18 Jan
Blog

Monster Blaster 3.0 review: A boombox that booms just right

Monster Blaster 3.0.

Monster Blaster 3.0

RRP $400.00

"A boombox like the Monster Blaster 3.0 is perfect when you're thinking about parties."

benefits

  • Good build quality

  • Gets noisy both indoors and outdoors

  • Including Aux-In and microphone sockets

  • Easy pairing and setup

  • Decent portability

disadvantage

  • Only IPX4 water resistance

  • The battery life should be better

  • Sometimes tricky Bluetooth connections

What do you get when you fatten a bluetooth speaker? You get a boombox, or at least a modern take on this icon of acoustic portability from a bygone era. Monster has long made a habit of making it big in both design and sound, primarily focusing on moving a crowd with a rumbling boom.

That's why the Monster Blaster 3.0 seems so apt for the company. It's a third-generation, 120-watt boombox for any party, but how valuable is it when you can't just make music outside?

What's in the box

Despite the size of the speaker and box, there's not much to explore. In addition to the speaker itself, you will receive a power supply unit with a charging cable and the operating instructions. Monster doesn't put any other cables in the box, not even a 3.5mm cable, although it supports it via the Aux-In port in the device itself. If you have one, it works well with the Blaster 3.0.

draft

Monster Blaster 3.0.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

The Blaster 3.0 comes in three colors: black, white, and red. My review unit was black, but I'd say the red is much more eye-catching. Aside from aesthetics, there aren't any functional differences between them, but if you want to make the sound even more visually striking, red would probably be the way to go.

Below the surface, Monster equips the Blaster 3.0 with two 60-watt speakers, as well as two passive radiators and a 60-watt woofer for the bass. There's no real "front" or "back" as the speakers face both ways for wider output, especially when you start cranking the volume up. Monster offers no way to articulate or consolidate the sound to push it in either direction. So if you place it close to a wall, you may lose some of the spaciousness that the sound can otherwise deliver.

You get some ports to work with, like the aux-in jack for 3.5mm cables, as well as a separate 3.5mm port for microphones.

The controls are pretty standard, with a power button and volume buttons. The mode button only really toggles between the indoor and outdoor modes, which is where Monster's ambient EQ feature kicks in to optimize the audio for both settings. The Blaster 3.0 doesn't have dedicated app support, so you don't have the flexibility to customize the sound to your liking.

You get some ports to work with, like the aux-in jack for 3.5mm cables, as well as a separate 3.5mm port for microphones. If you're planning on doing karaoke with this thing, it's certainly possible with this setup. The microphone works over the music playback, so anyone with a connected microphone can sing along with a tune or announce something when playing the presenter role. Technically, you could use the microphone jack without music in case you need to give a presentation. Without a built-in microphone, the Blaster 3.0 will not function as a speakerphone.

Monster Blaster 3.0 Bluetooth Speaker.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

The USB port treats the boombox as a power bank, allowing you to charge portable devices whenever you need to pull some juice from the 5,200mAh battery. The only other ports are the power supply connector and a reset switch.

The rubber tab that covers and protects the ports is of limited value in terms of durability. The Blaster 3.0 has an IPX4 rating, so while you can take it to the pool or beach, you need to be careful. Getting sand out of its many crevices won't be easy, and salt water will almost certainly kill it.

The Blaster 3.0 weighs a moderate 13 pounds, although the very sturdy handle should keep it from slipping out of your hands. Rubberized feet underneath keep it slightly elevated, and Monster says they dampen any vibrations that could cause surface distortion.

setup and configuration

Monster Blaster 3.0 Bluetooth Speaker.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

Getting started was super easy. I could either pair the old-fashioned way, going through the Bluetooth settings on my phone, or use NFC to quickly tap and pair from an Android phone. The Boombox works the same way with iOS and Android, so whatever the pairing process, everything else is the same.

Audible tones and riffs indicate things like power on and off, pairing status, and volume or mode adjustments. Monster visualizes volume through eight LEDs on the panel, giving you a clearer sense of how loud or quiet the Blaster 3.0 really is. As mentioned, the mode button only really toggles between the indoor and outdoor settings.

