Crossfire Legion marks a misstep for BlackBird Interactive, a software house that has its fair share of experience in the field of RTS. Precisely for this reason we were negatively surprised to experience a product of this kind, all in all valid from a technical or artistic point of view, but rather monotonous and uninspired in the tactical-strategic components. Ours is not a complete rejection, but in essence we find it difficult to recommend the purchase of Crossfire Legion to anyone who is not already a diehard fan of the franchise.

Vibrant and colorful, Dragon Quest Treasures is a fun and entertaining action RPG, which we recommend to both newbies and experts of the genre. Due to the excessive backtracking and the expected cyclical routine of the gameplay, it may not be the classic title to devote entire days to, but on the other hand, the spin-off lends itself very well to fleeting sessions, perhaps aimed at interspersing much more demanding activities. The most successful elements of the package are the combat system, satisfying and intuitive, and the amount of content, which we are convinced will be able to give you many hours of entertainment in the always fascinating Dragon Quest universe.

Signalis is a survival horror characterized by ingenious and truly stimulating puzzles: solving even just one can give great satisfaction and pushes us to continue the journey of the frightened protagonist, based on a well-finished and fascinating plot. Some game design choices certainly had a negative impact on the pleasure of the second part of the adventure but net of these critical issues Signalis is a good survival horror, which fans of the genre - especially if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass - should definitely else try.

Master of Magic, a remake of the 1994 strategy classic, brings back to life a perhaps unjustly forgotten title, but responsible as much as colleagues with the most high-sounding names for having contributed to the success of the 4X genre. The work of the development team seeks and obtains fidelity to the original material but also presents unexpected simplifications. In any case, longtime enthusiasts would do well to prepare themselves for a long, very long journey to become sorcerer supreme, but this time in a mostly effectively modernized experience.

Just the indomitable creativity of the development team, which also shines on the aesthetic side, makes High on Life a production worthy of the attention of the public, especially of that large audience of players who recognize Rick and Morty as one of the most brilliant animated series of the last years.

The good work done in giving a new form to the myth of Baba Yaga, updating the legendary witch of Slavic folklore through a plot whose ending will be decided by us, is too frequently overshadowed by the structural naiveties of a perhaps overly ambitious production.

The impact of the new textures and a revised lighting system in almost every part allows you to appreciate the adventures of the Witcher par excellence like never before, with a cinematic cut made even more effective by the addition of Ray Tracing and with unprecedented fluidity choosing to opt for the performance mode. Wisely selected the mods produced by the community, and equally effective those created from scratch to rejuvenate the most obsolete mechanics of the original game, which now benefits from a fresher and more dynamic interaction system and a close-up view that favors immersion in the exploration and combat.

Arkanoid: Eternal Battle saves itself in the corner thanks to a series of ancillary methods which, between classicism and modernity, know how to pay homage in an at least dignified way to a work that has made the history of the medium. As for its battle royale heart, unfortunately, it must be noted that it has a certain difficulty in pulsating, too inconsistent and frequented by the community to justify, on its own, a ticket price that is not so low.

Warhammer 40,000 Darktide is a title that needs more content and some tweaking. Graphically it is excellent and the play of light and shadow, in particular, make some moments even memorable. However, the balance between the classes needs to be reviewed, as well as the in-game economy and the cost of aesthetic elements. In any case, when lived with a handful of connected players, Darktide manages to be appreciated at its best but in some hours the shadow of repetitiveness makes itself felt. As for the Warhammer 40,000 lore, the game is steeped in it, but an audible and non-influential background radiation remains. The launch on Game Pass can help support the experience in the short term, when the novelty effect is still hot but it is clear that the production will need worthy support from the developers to continue to entertain the public.

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.

Our test of Harvestella took place on Nintendo Switch, but the JRPG is also available on PC. With a playful soul in constant balance between Action RPG and life-simulator, the JRPG alternates real-time battles, cultivation of the fields and socializing activities with your travel companions. A pleasant narrative, even if not excessively original, relaxed rhythms and an interesting artistic sector are combined with not too in-depth gameplay dynamics. For players looking for a relaxing adventure, which alternates between clashes and agricultural simulation without putting too many variables on fire, Harvestella still represents a valid and long-lived option.

