Gaming

Civilization VII preview: Immersion takes center stage

Improving on a classic formula

Published

January 16, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

When I was seven years old, I got my very first video game: Civilization III. Because I was so young, I didn’t understand how to play most effectively. Still, my lack of game sense didn’t stop me from immersing myself in an alternate history where I could pit Greek hoplites against Aztec jaguar warriors. Immersion was key.

It wasn’t until Civilization VI that I fully understood the inner workings of a Civ game. The world turned into a set of manipulable numbers to secure victory. Immersion melted away. I was, however, still hooked. Even if I couldn’t imagine myself as the leader of a nation anymore, Civilization VI remains my most played game according to Steam.

Now, Civilization VII is reinventing the wheel once again. In recreating the iconic game’s systems, Firaxis has crafted something that expertly maneuvers between immersing the player in alternate history and allowing them to master the game’s mechanics.

Three games in one

In the trailers and previews leading up to today, Civilization VII looked less like itself and more like a copy of other 4X games (which were, in turn, copying from Sid Meier’s series). Instead of the seamless transitions between eras that were characteristic of the series in the past, the new title pares everything down into three Ages. Plus, at the end of each Age, Civs can reinvent themselves into one more apt to the incoming Age. Humankind, anyone?

However, after playing the game for a day, I can safely say that calling Civilization VII a Humankind copy is terribly unfair. Each Age stands up for itself but still lets one build up from another. It’s a feat that Humankind was never able to do.

Plus, in making each Age stand out, it rekindles the epic transitions that were in Civilization III. Back then, the end of each era came with a transition screen that transformed old cities into new. Civilization VI did away with this entirely. The seventh game, on the other hand, has its own setup screen, making it an extremely big deal that the times are changing.

All their own Ages

I’ve only played through the Age of Antiquity and the Age of Exploration. However, just from those two, I can see how different each Age is.

In the Age of Antiquity, the game is about expanding throughout your entire starting continent. It’s a game that seasoned Civilization players will find familiarity with.

However, things change drastically in the Age of Exploration. In most of my games in the previous title, I almost never dabble in colonialism and exploration. I was perfectly content with turtling in my home continent. In most cases, I still won my game. In this game, however, the system forces you to engage in exploration. It is, after all, how you “win” that Age.

As such, the Age of Exploration feels like an entirely different game. However, it’s still based on the previous Age. Though it seems like a fresh start, it doesn’t make me feel that everything I did in the Age of Antiquity was for naught.

Making them feel different

Beside the systems themselves, one of the biggest reasons why each Age has its own identity is a better focus on visual and audio design. In Civilization VI, changes between the different eras were there but not pronounced. You might not have even noticed them.

In Civilization VII, it’s more apparent. Your Civ’s buildings change in a much more blatant way to follow the time period. Additionally, buildings can change depending on the tile they’re settled on. For example, tundra-settled cities are more obviously covered in snow.

Another huge win is a much more identifiable soundtrack. Never mind the epic pieces composed by Christopher Tin, the franchise’s soundtrack since the fourth game has always felt like an afterthought. Sometimes I still listen to the third game’s soundtrack on loop. I don’t do that with the fourth through the sixth’s soundtracks. I think this changes with the seventh game. The new game’s soundtrack sounds more alive, more willing to immerse you in your chosen Civ’s culture.

Randomness in immersion

Another way that immersion slowly left the series is through an air of predictability. Everything could have been boiled down to numbers and charts. The sixth game was all about optimizing yields to outclass the opponent. Don’t get me wrong; having a more gameplay-focused system worked well for the series. But if you’re looking for a mix between an RPG and a strategy game, you’re better off somewhere else.

Civilization VII changes this by adding narrative events peppered throughout the experience. There’s a new and refreshing air of randomness. Though the rewards for participating in an event are quantifiable, the flavor text makes it worthwhile. You’re actually writing your Civ’s story while helping them get a leg up on their goals.

And these events are also steeped in the leader you chose. It’s not just a single set of random occurrences. An event can sometimes reflect your leader’s characteristics.

Bringing back the charm of the series

Civilization III remains one of my favorite games because of the nostalgia it brings from the countless hours I played it as a kid. Over time, the game matured, albeit still keeping its addictive nature. Today, Civilization VII feels like returning to an old toy where I can get lost for hours and hours roleplaying as an iconic figure or civilization from history.

Computex 2026

ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 debuts at COMPUTEX 2026

Powerful gaming handheld

Published

June 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS has announced the ROG XBOX Ally X20 bundle at COMPUTEX 2026, just in time to celebrate the gaming brand’s 20th anniversary.

Featuring a translucent black chassis with vibrant gold internal structure, the machine is both a throwback to gaming two decades ago and a vision of the future.

The translucence offers a peek under the hood to the high-performance cooling system and handheld silicon from AMD.

