Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns is a DLC poor in content, which does not justify its excessive cost. The new balance fixes some issues from the past, but there is still a long way to go.

Shattered Space is a DLC that expands the lore of the world of Starfield, detailing a pleasant and well-conceiveded tale, which makes clear the gruesome and brutal plot of House Va'ruun, which absolutely deserves consideration, from now on. From a playful point of view, here, I would have expected a little more, with some additions as has happened in the past with other Bethesda works. The final result is still very good.

Finding the right “number” for Until Dawn Remake is a complex balancing act. On the one hand we have an adventure that works and is entertaining, on the other a re-release that raises eyebrows quite a bit. Taking into account the quality of the work it is impossible to go below the sufficiency, but it is equally impossible to go higher, considering that the original version costs less than a third and, in terms of gaming experience, does not have any substantial difference.

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.

Undisputed has the flavor of an assault on the title launched too early. Steel City Interactive's ambition is evident and also well-founded, given the quality of the boxing model created, but it has led the studio to take a step a little longer than its legs can chew. The game was born already big and not all aspects have enjoyed the same care reserved for combat, such as the Career Mode that excites between the ropes, but is as flat as the office work in the background. It is still a good title, especially for those who pay little attention to the frills and are only interested in the blows, on which in the future a new and promising dynasty can be built.

A surprising narrative that has no problem touching on even rather delicate themes is the basis for creating an indispensable adventure for every lover of Japanese role-playing games. Metaphor ReFantazio is a sort of wild card that excels in every category, from the writing to the combat system, passing through a continuous series of surprises that will glue you to the screen for many hours. As far as I'm concerned, this is my choice for GOTY 2024, without even thinking twice.

Vessel of Hatred is the expansion that was needed to give a new touch to Diablo IV, let's say exotic and wild. I had doubts about the Spiritist and his ability to fit into the context of Diablo, Sanctuary is not an easy place, but I was pleasantly surprised by his flexibility on the battlefield. OK also the new region and the Campaign, as well as the numerous more or less flashy new features that, in different measures, contribute to enriching and modernizing the overall offer of Diablo IV, a macabre action MMORPG, abundant and versatile to the right point. Despite the Rising Hatred, the creeping corruption and the guts everywhere, mama Blizzard's boy is coming along well.

Bloober Team delivers us a remake of excellent quality that nevertheless brings with it some elements that are not entirely convincing. Fans of the series will appreciate the faithfulness to the original material and the fact that this blends well with the few but evident changes in terms of gameplay. Unfortunately for Silent Hill 2, in 25 years of fog under the bridge, a lot has passed and in town for some time there has been a new sheriff called Alan Wake 2, who has shaken up the horror genre, becoming the new benchmark.

Chock full of interesting elements, as well as beautiful gameplay, Kvark knows how to involve and take the player into a Half Life revisited in a nuclear apocalypse key. You kill which is wonderful, you spend your time dancing on the corpses of enemies and there is a not bad dose of gratuitous violence. It is what could lead someone to buy it, in fact, to make it their own. And I would recommend it to those who need to see some blood spilled on the ground. I needed it and, of course, I came out as the leader of the pack.

Vampire - The Masquerade: Reckoning of New York is the worst chapter of the visual novel version of the franchise. Listless, without bite and with an uninteresting protagonist. The trilogy ends with a chapter below expectations.

Disney Epic Mickey is back, this time as a multiplatform title. The game formula is still enjoyable thanks to the magic brush mechanic and the graphic facelift operated by Purple Lamp is appreciable, as are the improved camera system. Unfortunately, the longevity remains quite poor, also due to secondary activities that are not particularly stimulating.

Rogue Waters is a roguelite with turn-based combat that is certainly not among the most complete around, but it benefits from a fascinating setting and interesting use of pushing and projecting to create domino effects and quickly get rid of enemies. What's more, it has a story to be followed all in one go or by taking breaks while engaging in the many side quests. Unfortunately, the naval combat section was not articulated enough, but the battles and character growth lift the fortunes of this production, which will not fail to thrill lovers of turn-based combat.

