Jagged Alliance 3 represents the return of turn-based strategy combat in a big way, and is so addictive and well done that it could revive a genre lately dedicated only to a few enthusiasts. The reckless choice not to show the probability of scoring the attacks proves to be decisive, as it makes every firefight unpredictable, forcing us to risk everything on several occasions. The only drawback in this excellent production is the artificial intelligence of the enemies, who sometimes spare us for no reason and seem devoted to suicide. However, it remains unmissable.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is probably the best Dragon Quest of all the time, but this does not automatically make it a game for everyone.

Diablo III arrives on the Switch with a technically impeccable conversion, delivering the fun and the violence of the Blizzard masterpiece in the palm of your hand.

Indivisible is a delightful work, a mix of genres, inspirations, characters, shapes, colors and sensations that on paper should rarely work but instead here becomes a stylistic and playful figure. Despite small and sometimes annoying defects, the title Lab Zero is a precious jewel of playability and narrative.

Dave the Diver deserves to be a hit of summer 2023. He does not innovate and does not offer new gameplay mechanics, he is "only" concerned with giving ten hours of superfine quality and succeeds with a style and lightness from which one immediately becomes addicted. It is a much more accurate work than it seems, an experience in magnificent balance between its two souls, characterized by an immense heart and continually able to amaze you as it drags you deeper and deeper into the abyss of the "another dive and I shut off" loop.

The idea of enjoying Dragon’s Dogma wherever I go makes me really happy, but if you have already played it you won’t find anything else to justify a new purchase.

One of the most surprising games of the year, Death's Door delivers a frantic and greatly enjoyable action-adventure experience with an ipnotic noir mood.

The rebirth of a great classic to be enjoyed until the last drop thanks to an exceptional replayability, a script that is never banal and a thousand other reasons. Graphically more could have been done, but Square Enix's mission is still accomplished.

ARC Raiders perfectly combines the punishing gameplay of extraction looter shooters with the setting, graphics, and storyline of the best single-player shooters. Battling against machines is engaging, and the game encourages cooperation even without friends to form a party. The gun physics are very well done and create a pleasant sense of impact. While you can purchase assets with real money, there's no pay-to-win. Servers that guarantee near-instant access and a solid, lag-free netcode complete the package.

Defining Tom Clancy's The Division 2 as a "more of the same" is certainly unfair, but we have to say that the innovations introduced by Massive Entertainment are grafted onto the already proven mechanics of the previous incarnation of the series. Compared to its direct predecessor, the latest game developed by the Swedish studio already offers an impressive amount of content. The lack of a consistent plot and a poor optimization on PC are the only issues worth noting. This is however an excellent exponent of the "looter shooter" genre, surely the only one presenting itself in the most complete form at launch.

Ultros is a passionate and engaging Metroidvania, with excellent art design and level design, strong graphics and an artistic direction of absolute value. It is a long-lived and detailed video game, very original and multifaceted, with a game design that explores all its potential in a peculiar way. An absolute must have if you are passionate about the genre, and if you are a beginner. It is also particularly suitable for beginners.

Finally, after a disappointing Wii U version, Pokkén Tournament achieves its full potential. The single player mode is still a simple sequence of matches, but there are many alternative modes and new characters to keep you busy. And if you have some friends to play with, that's just the cherry on top.

Assassin's Creed Origins is the best possible series comeback. With a gripping narrative and an amazing Ancient Egypt open world, Origins is a wonderful and unforgettable journey. The revamped light-RPG gameplay works like a charm and it's the perfect mix of the most iconic features of the series and a contemporary taste in terms of game design.

Nintendo Switch can finally boast a great JRPG within its remarkable roster. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a game that every fan of the genre should play. There are some minor flaws, such as the great chaos ensuing during some battles, but the combat system is deep and rewarding, and the story and the characters are great. Well done, Monolith Soft, well done.

