Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Mirage review

Back to basics

Published

October 4, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

The last Assassin’s Creed trilogy, spanning Origins to Valhalla, tried something different with the 15-year franchise. Ubisoft leaned more heavily into the open-world RPG format. Though the transition was generally well received at the time, the franchise, especially with Valhalla, eventually devolved into an endless grocery list of tedious objectives scattered on a vast map. Assassin’s Creed Mirage aims to right the ship by bringing the series back to its stealthy roots.

Breaking it down in Baghdad

In contrast to the last two games, Assassin’s Creed Mirage spins a tale centered around an already established character, rather than a blank slate like Valhalla’s Eivor. It follows Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character introduced in Valhalla. Taking place before the events of the previous game, Mirage has the assassin root out the Order in 9^th-century Baghdad, a setting familiar to those who played the original title in 2007.

Make no mistake, though. Assassin’s Creed Mirage isn’t a complete return to the original game all those years ago. It retains the RPG gameplay of the previous trilogy, albeit remarkably pared down. Players are no longer bombarded with an endless list of side missions and collectibles. While there are still plenty of things to do in Baghdad, it’s much less of a slog. And, despite how much fewer the objectives are, there’s a lot of variety between missions to go around.

Additionally, leveling up is much simpler. There are only three skill trees with just a handful of unlockable skills per tree. While each skill unlocks a gameplay improvement, none of them feel like too overpowering. It does remove the satisfying feeling of growth that comes with most RPGs today. At the same time, it eliminates the need to grind for hours just to level up. Mastering mechanics feels much more rewarding than just relying on unlocked skills.

Likewise, gaining and upgrading new equipment isn’t a constant dice roll for good loot drops. Each area comes with a set of gear chests containing most of the obtainable equipment in the game and their upgrade schematics. Like the pared down leveling system, the simplified gear system eliminates grinding. There’s more focus on actually playing the game.

Less hand-holding with your parkour

A simplified system is all well and good. However, how does it feel to control Basim through Baghdad? Still smooth, actually.

Years ago, Ubisoft popularized a system of traversal that held the player’s hand too much. Characters, especially in the Assassin’s Creed series, could practically climb up any wall. Even smooth walls had some sort of handhold for a ridiculously agile assassin. If a wall somehow had no grips, trust that the game would tell you where to go with neon paint.

Mirage pares down how much it tells players what to do by reducing the number of paths you can take up a wall and by almost completely removing easily distinguishable tells of where to go. Players have to put more thought into how they want to scale a building. At the same time, there’s still a sense of fluidity as to how Basim moves.

All of this contributes to how much better the level design is, which is another thing that Mirage does better than its predecessors.

Stealth is key

During the last trilogy, each enemy base could be easily tackled by going in with swords out or sniping everyone from afar. There were some challenges, but none warranted a replay. Mirage reintroduces a challenge by focusing more on level design.

No level is the same. There are multiple ways to get into restricted areas. Some require you to find keys. It feels more fun to wait for the perfect opportunity to slip away undetected, rather than just brute forcing my way through guards.

Of course, fighting through guards remains a viable option. However, it isn’t as easy as previous games made it to be. Stealth is more rewarding. Enemies hit harder and have more health. Meanwhile, an assassination or a well-thrown knife is usually an instant knockout. Mirage just encourages more strategic planning.

Bigger isn’t always better

Besides the thoughtfulness of the individual levels, the size of Baghdad is so much smaller. Ubisoft compares it to the size of Unity and Revelations. It’s a sizable gap between the size of older games.

For too long, games have obsessed over creating the largest map possible, overfilling an experience that usually takes sixty hours just to complete. As someone who doesn’t have much time to play games anymore, having a tighter game is much appreciated, especially this month when a platoon of highly anticipated games is coming out.

Aside from being more economical with time, Mirage saves itself from the trap of packing in meaningless bloat just to fill the game with things to do.

Will Mirage restore your faith in the Creed?

As an old Assassin’s Creed fan who gave up on Valhalla, Mirage wants to bring players back to the franchise by hearkening back to its roots and taking the better lessons from the RPG trilogy. If you, like me, are hesitant to give the series another go, Mirage makes a compelling case for a comeback. By no means is it the best game this year, but it’s a massive step in the right direction for the aging franchise struggling to find its wings again.

Gaming

Call of Duty, Aston Martin unveil Dreadnought for Modern Warfare 4

A mobile fortress available to locate in key areas

Published

July 20, 2026

GadgetMatch

Call of Duty and Aston Martin revealed the Aston Martin Dreadnought, a bespoke, in-game SUV concept specially created for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

Developed by Aston Martin’s design team in collaboration with the game’s developers and publishers, the Dreadnought pairs supercar-level performance and a full-blooded V12 engine with a military-grade armored exterior.

This configuration makes it the most aggressive all-wheel drive vehicle in the title.

Built as a mobile fortress rather than a joyride, it is designed to push objectives, save teammates under fire, and drive straight through contested ground while its armor plating absorbs heavy incoming damage.

