Gaming

Unpacking a multitude of things from The Outer Worlds 2

Now set in another colony far, far away

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We waited six years for this to happen, and it can’t arrive soon enough. On October 29th, Obsidian Entertainment will take us through a new journey within another colony in alternate Earth and its own set of disasters to mitigate. As a sworn peacekeeper of the Earth and its colonies, you will partake in a grand mission filled with twists, turns, and all-out action into The Outer Worlds 2.

Right before that, though, they were gracious enough to give us a glimpse on the action and chaos to experience in The Outer Worlds 2. In the near 20-25 minutes worth of gameplay, here’s my initial two cents on the much awaited sequel:

Fight or flight, do or die

The Outer Worlds 2 returns to its 2019 roots in terms of how you play it — role-playing, NPC shooting, and witty dialoguing. In this game, you play as a member of the Earth Directorate whose main objective is to make sure nothing is amiss between Earth and its colonies. Your task at hand takes you another colony in the realm, Arcadia where you are not particularly welcomed, but a job has to be done.

Throughout the whole preview, it covered all the basic gameplay mechanics: overworld movement, combat, stealth, and inventory management, just to name a few. It didn’t feel any different from how the prequel did it, which is a good thing so as to avoid alienating long-time players too much. Plus, they retained the Tactical Time Dilation module to give you an opportunity to make decisions on the fly with precision.

Conversing with the different characters in the game is also still as dynamic and witty as they could be. Of course, they brought back the skill-based dialoguing in which you can respond to prompts differently depending on your expertise.

Even in the preview, this was a highlight as you can provide insightful observations or simply sweet-talk your way to turn things in your favor. Other skill-based overworld activities are present, so it’s important that players choose their skillsets and upgrades wisely.

More ways to identify yourself

After the opening sequence in the preview, the customization start screen appears and immediately, there are a lot of things to tinker with. Compared to the first game, adjusting every little feature on your character looks and feels more personal and true-to-scale. From facial features to even aging your character ever so slightly, it allows for a ton of creativity to the overall design that wasn’t present before.

Another thing they improved from its predecessor was assigning a background and, subsequently, traits and set of skills for your desired being. Similar to The Outer Worlds, you dictate your character’s background prior to joining the main faction or entity they represent and the buffs they get along with it.

However, not only did Obsidian expand the backgrounds to account for more potential career paths to get out of, but they made it completely agnostic to the traits you assign. I found that to be a nice touch so that you can’t get locked down to a specific set per career!

Speaking of those traits, you actually get to choose either one or two positive traits this time around. These positive traits heavily influence the skills you will get at the start, which as mentioned earlier is an integral part of the overworld gameplay.

Along with this, the game also introduced the choice of a negative trait to balance you out whenever you opt to have two positive traits. It’s just their way of reminding you that even in futuristic Earth, nobody’s perfect!

A glimpse of Arcadia

The whole preview takes place in a command outpost in Arcadia, another future Earth colony handled by megacorporations. From the tech rooms to the battle stations, Obsidian made sure to include just a big enough space to battle-test a lot of the mechanics in one go.

The only thing though is that it isn’t as open of a world just yet, especially as the first couple of scenes are held inside your carrier to Arcadia. However, that didn’t stop me from exploring the level as much as possible to find all sorts of ammo, useful items and information to use against the enemies.

While there really isn’t much to show just yet, the game showcases the dreary and techonlogical motifs quite nicely. They did a fantastic job bringing in the Unreal Engine 5 to improve on the overall aesthetic compared to its predecessor. You will also enjoy a ton of the combat sequences without so much as drastically affecting the background.

However, I would like to see more greenery, or at the very least different locations within Arcadia to fully appreciate the graphical work done.

So many features, and more to come?

Admittedly, The Outer Worlds 2 presents itself with the delicate balance of having a lot of features, old and new, intertwined with a faimiliar feel to the frontier you play in. While gameplay options were highly limited, it didn’t stray away too much from its predecessor. Also, customization right out of the box looks a lot more robust, while already making you be a lot more choiceful.

It’s still too early to tell, but there’s still a lot to be excited about the game in the coming weeks. Hopefully the full length version of it will continue the exhilerating action while touching on some hard-hitting social commentary like its predecessor.

The Outer Worlds 2 will be available on October 29, 2025 for the Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Steam.

Gaming

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice: A familiar Final War, made playable

Reliving the Final War

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My Hero Academia: All's Justice

There’s a certain expectation that comes with a My Hero Academia game, especially one billed as the “final chapter.” You expect big emotions, loud battles, and characters pushed to their limits. After spending time with My Hero Academia: All’s Justice, it’s clear Bandai Namco isn’t trying to reinvent the arena fighter formula. Instead, it’s refining what fans already know and framing it around the series’ most climactic arc.

Early on, the game feels immediately familiar. If you’ve played previous My Hero Academia console titles, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into. Combat rhythms, camera angles, and overall pacing don’t drastically change. For casual fighting game players like myself, the differences feel more granular than transformative, but that familiarity makes the game easy to settle into.

My Hero Academia: All's Justice

One notable addition is the dual control scheme: “Normal” and “Manual.” Normal mode smooths out inputs, lowering the skill floor, while Manual mode is the classic arena fighter setup. Normal works but reduces player agency in ways that feel unusual. Outside of combat, the game also replaces a standard menu with a city-like hub. Playing as Deku, you pull up a smartphone-style menu to access modes, subtly increasing immersion.

Combat and battle system

Combat feels largely unchanged in speed but leans more aerial than expected. Characters spend a lot of time in the air, creating distance and forcing you to think about positioning. Aggressive players may struggle, as patience and smart movement are rewarded more than constant pressure.

