s. I love this game and every moment invested in its development. The developers have continuously improved the game based on feedback from the Dragon Ball fanbase, and each build I played made it better and better.
This final build of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has undergone numerous iterations of refinement and polishing to become what it is today: an almost flawless masterpiece that is poised to be a staple for gamers everywhere. I highly recommend it to anyone who loved the Budokai Tenkaichi series or to those curious about what makes a great arena fighter. I absolutely adore this game and everything it offers fans of the series, and I genuinely hope it enjoys a long and successful life.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero will be released on October 11th, 2024, on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
Review Disclosure Statement: Dragon Ball Sparking! ZEROwas provided to us by Bandai Namco for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.
Affiliate Link Disclosure: One or more of the links above contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission should you click through and purchase the item.
Summary
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero evolves the Budokai Tenkaichi series into the modern era of gaming: Faster-paced fights, and more dynamic than it has ever felt before.
Pros
Playing the game immerses you into the action well
Each model and move is crafted by passionate fans of the Dragon Ball series
Art and audio is fantastic
The absolute best playing Dragon Ball has felt
Cons
No cross play
Episode Mode has some questionable choices
Custom Mode needs a way to filter and search better with text
Disclaimer: This is a review-in-progress, as I haven’t finished this game yet. As such, the score is subject to change.
I’ve spent nearly a decade aggressively trying to like Persona 5 as much as everyone else I know, but it turns out the trick was just to wait until the chief creatives behind it made a different game instead.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is, in its own way, the game of my dreams. That’s because it takes everything good about Persona, including the effervescent sense of style, fun turn-based combat, and engaging calendar-based structure, and recontextualizes it into a substantially more interesting experience. By ditching the trappings of modern Japanese high schools and embracing a unique, colorful fantasy world with a fun road trip conceit, Metaphor rises above the limitations of its spiritual predecessor.
Persona series director Katsura Hashino (with character artist Shigenori Soejima and composer Shoji Meguro, among others) has put his name on something special, provided the game doesn’t completely fall apart in the third act. After about 40 hours, though, I’m in love.
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I just can’t wait to be king
Our hero for this journey. Credit: Sega/Atlus
Fair warning: I haven’t seen the end of Metaphor’s story yet, so I can’t pass full judgment right now. But so far, so good.
Rather unlike the Persona series, which has traditionally melded a real-world setting with supernatural nonsense, Metaphor cuts out the middleman and is a full-on fantasy adventure. The United Kingdom of Euchronia’s king has been assassinated and, thanks to a series of simultaneously wacky and very cool magical shenanigans, a new contest for the throne has been declared. Anyone can sign up and whoever gains the trust of the people (as judged by magic) through a series of kingly challenges around the world is declared king at the end.
Naturally, our protagonist joins the fray, accompanied by a diverse, constantly growing group of friends along the way. As one might expect, the contest for the throne is made exponentially more complicated by the circumstances around it. The true heir is either missing or dead, depending on who you ask. There’s an unwritten but widely accepted racial hierarchy that favors some tribes over others, and the state church is trying to rig the game so its chosen candidate will win.
That’s all exciting and intriguing in its own right, but a lingering mystery about the nature of this world keeps driving the plot at crucial moments. I’ll just hint that the giant, terrifying monsters threatening the kingdom’s safety are called “Humans,” so there’s definitely something strange going on.
This is what Humans look like in ‘Metaphor.’ Credit: Sega/Atlus
Metaphor’s narrative is hard to fully judge without having finished it, but after 40 hours, it’s got me hooked. One of the reasons why I didn’t vibe with Persona 5 was the central cast of characters; a few of them were simply very annoying to me — and I never grew attached to them. That isn’t the case here, at least partially because the story is about people who scan as adults rather than high school kids with problems that I don’t care about.
Here, we get to pal around with a talking rodent who is also a master assassin and the fantasy equivalent of Taylor Swift instead. These are fascinating people with backstories that I want to discover and problems that I want to help them solve. It’s really all I ask for from any RPG party, and Metaphor delivers on that front handily.
