Scintillatron 4096 seems to have come straight out of an elucubration by Jeff Minter, and this is perhaps the best compliment that I can make. Frantic and fun, at times frustrating, but also endowed with an unexpected strategic depth, this game seems to have come here directly from an arcade of the 80s.

Masters of Anima allows us to control an army of minions to save our princess (and the rest of the world). The most difficult thing about the game is mastering the control system, and there's a notable - and irritating - separation between exploration and fights; nonetheless, the game is a solid and fun experience.

Wanted: Dead has a very entertaining combat system based mainly on the use of white weapons, full of ultra-violence, blood, dismemberments, combos and particularly devastating final techniques, but it limps in everything else: the AI of our team and the enemies is not efficient, the minigames are sometimes a pretext to unlock some collectible, other times an interruption between one mission and another, and the story, however interesting to follow, continuously breaks the action. The final question is: is a triumph of blades enough to justify the purchase? Definitely yes, if you loved the slasher films of the early 2000s, otherwise you might find the offer a bit scarce.

The Gunk is game full of charm, thanks especially to its wonderful art direction and the colorful alien world it created. Unfortunately, despite its short duration The Gunk does not manage to carry this sense of wonder all the way to the end, due to repetitiveness of environments and a gameplay that ends up being far too simplistic. It’s still a valid title, especially for younger players; it just needed a little more to truly shine.

Surviving, nowadays, is hard. It’s DAMN hard. So it’s good to find a survival game like The Wild Eight that does not enjoy punishing the player without reason. I still don’t know if this softer approach is an attempt to offset some design issues (like the combat, or the clunky inventory) or if it was meant to be like this since the beginning. Anyway, The Wild Wight feels like a survival game approachable even by players that usually don’t like survival games so much, and at the end of the day this feels like good news.

Possessor(s) aims to combine action platforming and Metroidvania in a devastated urban world, offering great mobility and a combat system without contact damage, making battles more fair and dynamic. The original visual atmosphere, good writing by the Luca–Rhem duo, and creative level design are somewhat overshadowed by some graphical oversights and a control system that is not always precise. The lack of a grace period when taking damage can be very punishing when there are multiple enemies on screen. A solid game, but with imperfections that limit its impact in one of the most competitive markets.

With no major changes in the game modes, NHL 24 shows some interesting signs of life thanks to some new gameplay features. With convincing graphics and sounds, which manages to immerse the player in the atmosphere of an ice rink, the matches are quite enjoyable, with a good rhythm and a truly well-thought-out renewed control system. There are still some issues, but those who live on bread and hockey will find a way to have fun.

Spiritual successor of the good old Rampage, Terror of Hemasaurus delivers a funny (but short) experience of total arcade carnage and destruction, with a charming pixel-art and hilarious story.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is a 25 years old role-playing game that was never released in Europe. While this remastered doesn’t do much in terms of graphics, it adds a fair amount of content that will certainly make it intriguing for returning players. Novices, on the other hand, might have a harder time adapting to some of its more dated mechanics.

The RPG side of SpellForce 3 works better than the RTS one. Some important bugs and a bunch of balance problems prevent the game from reaching a higher score.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a work of great courage and respect for the platform genre. It is not revolutionary but manages to be a simple, but refined pastime made with all the trappings of the genre.

Fast and furious fights in a cyberpunk world, this time also on a futuristic bike exploring post-apocalyptic lands – who wouldn’t love that? Too bad a few too many puzzle keep the adrenaline rush at bay and distract from the most exciting parts of the game.

While the series is still far from perfection and the direct competitor is always fierce, NBA Live 19 is another step in the right direction.

Yet another top-view roguelite action-shooter with a sci-fi theme, a genre enjoyed by a large audience who will find in Replikator everything they have loved in dozens of similar games. Originality is not its strong suit, but variety is not lacking and three levels of difficulty make it suitable for a very wide audience. If you can turn a blind eye to a less-than-stellar aesthetic compartment (but the soundtrack deserves applause), we assure you that you will have fun.

