Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji is just more of the same

A new island, a new faction, and a new weapon

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows brought new life into the aging franchise by revitalizing actual assassinations, instead of bombarding players with continuous RPG progression. Of course, it’s not without its faults. Today, the Japan-themed title is getting one more shot to correct some of its errant ways through its new DLC, Claws of Awaji.

Previously on…

Claws of Awaji continues where the main game left off. After defeating the shinbakufu threat on the main island, Naoe receives a new lead that might lead to her long-lost mother, the assassin Fujibayashi Tsuyu. The lead takes her to the smaller island of Awaji, a territory controlled by the shadowy Sanzoku Ippa.

At least some questions were answered

On paper, Claws of Awaji feels like a more personal story for Naoe. After all, it’s a quest to find her missing mother. Very quickly, the DLC establishes that Tsuyu was imprisoned by Kimura Yukari, the leader of the Sanzoku Ippa. Naoe and Yasuke rescue her after only a few missions into the DL, thereby reestablishing her as the leader of the Assassins in Awaji.

However, the supposedly heartfelt reunion ends up in… well, not much, really. For most of the DLC, Tsuyu is too injured to be of much help, despite her status as a legendary assassin. She doesn’t have an intense conversation with Naoe about her upbringing, even as they butt heads on how to liberate Awaji. She doesn’t have a properly epic scene to show off her prowess as a legend. Despite her legacy, Tsuyu feels more of a boss to report to, rather than someone to deeply care about.

But I guess it’s nice to have that loose end tied.

Awaji is more ferocious

Part of the DLC’s premise is to make Naoe and Yasuke feel more like the hunted, rather than the hunters, in a more hostile Awaji. Because the Ippa relies on clandestine operations, the island’s threats now include shinobis masquerading as innocent NPCs and literal death traps on the road.

At first, the environmental threat felt refreshing. Awaji looked more dynamic. However, after the tenth time of getting ambushed by just walking through a town, it got repetitive and annoying. Most of the time afterwards, I just ran through town and blatantly telegraphed ambushes to skip the interactions.

A more threatening faction

Despite how annoying the hazards got, the Ippa does feel more threatening than the shinbakufu. That’s because each member is an actual threat, rather than hapless politicians roped into a scandal. Two of its four members are villains who rely on deception and subterfuge. Another is a brutish warlord.

It also helps that each of these three got a unique boss fight. One of them can even fit in a Metal Gear Solid game, rather than an Assassin’s Creed. For all my issues with the DLC, these boss fights were a highlight.

However, the game still repeats a flaw that was prevalent in the main game. Despite being a threatening faction, the four members of the Ippa are in the same scene only once in the entire game. Once again, you tackle each member separately, but none of them comments when you take down a member. Rather than an overall narrative, Claws of Awaji feels like a collection of short stories, albeit ones with cleverly built fights each time.

Introducing the bo

The next biggest introduction for the DLC is a heavy staff called the bo. It’s a new weapon that Naoe can wield to club enemies to death.

Thankfully, the bo isn’t exclusive to Claws of Awaji. Even if you don’t own the DLC, you can get access to the weapon via a mission in the main game.

Gameplay-wise, the bo is different from others because of how it uses stances to respond to enemy attacks. I’d say that the new weapon is interesting enough to warrant a try. However, the DLC is too short to allow the bo to properly marinate. In the end, I still chose the katana as my main.

Short and sweet

Claws of Awaji is mercifully short and sweet. Ubisoft estimates that the DLC will take ten hours on average to complete. Personally, I finished the story and explored the island in less time.

As someone who’s done with Shadows, Claws of Awaji is written in just the right length to hearken back to a good game. It’s not a drastic reinvention, like Ubisoft’s wackier DLCs, but it will give you more of the same. And that’s fine. If you loved Shadows, the DLC extends that experience just a little bit more.

On its own, however, one has to wonder whether Ubisoft planned more for Awaji. If the DLC turned into a full sequel, maybe we would have gotten a more emotional story for Naoe and her mom, a larger island to let the Ippa reign free, and a more fleshed out system for the bo.

