Best of July 2023 –

Although July has been a steadier month for video games compared to some of the other months in 2023, the deficit has been made up thanks to a host of compelling movies and interesting technology. Here’s what we call the best of July 2023.

Nimona

Netflix occasionally serves up a truly fantastic project, and for this July it came in the form of the animated film, Nimona. With Chloë Grace Moretz as the titular character, a young and misunderstood monster who exists in a world that hunts her kind, this film is all about honor, betrayal and doing the right thing, no matter the cost.

ASUS Zenfone 10

More powerful chip, better specifications, wireless charging, better battery life, good camera and lots of space. These are just some of the features that the ASUS Zenfone 10 offers over its predecessor. Needless to say, we were quite impressed with the smartphone during our testing period, especially considering the device’s competitive price.

Logitech Combo Touch

Are you 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 switch from portable tablet to functional laptop without the need for two separate gadgets.

Seeker

It is not often that we are truly blown away by ingenious and fresh puzzle games, but Viewfinder certainly fits this bill. This delightful indie project presented a new way to approach perspective puzzles and resulted in a truly unique and engaging set of problems that required the player to think outside the box, and often outside logic, to solve them.

Sony Xperia 1 V

Sony had the challenge of living up to the excellent Xperia V name with this follow-up device, but boy, did they do that and some. The Xperia 1 V doesn’t beat around the bush with the kind of device it’s trying to be, and while it’s not perfect, it does enough to blow us away and make every tech-savvy person consider it their next smartphone.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Tom Cruise has become the king of the summer blockbuster. Following on from last year’s brilliant Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is another good example of why Cruise’s action films are so anticipated, as the film effortlessly manages to keep the viewer engaged despite its colossal running time. This series only gets better and better, and we can’t wait for Part Two to debut in the future.

Marshall Monitor II A.N.C.

For many, Marshall is known for its guitar amps and speakers, but this audio titan also produces a lot of great headphone options to boot. The Marshall Monitor II A.N.C. is a good example of this, as these headphones are built to be both comfortable but also to serve up premium audio thanks to the dynamic drivers built in.

Mac Studio M2

Smaller, faster, more powerful than the Mac Studio M1, and now with the same processor as the Mac Pro. We have long been fans of the Mac Studio line, but the Mac Studio M2 simply proves that the future of powerful Mac computers is not the Pro line, but the Studio, because this more affordable, smaller and capable system makes us wonder why you would ever pay more for less.

Pikmin 4 Finders

After a considerable period of inactivity, Nintendo revived the Pikmin brand in Pikmin 4. This installment in the series refined the iconic strategic puzzle elements and enhanced them with deeper mechanics and a really interesting story, all to maintain Nintendo’s hot streak this year, during this sunset era for the Switch.

Remnant II

Gunfire Games looked to continue the Remnant series this month with the simply named Remnant II. With deeper and more complex biomes and levels, better graphics, tons of new enemies and broader gameplay mechanics, all on top of the replayability of the signature series, there are many reasons to love this sequel – even if it still contains some of its predecessor’s flaws.

Barbie

Greta Gerwig once again proved her affinity for all things cinema with the ambitious and downright brilliant, Barbie. This colorful film featured great performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, all fitting for a rather complex and deep story that asks the viewer to question society and its tendencies. This film presented itself as a fairly simple project, but ended up being a conversation piece set in a fictional and bizarre world.

Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s latest epic seemed to tell the story of famed physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer, the man known as the father of the nuclear bomb. This complex and sprawling story explored the full scope of Oppenheimer’s life, from his college days, to leading the Manhattan Project and creating the atomic bomb, to ethics and how society buried him shortly thereafter because of the devastation and effects of that same device. This film is heavy and deep, and featured some truly exceptional performances from the stacked cast.

Disney Illusion Island

The month of July comes to a close with Disney Illusion Island. This adorable Metroidvania platform game sought to send Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy on a fantastic journey through beautiful and rich biomes to bring back a collection of powerful books. With deep platform mechanics and plenty of places to explore, this game excels thanks to its brilliant dialogue and story, authentically brought to life thanks to the original voice actors lending their talents to the in-game characters.

F1 Manager 2023

Frontier Developments first sequel in its Formula 1 simulation series seemed to improve in many of the places the original lacked. Better options, more detailed simulation systems, more complicated control schemes and more immersive camera angles all combined to make this game one of July’s best.