Gaming

Gundam Breaker 4 is for the frustrated Gunpla enjoyer

Finally built ‘my own Gundam Heavyarms’

Published

September 2, 2024

I have a Gundam Heavyarms Endless Waltz Master Grade that’s been sitting on my bed-side table and has remained untouched for over three years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to sit down and finally put the thing together. But I never have. What Gundam Breaker 4 has afforded me is to build the Gundam of my dreams, albeit, digitally.

Gundam Breaker is a franchise known specifically for this mechanic. Its latest installment – Gundam Breaker 4 – is its best yet.

**My Gundam Wing agenda**

Wing Gundam

You start the game off with Gundam RX-78, better known as Gundam Grandpa. If you bought the pre-order bonus, the moment the Assembly mechanic is introduced, you can immediately change it to a Gundam you’re more familiar with.

In my case, this was Wing Gundam. The only Gundam series that I obsessively engaged with were Gundam Wing and Gundam G. I dabbled with other, more recent series here and there but Gundam Wing was really just it for me. It was a pleasant experience going through the early parts of the game with the actual first Gunpla that I ever owned and built.

But as I progressed, I realized the early Wing Gundam build wasn’t enough. It wasn’t gonna get it done against the progressively tougher opponents I was fighting. A little more on the that later.

I went from a sort of Franken-Wing Gundam build and slowly made my way to something that kind of looks like my all-time favorite Gundam – Heavyarms.

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To be clear, Gundam Heavyarms Endless Waltz — the Gunpla I own and haven’t built in over three years – is present in the game. As of writing, I just haven’t collected all the parts to actually build it.

So I went with the next best thing – make whatever parts I have look and feel like Trowa Barton’s stead.

Digital Gunpla workshop

Unlike in real life, Gunpla building in Gundam Breaker 4 is much more straightforward. Instead of having to piece together hundreds, if not thousands, of parts, you only have to select things from a menu and only really have to deal with a few parts.

In the Assembly menu, you pick pre-assembled parts for the following: Head, Left Arm, Right Arm, Body/Torso, Shield, Jetpack/Booster, Legs, Builder Parts, Left Arm Close-Range Weapon, Right Arm Close-Range Weapon, Left Arm Long-Range Weapon, Right Arm Long-Range Weapons.

I know it still looks like it’s a lot but the building part is pretty straightforward. You go to a particular body part and there you’ll have a selection of available parts– ones you either shopped for or more commonly, looted in battle. Each part has a different set of stats and skills.

To start the game, you don’t really get a full set with the exact Gundam or other Mobile Suits you like. These will open gradually as you complete missions. Eventually, you’ll be able to build the Gundam you want and upgrade its parts using the ones you find in the missions.

Since I couldn’t get Heavyarms early-on, I just put together the best parts with the best stats while painting the thing to my liking. Even in digital, I still don’t have the time, energy, nor meticulousness to fully customize my build. Thankfully, the painting section has good sectioning/ It keeps your preferred coat of paint even if you change the parts.

Going on missions, collecting parts

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Going on missions is pretty direct. Just keep playing and following the storyline and you’re bound to learn all you need to know when it comes to missions.

You get story missions and quest missions. Each can be completed in Easy, Standard, and Hardcore categories. I tried Hardcore in one of the early missions and realized I was severely underpowered. But it did yield some parts that were very useful in my campaign.

Mission objectives may vary from protecting something to defeating actual Gundams. In some instances, gigantic Mobile Suits will appear as the bosses. Whatever the case, these battles aren’t too difficult. You can hack, slash, shoot, and dodge your way into most of these missions relatively easily, even in the Standard difficulty.

The battles can get stale after a while but what keeps them fresh is the build you go into battle with every new mission. That’s what makes the whole thing exciting.

Come and stay for the Gundam building

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The story is very standard fare. It’s not memorable but it isn’t bad either. It’s very middle of the pack as far as storytelling goes. But it’s engaging enough to make you want to keep building and battling to get the best possible parts for your build.

The game’s core mechanic revolves around building Gunpla (Gundam plastic models). In Gundam Breaker 4, you’re given a vast array of parts, ranging from iconic Gundam heads to powerful weapons and unique accessories. You can mix and match these parts to create your own one-of-a-kind Gundam. The customization options are virtually limitless, allowing you to experiment with different combinations and aesthetics.

