Features
I played Jose Rizal in Civilization VII, and he’s just a perfect leader
He’s suitable for all playstyles
As I said in my preview for Civilization VII, the first game I’ve ever played was Civilization III. Back then, you could create your own Civ with its own custom name and traits. As a Filipino, it was a no-brainer to create one modeled after the Philippines, led by then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. I had Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, and Davao as custom cities. It was a fun game of make-believe, but it’s nothing compared to the official Civs who got their own custom art, units, and abilities.
More than two decades later, Civilization VII is introducing Jose Rizal as the first playable Filipino leader in the entire series. Now, I don’t usually fall for #PinoyPride things, but it would be remiss of me to skip out on playing Rizal the first chance I got.
What’s different in Civilization VII?
Unlike the past games, leaders are divorced from their respective nations. For the first time ever in a Civilization game, you pick both a leader and the nation they represent. Both come with their own abilities. Besides creating interesting gameplay synergies, mixing and matching leaders and Civs can create weird and wacky historical combinations, such as Confucius leading the American people in the Modern Age.
Unfortunately, the game currently does not have the Philippines as a playable Civ. Rizal can lead only the unlikeliest of nations to victory. And yes, this includes the Spanish, the Americans, and the Japanese.
Winning the game is also different. Though there are still a handful of victory options, achieving one isn’t as straightforward. That’s because the game is divided into three distinct ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modernity. Each age has a Legacy Path for each victory condition. Think of it like a checklist for winning in a certain way.
In this game, there are four victory options: Culture, Military, Science, and Economic. Fulfilling the Legacy Path for these options don’t automatically grant victory in the first two ages. Rather, they grant powerful boons for the next age, once completed. Only their completion during the Modern Age counts as a complete victory.
Regardless, completing these Paths throughout all three ages is ideal. Naturally, this means that the historical pacifist Jose Rizal finds himself putting on several hats which historians never imagined him donning. But this is a Civilization game, where Gandhi dropping nukes on other Civs is a normal everyday occurrence.
What can Jose Rizal do in Civilization VII?
Every leader in Civilization VII has a unique ability that can give them a slight edge over the competition. Rizal’s ability focuses on Narrative Events, or randomly generated events that give the player rewards or quests. Each event gives Rizal additional culture and gold, two valuable resources.
Additionally, he experiences 50 percent longer Celebrations and at a much more frequent pace. (Whenever a Civ keeps its people happy, they go into a period of Celebration, which gives bonuses for a set number of turns. Usually, these are percentage boosts to science, culture, or production.)
Because of lengthier Celebrations, Rizal can pair well with any Civ and any victory condition. If Rizal players can keep their Civs happy, they can enjoy increased outputs more frequently.
In my opinion, Jose Rizal is the most versatile leader in Civilization VII. It’s also just entertaining to turn the hero into a colonialist warlord or an exploitative capitalist.
Rizal, a paragon of culture
Given the very slight edge that he gives to cultural playstyles, focusing on a cultural victory seems like the most natural choice for Rizal. While a cultural victory is not new to the series, it did get a massive overhaul.
Instead of the arcane Tourism system introduced in Civilization VI, achieving cultural greatness in the seventh outing is all about accumulation. It’s no longer about being the most popular Civ; rather, it’s about having the most artifacts and wonders. This Legacy Path also eliminated religious victories by turning religion into the primary way to obtain Relics, the keys to progressing the path during the Exploration Age.
I am admittedly disappointed at the system’s removal of complexity. In the past, I had to learn and master a completely different system. It was satisfying to figure out how to entice everyone’s tourists to prefer my Civ over others. Now, in Civilization VII, it’s just about racing to build the most wonders, or rushing missionaries and explorers to reach foreign settlements and archeological digs before the AI does.
Rizal, the good doctor
Because the national hero was also a physician, a science victory is the next best thing, historically speaking. Much like other Civilization games in the past, you can obtain a science victory by becoming the most scientifically advanced Civ and launching a space-themed project. This is my favorite victory condition in the entire series. Researching technologies the fastest also meant having the stronger units compared to less advanced Civ.
In Civilization VII, the science-focused Legacy Path is less straightforward. In the first age, it’s all about accumulating the most Codices, items created primarily by researching certain technologies. It feels a bit too similar to the accumulation mechanics of a cultural path.
On the other hand, the Exploration Age is focused on city management. You need to build up five districts to produce at least 40 yields. In my opinion, this is a rewarding way to teach players how to maximize their cities. It also gives an alternative option to becoming a colonialist during the Exploration Age. It’s a bit inconsistent with what a science path should look like, but I am enjoying what we got.
