Leaving behind its edutainment origins, Carmen Sandiego becomes a real video game in this new Netflix incarnation, which also pays homage to some chapters from the 1980s. The ‘retro’ investigative parts are interesting, while the more modern exploration phases seem decidedly limited and very much tied to the fluctuating quality of the puzzle-style mini-games. Still, it is a good complement to the animated series.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Avowed is a marvelous role-playing game built on a wide range of choices and deeply impactful consequences, written with great care and surprising complexity. It leans towards an old-school style while being firmly rooted in a setting that is both captivating and richly detailed, featuring uniquely distinctive fantasy elements and, above all, an exceptional level design. Obsidian Entertainment's talent shines through in all the studio’s classic strengths, yet at the same time, it clashes with evident rough edges such as an inconsistent progression system, monotonous combat, various bugs, and a lack of attention to detail—ultimately weakening an adventure that could have stood among the finest in recent years. This is an experience that any fan of the genre should dive into without hesitation, yet it remains a rough diamond—one that, in our opinion, Xbox as a publisher should have supported with more resources and greater attention.

Rift of the Necrodancer dares to go where many other successful videogame series would never dare to set foot. Its fresh take on the Guitar Hero-like rhythm games makes it a valid option in an industry that lacks these kinds of games, lately. It's a shame, though, that visually and narratively speaking it could have pushed more, because the premises were all there.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

If you're looking for an experience like no other, one that can keep you engaged for a solid fifty hours—easily extendable to two hundred—Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a must-have in your collection. Its realism remains a breath of fresh air even today, positively impacting both the gameplay and the rich cast of characters. But most importantly, Warhorse has done an excellent job of making its unique gameplay formula more accessible without sacrificing depth.

Despite the major changes that will surely be met with skepticism by longtime fans, Civilization 7 is a work that is perfectly consistent with the vision of its creators. Taken individually, innovations like the transforming civilizations and the separation between eras might seem jarring, but together they fit seamlessly into the evolution pursued by Firaxis, which is now much more focused on specific moments in human history and provides an outstanding synthesys between the fourth, the fifth and the sixth installment.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is simply an excellent game. Fun, varied, dynamic, full of things to find. The combat system picks up on the style of the first chapter, but thanks to a slightly more rigid structure, pushes us to make the most of all the moves at our disposal. The setting is beautiful, with many perfectly designed areas and a soundtrack that seems to grab your heart and squeeze it tightly. It's just a pity that the plot leaves something to be desired, with underused characters and a not very interesting plot.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is the perfect sequel to a great experience.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black brings back the second, iconic installment of the Team Ninja-branded with redesigned graphics in Unreal Engine 5 that nonetheless were simply applied to the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 layout, retaining the same animations and an approach to geometry that obviously does not match today's standards. Camera quirks aside, however, the gameplay remains surprisingly solid, frantic and challenging just as we remembered it.

Tails of Iron 2 Whiskers of Winter is practically a version 2 of the first game. It takes the bulk of its mechanics and structure, offers a game world that is beautiful to look at, and expands it slightly with a magic system and a management side. The two major new features, however, are not particularly impactful, for better or worse. If you liked the first chapter and want something very similar, you will be satisfied; if, on the other hand, you wanted an evolution or expansion, it seems you will have to wait for a third chapter.

Sniper Elite: Resistance reiterates the formula of the series without introducing concrete new features and presenting itself basically as a “more of the same” that also renounces developing the narrative elements of a historical scenario that would certainly have deserved some attempt at deepening.

Synduality Echo of Ada is a recipe for what not to do with a live service game: pay to win mechanics, artificial barriers and story content locked behind hours of grind.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

The PC version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth adopts some bizarre solutions regarding the graphics settings and certain options are still missing, but in terms of performance the game already appears very well optimized and potentially scalable on different types of configurations...Of course, beyond the purely technical aspects there is the great substance of an adventure that will certainly be able to involve you for dozens and dozens of hours, thanks to an almost always brilliant narrative section, an even more exciting hybrid combat system and the charm of an open world full of things to do and see.

Quotation forthcoming.

Squid Game: Unleashed is a multiplayer-based action game enjoyable at times and certainly capable of bringing situations similar to those of the TV series to the screen of our smartphones.

Dynasty Warriors Origins may only be a small step for action games, but it's a huge leap for musou. Omega Force has finally created a title that harnesses much of the immense potential of this unique action subgenre—a game where the flow of battle influences gameplay more than ever, where a bit of strategic thinking is required, and where difficulty progression is truly satisfying (as well as incredibly scalable). Of course, to achieve this, the team had to start from scratch in many aspects, losing some important elements along the way, first and foremost the variety provided by the character roster. Even with its flaws, however, Origins remains a valuable and crucial action game, as it could serve as a solid foundation for all future titles in the genre. It was about time.

Blade Chimera is a fresh metroidvania with excellent pixel art and a great level design.

Tales of Graces f Remastered is the usual remaster we came to expect from Bandai Namco: smoother visuals and frame rate, former DLCs included, quality of life improvements and no new content whatsoever. It helps we haven't got a Tales game in years and Graces f is an underrated little jewel of a JRPG.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD offers a rigid and "old-school" experience, challenging and punishing with its checkpoints, sometimes bordering on sadism. Yet its level design remains pure and pristine, and the dynamism of its action is unchanged: if you're looking for a demanding game, if you're daring enough to seek substance in depth rather than simply completing stages, it is still one of the best platformers ever made.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.