In many ways, this is sort of a plug-and-play speaker, at least in the wireless sense. With no app to manage anything, or a multitude of built-in features and components, it's really about plugging in a playback device and blasting audio from there.

sound quality

Monster Blaster 3.0 Bluetooth Speaker.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

Once you get to that point, the Blaster 3.0 really earns its name. With only five LEDs (out of eight) on the volume scale, this boombox can get very loud – even more so in outdoor mode. What's interesting is that the bass isn't quite as boomy as I expected. Well, I mean the playing style indoors, since the woofer works much harder outdoors, but otherwise shows restraint.

As you'd expect, there's actually a tipping point for volume distortion – as well as bass response itself. What I mean by that is that the bass audibly goes up a notch as you turn the volume past four LEDs, slight distortion begin to creep in at six and then are very noticeable at full volume. Still, it wasn't as bad as I thought, and it could be a sign that Monster is learning less, sometimes leading to more in the larger scheme when it comes to how thick the bass should be.

Music sounds good whether it's just you or a group of people.

The key here is that the Blaster 3.0 maintains a level of clarity throughout so music sounds good, whether it's just you or a group of people. It does sacrifice mid-range depth to emphasize bass and treble, but that's no knock on a speaker that's clearly not aiming to impress audiophiles. This is all about being loud and lively, and when I think about how bass-heavy genres sounded on this thing, I can easily remind myself who the target is here.

The Blaster 3.0 is perfect for BBQs, pool and beach parties, parks and picnics, and pretty much every gathering in between. You can certainly enjoy it in the private comforts of home, except there are plenty of speakers to cover that. In true boombox style, this is an outdoor speaker in every way. The indoor part is just a bonus.

Despite its weight, it's not difficult to take with you on a road trip or to an event. It also has a more stable Bluetooth connection in open spaces. It can stutter indoors at times, and it wasn't always clear to me why. I could understand when the speaker was in a different room from the phone, but it also happened when they were in the same room just 10 feet away. I tried this with different devices to rule out the possibility that the speaker wasn't at fault, only to find that it happened regardless of what I paired with it.

battery life

Monster Blaster 3.0 Bluetooth Speaker.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

Monster estimates battery life at up to 12 hours per charge, but that's never going to happen once you start cranking the volume. I recognize that Monster has to put a number on how long the Blaster 3.0 lasts per charge, but it also markets the boombox for what it is: a speaker.

No matter what, you're not getting as much battery life here as you probably should.

You can check the remaining lifespan by checking the charge LED on the control panel. Once it turns red, look for an outlet to plug into. There's no fast charging here, and it takes a good 3.5 hours to charge back up. You can get more life out of it by connecting a device via Aux-In, but no matter what, you're not getting as much battery life here as you probably should.

Our opinion

The Blaster 3.0 costs $400, so make good use of it and hold it for a while. It's not designed exclusively for outdoor use, but that has to be a key reason why you'd pay so much for a Bluetooth boombox. It won't disappoint an audience looking for pounding tunes while spending the day outdoors, although it will work if you're stuck indoors too.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for something similar to what a DJ might use, this is it JBL party box 110 could fit for the same money. It's far less portable, mind you, but it comes with a snazzy light show and pumps out 160W of power. If you prefer a closer look, JBL is releasing its Boombox 3 this summer, and while it costs $500, the company claims 24-hour battery life and gives it an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. It's also compatible with JBL's PartyBoost feature, so you can pair it with other JBL speakers to distribute playback.

For a stylish option, the $400 Marshall Tufton only has 80 watts of power, but a 20-hour battery, an aux line-in connection and that undeniably cool Marshall guitar amp look.

Not to be outdone, Sony has already thrown in its own Boom box SRS-XG500 into the mix for $450, which offers IP66 water and dust resistance and an app to tweak the audio profile should you want to change it. If money is an object Anker's Soundcore Trance is a smaller $150/80-watt party box with a handle that also offers a light show and a claimed 18-hour battery life.

How long it will take?

