Gaming

Forspoken review: Outspoken with little to speak of

Wait for a sale

Published

February 2, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

It doesn’t take a lot to create a decent roleplaying game. All you need is a fish-out-of-water character, a vast open map, and a seemingly endless list of objectives. Though it has all three, Forspoken struggles to keep up with its pretenses as a Western roleplaying game.

First, the good

Credit to where it’s due, Forspoken is a fun game for the first few sections. Exploring the incredibly huge map with magical parkour is enjoyable. Eclipsed only by Elden Ring’s Torrent, magic parkour is one of the most innovative ways to quickly traverse large distances, especially after learning more advanced techniques.

Likewise, fighting balanced enemies with limited powers provides enough of a challenge to keep players on their toes in Athia. Neither the player nor the first enemies feel overpowered.

Unfortunately, the game’s novelty quickly evaporates after you figure out that you have to repeat the same motions dozens upon dozens of times. Forspoken’s map is much larger than it ever should have been. Though abundant in number, every point of interest is separated by large distances, some platforming challenges, and a battle sequence. The greater map is empty. Do this over and over, and the game gets stale quick. With adequate rewards, this shouldn’t be a problem, but Forspoken also suffers from a communication issue.

A communication issue

For most roleplaying games, completing an objective on the map usually nets palpable rewards for the player: a significant experience boost, new skills, new gear, or a bag of loot. An open-world game necessitates a lot of exploring. Even if a game is repetitive, earning substantial rewards is satisfying, at least. Forspoken does not have this — not in an easily discernible way, at least.

Treasure chests, which account for most of the points of interest on the map, reward players with a litany of crafting materials. Most of which will go unused because the game doesn’t easily tell players how to use them. After a dozen hours of collecting materials, I had a wealthy cache of each ingredient to make practically anything. Even then, I had little idea where each one went.

The map’s major rewards — new cloaks, new nail arts, and experience — also do little to explain how Frey improves with each completed objective. Clearing out an enemy camp, for example, rewards players with +1 magic. The game does not tell you how much damage that conveys. Certainly, after completing a few of these, Frey feels stronger, but it’s not easy to see how much stronger, especially when most enemies are bullet sponges with absurd health pools anyway.

Plus, these don’t even scratch the surface of objectives wherein the main reward is literally just a lore dump you have to read from a menu.

Difficulty shouldn’t always mean more enemies

Another issue with clearing out Athia’s large map is how Forspoken handles difficulty. Though there are options to adjust difficulty, the game relies on a limited bag of tricks to make it more difficult for players: increasing enemy health and quantity. In moderation, relying on this strategy works. However, Forspoken does this to an obnoxious level.

Prepare to fight five mini-bosses in one encounter for a lore entry. What compounds this issue more is an insane enemy health pool which causes encounters to last a lot longer than they should. One mini-boss encounter took me 15 minutes, even with appropriately leveled gear and the right spells.

Because of the sheer number of enemies, an encounter can stun-lock Frey for an absurd amount of time. The player can hardly prevent this since it relies on chance. Despite offering a wide array of moves, the risk of knockbacks shoehorn players into a slow run-and-gun tactic (which might not even play into an enemy’s weaknesses), instead of using each ability to the max.

On paper, Forspoken’s combat offers a fluid way to take down enemies by seamlessly switching between spells and moving through the battlefield with magic parkour. Unfortunately, an imbalance in enemy strategies bogs the game down in prolonged sequences that often reward players with only middling boosts.

A lack of optimization

For a game released on modern hardware, Forspoken took a while to launch. The game was delayed a few times. Given how delays often work, you’d think that it would release in a fairly optimized state. It’s not.

Though I haven’t hit major game-breaking bugs, there were a number of performance dips throughout the game. Even on performance-focused settings, framerates dropped to a standstill when there were high particle effects on screen. Frey constantly clipped through the terrain and found herself stuck on finnicky edges (which sometimes required reloading from previous saves).

