Child of Light is a classic RPG hidden between a 2D adventure look. Heavily inspired by Grandia, its combat system is interesting, but leveling up the characters does not improve the strategies you can use in combat.

An irresistible journey to hell.

In Pragmata, every element serves the gameplay—from the progression structure to the very staging of the narrative. And this works out beautifully, for it functions in a way that is frankly unexpected. Given the distinctive nature of the core concept underpinning its gameplay formula, it would have been entirely reasonable to fear a drop in quality during the later stages—moments where things could have easily become overly convoluted, running the risk of stripping the game of its fresh, intuitive appeal. Yet, Pragmata consistently manages to preserve a refined balance and an enviable self-awareness of its own uniqueness. Delicate yet intense, moving yet sweet, challenging yet intelligently structured—Pragmata may not reach pinnacles of absolute excellence in every single aspect (as it is the gameplay that truly towers above all else), but it nonetheless proves itself to be a precious work. Games like this—possessing an identity that is bold yet never pretentious—deserve to be cherished.

Fat Shark delivered an istant classic. One of the most intriguing action/puzzle of this generation, and a brilliant demostration of how an indie game can beat many of the "triple A" productions.

The Denpa Men: They Came by Wave is a fresh and fun RPG.

Oot only an excellent shooter, characterized by a unique and inimitable gunplay, but it is also one of the last bastions of FPS dedicated to single player, still able to put the player at the center of the narrative.

A pleasant surprise within the visual novel scene.

The first work of Spiral Circus Games does not last long but succeeds in offering an enveloping journey.

Ghost Trick is a little bit linear and drive the player into the epilogue without difficulty, but it is one of the most articulate, engaging and funny adventure published in recent years for Nintendo DS.

Fast, funny and deep, CastleStorm convinces thanks to a gameplay that melts together action and RPG elements to perfection.

Career is actually more complex, although some elements still appear to be deficient and in need of attention, starting from the outline interviews.

Hydroventure Spin Circle maintains the high quality of the original chapter in 60 levels of fun.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a truly remarkable remake, crafted with great care. On the one hand, it shines for the many merits of the absolute masterpiece it's based on, and on the other, it offers newcomers a valuable entry point to the saga. After all, it's a memorable prequel to all the other installments in the franchise, effectively modernized for the occasion, both graphically and gameplay-wise. Achieving a noteworthy result given the weight of the original work was far from easy, but despite a few minor flaws, the team succeeded, and we're happy with that. For this reason, too, especially on the higher difficulty levels, we recommend a stroll down memory lane in Unreal Engine even for longtime fans of the series. After all, Delta doesn't replace Metal Gear Solid 3, which—like the timeless gaming juggernaut that it is—is still there, playable on modern consoles. The numerical rating you find below is to be understood as being linked solely and exclusively to the operation implemented by Konami, which given its quality gives us hope for the possible future of Metal Gear Solid remakes.

Soaking in the world of Eora is therefore an imperative that no fans of role-playing and fantasy should be allowed to miss.

Having arrived on our markets three years later than the country of the Land of the Rising Sun, from a technical point of view The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is not exactly a cutting-edge cross-gen title. The Nihon Falcom product, which as is well known has a fairly limited budget, however compensates for its technical shortcomings with a well-tested turn-based combat system and an unforgettable narrative plot, which in this case weaves together three different stories and involves a hundred about historical figures. While not equaling the epic nature of Trails of Cold Steel IV, the new proposal from NIS America confirms itself as a deep and exciting JRPG, as well as the right conclusion to the narrative arcs of Erebonia and Crossbell.

Quotation forthcoming.

If the quality of the content remains the same view this year, we can only be happy with it.

At a reduced price, Blind Squirrel offers a complete edition of the Bioshock trilogy, with all additional content released so far: the offer is attractive for old and new fans, enriched with many graphical improvements: finally Rapture can be explored at 60 frames per second on consoles too.

Rhythm Paradise Megamix is the richest and most complete version of the franchise. Including old favorites and new arrivals, the hundred rhythmic exercises of this package will satisfy both the long-time admirers and the newcomers.

It is an archive in videogame form that will be composed over time to make Enzo Cucchi's production immortal, becoming at the same time a work of art in its own right.

All things considered, NBA 2K25 continues to improve what was already a top-notch sports simulation last year, mitigating the issues raised by the community and continuing to beef up an already substantial package. The structural innovations in both the offensive and defensive phases have fully convinced us and the new Era dedicated to Steph Curry and KD's Warriors has genuinely excited us. There are still some problems related to microtransactions (admittedly less pressing than last year) and to the Career mode dedicated to women's basketball, significantly less nourished than the men's one, but overall we are talking about a success almost across the board. 2K and Visual Concepts' basketball is in dazzling shape.