That can largely depend on how you and your friends deal with it. Modest durability means you have to be careful who or what comes into contact with it. Sand and salt are the biggest hazards, while a splash or two of water should be fine. Monster offers a one-year warranty against malfunctions, but no damage from water or sand.

should you buy it

Yes, but only if the Blaster 3.0 ticks the right boxes for you. It can be flexible in where you use it, albeit not as much in its feature set, and that's important when you're paying this much for a speaker. Your friends and family will have no trouble listening to its booming sound. If that's enough for you, then you know what to do.

Editor's Recommendations



07 Jul
Blog

Monster Hunter Stories 2 Review: A Less Intimidating Hunt

In Monster Hunter Stories 2, a driver drives a Tigrex.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

RRP $ 60.00

"Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a much friendlier introduction to the complex franchise, anchored in excellent turn-based RPG combat."

advantages

  • Addictive monster collecting

  • Excellent RPG combat

  • Deep customization

  • Tons of content

disadvantage

  • Frame rate jerks

  • Repeating cards

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is the perfect entry point for newcomers to the series. Not really.

That statement has become a meme in recent years as Monster Hunter fans refer to each new release as "accessible". Monster Hunter Rise came close to making this a reality, but the basic complexity of the franchise and headache-inducing user interface still make it an intimidating experience for absolute newbies.

In comparison, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is much more digestible. It does many of the same fundamentals, but is presented in a simplified way that is easier to analyze. While it's a completely different experience – a turn-based, Pokémon-like RPG instead of a hacking-and-slashing action game – it explains the basics of the franchise much more clearly than Monster Hunter World or Rise.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a friendly alternative to the usual grind of the franchise. Even with repetitive level design, it features an excellent combat system, engaging story, and deep endgame that make it a perfect RPG for anyone looking for a more relaxed hunt.

Have to hatch them all

On the surface, Monster Hunter Stories 2 looks like a completely different beast. The game is a sequel to a Nintendo 3DS game that puts players in the role of a monster rider, not a hunter. The main difference is that riders make friends with monsters and work with them. This gives the game a Pokémon-like gameplay loop in which players collect and raise monsters, and keep six on each of them.

For Pokémon fans who have been let down by the ever-decreasing difficulty of the franchise, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is an excellent alternative. The monster collecting hook is addicting and gives players loads of creatures to discover. The Rite of Channeling feature acts as a kind of breeding mechanic that allows players to pass the trait of one monster on to another. It is a deep system that opens up limitless opportunities for team building.

In Monster Hunter Stories 2, a rider rides a monster.

Granted, there is some cognitive dissonance in the experience. While it's a cuter concept compared to the standard hunting loop, it does take a bit of time to overcome some initial discomfort. Players essentially kill (or punch the snot) a monster, break into its den, steal one of its eggs, and raise the baby as their own. For those who find Monster Hunter's colonization undertones hard to swallow, this version certainly offers a tougher moral discomfort upfront.

For Pokémon fans who have been let down by the ever-decreasing difficulty of the franchise, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is an excellent alternative.

Even so, the game ultimately won me over with its intriguing storyline – something Monster Hunter Rise missed. It's a rambling narrative that explores the different ways humans and societies interact with monsters, whether through peace or violence. All of this is linked by a mysterious, lore-rich story in which players must uncover what makes monsters across the continent unpredictable.

The game also has wonderful aesthetics with vivid colors and high quality movies. Sometimes it feels like watching a Monster Hunter anime, with exciting action sequences and dazzling battle animations. The game's frame rate is unfortunately jerky on Switch, but every time I booted it up, I was completely lost in a colorful and detailed world.

Rock, paper, monsters

The core of the game is its fantastic turn-based combat system. Monster Hunter Stories 2 uses a Fire Emblem-style “rock, paper, scissors” mechanic for battles. Players have three types of basic attacks: power, technique, and speed. In battles against monsters, players must predict what type of attack a monster will unleash and counter it with one of their own.

In Monster Hunter Stories 2, two monsters compete against each other.

This works just as well because the game provides players with the right tools to solve this little battle puzzle. Each monster uses a normal attack type, but can switch to a different one when it gets angry. At the end of the game, I was able to look at a monster I'd never seen before and deduce from the behavior of other creatures how it would attack. It rewards players who think like horsemen and really take the time to watch and remember how nature works.

