REVIEW: FreeStyle Football 2 (2026 Video Game) - Closed Beta Test on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

I loaded up FreeStyle Football 2 and my first thought was simple, I loaded it too early and the playtest is not live, ok wait an hour, and.... ok this looks good. The menus are clean, the presentation is smooth, and everything has a bright, street style edge that gives it a bit of personality. On Xbox it runs sharp and sounds great, so before you even start playing it already feels polished and lively, more like a fun arcade kickabout than a serious sim.

The core idea is simple but quite different from the norm. Instead of controlling an entire squad, each player takes charge of a single character in five versus five online matches. Every one of the twelve launch characters comes with their own special skills, whether that is firing off lightning quick passes, lifting team morale, or smashing in a perfectly timed power shot. On paper it adds tactical depth and pushes teamwork to the front. In practice it often does work, especially when everyone sticks to their role and plays with a bit of discipline.

When everything clicks, the game feels fresh. Matches are quick, intense and full of scrappy street football moments. The unique abilities give each character a clear identity, so you start to recognise who should be setting up plays and who should be finishing them. I liked that. It stops everyone feeling the same and encourages coordination rather than just button mashing. Visually, it all ties together nicely. The fields inspired by locations around the world look lively, and the whole thing has a bright, almost festival atmosphere.

There is also a decent amount of content around the edges. A story mode promises ten to twenty hours of single player play, digging into each character's background. You can customise your squad, collect items, and even form clubs to compete in ranked divisions. The companion app features, the management side and the push towards competitive play suggest the developers are serious about building a long term community rather than a throwaway arcade title. Dedicated servers and an eSports focus give it a professional backbone.

Still, for me, the biggest sticking point never went away. I simply do not enjoy football games where you control only one player. The behind the back camera never feels quite right and always leaves me wishing for a wider, more traditional view. Years of FIFA, now EA FC, have set a certain expectation for how football games should handle, and stepping away from that formula feels risky. Instead of feeling immersed, I often felt restricted, like I was watching the action rather than directing it.

Online play also throws up some frustrating moments. I picked a character built to attack, only to find myself placed in defence, which makes those carefully chosen skills almost pointless. It breaks the logic of the system. If most players gravitate towards strikers, which they almost certainly will, you end up with lopsided teams full of people chasing goals and ignoring the rest of the pitch. The concept of one player per person sounds tactical, but in reality it can turn chaotic very quickly.

That leaves FreeStyle Football 2 in an odd place. As a high energy, arcade style take on the sport, it works well in short bursts. Jump in for a few quick matches with mates and it can be good fun. But as something you would sink dozens or even hundreds of hours into, it struggles to compete with the established heavyweights. Outside of the US style arcade crowd, it is hard to see why many players would choose this over the more traditional alternatives.

The training modes were easily the most fun, which is a problem when they are supposed to be there to just get you used to how to play.

Right now, based on the closed beta, it is an interesting experiment with some strong ideas and slick presentation, yet one that never quite fits the way I want to play football games. Unless major changes are made, and the kind of changes needed would alter the very identity of the game, it is not something I see myself returning to at launch.

FreeStyle Football 2 earns a disappointing 5 out of 10.

REVIEW: UFOPHILIA (2026 Video Game) - on PC Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

UFOPHILIA leans into the unnerving investigation type feeling from the very first mission. This first person psychological horror game casts you as an investigator whose obsession with UFO sightings has pushed them into the wild, chasing reports of close encounters and trying to prove, with cold hard evidence, that we are not alone. It is a simple hook, but an effective one.

Each mission begins quietly inside your cramped RV, which serves as both headquarters and safe haven. Screens flicker, equipment hums, and your tools are laid out like a ghost hunter's kit bag. Cameras, motion detectors, EMF readers, magnetic wave sensors and more sit ready to be deployed. From there you select a location tied to sightings, then step out into the dark with only your gear and your nerves for company. It is a strong setup that immediately sells the fantasy of being a lone field researcher rather than a typical horror game protagonist.

