LEGO Horizon Adventures is therefore a fun but limited project. The bright side of the coin is composed of a first-rate technical realization and the successful light-hearted atmospheres, while the darker side includes an extremely repetitive gameplay and a rather limited amount of content. It is a game that gives its best if experienced in the company of friends, but it does not represent a great leap forward, at least from a gaming point of view, for LEGO branded productions.

Despite being rooted in a valuable gaming system, supported by a convincing technical sector, Metro Awakening struggles to maintain its initial momentum among the numerous stages of an adventure that, in the absence of noteworthy variations, is longer than it should be and - especially in the final hours - rather repetitive. Vertigo Games has done a good job in adapting the atmosphere and characters of 4A Games' post-apocalypse to the interactive framework of virtual reality, but without managing to compose a fully balanced and satisfying offer. Metro Awakening remains a worthy product, but it struggles to compete with the best experiences on PSVR2.

The Pokémon TCG Pocket must be analyzed for what it is, that is, a mammoth but clearly evolving work. It is the most ambitious digitalization ever of the popular card game, as well as the main attempt to modernize its core mechanics in a few years now. From a technical point of view, the mobile app is well made and collectors will be happy to spend hours and hours immersed in decks, binders and displays of their favorite Pokémon. At the same time, a sparing distribution of the rarest cards risks undermining the experience of all users, from those who just want to "catch 'em all" to those who aim to experiment with as many competitive decks as possible. For this latter type of player, however, the biggest obstacle to overcome is the simplicity not only of the mechanics, greatly streamlined compared to the originals, but also of the cards themselves. Simplicity that can make sense in an introductory set, of course, but which must absolutely give way to deeper strategies in the near future.

Green light for the new Batman: Arkham Shadow, a title that keeps its promises by bringing one of the most popular franchises in the traditional video game landscape to Meta viewers. Our experience with Meta Quest 3 was fun and at times very satisfying, with a dynamic and lively combat system and stimulating gameplay even in the more static phases of investigations or the study of areas to be tackled stealthily. The graphics department is good, but the high ambitions of the development team must clash with limited hardware for the standalone execution of a game of this kind. The test is generally good with some stumbles, for one of the best VR games of the year.

The goals of Clock Tower Rewind are clear: to allow anyone to experience one of the most significant horror adventures of its time and to offer bonus content that is as interesting as it is valuable from a historical point of view. Even though it is an experience of its time, Clock Tower proves that it can still exert a certain charm, also thanks to its atmosphere.

Slitterhead is a set of fascinating ideas, which with a better application from a technical point of view and with a larger budget would probably have taken flight. Unfortunately, Toyama fails to package a product that is completely enjoyable to play. There are extremely original aspects, Alex and Julee are the most interesting Unicum available and appreciating their skills will be the first thing you will do in the almost 15 hours of gameplay necessary to reach the conclusion. However, too many anachronistic elements push Slitterhead away from the modern needs of video games.

Empire of the Ants is the work of a small studio that was inspired by the famous novel by Bernard Werber to give a touch of originality to a complex genre like RTS: although the narrative suffers from the "reduced" ways of expressing its protagonists, the excellent visuals manage to give great complexity to a game world that can be appreciated for the care taken in modeling every detail. From a strategic point of view, the title is based on a simple and well-oiled structure, which unfortunately suffers from a basic redundancy caused by the lack of variety and the lack of depth inherent in the game situations, while the exploratory side is often plagued by problematic collision management that sometimes prevents you from fully enjoying the splendid scenarios.

Mario & Luigi: Charged Brothers enriches the already rich Nintendo Switch offering with an adventure that has its roots in the brand's role-playing tradition, but manages to modernize it in practically every aspect. Despite some uncertainties on the technical side and an unbalanced level of challenge, this is a great event for all Mario Brothers fans that could also be a great surprise for those simply looking for a role-playing game to spend a few dozen hours of lighthearted fun.

