Gaming

Forspoken review-in-progress

Best (and worst) of both worlds

Published

January 24, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Most roleplaying games today fall under two categories: Western or Japanese. Though they might not realize a distinction between the two, each player usually has a preference leaning one way or the other. However, on rare occasions, a game can cross over and appeal to both audiences, such as Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series from FromSoftware, a Japanese developer. While these games makes its non-partisan appeal subtle, Forspoken is taking a more blatant approach.

In Forspoken, Alfre Holland (or Frey, for short) is a 20-year-old miscreant, orphaned as a baby and stuck in the wrong circles. Frey’s heart is in the right place, though. Amid all the arrests, her one goal is to save enough money to leave New York and care for her cat, Homer. However, everything changes when she stumbles upon a talking vambrace which transports her to the magically corrupted world of Athia. It’s a fish-out-of-water story inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

Once a sprawling paradise, Athia is on the verge of destruction because of a zombie-making infection that Frey calls the Break. Rendered on a PS5, Forspoken makes Athia pop with different biomes across its many regions. Character animations, particularly Frey’s, are also the best we’ve seen in this generation even in simple animations as Frey petting a cat or thumping on her leg during a running sequence.

Western meets Japanese

In contrast to the story, Forspoken’s gameplay is anything but unfamiliar. The game melds the most notorious elements of Western and Japanese RPGs together in a satisfying (but sometimes confusing) blend.

Like a Western game, Forspoken features a sprawling map littered with objectives and markers to cross off a list. Though it’s not as blatant as, say, a Ubisoft collect-a-thon, there’s still a lot to do. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t offer much in between pursuing objectives. Despite the map’s size, Athia is largely empty and devoid of any personality. After a while, even the different map markers blend into the same formula: clear the enemy and claim the treasure.

It’s almost a requirement to go through a good chunk of the optional objectives, too. Following a more Japanese angle, Forspoken features a complex crafting system required to level up Frey and acquire new abilities. Combat is similar, asking players to master a wide selection of spells mid-fight. It also has an annoyingly chatty side character in Cuff, the same talking vambrace (which the game mercifully allows players to minimize chatter from).

If anything, combat and traversal are bright spots in Forspoken, highlighted by the fluid magic parkour system. Except for some areas with hard limits, it’s smooth to move around Athia. Now, to compensate for the fluidity of movement, the game relies on only a limited set of strategies for enemies: packing a hundred of them in a cramped location or making one an absolute bullet sponge.

Obviously, Forspoken is far from a perfect game. Still, it’s a fun addition to the roleplaying genre.

Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 clip shows Losing Ground 1st look

Pre-order now for Campaign Early Access

Published

August 2, 2026

GadgetMatch

A short new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 teaser shows a quick look at the Losing Ground mission for the first time.

It is one of the big war missions from the title’s Campaign mode, following the Korean grunt squad through chaos on the ground.

The brief clip is a pre-order promotional material, wherein gamers can place pre-orders now on any platform for Campaign Early Access.

This shall allow players to dive into the full single-player campaign a week ahead of the official worldwide release date on October 16.

In the vignette, soldiers can be seen advancing through a burning urban environment while under intense enemy fire.

The squad pushes through a breached storefront into a local cafe to clear enemy strongpoints.

Laster on, out in the open on the bridge, squad members realize they are heavily exposed and call out incoming enemy air support. This was right before an explosion rocks the area.

Computers

AMD launches Radeon RX 9050 graphics card

Affordable GPU option for AAA titles

Published

July 30, 2026

GadgetMatch

AMD has launched the new AMD Radeon RX 9050 graphics card, expanding the Radeon RX 9000 series with an affordable option.

This brings AMD RDNA 4 gaming technologies to mainstream gamers with a retail price of US$ 279.

The particular GPU is designed for responsive gameplay at 1080p. That’s for esports and modern AAA titles.

Some popular titles it can run at high frame rates on a 1080p resolution include: Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 6, Pragmata, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Valorant, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, to name a few.

This highly efficient, drop-in upgrade features a 92W TBP and fully supports the latest AMD FSR technologies, next-gen raytracing, and high-quality AV1 video streaming.

Key specs:

Architecture: AMD RDNA 4
Compute Units: 16
VRAM: 8GB GDDR6
Game Clock / Boost Clock: 1.92 GHz / Up to 2.60 GHz
TBP: 92W

In line with the Radeon RX 9050 launch, AMD has also released AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.7.1.

This driver introduces official day-one support for Radeon RX 9050, alongside early multiplayer access for Gears of War: E-Day.

Users can download the software here.

Gaming

NBA 2K27 gameplay trailer showcases new dunk mechanics, Rucker Park, and more

First gameplay details revealed

Published

July 29, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

NBA 2K27 is giving fans their first look at this year’s gameplay.

2K has released the official gameplay trailer for NBA 2K27, showcasing enhanced visuals and several gameplay updates ahead of the game’s September 4 launch. The trailer also features cover athletes Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark, and Derrick Rose while teasing changes across Gameplay, MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA, and the MyPLAYER Builder.

The publisher also confirmed the Preseason Breakdown: NBA 2K27 Game Reveal, which streams on August 18 at 10:00 AM PT. During the presentation, 2K will reveal this year’s biggest gameplay innovations and mode updates before Early Access begins on August 28 for Deluxe Edition and Ultra Edition owners.

Smarter AI and a new Dunk Meter headline gameplay changes

NBA 2K27 introduces several gameplay refinements based on community feedback.

AI defenders now contest shots more effectively and hold their defensive positioning better, especially in online modes like The REC. The changes aim to create a more balanced experience on both ends of the floor.

The game also introduces a fully dynamic Dunk Meter. Instead of locking in the timing at takeoff, the meter continuously evaluates defensive positioning throughout the dunk attempt. Open driving lanes create a larger green window, while late defensive rotations shrink it, making each dunk attempt feel more responsive to the action on the court.

MyPLAYER Builder expands with more Badges

The MyPLAYER Builder now features 53 total Badges, up from 40 in last year’s game. Players can also experiment with 19 brand-new Badges designed to support more specialized builds.

Cap Breakers are also making a return. This time, players can preview attribute boosts directly inside the Builder before finalizing their character.

MyTEAM and MyNBA receive community-requested updates

MyTEAM introduces the franchise’s first unified Auction House across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The shared marketplace creates the largest pool of community-listed cards in the mode’s history. It should also make card prices more consistent across supported platforms.

Winning an auction is now faster, too. Purchased cards go straight into your collection without a verification delay.

MyNBA also receives several franchise management updates that reflect today’s NBA. These include second apron salary cap rules from the league’s latest collective bargaining agreement and the ability to offer No-Trade Clauses to free agents.

Rucker Park comes to MyCAREER

The City returns with the same centralized layout introduced last year. This time, however, it gets a new nighttime look filled with neon lights.

NBA 2K27 also recreates the legendary Rucker Park. The iconic streetball court serves as the setting for this year’s MyCAREER prelude story, Fire & Concrete, and also appears in the Street Kings mode.

NBA 2K27 launches on September 4 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2. Players who purchase the Deluxe Edition or Ultra Edition can jump in early starting August 28 through Early Access.

Watch the full trailer.