Gaming

Horizon Forbidden West Review: Back to save us from machines

Aloy continues her journey to the west

Published

February 15, 2022

GadgetMatch

The much-awaited Horizon sequel is here and, right off the bat, we’re telling you that it’s all worth the wait. Guerilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West is the latest must-play AAA title for every current and last-gen PlayStation owner.

If you haven’t played Horizon Zero Dawn, you should start playing now. It’s a fantastic PlayStation exclusive and with Forbidden West already on the horizon (pun intended), you’re gonna need to catch up.

Warning: Slight spoilers ahead!

Horizon Forbidden West is set six months after the end of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy is again faced with a new threat to the planet and must head… west. This means we get to see more of Horizon’s dystopian future where tribes rule and animals are machines.

The game’s timeline is one of the most impressive things about it. As a suckers for anything tech with a twist, we got sucked into it. Open world games usually get boring after a while and you kinda get tired of exploring every corner, but not Horizon and definitely not in the forbidden west.

This game is meant to be played on the PS5

We played Forbidden West on the PS5 in Performance Mode which provides smooth 60fps gaming albeit not at its sharpest state. If you want to see Aloy’s world in absolute sharpness, there’s the Resolution Mode for native 4K rendering but it runs at 30fps only.

We tried both during the prologue and our eyes got spoiled with the game’s higher framerate option. Naturally, we went on and played in Performance Mode throughout. Good thing the drop in pixel clarity is minor and it’s only noticeable when you look for it.

Since we’re already talking about visuals, let’s get right into the graphics of the game. In one word: stunning. Zero Dawn is one of the best-looking games for the PS4 and Forbidden West is the most visually pleasing PS5 game to date!

Forbidden West runs on Decima — Guerilla Games’ proprietary game engine. The folks there truly know how to get the best quality out of it. The level of detail in Forbidden West is top-notch; it feels like a cinematic animated action movie rendered in real-time.

We don’t have the exact words to describe how visually stunning this game is, so we’ll let these screengrabs do the “talking”:

I know, you might be thinking that it looks similar to Zero Dawn, which we agree with to some extent. However, everything is 200% better!

The foliage, the facial and body features, the landscape, the machines, and the whole world of Horizon got the solid visual upgrade it deserves.

The most noticeable visual enhancement can be seen in the character models. The fine details of the outfits, the body hairs, and the sheen on the face — especially with the face paints.

Lore worthy of its own series

Horizon, if it’s a show, is definitely something that we would watch on the TV and even on the big screen should there be an adaptation. Although, to play and be the character in the game is probably the best way to experience the lore.

The unique setting in the future is a core strength of this game and we live for it. What we’re not living for is the premise of Forbidden West: Aloy, like any protagonist especially if a hero, is out to save the world again. That was also her main goal in the first installment and sadly, she didn’t exactly save the world.

During the prologue, there’s not much to get excited about but as you progress in the Forbidden West, there are twists and turns. And that’s where things get exciting.

Forbidden West

Aloy brings her friends to the forbidden west and along the way, she will also meet new characters. There are a lot of characters to talk to in the game, a few will stand out, and, like in the first installment, they will joim you in the final battle.

If there are friends, there are also enemies lurking around the map. Not just new machines, but also rebels that’ll fight you to death and they make exploration much more interesting.

As Aloy, you’re the key to almost everything that’s happening in the world and all the inaccessible places in the forbidden west. That’s why you have a lot to explore while you’re completing the main story or even after it.

The tribes of Forbidden West are more worthy of your time than Zero Dawn’s, which means you have a lot of exploring to do.

Riding the machines is always fun, particularly when you’re already able to override a flying machine. The new map is slightly bigger or just about the same, but the main storyline and the side quests complement each other resulting in a game that runs like a well-oiled machine.

What’s it like to be Aloy again?

It’s been nearly 5 years since we first played as Aloy, and if you’ve clocked in a number of hours in Zero Dawn, you’re going to be very familiar with how Aloy moves and fights in the wild.

Aside from Aloy’s updated character model, she also learned a few new tricks plus weapons to use. While the bow and arrow are still Aloy’s signature, don’t be afraid to use what’s in your arsenal.

Aloy’s spear can now do better melee attacks (with combos!). Plus, there are explosive spears and launchers to spice up combats. Don’t forget that tall grasses are your best friend throughout the map. There are a lot of ways to fight beastly machines and bloodthirsty rebels.

Aloy’s skills can be upgraded and you have the freedom to choose whichever type of Aloy you want to have. Be sure to plan your skill tree — which has been expanded from four to six — based on how you want to progress in the game. Your playstyle will be important as you get deeper into the forbidden west.

Is it perfect? Nearly.

Yes, obviously, we love Horizon Forbidden West. It’s a well-written, technically polished title that will most likely be another hit for PlayStation. With the game coming to both PS4 and PS5, both generations of consoles have the chance to enjoy Guerilla’s newest masterpiece.

The game might feel familiar to those who have played Zero Dawn. Some might even say it brings nothing new to the table, and that’s okay. I’m not expecting a brand new game; it doesn’t need a new approach in its series like God Of War (2018). We expected Forbidden West to continue Zero Dawn much like how we expect a second season from a beloved TV show — to give us more of what we loved about it.

Horizon Forbidden West is a PlayStation Exclusive and will officially be out on February 18.

Gaming

Street Fighter 6’s first Filipina fighter arrives August 3

Yasmine arrives in August.