A strange mix between a JRPG and a strategic game. Despite the first aspect has not been developed in a proper way, the second one represents the very point of interest of this strange and original product.

Absolver offers a truly unique take on the combat genre, with a peculiar mix between single and multiplayer. Technically solid and visually inspired, it suffers from a sometimes confused level design and the absence of a real, high-level endgame.

Lust from Beyond is a more-than-average first person adventure dealing with difficult topics, such as psychiatric diseases, sexuality and the very idea of a cult based exclusively on physical pleasure. It does so by building an almost convincing narrative structure, without skimping on the crude representation of sex and violence, managing to maintain a difficult balance with all the other components of the game. The technical quality, however, is fluctuating, with 3D models that seem to come out of some game 20 years ago, animations at the limit of decency and sudden "coughs" of the script.

Where the Water Tastes like Wine is an amazing piece of storytelling caged in an unwieldy game structure. The journey through the States is a charming trip about the importance of the stories we share everyday and a great portrait of America form many point of views. On the long run, unfortunately, the lacklustre gameplay simply fails to sustain the sense of wandering and discovery of such an amazing journey.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise recreates the feeling of fighting and the charisma of the characters of Hokuto no Ken quite faithfully. The authors have conceded some creative freedom compared to the original material and this could annoy the fans, but the game developed by the authors of Yakuza manages to entertain the players despite its many flaws.

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny follows closely in the steps of the excellent Disgaea 5 – perhaps too closely, considering it shows a distinct lack of interest into innovating its formula. The new stylistic approach also fails to convince.

Wizardry Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is yet another masterstroke from Digital Eclipse, a developer capable of breathing new life into classics with incredible talent. Apart from its fundamental historical value, however, Wizardry is a game that is now rather limited in its mechanics and cadence, classifying itself as an artefact suitable mainly for digital archaeologists eager to rediscover it. It would have been great if it had been accompanied by the wealth of historical notions to which Digital Eclipse has now accustomed us.

Sword Art Online: Last Recollection, has a good track record and an interesting, little communicated and evocative context in game design. In the end I ended up with a single player and a multiplayer, with a non-recurring effect in the Alcun mode of living with one another, presenting a mess that is not particularly effective. The bottom line is that it is only possible to distinguish between the two, but it is only subtle.

The Rise of the Necromancer is a good offering, dedicated to real, hardcore fans of Diablo III: if after five years you still love slaying demons in Tristram, for a fair price you'll find hours of fun and some new stuff.

Jump Force’s gameplay is spectacular and amazing, but too many technical issues get in the way, ruining part of the fun.

The Spirit of the Samurai is a decidedly particular game: it is full of very good ideas which, however, are never fully developed. The stop-motion style is still worth a try.

The Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut defines a further step forward for InXile Entertainment. The flaws are there, but it's worth playing as long as you like this genre.

Scorn is the classic case of a brilliant idea, diligently implemented which then lacks much of the content to be savored and enjoyed. The settings are excellent and cause great anguish, and the adventure around the exploration of these carnal and biomechanical tunnels is fantastic, but the shooting phases are faulty, the puzzles are repetitive and in some cases fillers, for a project with little longevity. Having put the nearly eight years of development on the table, it was reasonable to expect something more.

Guayota is a nice and colorful puzzle game with extremely well constructed gameplay sessions. Too bad about the too much repetitiveness of some puzzles.

The latest adventure of Rico Rodriguez, with its good dose of adrenaline and over-the-top action, forces our hero to embark on a real impossible mission to dismantle the dangerous Project Illapa. Despite the lack of variety and the exaggerated length of the campaign, Just Cause 4 still manages to push the boundaries of players’ imaginations, dragging them once again into a world of destruction, explosions and pure chaos.