Days Gone provides a good challenge and an interesting story, which should make PC users really happy about this port from PS4. Technically speaking, it’s a fairly good game with excellent graphics, a good soundtrack and expected stability. Some little quirks here and there, but it will keep you busy slaughtering monsters for a while.

Islanders is a uniquely-designed city builder that offers a relaxed experience even if you only have ten minutes to spare.

Gradius Origins is a celebration, a labour of love for an era when every token was a gamble between you – a clumsy kid – and the universe itself. With never-before-seen goodies, meticulous revisions and gameplay refined with the obsession that only M2 can offer, this collection is as much a historical document as it is an invitation to rediscover a legendary series. It's a shame about the barely adequate museum section, an aspect that should be given more attention, especially now that Digital Eclipse's work has raised the bar, setting a standard that every retro collection should now strive to meet. But there's always time to improve with a second volume: after all, even Gradius IV: Fukkatsu was left out of the arcade discussion.

11 bit studios changed radically its formula from This War of Mine, and engaged in a compelling, well-written steampunk odyssey set in a frozen wasteland. The connection between gameplay and dynamic storytelling is impressive, and the result is a great experience.

Sine Mora EX is a revamped version of a shoot'em up originally published five years ago. The game sports an astounding art direction, a little less challenging difficulty, and a great playability, with a plethora of options that will suit every gamestyle, including the long-awaited local multiplayer.

The game developed by Beenox is a highly optimized title for today's standards while maintaining all the charm of the original. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is colorful, virtuous and fun, offering an interesting level of difficulty that makes the whole operation not just a vehicle to recall memories, but also a challenging arcade game with all the trappings of the genre.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a thoughtful reinterpretation of a historically divisive chapter, finally able to showcase its strengths without being hampered by the structural limitations of the original. The Dragon Engine, the revised pacing, and a deeply refreshed combat system restore dignity to a story that never lost its merit, but which for years remained trapped in an unappealing form. The much-hyped Dark Ties content proves to be more for fans than newcomers, but the overall balance is finally right. Yakuza Kiwami 3 doesn't rewrite the history of the series, but it gives it a much-needed facelift that makes it enjoyable to experience again. And that's exactly what this chapter needed.

Arkane Studios offers a very well crafted roguelite experiment, although repetitive on long distance, with some small but forgivable weakness.

Nobody Saves the World is a hack n' slash that starts from a quite casual approach, due to the lack of both inventory and skill points distribution, but shows its real depth after a few hours of play, when we are called to experiment with thousands of different builds to to better tear all enemies to pieces. The repetitiveness that generally plagues this kind of games is kept under control thanks to fun quests and a plot that takes us on a tour around a crazy world. Absolutely recommended both for hack n' slash lovers and for those who want to approach to this genre of games without taking them too seriously.

Death Stranding is a good game, as well as the most ambitious work born from the mind of Hideo Kojima. It's not perfect, but successfully captures the player in a dark and fragmented world, so it's really worth fighting for.

Aegis Rim is another small, but at the same time impressive masterpiece from Vanillaware that delivers an engaging story through an incredible visual style and an enjoyable narrative-strategic hybrid. This will be remembered as one of 2020’s best PlayStation 4 exclusives.

Back to the Dawn is a management RPG set in a prison populated by anthropomorphic animals, with strong survival elements. You have twenty-one days to organize an escape, keeping an eye on time, resources, social relationships, and skills. Every action consumes precious minutes and can influence future events. The turn-based combat system mirrors typical JRPG gameplay. Deep, branching, and challenging, it surprises with its wealth of options and narrative variety, despite its lackluster sound. A brilliant and strategic game, worth replaying several times to see as many endings as possible.

Undemanding and decidedly enjoyable, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a light-hearted and often cartoon-like Action JRPG which is really fun to spend your time with. Of course, you don't have to have anything against going back and forth a thousand times in the same places, to do the same things again and again, because in this case appreciating it would be quite difficult. The visual quality is really impressive and I really liked the mix of backdrops in (very rich) 3D and two-dimensional pixelated characters, and I can't get the music out of my head. In short, a good game: not essential but absolutely enjoyable.