The structure is clear and methodical. First you pick the job, then you gather clues and identify what sort of alien might be present. After that you narrow down the spawn zone where it first appeared, before finally facing the thing itself and attempting to photograph it. That final step is where the tension spikes. The game constantly reminds you that this is not just a checklist. Each alien behaves differently and you must understand its quirks before getting close enough for proof. It turns the act of taking a photo into something that feels risky and oddly personal.

Where UFOPHILIA shines most is atmosphere. Missions are unpredictable, with randomised spawn zones and alien types, so you never feel entirely comfortable. One run might involve something curious and almost playful, another might feature something openly aggressive or even prone to abduction. The uncertainty keeps you alert. There are some genuinely sharp jump scares and a steady, lingering unease that follows you from start to finish. It is not constant screaming horror. It is the quieter kind, the sort that makes you hesitate before stepping into the next patch of darkness.

The investigative side is also handled well. There is a satisfying learning curve as the game gradually teaches you how to use each tool and how different bits of evidence fit together. You begin to think like an investigator, cross referencing phenomena back at the RV, trying to narrow down possibilities. Certain devices work better together, and discovering those little synergies feels rewarding. It gives the experience more depth than simply wandering about waiting for a monster to appear.

That said, the whole thing feels rough around the edges. The core ideas are solid, but the execution sometimes struggles to keep up. Movement and general gameplay can feel clunky, which chips away at the tension the game works so hard to build. Instead of feeling scared, you occasionally feel frustrated, and that is never ideal in a horror title.

Lighting is another sticking point. Dark scenes are not just moody, they are often so dark that basic navigation becomes a chore. You end up staring at the night vision screen on your camera just to see where you are going. That might be the intended design, but it is not especially enjoyable. What should be tense becomes fiddly, and the constant reliance on a tiny green display takes you out of the world. 

Then there are the aliens themselves. Despite nine unique types with different behaviours and weaknesses, they can come across as a bit bland. For a game built around discovering and documenting unknown lifeforms, they do not always feel as striking or memorable as they should. The concept promises the unknown, but the reality can feel oddly familiar.

Even so, there is potential here. The mission structure, the randomisation, the use of specialised tech and the uneasy tone all point towards something that could be genuinely special. Right now it feels like a project that needed more time in the oven. Another year of polish and refinement could easily turn it from a decent curiosity into a standout horror experience.

As it stands, UFOPHILIA is intriguing, tense in places and occasionally very effective, but also clearly unfinished. Worth a look for fans of slow burn investigative horror, just with tempered expectations. I score it 6 out of 10.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3851320/UFOPHILIA/

Real-Time Implementation: WebSocket and the Poker Engine

Real-time interaction is the defining characteristic of online poker. Unlike turn-based games where delays are tolerated, poker demands immediacy. Players expect cards to be dealt instantly, bets to appear without lag, and opponents’ actions to be reflected on the screen the moment they happen. Behind this seamless experience lies a carefully engineered combination of real-time communication protocols and a robust poker engine. Together, they form the technological core that makes online poker feel alive rather than simulated.

At the heart of real-time poker is the constant exchange of events between the client and the server. Every fold, call, raise, timeout, or table join must be transmitted and processed in milliseconds. Traditional request–response models, such as standard HTTP polling, quickly become inefficient under these conditions. They introduce unnecessary latency and generate excessive overhead as the number of connected players grows. This is where WebSocket technology becomes indispensable. By establishing a persistent, bidirectional connection between the client and the server, WebSockets allow data to flow continuously without repeated handshakes. The server no longer waits to be asked for updates; it pushes them instantly as soon as the game state changes.

