Despite the twenty years on the monkey shoulders, the first Super Monkey Balls remain puzzle video games of superfine quality, albeit tough on the verge of sacrilegious imprecation. Retrogaming aside, Banana Mania is undoubtedly the best way to experience its spinning gameplay recipe, now also open to welcoming any newbies thanks to the introduction of some optional "assist controls". The picture closes with a wealth of content that not many other remasters can boast, although part of the secondary offer, in terms of accessibility, is essentially for a select few. Stuff to spin the ... balls.

Overall, however, we can only be satisfied with the outcome of the nostalgia operation implemented by Blizzard, which will once again trap fans in an endless cycle of fights to the death and unbridled looting.

The technical limits of Nintendo Switch are well known, yet Kakarot's aura expands from second to second even on the hybrid machine of the Kyoko House, which in spite of the predictions has in fact been able to guarantee us an always fluid experience and a shot of ' remarkable eye.

Hot wheels Unleashed is, in some respects, a brilliant arcade driving video game. Simple, immediate, fun and just enough adrenaline, supported by an excellent technical department and which offers one of the best circuit editors that have been seen in recent years. However, it is not explained how such a well-made title can be inserted in such a cumbersome and counterintuitive menu system, in addition to the fact that in the face of an excellent interpretation of the Hot Wheels brand on an aesthetic level, it contradicts itself so evidently with the its management of the lootboxes, the underlying mechanics of the title that has influenced its internal balance in a way that is at least questionable.

The EA Sports revolution comes to life in FIFA 22 for next gen, but in our opinion we are facing a starting point and certainly not a goal for Canadian football. The innovations guaranteed by Hypermotion Technology, a real pillar of this year's offer, give the scenic impact and gameplay a realism that is unprecedented for the series. Unfortunately, the refinement in the animations and the artificial intelligence tricks clash with the idea of ​​football that Electronic Arts has been repeating for a decade now: spectacular and frenetic, but too fast and not very inclined to strategy. In addition to the technical improvements, there is a content offer that has never been so rich and complex, but in large part a little too anchored to the past. In short, FIFA is heading towards excellence again without fully achieving it: it begins to transform its beating heart, but not its own head. And for a champion to become a champion, it is necessary to have both.

A forgettable shooter.

The obvious flaws of Sable eliminate the possibility of presenting all these ideas in a coherent and engaging adventure from start to finish. The open structure of the narrative and gameplay, however, allow to calibrate the overall experience on the user's desire to immerse themselves in a story that is as fascinating as it is imperfect.

Death Stranding makes its debut on PlayStation 5 with a Director's Cut which, while offering players a good dose of unreleased content, does not significantly alter the quality balance of Hideo Kojima's latest work. The playful narrative essence of the production has therefore remained the same as it was two years ago, with all its strengths, its flaws and its overflowing expressive power. With an exceptional technical sector, the monumental epic of Sam Porter Bridges returns to console in its best form, to propose to the public an exceptional science fiction story placed between the meshes of an extraordinarily rich and fascinating imaginary, which frames a poignant story supported by a gameplay as satisfying as it is unique, capable of triggering a pleasant addiction. More than anything else, Death Stranding is the ardent manifestation of the creative flair of an author who is not afraid to challenge the logic and dogmas of the market, with the aim of pushing the medium towards still unexplored territories.

After completing Kena, we felt the desire not to leave these virtual lands, to continue further into the heart of the forest to eliminate even the last bit of Corruption. Like the souls of the village, in short, we didn't want to "go further" either. The magic of Bridge of Spirits is all here: in its sweet magnetism, in its balance between gameplay and storytelling, in the echo of those adventure games of yesteryear, where simplicity moved hand in hand with refinement. Gorgeous to look at and rewarding to play, Kena is a debut work that has rarely been seen in recent years: that the independent sector can be guided by its spirit.

NBA 2K22 is a very ambitious title, perhaps too much so.