Among Us VR is a well-crafted game that is fun in company and, at times, capable of generating tension. The underlying experience remains almost the same as the title for smartphones, tablets, consoles and PCs, but it has mini-games designed specifically for virtual reality, trivial but effective. Experiencing the investigations in space with a helmet constitutes an encounter with the countless memes seen from 2020 to today, and perhaps this is the factor that will initially drive the VR version of the game, which in all probability will continue to ensnare only the community of aficionados.

It's ironic how a product called "Unbound" is, in contrast, still so harnessed by the canons of traditional open world racing games, resulting all too similar to its direct predecessor. Need For Speed Unbound is a solid title overall , provided, however, that you approach it without too many pretensions. Net of some structural problems that can make you turn up your nose, the game manages to entertain, thanks to a deep customization of the vehicles and a multiplayer that works properly. The original sin, however, lies in the wanting to insist on a slightly lazy playful formula. production that unfortunately does not deviate from the trend that starts from Burnout Paradise and links all the Need For Speed released in the last decade, son of a repeated life a little indolent. There is therefore a need for Electronic Arts to get back on track and engage the turbo as soon as possible, if it wants to return to excel in the panorama of arcade driving games.

On the scenic front, The Callisto Protocol hits the bull's-eye with a first-rate, forward-looking visual presentation, and with a long series of intense encounters with horrific monstrosities, which react credibly to the electric baton blasts that hit them. Alternating body to body shooting or the use of the gravitational glove can give real adrenaline rushes but not the tension that many expected. From the progression at times not very stimulating, up to some playful imbalances, which emerge above all in the course of specific boss fights, this horror-tinged action is certainly a "good first" for Striking Distance Studios but, also thanks to a problematic narrative sector, it failed to express - sadly - its full potential.

Marvel's Midnight Suns kept us glued to the screen for hours, making the most of each of its playful components.

Overall, Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 is a better product than its predecessor in almost every respect. The gameplay takes advantage of the small additions of the latest Modern Warfare 2, the positioning of the loot is finally believable and the DMZ mode, despite being in Beta, already looks promising right now. At present, Warzone 2.0 has some gameplay imperfections and numerous technical problems that affect the experience both when navigating the menus and within the game itself. We hope that the situation will improve in the coming weeks, so as not to overshadow the excellent work done by the Activision teams in packaging this experience of absolute importance for Call of Duty.

The resurrection of a saga that already failed to win the hearts of players twenty years ago turns out to be a bit empty, like the coffin that Grave carries on his shoulders: the developers of Iggymob offer an extremely simple experience through a shooter third-person shooter with basic mechanics, fixated on repeating shooting to mow down wave after wave of helpless enemies. The long and always identical corridors that form the backdrop to the carnage of the resurrected gunslinger frame an all too meager playful recipe, weakened by a spartan technical realization and by a basic repetitiveness that is revealed within a few hours. The artistic direction of Yasuhiro Nightow is evident in a character design very close to the lines admired in Trigun, but it is not enough to elevate what remains an unambitious product.

OlliOlli World Finding the Flowzone is certainly the most successful expansion of the two that make up the Season Pass of the Roll7 game. Thanks to a considerable variety of stages and the introduction of even more complex paths than those we have been used to in recent months, it is impossible that this content does not meet the tastes of players who have loved the title and who are looking for an excuse to get back on the skateboard and put into practice all the tricks learned. The only flaws of this DLC concern the limited amount of time required to reach the credits and the presence of bugs, which could annoy the most competitive players and make it difficult for them to climb the global rankings.

Evil West is not a cornerstone of the action genre, but it is a product supported by a solid and fun combat system. Facing hordes of monstrous creatures with a vast and customizable arsenal through numerous upgrades is rewarding enough to overshadow the not excellent technical realization, as well as a narrative that is not without flaws. Not to be negligible is also the inclusion in the package of an online cooperative mode which could be the perfect excuse to relive Jesse Reinter's epic alongside a friend, perhaps to unlock every single secret and make the slaughters even more fun. monsters.

Ghost Song left a slight bitterness in our mouth when we consider its remarkable potential. The story conquers, the maps and in general the level design of the game are well built, while the variety of the clashes and the role-playing component work (initially) very well. Unfortunately, the average difficulty does not grow with the passing of the hours and on the contrary turns downwards, thanks to some devastating power ups and a general repetition of the enemies. Despite these critical issues, Ghost Song has amused and fascinated us, which is why we still recommend you try it, especially if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber.