Ground in the physics of the Modern Warfare universe, the unapologetic, uncompromising tactical SUV delivers a stunning exploration of extreme visual language. At the same time, it brings an engaging and dynamic player experience.

Its striking form has been imaged for elite tactical performance, with optimized aerodynamics and fully integrated digital command interfaces.

The exquisite design details emphasize the Dreadnought’s high luxury heritage. There’s the herringbone weave of the exterior carbon fiber, as well as the Oxford Tan leather dashboard, door panel details, and metallic gold gear lever.

Players will be able to locate the Dreadnought in key points of interest within both DMZ and Call of Duty: Warzone modes.

Fans got to see a full-size physical interpretation of the Dreadnought at Fanatics Fest NYC, ahead of its in-game debut on 23 October.

In other news, Call of Duty movie director and co-writer Peter Berg revealed that the film will be set in the Modern Warfare universe.

Gaming

Street Fighter 6’s first Filipina fighter arrives August 3

Yasmine arrives in August.

Published

July 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

Capcom is celebrating the arrival of Yasmine, the first-ever Filipina character in the Street Fighter series, with an official community event in the Philippines this August.

The Official Street Fighter 6 ‘Yasmine’ Community Event takes place on August 9, 2026 at Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant in Palanan, Makati. Doors open at 2:00 PM, with tournament matches, community activities, giveaways, and free play sessions scheduled throughout the day.

Meet Yasmine, Street Fighter 6’s first Filipina fighter

Yasmine joins Street Fighter 6 as the first playable character in the game’s Year 4 roster.

According to Capcom, she learned to fight alongside her older brother under the guidance of her grandfather. After her brother’s disappearance, she returns to combat using high-speed Eskrima techniques while wielding a Karambit knife.

She is joined in the Year 4 lineup by Arjun, Tifa from the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, and Bosch. Her release also coincides with balance updates for the entire Street Fighter 6 roster.

Yasmine becomes available on August 3, 2026 for players who own the Year 4 Character Pass or Year 4 Ultimate Pass.

Community tournament and exclusive merchandise

The Makati event will feature a double-elimination tournament, beginning with Best-of-3 matches before switching to Best-of-5 during the Top 8 Finals.

The schedule includes:

2:00 PM: Doors Open, Player Check-in, Controller Button Checks, and Free Play Warmups
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Welcome Speech & Official Street Fighter 6 Yasmine Gameplay Showcase
3:15 PM – 5:00 PM: Tournament Pools
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM: Top 8 Finals (Main Stage Broadcast) & Prize Presentation Ceremony for Champion, 2nd and 3rd Placements.
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Premium Community Giveaways, Group Photo Ops, and Closing Remarks
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Free Play and Community Networking

Attendees can also receive exclusive event merchandise while supplies last, including a Yasmine-themed T-shirt, lanyard, keychains, and themed food and refreshments.

Capcom says admission is subject to venue capacity and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Watch the event online

Fans who cannot attend in person can watch the tournament live through the Capcom Asia Official YouTube Channeland the Enduins Games Official YouTube Channel.

Capcom also teased additional announcements, including appearances from cosplay personalities, fighting game veterans, and content creators, which will be revealed closer to the event.

Street Fighter 6 Yasmine community event details

Date: August 9, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant, Palanan, Makati City
Tournament: Double-elimination (FT2, Top 8 FT3)
Livestream: Capcom Asia Official YouTube Channel and Enduins Games Official YouTube Channel

Gaming

Most of the world’s PlayStations will be officially useless by 2028

PlayStation’s disastrous no-disc policy is now a lot worse than you thought.

Published

July 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Last week, we lamented the loss of the PlayStation disc. As we described, the loss isn’t just a major blow to nostalgia for aging gamers, but it also puts a huge question mark on game ownership. Well, there’s another wrinkle that the world is slowly realizing. By deleting physical discs, PlayStation has effectively blockaded their entire service from countries without an official online store.

If you haven’t heard, PlayStation is ceasing the production of physical discs for new games starting 2028. The console will become an all-digital platform. Now, we can blather on and on about how this sucks for ownership, but all gamers will still have access to games online at the very least. Right?

Wrong.

Not every country has an official PlayStation Store or the ability to create a PSN account. In fact, a staggering amount don’t; 121 countries (or 62 percent of the entire world) don’t have official access to the online storefront.

If you live in any of these countries, you’re likely familiar with some unofficial solutions: that is, setting your country elsewhere where the store exists. But, because it’s an unofficial solution, doing this is technically against PlayStation’s policies and can result in bans.

That being said, as noted by users on Reddit, this means that, on a very technical and legal level, these 121 countries will no longer be able to buy physical or digital games starting 2028. Because of a clarified policy, you can still play older games, but if you want to play the latest Call of Duty or NBA 2K, you are out of luck.

There’s no official list of affected countries, other than those collated by others manually. But if you’ve never been able to set your own country on the PlayStation Network, you’re a part of it.