Gaming

TEKKEN 8 Hands-On: The hype is indeed real

Even in its beta form during the CNT, it feels like a polished game already

Published

August 4, 2023

Gab Orlina

It won’t be long before BANDAI NAMCO releases its latest addition to the TEKKEN franchise with TEKKEN 8. As one of the more highly anticipated installments in the series, the game promises more fiery battles than ever before. With an already stacked lineup of fighters announced over the past few months, the hype is definitely real for its impending release. Fortunately, I was able to have an opportunity to participate in the game’s Closed Network Test (CNT) this past weekend to try out what’s new!

Let’s just say that, even in its beta form, it’s already looking like the most promising upgrade after a long wait.

Bringing the Heat

During the CNT, I got to try out the much-elaborated-upon Heat System that will be coming to TEKKEN 8. In summary, the Heat System serves as a main combat feature that enhances your moveset’s power and pushes players to stay on the aggressive. It’s a way for the game to remain as action-packed and relatively fast-paced as possible, and truly favors players that simply can’t help themselves.

Each of the sixteen playable characters during the CNT has their own way of activating the Heat System, and is often paired with combos that bring a whole new level to the experience. Honestly, as someone who often plays TEKKEN with a controller, some of the combos took a while to figure out and master. The good thing about it so far is that once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to integrate into your designated moveset and elevates your mastery of the fighters, as well.

Also, the Heat System activation timeframe feels properly balanced to an extent. In my experience, when you’re not being as aggressive, it punishes you by speeding up the timer. However, when you do stay on the attack, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a state of Heat for too long — which would make fights incredibly one-sided. I’m already imagining more experienced and professional players finding ways to keep the Heat running!

Roster and moveset updates

Of course, it wouldn’t be a TEKKEN game if we don’t talk about the roster of fighters — at least, the ones available in the CNT. As mentioned earlier, you can choose between sixteen fighters that have already been announced prior, especially some new and returning faces to the mix. As with every TEKKEN game I have touched since TEKKEN 5, I picked Lili first as she is my main!

For most of the fighters, their fighting styles and movesets are a bit more refined compared to before. This was something I particularly observed when playing Jin, Kazuya, Paul, Lili, and Claudio. Also, with the Heat System in place, some of the more hard-hitting characters felt more satisfying to activate combos for. Even their Rage Arts felt more bone-crushing than before, especially with some of the animations.

Jun and Asuka Kazama, and yes they have identical fighting styles

Perhaps the biggest surprise to me during the CNT happened when I was playing Jun Kazama, the MOTHER herself! Given that her last appearance was all the way back in TEKKEN 2, there wasn’t really much to compare against. Although, what sets her apart from the others is the fact that some of her attacks either do self-healing or self-damage, which is a mechanic that will get a lot of players to learn her moveset later on.

Initial game redesign

Upon loading up TEKKEN 8, it already gave me some chills with Kazuya staring into your soul. From the get-go, the main menu only consisted of just Ranked Play and the Tutorial, which wasn’t much given the circumstances. However, my focus was honestly more on the Character Select Screen that I hope they maintain in the final version.

To be honest, it’s just like any character select screen you can imagine for most fighting games. This time around, TEKKEN 8 now shows you fighter stats and their specific fighting style — a first in the franchise! I feel like that’s really more for the diehard fans to appreciate. Also, something about one of the characters struck me the most but let’s not spoil it just yet!

Everything else about the design of the game and the stages, what else needs to be said? Even though there were only five stages, each of them looked incredible on my Xbox Series X. From the lighting to the different gimmicks per stage, it felt amazing to do battle on all of them!

Hopefully more to come

I am genuinely excited for what’s to come for TEKKEN 8 when it comes out. Coming from the CNT, it looked like the game was in a polished state with minimal bugs to report. Also, the Heat System served as a fine addition to the formula and made every fight worth commiting to. If anything, I wished that the queue times for Cross Platform Play in Ranked were a bit faster, though. Hopefully, with more people playing this game later on, that wouldn’t be a problem.

My other hope for the game later on is that they keep adding more fighters to the pool. Honestly, it would be better if some of them were not locked behind DLC to pay for unlike TEKKEN 7. At the top of my head, I’m looking forward to fighters like Anna Williams, Yoshimitsu, Kuma, and Alisa Bosconovitch, among others. Also, could we please bring Mokujin back?

As of now, there’s no official announcement yet on when the final version will be released. Hopefully, it will still be on track for an early 2024 launch time. But, so far, so good, TEKKEN 8 — the hype for you is indeed real!

Gaming

What to Expect at gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025

Bangkok gears up for Southeast Asia’s biggest gaming weekend yet

Published

October 13, 2025

Rodneil Quiteles and GadgetMatch

The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok is about to become ground zero for gamers across the region as gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025 takes over from October 16 to 19. With global heavyweights like Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia, Capcom, and Ubisoft leading the charge, fans can look forward to four packed days of world premieres, hands-on demos, cosplay, esports, and exclusive merch.

Bandai Namco’s biggest booth ever

Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia (BNE Asia) is going all out this year with its largest-ever title showcase, bringing both blockbuster releases and new surprises to Bangkok.

Playable titles include Little Nightmares III, MY HERO ACADEMIA: All’s Justice, Digimon Story Time Stranger, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, Once Upon A KATAMARI, and PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC, plus localized Thai demos of Little Nightmares III and ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition.