Street Fighter V: Champion Edition is a convincing expansion, the perfect entry point into the series for newbies, while offering a range of improvements for everyone.

Door Kickers 2: Task Force North is a real-time tactical strategy that can be paused if necessary to give orders to your soldiers, becoming almost a turn-based combat game. This duality works very well, and each player can complete the mission by following the way that suits him best, in an almost sandbox mode. The detailed 2.5D top-down view shows the map architecture while hiding the enemy's location, forcing you to advance with caution. It offers compact maps, three playable factions and extensive unit customization. The game also shines in longevity, thanks to a multitude of missions as well as extensive modding support.

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is the perfect example of how a minor classic should be brought back to life: without distorting its identity, but updating it with intelligence, respect and a healthy dose of courage. The work done by Atlus is not limited to a coat of HD paint: it is a real redevelopment of the original game, which today can be played with pleasure even by those who have no nostalgia to redeem. The new combat system, the more balanced pace and a more modern general direction give new life to a title that, at the time, had brilliant ideas but a rough realization. It is not perfect, nor does it want to be: it is a fascinating piece of a larger story, a bridge between the old Megaten spirit and its more accessible incarnations. In short, Raidou awaits you in better shape than ever, and finally ready to be discovered by everyone.

Valkyria Chronicles finally comes back to major gaming platforms, where it belongs. Despite some minor defects, the management of tactics and strategies in and out the battlefield offers a great experience. SEGA bring us a huge amount of high-quality content, but the tone of the narrative might not be in line with part of the western audience.

A cool puzzle-platformer where cloning and killing ourselves is mandatory to reach our goals, with nice looking pixel art graphics and a great atmosphere.

EA SPORTS FC 26 marks a step forward from its predecessor. Balanced gameplay and a fluid structure that's incredibly fun, it also brings some changes to Ultimate Team and Career modes (both player and manager), always hitting the mark. We hope this holds true throughout the year, and we're keeping our fingers crossed for any patches that, in the past, have brought about some unwelcome changes.

The latest horror from Bloober Team is a great bridge between the new generation of consoles and the old classics of the genre, with an intriguing story, a surreal setting and a road full of puzzles to decipher.

Crusader Kings III is one of the best Paradox Development Studio’s games to date. Deep and compelling, this grand strategy can entertain you for dozens, if not hundreds of hours between its intrigues, holy wars, and dynasties in the making.

Village is an intense Resident Evil experience, with a great cast of heroes and villains. While it does not lack great moments, its story also feels a little jumbled and non-cohesive, and some gameplay elements are not perfectly focused.

It won't be remembered for its technical features, but the depth of the gameplay and some truly original features make Dragon's Dogma one of the best role playing games ever made.

Crisis Core Reunion is the prequel that if you haven't played, then you absolutely have to recover and this operation is just for this, to aesthetically insert this chapter in line with the modernization work of the remake of Final Fantasy VII and add a piece for the future of the relative remake. The defects it carries with it are those of a game that - on balance - was released in 2007 on a portable console.

On the PS5 Death Stranding is as beautiful as ever and this Director's Cut gives players a bunch of new and (quite) interesting content, but not enough to make it feel really new and fresh.

Octo is an excellent expansion, even better than the original game campaign if you are looking for a really stiff challenge.

MotoGP 23 is the qualitative leap that the Milestone series needed. We are not talking about revolutions, it would be unrealistic to think so, but about consistent improvements in all the characteristic aspects of the title, from the simulation verve through an engaging career, from a high-profile technical sector to the physical and mental sensations of the race, where the AI exhibits new behaviors although some issues still persist.

Endless Space 2 is probably the best videogame ever created by Amplitude Studios, a 4X strategic game with an incredible personality, a deep (and unusual, for this type of productions) storyline, and an almost flawless gameplay. A real gem.

