The concept behind Borderlands Legend is interesting, but the execution is lackluster and the game ends up being a repetitive and unresponsive mess.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is a solid entry in the series and a decent virtual reality video game. The “problem” is that Maze Theory’s work is exactly what everyone expected. The London-based team took its VR know-how and applied it to the world of Thief, without trying to make a real leap forward. VR—and therefore its users—don’t need another title with by-now well-established mechanics at this moment. They need new emotions. Something that does justice to a vocabulary with boundless potential, but which for too many years has struggled to truly take flight. Lately, as can be seen from our reviews of VR titles, the real strength of virtual reality games lies in the universes they are set in. Over time, this clearly translates into an inability on the developers’ part to create something memorable through pure, straightforward gameplay. Something that would make even those who aren’t fans of the comic-book character or the legacy video game brand want to put on a Meta Quest 3.

Kejora visually draws inspiration from the works of Studio Ghibli and offers a primarily narrative-driven adventure, with few puzzles to solve and some light stealth sections. While the game is aimed at less demanding players, the overall experience feels bland and far too limited in every aspect. Recommended only if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli’s works and are looking for something light and undemanding.

Trails beyond the Horizon represents a true turning point—the moment when The Legend of Heroes series breaks with the past and projects itself into the future. We know nothing about the next game in chronological order, but at this point Nihon Falcom can no longer turn back; it can only move forward. The studio has refined the combat system, set the narrative on a path toward its conclusion, and assembled an impressive cast. All that remains is to modernize the technical side; after that, even opening up to new players becomes a secondary concern. From our point of view, the appeal of The Legend of Heroes now lies precisely in the universe it has cultivated over many years of JRPGs—a universe that makes the saga a truly unique experience for genre fans who have the time and desire to catch up on the previous titles. Trails beyond the Horizon has shown that it’s worth it.

MIO: Memories in Orbit does not bring any real innovation to the metroidvania genre. Moreover, it suffers from a few shortcomings, such as poorly placed checkpoints and a certain lack of precision in the protagonist’s hitbox. Nonetheless, it remains a two-dimensional adventure with a striking artistic vision, a solid pacing, and an effective grasp of the mechanics and design principles that underpin the metroidvania formula.

Escape from Tarkov is a game with many flaws and limitations. And yet, its formula — which helped lay the groundwork for the extraction shooter genre — is extremely addictive. It’s not a game for everyone, but in its 1.0 version it stands as an almost essential title for fans of the genre.

Rocket Riot HD is a very stylized arena shooter, with fun presentation and tons of crazy power-ups. Unfortunately, the lack of multiplayer mode highlights the repetitive and unoriginal single-player levels.

Super Crossfire HD is an enjoyable arcade shooter, packed with a good number of levels and some very nice graphics.

Unbeatable is an extraordinary game to see and to hear: the animations, the style that looks like it came straight out of a ’90s anime, the colorful imagery of a world where music has no right to exist. And yet it does exist: loud, punk, rock, rebellious, coming from deep within, and at other times it embraces you, gently and warmly. However, the sum of its parts is far below what one would expect. It is too imprecise to be a good rhythm game: the note charts are confusing, input windows are off, and the feedback from the notes leaves much to be desired. On top of that, even after such a long wait and last month’s delay, the bug and glitch situation is still far from ideal. With a heavy heart over this missed opportunity, we hope that Unbeatable can at least serve as a foundation for something greater, through continuous updates, additional tracks, and new options.

RuneQuest: Warlords is a turn-based war strategy game with solid, well-tested gameplay, but it ultimately lacks the tools it needs to truly shine. The mission design never really surprises, and the game never quite reaches a suitably epic pace. On the audiovisual side, there are too many rough edges as well, especially when it comes to sound effects and voice acting. An opportunity that was only partly realized.

MJ The Experience is nice thanks to a polished gameplay, but the 4 playable songs included are a shame.

SFxT is a smaller and reduced version of the console game, with less content and only 10 characters, imprecise controls and a new "tag system".

The World Ends with You: Solo Remix is a more than welcome release on the App Store, taking one of the best recent Jrpg to the iOS platform. Even if the original still plays better, the adaptation to the touch screen could be considered a success. Shame on Square Enix for the absurd price, the separate iPhone and iPad versions and the lacking of support for the new iPad Retina Display.

In Moto Racer 15th Anniversary, only the MotoGP mode can be considered interesting; SuperCross and FreePlay are in fact just two extras, without the same accuracy and with gameplay limitations that it's not possible to accept in a modern game.

Far to be fresh or polished as iNiS' previous games, Symphonica is still an excellent rhythm game. A must have for everyone who likes classical music.

Fifa 12 on iOS is probably the best soccer game available on the App Store; unfortunately there is some serious lacking of game modes - most of all the multiplayer -, and the improvements over the last year are mostly minimal.

Quotation forthcoming.

Skate Story is an enchanting sensory experience, one that Sam Eng set out to recreate by drawing on his nights spent in a nocturnal New York, headphones in his ears and a skateboard under his feet. It’s a bizarre tale, made of glass demons, talking rabbits, and capitalist penguins, an epic journey all the way to the moon. Defining it is a challenge: at times it’s an adventure game, at times a sports game, and you even end up using your board as a weapon against bosses. Everything feels original, even though the story, suspended as it is, isn’t always strong enough to fully capture the player’s attention. A greater focus on board customization could have added more depth, and certain choices—like the camera—lean more toward the aesthetic than the functional. But Skate Story remains a fascinating experience: a story about the skateboard not just as a means of transport, but as a tool for life and hope.

Quotation forthcoming.

Resident Evil: Survival Unit is a mash-up of different mechanics, with Capcom’s characters thrown into semi-automatic strategic battles, city-builder-style sections, invasion or PvP missions, and a very scaled-down representation of Resident Evil’s exploration phases and puzzles. The experience is decent and flows smoothly during the first few hours, but it becomes immediately clear that the monetization system is lying in wait... and its fierce bite may end up being far more frightening than that of a zombie.

Forestrike merges action, strategy, and roguelite elements into a truly compelling formula. The ability to repeat battles as many times as you want to refine your strategy before actually implementing it is a very interesting concept and fully embodies the spirit of true martial arts. The replayability is excellent, although some technical and balancing issues are a pity.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is a title that offers an incredible amount of content and a compelling, well-structured gameplay experience. The pacing of Story Mode could have been handled better, and newcomers may struggle to fully get in tune with the game, but it is undoubtedly one of the best entries in the series.

Horses is an important video game that aims to scandalize by working within the uncomfortable space typical of provocative art. It has no intention of being harmless: it wants to unsettle you on every level. It is a reflection on the banality of evil, on the anarchy of power, and on how dehumanizing others pushes us to commit atrocious actions. While it evokes the horrors of twentieth-century totalitarian regimes, it is a highly contemporary work that stages mechanisms power still exploits to undermine our humanity. It is a video game that does not seek approval and has the courage to remind us how easy it still is, even today, to simply follow orders.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond stands to Metroid Prime as James Cameron’s Aliens stands to Ridley Scott’s Alien: a fine sequel that, while staying true to the original spirit, shifts it toward a more action-oriented and spectacular dimension. Despite the ugly desert area, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a great game – a worthy successor to a historic saga. Given its long and difficult development, this was anything but guaranteed.

Quotation forthcoming.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a serviceable scrolling beat'em up which marginally exploits some popular characters in a much more comprehensive collection of stages, bosses and easter eggs. It feels a little bit more unpolished than Tribute's previous attempt with Shredder's Revenge and lacks additional content but co-op and some nice DLC may increase its value in the long run.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.