It's unclear if Fntastic genuinely attempted to bring their dreams to life, paying the price for their inexperience, or if the project was conceived from the beginning as an asset flip. The game is simply terrible being poor in every of its aspects, although we can't deny that The Day Before, as many games released on Steam in early access, had an hidden potential. Unfortunately, we will never see it realized. [Early Access Score = 2/10]

Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition marks the arrival on Nintendo Switch of one of the most interesting video games of recent years. The adventures of our teporian explorer still have a lot to say and - we are sure - will fascinate those who have never experienced the thrill of exploring a solar system only seemingly small, trapped in a time loop of twenty-two minutes. With a few technical compromises, Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition lands on the Nintendo Switch with perfect timing for the Christmas holidays, an ideal time to sit on the sofa and explore the universe while holding it in the palm of your hand.

Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is the sublime re-edition of an already excellent fighting game, exponentially improved thanks to the new netcode and really well-integrated additional mechanics. This is a perfect fighting game for beginners, with a lot to offer even to long-time fans. Although more could undoubtedly have been done in terms of content, it truly deserves your attention. It remains to be seen if it will withstand the assault of the ruthless competition that surrounds it, and especially if the free-to-play version will be enough to improve its distribution in our region too.

Sonic Dream Team is a full-fledged 3D platformer that wouldn't look out of place in the main series, although it is perhaps more focused on form than substance.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a flawed yet successful entry in the sub-genre and even if it doesn't evolve the formula too much, it still retains the charm and the addictive loop we were looking for.

House Flipper 2 is exactly what you might expect: a refined and expanded version of the first chapter, designed to satisfy those who loved the 2018 simulator and want an even better looking, varied and content-dense version. The highlight of the package is (or rather will be) the Sandbox mode with mod.io support to share original maps and missions with the entire world. It won't change the minds of those who didn't like the first chapter and doesn't introduce anything new into the heart of its gameplay, but most fans of the genre won't even need it.

Ready or Not has made a name for itself with VOID Interactive's ambitious goal to depict with absolute realism and without compromise the combat scenarios that a SWAT team faces on a daily basis. However, the truth is that behind the scandal lies an excellent first-person tactical shooter that, after two years of early access, is ready to inherit the legacy of SWAT.

Arizona Sunshine 2 is bigger, better and more fun to play than the first chapter, even though the game inevitably inherits many of its flaws. Despite an inventory management still too complex and environments that repeat throughout the adventure, Rotterdam's studio's new effort is a satisfying and enjoyable VR experience. Considering how challenging it is to find products like this one in the VR market, it deserves all your attention.

The Echoes of the Fallen DLC revolves around one idea and one idea only: to add the "endgame" component to Final Fantasy 16, which was sorely missed at the time of the original launch. Its four hours of content serve as a pleasant supplement to Clive Rosfield's adventure, but they have no intention of bringing about revolutions or introducing major innovations, leaving the strengths and weaknesses of the original work unchanged. The design, music, lore, and staging are sensational, but the overall experience architecture remains untouched. It is unlikely that the expansion will change the minds of early critics, but it will be a very welcome surprise for those who have yet to experience the sixteenth chapter.

Dynasty Warriors M successfully brings the Musou experience on mobile, showcasing spectacular combat and nice, responsive touch controls but also increasing the difficulty to push us toward grinding or microtransactions.

Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader is another good RPG made by Owlcat Games, which captures the spirit of the original game.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora brilliantly takes us into the world created by James Cameron, telling a canonical story that takes place in an unseen area of Pandora but that we can perceive as authentic thanks to the care and attention Massive Entertainment has put into its creation. However, that's the only truly excellent aspect within a production that promised so much (quadruple A, they said) and instead proves to lack great ideas.

Assassin's Creed Nexus VR makes players' wildest dreams real. It is a very traditional VR adventure but what gives it depth is just being an Assassin's Creed. The Meta Quest 2 version is pushed to the limit, perhaps too far.