The game is also dragged down by numerous cutscenes. Though not a bug per se, it’s not a great sign of optimization that the game has to pause for a cutscene just to show enemies arriving. For a game featuring fluid movement and combat, Forspoken often takes players out of the action by pausing for unnecessary cutscenes.

Better on sale

Overall, Forspoken is persistently flawed. However, amid the game’s shortcomings, the title still has an exciting combat and movement system. Plus, if you disregard the tedious open world, Forspoken’s linear story, featuring the wide range of abilities, are enjoyable. My interest always bounces back after beating one of the game’s main bosses.

Still, it’s hard to call Forspoken a game worthy of its AAA price tag. It might be better to wait for a discount.

Computers

Free Steam code awaits MSI RTX 40 series purchases

Review and get free codes too

Published

March 20, 2023

GadgetMatch

MSI recently unveiled its latest set of laptops that are up the date with the latest 13th Gen Intel Core HX processors and RTX 40 series graphics.

These include the following models:

Stealth 16
Katana 15
Cyborg 15
Raider GE78 HX
Titan GT77 HX

Such Intel Core HX processors with 24 cores deliver up to 5.6GHz of processing speed, a big jump which shall be felt by users when it comes to gaming performance, creative applications, and programs requiring the heavy workload.

In the graphics department, the NVIDIA RTX 40 series cards are more efficient and feature Ada Lovelace architecture to take gaming to the next level.

Early bird, review bonuses

To spice things up, MSI is offering US$ 50 Steam wallet codes for customers who will pre-order any of the participating 2023 MSI RTX 40 series models until April 30.

Likewise, customers who post a review of any of the eligible models will also receive a free US$ 50 Steam wallet code as part of the Shout Out for MSI program.

Redemption will be until May 14. To check the full mechanics, click here.

Gaming

The champ is here: WWE 2K23 now official

Featuring John Cena cover, WarGames, more

Published

March 20, 2023

GadgetMatch

After much anticipation, WWE 2K23, which features 16-time World Champion John Cena as its cover, is now available worldwide for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam).

The game comes in four editions:

Standard Edition

US$ 59.99 for previous-gen, US$ 69.99 for current gen consoles (physical or digital)

Cross-Gen

US$ 69.99 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles
Includes Standard Edition across previous and current-gen platforms within same console family or account

Deluxe Edition

US$ 99.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One (physical or digital), and PC (digital)
Includes Standard Edition
Bad Bunny Bonus Pack
Season Pass to five post-launch DLC content packs
MyRISE Mega-Boost and SuperCharger
Ruby John Cena MyFACTION card
Gold Asuka MyFACTION card
Three Basic Premium Launch MyFACTION card packs

Icon Edition

US$ 119.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC
Features original cover art by WWE-inspired artist Rob Schamberger
Includes all bonus content in Deluxe Edition
Ruthless Aggression Pack featuring John Cena “Prototype” character, “Leviathan” Batista, developmental rookie versions of Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton, John Cena Legacy Championship, and WrestleMania 22 Arena
Emerald Paul Heyman MyFACTION manager card
Three Deluxe Premium Launch MyFACTION card packs

WarGames, You Can’t Beat Me finally arrive

The highlight of WWE 2K23 is its much-requested WarGames feature which allows for 3v3 and 4v4 single player or multiplayer mayhem inside two side-by-side rings, surrounded by a double-steel cage.

The game also has a “You Can’t Beat Me” 2K Showcase wherein players will step in the shoes of Cena’s toughest competitors throughout his 20-year professional wrestling entertainment career to try and beat him.

Star-studded lineup

WWE 2K23 has a roster of 201 new and returning superstars, including the most popular names in Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Queen Zelina, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rhea Ripley, Drew McIntyre, Bianca Belair, and more.

Ruthless Aggression versions of John Cena, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar are also included in the Deluxe and Icon editions.