I’m a little less sure about Metaphor’s overarching themes. Racism is a major part of this world, as the kingdom is made up of several tribes with varying levels of political power. However, where I’m at in the game, it feels like a story where racism happens rather than a story about racism. It’s very nice that each member of the central party is from a different tribe, but characters repeatedly saying “it’s bad to be racist” feels a bit simplistic without much examination of how the culture got to this point or how to fix it.
Of course, I could feel totally differently about that by the time the credits roll. Time will tell.
Metaphor is giving me what Final Fantasy couldn’t
The crown contest involves traveling from place to place and solving various local problems to win the support of the populace.
Who doesn’t love cooking with the homies? Credit: Sega/Atlus
However, regular carriages are too slow and not grotesque enough, so you and your buddies travel the world in a fantastical tour bus called a Gauntlet Runner, which looks like a boat with two enormous, disgusting monster legs. I love it.
In this way, Metaphor quietly became the version of Final Fantasy XV I always wanted, but never got. Yes, I’m going to complain about a game that came out in 2016 for a second. Bear with me.
FFXV’s entire selling point was that it was about a group of close friends on a road trip together. When I played the game at launch, huge amounts of backstory and character development had been off-loaded to a movie and a five-episode anime miniseries. In addition to that, the main cast of dudes almost never spoke to each other in the game itself. I spent like 80 hours driving around the world with those boys and learned almost nothing about them. It was a broken, fractured story that didn’t fulfill its most basic promise at all.
Talking to your friends is very important in ‘Metaphor.’ Credit: Sega/Atlus
A cavalcade of post-launch DLC eventually “fixed” FFXV, but if you want a road trip JRPG, just play Metaphor instead. It adapts the calendar-based structure from Persona, in which you have to carefully think about how to spend time each day because there are hard deadlines for finishing major story dungeons. Even in a Gauntlet Runner, traveling takes time, so you wind up spending a lot of Metaphor just kind of screwing around with your buddies on your tour bus.
You can read books by your lonesome to develop the protagonist’s personality traits like courage, tolerance, and eloquence, which, in turn, unlock other gameplay opportunities around the world. If you’d rather cook meals with beneficial status effects in the Gauntlet Runner’s kitchen, you can call a friend over and do that with them. And, like Persona, each character has a corresponding social level that goes up the more you spend time with them.
This can be accomplished on the Gauntlet Runner while traveling, which is great and heightens the feeling that this is a real road trip that’s having real effects on these people’s lives.
A very accommodating road trip
None of the above would be very compelling if there weren’t also an excellent turn-based RPG under the hood.
You gotta beat up enemies in real-time before you get to beat them up in turns. Credit: Sega/Atlus
Metaphor takes the basics of Persona and tweaks them in additive and smart ways. This is still, at its core, a turn-based RPG about carefully enduring long dungeons that can’t be completed in a single in-game day because there intentionally aren’t enough magic potions to go around. Eventually, you have to turn back and go to sleep to recharge. That’s also how real life works if you think about it.
There are some key differences that elevate the experience, though. For instance, hitting enemies with their elemental weaknesses doesn’t automatically stun and knock them down like it does in Persona. Rather, it does extra damage and gives you an extra turn before the enemies act again. Fights feel less like puzzles where the goal is to knock everyone down at the same time and more like, you know, actual fights because of this change.
There’s also a formation system wherein each active party member can switch between standing in the front or back row at any time. Being closer to enemies means your melee attacks do more damage, but you’ll take more, in turn. Step back, and both the damage you deal and damage you take go down. This isn’t particularly complicated, but it gives you more to think about during fights, which I appreciate.
A real-time action element enhances things further. You can simply start turn-based combat as soon as you see an enemy, but if you’re feeling brave, you can bang out quick melee combos against them in the overworld to drain a stun meter. If you drain it and then go into turn-based mode, you’ll start with stunned, half-dead enemies instead of fully healthy, pissed off ones.
Oh, and if an enemy hits you in the overworld, the opposite happens. They get a big advantage over you, and your best bet at that point might be to run away. Encounters against even weak, basic enemies can quickly go haywire if you aren’t careful.