Moira McKinnon runs fast and never looks back. The challenges of the Highlands have bent the Romans, but not a fifteen-year-old girl determined to see the sea: the fast pace and the resolute look make Moira one of the most interesting video game protagonists of this year. The splendor of Scotland and the artistry of Inkle do the rest: In Highland Song never gets bored thanks to the continuous surprises of the Scottish hills and mountains, now beaten by incessant winds, now tormented by a seemingly endless snow.

Spirittea keeps its promises, presenting itself as a relaxing and fulfilling adventure, albeit with some issues in its overall rhythm. Cheesemaster Games has done a great job combining a simulative soul with management elements that, together, contribute to create an enjoyable experience both for fans of these genres, both for those who have never tried similar titles.

Empty Shell is a journey to hell full of atmosphere, where the mystery is as intriguing as the gameplay dynamics.

Easy to approach and difficult to put down, Par for the Dungeon effectively mixes the classic mechanics of mini-golf with various puzzle elements. The introduction of new elements manages to maintain a certain variety for a good part of the duration, although a certain repetitiveness inevitably emerges in the long run, but also given the free-to-play distribution without too many traps, the download is recommended for everyone.

The Last Faith, on the whole, is a good game, but without the courage to take flight and make a lasting impression in the imagination of players, already saturated with Victorian horror visions, and perhaps in need of something new, different, more original.

Gubbins is a cute word game with a lot of sass to give and a lot of new words to learn. The monetization model is very pleasant and the one game per day is a perfect brain exercise.

Hitman: Blood Money - Reprisal is a fascinating homage to the IO Interactive stealth series and one of its most beloved episodes, but at the same time a controversial project to propose after all these years.

KarmaZoo is a unique game without major flaws, except for the fact that it does not completely surprise. It is enjoyable, easy to approach and varied, but shallow in its various mechanics. It is, however, an excellent cooperative game to play with strangers and we recommend it.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a carefully curated product that stays true to the TV series. Cara Gee's performance is sensational and the supporting characters are exquisitely written. However, the narrative twists and turns are predictable and the plot uneven in pace. Paradoxically, it might appeal more to those who have never seen the tv show.

Last Train Home is a deep strategy game set in a precise historical context. In addition to fighting and managing battalion and train conditions, on the way to Vladivostok you will empathise with some of the soldiers of the Legion. It is precisely this emotional component that gives something extra to Ashborne Games' complex game.

SteamWorld Build is a good game overall, But its hybrid nature sometimes holds it back a bit.

Forza Customs is an original but unfortunate experiment that mindlessly employs the official Forza Motorsport license.

All things considered, it's better to pretend that this game doesn't exist and go back to considering Fade to Black the official sequel to the first Flashback.

Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a quite nice rhythmic adventure, suspended between the good ideas of an extremely small development team and the resources available to them. The choice to blend the rhythm and puzzle game genres is successful and fits well into a cooperative formula. However, the game shows all the limitations inherent in its nature as a small independent production, such as a soundtrack that doesn't quite meet the task.

Soccer Manager 2024 is a solid game, packed with unquestionable numbers and complete mechanics, capable of very accurately representing the technical work behind the management of a soccer team and all its various facets.

Teardown is a truly fascinating project: as challenging and clever to play, as it is technically and graphically superb. The only limitations are hidden in a campaign that deserves a more elaborate structure, and in the tasks that could be much more varied than those currently included.

Stronghold: Definitive Edition is exactly what it promises to be: an updated version of the same game that in 2001 became the flagship of an entire subgenre. The experience is more or less the same, with the new campaign extending the gameplay time a bit and native support for mods that opens up countless future scenarios. That said, it's an honest operation, sold at a very low price that succeeds in what it sets out to do. A package for nostalgics who want to continue playing the old Stronghold but in a more modern package.

Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections stands in many ways as the synthesis of a 20-year experience, which is as much that of Masashi Kishimoto's work as that of CyberConnect2, which has been working on these tie-ins since 2003. Unfortunately, they didn't seize the opportunity to deliver us the definitive transposition dedicated to the Ninja of the Leaf, sketching the story mode and re-presenting all the limitations of a gameplay that has abundantly had its day. Fortunately, Boruto's Special Story, the incredible cutscenes and the huge roster put a patch on it. A seal, actually.