The Lost Legacy follows in the footsteps of Uncharted 4, and it couldn't be otherwise, and Chloe and Nadine make for a nice buddy couple. It's a pretty short experience, with some replay value and an unprecedented - at least for the series - open level to explore. A solid "more of the same", for better or worse.

Returnal might not be the mind-bending masterpiece that I was, perhaps mistakenly, expecting after the praise I’d heard from friends and colleagues, but it’s still an excellent roguelike with clean gameplay and a beautiful presentation. Word of warning though: the length of each run combined with the difficulty might make it frustrating for some, and graphical optimization relies heavily on the use of supersampling technologies.

Sniper Elite 4 is a superb adaptation, capable of shrinking Karl Fairburne's Italian adventure into a pocket size while keeping the strengths of the original game intact. If you already played Sniper Elite 4 three years ago and aren’t itching to replay it in a portable format, your savings would be better spent elsewhere, given the absence of exclusive content.

Monster Sanctuary merges a complex turn-based combat RPG we are used to see in big JRPG productions with metroidvania-style exploration and succeeds in both genres. Pixel perfect jumps alternate with tactical battles down to the last hitpoint, and we’ll need the help of our monsters to overcome difficult areas and solve puzzles. Meanwhile, an interesting storyline compels us as we catch enemy eggs, Pokémon style. So many genres mixed in one game, and such a pretty one to boot! Highly recommended.

Creative Assembly has been working hard in these months and results are pretty clear: the innovations in Dynasties bring well implemented improvements that help modernise the campaign.

Football Manager 2020 is another Sports Interactive title packaged to the smallest detail, almost perfect and optimized in all aspects. However, its structure is starting to need updating.

Cairn is, without further ado, the first great gaming experience of 2026. Its mechanics aren't perfect, with flaws that need to be ironed out everywhere, but it's a game with a disruptive force in what it aims to be, with form and substance among the best I've ever played. The classic gaming experience marries perfectly with the grammar of climbing, which here becomes a challenge of positioning, endurance, and mentality.

As a remaster, this is as good as they can possibly get. As a game to be played in 2020, it still stands up pretty well, and its raw gameplay is so distant from today’s standards that it feels like a breath of fresh air.

Rise and Fall is an excellent expansion for Civilization VI, broadening the offering and adding many more irons in the fire: nine new leaders, eight civilizations, a general improvement of the experience, and several new gameplay tweaks. The original game was a pretty good one, and with this new expansion it's just gotten better.

Owlboy is a brilliant but short trip: a gorgeous journey into a touching story, dressed up in a metroidvania suit.

A story full of suspense and black humor, besides intriguing enigmas, is what allows Yesterday Origins to be one of the best "point & click" adventure of the year.

Day of the Tentacle is one of the best graphic adventures of all times. The game is a truly unique gem, full of humour, insane puzzles and an incredible voice-over. This Remastered version delivers stunning hi-res graphics, audio commentary, improved interface and controls (not suitable for gamepads), while keeping intact the original spirit. A must-have for all the adventurers out there.

Guacamelee! 2 is colorful, crunchy, sweet and spicy even on Switch, just like a good Mexican taco.

Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster is a nice fit to the Switch’s library, but it adds nothing compared to previous editions of the HD Remaster that appeared on other platforms.

SteamWorld Quest is a delightful and epic parable about heroism and the ease of forgetting about it in times of peace.

From a certain point of view, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is a remake that doesn't like to take too many risks, improving on the original experience without making any major changes. Yet this is also its greatest strength, especially for those who never played the original chapters on DS. The result is an authentic recreation of a historical title, polished and cleaned up from outdated game design elements.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is one of the best stories ever told by a video game, with a clever mix of mystery and science fiction. All the characters are credible although stereotyped, and the twists chase each other unpredictably while maintaining coherence with the narrative. Excellent technical realization, editing worthy of a television series and good acting support the plot that requires important decisions capable of influencing future events and personal relationships. The excessive ease in the progression could discourage those looking for a challenging game, but perhaps it is time to turn the page and embrace the new generation adventures.

