While graphically Senua's Saga: Hellblade II offers memorable glimpses and moments, anything beyond the visual impact and the dark and fierce atmosphere is disappointing, especially for a sequel announced five years ago on which Microsoft bet big.

Songs of Conquest is a respectful and heartfelt tribute to Heroes of Might and Magic, but it shouldn't be considered a simple copy and paste. In fact, Lavapotion has masterfully added some personal touches to that solid turn-based gameplay which, together with the splendid contemporary pixel art, make it modern and nostalgic, romantic and exciting. We eagerly await further content: could this be the beginning of a new legend?

I loved Indika, even if I have the impression that some practical limitations held back the creative ambitions of its developers. Nonetheless, it is a game rich in ideas, drawing on Russian art and literature while reworking some of their recurring themes from a modern perspective that works especially well in a video game.

An astoundingly deep real time strategy game that offers a unique experience in world war 2 simulation. Some frustrating details keep it from being considered among the best.

Open Roads is a first-person adventure game that focuses on the mother-daughter relationship and uses dialogue as its primary narrative tool, in addition to the classic environmental exploration typical of the genre. Overall, it is a very intimate and enjoyable experience that actually feels like a family road trip, but it ends up being too ephemeral to make an impression, due to a somewhat abrupt unraveling of the mystery that serves as the narrative pretext for the adventure, and a series of stylistic choices that take some of the power away from the story's emotional impact.

An excellent mix between an action-RPG and a shooter, wonderfully developed into one of this year's best indie games.

With a little more attention, Endless Ocean Luminous could have been an interesting video game. However, as it is, it is merely a wasted opportunity: interaction with environments and sea creatures is stripped to the bone, while the direction is not exactly outstanding. It remains a relaxing experience, but it is not enough.

A nice and short first person puzzle game which provides nice puzzles and inspiring visuals while not managing to fulfill the excellent premise of its setting.

Sand Land is an enjoyable game for those who love Toriyama's works, but it fails to fully stand out for its narrative quality or all the mechanics underlying its gameplay.

Stellar Blade is a good game, plain and simple. It feels like so much love and passion has been poured into it, and even if the story doesn't quite reach the heights of Nier Automata and the like, Eve's tale kept me interested until the credits rolled, and made me eager for more. There are some minor issues, and I would have loved to see a little more environment variety, but snappy combat, terrific music and visuals, and a world almost as enchanting as her protagonist make Stellar Blade very easy to recommend.

While Suikoden II and IV remain on another level, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes takes the formula of these classics to some extent and repurposes it in a JRPG that is certainly interesting but perhaps not as beautiful and accomplished as we would have hoped.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a video game with so much heart... enclosed in an imperfect container. Moving within the various regions of Kenzera is a pleasure, but for a good part of the game the combat remains more of a burden than a pleasure. When things finally start to get more complicated the adventure finally seems to take off, but unfortunately this happens far too late.

An unexpectedly deep strategy game hidden under a simpler appearance. An enjoyable deep dive in humanity's greatest conflict.

Broken Roads has an engaging post-apocalyptic setting that, while a bit familiar, manages to still retain its own identity thanks to its Australian flair, it also has some interesting gameplay ideas and some engaging choices that allow you to impact the world around you. The game is not without flaws though: combat is clunky and unbalanced, the early phases are far too linear and, perhaps more importantly for a game focused on narrative, its characters often fail to leave a strong impression and its narrative never quite reaches the incredible heights of games like Disco Elysium or Pentiment.

Probably one of the best Vanillaware games, featuring an exceptional artistic style, a well-written story and captivating gameplay.

Being the heir to the original Outcast is having a very big pair of shoes to fill. A New Beginning falls short, but is in no way a bad game. It could have been so much more, however.

Funny, colourful, hard enough, full of things to do and with an inspired level design. Bears in Space is no ordinary FPS, and if you enjoyed High on Life's approach to the genre, this first effort from Broadside Games will leave you with a perpetual smile on your face.

Peach makes a comeback with a fun and artistically inspired video game perfect for kids, a little less so for hardcore gamers.

Rise of the Ronin fails to impress through its open-world sandbox or graphical fidelity, but it can still provide dozens of hours of fun thanks to a great combat system, an impressive amount of content, and an interesting story.