Cool tidbit. The Start Screen of the game changes to your current build.

One of the game’s standout features is its intuitive building system. The process is straightforward and enjoyable, even for those who have never built a real-life Gunpla before.

You can easily select parts, rotate them, and position them to your liking. The game also provides helpful visual guides to ensure that your Gunpla is assembled correctly.

Gundam Breaker 4 Captures the spirit of Gunpla

Gundam Breaker 4 is the perfect remedy for the frustrated, mostly lazy (or burned out) Gunpla enjoyer. If you enjoy seeing Gundam built but do not necessarily have the skillset and patience to deal with plenty of real-life moving parts, then this is the next best thing.

It’s even re-ignited my interest for Gundam in general. I’m looking to engage in more Gundam shows and stories after dabbling in this game.

Gundam Breaker 4 captures the spirit of Gunpla and makes it relatively accessible to more people. It’s a game I’ll likely keep firing up for the rest of the year until I get all the Gundam kits and builds I want.

Gaming

HP OMEN Max 16 review: Gamer-maxxing in deep black

Peripherals deemed necessary to max this out

Published

October 23, 2026

Gab Orlina

It’s not every day that you come across a machine that looks good and plays even better. Oftentimes, subtle aesthetics take a back seat to sheer performance and power. Whenever a gaming machine looks sleeker, it seems to lack the power to push it forward. Simply put, you can’t have the best of both worlds these days.

But what if you could have it all? Not just money, fame, and other fortunes, but also a machine with everything you’re looking for! Gone are the days of wanting only power to keep you playing all day or wanting to look good while playing. On paper, this is what the HP OMEN Max 16 promises: the best of both worlds.

Unboxing a beast inside

When you first take it out of the box, the HP OMEN Max 16 looks unassuming in its overall design. It’s bulky yet sleek in its Shadow Black colorway, with nothing too fancy or flashy while powered down. From the outside, the machine screams premium, even though its dark color can attract more visible dirt than lighter finishes.

Opening it up reveals a 16-inch OLED display with a peak refresh rate of 240Hz, seamlessly connected to a base with a full-sized keyboard and a large trackpad. The bright, seemingly anti-glare display makes colors pop when watching or editing videos on the go.

Furthermore, HP places the ports in convenient spots along the rear and sides of the laptop. This makes it incredibly easy to set up and manage external peripherals while providing more room for ventilation under heavy loads.

Of course, the device’s biggest features lie in the hardware powering it from within. An Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA RTX 5090 Laptop GPU should give you an idea of how well this machine can perform. It’s also a great combination for demanding productivity tasks and creative work!

Power that AI can only hope to replicate

The HP OMEN Max 16 lived up to many of our expectations in terms of performance. From startup to shutdown, it delivered on what its hardware promised. You can watch videos for longer, edit photos and videos to your heart’s content, and enjoy casual gaming without slowing down. Furthermore, the wide display gives you plenty of space to accommodate all these activities.

When you step up to more competitive gaming, the machine doesn’t miss a beat. Most titles deliver high frame rates regardless of the quality or performance settings you choose. With more advanced visual settings enabled, the RTX 5090 does a fantastic job of keeping supported games within a solid 40–50 FPS range. Pair it with a high-refresh-rate OLED display, and you get crisp details and faster input response to help you get ahead in ranked games all day long.

If there’s one thing to complain about, it’s the extra optimization required through the OMEN Gaming Hub. Features such as network prioritization, automatic power-mode switching, and system optimization are useful, but you’ll need to spend time configuring them during initial setup. The laptop also comes with OMEN AI, which promises to maximize FPS with a single click. However, it was only okay at best.

Runs longer, cools off smoother

Surely, a gaming laptop this bulky and powerful can’t last that long on battery, right? Well, the HP OMEN Max 16 averages around three hours of battery life during intensive gaming, which gives you a decent amount of playing time. For general use, battery life extends to around five and a half hours with Balanced power settings. It holds up reasonably well if you forget to bring your charger.

When you do have the massive 330W charger with you, charging doesn’t take too long either. During our tests, a full charge took two hours, with charging progressing slightly faster when we left the laptop idle. Charging the battery to 50% took around 20 minutes, giving you enough juice to squeeze in another game!