Excellent and always on point, Kan Gao succeeds in the complex attempt to propose an adventure as usual special and touching, touching the right chords through a simple but effective plot. The goal of the production is to revive part of the experience of To the Moon, a goal that is achieved in an absolutely noble way. The gameplay, not particularly changed compared to the past, focuses on classic and already known dictates. Also on this front, but because the operations of the Canadian developer do not change, not much could be expected. He prefers to focus on emotions, showing them off. An excellent act of beauty.

A remastered work as simple as it is effective, and I will certainly be repetitive. Lollipop Chainsaw RePop arrives at the goal and with an interesting purpose: to be able to entertain old players and beyond. It could be fitting in after finishing other more challenging, such as a Frostpunk 2, or an alternative Black Myth: Wukong, in which knowing how to beat is an obligation.

Can the introduction of a jetpack, with related upgrades and powerups, give new life to Vampire Survivors like, which constantly flood us with new releases? If the technical implementation is as good as in the case of Hive Jump 2: Survivors, the answer is positive. It would have been even more interesting if it had procedurally drawn maps; knowing in advance the location of the most dangerous hives takes away that thrill of the unknown that would have made the atmosphere even darker, but it definitely deserves a place in the collection of enthusiasts of this genre of games. The door is closing though, the next ones will really have to come up with something new.

God of War: Ragnarok lands on PC with a porting that is perfect, prudent to the right point and wise beyond measure. Thanks to scalability and optimization, practically anyone can enjoy the exploits of Kratos and Atreus. If you also have a recent gaming PC, then your journey into the myth will be absolutely unforgettable.

Mechabellum might look like a simple game at first glance, and it’s very easy to get into – you drop some robots, watch them fight other robots and blow each other up. But it doesn’t take long before you realize that there’s a very deep strategic layer behind every decision, even something apparently as simple as “where do I place a unit”. Recommended for people who love the decision making in RTS games but have very poor APM (like me).

Anarchic, exciting and at times ingenious: The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is an adventure that will test your brains without overstressing your fingertips. It doesn't last long and hardcore gamers will perhaps complete it too quickly, but the journey is sensational and enveloped in the usual ‘made in Nintendo’ magic that makes it a must-have in any case.

Shift Legacy Collection perfectly embraces the definition “a blast from the past,” bringing back to the present day a game that marked a happy era of gaming. Sixteen years have passed, but the gameplay is still as captivating and engaging as on day one. It is a pity, however, that no new material has been added to the collection of the four Shift chapters; to be nitpicky, one could say that we are paying for a series of games that were once free and can still be launched on browsers, however, the required amount is small and allows us to have everything beautifully ready in our library.

Beyond Galaxyland surprises you from start to finish, it is brilliant and full of well-blended ideas. The audiovisual section does its job incredibly well, rarely have I felt so often the desire to stop to take a screenshot or listen to the OST of a game. The various souls - JRPG, platform, puzzle, creature collection, crafting, progression system - are not particularly deep individually, but put together they manage, as if by magic, to give life to an immersive, convincing experience, with delicate but successful balances. It soon becomes difficult to detach yourself also because, one planet at a time, you end up becoming fond of the characters, getting in tune with Doug and making his air of a fish out of water catapulted into worlds that do not belong to him your own. If there really is life in the universe, let's hope it is as EnrightBeats imagines it.

Halls of Torment is truly a blast and it's right to call it that, straight out of the box, to emphasize how many things it can do so well. Played since day one of its release in Early Access, the creation of Chasing Carrots, a team of five people, is ready to carve out a significant slice of the market and consequently create a new myth in the roguelike genre. What makes it incredible is the total customization even in the game design itself, as if it were a video game within a video game that can be played as you prefer.

EA Sports FC 25 is an interesting (and more importantly, fun) new edition of the EA Sports football saga, with many small tweaks to the pre-existing game modes and two big new features, Rush and FC IQ. In both cases, it can be said that the target was hit, and that the overall quality stands at very good levels. A few bugs and glitches in the menus do not affect a more than enjoyable gaming ex-perience, which promises to keep fans busy for a long time with careers, multiplayer challenges and trading cards...