Despite being turn-based, the battles cleverly stay true to the basics of Monster Hunter.

Monster sidekicks also play an important role in combat. Each race has its own basic attack type, so players need to build a group that covers all of the bases. The swap in a new monster midfight doesn't burn for a round, which gives players the flexibility to adapt to a new fight and not have to worry about getting a Pukei Pukei into an Anjanath fight.

However, creating the perfect team goes much deeper. Monsters can learn a variety of skills, from elemental attacks to team-wide buffs. That gives players a good reason to keep looking for new creatures and experimenting with channeling mechanics to expand a creature's toolbox.

Battles are less about micromanaging teammates and more about maintaining a connection with a monster. Perform the same type of attack as a companion and the duo can perform a combo attack that deals more damage. Actions like these increase a kinship gauge that can be used to perform certain skills. When the gauge is full, a player can ride their monster to carry out devastating attacks with dazzling animations. Small systems like this made me feel really close to each of my friends and really sold the driver concept.

In Monster Hunter Stories 2, a character aims at the body parts of a monster.

Despite being turn-based, the battles cleverly stay true to the basics of Monster Hunter. There are a variety of weapon types that have their advantages and disadvantages against certain monsters. Players can easily target specific body parts of monsters in combat in order to mine valuable handicraft parts for armor and weapons. Compared to a game like Monster Hunter Rise, which hides systems like this in walls of tutorial texts or obscure user interfaces, everything feels streamlined. I learned basic ideas here that I never fully understood in Rise.

Of course, it's a completely different type of game, so it's not entirely fair to compare the two. Monster Hunter Rise is an excellent action RPG that thrives on complexity. Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a more controlled, tactical experience. Each is a perfect match for the type of story they're trying to tell; It's just a matter of the speed you prefer.

Drive on

What is particularly impressive about Monster Hunter Stories 2 is how much content is packed into the experience. Mainlining the story takes 30 hours, but there's so much more depth than the main story. Side quests, arena battles, royal monsters, and a full post-launch road map provide tons of reasons to dig deeper. In the middle of my playthrough, I just started turning on background music and kicking back for some monster collecting expeditions.

In Monster Hunter Stories 2, two drivers face a giant dragon.

There is also multiplayer, both in the form of co-op games and PvP battles. The latter offers serious long-term potential for the game as it gives players yet another reason to dig into the game's gathering and breeding mechanics in order to create stronger monsters with unpredictable abilities.

It's a repetitive game, although that's as much a part of Monster Hunter as giant swords.

While there is no shortage of activity, it can be thin at times. Long battles against powerful monsters usually drag on, although the battle can be sped up up to three times. Monster caves and explorable areas are based on dungeon crawlers. This means that levels can be a somewhat boring chain of narrow passages leading into open areas. At the end of the game, I noticed rooms that were identical to areas I'd seen over and over, even though they were in a different part of the island.

It's a repetitive game, although that's as much a part of Monster Hunter as giant swords. The series invites players to learn complex routines and get into a flow. The main difference in Monster Hunter Stories 2 is that everything builds on an actual endpoint rather than going on as a Sisyphus live service grind. There is a secret to unravel and a great evil to kill at the end of the day.

This change in pace allows players to experience the world and ideas of Monster Hunter without intimidating engagement, which is a huge plus.

Our opinion

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a top-notch spin-off that cleverly transforms the complexities of Monster Hunter into a friendlier role-playing game. Worthwhile fights and a thoroughly entertaining story make up for repetitive card design and a stuttering frame rate. For those who found Monster Hunter Rise too intimidating, this is a better way to understand the basic ideas in a less sophisticated, turn-based format.

Is there a better alternative?

Monster Hunter Rise could be an overall stronger game, despite being a completely different beast.

How long it will take?

The story lasts at least 30 hours, but dedicated gamers can spend dozens of additional hours exploring the world. That doesn't even include the upcoming content of the game.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is one of the best turn-based RPGs of the year and is perfect for fans of Monster Hunter and Pokémon.