Another factor in prolonged use is how the device expels hot air through its sides and rear. We touched on this earlier, but it bears repeating: the laptop provides plenty of ventilation through its vapor chamber and multiple external vents. Instead of directing heat toward the keyboard, it pushes hot air through the vents, where it can hit your hands or peripherals. At least the keyboard stays cooler, right?

Is this your GadgetMatch?

At PHP 229,990, the HP OMEN Max 16 is a sleek-looking machine with incredible power under the hood. Despite its initial bulk, it delivers impressive performance for both casual and competitive gamers. Inside and out, it packs plenty of hardware and features to let you tailor the experience to your needs.

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop with decent battery life, this is a solid choice, but don’t expect it to last half a day. Of course, you wouldn’t use this machine entirely on its own, even if the unboxing experience might suggest otherwise.

Peripherals such as the HyperX Cloud Alpha Air and Solocast 2 Pro can further enhance the experience.

Overall, this is a Swipe Right for its features, performance, and premium design. However, if you don’t have an infinite money glitch to buy it right now, you’re better off saving up for this beast of a machine!

Gaming

FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE now available across major platforms

FINAL FANTASY HD-2D is here

Published

October 22, 2026

GadgetMatch

SQUARE ENIX has released FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE. It’s a new role-playing game that brings the franchise’s classic pixel-art aesthetic into the HD-2D era.

The game launches on October 22, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The PC version will be available through Steam and the Microsoft Store on Windows starting October 23.

FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE reimagines the first story arc of the mobile game FINAL FANTASY Brave Exvius as a full-fledged RPG experience. It combines retro-inspired pixel art with 3D models and dynamic camera angles.

Strategic turn-based combat returns

Players will explore a world featuring familiar FINAL FANTASY elements, including crystals, airships, chocobos, espers, and moogles.

Combat revolves around exploiting enemy weaknesses to stagger opponents, break their defenses, and gain extra turns. Players can also unleash powerful Resonance attacks to turn the tide of battle.

The adventure features Visions, representations of familiar FINAL FANTASY characters who join the party with their own skills and abilities. These include Cloud, Tidus, and the Warrior of Light.

Beyond the main story, players can discover optional challenges and rewards, including encounters with the wandering swordmaster Gilgamesh, a monster-filled Colosseum, the Chamber of Arms, and Ultima Weapon.

Editions and platforms

FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE is available as a single-player RPG on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

A Digital Deluxe Edition includes the base game and the Magitek & Grimoire Deluxe Pack. The bundle features a Magitek Armor Key for a chocobo, an exclusive Archwitch’s Grimoire, a Mastery Ring, and consumable items.

A Collector’s Edition includes the physical Standard Edition alongside an acrylic block set, a pixel-art book, a 120-track original soundtrack on CD, and an exclusive FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME promotional card.

Availability and release timing may vary by region. Check local digital storefronts for purchasing details.

Gaming

Next Xbox might cost double the price of an Xbox today

The most expensive Xbox Series X costs $900. The next Xbox’s price might double that.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Buying a new gaming setup must be one of the most torturous things you can purchase these days. The rising price of chips has hampered the buying ability of many a consumer today. Sadly, that trend isn’t changing anytime soon. According to new reports, the next Xbox might cost double of what an Xbox costs these days.

The next console is currently codenamed Project Helix. Spearheaded by relatively new Xbox CEO Asha Sherma, Project Helix has hopes of being an all-around gaming machine capable of playing PC games besides console exclusives. Sharma obviously wants the platform to come back as a worthy destination for gamers.

That’s a monumental task, though, especially after the rising prices of chips are constantly threatening the prices of new devices. Now, according to a profile of Sharma published by Fortune, the next Xbox might cost as high as US$ 1,800. For reference, the limited 25^th anniversary edition of the Xbox Series X currently costs US$ 899.

Should Fortune’s estimate hold true, a new console in the coming years is double the cost of the most expensive Xbox Series X variant available today. The next generation of gaming might be even more of a luxury than it already is.

Unfortunately, things aren’t getting better across the board. Gaming on PC and on PlayStation aren’t going to be much cheaper as the RAM crisis continues.