Zero Hour isn't groundbreaking or technically perfect, it has some obvious limitations, and the AI ​​leaves much to be desired. That said, it's a good entry point for tactical FPS newbies thanks to its immediate and engaging mix of slow-paced gameplay and wild PVP.

Reynatis offers an interesting story and bloody fights with a dual system between defense and attack that is really engaging, especially in the boss fights with gigantic monsters. Unfortunately, exploring Tokyo and the parallel world Another is not as engaging, since apart from rare situations it turns out to be little more than a walking simulator. Technically it is not excellent, with models and textures that recall what we saw on PS3, but at least there are no slowdowns or dropped frames. If you are looking for a story full of charismatic characters, it could be for you.

There are some frames in the cutscenes that leave a bit to be desired, but this does not invalidate the considerable modernization work done on this game: Broken Sword maintains its charm even after thirty years and its Reforged version improves the situation, restoring the wow-effect on modern platforms. The new generations can thus approach this immortal classic without fear that their eyes will be disturbed by unnatural pixelations and awkwardly blurred or antialiazed cubes, replicating the wonder that this game gave us at the time of the cathode ray tube. But even we loyal ones can play it again with joy and satisfaction, admiring the outcome of this restoration work. And it doesn't matter if, after all, we could already run the original for free with ScummVM.

The Funko Pop phenomenon finally arrives in the world of videogames and, taking its cue from LEGO titles, tries to reach a similar audience with simple and immediate gameplay. Unfortunately the result is not what was hoped for due to some questionable design choices and several small bugs that spoil rhythm and enjoyment. Also almost totally missing is the ‘collectibles factor’ that we hoped would be a staple of this production.

Frostpunk 2 combines the solidity of the mechanics of the first chapter, with some excellent additions to make the game truly one of a kind. Not just an excellent management software, but a real gaming experience.

The Plucky Squire is evidently a game created with the younger generations in mind: it’s easy to approach, never particularly complex, and the most challenging parts, well, they’re not very challenging in the first place, but just in case they can be easily skipped. This isn’t a bad thing or a criticism: it’s a great game that even adults that just want to have a fun time in a beatifully drawn 2D world can easily enjoy. Just make sure you’re not looking for something that might put your skills to the test.

Dead Rising was a masterpiece in 2006 and even more so in 2024. Capcom has overhauled the game in every part, bringing it back to life in a double guise, able to please lovers of the edgy, original chapter but also those who want a more current and ‘comfortable’ experience. In both cases, you will be faced with one of the craziest and most entertaining trash-horror games ever.

A roguelite deckbuilder has finally arrived to properly revamp the gameplay that Slay the Spire seemed to have carved in stone. The management of our warrior's movement adds a lot of tactics to the fighting, and the non-draw deck abilities almost completely eliminate the luck factor by requiring extensive planning of one's moves, especially when trying to chain combos to eliminate multiple foes at once. The progression is the same as usual, alternating between battles and refreshment shops, but many other new features have been introduced.

Improved on the field, with a gameplay that shows signs of an evolution that affects animations, attack and defense, Madden NFL 25 misses the mark when it comes to the game modes offered. Too few differences compared to last season, for an element that instead needs new proposals capable of bringing a burst of innovation that has been missing for too long now.

Pleasant, dense and detailed, Deathsprint 66 is a video game that knows how to run because it puts microtransactions before the real and tangible adventure towards the players. The first race happens through yourself, from start to finish, and makes it all the more enjoyable. The product allows you to be able to improve enormously as much as possible, then shaping everything else in each mode. However, you need a lot of skill, to know how to delight in a precise way.

An ‘on the road’ adventure to rediscover the sense of belonging to a community, of living to share. Some will criticise Caravan SandWitch for the simplicity of its gameplay, the lack of a real challenge and some minor technical issues. It is legitimate, as long as you don't lose sight of its story and what lies behind it, because this is the element that elevates the game above the crowd of mediocrity.