Editor's recommendations



24 Mar
Blog

Monster Hunter Rise Review: A Dance of Dragons and Dango

Monster Hunter Rise Review Nintendo Switch RPG 09

"Post-game updates will ultimately determine whether this is a surefire classic or just a solid stepping stone to something bigger, but even at launch, Monster Hunter has never felt better."

  • Optimized, fair fight

  • Gorgeous graphics

  • Full of charm and detail

  • Deep but streamlined RPG systems

  • Too dependent on post-game updates

  • Frame rate spikes

With each new Monster Hunter title comes an tweaked experience designed to destroy the notion that Capcom's biggest series is a punishment designed to make you cry. On the surface, Monster Hunter Rise could easily be confused with a figurative Monster Hunter World Lite – a less visually eye-catching action role-playing game that simplifies Capcom's most successful game that could previously be played on the compact and comparatively weak Nintendo Switch console. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

Monster Hunter Rise is a brilliant standalone entry that builds on what the previous game did both right and wrong. It takes the franchise another bold step forward in the right direction while retaining just enough of the old-school charm not to further alienate veterans who are left with after the last shortage. However, whether it beats the previous depends on what the future has in store.

Web slinging wins again

As in previous games, Monster Hunter Rise competes against terrifying beasts at the top of their respective food chains. The eponymous monster hunts are protracted battles between the brain and muscles, in which even a poorly timed chugging of a drink can open you to a world full of injuries. Relentlessly long animations and steep learning curves have made many hunters pack up over the years. It's that stigma that recent titles have tried to shake without sacrificing what made it great.

The culmination of Monster Hunter Rise is the wirebug system, which gives the traditionally sluggish combat system a new level of verticality and speed. This new quick recharge resource allows players to move through a specific portion of the chase, turning the largely in-depth experience of past games into a far more fluid and reactionary affair.

Whether you're lugging around a powerful hammer or grabbing lightweight double blades, you can get close to fast-moving targets, get out of the way, or quickly perform a series of eye-catching weapon-specific attacks with the push of a button. It's both an offensive and a defensive toolkit, building on the situational Wedge Beetle and arguably unbalanced Clutch Claw from the previous title, with at least a half-dozen reasons to use it popping up every second.

Everything about the core formula has been optimized for the T-piece.

However, a certain amount of expertise is required to properly plan a wirebug skill. Getting involved in the attack is like watching a game-changing shot unfold in your favorite sport. It's a tense, risky judgment moment and you'll doubt your decision to the point of touching it down. From large enemy attacks that you can jump off of, to hurling from the quest hub and straight into a seat in the restaurant for a pre-hunt meal. It is clear that the game was designed around the wirebug from the start.

As the possibilities arise, it will be difficult to go back to an earlier time. Everything about the core formula has been optimized for the T-piece. From seamless battlefields full of supplies to player mobility far from the franchise norm, there is virtually no downtime between fights. Once you've decided the chase is on, it's on.

Another part of what Monster Hunter Rise's break-neck pace makes possible is the return of open-world gameplay. Although Rise is significantly less dense and detailed compared to the last main version, it offers extensive zones that at first glance often overshadow those of the predecessor. The reduction in soil clutter leads to areas that feel less embedded in far-fetched fantasies and are better suited to the hectic action of hunting. Tools like Great Wirebugs, additional spawn camps, and your wheeled palamute dog buddy make traversing the grandiose locations an adventure in and of itself.

To keep quick journeys from shrinking the size of the world, creatures that can increase your combat effectiveness are strategically dispersed and provide just enough reason to go all the way to your destination. There are even a number of secret messages expertly hidden on every map so that the few who are hungry for lore can find out when they are not on the clock. It should take a while to fully reveal them.

Hope you like dango

Kamura Village is a potential victim of efforts to streamline the core experience. It's a bit smaller than a typical in-game quest hub. But with a smaller village comes a greater concentration of the franchise's charming cast of disposable characters. The people of Kamura Village range from quaint and elegant to raw, boisterous, and theatrical – although some signature choppy facial animation can cause the English localization to lead to some edgy and awkward cutscenes.