We tried this restored version of Myst on Xbox Series S and enjoyed it very much. To see the work of Cyan always has a certain effect, as well as trying to solve the proposed puzzles. For those who had already played the original almost thirty years ago, a tour around the island is always recommended. For those who had already relived the magic of Myst through VR or some other re-release (realMyst, for example) it is a little less so, especially if you don't have an Xbox Game Pass subscription. For those, however, who had never heard of this adventure, this is a unique opportunity to recover one of the pieces of videogame history.

With Aragami 2, the development team changes artistic direction, replenishes the gameplay with everything that has been released in recent years and add content to content, preferring quantity to quality. With a little more care and a better finish, Aragami 2 could have been a jewel: as it is, it remains an effective product, but still leaves a little bitterness in the mouth.

Gamedec's ideas are interesting and so is its imagination. But what disappoints about the work of Anshar Studios is how the concepts were concretized and how ineffective the dialogues are - both in describing the world (the discovery of which will only be possible by reading dozens of codex documents), and in telling the characters and their emotions.

The small smudges reported up to this point do not compromise the experience as a whole. In the approximately 10 hours of gameplay required for completion, to which another handful is added to complete all the secondary ones left open, Tails of Iron constantly keeps the player's attention high, just like Redgi's shield. We are far from the complexity of a full-fledged souls-like, but the production of Odd Bug represents an engaging, at times exhilarating challenge, which will certainly keep even the most demanding players busy.

If we were to evaluate exclusively the Ultra Age combat system we would not hesitate to say that it is a small pearl. Unfortunately, however, we find ourselves having to consider the entire package and it is therefore impossible not to take into consideration the serious problems of this production, which range from level design to the graphics sector, passing through some very questionable gameplay choices. The result is a poor offer in terms of content even for a product sold for 29.99 euros. In short, the purchase of Ultra Age should only be evaluated by the most hardcore fans of the genre who do not want to miss the opportunity to try the particular combat system on PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch (platform on which there is also a free demo).

Despite the frenetic action combat system and the exquisite tactical component represented by the introduction of the cute Cioffi, already in 2018 Ni no Kuni 2: The Destiny of a Kingdom could not fully convince us, due to a cloying and excessively childish story , which among other things entrusted downloadable content with the fundamental task of answering the most interesting questions that remained pending. Including both the base game and its DLCs, the Switch version has at least partially remedied the "shortcomings" of the original version, the only pity that on the hybrid the product is affected by technical problems that are difficult to ignore. Ultimately, the future of the kingdom continues to look anything but rosy.

Ultimately, Lost Judgment is a great sequel, characterized by very inspired writing and a great dose of irreverence. A braver second chapter, more refined and extremely more elegant, which offers the possibility of being played by all those who have never had direct contact with the first episode or with the Yakuza saga. RGG Studio proves once again to be one of the most competent teams on the square, capable of diversifying the gameplay as few, giving full importance to the narrative component of their productions and deliberately omitting some technical details that are however irrelevant for the success of the project. Sure, maybe more could have been done with regards to exploiting the features of Dualsense, but this is more of a wasted opportunity than a real lack.

The arrival on consoles of Apsulov: End of Gods confirms the positive aspects, but also all the negative ones of the original PC release of 2019.

F.I.S.T .: Forged in Shadow Torch is an imperfect production but by no means trivial: a metroidvania that does its own without excelling in any area, in any case denoting a certain expertise on the part of a team that is anything but accustomed to global stages. What is missing are only a bit of an overall vision, a sense of proportion (because the adventure is paradoxically even a thread too long) and a basic balance: sins of youth, however excusable, which cannot really affect the value of a title that can be played with a certain pleasure.

Naraka Bladepoint is not a perfect battle royale, but it manages to mix a series of gameplay mechanics that make it frenetic, fun and above all immediate.

Ultimately it is difficult to promote Baldo, his flaws are obvious and even assuming that all the technical problems are solved by future patches, it would remain the heart of a frustrating and badly balanced experience.