If you are looking for a mix of action-GdR, survival game and base simulation set in a world full of zombies, Welcome to ParadiZe might prove to be a pleasant surprise.

Dragon's Dogma II is both a blessing and a curse for fans of the genre and the series itself. A game that, even more, reflects Hideaki Itsuno's desire to keep players from breathing space or advantages.

A promising reboot with a solid narrative and good gameplay. Too many bugs, though, deprive the experience of what could have really been.

Last Epoch is a great ARPG and while it’s still a bit rough in certain areas and with some roughness to be smoothed out in the various game systems and subsystems, it combines admirably the immediacy of Diablo IV and the depth of Path of Exile.

A proper "reboot" of the series, with eight interesting levels, plenty of elements to unlock, nice gameplay and weak visuals.

A smart and engaging re-implementation of the classic poker game, including hundreds of different cards and special effects.

WWE 2K24 is an accessible wrestling video game with an even more complete combat system, a wealth of things to do, people to beat up, and the best of WrestleMania history.

A good multiplayer experience, which still needs some refinement and which goes a little too far in penalizing solo players.

Despite some rough edges that risk making it unsuitable for newcomers to the genre, WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is among the best boomer shooters around today, especially if you love open levels and exploration.

Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake reintroduces a great little cult game of the recent past with an appreciable graphic makeover, and basically that is enough to make it a recommended game even today.

Pacific Drive is an imperfect but unique journey into the unknown. It is a good survival game in which the eerie atmosphere, the customization of one's car, and the adrenaline rush of racing make one forget the flaws.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth proves that you can take a gaming icon and modernize it, offering today the same emotions as back then, net of narrative freedoms for which one wonders why.

Skull and Bones proved to have a stable enough structure to stay afloat and not sink as long as the French publisher decides to support one of its most controversial projects ever. With more profound and enveloping gameplay, we would be talking about a worthy rival to Sea of Thieves. Still, Ubisoft Singapore's pirate-based adventure is just a decent video game experience more likely to be appreciated for the management aspect and the considerable amount of playable content.

Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance is an intense and elaborate strategic game on par with other deep military simulations.

A real "new" 90s run & gun with very nice graphics, excellent soundtrack and compelling 4-players co-op.

Helldivers 2 is an enjoyable third-person shooter, especially in good company. It is. It is often challenging to play but equally rewarding in terms of gameplay.

Starting with a video game released in 2004 and intended for the handheld market, Nintendo has done an excellent job, producing an intriguing and incredibly rich remake that provides hours of entertainment.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is Don't Nod's most ambitious and solid game, and despite some flaws in pacing and repetition, it remains an action-adventure loaded with feeling and with a solid combat-system.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is not an absolute disaster, but it fails to reach the same levels of the excellent adventures of the Batman: Arkham series. The third-person shooter developed by Rocksteady Studios is certainly fun (especially when played together), dynamic and chaotic, but except for a good but not excellent gameplay it does not have much to offer in terms of overall quality.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a much less ambitious game than it seems, but its simplicity shouldn't necessarily be considered as a flaw. Cygames' latest work is fun and well polished, and it has an exciting combat system, great art and music. Unfortunately, the story falls short, and after reaching the endgame it devolves in a repetitive cycle of 80 or so hours of mindless fighting, without any real challenge or new ideas to keep things fresh.

Persona 3 Reload is a pleasure to play. Throughout the adventure you switch between fighting and school activities with great fluidity, and it is safe to say that the 2000s JRPG that defined the entire genre is back in better shape than ever.

Tekken 8 breaks the chains that held it anchored to the past while remembering the lessons learned so far: welcome to the next-generation Iron Fist tournament.

A good take on the Commandos type of strategy games. The biggest Timekeeper's sin is that it basically requires to watch seven seasons of a tv series to be fully appreciated. On a side note, it is an excellent tv series.

Although Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a technical disaster, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expands the main adventure (and its mythology) with interesting content, offering challenges and characters old and new. If you enjoyed the original game I would also recommend the DLC, however I hope Game Freak will try harder in the future.

Graven had some problems during its early access periodo and sadly the 1.0 version doesn't solve all of them, nor does it make it a really compelling game.