Overall, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is a great example of the series and even considering the contents of the package as a whole, we can only continue to believe that the result of the work done by Treyarch is the best among those that have arrived on the market in recent times. The campaign knows how to entertain throughout its duration with well-timed missions, the Zombies mode has all the right features to please long-time fans and the multiplayer is as fun as it is frenetic thanks to the introduction of the Omnimovement, the absolute protagonist of this chapter.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a visual modernization conducted with skill, which in graphic terms brings the experience closer to that offered by the sumptuous Horizon Forbidden West. From the appearance of the protagonist, to the rendering of the dialogues with the characters, to the lighting and vegetation, the developers have kept their promises. In other words, those who already wanted to replay Aloy's adventure can spend the 10 euros of the upgrade without problems, while those who want to approach the series for the first time would do well to consider this version of the title. That said, aspects of the gameplay recipe already critical in the original - especially the melee combat and the clashes with humans - clearly show the signs of time. Not at the cost of the enjoyability of the whole, mind you, but they are there in plain sight.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a work that welcomes the most nostalgic players in a vortex of reassuring and melancholic atmospheres, and at the same time tries to shake up the status quo of the saga with ambitious narrative choices. Re-embracing the iconic Max Caulfield represents a pleasant dip into the past, especially because the guys at Deck Nine have managed to respect the traditional elements - narrative and artistic - of the first Life is Strange. But the return of "Super Max" did not entirely convince us, with subplots that were not particularly brilliant and twists that at times seemed exaggerated. Although the gameplay formula is interesting, the game framework then stumbles into some naivety. The best Life is Strange by Deck Nine is still the one that takes place before the storm.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard arrives at its launch with a proposal that unfortunately shows signs of a development that is, to say the least, troubled, which over the years has seen the project repeatedly change shape and prerogatives. Although Bioware's work has all the pieces of a great role-playing epic, these compose a ludonarrative mosaic that is at times disorganized, to the point of undermining the power of the story and the solidity of the gameplay. When the game shifts into gear, and it does, it is easy to recognize in The Veilguard the best traits of the Dragon Age saga, but it is still difficult to overlook all those asides that, on the other hand, consistently dilute the overall effectiveness of the offering. Even on the gameplay side, we have detected some significant dissonance, although the action "turn" orchestrated by Bioware proves to be functional overall. This play of light and shadow extends to every aspect of the experience, although it is ultimately the positive elements of the whole that triumph. In essence, The Veilguard is certainly not the best chapter in the Bioware saga, but this does not mean it deserves to be labeled as a role-playing game of little value. It is a work that knows how to be satisfying, however we are convinced that, with a more coherent overall vision, it could have given much more.

Mutants Unleashed is a dull game, from every point of view. It is not fun in single player and it is not fun in multiplayer. Outright Games deals with games aimed at a young audience and, given that children are perhaps twice as eager to play as us adults, standing still watching cutscenes, identical and silent, seems like a contradiction. In short, if you are a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, rewatch Mutant Chaos or Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Paramount, read The Last Ronin or play Shredder Revenge, but save Mutants Unleashed. If you are not a fan, this is really not the product to get closer to the franchise.

We are happy that Shadows of the Damned Hella Remastered exists. A video game that is edgy, sharp, with a recognizable soul thanks to the style of its creators and that has aged, yes, but in the right way...most of the time. There are obviously gameplay elements that are less digestible for users accustomed to new degrees of gameplay variety and fluidity of action, lacking in Shadows since 2011. However, the game is absolutely worth the candle even just to live or relive an experience filled with irreverent comedy, gratuitous vulgarity and humor "à la Suda 51". Which for true fans of the Japanese creative is worth at least half a point more on the vote below. For everyone else, one less (sorry maestro!).