Wild Bastards is a roguelite first-person shooter that presents itself to players in a superb and very pleasant way, while not innovating the formula and perhaps not deepening the bonds between the main protagonists too significantly. However, this allows you to overcome strategic situations to have an approach that deals with situations brilliantly, composing teams that are always different... Unless someone, in short, is angry with someone else. Which happens. The game design is very pleasant and detailed, also enriched by a nice gunplay system. Recommended for those who love the West, popcorn and Tarantino.

NBA 2K25 is - still today - the best basketball experience on the entire market, with the right optimizations regarding the shooting system. Unfortunately, problems related to microtransactions remain.

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.

The Crimson Diamond is not a game for everyone; indeed, the adventure genre, already quite niche in its own way, is made even more hostile by the presence of text-based controls. However, anyone should try this experience, because such well-packaged products rarely come out and transcend the nostalgia operation by offering a story worthy of Agata Christie in the artistic guise that made the defunct, but still alive in the hearts of fans, Sierra On-Line so famous. The excellently crafted parser and a notepad full of hints make it much more accessible than you might imagine.

It could be argued that this is a collection of roms and that, in one way or another, the PC community has found a way to challenge each other online for years, but the rich dose of extras and the presence of rollback and ranked matches alone is enough to give the collection an edge, not to mention a great way to legally own seven excellent games. To be had, hoping that sales will prompt Capcom to challenge Marvel superheroes again in the near future.

The production is a moving continuum full of synergies, as well as absolute beauty. Episode Aigis, just as it did in the FES version, is the worthy, moving and touching conclusion of the third chapter of the franchise, which represented a great return and a fundamental experience to better understand the depth of Persona 3 Reload.

The War Within isn't a groundbreaking, surprising, or original expansion, but it's a good jumping-off point for something bigger. It uses subtle improvements to smooth out and tighten up World of Warcraft's traditional gameplay in all the right places, gently evolving it and making it feel more familiar and welcoming than ever, for veterans and newcomers alike.

Incredibly varied and immense, between various and eventual modes, Gundam Breaker 4 presents a well-implemented gameplay within it and a high and studied customization of the Mobile Suit. It's excellent how you can connect and implement different weapons to create the mecha par excellence. The story is not the real strength of the work and does not intend to be, preferring to focus everything and even more so on the game design. A choice that I really appreciated.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is not for those looking for fine technicalities, both in graphics and gameplay. It is a decent pastime for the early hours that hides the potential to create its own fan base, but to allow it to do so, more content is needed and a review of the multiplayer section starting with the integration of effective 6VS6 PVP, to allow the most competitive to challenge each other without bots in the way.

Three of the best Castlevania games in one unmissable package, jam-packed with extras and a bonus game that isn't exactly the best but... it's a bonus so we gladly keep it. Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia, each of these games brought unique features to classic Castlevania gameplay and they are all still extremely enjoyable today.

Team Asobi turns a convincing tech demo into a full-fledged game with top marks, again showing all developers out there the potential of haptic feedback. Entertaining, full of secrets and framed by an impressive audio-visual presentation, Astro Bot is a winner, partially limited by a moderate longevity and a series of facilitations that will not appeal to everyone. If you plan to explore its universe far and wide in search of secrets after watching the credits roll, make it yours immediately.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a sequel that builds on the legacy of Relic Entertainment. It does so by offering an exciting campaign that perfectly conveys that feeling of perpetual war and all the “grimdark” typical of its setting. Even without ever reaching the depth typical of other games in the same genre, the combat system infuses all the physicality and brutality of the Astartes. The optimization is also good, despite some small flaws that can be easily solved with a round of patches. The only let down is the soundtrack, light years away from the epicness of the first game.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection revives the fan-favorite spin-off series with a fresh take on the classic formula. The collection introduces Western audiences to the previously unreleased second entry, but long-standing series limitations may still feel dated. Despite this, the collection’s charm and the return of beloved characters should delight fans who crave more of what they love.