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Gaming

Esports Nations Cup 2026 secures US$ 45M funding

ENC to elevate global esports with structured national ecosystem

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January 30, 2026

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The inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 has just secured a US$ 45 million funding commitment, the Esports World Cup Foundation has announced.

This three-part funding commitment is structured to support the esports ecosystem through player and coach prizing, club release incentives, and national team development.

The first ever ENC will include a US$ 20 million in total prize money, paid directly to players and coaches across 16 titles.

The ENC introduces a placement-based prize framework, applied across all game titles. It is designed to be clear and player-centric.

Every qualified participant earns prize money and is guaranteed a minimum of three matches. Equal placement earns equal pay, meaning the same finishing position plays the same amount per player across all titles.

For a quick overview, the first-place finisher earns US$ 50,000 per player, whether competing in a solo or team title. Second-placers get US$ 30,000 per player, and third-placers get US$ 15,000 per player.

For team titles, payouts scale with roster size, so the result is consistent and transparent for everyone competing.

Meanwhile, the EWCF will provide US$ 5 million in club incentives for esports clubs that release and enable their professional players to participate in ENC.

In addition, there will also be another US$ 20 million for the ENC Development Fund. This supports official national team partners with logistics, travel, program operations, marketing, and the long-term growth of national team pathways.

The ENC 2026 is set to debut from November 2 to 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will move to a rotating host-city model, bringing nation-based esports to major cities around the world.

The event is to be held every two years. Among confirmed titles for 2026 include Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Trackmania, and DOTA 2.

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Gaming

CODE VEIN II now available for consoles, PC

Launch trailer previews characters, combat gameplay, more

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January 30, 2026

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Bandai Namco’s CODE VEIN II is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

A new launch trailer has also been revealed, previewing the Soulslike action RPG’s characters, combat gameplay, and more.

Players can experiment with the character creator demo and create their own ideal character for the game.

The demo showcases how in-depth and detailed players can get when creating their own character. It allows for them to experience Photo Mode in the base of MagMell to take pictures of their looks.

Additionally, players who try the demo are allowed to carry their created looks over into the game.

CODE VEIN II is set in the dystopian near future, focusing on the stories of Revenants who must fight against their terrible fate.

In this reality, civilization has collapsed due to an event called the Resurgence.  Humanity has only managed to survive, thanks to immortal vampire-like creatures called Revenants.

However, the sudden appearance of Luna Rapacis has turned these Revenants into mindless cannibals.

As a Revenant Hunter, the protagonist is tasked to save the world. Joining him in a journey 100 years into the past is a young girl.

In the process, they will witness the history-changing drama as they try to save the world from ruin.

The game is a combination of exploration action, wherein players can venture through dangerous areas and tackle powerful foes.

Combat against enemies are mainly hack-and-slash, while the protagonist can also explore the world like in the case of riding a motorbike.

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Xiaomi SU7 Ultra makes Gran Turismo 7 debut

Xiaomi’s premium, high-performing electric sedan joins the GT7 roster

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January 29, 2026

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Xiaomi’s high-performing electric sedan, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, is now on the acclaimed racing simulation, Gran Turismo 7.

The premium EV debuted as part of the “Update 1.67” patch, marking Xiaomi’s first entry into the storied Gran Turismo franchise.

Players worldwide can now experience the prowess of the high-performance luxury car on the game’s virtual tracks.

The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra represents a new addition to the series’ curated lineup, following an official collaboration announcement last June 2025.

As a benchmark in racing simulations, the Gran Turismo series is recognized for its hyper-realistic driving experience and stringent vehicle selection criteria.

The EV was test-driven on multiple occasions in several locations, including Beijing, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and the Tsukuba Circuit.

To ensure an authentic experience, Xiaomi EV’s vehicle dynamics performance team traveled to Polyphony Digital’s studio for the final driving experience validation.

In reality, the SU7 Ultra is powered by an in-house developed Dual V8s + V6s Xiaomi Hyper TRi-Motor system.

It delivers 1,548 horsepower and achieves 0-100km/h in 1.98 seconds. The production version previously set a lap time of 7:04.957 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

To celebrate the launch, Gran Turismo 7’s developer will host a two-week official lap-time challenge on the title’s historic Monza circuit.

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