Remnant 2 The Awakened King is a solid DLC that follows the path of Remnant 2 success. The additions touch on the longevity of the game, increase the level cap and nothing more. Nothing revolutionary, but everything works perfectly.

Dreams of Another mixes action and adventure in a dreamlike world where you destroy bokeh-like globes of light to reveal environments and objects with souls. The protagonist, Man in Pajamas, guided by Wandering Soldier, alternates between exploration, simple puzzles, and shooting sections. The mechanics revolve around the concept of “No Creation Without Destruction”: you can create only after destroying. The levels, however, are small and fragmented, interrupted by frequent returns to the main menu. Enemies and bosses are harmless, and the dialogue is slow and repetitive. Artistic and original, but suffering from a static pace and lackluster gameplay.

Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered shows a lot of contradictions: we can find the same amazing and never equaled free approach, but also a very old-fashioned game world that results too much empty for today's standards.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl tries to be a challenger for Super Smash Bros. and aims for the weak spot of his opponent, showing off a stable and solid netcode. A good multiplayer and tight controls, though, are not enough to reach the stars. The roster is good and varied, but a little scarce right now (maybe DLCs will fill the gap) and characters lack characterization (no pun intended): a pity, because Nickelodeon’s original voices and music would have added a lot of value to the game.

One could easily define Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother as a reskin of Hades set in Chinese mythology, and trash it upon seeing that it does not touch the qualitative heights reached by Supergiant Games' work. The gameplay, however, is captivating, and the roguelite structure coupled with a good handling of the difficulty curve entices you to jump into another run to field test the newly achieved perks and the new character build. Each enemy has its own movement and attack pattern to learn, and the bosses are challenging enough. It doesn't innovate the genre, but it gets the job done.

Elex II is your usual Piranha Bytes game. Long, classic in the RPG formula and aesthetically clean, but as always plagued with non optimized combat phases and the trademark issues with anything technical. However, it is still a step forward for the future of the franchise and for Piranha Bytes.

The Persistence is still a good roguelite, but it is impossible to ignore to the absence of a fundamental element such as virtual reality in the new versions of the game.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a nice strategic RPG, however its tie-in nature is in fact a limit to its potential. Who knows what it could have been if BonusXP would have poured a bit more of courage in its develpment.

Outriders Worldslayer follows in the same vein of Outriders, quite literally: one year later, both its strengths (tight gameplay, loot management) and flaws (poor enemy variety, lackluster boss design, weak plot) have stayed exactly the same. Very likely you’ll enjoy this expansion if you liked the base game, but if you didn’t this won’t make you change your mind.

At its core, Sworn isn't bad and has all the makings of a fun game to keep you entertained for several hours. Beyond that, however, it stops offering any real enjoyment or gameplay depth. Compared to other behemoths, it's the one that sits closest to its comfort zone, also benefiting from a co-op system for up to four players that could make the difference. Varied in the progression of the four heroes, the biggest obstacle is the pace of the game, which alternates between really slow and fast moments, where, however, the slow pace of our heroes never manages to respond to the game world with any real responsiveness. It takes a bit of practice, at least in the first few hours, which feature a rather steep difficulty curve.

Kill la Kill: IF has a lot of potential, unfortunately the contents are lacking, despite a visually stunning combat system.

WRC 8 has to deal with too many compromises, and it comes out smaller than its potential. It is neither insufficient nor broken but seems to evolve too slowly, without clear objectives.

What's up, Quantum: Recharged? Did you absolutely have to be released in these days without some final tweaks? The game is fast-paced and fun, making it perfect for a score attack, but there are a number of shortcomings that soon end up spoiling the experience. Controlling the spacecraft with the mouse is frustrating, but fortunately the pad does its job very well. The additional challenges are more or less all the same and represent no real added value. With a little more attention to detail it could have become a must-have hyper casual, instead it is little more than a weekend game.