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is not a production without rough edges, but at the same time it is a welcome surprise of this 2024. The work of Stormind and Saber Interactive proves to be worthy of the prestigious name it bears printed on the cover, successfully completing the difficult task of adapting this film franchise into video game form. If you are a fan of digital horror, you have loved the films of the saga or you are simply looking for a title to dedicate a few thrilling hours to in the scariest period of the year, we strongly recommend you give it a chance, especially in light of the highly competitive price at which it is proposed.

Already the author of the appreciated remake of Trials of Mana, the Xeen studio has subjected Romancing SaGa 2 to a targeted rejuvenation work limited almost exclusively to the technical component, making just a couple of adjustments to the gameplay and the plot. Overall, the final result is more than satisfactory, however this could and should have been the right opportunity to enrich the characterization of the characters, who today as then continue to be insufficiently cared for. If on the one hand we suggest its recovery to all lovers of the genre and to anyone who has not yet tried their hand at the Inheritance System, a mechanic that is always tasty and truly unique in its genre, on the other we are well aware that the lack of localization of the texts in Italian could cause more than a few headaches to non-users of English.

The result of a troubled development that lasted much longer than expected, Unknown 9: Awakening is the “victim” of the exaggerated ambitions of a very young Reflector Entertainment, which chose to immediately dive headfirst into the creation of a complex transmedia universe. Despite all its burdensome technical and gameplay limitations, the narrative adventure offered to us by Bandai Namco is intriguing and fun, especially if tackled in stealth at the highest difficulty levels. The crossmedia imagery of Unknown 9 may ultimately not have started off on the right foot in the videogame field, but its potential - which remains largely unexpressed - is undeniable.

Sonic x Shadow Generations confirms itself as one of the most successful incarnations of the IP and is preparing to hit the market in its definitive edition. The portion dedicated to the blue hedgehog is still quite enjoyable today, but it is the Shadow spin-off that plays the lion's share: the dark anti-hero from SEGA shows up to the appointment with fans in dazzling form. If you have never had the chance to experience the original adventure or if you are curious to find out in which direction the unpublished Shadow story will move, we can advise you to make the title yours without further ado.

Until Dawn Remake is a rather lazy remake of the now iconic PS4-era video game cult: the narrative additions appear superfluous and even anticlimactic, while the graphic modernization operation leaves itself open to too many qualitative oscillations, between excessively loaded facial expressions and still stiff animations. Playing Until Dawn today, for fans of the "teen horror" genre, still represents an interesting rediscovery, for a title that still manages to entertain thanks to the unpredictability of its narrative twists.

Super Mario Party Jamboree succeeds in its main goal: offering a varied selection of mini-games and modes capable of providing hours of entertainment for the whole family. Needless to say, as has always been the case for the series, the title is at its best when used in local multiplayer. However, the fun is significantly reduced when a single player is taking on the Nintendo challenges. The numerous customization options of the experience allow you to modulate the relevance of chance and luck within the boards, whose dynamic structure is still capable of constantly destabilizing the progress of the matches. Coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch on October 17, 2024, Super Mario Party Jamboree is a candidate to become an excellent ally for autumn evenings, both for families looking for an activity to do in company and for groups of friends ready to organize parties and parties based on a fun form of video game competition.

Between a blanket of fog and a field of wildflowers, Neva's aesthetics are imbued with great poetry. An artistic inspiration that unfortunately is partly obscured by excessive quotationism, which calls into question in particular the imagery outlined by Studio Ghibli in Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. A soundtrack of rare beauty accompanies the growth of Neva's two protagonists on screen, a little girl and a wolf cub. Through the alternation of the seasons, Nomada Studios tells us about the relationship of trust between a human being and an animal, but also the cyclical nature of existence. Despite a narrative component that is perhaps excessively hermetic, Neva manages to move in many moments, generating a sincere wave of affection for its main characters.