Fans can also look forward to Square Enix titles like FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE and DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake showcased within the same space. Completing the experience are exclusive freebies via a stamp rally, a photo op for CODE VEIN II, and a special guest appearance by Final Fantasy VII Remake Battle Director Teruki Endo on October 18.

Capcom brings new reveals, live shows, and cosplay power

Capcom’s lineup blends nostalgia, live entertainment, and fan engagement. Headlining the booth is the first Southeast Asian demo of Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, featuring all seven remastered titles in the series.

On the main stage, fans can catch developer sessions for Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, featuring Producers Kadowaki Akihito, Satoru Nihei, and Ryozo Tsujimoto.

Meanwhile, Thai YouTuber Gssspotted will host live gameplay demos of Resident Evil Requiem and PRAGMATA, followed by a Street Fighter 6 showcase led by Shuhei Matsumoto and Takayuki Nakayama — complete with a Top 16 tournament and a 30,000 THB prize pool.

Fans can also expect a daily cosplay gathering at 4 PM hosted by emcee YUKI, alongside exclusive Capcom merchandise and a custom illustration wall by artist Ryuta Fuse.

Ubisoft celebrates 10 years of Siege and showcases new games

Ubisoft is marking a major milestone with the 10th anniversary of Rainbow Six Siege, kicking off with a fireside chat featuring Creative Director Alexander Karpazis on October 16.

Across the weekend, the Ubisoft x Intel booth will feature hands-on gameplay for Anno 117: Pax Romana, Morbid Metal, Just Dance 2026, and Rainbow Six Siege, with exclusive goodies and cosplay meet-and-greets.

The publisher is also giving away a custom Intel x Siege PC — fans can join by snapping a photo at the Siege X booth and posting it online. Esports fans can catch daily 6v6 Siege showmatches, a creator exhibition match, and the Rainbow Six Siege Thailand Finals happening live on October 19.

A celebration beyond the main stages

Beyond the major showcases, the event floor will also be buzzing with more booths and interactive zones from top hardware brands like AMD, Intel, Predator, SteelSeries, Nubwo x EGA, and SIGNO. Visitors can explore even more game and publisher spaces from Nintendo, Xbox, HoYoverse, The Pokémon Company, Mytona, 4Divinity, Amazing Seasun, Razer Game Services, Staika, Ukiyo Studios, VNGGames, NCV Games, and Thermite Games — each bringing demos, merch drops, and activities that keep the energy going from one hall to the next.

Whether you’re there for Final Fantasy nostalgia, Monster Hunter reveals, or the Siege anniversary showdown, gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025 is shaping up to be the ultimate celebration of gaming culture in Southeast Asia — a rare crossover event uniting the world’s biggest publishers under one roof, all in the heart of Bangkok.

Gaming

Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a fighting game

You can play as one of twelve characters on launch.

Published

October 13, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

For every beloved anime franchise, there will always come a time when the only thing left to do is to pit all of its characters inside a fighting game. So far, it’s happened with Dragon Ball, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Soon, Avatar: The Last Airbender is joining the fight. An official fighting game is coming.

Announced during New York Comic Con, the upcoming title, temporarily called Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, will pit the franchise’s most powerful characters against each other. According to the Steam page, the game’s launch will see 12 initial characters for gamers to fight with. More characters will then come afterward through a seasonal model. From the trailer, we can already confirm Aang, Korra, Toph, Sokka, Azula, Katara, and Zuko.

Importantly, the game will use 2D drawn animation. Its style will thankfully look similar to the original series. It will also feature special powers using something the developers call a “flow system.” And characters will get swappable support characters to bolster their powers.

It will feature a single-player campaign featuring an original narrative.

It’s all currently vague because the game is in pre-alpha development. However, Gameplay Group International, the game’s developers, has already confirmed a release date window during the summer of next year. It will launch on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam.

Accessories

Ultimate tag-team: Razer-2XKO Collection arrives

Featuring Ahri on the Kitsune, BlackShark V3 Pro

Published

October 10, 2025

GadgetMatch

Razer has officially announced the new Razer | 2XKO Collection. The exclusive lineup of high-performance gear was created in collaboration with Riot Games.

2XKO, of course, is Riot’s new fighting game featuring champions from both League of Legends and Arcane.

The collection launches alongside the game’s Early Access, now open to all players on Windows PC.

The Razer | 2XKO Collection introduces the first licensed gaming peripherals for the title, designed to meet the demands of competitive gaming and casual fans alike.

Each product features champion-inspired artwork, blending high performance engineering with iconic character design.

Under the collection are three pro-grade esports gaming peripherals with the following prices:

Razer Kitsune 2XKO Edition: US$ 329.99 / EUR 349.99 / PhP 21,390
Razer BlackShark V3 Pro 2XKO Edition: US$ 269.99 / EUR 289.99 / PhP 19,990
Razer Iskur V2 X 2XKO Edition: US$ 399.99 / EUR 479.99 / PH pricing TBC

The collection features Ahri from the title, complete with her red top, cat ears, at whisker face print, and indigo hair.

Razer’s pro-grade leverless arcade controller comes emblazoned with her. Meanwhile, the wireless esports headset also comes in dominant white with the character on the outer housing of the earpad.