Daring missions with all odds stacked against us, that’s the exciting essence of Sumerian Six. The deveolper Artificer is not quite yet at the level of quality Mimimi Games got us used to, but I can already see a lot of good in this game.

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.

Tengo Project strikes again, this time with its most ambitious work yet. A far cry from being a simple update of an old classic, Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn is a full-fledged remake made with inventiveness and respect for the source material, a true rewrite of an eight-bit game that has passed somewhat under the radar in the West. It could not have received a better redemption.

It takes a good amount of recklessness to develop a video game similar in every way to Ratchet & Clank, knowing what kind of production you are up against. Akimbot, in no uncertain terms, comes out in stitches; not because of not being fun, actually it is, but because of the compulsive urge to be a clone of the Insomniac masterpiece. Ironically, the most interesting sections are those with their own personality, without trying at all costs to insert nods to other parties' intellectual properties. This is a pity, because technically it is well crafted and offers a good level of challenge, but it suffers in the unforgiving comparison.

Emio - the Smiling Man has a good story to tell, held hostage by mechanics from the early days of Japanese interactive fiction that refuse to give way to fresher, more current game design ideas. It's a bit of a trial-and-error fairground and excessive verbiage, but if that doesn't scare you off (there's a demo to try out that might suit you) you'll be rewarded with an investigative tale of unquestionable value.

Concord is not a bad hero shooter, but neither a good one. It has really nothing special to offer in relation to other game of the same genre that are free to play, and it lacks of a distinctive characteristic. The lore is not original, the characters are not memorable, the shooting is not very good and the gameplay modes are few and old.

Kring is a project that the author himself defines as intimately personal and, therefore, carried out out of pure hedonism. You buy it at your own risk with the knowledge that the game is the way it likes it, not the way it likes it, or you, or an audience framed by some market survey. So you may find it funny or maybe not, brilliant or terribly stupid, unmissable or forgettable and you can't get out of it: it goes just to taste. I found it pleasant but not irresistible, engaging but a little too borderline to last long. In short, one of those novelties that drive you crazy at first, but for which you soon lose interest. For five euros, however, it is free, and it is definitely worth doing this psychedelic gaming experience, if only to encourage Ivan to do other similar things.

Visions of Mana is an operation that exudes love for the reference brand, but which above all aims to be an extremely light experience for fans, or better yet an excellent example of entertainment aimed at the younger and neophyte audience of RPGs. Despite a gaming experience that is all in all simple, the Square Enix production still manages to stand on its own two feet thanks to the charm of its colorful and fairy-tale universe of characters and the charisma of its cast of protagonists, all of which can be ascribed to the canons of the series.

Monster Jam Showdown is a chaotic fun experience devoted to the most crazy vehicles ever conceived. A few technical stumbles and an uninspired tracks design prevent it from aspiring to higher goals, but the road-map of content for the coming months looks promising.

Engaging and exciting, Core Keeper is a perfect example of development and creativity. In addition to keeping you completely glued to the screen, with 1.0 it dramatically increases the hours that someone could spend inside it, thus allowing the player passionate about video games of this caliber to lose track of time. The game design of the production is certainly the most alive and irrepressible part, as well as the world around the main character. In addition, I have given names to some animals within the production, which could please the colleagues of TGM.

Star Wars Outlaws might have a gameplay that is occasionally rough and five dozens of different upgrade materials, but it makes up for any flaw with its excellent characters, a main story that always pushes you to look for the next chapter, and an unabashed love for the setting.

Black Myth: Wukong is a video game with a brilliant and well-composed combat system, full of facets and things to see. It could very well be a new yardstick for the action genre, even if the inexperience of the team in some respects, also due to the amount of bosses within it, leads to being less enthusiastic than usual. Game Science's video game is usual, really solid, much more than I would have expected. The future of the team, hoping it is far from controversy and aggressive behavior, is well marked.