Published

July 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

Capcom is celebrating the arrival of Yasmine, the first-ever Filipina character in the Street Fighter series, with an official community event in the Philippines this August.

The Official Street Fighter 6 ‘Yasmine’ Community Event takes place on August 9, 2026 at Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant in Palanan, Makati. Doors open at 2:00 PM, with tournament matches, community activities, giveaways, and free play sessions scheduled throughout the day.

Meet Yasmine, Street Fighter 6’s first Filipina fighter

Yasmine joins Street Fighter 6 as the first playable character in the game’s Year 4 roster.

According to Capcom, she learned to fight alongside her older brother under the guidance of her grandfather. After her brother’s disappearance, she returns to combat using high-speed Eskrima techniques while wielding a Karambit knife.

She is joined in the Year 4 lineup by Arjun, Tifa from the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, and Bosch. Her release also coincides with balance updates for the entire Street Fighter 6 roster.

Yasmine becomes available on August 3, 2026 for players who own the Year 4 Character Pass or Year 4 Ultimate Pass.

Community tournament and exclusive merchandise

The Makati event will feature a double-elimination tournament, beginning with Best-of-3 matches before switching to Best-of-5 during the Top 8 Finals.

The schedule includes:

2:00 PM: Doors Open, Player Check-in, Controller Button Checks, and Free Play Warmups
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Welcome Speech & Official Street Fighter 6 Yasmine Gameplay Showcase
3:15 PM – 5:00 PM: Tournament Pools
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM: Top 8 Finals (Main Stage Broadcast) & Prize Presentation Ceremony for Champion, 2nd and 3rd Placements.
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Premium Community Giveaways, Group Photo Ops, and Closing Remarks
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Free Play and Community Networking

Attendees can also receive exclusive event merchandise while supplies last, including a Yasmine-themed T-shirt, lanyard, keychains, and themed food and refreshments.

Capcom says admission is subject to venue capacity and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Watch the event online

Fans who cannot attend in person can watch the tournament live through the Capcom Asia Official YouTube Channeland the Enduins Games Official YouTube Channel.

Capcom also teased additional announcements, including appearances from cosplay personalities, fighting game veterans, and content creators, which will be revealed closer to the event.

Street Fighter 6 Yasmine community event details

Date: August 9, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant, Palanan, Makati City
Tournament: Double-elimination (FT2, Top 8 FT3)
Livestream: Capcom Asia Official YouTube Channel and Enduins Games Official YouTube Channel

Gaming

Most of the world’s PlayStations will be officially useless by 2028

PlayStation’s disastrous no-disc policy is now a lot worse than you thought.

Published

July 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Last week, we lamented the loss of the PlayStation disc. As we described, the loss isn’t just a major blow to nostalgia for aging gamers, but it also puts a huge question mark on game ownership. Well, there’s another wrinkle that the world is slowly realizing. By deleting physical discs, PlayStation has effectively blockaded their entire service from countries without an official online store.

If you haven’t heard, PlayStation is ceasing the production of physical discs for new games starting 2028. The console will become an all-digital platform. Now, we can blather on and on about how this sucks for ownership, but all gamers will still have access to games online at the very least. Right?

Wrong.

Not every country has an official PlayStation Store or the ability to create a PSN account. In fact, a staggering amount don’t; 121 countries (or 62 percent of the entire world) don’t have official access to the online storefront.

If you live in any of these countries, you’re likely familiar with some unofficial solutions: that is, setting your country elsewhere where the store exists. But, because it’s an unofficial solution, doing this is technically against PlayStation’s policies and can result in bans.

That being said, as noted by users on Reddit, this means that, on a very technical and legal level, these 121 countries will no longer be able to buy physical or digital games starting 2028. Because of a clarified policy, you can still play older games, but if you want to play the latest Call of Duty or NBA 2K, you are out of luck.

There’s no official list of affected countries, other than those collated by others manually. But if you’ve never been able to set your own country on the PlayStation Network, you’re a part of it.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced comes to life at Skypark Macau

Themed event lets fans experience the game in real life from July 17 to 26

Published

July 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

Assassin’s Creed fans are invited to celebrate the launch of Black Flag Resynced through a limited-time themed experience at the Skypark Macau Tower.

The experience will run from July 17 to 26, and will feature elements from the title brought into a real-world setting. There’s themed installations, photo opportunities, and exclusive event rewards.

Aside from that, there is a concept art gallery and replica props inspired by the action-adventure.

The experience opens to the public from 11:00 A.M. on Friday, and will remain available until the last Sunday of the month.

It will be more fulfilling to come on the first day, as there will be exclusive merchandise sold only on July 17.

Guests who purchase the game on-site, or present proof of purchase of the game at the event will be eligible to redeem an exclusive item, available only until supplies last.

Moreover, those who complete an eligible activity during the Assassin’s Creed event period at Skypark Macau will receive a paper scroll replica of the “Letter for Duncan Walpole”, while supplies last.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a faithful remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag. Rebuilt from the ground up and powered by the latest Anvil engine, the game features updated visuals, enriched gameplay, and new narrative content.

Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, the game invites players to sail the Caribbean as Edward Kenway. The rebellious pirate captain is drawn into the centuries-old conflict between Assassins and Templars.

As the protagonist pursues glory and fortune, he crosses paths with legendary figures such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack. All this while the fate of everything the pirates have built hangs in the balance.

The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.