The Casting of Frank Stone isn't a bad video game, it's just another lazy product that follows a path that Supermassive Games has charted, and never abandoned, over the past decade. Not even the screenplay helps him much, with characters that don't shine and situations that don't make the gamer uncomfortable, incapable of making him feel tension. It's a horror that isn't scary, that doesn't manage to overcome the boundaries of a self-imposed teen slasher, but that lives in a fascinating narrative universe, where there was room for maneuver to write something more aware and lively.

Quotation forthcoming.

Squirrel with a Gun is a flawed game with some fun jokes and an abysmal gameplay.

Gundam Breaker is a huge step up for a franchise which was apparently doomed to oblivion: still an arcade game at heart with a repetitive stage selection and a paper thin anime plot, it features a crazy amount of customization options for a solid combat system which will make fans of Gunpla happy.

Astro Bot by Team Asobi is a hymn to video games and to the very act of playing: the PlayStation 5 robot is at the center of the first truly new generation platformer, a work created with obsessive care that pays homage to the entire story of the genre. Relying on impeccable level design and simply perfect technical execution, it unrolls a carpet of ideas, mechanics and wonderful moments that never cease to amaze and shock, from the first start up to the end credits. The consecration of Nicolas Doucet's team, which still has a slight margin for improvement, effectively leads to the birth of a new star on the PlayStation front, finally giving fans a title that is nothing short of unmissable.

The War Within is a decent start to the all-new Worldsoul Saga with an engaging story, some good character development and a very promising villain. Content wise it's more of the same, quality of life improvement notwithstanding: same gameplay loop, same quest design, same issues with balancing and a few new features, such as Delves and Hero Talents, that doesn't really add much to WoW as we know it.

Spectre Divide is the most newcomer friendly tactical shooter available, with great mechanics, varied gameplay and a banger of a gimmick having two bodies available.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is the sequel we have been waiting for so long, nothing more and nothing less. An evolution of the first chapter in every respect, capable of engaging us in furious battles against endless hordes of enemies, embracing the mechanics of an improved and spectacular combat system.

The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is predictably an excellent work, enhanced by the fact that it finally brings us an official translation of the second chapter of Miles Edgeworth's adventures. It's just a shame that this translation is not (equally predictably unfortunately) in Italian, and that the structural shortcomings of the first chapter have remained almost unchanged, despite some changes to the quality of life toning them down. However, these are two games that are still very enjoyable and extremely brilliant today, which deserve to be part of the Ace Attorney series and to be played.

Akimbot is a Ratchet & Clank indie that is cheap and worth its price, but only if you are really big fans of the genre and can't wait to get back to shooting and jumping around while waiting for a new chapter to come from Insomniac Games. Of course, don't hold out hope for the quality of the source material and especially don't have high hopes for the story and characters. There are various flaws and no matter how much heart Evil Raptor put into the project we struggle to suggest Akimbot to everyone.

Quotation forthcoming.

Emio - The Smiling Man is the ideal episode to introduce a new Nintendo detective game to modern audiences, enriched by the fact that this saga had never been published outside Japan. Sakamoto reconfirms himself as an excellent writer of captivating, well-connected graphic novels, designed to flow fluidly through the player's thoughts and ideas, continually adding and removing new doubts, possibilities and seasoning a salad full of ingredients to perfection.

F1 Manager 2024 offers significant managerial improvements and better pricing, but is marred by numerous bugs.

Age of Mythology Retold is by no means a simple remastered version: sure, it is in excellent shape thanks to the modern version of the Bang Engine, the remake of the animations, as well as the implementation of the orchestral soundtrack, but it is in the gameplay layer that they hide the juiciest news. If every single element of the work, from the divinities, through the civilizations to the individual units, has been evolved and modified according to balance and dynamism, there are also several absolute innovations in the area of quality of life. Of course, you still encounter some problems in the pathing and such invasive work can generate some unexpected bugs, but it is without a shadow of a doubt the best possible way to enjoy one of the most fun RTSs ever made.

Visions of Mana is a successful return to the Seiken Densetsu form with a vibrant world to explore, an engaging tale and some neat gameplay antics. Every aspect of the game is somewhat constrained by its limited budget but we are overall happy the beloved series might have found its new footing.

Monster Jam Showdown is a title with an arcade feel, but also an extremely technical one, designed above all for fans.

Star Wars Outlaws is an excellent Star Wars game. A good adventure, with a good story and good characters, all perfectly placed within a framework that is absolutely faithful and respectful of this intellectual property. It clearly does not have the depth of a Fallen Order in terms of combat nor the facets of the best RPGs set in this fictional universe, but when it comes to gameplay and contents it is certainly rich and interesting, very solid though far from original.

Quotation forthcoming.

As it stands, however, it is a project that puts the long testing phase it desperately needs behind the payment of an entrance fee, among other things in an undergrowth in which the competition has adopted the free-to-play model for years, running the risk of generating a fall from which it seems difficult to recover.

Quotation forthcoming.

Black Myth Wukong turned out to be a game far beyond our expectations. This is a game that more than ever represents its market: it's imposing, impressive, at times exceptional, but at the same time, it focuses too much on technical impact and large-scale elements, neglecting important details and falling into oversights one wouldn't expect from a team with such technical capabilities. It remains an extremely varied and enjoyable action game, with unique qualities and some truly high moments. We are far from a masterpiece, but we don't doubt it will make waves, and if this is the beginning of Game Science's story, we can't wait to see what they will achieve in the future.

Arco is a game that doesn't exceed its premise. The story that unfolds in front of the player is gritty and uncommon to see in the video game industry, with some threads bonding it to Central and South America's actual history at the end of the 19th century. The gameplay isn't as interesting as the narrative but it is interesting to find the best way to go through the fights. Some bugs mix this nice melting pot of ideas with a fallibility that makes it seem humane and a nice ticket for the future of these valuable artists.

Dustborn is divided into three parts. The plot, the adventure, and the action. The last two are the least interesting, unstructured and often require more attention than they should, but fortunately they fail to spoil what good the team has done with the characters and the game world. In a dystopian future that is all but unimaginable, a group of outcasts rebels, grows, discovers itself and forges new bonds.

Metal Slug: Awakening brings a pleasant revisitation of the SNK classic to iOS and Android, starting from its iconic action platform formula and gradually adding new elements both in terms of gameplay and structure, so as to deliver a particularly full-bodied campaign, full of different scenarios, characters, weapons and enemies. It's a real shame that the game lacks controller support, but the touch controls work quite well (despite a few stumbles) and a good job has been done on the graphics front too.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken finally arrives on consoles, and presents itself as an accessible and fascinating variant of the soulslike genre.

Quotation forthcoming.

Volgarr the Viking 2 is a great platform arcade, with some lacklustre choices.

Deathbound is a fresh take on the soulslike genre that will keep fans happy despite having a few technical issues that may get in the way of enjoyment.