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Reviews
The Outer Worlds review: A stellar argument for deeper games, not wider ones
While it bears surface-level similarities to Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian's created a deeper and more meaningful role-playing experience in The Outer Worlds, though it can still be frustratingly old-fashioned in regards to combat and exploration.
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Google Pixel 4 XL review: Half great, half-baked
If you absolutely need to have the newest Android features and want to be on the Pixel’s bleeding edge, then buy a Pixel 4. Otherwise, wait for a few updates—or for the Pixel 5.
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OnePlus 7T review: Just the right amount of ‘pro’
The OnePlus 7T might not have the pro surname, but you won’t miss it.
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Kaspersky Security Cloud 2020 review: Good value for multi-device families
Kaspersky's new Security Cloud suite protects all your devices, with excellent value for families with a wide number of smartphones, PCs, and Macs.
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Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’s educational Discovery Tour mode is here at last, and better than before
Make Pythagoras mash grapes or learn about Thermopylae from historian Herodotus in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's version of the Discovery Tour spin-off mode. It's back for a second go-round, and much improved.
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Gears 5 review: War has changed
Gears 5 still feels like a series in need of an identity, but a more charismatic lead and experiments with open-world structure hold promise for the future—even if they don't quite pay off now.
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Bitdefender 2020 review: Solid protection, with an AI parental control add-on
Bitdefender 2020 features a high level of malware protection, a new privacy extension, and enhanced parental controls.
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TellMeGen review: Heavy on DNA-driven health results, but light on ancestry
This DNA test provides a long list of details on health traits and potential medical conditions, but its ancestry component is as simplistic as they come.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ review: If you have $1,100 to spend, this is the phone to buy
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is big, speedy, and very expensive, but it'll be worth every penny you spend.
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Backup4all Professional 8 review: Easy, reliable backup
This venerable backup program has gotten better with age. Backup4All supports a variety of destinations such as online storage and optical media, and is most importantly super-reliable.
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Acronis True Image 2020: One of the best backup programs adds cloud features
Acronis True Image 2020 may seem like a minor upgrade, but the new features and improvements are more than welcome.
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Man of Medan review: Five friends, a haunted ship, and plenty of ways to die
If you've ever watched a horror film and thought "Why are you doing that?" then Man of Medan is your chance to prove you could do better—though launch-day woes provide a different kind of fright.
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Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey review: Where learning to sharpen a stick is a major achievement
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is an impossibly ambitious game, attempting to summarize the whole of human evolution into the span of a few hours—and succeeding to a surprising degree.
Reviews
Control review: So good, you might finally stop asking for Alan Wake 2
Control is the culmination of Remedy's entire oeuvre to-date, pairing a top-tier action game with a dense story about the Federal Bureau of Control and the unexplainable horrors locked within. Oh, and there's finally a worthwhile showcase for ray-tracing as well.
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Samsung Galaxy A50 review: A $350 phone that gives Galaxy a whole new meaning
The Samsung Galaxy A50 is more than a fantastic $350 phone, it's a recipe for a budget phone that you'll love like a premium one.
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IVPN for Windows review: Same high price, more features
IVPN has changed a lot since we last looked at in 2017, including getting a jump on WireGuard for Windows development.
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Age of Wonders: Planetfall review: This space-faring 4X saga is dense but rewarding
Dinosaur-soldiers, character customization, and strong storytelling help Age of Wonders: Planetfall get over the early-game onboarding hurdles and micromanagement woes.
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Google Pixel 3a review: A budget phone that acts like a premium flagship
The Google Pixel 3a is more than a low-cost alternative to the Pixel 3, it's a damn good phone in its own right.
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Google Pixel 3 XL review: Winning the game by rewriting the rules
Whether the Google Pixel 3 XL is the best Android phone is up for debate, but it's the most advanced Pixel ever, and that's what matters.
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Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers review: Lighting the way for other MMORPGs
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers might be an expansion for an MMORPG, but it’s also one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time.
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ExpressVPN 2019 review: Great service, but why so secretive?
ExpressVPN has everything you need including great speeds, a good app, a large number of locations and servers, but the leadership is still anonymous.
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Layers of Fear 2 review: A brilliant psychological horror game that’s better without expectations
Layers of Fear 2 doesn't have many scares to offer, but visual panache and a multitude of classic film homages make for an extraordinary adventure—for the right person.
Reviews
Observation review: Old science fiction meets New Weird in this 2001: A Space Odyssey homage
No Code's follow-up to Stories Untold once again manages to combine the everyday with the extraordinary in bizarre and compelling ways, in what's sure to be one of 2019's best games.
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FileShadow review: 100GB of free online storage plus local data backup and consolidation
FileShadow consolidates your local and online data into one search-able and share-able 100GB repository. For free. The PC client is a pig, but the service is otherwise a gem.