Asura's Wrath is not a usual action game. It blends Anime-Style cut scenes with a twirl of spectacular quick time events, and offers interesting variety and a catchy pace.

A strange sensorial experience: synaesthetic, charming, fascinating. More than a simple scrolling shooter, Child of Eden is the perfect mix of light and sound.

Valfaris is the perfect transposition in modern sauce of the run’n'gun that have cheered entire generations of enthusiasts.

Quotation forthcoming.

Realm of the Wood Elves is the best DLC of Total War Warhammer indeed: this add-on introduces new races and new interesting gameplay elements.

Well-studied backtracking, brilliant puzzles, a compelling sense of discovery.

New Vegas is like a Huge DLC, an enormous add-on. But the formula is still fresh and deep.

This is a generous re-proposal, in which functional filings intersect in the management of playful mechanics and an important aesthetic modernization.

New Vegas is like a Huge DLC, an enormous add-on. But the formula is still fresh and deep.

Pudding Monsters is a highly recommended title, one of those rare gems of mobile gaming that focuses on creativity and immediacy.

Persona 4: Arena is a great fighting game, able to conquer without much difficulty the hearts of the genre lovers.

Quotation forthcoming.

Black Myth Wukong is an original and satisfying experience. Game Science's product is a title that makes the splendid setting and a functional and convincing combat system its strong points, breaking away from comparisons with other illustrious exponents of the "hardcore" genre and carving out a space of its own with personality and competence. Some doubts remain about the balance of some encounters and the not always accurate registration of hits, but if - as it seems - Wukong will only be the first piece in the mosaic of the Black Myth saga, we can't wait to see what wonders this team will have in store for us in the future.

It offers a relaxed multiplayer, better served with friends, beers and a comfortable couch, and while doing that, it reminds you how good it is to play with friends.

It's an intelligent and compelling cooperative experience, one that is really able to offer something you've never tried before.

Despite a good start and a decent graphics section, Stray Souls is a disappointing product. The procedural jumpscare system misses the mark and the combat system is simply disastrous, so much so that it pushes the player to run away every time he encounters a hostile creature. To close the circle there is a plot which, despite having some good ideas in true B-movie style, fails to shine due to the needlessly verbose dialogues and the terrible animations that break the involvement. In short, if you are looking for a horror film it would be best to look elsewhere.

Dj Hero 2 has an impressive tracklist, some interesting game moders, and a redefined gameplay that stresses the player's creativity. Too bad the "career mode" is still quite boring.

Persona 3 Reload is undoubtedly the best way to recover the masterpiece made in Atlus. The excellent artistic direction, an excellent sound system and a greater depth of the protagonists of the story place this remake among the best exponents of the saga. The gameplay sequences set in Tartarus would have benefited from a few more creative twists capable of breaking up the repetitiveness, but in any case we are faced with an obligatory purchase for every lover of the Persona saga and for all fans of old-style JRPGs.

Dj Hero 2 has an impressive tracklist, some interesting game moders, and a redefined gameplay that stresses the player's creativity. Too bad the "career mode" is still quite boring.

Maybe not a masterpiece, but one of the most thrilling and rewarding experience of the last years. A classic adventure with a glimpse of the great 128 bit action games, and an overwhelming set of environmental puzzles.

A great way to close a cycle and kick off a new phase, in the hope of finding less action and more tension in the future. Together with that atavistic and visceral evil that crawls through the machinations of Umbrella, and under the rotten skin of his creatures.

Unruly Heroes is a delight for the eyes from beginning to end.

Even on the PsVita, this old-school RPG shines: bright colours, fascinating atmospheres, and a solid gameplay. A perfect conversion for one of the most intriguing digital titles of this year.

Exploration, dialogue and puzzle solving: that's what this game offers, and if you're into that, here you'll find an interesting experience.

Aesthetically delightful, original in its ideas and extremely refined in its execution, the first great adventure of the fearless mushroom vigorously claims the uniqueness of the Nintendo philosophy.

Shovel Night brought us back to a time where platform was the bedrock of gaming and dying didn't use to scare the players.

Beautiful to see, rich in content and graphics options, as well as managed with passion and great attention to detail, the last effort of the Hungarian Neocore Games offers a lot of fun.