The Forgotten Kingdom is the classic excellent DLC for Remnant II: a budget price for an important amount of content. in the future, however, something more will be needed to keep the game alive for a long time.

The scars of a long and difficult development are clearly visible in the confusing plot and in the poor battle system. The game is spectacular and the open world area is well built, but it's not enough to bring FF XV to the top of JRPGs.

The Flame in the Flood is a strange survival rogue-lite. Despite an interesting setting and a charming OST, the game lacks in offering a balanced gameplay, mostly because of the high incidence of random events.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a good title, albeit some shortcomings. Unfortunately, its bigger flaw is that it falls between two very different genres, resulting in something that's neither fish or fowl. Probably Prideful Sloth could have made bolder choices for its debut title, which at the end of the day remains a decent game.

A dungeon crawler that delves a little deeper into the "ruolistic" elements of the first Hammerwatch while still remaining too much on the surface and offering no particular creative flourishes. If you plan to play it alone be prepared for a fair amount of repetitiveness, but if you have a few friends on hand the fun rate is bound to go up quite a bit.

The Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack collects three chapters of the Atelier series released between 2016 and 2018. It also includes all DLCs and some additional content, making it a good choice for people who would like an introduction to the series – but if you come from the recent Ryza games, keep in mind that the Mysterious Trilogy is not as detailed or refined. Finally, the price point seems pretty steep, especially on PC.

Pure Farming 2018 is still a pretty sour plant (pun intended): technically modest, with a narrow roster of farming vehicles, and limited possibilities for the players. Despite the name, it's not a "pure" simulator, and the arcade approach may turn away the fans of the genre. The seeds have been planted; we'll wait and see if they will bear fruit.

20XX is a roguelite shamelessly inspired by Mega Man, with a strong RPG component that makes it enjoyable and cleverly challenging. Unfortunately, the game also shows strong weaknesses, including predictable bosses and a technically unstable multiplayer.

Madden NFL 22 is like a roller coaster”. That’s what I wrote last year in my review. 365 days after, I must repeat myself, going from NFL 22 to 23. Madden NFL 23 is a game that can be compared to a roller coaster. You go up with FieldSENSE, you go down with a problematic AI. You go up with new features in almost all game modes, you go down after experiencing bugs and glitches. There are steps forward made since the last videogame, and the direction taken by the developers is the right one, but there is still work to do to reach levels of excellence.

Idle Evolution is a nice, successful experiment: an incremental game with a lot of challenges and minigames, and an unusual way to give you a grounding in chemistry.

On one hand, Call of Cthulhu is able to drag the player into an adventure with a dark and oppressive atmosphere, in which nobody really seems to be on our side, and curiosity can turn out to be our worst enemy. On the other hand, the little care given to some aspects of the game and the implementation of certain mechanics transform this game into a missed opportunity to celebrate the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

As Dusk Falls is a mixed bag. The story, while certainly not out of this world, provides good characters and a fair amount of drama, but the peculiar art style doesn’t always succeed in conveying the right emotion. The voice-over, and especially the Italian dubbing, also occasionally suffers from the same issue. The multiplayer mode does make the game more engaging, but it’s still an experience with very little interaction. Enjoyment might vary wildly depending on your tastes.

Dicefolk is a valid alternative in the search for a good roguelike with mechanics linked to dice management that are interesting, but very unbalanced and managed by luck.

Brilliant idea that is not developed to its fullest potential. Still, if you are not necessarily looking for the next Portal, it will be good fun for some hours.

Dragon is Dead is a solid, challenging, and technically well-crafted action roguelite. The combat system is responsive and rewarding, with wide room for customization thanks to an articulate skill tree and elemental builds that reward experimentation. Persistent progression between runs encourages you to improve, while well-characterized bosses offer intense challenges. However, those hoping for complex levels or deep exploration may be disappointed: maps are simple, repetitive, and structured as arenas, more functional interludes than true worlds to discover.