Super Mario RPG is a faithful adaptation of a beloved game which feels out of time, visual improvements notwithstanding. It is still a little wonderful RPG to approach the genre with but one can wish that Nintendo could have squeezed a bit more of it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is riddled with contradictions and enveloped in a complex paradox: how can the best Call of Duty in recent years also be one of the worst ever? The answer must be found within the pages of a product that meticulously recycles the vast majority of its contents, while offering the worst campaign in the title's history. However, it perhaps nails the only aspect that a first-person shooter should truly hit: the multiplayer gameplay.

Answer this question: Did you enjoy Starship Troopers: Terran Command to the point that you would like to continue the experience? If the answer is yes, then Rising Hell will make you happy, giving you some more hours to spend in the company of space infantry and Arachnids. There's nothing really new, but what's there is well-done, which is all that matters for an expansion of this kind.

Persona 5 Tactica is a fun, lighthearted strategy RPG with a clever level design and some interesting gameplay choices which feel properly Persona's.

UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves should not be purchased if you are looking for a new great game to complete. If you dive into it with this idea, it's very likely that you will be disappointed. This new game from Microids is instead a kind of monument to a great author and one of his most beloved robots, a collectible piece to be placed between the action figure of Mazinger Z and the collection of comic books dedicated to Getter Robot.

NBA 2K24 is essentially the most complete basketball simulation available on mobile platforms, but doubt remains as to the actual effectiveness of such a product in this context. Cross-play enriches the experience by allowing play on Mac and Apple TV and this represents a good compromise, because as a portable game it is not exactly the most comfortable and enjoyable.

Devoid of traditional jumpscare but decidedly abundant from the point of view of graphic horror, Slay the Princess does not hesitate to bring into play all the tools of the craft of a good writer: eye-catching, brutal, mesmerizing and sometimes dismissive, but always able to recover on the hook, the writing of Black Tabby Games is one of the best we could appreciate in the gaming world in this 2023.

Thirsty Suitors condense a powerful message with the spicy spice of gossip and, in a broader sense, the story, intended as a relational way to create and develop a vision of the world shared with loved ones. There is no reason not to try the production of Outerloop Games, present since launch on Xbox Games Pass. The few defects of the production do not succeed in depriving it of a unique and inimitable charm, and of the attractiveness of a journey, that of Jala, which is actually that of each one of us.

Tales of Arise: Beyond Dawn is too little too late. The expansion tells a somewhat predictable story amid tons of basic side-quests with basically no twists to the familiar gameplay: it's OK if you absolutely loved Arise cast and world building but otherwise skippable.

Journey to Foundation respects the narrative and aesthetic canons of Isaac Asimov's literary work from which it is inspired. Visually it is evocative and the plot keeps you engaged until the conclusion of the adventure. Unfortunately, not everything about the gameplay works. Moreover, even the control system is not without flaws.

Achilles: Legends Untold is a flat and all too easy action game. The entire adventure is basically one long wave of enemies that are sent at us or against whom we are sent. We run around, killing everything again and again while the plot goes on without a flourish. The whole package lacks variety and originality. Even the subject, Ancient Greece, is used superficially.

Warcraft Rumble is a great tower offense game that draws heavily from the Warcraft universe but is thoroughly accessible even by those unfamiliar with the settings and characters of the series.

We were pleasantly surprised by Robocop: Rogue City. Given Teyon's past, the risk of a dubious quality spin-off was just around the corner, yet the Polish team showed remarkable ability to evolve, pulling an extremely respectful title of the first movies out of the hat and capable of entertaining. Ok, we are far from the quality levels of the genre's peaks, and there is a lot to work on the technical department, yet the fact that there is finally a title on the market capable of capturing the satirical spirit of Verhoeven's film is undoubtedly great news, especially for those who appreciate its underlying message.