Knock on the Coffin Lid aims to expand on the gameplay of the Slay the Spire-inspired games by adding an interesting story to follow thanks to charismatic characters, excellent speech, and a highly polished graphical style. Forget the forked progression until you get to the boss, here there is great freedom allowed for exploration thanks to very large maps full of interconnected points of interest. Fighting takes place in the typical style of this genre of video games, and although the many cards available do not introduce great innovation, we are in front of one of the best card battlers around.

Terminus: Zombie Survivors is an excellent turn-based strategy with a character creation and growth system worthy of the best role-playing games, where before facing zombies you have to think about your vital parameters, just like in survival games. Fifteen classes, multiple endings, procedural map generation and tons of items to find, craft and use guarantee hours of playing time. Combat is simpler than what we've seen in the XCOM series, with gameplay more similar to board games than video games, but anyone who loves zombie culture will want to get to Terminus at least a few times.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a good and well-made remastered, It does not make who knows what changes to its game design, although we would have preferred more attention to the aspect of the TPS dynamics, however good and well made. Packed with gadgets, the work allows you to base yourself on the situations to be faced in often complete ways, and tends to be constant in the atmosphere.

Sins of a Solar Empire 2 burrows a few aspects from the 4X genre, but it’s mostly a very focused strategic game where war is all that matters. It’s very good at it and it’s also great at putting on our screens dozens of very cool spaceships on blowing each other up to bits. If only it also had a campaign mode.

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

Dustborn is a very strange game: in its narrative and graphic adventure component, the game is of unique beauty. Then every once in a while you get some fighting sessions that are really bad and you wonder why they included them.

Volgarr the Viking II is not so much a definite step forward from the first chapter as a refinement of mechanics and level design. The challenge is always very high and the limited number of credits before 'screwing up' the game is a rather unpleasant idea, but if you're looking for the atmosphere that made classics like Rastan great it might be the game for you, provided you have as much patience as your joypad skills.

It's easy to say "boomer shooter," but how many exponents of the genre, with bare-bones gameplay and linear levels, would be able to entertain like King DOOM? Very few, and from time to time id Software likes to remind us. DOOM + DOOM II is the front row seat to watch this show, as well as a game that should be in every respectable collection. Online multiplayer will not rewrite the rules of competitive gaming, but Legacy of Rust could open the doors to new mods bringing new episodes into a great virtuous loop. And just to clarify, the vote is not at all political. It remains to date an awesome game.

While the effort that went into creating Mars 2120 can certainly be praised, this is not the kind of game that you would easily recommend to friends. It’s never bad or outright awful, mind you, and playing it is a fairly easy-going experience. But at the same time, low enemy variety, poor bosses, generic story and uneven optimization means that this game will stay very far from the top of the charts.

Shift 87 is a walking simulator that hybridizes within it an unsuccessful loop mechanic regarding the reporting of any anomalies. The basic idea is interesting, but it's a shame that continuing through the maps is extremely difficult, also due to the various bugs.

An action-platformer that revives the flames of a genre that disappeared for almost two decades. Abathor isn't a perfect title and doesn't invent anything new, but it does what it has to in a balanced and polite manner, with an entertaining co-op mode capable of attract players of all ages.

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.

Thank Goodness You're Here! It is a fantastic story of great depth, written and structured with lucidity and liveliness. It brings so much to the table that may be little known to those who just intend to play without too much ceremony, but who may find one of the hottest video games of this summer, in the same way that Slay the Princess was almost a year ago. For those who are already familiar with the misfortunes of the world, well... He may be at his home. With me it was like that.

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing aims to be a vertical-scrolling shoot'em up tied to the old traditions of the genre, taking advantage of what hardware has made possible over the last four decades. It has hit the mark, including everything that is to be expected in works of this type, without wanting to add anything else. The result is the closest thing to a coin-op we could find in a parallel universe in which arcades have not known oblivion. Fast-paced, colorful, pyrotechnic, punishing, and capable of making everyone realize that shmups can still provide a lot of fun.