Not everything is well-focused in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but the rate of cringe and exaggeration in narrative and gameplay is such that is almost impossible not being entertained.

As a remake operation, that of Another Code: Recollection is perfectly successful, especially for the new visuals of Two Memories, while as graphic adventures the two games suffer a bit from the weight of years.

The Cub is a halfway successful adventure. It has lost the elegance of the narrative of Golf Club: Wasteland and the uniqueness of an alienating gameplay that made the radio alone the narrative tool of a game where, in fact, you played mini-golf. It remains a fitting story about the conditions our Earth is in and what we must do to safeguard and protect it, but the timid attempts to propose almost alternative paths and some puzzles are not enough to save stale sections of stealth and escapes. The Cub is still a pleasant game to spend a few hours on and be amazed by the wonderful moments given by the radio, but not much more.

The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered is the best way to enjoy Naughty Dog's masterpiece, not only for the graphical improvements and the full support for PlayStation 5-exclusive features (DualSense included), but also for the addition of very good extras such as the excellent No Return.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a good metroidvania that makes its intriguing gameplay its most appreciable aspect, which offers many accessibility-related options that allow the game experience to be fully customized. Although it is not flawless in some aspects, such as an uninspired character design and a difficulty balance that is not properly calibrated, Ubisoft Montpellier's new game is a must play for all fans of the genre and the Prince of Persia franchise.

A chapter with more flaws than values, without significant innovations, and with a total focus on the online which distances it further from its original idea of ​​a party game.

Colony Ship has flaws and is definitely not what I would call the most accessible RPG ever made. Still, suppose you have experience with the genre and like good tactical turn-based combats and plenty of exciting choices in a fascinating setting. In that case, this is definitely a game worth considering.

GranBlue Fantasy Versus Rising is a major expansion that significantly changes the gameplay. The new mechanics open up longer combos and more active defense options while making simplified inputs the standard. The story mode is engaging but short; offline-loving players may find it lacking. However, the new characters are well-designed and fun to play, and the improved netcode is a welcome addition for online players.

Arizona Sunshine II is the classic sequel that takes everything good offered by its predecessor, improves and expands on it. There is still some roughness in the controls and the game is very linear, but if you are only interested in killing zombies with a visor on your head, you won't find better in VR market.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is not an unforgettable open world experience, but it remains a solid, action-adventure that lasts the right amount of time and is graphically spectacular, although with such a brand and with a "fuller" and focused map it could have delivered even more.

KarmaZoo is a cooperative platformer that manages to entertain in its simplicity and fun, allowing up to ten players to join forces to overcome a series of procedurally generated levels. The rich roster of characters is one of the strengths of the new game experience made by Pastagames, which is characterized by problems related to a game structure that may bore you after a few hours of play.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed CrewIn are two valuable additions to a game that was already very nice and compelling in its own right. New content that may not radically re-announce the gameplay, but still has all the necessary ingredients to please Shadow Gambit fans, who will enjoy returning to the Caribbean in search of new adventures.

A mystical, narrative experience enhanced above all by the dialogues and multiple choices, while it is a little more cryptic in the gameplay.

An interesting blend of two game mechanics that lacks a bit of creativity typical of the series yet overall works very well.

An interesting roguelike which is not focused on fighting. Too bad exploration and gameplay are a bit tedious after the first set of runs.

Consider Super Mario RPG as a textbook: if you want to know how Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi were born, you're in the right place. If you're looking for a great Mario RPG, you'll find an outdated game.

Persona 5 Tactica is the first game in the Persona 5 sub-series to make me wonder if we really needed to see the Phantom Thieves again. It's never bad, but it does feel pointless most of the times. The new story is just "more of the same" without any real twists, and the combat system, although pretty fun, lacks depth and isn't particularly challenging. Still, it menages to entertain for most of it's 30 hours duration.

An unexpected and welcome epilogue to the events of the original Tales of Arise that fails to create a significant experience compared to the original game.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III turned out to be what many feared: a sort of DLC of the previous chapter developed by Infinity Ward. Although undoubtedly fun for fans of arcade and fast-paced multiplayer shooters, Sledgehammer Games has done nothing but focus only on the nostalgia effect and few notable innovations, also creating an uninteresting and barely sufficient campaign.