Sumerian Six is ​​a passionate and well-crafted homage to classic stealth tactics games, enriched by a fascinating fusion of mad science and the paranormal. Artificer's title manages to capture the essence of the pioneers of the genre, with the unique abilities of the characters and the variety of the missions that contribute to enriching the gameplay, which is engaging but not without some rough edges. While Sumerian Six performs well from a visual point of view, thanks to a distinctive graphic style, the plot and characterization of the characters would have benefited from greater depth. Overall, we are talking about a stimulating strategic adventure capable of offering surprises.

Overall, Undisputed is a worthy product, which manages to bring “great boxing” back to the market in video games, a good fifteen years after the release of the last Fight Night. The core of the proposal is represented by an excellent assortment of mechanics, which grants ample room for maneuver both to those looking for a more technical experience, and to novices in the art of digital boxing. The balance between these two aspects of the offer, however, is not yet calibrated to perfection, and it is easy to notice a group of rough edges that, put together, hold the game back from expressing its full potential.

Despite starting from truly intriguing premises, Shattered Space is a content that moves - with the brakes on - between light and shadow, failing to add a piece of great value to the Starfield content mosaic. Net of its qualitative fluctuations, Bethesda's DLC is not unpleasant in any way, but it is difficult not to attribute to the package the characteristics of an operation carried out, at least in part, on autopilot. A direction that makes one turn up one's nose also in relation to the list price, too high in relation to the scope and quality of the offer.

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is a worthy heir to the Budokai Tenkaichi genre, because it offers spectacular battles, based on a "manageable depth" and suitable for players of all abilities. Battle Episode has some shortcomings and simplifications, but it also offers alternative events that are sometimes surprising, which can encourage the enthusiast to discover every secret of the mode, which could also be enriched with additional content in the future. From the little we tried it, the online dimension proved to be free of particular uncertainties, and the same can be said for the dear old split screen battles. The opponents' AI does its job, without reaching excellence, but on the other hand the roster of fighters is immense and strong with a 360-degree characterization of the individual fighters that is truly remarkable. Despite its qualitative declines, Sparking Zero's audiovisual department constantly reminds us why we love the Saiyans and their opponents, and overall Spike Chunsoft's production is one of the most beautiful titles based on Toriyama-sensei's world, a triumph for any Dragon Ball gamer fan.

Metaphor: ReFantazio has undoubtedly carved out a place for itself among the best proposals from ATLUS, which this time has finally found the courage to break out of its usual patterns and propose something vaguely different, especially in terms of setting and narrative structure. With a brand new job system, the combat system halfway between Persona and Shin Megami Tensei is one of the most successful elements of the package, as it offers a level of customization never seen before in an ATLUS game. Unfortunately, the eight years of development weigh like a millstone on the visual rendering of the product, which however defends itself with a valuable artistic direction and a musical accompaniment of the highest level. It will not be the authentic revolution that many expected, nevertheless Metaphor: ReFantazio remains a must-see for anyone who professes to be a lover of the JRPG genre.

Just a To The Moon Series Beach Episode reconfirms the indisputable narrative and compositional talent of Kan Gao, an author who over the years has demonstrated how video games are capable of tackling themes that are anything but obvious. Those who have been following this narrative universe since 2011 will find familiar faces, protagonists of a short story that is able to strike the right chords. If you have not followed Kan Gao's productions, it will be difficult to fully enjoy this title: stories, characters, quotes and references to the past abound, making it more of an arrival experience than a departure. Given their short duration, our advice is to recover the previous chapters, so that you can appreciate Beach Episode in all its aspects.

Vessel of Hatred confirms the trend already established in the most recent seasons of Diablo 4, adding a lot of density to the fights, facilitating the leveling system and introducing a new and very fun class. Fans of the dark and oppressive atmosphere of the first chapters are destined to be disappointed, but players who want to dedicate themselves to the unconditional massacre of hordes of demons will find in this expansion a refined and organic progression system, new mechanics and new endgame content capable of entertaining them for several hours. The length of the campaign and the way in which it concludes the game events did not satisfy us, but there will be time with the next patches to correct the shot.