Finally, regarding the audio, we really appreciated the voice acting (in English, with Italian subtitles) during story mode, the commentary, and the sound design, which realistically captures the atmosphere of a UFC bout. The soundtrack, however, might not be to everyone's taste.

The Adventures of Elliot holds so much untapped potential that even discussing it becomes frustrating: every single aspect of the game seems to have been designed without regard for the others, yet somehow the whole package manages to be incredibly consistent. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable experience—never dull—that left us feeling satisfied despite the aforementioned flaws, though largely because we love the genre and the HD-2D style. And because we have an obsessive-compulsive need to deal with locked treasure chests and kittens in distress.

There is little to complain about regarding the purely aesthetic and technical aspects. The game employs a comic-book art style; while the athlete models may not boast an immense level of detail, they closely resemble their real-life counterparts and feature convincing animations that—despite the expected stylistic exaggerations—faithfully capture the players' actual movements. The environments are varied and detailed, alternating between real-world courts, such as the one at Venice Beach, and entirely fictional ones. The frame rate is solid, as is the netcode; out of the dozens of matches played, there was only a single instance of a total connection failure.

As a roguelike, the game is naturally not designed to be completed just once. It will take hours of attempts and upgrades to reach the end, but even after finishing it, replayability remains high—not only due to the experimentation with various builds and the addictive quality typical of the best roguelikes, but also because the levels become more complex and a "true ending" can be unlocked by completing the game a second time.

The online component is admittedly secondary: there are only Quick Match, Ranked, and Friendly Match modes, and the game's status as an exclusive significantly limits the pool of potential opponents. Matters are made worse by the usual shortcomings of Konami's infrastructure—including clunky menus and questionable matchmaking logic—resulting in extremely long wait times and forcing players to make certain choices after being matched rather than before, which further drags out the breaks between games. Anyone buying eFootball Kick-Off! should do so knowing that the main course is, and remains, the offline experience.

There is still plenty of room for improvement regarding character models, basic animations, and—above all—the voice acting and dialogue in cutscenes. It would be fantastic if, for the next Forza Horizon, Playground Games applied the lessons learned while developing the new *Fable* to address these shortcomings. They could also take the opportunity to meaningfully revamp the concept of the automotive festival—which, in my view, remains a winning formula—as the project's driving force. After all, the festival explains everything: why there are few pedestrians and no one crossing the streets, why the place is teeming with maniacs drifting around you, and how you ended up in the middle of it all so quickly. As for those who complain that it bears too strong a resemblance to previous titles, let us point out that only a madman would alter a formula that no other development team has managed to replicate, and one that sees its audience grow with every new release.

There aren't very many options for customizing your team at the moment. You can purchase kits and celebrations from the store, but the initial selection is rather limited. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, there is currently a lack of any real licensing, save for a few scattered collaborations like the one with KSI.

Mina The Hollower inhabits the confines of a parallel universe; it moves along a track entirely its own, imposing upon itself limitations that, on one hand, grant it an undue advantage—offering the opportunity to resurrect the very best of past classics armed with all the knowledge of the future—yet, on the other, keep it confined within its own small niche. Yacht Club Games has transformed that niche into a cozy den; specializing in the 8-bit aesthetic, they craft extraordinarily challenging video games that are certainly not intended for everyone—yet they do so with an exceptional level of care, leaving absolutely nothing to chance, not a single pixel nor a solitary note of the soundtrack. If you still find yourself longing for those moments when you powered up your Game Boy Color and hours suddenly seemed to slip by like minutes—flinging open windows onto worlds teeming with secrets waiting to be uncovered—then the Isle of Mystery will make you feel right at home; it will put your skills to the test and will undoubtedly find a way to surprise you.

Unfortunately—particularly during certain boss battles—progress is made more through trial and error than through informed strategy. After a while, you realize that striking a specific arm yields no effect, that an enemy attack lands slightly sooner than visual cues would suggest, and that your own offensive has actually connected even in the absence of clear on-screen indicators. With a dash of practice and a bit of patience, it is possible to partially mitigate these two issues; however, they inevitably—and significantly—mar the overall enjoyment of the experience.

Quotation forthcoming.

The sensation is that of standing before a project which—had it emerged from any other software house on the planet, and under any other circumstances—would have effortlessly transformed into an instant cult classic. Unfortunately, however, the name on the cover reads ZA/UM; it was crafted using tools that were already well-proven, and it is compelled to endure a comparison that is simply impossible—much like the redemption of Hershel Wilk.