Valkyrie Elysium's combat system is sufficiently complex and entertaining, which is good, considering that what remains of the game is quite forgettable. A decent game for fans of the tri-Ace saga, but certainly not essential. Also because, if you're hungry for Norse adventures, there's a certain god of war waiting for you at the end of November.

Paper Beast is a fascinating migratory tale that highlights the power of collaboration and mutual help. Too bad its distinctive graphic style is brought down by terrible textures and the Sandbox mode is only the shadow of what it could have been.

Shadowkeep is an extremely lazy expansion that offers nothing more than the bare minimum of content. Some new sets of armor, a few additional weapons, several exotic and a pleasant additional endgame activity are of little use when everything else is in fact recycled from the past incarnations of the franchise. Let’s hope Bungie will somehow counterbalance the scarcity of present contents in the next season.

Saints Row IV Re-Elected comes to the Nintendo Switch many years after the launch of the original version, but it certainly is a valid option for anyone looking for an excessively exaggerated and over the top open world action game. Unfortunately the conversion proves to be anything but flawless, even if the many technical issues don’t undermine the overall gaming experience.

If brainless fun is what you are looking for, look no more. Starship Troopers: Terran Command is light on strategic elements but delivers the feeling of being part of the mobile infantry, as made famous by Paul Verhoeven’s movie and Robert Heinlein’s novel.

A cozy and mildly paced RPG. Bandle Tale enters the world of League of Legends from the farthest corner of Runeterra and offers "Stardew Valley-style" gameplay based on the use of bizarre machines, sewing skills, gardening and cooking talents. A simple but charming adventure, suitable for all ages and featuring delightful pixel-art.

A solid dungeon crawler, affected by some technical issues and a tasteless plot.

The Serpent Rogue focuses the whole experience on gathering resources and crafting, relegating every other feature of gameplay to the role of supporting actor. But then it repeatedly puts a spanner in its own works by inserting materials too hard to find, a limited inventory and a loot system that relies more on luck than on skill or knowledge. The result is some kind of roguelike adventure that can be great fun when everything runs smoothly and you quickly find what you need, but is extremely frustrating if you can't progress because that common ingredient is nowhere to be found. Those who prefer the alembic to the sword will surely like it, others may find it a bit dull.

Deliver Us Mars is a sequel that follows in the wake of the previous title. Excellent narrative and environmental puzzles functional to the story, but it is a game without novelties and with absolutely mediocre cutscenes, animations and polygonal models.

This new installment of the Skylanders franchise relies upon a solid and deep collectible card game. There are some interesting ideas here and there, unfortunately ruined by some over-simplifications in the design, that ultimately make the game a little boring.

A decent graphic adventure in which some good intuitions, excellent replayability and some problems of various kinds such as frustrating controls coexist.

void tRrLM();++ //Void Terrarium++ features everything we are used to see in modern Roguelike games: dungeon crawling, crafting with materials and blueprints, turn-based combat, character skill tree and a story which takes shape one run after another. It's also easy to pick up and it takes quite a while to be completed. The issue is that Void Terrarium doesn't shine in any particular aspect, and given the recent flooding of roguelikes, it doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Only recommended if you desperately need to play another roguelike.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is particularly impressive when it comes to gameplay: the combat system is varied and creative, the exoskeleton customization is extensive, and the boss fights, when they work, offer spectacular moments. Multiplayer is also solid, thanks to cross-play that expands the possibilities for cooperation. The rest, however, isn't quite as impressive: the plot is weak, the cast forgettable, the filler missions slow down the pace, and the game world, while vast, feels empty and repetitive. Last but not least, on a technical level, the Switch 2 version reviewed here shows clear limitations, with slow loading times and an unstable frame rate. This is a game that will entertain fans of mechs and gear optimization who are willing to overlook the objective problems, but it's unlikely to satisfy those looking for an engaging story or a world to enjoy exploring.