Space comes into play only in the Modern Age. This is when it becomes a race to launch the first manned spaceflight. Veterans of the series should enjoy the final step of this Legacy Path.
Rizal, the capitalist
Now, it’s time to get into alternative history. I don’t think any historian can imagine Rizal as a capitalist. Historical facts don’t really matter in Civilization, though. Turning the national hero into a exploitative capitalist is just par for the course.
An economic victory is entirely new for the series but not unwanted. Even before the announcement of this game, players clamored for a way to win by becoming the richest nation in the world.
Contrary to the name, achieving an economic victory means more than just hoarding the most gold. Instead, it’s all about managing the most resources. Second only to a military victory, the economic legacy path is the most consistent victory condition throughout the ages.
In the Antiquity Age, it’s about grabbing and using 25 resources throughout your entire empire. In the Exploration Age, you create Treasure Fleets, periodically spawning ships created by settling near prized resources in other continents. Finally, in the Modernity Age, you accumulate Railroad points, obtained by manufacturing resources in factories and connecting settlements with railroads.
The economic path is a worthy addition to the series. It’s the perfect playstyle for expansionists because victory can be accomplished with or without a powerful military. If you prefer building up your empire peacefully, creating early settlers and settling in unclaimed lands is viable. Alternatively, taking competing settlements by force is another option.
Rizal, the colonialist war freak
It’s time to address the elephant in the room. Can you turn Rizal into a warlord? Absolutely.
One of the most enduring victory conditions throughout the series, a military victory naturally involves building the biggest army and capturing other nations with it. However, while you can always just completely eliminate other nations from the game, it’s not the only way anymore.
To achieve a military victory, you need to accumulate enough settlement points, obtained by owning enough cities and towns. Captured settlements from other nations count as two points. This increases even further for captured cities following the same religion or a different ideology.
Combat has been revamped, too. Instead of just throwing bodies at the problem, Civilization VII makes army commanders necessary. While you can still just stockpile enough units, trainable commanders enable strategy. That’s because only commanders can earn experience by being beside units that engage in combat. In turn, these commanders provide meaningful combat bonuses.
Capturing cities is also different. Instead of a single-tile capture point, cities can wall off more than one tile. Doing so necessitates invading armies to capture all walled tiles. Invading cities is a much more involved effort, and I love it.
Plus, there’s a weirdly satisfying schadenfreude at turning Jose Rizal into a colonialist war freak intent on seeking vengeance against historical colonial powers.
*
While other leaders add abilities that sway your playstyles towards specific victory conditions, Jose Rizal is a true all-rounder that can fulfill any legacy path using his sparse kit. Lacking a significant focus, Rizal is the perfect leader to learn the ropes of Civilization VII.
If you’re starting off on Civilization VII as either a newcomer or a veteran, Rizal is a great option.
SEE ALSO: Civilization VII review: Reinventing the wheel to make it better
@gadgetmatch A phone that does more… so you can focus more on the moments that matter. The Galaxy S26 Ultra lets Galaxy AI handle the small stuff so you can stay present for the moments that matter. Also great for the occasional KPop concert video. Pre-order until March 17 and get double storage worth up to PhP 14,000. https://www.samsung.com/ph/smartphones/galaxy-s26-ultra/buy/ #GalaxyS26Ultra #EverydaywithGalaxyAI @samsungph ♬ original sound – GadgetMatch
Here’s the dream: a phone that helps you stay on top of things, so you can focus more on what matters.
That’s basically the idea behind Galaxy AI on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Instead of adding more things to do, the phone helps take care of the small stuff for you. Things like reminding you what’s next, or surfacing the information you need right when you need it.
So you spend less time digging through apps and more time actually doing the things you planned to do.
Editing photos is easier too. With Photo Assist, you can just describe the change you want… and Galaxy AI fills in the rest.
And if you’re cleaning up a video, Audio Eraser can reduce background noise — even from clips on third-party apps like Instagram or YouTube.
The point isn’t to make your phone the center of attention. It’s to make it helpful enough that you can forget about it for a while. Until something worth capturing happens.
And when things get a little chaotic — like concerts, street performances, or just life moving fast — Super Steady Video helps keep your shots level.
That’s definitely coming with me to the next K-pop concert.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra. Smarter phone. Slightly less stressed me.
Pre-orders are open now — with double storage for early buyers, plus additional discounts and installment offers from participating banks.
Which is great… because apparently I shoot way too many videos.
For more than a decade, the smartphone industry has been defined by a familiar race. More megapixels. Faster processors. Bigger batteries. Thinner designs. Being first. Being the most. And being the fastest.