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is an excellent addition to the dungeon crawler RPG series from Atlus: players will find a lot of exploration, a huge variety of classes and races, and an intriguing - yet quite challenging - gameplay.

Nioh may not replace the Dark Souls series in our hearts, but it definitely has built a place for itself. Technically a little rough, still without PvP, this new title from Team Ninja could have provided more diversified scenarios, but it sure offers an excellent combat system and a wide and deep offering.

Arco is the kind of video game to which the term “hidden gem” fits like a glove. The story is interesting and cleverly told, with plenty of references to Mesoamerican Native culture. The tiny graphics are full of points of interest to discover along a rather large map that features threats at every corner. Combats, the real focus of the game, are handled with a hybrid turn-based mode that forces reasoning to flip the situation initially always to our disadvantage, and the presence of the ghosts of the past – actual enemies to be killed – require quick decision-making. Those who like turn-based RPGs will have a lot of fun.

Fantasian Neo Dimension is a title that needs to be played, explored and brought to everyone's attention. There is nothing new, except for a couple of interesting mechanics, but the aesthetic and musical realization is of the highest quality, net of what is a game made with an extremely low budget. They have made a virtue of this situation, squeezing every single experience in Mistwalker and returning a decidedly remarkable JRPG.

If you love the open world action genre, the new year started great: Gravity Rush 2 improves upon the original title in every single, possible way, offering a deep, challenging and addictive gameplay. Warning: considering the peculiar nature of this game, the vote must be read upside down.

What a ride! Riders Republic gives you an amount of freedom that you can hardly find anywhere else, and lets you choose your own path within a happy community that’s keen to celebrate your successes.

Chaotic, crazy, rich, explosive. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is the best kart game outside the Nintendo universe and, in some ways, it is even more compelling than Mario Kart World. The only thing missing is that final spark that would allow it to definitively emerge from the shadow of its rival.

As demanding as it is satisfying, Chivalry 2 pushes you to to keep an eye on mission objectives while managing its easy-to-learn-difficult-to-master fighting system. Unfortunately there is no single player campaign, but the missions are as varied as the maps are beautiful.

Simon the Sorcerer Origins is the latest chapter in the saga that's been missing for thirty years, more or less since the release of the second installment, and was likely meant to inspire a new generation of players to become fond of the character. Simon's comical expressions, his impatient banter, and his frequent fourth-wall breaks take us back to a time when humor reigned supreme and permeated games of the genre. It will certainly appeal to those disappointed by the penultimate installments of the series, although, it must be said, we're no longer accustomed to such a crude approach to puzzles. In some places, it's truly overdone. But the sublime technical execution and incredible irony almost scream masterpiece. Almost.

Cassette Beasts is an addictive and fun videogame that pleasantly engages and excites. It offers a fascinating story and context, as well-implemented sensitive themes. A must have especially for the play structure.

Battlefield 6 arrives in grand style to remind us that all-out war, when it's virtual, can be magnificent. EA, Battlefield Studios, and the community were eager to move on from the disappointment of Battlefield 2042, and we can finally say it: Battlefield is back.

Lost Judgment is a high quality sequel. It’s fun to play, despite the few gameplay changes compared to its predecessor, and has a very engaging and well-acted story. There is never a moment of boredom when playing in the role of Takayuka Yagami, moving between Kamarucho and Yokohama in search of the truth, with a thousand doubts in mind, a thousand enemies to defeat and a thousand extra activities to try.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy gets back to the classic single-player formula, steering away from the hybrid attempt of Marvel’s Avengers and piecing together gameplay elements from Tomb Raider, Mass Effect and even Knights of the Old Republic to make a quite unique choral adventure. The player is asked to act like the team leader, taking decision and managing the resulting contrasts between the other members. The strength of differences is the big theme of the game, and Guardians of the galaxy is great in telling it both through narration and gameplay.

