Gaming

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

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

Published

September 18, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

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.

Related Topics:Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji

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.