While July has been a more consistent month for video games than the rest of 2023, the deficit has been made up thanks to a string of compelling movies and interesting tech. Here’s what we call the best content of July 2023.
Nimona
Netflix occasionally throws out a truly brilliant project, and this July, it came in the form of the animated film Nimona. Seeing Chloë Grace Moretz as the titular character, a young and misunderstood monster who exists in a world that hunts her kind, this film is about honor, Betray and do what’s right, no matter the cost.
Asus Zenfone 10
More powerful wafers, better specs, wireless charging, longer battery life, good cameras and lots of space. These are just some of the features that the Asus Zenfone 10 offers compared to its predecessor. Needless to say, during testing we found the smartphone to impress us, even more so when considering the device’s competitive price point.
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Logitech Combo Touch
Have you been looking for a way to turn your iPad into a functioning laptop? If so, Logitech’s Combo Touch keyboard might be the device for you. This attachable keyboard even comes with a working trackpad, so you can easily transition from a portable tablet to a powerful laptop without two separate gadgets.
viewfinder
We rarely find ourselves genuinely blown away by clever and fresh puzzlers, but Viewfinder definitely fits the bill. This delightful standalone project offers a new way to deal with the perplexity of perspective, and generates a set of truly unique and engaging problems that require players to think outside the box, often outside of logic, to solve them.
Sony Xperia 1V
The challenge for Sony was to live up to the excellent Xperia V name with this follow-up device, but boy, did they do it, and then some. The Xperia 1 V doesn’t hit the rings with the kind of device it’s trying to be, and while it’s not perfect, it’s enough to blow our minds that any tech-savvy person considers it their next smartphone.
Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1
Tom Cruise is the king of summer blockbusters. Following last year’s fantastic Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is another great example of why Cruise’s action flick is so anticipated, because despite its behemoth runtime, the film is anything but. Effortlessly manage to keep your audience engaged. This series just keeps getting better and we can’t wait to debut in Part Two in the future.
marshall monitor two
To many, Marshall is best known for its guitar amps and speakers, but the audio giant also produces a ton of great headphone options. The Marshall Monitor II ANC is a good example of this, as these headphones are comfortable and deliver top-notch audio thanks to the built-in dynamic drivers.
Mac Studio M2
Smaller, faster and more powerful than the Mac Studio M1, now with the same processor as the Mac Pro. We’ve long been fans of the Mac Studio line, but the Mac Studio M2 just proves that the future of powerful Mac computers isn’t the Pro line, it’s the Studio, as this more affordable, smaller, more powerful system has us wondering Why would you pay more for less.
Pikmin 4
After lying dormant for quite some time, Nintendo revived the Pikmin brand with Pikmin 4. This installment of the series refines the signature strategic puzzling elements and backs them up with deeper mechanics and a genuinely interesting narrative, all designed to keep Nintendo’s hit momentum going this year in this sunset era for the Switch.
remnant two
Gunfire Games hopes to continue the Remnant series this month with the simple title, Remnant II. With deeper and more complex biomes and levels, better graphics, a host of new enemies and a wider range of game mechanics, all on top of the replayability of the iconic series, there are plenty of reasons to love this sequel — even if it still has some of the flaws of its predecessor.
Barbie
Greta Gerwig once again proves her affinity for all things cinema in the ambitious and, frankly, talented, Barbie. This colorful film features stellar performances from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, all of which fit the tone of a rather complex and deep narrative that asks viewers to question society and its tendencies. The film was a very simple project, but ended up being a conversation piece set in a fictional and bizarre world.
oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s latest epic aims to tell the story of famed physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer, known as the father of the nuclear bomb. This complex and sprawling story explores every aspect of Oppenheimer’s life, from his college days, to leading the Manhattan Project and building the atomic bomb, to ethics and how society buried him soon after due to the devastation and fallout from that device. The film is heavy and deep, and features some truly great performances from its stacked cast.
disney island of illusion
The July cap is Disney Illusion Island. This lovable Metroid platformer hopes to take Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy on a fantastical journey through wondrous and rich biomes to illustrate the return of a series of powerful books. With deep platforming mechanics and plenty of places to explore, the game stands out for its great dialogue and story, which truly comes to life thanks to the original voice actors lending their talents to the game’s characters.
F1 Manager 2023
Formula 1, the first sequel in Frontier Developments’ analog series, looks to improve on many things the original lacked. Better options, a more detailed simulation system, a more complex control scheme, and more immersive camera angles all made this game one of July’s best games.