Goat Simulator 3 is an ode to unbridled fun, a jumble of easter eggs, absurd and "deliberate idiocy", capable of giving healthy entertainment to all those who choose to play the sheep once again. Thanks to simple but fun multiplayer activities and a pool of weapons and cosmetic items to be collected, clearly to wreak havoc on the town at the center of the experience, the game of Coffee Stain knows how to give smiles and surprise, with its repetitive missions but guess what and the catastrophic consequences of the actions of this bleating goat and a little Dragonborn.

More long-lived, rich and experimental than the other episodes, The Devil in Me concludes the first season in a somewhat discontinuous way. What on the one hand adds to the playful formula, on the other subtracts it in terms of narrative rhythm. Thanks to the usual multiplayer modes, and the possibility of collecting special coins along the hotel to unlock some extras in the main menu, the last piece of the tetralogy is the most dense but also the most bulimic: it always remains disturbing and refined on the side of the atmosphere, however, takes a step backwards in terms of cohesion between its parts. For now, the curtain falls on the Supermassive anthology, with a fairly positive overall balance, if only for the team's ability to have shown us, from time to time, the many shades of horror.

Summing up the new Pokémon game always means triggering a conflict between heart and head. By heart, among other things, Scarlet and Violet have plenty to sell. Although very diluted and with a very staid pace, the plot entertains and surprises especially at the end, and the many supporting actors of this new epic are among the funniest and most intriguing of the entire franchise. Overall, Game Freak packs a fun and content-rich adventure, despite some of the new features not fully convincing. The open world works but at the same time is limited by a great underlying repetitiveness, while some of the most interesting achievements achieved by the spin-off on Arceus have been revised and adapted - not always positively - for the new formula. Unfortunately, to weigh on the final judgment are the many technical problems on which it is now really impossible to postpone. In the hope that the development team, sooner or later, will be able to align their productions with current generational standards, we can still assert that the new pair of Pokémon games is interesting.

Summing up the new Pokémon game always means triggering a conflict between heart and head. By heart, among other things, Scarlet and Violet have plenty to sell. Although very diluted and with a very staid pace, the plot entertains and surprises especially at the end, and the many supporting actors of this new epic are among the funniest and most intriguing of the entire franchise. Overall, Game Freak packs a fun and content-rich adventure, despite some of the new features not fully convincing. The open world works but at the same time is limited by a great underlying repetitiveness, while some of the most interesting achievements achieved by the spin-off on Arceus have been revised and adapted - not always positively - for the new formula. Unfortunately, to weigh on the final judgment are the many technical problems on which it is now really impossible to postpone. In the hope that the development team, sooner or later, will be able to align their productions with current generational standards, we can still assert that the new pair of Pokémon games is interesting.

Vile Monarch packs an experience that manages to stand out in the panorama of post-apocalyptic themed city builders, at least on the aesthetic front. From the point of view of the gameplay we would have preferred to see carried forward that vein of innovation that distinguishes the management side of relations between clans. Unfortunately, on the whole, the game has been able to capture the most successful aspects of other exponents of the genre to which it refers, without daring to detach itself from playful elements already repeatedly proposed over the last few years. In any case, city builder fans may appreciate Floodland for the solidity of the mechanics implemented and for its vision of a future that is anything but surreal.

While not reaching the expressive heights of Limbo or Inside, Somerville is placed in the wake of Playdead's videogame experiments. Jumpship's first work offers intriguing suggestions on the artistic and thematic front, but fails to translate the amount of stimuli proposed into a truly concrete narrative message. An unsettled contrast between level design, direction and game mechanics is unfortunately the background to the entire experience, which thus fails to fully express its potential. With a total duration of about 4-6 hours and several endings - all equally hermetic - to be gutted, Somerville could still conquer fans of the reference genre, even without representing one of the best exponents.

The availability of Pentiment from the launch on Game Pass will encourage even those who do not normally love narrative adventures to give a chance to the excellent work signed by Josh Sawyer and Obsidian Entertainment, which adds a gem of great value to the crown of Xbox Game Studios and his bright career.

Although several decades have passed since its debut on the market, Tactics Ogre continues to be one of the best exponents of the strategic genre and the new re-edition packaged by Square Enix has been able to greatly increase the smoothness of the experience. Although with some exceptions, the tricks made to the playful dough have been able to rejuvenate the title with an old-school flavor, making it palatable even in the eyes of the new generations. On the flip side, however, the technical sector does not defend itself as well. Our advice is therefore to use it on the small screen of the Nintendo Switch, which thanks to portability will be able to partially mask the age of a milestone like Tactics Ogre.