WarioWare: Move It! is a lovely game. The variety of challenges is really wide, while the Story is perfect for getting into the mood of the game. I would have appreciated an online multiplayer mode, but still, I had a lot of fun.

From a spin-off such as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, we can’t expect any innovation, and in fact, while enjoyable and always entertaining thanks to its varied combat-system, the game does not add much to the Yakuza series.

NHL 24 is a decent game: not the masterpiece we dreamed of, but an honest simulation with renewed and accessible gameplay, especially after the corrections made by EA Vancouver. We liked the "on the ice" innovations, while the content ones are hard to judge. Be a Pro and Franchise are becoming obsolete: new things are needed.

RoboCop: Rogue City is an old school shooter that aims primarily to entertain fans of the franchise, who will have the chance to fight crime in the role of the robotic vigilante. Teyon's new project is good enough to provide more than a dozen hours of fun, between gunfights and investigations to solve. Despite the use of Unreal Engine 5, the visual experience of RoboCop: Rogue City is not the best although the direct involvement of Peter Weller.

Song of Nunu tells a story with fairy-tale tones: monsters, journeys into the unknown, moments of uncertainty and confrontations with the abyss; thanks to the relationship between Nunu and Willump, brought to life by the developers through effective work inside and (above all) outside the movies, the adventure proceeds finding its own lightness even in the darkest moments.

The Talos Principle 2 stands out for its ability to intertwine gameplay and storytelling, creating a gaming experience that goes beyond mere puzzle-solving. The variety and complexity of the puzzles reflect a meticulous design, making each challenge unique and rewarding, especially thanks to a masterfully balanced difficulty curve. However, the game's narrative and philosophical component is the real highlight. The Talos Principle 2 explores philosophical and ethical themes with depth and intelligence, engaging the player in reflections on the meaning of humanity, self-awareness, and our role in the universe. Simply extraordinary.

It's a shame that the technical side, despite having left the most serious problems behind, still shows some rather obvious aesthetic defects, and that the multiplayer mode is almost useless, decisively clipping the wings of a product that remains valid, but could have shone much more.

A good sequel that improves in meaningful ways an already nice game. If you like social activities games such Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon you can't go wrong with this.

Jusant mixes adventure, exploration, a cryptic and mysterious storyline and lots of climbing sections with good results. It's not a genre for everyone, but if you've always dreamed of a mix of Grow Home, Journey and The Climb, here it is.

Alan Wake 2 is the most authorial, visceral, and ambitious game ever made by Remedy Entertainment, which will delight fans of the series with a new adventure with dark tones that improves on the first chapter in many ways. The transformation into a survival horror game has also revitalized the gameplay through a disturbing atmosphere, transposed in the best possible way thanks to a well-told story and charismatic characters. Despite a general variety that is not always up to par, Alan Wake 2 has rightfully entered the club of the most exciting games in 2023.

After developing the excellent Humankind, Amplitude Studios has shown what it is capable of with a challenging and fun twin-stick shooter. The ideal sequel Dungeon of the Endless is not perfect, however, due to some flaws related to the narrative and technical aspects, nevertheless it manages to entertain for hours with its endless loop of alien creatures to face and the exploration of procedurally generated scenarios.

Ghostrunner 2 is exactly what you'd expect. It amplifies the strengths of its predecessor with a more intricate ability system and manages a better variety of situations, yet it retains virtually all the flaws in Ghostrunner's flow. Nevertheless, it creates an always entertaining and challenging gameplay experience that you'll appreciate if you're already a fan of the original. It's not for everyone, and it will make you curse a lot as the death counter keeps rising, but its punishing nature is part of the price.

ChatGPT implementations takes a passable game and makes it very, very good. Read on to see if this is enough to beat the likes of Stellaris or Endless Space 2.

A good sequel which provides a better interface and lots of freedom for building your own cities. Too bad the game lacks in modes and optimization.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder paves a bold new road for the "classic" Mario experience. Never a 2D Mario has been so surprising and satisfying since Super Mario World.

Forza Motorsport delivers one of the best simcade experiences ever made on the track, with a glorious driving model, a great dynamic weather system, and a lovely and ever-expanding pack of tracks and cars. On the other hand, the career mode is shallow and the great UX is partially nullified by a very dull sense of progression. Still great fun, lots of content, and great multiplayer potential, but it's not the ultimate Forza experience we were hoping for.