The Talos Principle 2 is the perfect sequel that expands upon the original game and addresses the issues it had in order to improve as much as possible. It is well-written, features clever puzzles, although in some cases they might be a bit too easy, and engages players from start to finish, skillfully blending its elements. Like the first chapter, it doesn't leave anyone indifferent, raising numerous thought-provoking questions that deserve to be addressed. Alternatively, it can also be just a delightful stroll between one puzzle and the next.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a must-have chapter for all fans of Kazuma Kiryu and the classic Yakuza formula, which is reintroduced in the game without variation beyond the new Agent fighting style, which is very dynamic and fun to use. It's a pity that the story takes place almost exclusively among the streets of Sotenbori, that the limited length of the campaign affects some important characterizations, and that the graphics look rather dated by now.

We know Sports Interactive's strategy. The company has consistently introduced small innovations that have improved and deepened each chapter of its legendary series, that's why, even if the new features are not very noticeable, Football Manager 2024 is the best game the studio has produced, at least until next year.

Logical consequence of a franchise built on the accumulation of characters and robots, Mobile Suit Gundam UC Engage has what it takes to excite big fans of the anime in question thanks to its collector's spirit, but its structure remains uninspired and the combat system a little confusing.

The Invincible is exactly what it wants to be: an extremely focused narrative adventure. The story is great and the characters interesting. Expect a linear narrative at its heart, with multiple endings.

EA SPORTS WRC marks two significant comebacks: Codemasters returning to develop a rally-themed game and a driving model closely resembling the experience in Dirt Rally 2.0. These two factors alone make it the best rally game in recent years.

WarioWare: Move It! represents another success in the saga dedicated to Super Mario's nemesis. The ingredients that have made the brand's fortune, including the bizarre art design, are back. In addition, the new mini-games entertain and surprise. Super fun in single player, sensational in multiplayer.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is an incredible remake with tons of QoL improvements, new features and smart additions. It feels too much at times but this is what a remake should be and Star Ocean really deserved to shine once in a while.

Song of Nunu falls short on the quality that Riot Forge has demonstrated over the titles it has made. While it has a touching and heartfelt story, its gameplay feels old, uninspired and boring. The usual cast of side characters gets a smile on the faces of League of Legends fans but as a whole this game is a disappointing step in the opposite direction.

Jusant is a peculiar and not unpleasant experience, but it mostly feels like a wasted opportunity. The climbing system, with all its little systems of interaction, generates a smooth, very simple gaming experience, but one that wears out quickly and without ever a real peak of playful intensity. The tower is a beautiful place to discover, both visually and narratively, but you have to be careful: losing a handful of collectables risks making for a very limited experience, as you don't discover anything by simply moving forward.

EA Sports UFC 5 will not fail to excite fans of MMA and combat sports in general, thanks to the new features introduced for the gameplay and the improved graphics.

Little Goody Two Shoes is a creative adventure that's delightful to delve into, even though the fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is, first and foremost, a beautiful missed opportunity. If you are a fan of both survival games and The Lord of the Rings, we still recommend you step into the armor of a dwarf and experience what the studio has crafted, but the game is far away from achieving any modern standards in survival experiences, so stay away from it if you're not into Tolkien works.

Laika: Aged Though Blood is a gorgeous metroidvania on wheels with amazing combat and soundtrack, a truly astonishing gem that is simply a must play.

Headbangers: Rhythm Royale is an amazing rhythm game with a Battle Royale twist that's perfect for an evening with friends online but it's going to need new content to stay relevant.

World of Horror is a game of contradictions that result not always solvable: on the one hand, we have a plot based on the presence in the world of unspeakable horrors; on the other, you pass the game to manage objects and statistics, trying to take control over what should be, by definition, uncontrollable. World of Horror travels between opposites and finds no balance, but it remains an interesting work for those who want to experience a horror adventure strongly anchored to tabletop role-playing games and have a passion for the exquisite horrors coming our way from Japan.