Eastward is not just the dazzling debut title of a very small development studio in Shanghai, just as it is not just a video game that closely resembles the best 2D Zelda in history. Don't call it Zelda-like: not because it's not a formally correct definition but because Pixpil's creature wants to be something more than the classic declaration of love to a title from the past. Eastward is one of the brightest examples of what are the true qualities of independent development: a real pearl that deserves to be discovered, perfectly capable of carving out its space in the niche of instant videogame cult. It is certainly one of the most surprising and impactful experiences of recent years, one of those titles capable of pointing the way to those who will come later.

For those who have not played Madden NFL for a few years, the new episode may be the right opportunity to start over. The Franchise mode has been rearranged and the direction taken seems to be the right one, while the gameplay, waiting for the adjustments in the secondary, is appreciated for a renewed physics in the inertia of the players' movements and for an AI that in more than one opportunity surprised us positively. The magic of the new generation has been little seen for now: Madden NFL 22 is still a good game to watch even if it was legitimate to expect something more. In general, our advice is to wait for EA Tiburon to fix bugs and glitches: time is up and the season has just started.

Deathloop is an original, visionary and courageous work, a playful experiment that returns to reaffirm the unquestionable talent of the Arkane Studios team, which over the years has never stopped putting itself to the test with ever new challenges, often at odds with the commercial logic of the triple A market. The result of the studio's latest creative challenge is a brilliant exercise in game design, at the base of a multifaceted and compelling playful narrative construct, blessed with an absolutely majestic artistic direction. Deathloop is a unique game of its kind, which unfortunately is torn from excellence by some rather important flaws. First of all, a surprisingly lazy and anticlimatic conclusion, which ends up revealing some evident gaps in the script. Even on the playful side, not everything works perfectly, especially due to an artificial intelligence that is not very reactive and too erratic. Net of its missteps, however, Deathloop remains a memorable work, a jumble of style and creativity probably destined to become an instant cult.

Made in Unreal Engine by a single man, Song of Iron is a product that thrives on light and shadow, a certainly remarkable accomplishment that however failed to fully satisfy us on the playful front. Fans of adventures steeped in Norse mythology and out-of-the-box twists would do well to give it a chance - especially if at a discount - but those who expected a more complex and refined experience in terms of platforming and combat system would do well to weigh with attention to the critical issues of the game. Having said that, we hope that Joe Winter and his Resting Relic can follow up on Song of Iron and this time with some extra help, so as to fully exploit the potential of the ideas behind the progenitor.

From the artistic direction to the narration, passing through the combat system, Lost in Random stages a suggestive contrast between order and chaos. A modern dark fairy tale that owes much of its aesthetic to the imagery of Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, Lost in Random will undoubtedly conquer lovers of Tim Burton's works. Capable of entertaining, amusing, but also disturbing, the Indie by Zoink Games is absolutely recommended to all players looking for a good Action Adventure full of ideas and original solutions.

King's Bounty II is composed of many traditional elements fused together in an unconventional way. Rather than melted it would be better to say stuck on top of each other. The amalgam of characteristics and genres is completely disorganized, confused, as if it were the mixture of randomly selected market trends. Taken individually, not all the constituent elements of the game are mediocre, indeed it is quite possible to be captured by the settings or by the combat system. But what is missing is the connection work: the most important operation in a complex product such as a video game. What distinguishes a good video game from a bad one is not the sum of the parts, it is how these parts interact with each other, how they contribute to the realization of a common goal.

A must for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and absolutely recommended for everyone else, The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti tells with irony and intelligence the path of artistic and inner growth of a talented teenage musician. Through the celestial bodies of the Stupefacosm, the protagonist and the player learn together to follow only the rhythm of their electric guitar, among extraordinarily inspired landscapes. Even in the face of a playful sector that does not represent the fulcrum of the work, the only regret remains a rhythm game soul that could have dared more. But in the face of the power of the proposed experience, we consider it a slight observation that we hope will be heard in a desirable second journey into the Stupefacosm.