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A Plague Tale: Innocence review: A grisly, story-driven journey through Medieval France
Survive the Black Plague, the Inquisition, and the Hundred Years' War in this relentless story-driven game that somehow got made in the era where nobody makes linear story-driven games.
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OnePlus 7 Pro review: Not a flagship killer, a flagship contender
The OnePlus 7 Pro has flipped its underdog script for 2019, challenging the high end with a true flagship.
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BullGuard VPN review: A great service with a problematic price
BullGuard VPN supports great speeds in 16 countries around the world, but at $79.08 a year it's a hard sell.
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Forager review: Mindlessly mining the minutes away
There's not much substance in Forager, but sometimes you just want to mindlessly snack on tasty junk food—even if you feel slightly unfulfilled afterward.
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LG G8 ThinQ review: Gimmicks with a capital ‘G’
The LG G8 has some good things going for it, but ultimately it's just another 'G' phone that tries to hard to be different.
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Yakuza Kiwami 2 review: The continuing story of Kazuma Kiryu in Kamurocho
An engine upgrade helps offset some of Yakuza Kiwami 2's weaker aspects, making this another entertaining entry in the series, and another excellent PC port.
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Mortal Kombat 11 review: Great fighting, bad port, ugly monetization
Mortal Kombat 11 is an excellent end to this story arc and a smart fighting game, marred by performance issues and a never-ending grind for unlocks.
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SpyOff VPN review: A study in basic
SpyOff is unique in allowing you to install the VPN on an unlimited number of devices, but other than that, it's a middling service with a higher-than-average price.
Reviews
Heaven’s Vault review: In search of lost time
Inkle's archaeological adventure is rough around the edges, but Heaven's Vault's unique language translation mechanic and its effect on player choice more than make up for it.
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FlexiPDF 2019 review: Acrobat alternative adopts user-requested features
Interactive-form creation and side-by-side document comparison round out this capable PDF editor.
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Anno 1800 review: An Industrial Revolution but not a design revolution
Anno 1800 bolsters the hybrid city-builder-slash-strategy series with some quality-of-life improvements and truly impressive technical feats, but old interface issues continue to hold it back.
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R-Drive Image review: Super reliable imaging backup
Focused precisely on task, this reliable drive imaging/backup program is as steady as they come and provides system recovery capabilities for both Windows PCs and Macs (Intel/HFS-only).
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Webroot WiFi Security review: A white label VPN with a dash of homegrown security
Webroot WiFi Security doesn't run its own network, but it does have an added security layer for extra protection online.
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BlackBerry Key2 LE review: A cheaper way to get the keyboard in your pocket
The BlackBerry Key2 LE cuts some corners to come in $250 cheaper than the standard Key2, but luckily that sweet keyboard is unaffected.
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Cobian Backup 11 (Gravity) review: Free, option-rich and effective file backup
Cobian Backup is an old hand at file backup. The interface isn't fancy, but there's nothing better for the task—or cheaper.
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Asus ROG Phone review: Too much gamer in one phone
In the growing space of 'gaming phones' the ASUS ROG Phone misses the mark.
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Samsung Galaxy S10+ review: The phone that goes higher, further, faster
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ might not be as revolutionary as the Galaxy Fold, but it's still the baddest Android phone in the universe.
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CyberGhost 7 Review: A better app and same good service
CyberGhost continues to be one of our favorite VPNs that caters to overseas streamers, offers a good amount of countries, and basic security features for a good price.
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FastestVPN review: It’s not, but that’s okay
FastestVPN won't wow you with its speeds, but the price is right, the privacy promises are good, and the simultaneous connection limit is solid.
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Disconnect Premium review: A worthy VPN that won’t blow your mind
Disconnect Premium is a usable VPN available at a great price with the right privacy promises, but location options are limited.
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Nvidia ShadowPlay review: The best gameplay recording option for GeForce graphics card owners
Nvidia's ShadowPlay is a great way to record your gameplay or broadcast it live to the world if you're running a GeForce graphics card.
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Plays review: Game capture made easy, and easily shareable
Plays is all about creating short clips and sharing them online, and the Plays desktop software makes that fun to do.
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Game Bar for Windows 10 review: A top gameplay capture performer, when you can see it
The Windows 10 Game Bar is a solid gameplay recording option with excellent performance, but its UI is flaky.
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Fraps Review: You could pay to capture gameplay videos, but why?
Fraps is a popular program for tracking framerates and benchmarking, but for video capture there are better options available for free.
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OBS Studio Review: The most powerful screen capture tool money can’t buy
OBS Studio is a fantastic tool for capturing gameplay videos, but it's not for novices.
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