Fast, brutal and incredibly fun, Valfaris is as heavy metal as a game can be.

SteamWorld Heist 2 grabbed me right away with its light-hearted tone and the fact that it offered considerable tactical depth without being punitive in its approach. On the contrary, the developers seem to say "Come on, try this thing too, you have nothing to lose anyway!". The management of the difficulty level and the mission structures do the rest, while it is only a partial lack of variety of enemies that prevents Thunderful Development's game from reaching excellence.

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold is, hands down, the best chapter in this J-RPG saga. It's marketed as a remake, but it's so full of new content and material that it's only fair to consider it a new game.

Monster Hunter Stories is a perfect synthesis between a classic JRPG and the Pokémon formula. Though is quite easy to play, the combat system and the rest of the features are solid enough to keep your attention alive till the end.

Age of Mythology Retold is a faithful modernization of the 2002 original, capable of removing the dust from a true masterpiece of the past. The innovations made to the game mechanics are excellent, although reporting the presence of some bugs.

I don’t know whether to recommend Ruined King: A League of Legends Story for the interesting story set in the League of Legends universe or because it's one of the best turn-based RPGs I played since quite a while. I’d stick towards the second reason, leaving the first one as the icing on the cake. An engaging storyline, beautifully characterized and customizable characters, and a combat system that will test your tactical skills await you, especially if you dare to play at higher difficulty levels. Will Runeterra’s champions become the new Avengers?

Total War: Warhammer II improves over the predecessor in every possible way, from the polished art direction to a - finally - complete and engaging narrative campaign. It's a "more of the same", but a really good one.

Yakuza 0 is the perfect prologue to an underestimated - at least here in Europe - yet rich and complex saga. The story is really intriguing, albeit dedicated to hardcore Japan fans, with its dialogues in Japanese (English-subbed). The gameplay is genuinely, and truly, "Japanese". If you love Japan, this is a game you shouldn't miss.

A year later, Ghost of Tsushima is still a great game, and this Director's Cut is the definitive version, especially if you own a PlayStation 5. It's a great experience, but it's mainly for newcomers: the improvements are welcome, but hardly enough to tempt veterans of the original.

Apart from the "30 fps" issue, which in no way detracts from the overall quality of the experience, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is, today as yesterday, an extremely enjoyable, fun, perfectly calibrated and absolutely unmissable title. Whether or not it's right to entrust a remake with Nintendo Switch's swan song is not our concern, play it without asking too many questions and you won't regret it.

Codemasters has succeeded in perfecting an already spectacular driving model, making it more reactive and enjoyable, launching DiRT Rally 2.0 towards the throne of the best rally game ever. Launching, at day one, without events on the snow, the title is missing a fundamental piece. Apart from that, this is now the most refined rally simulator on the market.

The Alters blends 3D survival, resource management and base building with a strong narrative component. As Jan Dolski, we must explore a hostile planet, manage a space base and create alternate versions of ourselves to survive. Each Alter has unique abilities, but also memory, personality and unresolved conflicts. Managing tensions between clones, assigning the right roles, keeping morale high and coping with extreme environmental conditions becomes the heart of the gameplay. A deep challenge, between micro management, psychology and human science fiction drama told through multiple multiple choice dialogues.

South of the Circle is a weird and fascinating experience, that mixes poor gameplay with a great script. It's essentially an interactive film, where all we're asked to do is look at the screen.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a huge game in which exploration plays a very important role, as every corner of the Western Frontier is full of plants to catalogue, ingredients to collect and materials to use to improve our equipment. The fights are very exciting and it is essential to combine stealth actions with incursions based on the surprise effect. The proprietary Snowdrop engine offers us a wonderful graphic representation, which combined with a quality soundtrack guarantees an almost cinematic experience. Those looking for non-stop action might find a few too many dead moments, but it remains an extremely high-quality open world shooter adventure despite never trying to introduce any innovations to the genre.