Immersive, deep and immersive... oh well, sorry for the sketch, Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a pleasant and detailed story that starts with the aim of detailing a painful story, made up of the various crew members, who have interesting subplots. The game design then focuses on offering a great way to tell one's story, especially to those looking for a fairly long-lived and intense experience. It is a video game that, however, could have dared a little more.

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.

Minds Beneath Us is a very peculiar graphic adventure with few puzzles and lots of dialogue. Its strength is the connection it manages to create between the narrative cue and what it requires of the player. The reward for the patience required is a game with an eerie atmosphere that is hard to find elsewhere.

Incredible and aesthetically striking, Nobody Wants to Die offers a deep and brutal story, which uniquely details the criticism of alcohol and antidepressant abuse. It also details a character who tells his existence in detail, through a gameplay that is exposed in a unique and well-defined way, demonstrating a lot of personality. A video game to have, both for those who are passionate about similar scenarios, and for those who need a breath of fresh air.

An Hades-style roguelike action game with the immortal Ninja Turtles... what could possibly go wrong? Nothing, in fact Super Evil Megacorp's take on the genre is definitely fun and accessible, with with an unmissable 4-players couch-coop mode. Splinter Fate reiterates (almost) all the right formulas already seen in similar titles, without daring anything new and proposing a tech compartment that could have been decidedly more ‘pushed’.

The Operator, developed by Bureau 81, is a video game of very good quality due to the many options it offers in solving the various puzzles it puts into play, also demonstrating a remarkable attention to discovery and reading, which Bastien Giafferi himself has never hidden as his great passion. The title, capable of engaging, could lead you to reflect on society and what really matters.

Since no one else can take advantage of the official license, it's not like Frontier Development has to make its way among a thousand competitors, but in any case the developer has worked hard this year too. The innovations introduced in F1 Manager 2024 improve the gaming experience substantially, offering important innovations both during the actual races and in the more strictly managerial phases. Now that we know that the level of this management system stands at high quality levels, it would be appropriate to also focus on the performance, to make it less aseptic and more in line with the motorsport it simulates.

I'm glad that Gestalt: Steam & Cinder has made significant progress compared to the demo I tried a long time ago, because it would have been a shame to waste such beautiful pixel art on a mediocre game. At the same time, however, what we have in front of us is a "only" good Metroidvania: a valid product, therefore, for fans of the genre and also for those who are simply intrigued by it, but it certainly won't make you forget about Silksong.

A survival horror inspired by the classics of the genre, Resident Evil above all, but with a rather original setting. The sources of inspiration can be felt from the very beginning, which will make long-time fans happy, but the strong setting and some little gameplay variations manage to give Conscript its own dimension.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a game tailor-made for speedrunners, and played alone it risks losing its appeal in a short time. It's a creature made for a well-thought-out competitive ecosystem, which with online challenges could keep the interest of its select audience high for a long time, or at least until the arrival of an eventual SNES Edition. Perhaps not for everyone, but intriguing if the challenge doesn't scare you.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a very tasty hybrid, not without flaws, but for the operation set up, it proved to be extremely fun and well packaged. The artificial intelligence of the enemies needs to be reviewed and a whole long-term structure regarding weapons, armor and skills is missing, but for the hours that will keep us glued it is that completely made game, which runs too fast with the plot and makes it almost a 'appendix, but in the end the fun is elsewhere.

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.

All in all, SCHiM tells a story that could be ours. The bad luck, the disappointments, having to carry on anyway and discovering that somehow you can do it. Sometimes along the way we get lost and repeat ourselves, but in the end this too is part of the experience and ultimately we can say the same about ourselves.

Anger Foot is the game that many of us wanted, but no one had the courage to develop until now. A first-person Hotline Miami with enemies to kick in Duke Nukem's Mighty Foot style, hyper-saturated colors, pounding soundtrack and different shoes to try on, each with their own unique powers. There is also space for firearms, with the right degree of devastation, to cross the levels without leaving survivors. The indoor action is much more frenetic, getting a little lost in the outdoor sections where parkour takes over the shooting, but it remains a tremendously fun shooter/brawler.