More personalization

MyFACTION and MyGM have also been upgraded, with five new GMs and two new brands (NXT 2.0 and WCW), seven new match types, more titles, more challenges, and better Hall of Fame progression.

With Creation Suite, players can design custom superstars, GMs, arenas, entrances, move sets, and more. Custom arenas are likewise playable online.

Watch out for DLCs

Post-launch, gamers should look out for five DLCs headlined by fan-favorites Bray Wyatt, The O.C., The Steiner Brothers, Zeus, Wade Barrett, and Eve Torres.

These content updates will be released one by one until August, adding 24 more superstars to the WWE 2K23 overall roster.

Gaming

ASUS announces TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition, Zephyrus Duo 16

Published

March 13, 2023

GadgetMatch

ASUS has revealed the revamped TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition laptop along with the release of the new ROG Zephyrus Duo 16.

Both new computers are powered by the latest Ryzen 7000 processors as ASUS continues to upgrade its overall gaming laptop lineup. They are now available at ASUS and ROG concept stores, as well as selected multi-brand retailers nationwide.

Take the advantage

The latest iteration of the ever-reliable TUF Gaming A16 comes with an even more powerful processor, improved memory and storage capacity, and exclusive features like AMD SmartShift and AMD Smart Access Memory technologies which enhance system performance and efficiency.

Coming in a sleek form factor, the TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is available in Sandstorm colorway. It retails starting at PhP 87,995 with a TUF Gaming backpack and TUF Gaming M3 mouse included in the package.

Specs

Processors – Up to AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor
OS – Windows 11 Home
Memory – Up to 32GB (32*2) DDR5-4800
Storage – Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD2
Graphics – Up to AMD Radeon RX 7600s GPU
Display – 16-inch, FHD+ (1920 x 1200) display, 165Hz, 7ms, FreeSync Premium, MUX Switch, AMD Smart Access Graphics
Audio – 2-speaker system with built-in array microphone, Dolby Atmos, AI noise-cancelling technology
Camera – 720p HD camera
Battery – 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
Security – Kensington Security Slot
Ports – 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack, 1x RJ45 LAN port
Wireless – Wi-Fi 6 802.11AX 2*2, Bluetooth 5.2

Zephyrus Duo 16: Dual-screen beast

Meanwhile, the premium Zephyrus Duo 16’s latest version boasts of improvements in its main display, which is now capable of 240Hz refresh rate and up to 1100 nits of peak brightness. Durability-wise, it has been reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass DXC and an anti-fingerprint coating.

To ensure a seamless experience, the Zephyrus Duo 16 also has an upgraded ROG Intelligent Cooling System which features the brand’s exclusive Liquid Metal Conductonaut Extreme that lowers the CPU’s overall temperature by up to 15 degrees and Active Aerodynamic Plus 2.0 for overall better airflow and noise reduction.

The laptop comes in two variants: the 32GB + 1TB which sells for PhP 289,995, and the more spacious 64GB + 2TB which is priced at PhP 379,995. Gaming headsets, mice, backpacks, and more giveaways are included in the price package.

Specs

Processors – Up to AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor
OS – Windows 11 Home
Memory – Up to 64GB DDR5-4800
Storage – Up to 4TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD2
Graphics – Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with Dynamic Boost in Turbo Mode, ROG Boost
Displays – 16-inch, QHD+ (2560 x 1600) LED main display, 240Hz, 3ms, 100% DCI-P3, Pantone Validated, FreeSync Premium Pro, Optimus, Dolby Vision HDR, MUX Switch + ScreenPad Plus 4K IPS panel
Audio – 6-speaker system with Smart Amp technology, 3-microphoen array, AI noise-cancelling, Dolby Atmos
Camera – 1080p FHD camera, Windows Hello
Battery – 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
Security – BIOS Administrator Password and User, Trusted Platform Module
Ports – 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack, 1x RJ45 LAN port, 1x 2.5G LAN port
Wireless – Wi-Fi 6E 802.11AX 2*2, Bluetooth 5.2