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero may be the first chapter of the Budokai Tenkaichi series not to be called Budokai Tenkaichi, or the first not to indicate the “Z” with which the second part of the series is famously indicated. Yet it is in all respects a chapter 4 updated to 2024, with lots of lights (and incredible particles) and some shadows that in the end you can easily ignore.

Anomaly Agent is a debut with a bang for Phew Phew Games, which arrives on our monitors with a beat'em up with Canabalt-style endless runner elements, a charismatic and crazy protagonist, plus music to shoot at full volume that accompanies the action in beautiful pixel art. The attack and dodge combination starts with the simple press of two buttons and gradually becomes more and more complex with combos and special weapons. Sudden gameplay changes and gigantic bosses each one with its own fighting style make this game unmissable for those who love action.

Starfield is for cautious and patient explorers, not for those who want it all at once. The incipit of the story is rather bland, the sense of estrangement at the highest levels. But as the fog thins out, all its potential and the free will left to the player are understood and appreciated, who really has a thousand things to do as he wants and when he prefers, perhaps leaving the continuation of a mission to better times (and stats). On the other hand, the slowness of the movements on the ground and the small design defects have their weight and, albeit reluctantly, they must be taken into account in the global assessment, which remains high in anticipation of future developments. Maybe a few more weeks of playtesting would help.

Metal: Hellsinger is an interesting hybrid between FPS and rhythm game that sounds like a real Love Letter to the great classics like Doom. Its gameplay and music come together in a combination of violence and adrenaline in which it is easy to get lost.

Life is Strange: True Colors catches up with the original Life is Strange on a narrative level and, unsurprisingly, improves the experience with superior graphics quality, remarkable voice acting, and a beautiful soundtrack. Once stepped out of the bus, it will be easy to totally identify with Alex and be carried away not only by her search for truth but also, more simply, by the everyday life and warmth that only a place like Haven Springs can offer.

Those who got excited with Slay the Spire should also jump on Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles without delay. Everyone else will find a very complete deck builder in which there are dice instead of cards, using them to build chains of combos relying on the dualism Purification and Corruption. The huge amount of Oracles, dice and Blessing to unlock, Sentinels to upgrade and enemies to defeat ensures excellent replayability even if the too many combinations available encourage a bit too much luck at the expense of strategy. The graphics are inspired although the colors chosen, pale blue and crimson, do not provide good contrast.

Saints Row proved to be a worthy reboot of the saga, capable of looking back to draw heavily on the soul of the franchise, but also of looking forward to the future of the series, creating a perfect starting point for everything that, potentially, will come. Volition has given its best both on the content and on the technical front, and the result is an open world that has nothing, or almost nothing, to envy to the competition.

Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] is a sublime fighting game, with a lot of content to enjoy, a varied gameplay and a generous roster. The graphics show their age, but the art direction is still pretty unique. Despite the fact that several fighting games were released in the past few weeks, this one should be on top of your list.

Intense, detailed and capable of telling a story that goes far beyond expectations, Dordogne is a story that strikes the soul, thanks to an excellent play system. Must have absolutely.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an original and exciting video game, capable of captivating through its game design and showing a pleasant and touching story. It might be challenging for those who are unaccustomed, but that's the beauty of deep video games, with a playful expression that reaches its peak through a fantastic approach.

Diablo IV is only the first stage of a long journey and already a convincing ARPG that throws you into a dark open world from which it is increasingly difficult to detach thanks to addictive gameplay and deep customization of your alter ego. Those who dreamed of a work capable of rewriting history might be a little disappointed, but sometimes less is enough to be happy.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is not only a successful return: it is a love letter to long-time fans and, at the same time, a great entry point for newcomers. Thanks to a deep but accessible gameplay, an inspired artistic direction and an avalanche of content for all modes, SNK signs one of its most convincing works of the modern era. The resistance of the online sector and the weight of certain unpopular choices in the initial roster still need to be verified, but the heart is there, and it beats strong. South Town is alive again.