While WebSockets handle communication, the poker engine is responsible for logic. It is the authoritative brain of the game, maintaining the state of every table, validating actions, enforcing rules, and resolving outcomes. The engine determines whose turn it is, whether a bet size is legal, when a hand ends, and how pots are distributed. In a real-time environment, the engine must be both fast and deterministic. Any ambiguity or delay can lead to desynchronization, where different players see different versions of the same game, a critical failure for trust and usability.

The interaction between WebSocket layers and the poker engine is best described as an event-driven flow. A player action sent through a WebSocket connection triggers an event on the server. The poker engine processes that event, updates the game state, and emits new events to all affected players. These updates are then broadcast back through active WebSocket connections. This loop repeats continuously, sometimes thousands of times per second across the platform. The challenge is not just speed, but coordination. Every action must be processed in the correct order, especially when multiple players act within tight time windows.

Scalability adds another layer of complexity. As the number of concurrent players increases, a single poker engine instance can become a bottleneck. Modern architectures address this by distributing tables across multiple engine instances while keeping player sessions synchronized. Load balancers route WebSocket connections intelligently, ensuring that players connected to the same table are served by the same logical game engine. This approach preserves real-time consistency while allowing the platform to grow horizontally.

Latency management is also deeply tied to user perception. Even when actions are processed correctly, slight delays can make gameplay feel sluggish. To mitigate this, many platforms use client-side prediction and server-side reconciliation. The client may optimistically animate an action, while the server confirms it moments later. If the server response differs, the client adjusts seamlessly. This technique, borrowed from competitive multiplayer gaming, helps maintain the illusion of instant response without sacrificing authoritative control.

Reliability is just as important as speed. WebSocket connections can drop due to network instability, mobile handovers, or temporary outages. A well-designed poker engine anticipates these issues by supporting reconnections and state recovery. When a player reconnects, the engine restores them to the correct table, stack size, and hand state without disrupting the game. This resilience is crucial for maintaining fairness and preventing abuse.

In the broader context of Card games development, real-time architecture represents one of the most demanding technical challenges. It requires a deep understanding of networking, concurrency, and game logic, all working in harmony. When executed properly, players never notice the complexity. They simply experience a smooth, responsive poker table where every action feels immediate and every decision matters.

Ultimately, the success of an online poker platform depends on how invisible its technology becomes. WebSockets and the poker engine operate constantly behind the scenes, orchestrating real-time interaction with precision. Their role is not to impress players with technical sophistication, but to disappear entirely, leaving nothing but the game itself.

NEWS: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Enters Gran Turismo 7 in Landmark Gaming Debut

By Jon Donnis

Xiaomi has confirmed that its high performance electric saloon, the SU7 Ultra, will be added to Gran Turismo 7 from 29 January 2026 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The car arrives as part of Update 1.67 and marks the first time a Xiaomi vehicle has appeared in the long running racing simulation series. Once the update goes live at 2.00 PM GMT+8, players around the world will be able to drive the SU7 Ultra across the game's circuits.

Gran Turismo is widely regarded as one of the most demanding racing simulations, known for its realism and selective approach to vehicle licensing. Historically, the series has focused on established performance marques, making Xiaomi's inclusion a notable moment for both the brand and the franchise. The partnership between Xiaomi and Polyphony Digital was first announced in June 2025, with the SU7 Ultra chosen to reflect the company's emphasis on performance and technological development.

Gran Turismo producer Kazunori Yamauchi personally tested the SU7 Ultra at several locations, including Beijing, the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Tsukuba Circuit. These sessions involved extensive discussions with Xiaomi EV executives and engineers. To ensure the in game car mirrors its real world counterpart, the two teams collaborated on an extremely detailed digital model. Xiaomi's vehicle dynamics specialists travelled to Polyphony Digital's studio in Fukuoka to take part in final validation work, focusing on accurately reproducing the car's handling and behaviour.

