Gaming

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered has a release date!

So soon yet, not soon enough!

Published

August 20, 2019

Leez

After our heartstrings were played with by the Final Fantasy VIII Remastered teaser, fans have swarmed with tons of memes predicting and wondering how specific scenes would appear with stunning new visuals. Well, our memes and dreams are about to either come true or get shut down because Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is getting released on September 3, 2019!

Final Fantasy VIII and why fans love it

Final Fantasy VIII was a game that plotted itself in a fantasy world while digging into an emotional story-line of war and love. The game focuses on a group of young mercenaries led by Squall Leonhart. They’re adventure begins with a striking conflict: Ultimecia. Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future who possesses Edea and wants to compress time. In this quest, Squall encounters friends who inevitably join his quest to keep the world in its balance.

Final Fantasy VIII was the first of its series to reinvent the active time battle wheel without ignoring its roots. The game allowed more customization which ultimately allowed players to work around weaponry, armor, and summons that drastically affected characters’ combat style. These seemingly small tweaks in gameplay gave players breathing room to pick how they wanted to play the game making it all the more immersive.

While its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII, had 3-dimensional models, it didn’t significantly refine designs as much as Final Fantasy VIII. Every element in the game expressed more detail with as much accessible technology as Square could get their hands on. From the planet that showed a level of meticulous detail we hadn’t seen in the series before, to the hilarious “you’re the best looking guy here” memes, Final Fantasy VIII was weirdly ahead with visuals at the time.

**What’s new with Final Fantasy VIII Remastered?**

First, and obviously, enhanced visuals. The announcement trailer that was revealed in E3 this year made it loud and clear that each element of the game — characters, enemies, objects, and summons — were all refined and enhanced.

Second, battle assists. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered allows you to activate a booster to max out health points (HP) and active time battle (ATB) bars that trigger limit breaks at any point players need. Regardless, you will lose HP when you get hit with a critical attack that renders more damage than your HP, or by lethal damage.

Third, turning off encounters. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered has setting you can use to allow you to turn off random encounters. This is incredibly useful when you’re out of potions, phoenix downs, and need to run to the nearest shop. This doesn’t apply for event battles that need to be done to further the game’s plot.

Fourth, battle speed boosts. The game lets you accelerate time by a factor of three. If you want to breeze through easy battles or rush through level grinding, this feature is useful. This feature isn’t applicable for certain scenes and movies.

Entertainment

Box office: Brand New Day set to surpass US$ 2 billion, drives Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 resurgence

Sony Pictures’ fourth Tom Holland feature film sets records

Published

August 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

The box office performance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been nothing short of spectacular.

Sony Pictures’ fourth feature film featuring Tom Holland as the titular protagonist broke the domestic opening day record.

This feat narrowly beat the previous record set by another Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film in Avengers Endgame.

That strong opening continued in the next few weeks as Brand New Day became became the fastest to reach the US$ 500 million mark, breaching the milestone in just seven days, per LA Times.

The movie is already the highest grossing film of 2026, beating Toy Story 5.

Which such massive success so far, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is on pace to beat Avengers: Infinity War for worldwide total gross.

With over US$ 1.7 billion grossed in just two weeks, the film is projected to surpass any point between the US$ 2.1 billion to US$ 2.3 billion mark.

It will become only the eighth ever film to surpass that mark once it reaches at least US$ 2 billion.

The others are: Avatar (2009), Endgame (2019), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Ne Zha (2025), Titanic (1997), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and Infinity War (2018).

However, Endgame still holds an advantage, thanks to its international launch in major markets. The epic conclusion to the MCU’s Infinity Saga grossed US$ 2.79 billion during its 2019 run. And you will have to adjust that value slightly due to inflation.

In the Philippines, a strong market, Brand New Day has just eclipsed the PhP 1 billion mark, which is roughly about US$ 17.2 billion.

For comparison, it will definitely surpass Infinity War at some point, while Endgame grossed PhP 1.8 billion total or about US$ 34.56 billion at the time.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 experiences resurgence

Moreover, the film’s success also triggered a transmedia halo effect with Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also experiencing a resurgence in sales and player engagement.

Per IGN citing Alinea Analytics, since the film’s release, the game sold over 300,000 more copies across PlayStation 5 and Steam within a two-week span.

This is the equivalent to over US$ 11 million in revenue for Sony and Insomniac Games.

Plus, for the first time since the title’s launch in 2023, it experienced more than one million daily active users.

A combination of movie hype plus some timely discounts contributed to the game’s resurgence, also proving that the Spider-Man franchise has always been one of the biggest and most relevant IPs of all time.

Gaming

Ghost of Yotei gets a story expansion in October

The Complete Edition comes with the expansion and a roguelike mode.

Published

August 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Ghost of Yotei is a classic RPG experience set in the same universe as its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. In my opinion, Atsu’s journey of revenge feels a lot more fun than Jin’s battle to save his homeland. If you’re in the same boat, Ghost of Yotei is coming back on October 1 with brand-new content.

Without delving too much into spoiler territory, Ghost of Yotei has a conclusive ending. Rather than shoehorning a forced epilogue, Echoes of Sekigahara, the title of the upcoming story expansion, explores Atsu’s past.

As with Tsushima’s expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara features a new map with new enemies, weapons, and collectibles. It will be set in two different time periods.

Besides the story expansion, the upcoming update also has a new mode called Most Wanted, which Sucker Punch Production describes as their “spin on a roguelike.” The mode explores Atsu’s experience as a headhunter, feeding her with bounties and earnable perks.

The two new content expansions will come with in the upcoming Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition. The new edition, coming on October 1, will also come with the co-op Legends mode. It also has a few perks and customization options. The edition will sell for US$ 70.

If you already have the base edition, you can grab an upgrade for only US$ 15. If you don’t want to pay for the upgrade, the game is still getting a few minor tweaks.

Gaming

Marvel Wolverine Limited Edition PS5 bundle SEA pricing

Available in Battle Yellow and Adamantium Limited Editions

Published

August 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

The first look for the Marvel Wolverine Limited Edition PlayStation 5 Console bundle and accessories have just released.

The console inspired by the raw power of Wolverine and Insomniac’s Battle Reborn suit (Battle Yellow) and claws (Adamantium).

Along with its preview, here are the suggested retail price (SRP) details for markets in Southeast Asia:

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition Bundle

SG$ 849
MYR 2,799
IDR 11,399,000
THB 20,990

DualSense Wireless Controller – Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition and Adamantium Limited Edition

SG$ 115
MYR 419
IDR 1,549,000
THB 2,890
PhP 5,411
VND 2,399,000

PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro Console Covers – Battle Yellow Limited Edition and Adamantium Limited Edition

SG$ 101
MYR 369
IDR 1,359,000
THB 2,590
PhP 4,767 (Battle Yellow only)
VND 2,099,000 (Battle Yellow only)

The bundle and accessories will be available beginning September 15 in limited quantities. Pre-order will start from August 19 in local retailers, save for the PS5 and PS5 Pro console covers.

In Singapore, DualSense Wireless Controller – Marvel’s Wolverine Adamantium Limited Edition will be available exclusively through select retailer channels in limited quantity.

Marvel’s Wolverine releases on September 15 for PlayStation 5 consoles.