007 First Light is a perfect blend of the espionage aplomb of the Hitman series and the cinematic action of Uncharted. It pleasantly alternates between the two, catapulting the player into a myriad of situations that are always stimulating and, above all, excellently written, so well-crafted they seem to have been plucked from a good 007 movie. The new James Bond has lost none of his charm: his irresistible knowing smile, his seductive gaze, his approach that can be at times frivolous, trendy, and style-icon-like, at times profound and intelligent, almost like a philosopher in the field. With him, the cast of characters lays a solid foundation for what could be another successful franchise for IO Interactive. There are some elements that are out of place—most notably the enemy AI that's just not convincing—but when Bond enters the fray and the adrenaline rush rises, 007 First Light manages to make up for it with spectacular storytelling and an irresistible pace. A fun, incisive, and very contemporary video game. To quote a maxim from Agent 007, this series "has all the time in the world" to become perfect.

The art direction—bolstered, as previously mentioned, by a truly remarkable soundtrack—compensates for these shortcomings as we explore the subterranean landscapes of the Abyss; yet, these environments suffer from one unfortunate flaw: the alternation between rock and metal is, fundamentally, all we will see throughout the campaign. Consequently, the game cannot boast great visual variety; indeed, it tends to flatten out, adhering strictly to a limited set of design and even chromatic choices.

*Thick as Thieves, however, doesn't even attempt to challenge this premise; on the contrary, it offers a truly classic interpretation of this subgenre—one characterized by predetermined, repetitive routes, guards who forget about you after a mere few seconds, and alarm systems that are nowhere to be found. The problem is that the randomized placement of objects does nothing to fundamentally alter the two maps, which—once explored inside out—have very little left to offer.

The audio passes with flying colors. The Moto3 and Moto2 engines have received a substantial update, thanks to samples taken from their real-world counterparts. The Italian commentary is also solid—entrusted, as is now customary, to the evergreen Guido Meda.

The most incredible thing about Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is that it lacks a definable duration, as it transcends the traditional conventions of a distinct beginning and end. One could argue that the game concludes once the very last creature has been discovered; however, the concept of time becomes entirely relative—dependent on your pace, your desire to savor every diorama, your willingness to explore each area thoroughly, your choice to utilize (or forgo) hints, and whether or not you seek out the fleeting shadows that occasionally appear to remind you of a discovery yet to be made. Is it a game of relaxed exploration? Of continuous discovery? Or of the logical interpretation of every environment? This new Nintendo title offers multiple layers of interpretation—all equally valid, and all equally faithful to a precise stylistic and gameplay vision capable of seamlessly weaving together every distinct idea brought to the table.

The audio department is less impressive, featuring music that serves a functional role within the gameplay—with a few tracks that actually manage to stand out—while the sound effects and voice acting (which we sampled in both English and Japanese) do little to push beyond the typical limitations of the genre, offering many stereotypical performances.

Even in these quirky choices—which pay homage to the most obscure corners of the DC Universe—one can sense the love the developer harbors for Batman and his associates; after all, we even get "Kiss from a Rose" during the closing credits, just like in Batman Forever. In fact, beyond featuring the most famous themes and tracks from the films, the game boasts the Italian voice talents of Marco Balzarotti and Riccardo Peroni as Batman and the Joker—the very actors who dubbed them in the 1990s animated series. It is the icing on the cake of a project that truly left nothing to chance, blending the various interpretations of the Dark Knight in its own unique way.

InKonbini succeeds in fulfilling its promise to serve as a place of fragmented encounters—of universal shards of humanity—even if the setting feels distant and elusive in time and space to a Western millennial such as myself. Regardless, it manages to leave you with something. Where it fails, however, is in embodying another identity that was easy to associate with it—even just by reading its premise and knowing the frenetic, sometimes hellish, routine of Japanese convenience stores: our need (unhealthy, perhaps?) to always have something to do, to measure our progress, and to find meaning within the routine. The game lasts 5–6 hours; it takes care to tell a tender coming-of-age story, and then it ends. The fact is that, in doing so, if you don't resonate with the events it depicts, then InKonbini—a game with a very strong sensibility, yet built on rather thin foundations—has very little to offer you.