The SU7 Ultra uses Xiaomi's in house Dual V8s plus V6s Hyper Tri Motor system, producing a combined 1,548 horsepower and 1,770 Nm of torque. Built on an 800-volt electrical architecture, it accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 1.98 seconds without one foot rollout. The chassis combines a double wishbone front suspension with a five link rear layout and dual chamber air springs with adaptive dampers, aiming to balance sharp handling with comfort. Xiaomi quotes a CLTC driving range of 630 kilometres and a rapid charging capability that takes the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 11 minutes.

As the flagship model in Xiaomi EV's range, the production SU7 Ultra made headlines in April 2025 when it tackled the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the optional Track Package fitted. It recorded a lap time of 7 minutes 4.957 seconds, setting a new record for electric executive cars on the circuit. The result was credited to its electric powertrain, torque vectoring chassis control and advanced aerodynamic design.

Lei Jun, founder, chairman and chief executive of Xiaomi Group, previously welcomed the car's selection for Gran Turismo 7, saying he was pleased that players and automotive culture fans would be able to experience Xiaomi's approach to high performance smart vehicles. During 2025, the SU7 Ultra was also displayed in markets including Spain, Singapore, Japan and Berlin, where it attracted attention from industry professionals and enthusiasts.

To mark the in game launch, Polyphony Digital will run a two week official lap time challenge at Monza within Gran Turismo 7. Players worldwide will compete using the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, linking the brand's growing real world presence with its first major step onto the virtual racing stage.

REVIEW: EBOLA VILLAGE (2026 Video Game) on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

EBOLA VILLAGE wears its influences proudly. This is a survival horror game rooted firmly in the traditions of the 1990s, where atmosphere matters more than spectacle and progress is earned through patience rather than guidance. Played from a first person view on Xbox, it places you in the shoes of Maria as she travels to a remote USSR village following a chilling emergency broadcast about a biological threat. What follows is a slow, oppressive descent into something deeply unsettling.

One of the game's greatest strengths is its refusal to hold the player's hand. There is no glowing waypoint, no clear signposting, and no linear route laid out for you. You are expected to explore carefully, search rooms thoroughly, manage your inventory and piece together where to go next through observation and logic. Doors stay locked until you earn the right to open them, and new paths only reveal themselves once you have truly engaged with the environment. It is refreshing, and for fans of classic survival horror, deeply satisfying.

The atmosphere does most of the heavy lifting, and it succeeds. The sound design is particularly effective, with creaking floorboards, distant thunder, and the oppressive silence inside abandoned buildings creating constant tension. Music is often absent altogether, which only heightens the unease. The setting of a bleak USSR village feels carefully considered, and the environments are detailed enough to sell the illusion without becoming distracting. The visuals are solid rather than spectacular, but they serve the mood well, which is what matters here.

Puzzles are another highlight. They are balanced and thoughtfully designed, calling back to the style of 90s horror games where solutions make sense once discovered, but rarely feel obvious at first glance. Progress requires attention to detail and an understanding of the story, encouraging players to follow the narrative closely rather than rushing ahead. Combat, when it happens, is brutal and direct, supported by a variety of weapons, realistic enemy physics, and a damage system that does not shy away from dismemberment. Boss encounters add variety and reinforce the sense of danger lurking throughout the village.

That said, EBOLA VILLAGE is not without its drawbacks. The most noticeable is its length. A full playthrough can be completed in roughly five hours, which may leave some players wanting more once the credits roll. There is also the issue of motion sickness. Extended play sessions triggered discomfort for me on several occasions, something players sensitive to this should be aware of before diving in.

Despite these issues, EBOLA VILLAGE left a strong impression. I was genuinely surprised by how effective it is at capturing the spirit of classic survival horror while presenting it through a modern first person perspective. The atmosphere is thick, the gameplay is confident, and the experience feels focused and deliberate from start to finish.

EBOLA VILLAGE is a very decent game with strong atmosphere, solid visuals, and engaging mechanics that respect the player's intelligence. I would score it a confident 8.5 out of 10.

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/ebola-village/9n6wqfsk8r3x