Kaku: Ancient Seal is sub-par in every aspect of the action-adventure genre. Stay clear.

Parasol Stars is still a fun and colourful platform game, an heirloom from a simpler and more innocent era that is worth preserving. The low price and online leaderboards are a good incentive to embark on this journey into the past, minus a somewhat lazy and gritty adaptation.

Beyond Good and Evil turns 20 and returns to our screens with the inevitable signs of time, which however have not totally spoiled the freshness of its gameplay, a still valid story and a cast among the best ever created by Ubisoft.

Nuke Them All is a variation on the usual RTSs that focuses all on action and confrontations with opposing troops, sometimes interrupted by zombie apocalypses or alien invasions. Base building and resource management are barely sketched out, and complicated scientific research trees are not even present. All we have to do is capture the flags on the battlefield as quickly as possible and then launch the final attack on the enemy. The maps are large with multiple biomes, although elevations and depressions in the terrain do not seem to offer any particular advantages or disadvantages. If you are looking for a casual approach RTS with furious shootouts, this is your game.

Dystopika is a relaxing city builder without any of the ambitions typical of management video games. It's a pure sandbox game with which to unleash your creativity and build your dream cyberpunk megalopolis.

Trails Through Daybreak is a rather classic role-playing game and will delight Nihon Falcom fans, if only to inaugurate yet another narrative strand in a now endless dynasty. The combat system isn't quite as polished as the one seen in Trails of Cold Steel, however, and the plot likes to keep the pace a bit too slow, but as a start there's nothing to complain too much about, thanks also to the charisma of a protagonist like Van and an intriguing game world as only Falcom is capable of creating.

In conclusion, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road stands out for its attempt to deepen the lore of the Daedra through the enigmatic figure of Ithelia. Although the expansion offers intriguing narrative moments and a new mechanic with Scribing, which allows for deeper customization of abilities, it also presents some dissonances, particularly in the side quests that sometimes feel less engaging. Nevertheless, Gold Road proves to be a significant chapter for fans of the saga, offering new challenges and insights into the vast universe of The Elder Scrolls Online.

Fun, light-hearted, stimulating, ghostly and adorable, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is a great game that mixes joy, brilliant ideas and ghosts with expert craftsmanship. It's not perfect because the original wasn't perfect, for example the level setting can make you turn up your nose as can the repetitiveness or the resulting rhythm, but there's no doubt that those who appreciated the chapter on 3DS will also love this revisitation. Those who have never played it before can finally fill the gap with a game suitable for adults and children, full of passion, attention to detail and curious ideas, both in single player and multiplayer. As usual, when Nintendo is involved: if we had more video games like this, the world would probably be a better place.

The Riven remake makes its return to the scene with absolute pomp, proving once again how much the journey is more important than the destination. The graphic modernization is illustrious and of absolute caliber, as well as everything else, elevated to the asymptote of wonder. It could involve both long-time enthusiasts and newbies.

There are games that do not necessarily have to innovate or dare to propose new mechanics because they are simply already perfect as they are. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble fits into this category by offering the classic Super Monkey Ball gameplay while introducing nothing more than the spin dash to add further speed to an already frenetic racing. This seems to be the franchise's fate: to occasionally offer hundreds of new levels until gradually interest fades, but so far we have a fun racing game that is easy to complete yet requires a lot of practice to find optimal paths and trajectories. Good.

Chornobyl Liquidators offers a poignant and intimate story, presenting a real playful structure. It entertains and engages for the entire five hours it takes to get to the end credits, also reinforced by brilliant writing and memorable dialogues capable of transporting you to another brutal reality. It could move those who, impressed by the television series, have left their hearts in the story of the most tragic nuclear power plant in the world.

An exciting and enjoyable multiplayer video game, which knows how to give lightheartedness and beauty to its interior, while maintaining a bright and crackling appeal. Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game is a title that can offer several hours of gameplay in total harmony. It presents itself and is managed well, net of a certain repetition of events, which, however, do not weigh down the experience too much. In short, a good test.