The industry rewarded brands that appeared to be chasing specs. Bigger numbers meant progress. At least on paper.
But if you ask Samsung, the days of chasing specs may no longer define the future of Galaxy smartphones.
During a regional roundtable following the launch of the latest Galaxy devices, I asked TM Roh how the company decides when it’s time for a major hardware upgrade if it isn’t simply chasing specs.
His answer revealed how Samsung now approaches the future of its flagship smartphones.
According to Roh, hardware upgrades are increasingly tied to how well they support Galaxy AI.
“To make Galaxy AI run smoothly, it must be backed by strong hardware,” Roh said during the session, speaking through a translator. He added that Samsung develops its hardware, software, and AI capabilities together — and that major upgrades tend to arrive only when the company reaches what he described as the “desired level of excellence.”
(Quotes are approximate translations.)
“To make Galaxy AI run smoothly, it must be backed by strong hardware.”
(Approximate translation from TM Roh during the roundtable)
In short, Samsung says it’s no longer chasing specs for the sake of winning spec-sheet battles. Not anymore.
Samsung CEO TM Roh answering questions at a media roundtable in San Francisco
When hardware stops chasing numbers
Hardware innovation still matters. But Samsung increasingly frames those improvements as tools that enable smarter software experiences.
During the roundtable, Roh pointed to Samsung’s custom application processors, which now include stronger neural processing capabilities designed to handle AI workloads more efficiently. Dedicated hardware is also being introduced to strengthen privacy and security — including technologies embedded directly into the display. (See: Privacy Display)
Even cameras, historically one of the biggest battlegrounds for smartphone innovation, are evolving in the same direction.
Roh noted that while sensors and lenses remain important, modern smartphone photography now relies heavily on AI-powered image processing working alongside the hardware. This could also explain why, as of writing, Samsung has resisted the extra telephoto lens accessories that is prevalent with other brands.
The shift is subtle but important. Instead of emphasizing bigger numbers on spec sheets, Samsung positions hardware upgrades as part of a broader system designed to support intelligent software.
Why Samsung gets dunked on online
That philosophy, however, exists in tension with how smartphones are often discussed online.
In a landscape driven by benchmark charts and viral comparisons, incremental refinement rarely generates the same excitement as dramatic hardware leaps. Over the past few years, the Galaxy S series has occasionally become an easy target for criticism — especially as rival Android manufacturers compete to deliver the biggest numbers, the fastest charging speeds, or the thinnest designs.
The temptation in tech media, particularly on platforms like YouTube, is often to dunk on Samsung rather than examine the nuance behind its approach. Spectacular upgrades and dramatic spec sheets make better thumbnails.
Yet listening to Samsung executives across multiple briefings reveals something interesting: the messaging is remarkably consistent. Whether discussing cameras, processors, or ecosystem features, the company repeatedly returns to the same principle. Hardware innovation matters most when it unlocks a better overall experience.
A company that knows its role
That consistency suggests Samsung knows exactly who it is in the smartphone industry.
As the largest Android smartphone manufacturer globally, Samsung occupies a position where competitors often measure themselves against it. Many brands differentiate by pushing aggressive specifications or experimenting with bold hardware changes.
In many ways, everyone else is punching up.
Scale changes priorities. When you’re building devices for hundreds of millions of users, the focus shifts toward reliability, ecosystem integration, and increasingly, AI-powered experiences that work consistently across products.
Why Southeast Asia matters in Samsung’s AI strategy
During the roundtable, Roh also emphasized the importance of Southeast Asia and Oceania to Samsung’s AI strategy.
According to the company’s internal research, the region ranks among the most receptive markets for AI-powered mobile features. Younger demographics and heavy social media usage are driving adoption.
In markets where smartphones are central to communication, content creation, and digital services, AI-powered tools — from translation features to image editing — have found strong traction.
That context helps explain why Samsung continues to position AI as the defining layer of its next-generation devices.
Is the smartphone spec race ending?
For years, smartphone makers built their identities around chasing specs.
Bigger numbers meant better phones. Faster chips meant progress.
Samsung, it seems, is chasing something else.
Whether that bet ultimately reshapes the smartphone experience remains to be seen. But if Roh’s comments are any indication, the next major leap in Galaxy hardware won’t happen simply because the numbers can go higher.
It will happen when Samsung believes the experience — not the spec sheet — is ready to move forward.
The OPPO Reno15 Series 5G made its way to the Philippines last month, and reception has been pretty great so far.
With a powerful camera package, AI, and a slew of upgrades, there’s a lot to love and not much negative to say. But that’s with both the standard and Pro models.