We are certain of this: depending on the approach and perspective of the player, Alan Wake 2 can either be a timeless masterpiece or a cumbersome game with tiring gameplay. We have tried to position ourselves exactly in the middle: while unreservedly appreciating the incredible work done by Remedy on the narrative front and the brilliance infused into some sequences that will forever be etched in our memory, we cannot overlook a series of deficiencies in gameplay that undermine the depth of the survival horror component and the variety of this action-adventure. At the same time, however, there is one thing that will unite everyone: artistically, aesthetically, and technically, no one can match it, and Alan Wake 2 deserves to be observed, at least once, even if just from a distance.

Without forgetting the power and particularities of individuals, Saltsea Chronicles defines itself first and foremost as an adventure capable of putting the group and the good of the community at the center: protecting its most vulnerable members is a priority for the larger group. It's a game which questions the models of oppression that dominate our society. Indicating a different future, perhaps better, sailing with sublime dignity on the waters of the salt sea.

Moonring is the best way a dream can come true. It's a new old game packed with features.

Gargoyles Remastered was a chance to improve on a game that was more beautiful to look at than to play through. Instead it's still beautiful to look at and even worse to play through.

F1 Manager 2023 doesn't represent the evolutionary step that could be expected after Frontier's good debut in the difficult world of Formula One management games. The refinements are marginal and could easily have been made with a patch job on the previous title. Furthermore, the additions are limited and do not significantly improve the gaming experience. While overall a better game than last year, it cannot be recommended to anyone who already owns F1 Manager 2022.

Designed for true crime lovers and some escape room enthusiasts, Scene Investigators is a truly thought-provoking investigative game.

Just Dance 2024 is still fun and full of 40 new songs, but reconfirms the evolution towards the subscription service.

Mortal Kombat: Onslaught tries to capitalize on the popularity of the series and its many characters by imprisoning them in the structure of an all-too-traditional gacha, with automatic fights and inevitable paywalls.

Ghostrunner 2 is the perfect sequel: it improves on everything that made the first one great while innovating a great deal in the second half of the game: a true cyberpunk hit that keeps the first person platformer genre alive.

It's hard to separate the two souls of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, because it's glaringly obvious how the one put together by Konami is a mere commercial operation, but at the same time it represents the only way to play a series of great classics of undeniable value.

Endless Dungeon is a very well done mix of genres. It is a polished experience with some progression flaws.

SWORD ART ONLINE Last Recollection is the final chapter of the Underworld saga, with excellent innovations in the combat system but few from a technical point of view

Cut the Rope 3 reaffirms all the qualities of the series, offering a sequence of fun and generally undemanding puzzles in order to deliver an experience that may be short and lacking in depth, but is undoubtedly enjoyable and relaxing.

Beautiful girls lost in a post-apocalyptic, dark sci-fi world full of mechanical AI controlled entities: this is Crymachina plot and while it surely looks promising, its combat and structure makes for a average small-to-medium budget ARPG.

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express is a narrative adventure with puzzle interludes, which will appeal to Poirot fans, old and new, thanks to a good retelling of the original novel and a valuable final addition that expands on the familiar story. It's not meant for those who want a complex detective title to squeeze their little gray cells into, nor for those who want a state-of-the-art graphical presentation, but if you know what you're getting into you'll hardly be disappointed.

Cities Skylines 2 is the city builder we've been waiting for: beautiful to look at, complex in its systems, extraordinary in the construction and planning tools offered. The genre has never offered anything better, and this is just beginning...

Parabole has crafted another solid adventure which takes the players on a dense trip, without killing them at every corner.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s still the best 2D Mario game of the last 25 years. It’s beautiful, weird and exhilarating: the Fethry Duck of the family.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged brings back the immediate and fun formula that worked so well in the first episode, adding some new features and increasing the contents and the variety of races.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is still the very same Insomniac game you may have fallen in love with in the past years, just improved in almost every way.

NHL 24 is a solid entry in one of the oldest sports games on the market. New animations, the pressure system and the many options make up for the lack of real innovations.