Mapping out trips is vital. Credit: Sega/Atlus
Problematically, the camera can be a bit uncooperative when fighting in real-time. There were more than a few instances where I was hit by an enemy I couldn’t see and nearly hit a game over screen because of it. Still, I find the real-time bits to be an overwhelmingly positive addition to the game. It keeps the player on their toes and adds a layer of challenge that wasn’t in this crew’s previous games.
Archetypes are the cherry on top of the combat cake in Metaphor. These are magical alter-egos you unlock through making friends with people outside of combat that basically act as equippable classes for each party member. Every character can equip every Archetype, and Archetypes level up independently. Max out an Archetype’s level, and eventually you can evolve it into a more powerful one.
This is an incomprehensibly huge upgrade over Persona, which had a similar system wherein the protagonist could switch between combat roles at will, but each party member was stuck doing whatever they were designed to do. In Metaphor, tinkering with party composition and planning out your long-term upgrade path are both vitally important and extremely fun. Each Archetype has a different weapon associated with it, and these weapons behave differently in real-time combat, so that has to enter the equation, too. I’m just a sucker for a class system in any RPG and this is a really, really good one.
All of this is wrapped in a level of difficulty that I would describe as accommodating and fair. After 40 hours of gameplay, I haven’t hit any frustrating roadblocks, likely because Metaphor is generous with optional hints about which party members to bring to each dungeon and offers items that allow you to quickly level up Archetypes you’re not actively using. If you’re a couple dozen hours into the game, and you suddenly find yourself in need of strong fire magic, you won’t need to do any grinding to get it.
Even armed with the knowledge of what to expect and the tools to deal with it, Metaphor still requires just the right amount of tactical awareness and planning to feel challenging without being excessively hard.
Everything looks awesome in Metaphor
There’s no reason to dance around this: Metaphor looks amazing.
Dude, even the menus look sick. Credit: Sega/Atlus
It’s largely due to art direction, too. The kingdom’s capital city of Grand Trad looms large in the distance, thanks to a giant inverted pyramid that looks rad as hell. Humans (the enemies, not people) are nasty freaks who often defy description. And perhaps most importantly, the fashion is out of this world. Nearly every character is absolutely rocking whatever outfit they’re wearing, especially the nasty fella you’ll meet fairly early on who rolls around in a purple cheetah print robe.
The only criticism I can offer is that, at least on Xbox Series X, Metaphor doesn’t run very well. It targets 60 frames per second and is able to hit that when indoors or fighting enemies. Go outside or run around a bustling city, however, and everything tanks a bit. This almost exclusively affects non-combat situations and doesn’t inhibit playability at all, but it’s very noticeable.
Metaphor is full of earworms
Metaphor’s soundtrack is similarly dazzling, though not without some small imperfections. Composer Shoji Meguro brings the heat when it matters, as the main combat themes are serious toe-tappers with a male opera vocalist who kind of sounds like he’s rapping in gibberish. I’ve had the music that plays when you have an advantage in combat stuck in my head for several weeks.
Environmental and story tracks stand out less to me, but they’re all nice enough to listen to that I can’t complain. Meguro’s score is mostly made up of orchestras and choirs, as is befitting the setting, but I can’t help but yearn for the more rock or funk-inspired tracks he wrote for Persona at times. Pursuant to that thought, the boss fight music isn’t hype enough for me.
I’m willing to change my mind on that depending on what happens later in the game, of course. I’ll also say the English voice acting is excellent across the board.
Is Metaphor: ReFantazio worth getting?
In a year almost dangerously packed with exciting RPGs like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Metaphor: ReFantazio is almost certainly, if nothing else, on the medal stand for that particular genre in 2024.
Granted, I need to wrap up the game before rendering my final verdict on it, but my 40 hours with Metaphor have been consistently delightful. Its endearing cast of characters populate a fascinating fantasy world with fictional layers that I just want to peel back until I see everything there is to see. Enhanced turn-based combat with real-time elements, combined with wholesome friendship mechanics and great road trip vibes, all work to seal the deal for me.
So, yeah, you should probably get Metaphor: ReFantazio.