On the other hand, with the Reno15 F 5G — the series’ supposed budget-friendly “lite” variant —there were more question marks than exclamation points.
I attack this piece once more from a consumer standpoint: shelling out PhP 23,000 to PhP 26,000 for a midrange smartphone that feels and performs like it’s a few notches below its segment doesn’t sound too pleasant.
Performance
With a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, the OPPO Reno15 F performs pretty much like any sub PhP 20,000 mid-ranger. It’s acceptable, but does not punch above its weight as expected.
No major hiccups for light and casual usage. But performance struggles a lot for demanding video games.
It also heats up significantly just 10 minutes into a title like Honkai: Star Rail. This is a stark contrast to the marketed 25℃ and up to 10 hours straight of smooth gameplay.
Although, the experience was still enjoyable with several wins and MVP runs in Call of Duty Mobile. It only means the F variant remains a more camera-centric phone rather than an a hard-hitting all-arounder.
As with other devices, the 7000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC is a strong suit. You’re fueled from dawn ’til dusk, with much to spare. Recharging takes a breeze, too.
Display
The OPPO Reno15 F has a 6.57-inch 120Hz display, with a 92.8% screen-to-body ratio. At least, that allows you to focus on content on the screen.
Content leans more towards the cooler tone, so you’ll have to adjust it manually if you want a warmer or more vivid look.
The 397ppi pixel density is fine to ensure sharper visuals, while the 1400 nits peak brightness is helpful outdoors.
Camera
The device’s 50MP main camera captures decent quality. The color science leans on being natural anew, without being too dull nor washed out. You can pull off smooth portraits too.
I hardly used the phone for stills as I focused on videos, but here are some samples, on the occasions I was able to take the handset with me:
The 50MP front camera is an intriguing add-on, as it is capable of up to 4K video and a wide 100° field of view.
What this does is it essentially removes the need to flip your phone for the popular “0.5” shots. And the quality doesn’t get compromised given the pixel count.
Here are some selfies from different focal lengths:
To its credit, filming with the back camera at 60fps does look and feel smooth, although it can be improved.
Same with the front camera; and the zoom range can be switched from 0.6 to 2x without cutting the recording.
Although, it’s still best to use a selfie stick or small tripod if you’re just after talking head videos.
Speaking of which, here are a few I’ve made with just this device:
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@manilaconnoisseur Laging sold out ‘yung fun run? Try The Conqueror Virtual Challenges. Stay motivated in your running era, make every run count, and get cool medals after every completed challenge. You can even get a free run or discounted bundles! @theconquerorchallenges #virtualrun #funrun #runningera #staymotivated
But for travel and on-the-go captures, as OPPO markets for the series in general, even the Reno15 F can cover a lot of background along with your or your groups’ faces.
Make no mistake, there are some useful AI editing features here. In particular, AI Portrait Glow gives your raw capture an effect to make it look it was taken with flash.
I do not recall the device heating up as well when taking many photos or videos, so you can say it’s more optimized for that task rather than gaming.
Connectivity issues
Meanwhile, AI LinkBoost 3.0, as in the case of the OPPO A6 Pro, doesn’t seem to punch above its weight either.
Once, I also played Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the session opened to a jittery start despite being on Wi-Fi and having a stable connection. I don’t know what triggered this.
Design, feel
We got the Aurora Blue variant which does kind of resemble the northern lights when you tilt the phone a certain way and when light hits its back panel.
The cursive “Reno” on the large, protruding camera island gives it more style.
However, it’s all just aesthetics. On the downside, the phone is all sorts of slippery.
I couldn’t hold it properly without think of it slipping away from my hands; nor could I put it on my lap with confidence.
So I guess it’s good that it has structural integrity and waterproofing, because you’ll need that.
oplus_16
The 6.57-inch body does have a good balance between being too compact and too large, like ultras and pro maxes.
It has a squarish body and has already adapted to the premium, aluminum frame look from the sides.
Is this your GadgetMatch?
Sadly, the OPPO Reno15 F 5G is a Swipe Left unlike its bigger, more capable siblings. There are plenty of plus points for the camera package but take that away, and I don’t see much difference between the Reno15 F and something like the A6 Pro.
Granted, the asking price of this phone will drop significantly in a few months. But throw in a little more, and you’ve got a legitimate mid-ranger that’s more on the premium side rather than the cheap end of the spectrum.
Disney+ launches a TikTok-coded vertical feed called Verts
Google Maps is finally getting a 3D mode
KPop Demon Hunters is officially getting a sequel
Bringing Care-a-Lot to my daily carry
Galaxy AI on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
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