Rockstar North re-defines downloadable content standards, giving the players a huge game experience, that can compete with fully priced products. Obviously, gameplay mechanic and game structures are very similar to GTA IV ones; that means repetitious missions and variety lack. Anyway, a great plot, few changes in the base formula, and interesting characters make Lost & Damned an exciting expansion pack.

Dance Central 3 is the best chapter of the saga. The multiplayer has been improved and the Story Mode provides constant motivation also to single player.

Redout 2 is a profound revision of the concept of the first chapter, finally blessed by a budget that allows the crazy artistic direction to free themselves from the limits of the past to create an experience that is at times incomparable. New events, airships and locations, reinforce the identity of a title that was born as a tribute to the masters of the genre such as Wipeout and F-Zero but which today has taken its own path, a path oriented towards pure driving skills. You have to try and try again for a long time to be able to internalize the controls, the totally crazy speeds and the complexity of the layout of the tracks, but Redout 2 knows how to reward the most tenacious with a complete and satisfying experience like few others.

We are faced with a universal title, suitable for any type of user, simple but not trivial: we believe it is right therefore to welcome with open arms productions of this caliber, capable of combining lightness and depth with good balance.

Animal Crossing reaffirms how important it is also to have an alternative: a welcoming and relaxed space where to stop. And relax. And breathe ...

DiRT 4 is a great title, fun and scalable: the right compromise of simulation and accessibility.

Dragon Age 2 is slightly different from Dragon Age: Origins. The gameplay structure presents lots of simplifications that fits the game better on consoles, and the storytelling (dark, mature and deep as always) is more focused on the main character and less dispersive. In the end, in a complete different way, the game is as good as the prequel, but aimed at a different kind of gamer.

The new 3D lookings, an epic soundtrack and the particular direction of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies makes it a well crafted chapter of the series.

This new chapter in the total War saga brings a new level of historic detail to the RTS and turn based strategy games, polishing a lot of flaws of the recent Empire. Although the much more detailed and intriguing campaign and the new online campaign features do not suffice to not make it look like a huge update rather than a brand-new game. An awesome update, but we should expect something more from a full release of the franchise.

Three different options for simulations make Sturmovik suitable for hardcore and casual gamers, but the game doesn't defeat the congenital problems of the genre.

Orwell is a thriller investigation game, but also an interactive way to face the consequences of a dystopian society.

Dead Space 3 is no more Survival than Dead Space 2. The game is therefore capable of maintaining the elevated nervous tension and to involve players in an interesting adventure.

Lone Survivor owns its rightful place in that line of production that resurrected the horror gaming in a big way.

Quotation forthcoming.

Golden Abyss is definitely a classic Uncharted game, but has its own nature. It is not as spectacular as the last 2 chapters, but finds a new way to entertain and amuse the videogamer.

Wildstar has everything that a new MMO needs. Except for the outdated monthly fee.

Quotation forthcoming.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is an excellent job. Every aspect of this classic has been improved, with brand new graphics, more voiced dialogues and an impressive number of "quality of life" improvements that streamline and make the entire experience much more enjoyable. The slightly dull color palette and some rather clunky animations are not enough to tarnish the excellent work done by Capcom in making one of the most iconic zombie killers of all time current. Absolutely worth recovering for both veterans and newcomers to the series.

Pit is back, in an all-new adventure which shines for its fast-paced gameplay and the ridiculous amount of content put in by Masahiro Sakurai and his Project Sora. Controls are uncomfortable, but getting used to them is the token you should pay to enjoy one fine 3D shooter.

Quotation forthcoming.

Fragments of a Forgotten World is a great remastered title. The team managed to rejuvenate the screenplay, the graphics and the gameplay, thanks to a great variety of "tasty" additions.

Quotation forthcoming.

Despite some defects in the control system, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is one of the best fighting game ever developed for a mobile console.

Swap Force is not only a new chapter of the best-selling video game of all time: it is a genuine stroke of genius.

The fusion of the classical Harvest Moon experience with the elements of the action-based RPGs is the key formula for a game which succeeds in catching the player and keeping his attention. Complexity in the gameplay is an option, not a rule, and Rune Factory: Frontier is one of the best examples, providing solid fun and a rewarding, deep experience. For all those who've never tried the Harvest Moon gameplay it's an occasion not to be wasted.

In Batman Armored Edition the GamePad is not working perfectly, banalizing the experience and forcing some features that feels unnecessary.

If it were not for the abrupt, bad and intrusive interruptions of a really badly managed inventory and some forced dialogue in some phases of the adventure, we would then find ourselves in front of a real masterpiece.

Quotation forthcoming.