In short, this is not a video game without its rough edges; yet, it feels well-rounded and focused—built around a few highly polished and deeply explored core concepts—and, above all else, it demonstrates that potential for growth typical of those who are already doing things the right way. *Nitro Gen Omega* is original and satisfying; it manages to remain entertaining for at least thirty hours without ever dragging. It only begins to feel a bit weighed down over the long haul—due to the inevitable tension between its sandbox nature and the sheer scope of content a studio this small has attempted to tackle—specifically regarding the variety of environments, factions, and all the classic elements that serve to facilitate player freedom and emergent storytelling. That said, DESTINYbit’s latest work clearly showcases the results of a continued process of maturation—one that solidifies their standing as one of the most intriguing developers on the domestic scene.

Reaching the end of a game of Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes doesn't take very long—assuming everything goes smoothly—but we are nonetheless talking about a highly replayable title that thrives precisely on the variety of situations it presents and the weight of the choices you are called upon to make. This is particularly true of the system events, which, in our view, constitute the game's most successful element due to the sheer range of scenarios they offer. The combat mechanics work well, too—characterized by their lean, responsive nature—though they do tend to become somewhat repetitive over the long haul. All in all, after about 25 hours, we felt fully satisfied with the experience, even though the publisher claims there are 50 hours' worth of content available for completionists. Considering the accessible price point, there really is nothing to complain about.

Directive 8020 also gives us the ability to rewind time and make different choices, or to replay these sessions, in order to ensure that more survivors make it to the end of the game.

The interface suffers from a serious scalability issue: text and icons are very often too small—at times almost illegible—on a screen like that of the Ally X. This is clearly a major flaw for a title that is so narrative-driven and involves extensive document reading. We are confident that this will be rectified promptly; however, given that this type of adventure game is perfectly suited for on-the-go gaming, we felt it was worth highlighting this issue.

Mixtape is a narrative video game about the power of friendship, the inevitable wave of adulthood that overwhelms and separates you, but also the strength of the bond that unites you forever to the people you love. All of this is underscored by an exceptional soundtrack, spanning decades of music, shifting seamlessly between different genres and moods. The progression is somewhat schematic, a product of the "song" structure that characterizes the video game: you drift in and out of memories, playing small fragments made up of expedients that always function in conjunction with the narrative and the canons that accompany them. An interactive musical that reminds us why friends and music were so important to us at a certain point in our lives.

419 In this way, you soon find yourself trapped in a loop of contemplating how to forge increasingly complex synergies—weighing whether it is worth specializing in plains or forests, whether to upgrade a specific tile, or whether to hire mercenaries to patch up your faltering strategies. And in the event of failure, you start over with the bonuses unlocked thus far, hoping to stumble upon just the right boss or Tetrominoes. And so it goes.

The map design is particularly well-crafted and intriguing, contributing significantly to the gameplay. On this front, however, one criticism must be raised regarding the limited quantity: currently, only five maps are available—all of them rather small in size. Given that there is also only a single game mode, it is essential that Double Fine introduces new content soon to keep interest in *Kiln* alive. The first post-launch updates have already been announced and include at least three new maps and a new game mode; however, it remains unclear whether true long-term support is planned—something that will likely depend on the game's online performance during its first few months.

From a technical standpoint, however, Invincible VS fails to particularly distinguish itself. The 3D character models lack detail—a shortcoming that is especially evident in Story Mode, where the transition between animated cutscenes and gameplay segments highlights the disparity in quality. The animations, too, are not always up to par; some attacks appear unpolished and lack fluidity. Finally, the special effects do not exactly dazzle with their spectacle; while generally pleasing overall, they remain inferior to those found in many other titles within the genre—a sentiment that ultimately applies to the entire graphics package.

Aphelion is the most classic of DON'T NOD's games. On paper, but also in practice, it lacks everything to be a good title, but at the same time it lacks the magic, the originality, the quality necessary to shine. While Remember Me and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden undoubtedly represent two of the French studio's finest achievements, not to mention the usual Life is Strange, this sci-fi adventure falls behind those titles. While there are no major flaws, and while the game strives to offer sci-fi fans an experience comparable to Interstellar, Solaris, or Deliver Us Mars, for a game primarily focused on story, it lacks a twist, a completely convincing and engaging level of writing, and the digital direction and top-notch sound are all missing. The gameplay is just okay, completely lacking in depth and even repetitive over long periods, especially in the sections where you play as Ariane. With Pragmata and Saros vying for the attention of sci-fi fans, Aphelion risks coming away with more broken bones than it deserves. It's not a bad game, but it certainly chose the worst time of year to try to win over genre fans with its slim, yet undeniable, qualities.