Dune: Spice Wars pays homage to the source material but lacks a story mode that with almost 3000 pages at one's disposal is hard to justify. Fortunately the gameplay depth and flexibility make up for it almost completely.

If you love Marvel's comics and are looking for an open-world action game full of spectacular moments and combat, then Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is definitely the perfect game for you.

Pharaoh is a solid new entry in the Total War series, although it lacks some ambition. If all you wanted was some fun playing as a general in a Bronze Age setting, you'd probably be satisfied here, but if you were waiting for the next big thing, you'd have to wait a bit more.

While not reinventing genre mechanics, Cocoon is an intriguing puzzle game that immerses the player in an introspective journey through spheres that encompass entire worlds within them. Despite being notably simple, it offers well-constructed enigmas and a remarkably well-balanced learning curve. It doesn't reach the expressive heights of titles like Journey but represents a significant advancement in Carlsen's games, inviting the players to reflect on themselves and the worlds they've created. Highly recommended.

A highly recommended game for Fate fans, despite some flaws and excessive verbosity.

Detective Pikachu: The Return only works as a large and varied "Pokémon container," but as a detective adventure it will only be able to give some satisfaction to the youngest players.

Assassin's Creed Mirage offers a gaming experience that all in all works and entertains without much pretension, although it does not allow the series to take any major step forward.

Good old FIFA, but bigger, better, smoother. It's underwhelming that EA Sports didn't go for a brand new experience for the debut of their "new IP", but at the same time FC 24 is a good game. On the structure of FIFA 23, EA Sports builds a series of improvements that increase the variety of the experience and introduce a compelling sense of uncertainty in the gameplay action. Very nice note: the management career is one of the best single player modes in years in the series.

Fun and spectacular, Payday 3 marks a decent return of the Payday gang by offering refined gameplay and several new features that are also quite interesting. However, the various positive aspects, such as the possibility of swapping hostages and completing most robberies silently, are contrasted by a small number of missions and a progression system that is too slow.

Mortal Kombat 1 leans on a robust story (with solid foundations, but with a less than impeccable development) and a couple of other single player modes capable of entertaining for several hours – and even more, if NetherRealm Studios is able to properly exploit the seasonal system. The addition of kameo fighters and the focus on aerial combos leaves more room for the player's creativity compared to the previous chapter, with the assists of the secondary fighters breaking up and altering the rhythm of the matches in a positive way.

A very nice interactive documentary about an important videogame of the 80s.

An excellent DLC, which takes the original content and reworks it for greater overall cohesion, embellishing everything with mechanics tailored for Ada.

A fitting conclusion to the Golden Idol saga, this DLC includes three new interesting cases and a pair of new mechanics.

Starfield is an incredibly ambitious game that hits almost every target it is aimed at. If you love space, science, and the undeniable spirit for discovery innate in every human being, you will love this game.

Phantom Liberty is a good expansion that adds an intriguing storyline filled with memorable characters and that, together with the 2.0 version, manages to also improve the gameplay, adding new features and changing existing ones that help Cyberpunk come closer to what we were promised years ago.

A surprisingly deep gameplay and occasionally brutal difficulty make Gunbrella an enticing game worthy of attention if someone is in search of something unique and retro.

Sea of Stars is a proper homage to old-school RPGs, thanks to a splendid pixel art and a combat system that, while not fully expressing its potential, refreshes the concept of the turn-based system.

With its abundance of playable content and a very attractive setting such as the island of Oʻahu, The Crew Motorfest attempts to chase the success of Forza Horizon 5 by proposing the same structure proposed by the racing game developed by Playground Games. The result is all in all positive, although Ivory Tower's gaming experience fails to stand out for originality or being qualitatively flawless.

Goodbye Volcano High is a story of growth, friendship and love and how all these things, already great when taken individually, become giants when mixed together. Thanks to intelligent game mechanics, the story progresses forcefully by affirming the identity of its protagonists while allowing the player to make crucial choices, while the soundtrack (which ended up straight among my favorites on loop) is much more of an accompaniment: it’s a co-protagonist, who embodies the anxieties, fears and dreams of this ramshackle gang of friends, dealing with nothing less than an apocalypse.