Quirks are intuitive, even for newcomers to 3D arena fighters. Visual indicators clearly communicate cooldowns and power states. Some Quirks are tuned for balance, but they still feel faithful to the anime. Ultimate and cinematic moves are satisfying and feel earned, never spammy.

Character variety is a standout. Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto share similar combat prompts, but their Quirks dictate unique movement, attack patterns, and space control. Deku, in particular, feels beginner-friendly, making him a natural starting point.

Roster and character balance

The roster feels large without overwhelming the player. Final-form characters aren’t instantly dominant; the true power spike comes when a character enters a “Rising” state after being the last fighter, gaining buffs across damage and abilities. Villains are just as enjoyable as heroes, with Dabi proving particularly fun to play. Story mode also presents moments of genuine challenge, such as facing multiple opponents at once.

While it’s early to speak on balance issues, the game seems thoughtfully tuned so far. Beginner-friendly characters include Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto, while other fighters may require more experience to master.

Team Up Missions

My Hero Academia: All's Justice

Team Up Missions offer shorter, varied challenges that feel like playable mini OVAs. While not essential to the main story, they unlock legacy battles and extra content for fans.

AI allies are competent and punish reckless play, which makes team composition matter more than cosmetic choices. While these missions don’t dramatically expand the fantasy of teamwork, they add fun replayable content for single-player fans.

Story and cinematic presentation

My Hero Academia: All's Justice

Story mode is where All’s Justice shines. Experiencing the Final War interactively delivers the same giddy excitement as watching those moments unfold in the anime. It evokes memories of the Naruto Ninja Storm series, balancing spectacle and fan service. Transitions between gameplay and cutscenes are serviceable—neither jarring nor groundbreaking. 

The game assumes familiarity with the story, so newcomers may feel lost without prior anime knowledge. Battles often carry emotional weight, effectively allowing players to relive key moments of the Final War.

Visuals, performance, and audio

My Hero Academia: All's Justice

The game runs smoothly on PS5, even during effects-heavy fights. Character models are adequate, though not as sharp as hoped, while facial animations during story moments are expressive and well-done. The UI does enough to keep combat readable without distracting from the action.

Audio stands out. Voice acting delivers intensity, hit sounds feel impactful, and music consistently elevates big moments. The game is loud, but in a way that matches the over-the-top energy of the series.

Should you play My Hero Academia: All’s Justice

My Hero Academia: All's Justice

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice feels like a proper final chapter. It doesn’t overreach but delivers where it matters most. Competitive players will find depth, while anime fans can relive beloved battles interactively.

 It may not redefine the genre, but it understands exactly what kind of game it wants to be—and it delivers that confidently. 

The combination of familiar combat, a large and varied roster, cinematic story moments, and thoughtful extras like Team Up Missions makes it a satisfying experience for anyone looking to step into the shoes of their favorite heroes and villains.

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Gaming

AMD teases next-gen Xbox coming in 2027

It might double as a usable PC, too.

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It’s been a while since GPU companies focused on making chips for consoles. With how the industry is going now, chips feel like they’re destined to end up in the suffocating deluge of AI servers. Now, however, AMD is showing signs of healing by teasing the next-generation Xbox.

In the latest earnings call (via Engadget), AMD CEO Lisa Su teased that the next-gen Xbox, built with a custom AMD SoC, is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.”

The subtle tease is vague enough to obscure any details about the upcoming console but clear enough to confirm that it’s coming. Since the Xbox Series X|S has been out for several years now, it’s not surprising that Microsoft is thinking about what’s coming next.

However, it’s still intriguing that Microsoft is going for another console. Previous reports have speculated that the company might focus on delivering games, especially through the Game Pass. Lately, both the PlayStation and the Switch have thoroughly dominated the console market ahead of the Xbox. Handheld consoles are likewise impressive, too.

Other reports have speculated that the upcoming generation will focus on delivering both a gaming and a PC experience. With the Steam Machine coming soon, it seems natural that the next consoles will be usable PCs as well.

SEE ALSO: Match Pulse: ROG Xbox Ally X

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Overwatch reinvents itself with a new story and five new heroes

And it’s not “Overwatch 2” anymore.

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Overwatch 2 was not a disaster for the popular multiplayer shooter franchise. It did, however, make the game more polarizing. For 2026, Blizzard is shaking things up once again, starting by dropping the “2” from Overwatch 2.

During its scheduled showcase, the new-and-improved Overwatch will feature annual storylines that will keep the game fresh for years to come. The system will go live on February 10. By then, the year-long event called Reign of Talon will start with Season 1.

As the name suggests, this year will be all about the villain-coded Talon organization, and it’s going to be more story-driven. Right off the bat, a new cinematic sees Vendetta seemingly kill Doomfist and take over the leadership of Talon.

Blizzard says that the year will see ten new characters introduced to the roster. In fact, five of those will already be playable starting in Season 1.

Without a doubt, the highlight character for this round is the formerly cancelled Jetpack Cat. The character was first rumored all the way back in 2017 but will now be fully playable this season. The flying feline hero is a support character that can hook another hero to a location while healing them. Their ultimate reverses this by having them crash land onto enemies and then hooking one to, ideally, drop them off the map.

Jetpack Cat will join four other heroes. Anran, who is also affiliated with the Overwatch faction, deals fire damage. Domina, who, along with the next three heroes, works with Talon, is a shield-based tank. Emre imagines an evil version of Soldier: 76. Finally, Mizuki is a Talon-affiliated healer.

Besides a new story and heroes, Overwatch will feature new game modes and improvements across the board. The new Season 1 starts on February 10.

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