Hoverboards and rock music made the fortune of Back to the Future and the formula works quite well also in Star Overdrive. The game developed by the Italian team Caracal presents an aesthetically pleasing sci-fi adventure, with a setting that is not particularly original but fascinating and full of activities. Some ‘stiffness’ problems in the walking phases, small technical stumbles and a bit of repetitiveness in situations, however, prevent it from taking off.

Relicta is an intriguing puzzle-game, full of puzzles ready to squeeze our meninges without the slightest regret. The level design proves to be up to a production on the genre, although some bugs and inaccuracies end up not making it shine as it should.

Blair Witch tries to do its job but can’t keep the player's attention highly enough throughout the entire experience. Despite that, Bloober Team put some interesting new mechanics on the plate, but the inspiration seems to get lost at the same rhythm with which Ellis's past tries to emerge.

If you look at it from an entertainment and sheer fun point of view, the last installment from the LEGO series by TT Games is probably the best ever made. Unfortunately, this is also one of the sloppiest portings ever seen, full of bugs, crashes and hesitating frame rate. You should wait for a patch, or some summer sale.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a successful and must-have Japanese RPG for Adol fans, but it's not the decisive step forward that a legendary series like Ys deserves. The Switch version is plagued by too many technical uncertainties.

Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is a solid turn-based tactical game, but also quite generic. That's because the developers did almost nothing to differentiate their game from other titles in the same genre. Recommended if you're a WH40K enthusiast, but demanding turn-based tactics fans might want to look somewhere else.

The top-down tactical shooter Thunder Tier One offers a realistic and engaging singleplayer campaign, unfortunately ruined by AI partners who are too prone to ignore orders and cause havoc. The multiplayer is fun and shootouts are hectic, but there’s also a distinct lack of modes and the progression system isn’t too exciting. We don’t doubt Krafton will keep the game patched and updated though.

Although I am convinced Red Solstice 2: Survivors will find its niche fanbase, I can’t really say the hybrid action/strategy gameplay impressed me. The single-player campaign is nice to have but it doesn’t stand out - the core experience here is definitely the multiplayer co-op.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a title that continues the path started by its predecessor, placing the thrill of a mercenary sniper’s life in a simple, linear and somewhat bland story. A rather predictable but all in all enjoyable experience, with some limitations (and some oddities) in artificial intelligence and an average graphics/sound department.

Deliver Us the Moon manages to amalgamate the sci-fi thriller concept with a third-person adventure in an entertaining way. The gameplay structure is too basic and almost chained to the usual stylistic elements seen and revised. Unfortunately, this penalizes the final result.

Crackdown 3 comes directly from the past, from an era in which the open-world action games focused mainly on the number of things to do, to the detriment of the overall quality and variety of situations. This does not mean that the formula proposed by Sumo Digital doesn’t work: far from it. But it’s linked to a now anachronistic concept of a genre that has evolved over the last couple of years into something that goes beyond the simple repetition of the same tasks throughout the duration of the campaign.

The Guest is a somehow fascinating adventure, despite a short playtime and a story not on par with its excellent puzzles, reminiscences of the great classics of the past.

Despite the excellent work done by FieldSENSE, Madden NFL 24 fails to solve some of the issues that have plagued the EA Sports saga for years. Adding poor menu navigation to predictable game modes and imperfect AI, the final result is a game that has some good moments, but has no chance to win the Superbowl.

The Beast Inside is a walking simulator that tries to make the most of the horror setting to create a good but not perfect videogame.

Ghost Blade HD is a pretty good old-style bullet hell (the original version was published on Dreamcast two years ago), albeit a little too derivative and not so original. You'll have probably already played something better in the past, but there are not so many games like this on the PSN, and the 2-player mode is really fun.

A "Layton-esque" detective game in which Pikachu is obviously the undisputed star. Light and somewhat repetitive gameplay make it suitable for a fairly young or inexperienced audience in this genre of titles. Those looking for a deeper, more complex and challenging experience should look elsewhere.