It's a slight shame to see the Meowster boss get punished after making his big screen debut in last year's live-action movie, but Yomogi the cook and her cute little kittens pounding rice inject a level of cuteness that was sorely missed in the rudeness and goofy Monster Hunter World. Skip the adorable song and dance that come free with your meal of dubious nutritional value and you will prove that you are the real monster. Like much of the game's soundtrack, you'll struggle to resist the whistle as she skewers the little pudding pops like the culinary ninja that she actually is.

Skip the adorable song and dance that come free with your meal of dubious nutritional value and you will prove that you are the real monster.

And the fun extends beyond the characters too. When you need supplies, it is your clumsy dog ​​who needs to lose his weight by embarking on a submarine trip to trade for the goods while your feline friend waves goodbye from the safety of the shore. The handier the animals you adopt, the more tedious you can passively deal with them while you're out there risking life and limb. Just keep telling yourself that they enjoy doing it.

Tower defense makes everything better

The new type of Rampage quest is not satisfied with solely relying on the wirebug to keep the game moving, and it turns the formula upside down even further. It's not quite the rush that the occasional loading of screen graphics shows, but it's worth looking forward to. Rampage builds on the siege missions of previous titles and only swaps monsters of earth-shattering size for dozens of the races that you attack in your regular quests.

It's a glorified tower defense mode aside from the name. Waves of beasts storm the fences and you'll need to plant the cannons, ballistae, and even machine guns required to fight them off. Your strategy is also not imposed on you by any build limit. You can field as much artillery as you want. Your only limit is how fast you can throw yourself at one weapon or another to keep the beasts from knocking down the walls and smashing the village.

Monster Hunter has always been about tense altercations, and if what Rise has to offer right now are any signs of it, things will really warm up as his life goes on.

Things start out pretty tame, but since Rampage missions often keep you from the next level of quests, this is where you'll endure some of the most engaging moments in the game – especially in co-op. Having a team of four juggle various types of heavy artillery, stoke the fires to repair damaged towers, or try to host an explosive explosion as a last resort is as exhilarating as it is mentally exhausting. Monster Hunter has always been about tense altercations, and if what Rise has to offer right now are any signs of it, things will really warm up as his life goes on.

That brings us to some of the more uncertain parts of the title. For serial veterans, Monster Hunter World was a case of quality over quantity: a relatively short game with little challenge. Even at the end of his run, his list of monsters fell short of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.

Like it or not, a similar story plays out here. Monster Hunter Rise ends up on the hunt with around 31 favorite old, new, and returning animals. It's by no means a small number, but it suggests that history is repeating itself. Even higher difficulty content that is often viewed as a “real” experience is behind pending free updates. There's still a lot going on between the single player campaign, multiplayer quests, and arena battles. However, if you're hoping for a full game, it's time to simmer those expectations. It might not have enough content to please franchise veterans who are betting on the team to correct Monster Hunter World's few mistakes, but there are still dozens of hours of immersive gameplay to sink your sword into .

Our opinion

A mark of outstanding game design, Capcom has once again managed to breathe new life into the franchise without watering down what made it so special almost 20 years ago. Rampages are a riot and wirebugs are a triumph that opens the door to heartbreaking combat roles and first-pumping combos and even makes newbies feel like master hunters at the push of a button.

Post-game updates will ultimately decide whether this is a surefire classic or just a solid stepping stone to something bigger, but even at launch, Monster Hunter has never felt better. It is an absolute must and one more reason to never doubt Nintendo's tiny tablet that it could.

Is there a better alternative out there?

Yes and no. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is currently the cheaper game. The Hunter Style System is a forerunner of today's Monster Hunter. It's still a great time to experiment with it, but the higher difficulty curve can put off those just looking for a bit of fun. If you don't have a lot of experience with the franchise's past, Rise is for you.

How long it will take?

Here you can burn through the core experience in around 100 hours. Far less if you're there just for the story. Free post-launch updates will last for at least a year, but it's far from the richest game in the series.

You should buy it

If you're a fan of intense action RPG, there's little else like it on the Nintendo Switch right now. It is a must. Once you get the fight under control, getting into the hunt in a rush is a rewarding experience.

Editor's recommendations