EA Sports FC 24 for Nintendo Switch delivers the exciting concretization of a parity of content and features that owners of the hybrid console had been waiting for literally years, but on the other hand it stands as yet another impossible conversion that makes heavy compromises and sometimes struggles to run.

Sonic Superstars is the new chapter of the series in 2.5, and is enriched with many new features.

The Lamplighters League is a turn-based bonanza with Indiana Jones and Eldritch Horror Vibes that's a blast on Game Pass.

Lords of the Fallen will be, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most divisive soulslike ever. On one hand, Hexworks has produced a brilliant spiritual successor to the original Dark Souls, enhanced by an outstanding map design and excellent innovations related to exploration; on the other, the team has badly stumbled in the challenging management of enemy progression and balance, thereby partially undermining the very best features of the game. It's a pity, because even though its flaws are severe, this game truly has a unique soul and we believe it has the potential to captivate a dedicated community. With a bit more time and some reconsideration, however, it could have reached even greater heights.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide brings on Xbox Series X|S all the depth of its exciting cooperative formula, made up of frantic and visceral combat, support and solidarity for one's fellow adventurers, fast matchmaking, a completely redesigned progression system and fierce endgame content. That said, despite having almost a year to work on console optimization alone, graphics-wise Fatshark has pulled a half-disaster out of the hat: let's hope it doesn't take another twelve months to fix it.

Total War: Pharaoh is a Total War without infamy or praise, one might say. It's one of those chapters that works but doesn't seem to add anything significant to the discourse carried on by the series.

The Fabulous Fear Machine is a pulp horror strategy game that will let you use fear itself as a weapon to conquer the world, but at what price?

Although it can easily be derivative, Japanese Rural Life Adventure succeeds perfectly in its intent, drawing us into its dense progressive mechanics while cradling us in its cozy atmosphere.

The Gray Man adds nothing to the traditional narrative about the nature of serial killers. Anthony is presented as a monster, and the whole is reinforced by the rough graphic style, based on scribbles, as if the killer’s sick mind was a sheet violated by obscene, often senseless sketches. It is a fascinating visual choice, but the game is poorly realized on the front of the gameplay, with margins of interactivity poorly outlined.

In Cypher 007 there is a genuine commitment to trying to build a well-structured and original game, far from being a simple way of exploiting an important license. The gameplay is not the most dynamic and engaging, but the super-spy situations are well reproduced and it is certainly a recommended download for all Apple Arcade subscribers.

Junkworld is a very traditional but enjoyable tower defense game, featuring a large number of units to unlock and upgrade, a reasonably full-bodied and at times even challenging campaign, as well as a touch control system that is perfectly suited to the demands of the experience and never makes us want to use a Bluetooth controller, which is supported anyway.

EA Sports FC 24 Mobile improves the experience of the series on iOS and Android, adding new content, quick challenges and events, the classic Ultimate Team formula and much more.

Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is a product faithful to the manga and anime of reference, but also very lacking in terms of play.

With a relaxed mood and an atmosphere clearly aimed at the most loyal Pokémon fans, Detective Pikachu Returns packs a gentle but interesting narrative experience that delves into the bonds between Pokémons without being boring.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a passionate tribute to the origins of the Ubisoft series, and those who missed those mechanics, atmosphere, and architecture will certainly not be disappointed with the game. Unfortunately, it's clear that something didn't in the delicate balance of stealth phases and combat: Basim can rely on an excessive number of abilities and gadgets that lowers the challenge progressively instead of increasing it, and as a result even the hand-to-hand fights are not the bogeyman we had hoped for.

Forza Motorsport has everything it takes to be the best Forza ever, but no element capable of distinguishing itself from others similar games.

Station to Station is a really... cute game! Yes, sometimes there's no need for grandiose terms, just as there's no need for hundred-hour-long games. Sometimes, as this title itself explains, all you need is something that can be opened and closed in ten minutes, a magical portal that takes you away from the line at the post office or from the next Excel sheet to review. With this purpose in mind, Station to Station is unbeatable; as an actual game, however, there's much better out there.