NHL 26 delivers a mixed experience. The game shows flashes of brilliance, thanks to a solid gameplay rhythm and a fair amount of on-ice spectacle, but it's still weighed down by a range of persistent issues. These flaws, while sometimes minor, can become increasingly frustrating over the course of a full season, especially for dedicated players. The revamped Be a Pro career mode is a welcome improvement, addressing several weaknesses from previous iterations. However, the rest of the game modes offer little evolution, largely recycling content and features from last year without introducing meaningful innovations.

Double Dragon Revive isn't a complete disappointment, but it doesn't completely captivate either. It's a prime example of a project that works just enough to entertain, especially when the action heats up and the combat system shows its potential, but never really pushes the envelope. Arc System Works has crafted a respectful and reasonably solid beat 'em up, but it lacks a clear vision: a comeback that doesn't know where to look, torn between reverence for the past and a fear of fully modernizing itself. The result is an honest title, even enjoyable for fans of the genre, but inevitably destined to fade away without a trace, especially when compared to far more successful experiments like Neon or Gaiden. Perhaps wait for a price drop before giving it a chance.

The Cruel King and the Great Hero combines an excellent storyline and an exceptional art-style with a significantly simplified gameplay, which wouldn’t be an issue if not for the tons of very repetitive fights that end up constantly interrupting the narrative flow. Perhaps more exploration and less combat would have served the game better, but unfortunately that’s not the case.

Invader Studios has packaged a survival horror experience with a good atmosphere and decent pace, adding small but interesting new features and significantly improving the technical compartment. A sequel that represents a good step forward but still has a long way to go to walk side by side with the best exponents of the genre.

The Falconeer is an interesting aerial combat game which, however, is weighed down by several burdens that do not allow it to shake off the monotony that arises from its own ambition as an open world.

Speaking purely in terms of content, NHL 23 feels more like a (modest) update to NHL 22 than a new chapter in the EA Games series. The changes made to the gameplay and game modes are very limited, and do not significantly affect the overall experience. On the other hand, positive steps forward in graphic/sound, which continues along the lines of last season showing further improvements. Skates on your feet and stick in hand, even with some issues in artificial intelligence, the games are quite fun, but the few innovations make it difficult to justify the purchase for those who already have NHL 22 in their collection. Or rather, they make it justifiable only for those players who focus on those modes that require extensive use of online (Ultimate Team and World of Chel above all).

Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot has a lot of potential and a lot of very good ideas, but it’s a very short experience and doesn’t have any replay value.

Gex Trilogy reintroduces the three original chapters of the famous 90s platformer, with accurate emulation and some modern features such as quick saves, rewind, trophies, widescreen support and CRT filter. The first episode, in 2D, is notable for its wall and ceiling walking mechanics, while the two sequels in 3D chase the Super Mario 64 model, losing some of the originality. The constant, dated humor may be repetitive, but the collection remains a solid product for nostalgists and completists, enhanced by extra content such as concept art or interviews with the developers.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack is a good collection plagued by a couple of mistakes. I wouldn't recommend it to newcomers (for them, the right game is clearly Drum 'n' Fun), but if you don't have enough of Don-chan and Ka-chan it can be a good way to get the band on the road again.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 4K & Full HD Remaster is a decent new version of a decent game: the graphical options are good and allow to have a beautiful experience on the more modern screens. The combat system is still intriguing, but everything else is pretty dull and predictable, without any new features to justify the buy if you already played it seven years ago.

A decent arena shooter, but the lack of PS Move support is somewhat inexplicable.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is not a bad game per se, there are no real flaws or problems, but the overall experience is a little bland and generic. Things get a little (but just a little) better if you play with some friends, even in PvP. It's your typical product that will only please the hardcore fans of the original material, nothing more.