Narita Boy is an experience to be lived and enjoyed, delightfully straddling two worlds (always and in any case made of pixels, complete with simulated curvature of the CRT monitor on the sides of the screen).

After Braid, another splendid puzzle-platform hits the Marketplace.

A great opening to what could reveal itself as one of the best episodic experiences since the first season of Telltale's The Walking Dead. The writing is superb, and the story will keep you waiting for the next episode.

Wisely blending the exuberance of battle royale with the dictates of the most famous platformer on the face of the earth, the title shows off the potential typical of memorable experiences, which from ideal "hit and run" pastimes are soon transformed into real videogame magnets, which the closer you get, the harder it becomes to break away.

Contra Rebirth doesn’t represent a revolution in the actual gaming scene. Just because it doesn’t care at all. Contra is here, with its destruction, challenging gameplay and devastating fun: perfect for those who can appreciate it, the others could as well seek for something else, but not without knowing that they’re throwing away an option to see how much fun a good game can deliver.

Rift Apart remains a hilarious Ratchet & Clank and sometimes adorable adventure, but also an exclusive, frankly a little less disruptive than expected.

Our hope is that Absolum represents the first in a long series of hybridizations that could breathe new life into a genre that shaped the history of arcades and the '90s, refreshing the formula and significantly increasing its longevity. We also believe that this promising title hasn't yet exhausted its resources: an expansion with new playable characters and a refinement of an already enjoyable gameplay formula could raise the bar for a game that absolutely deserves the attention of both arcade-style beat 'em up lovers and roguelite fans. It's a shame that its longevity and lack of additional difficulty prevent it from achieving excellence.

If music and video games represent the perfect combination for you, Fuser is, in no uncertain terms, unmissable.

Cocoon offers solid gameplay, which develops along a well-thought-out and stimulating learning curve. A system capable of quickly gaining the player's attention, who ends up effortlessly entangled in this unusual tangle of worlds. However, a commendable game design is counterbalanced by a narrative section that fails to captivate the public with equal force. The protagonist's motivations and the epilogue of his adventure struggle to leave their mark at the end of the journey proposed by Cocoon. A dichotomy that will find admirers in lovers of deliberately cryptic stories, but which could generate slight disappointment in players looking for intense emotions. At its core, we would like to reiterate, it remains in any case a gaming experience of absolute value.

Live A Live is a remake made in an almost flawless way and, above all, with great taste, between the magic touch of HD-2D and the original soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura appropriately rearranged for the occasion.

Get Outta My Galaxy is a fun action game, although not too deep to offer elaborate dynamics. A pressing difficulty level will always offer exciting challenges.

Between HD remastering and complete remake, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is a thick reissue that keeps the valuable narrative component of the original unchanged, today more than ever essential to fully understand the increasingly complex mythology of the seventh fantasy the final. By intervening on the fluidity of the combat system and even reworking the infamous OMD system, Square Enix has managed to rejuvenate and improve a still valid play system. On the flip side, however, the graphic restoration was only partially successful, as the landscapes and polygonal models of the secondary characters would have needed touch-ups of a much different entity. While waiting for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to reach the launch pad, Crisis Core still represents an obligatory stop for fans of the saga, perhaps even more than it was fifteen years ago.

TT Isle of Man 2 showed up at the test drive in excellent shape, invigorated by a consistent injection of content and a more full-bodied and structured career.

What matters, in my opinion, is knowing that Part 1 is the best version of a game out of the parameters, yesterday as today. I am willing to swear it.

Element4l is a "back to basics" of platform gaming. Brilliant.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is what Final Fantasy XIII should have been, with lots of sub-quests, mini-games and a little more exploration. Despite responding to fanbase requests, the team left unaltered the fighting system and the linearity; so this is not the comeback of a classic Final Fantasy.

Time does not seem to have left any negative signs on the production from Ska Studios.

EVE Valkyrie is one of the best titles for our Virtual Reality headsets, and a big step forward for spacefight sims.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut is a highly recommended title, especially to those who have never played the original: it is certainly the best and most complete version of the Eidos title.

With a simulative gameplay, the official license of FIA Formula One World Championship, a complex career mode and a solid graphic engine, F1 2010 becomes one of the best racing games of this generation.

Ruined King is an RPG with undoubted qualities. Thanks to the fundamental artistic contribution of Joe "Mad" Madureira, the work manages to capture the attention of both fans who live permanently in Runeterra and newbies who have never heard of League of Legends.

Zen Studios builds a solid arcade experience, combining the world of Star Wars with the world of arcades in a fantastic way, delivering a truly accurate work in every detail.