Premium hardware

The ROG XBOX Ally X20 brings a new Nebula HDR Display to the handheld for the first time, with a 7.4-inch OLED panel and Corning DXC glass and anti-reflective coating.

This slightly larger panel increases immersion and visibility. It has up to 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium of support, and 1,400 nits of peak brightness.

Furthermore, it has a VESA DisplayHDR 1000 rating, Dolby Vision, and 0.2ms response time.

Powering the portable device is the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with ample gaming horsepower and the latest tools like Auto SR upscaling, as well as XBOX for seamless navigation and gaming.

It supports 24GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage to accommodate a large library of titles.

Better ergonomics, controls

Inspired by iconic XBOX controller designs, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a transforming D-Pad. It’s designed with the standard four-way movement, but can easily be converted to eight-way control for fighting games.

The improved face buttons have also been adjusted, now sitting flush against the chassis to enable smooth and uninterrupted thumb sliding. On the rear of the handgrips is a rubberized coating.

Speaking of controls, the next-gen handheld levels up with a new TMR joystick technology, delivering pinpoint precision, smoother tracking, and longer-lasting performance.

Bundled with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses

The bundle also features the ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, making the set an absolute collector’s must-have.

The AR glasses feature a 171-inch virtual screen at four meters, 240Hz display that covers 95% of the field of view, and a 0.01ms response time, thanks to micro-OLED. These glasses plug directly into the Ally via USB-C.

Gaming

Latest BeastLink Open Beta offers optimizations, improvements

Grove Street Games’ monster-sized Kaiju mayhem

Published

May 30, 2026

GadgetMatch

Grove Street Games has kicked off another round of beta playtesting for the large-scale multiplayer destruction sandbox game BeastLink.

The latest round of open beta testing opened at 4:00 P.M. ET on May 29 and will end at June 1 at 10:00 A.M. ET.

This Open Beta weekend offers a fresh look at the massive optimization sand improvements from the past month of closed playtesting.

Players can join through the BeastLink Steam page here.

The latest Open Beta features the Horned Lizard, Mandrill, and Bull Shark as playable beasts.

The Kaiju battles come with more freedom of movement and improved fighting. All beasts have seen extensive updates and balance improvements for a more refined monster vs. monster combat.

Moreover, there is a new map available: Wharf, which urges players to utilize ziplines and cranes. New effects like dust, fog, and rubble also make the showdown feel more chaotic.

Meanwhile, selecting Battle Arena from the Deployment Menu lets players battle against friends, the CPU, or by themselves for fun. That’s on top of other modes like Tutorial, Hazard Pay, Beast Brawl, and Colony Purge.

BeastLink is built on Unreal Engine 5, and uses Grove Street Games’ proprietary SuperDestruction system to push environmental wreckage to a new level.

The system lets players reshape the map both as human or Kaiu, with over 250,000 destructible objects and millions of individual pieces.

An announcement trailer has likewise been unveiled.

Gaming

Acer unveils Predator Atlas 8 handheld with Intel Arc G-Series power

PC gaming on the go

Published

May 29, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Acer has unveiled the Predator Atlas 8, a new Windows 11 gaming handheld powered by Intel’s latest Arc G-Series platform. The device expands Acer’s growing handheld portfolio and targets gamers who want PC gaming performance in a portable form factor.

The Predator Atlas 8 pairs Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor with up to Intel Arc B390 graphics. It supports ray tracing and Intel XeSS 3 AI-powered upscaling to boost performance while maintaining image quality. Acer says the platform balances gaming performance and battery efficiency for gaming on the go.

Predator cooling comes to a handheld

Acer equips the Atlas 8 with a dual-fan cooling system inspired by its Predator gaming laptops. The setup includes what Acer describes as the first metal fan used in a gaming handheld. The company says the ultra-thin AeroBlade fan increases airflow by up to 10 percent. It works alongside a second fan and Acer’s Vortex Flow design to move heat out of the chassis more efficiently.

The handheld features an 8-inch WUXGA touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and Variable Refresh Rate support. The panel reaches up to 500 nits of brightness and uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. Acer also protects the display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and a DXC coating that helps reduce glare.

Acer complements the display with dual 2W speakers that support DTS:X Ultra audio. Dual microphones with PurifiedVoice AI noise reduction help improve voice clarity during multiplayer sessions and online chats.

Built around the Windows gaming ecosystem

The Predator Atlas 8 runs Windows 11 and supports Xbox Mode for quicker access to games and system functions. Acer also includes an Xbox Game Pass subscription, giving users access to hundreds of games from day one.

For connectivity, the handheld offers dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and UHS-II microSD expansion. The control layout includes full-size analog sticks and dual-mode triggers. Players can switch between instant-click microswitch controls for shooters and Hall-effect analog controls for racing and simulation titles.

A dedicated PredatorSense button provides quick access to performance settings, RGB lighting controls, and system monitoring tools. Acer has not yet announced pricing or local availability. The company says details will vary by market.