Dragon Quest Heroes II offers a lot of opportunities for the fans of the series. You'll find some welcome improvements here and there, the same things you loved in the first chapter, and the same limitations.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a game with a lot of charisma thanks to an exceptional characterization of the world and the characters that populate it. Unfortunately, the mix of turn-based tactics and stealth isn’t always working as it’s supposed to, but the game developed by The Bearded Ladies is still able to entertain for about fifteen hours. Maybe next time it would be appropriate to give to the gameplay the same care given to the narrative aspects of the game.

It’s easy to understand and justify the state of worship that Metal Wolf Chaos XD has managed to unintentionally create during the last fifteen years: an insane setting, a pungent satire aimed at the American society and a good technical realization, all at the service of an enjoyable third-person shooter. However, the latter ingredient didn’t age very well: Metal Wolf Chaos XD is quite easy, somewhat spartan, and the weapons fail to convey the right feedback.

Bound is a visionary title, with a incredibly inspired art direction; unfortunately, the game has some gameplay flaws that prevent the player from fully enjoying the experience. It could have been something along the lines of Journey and Abzû, but it ends up being “just” a good game.

All things considered, Pokémon Champions is exactly what we expected—barring a few too many rough edges. In fact, looking at the game’s monetization and other titles within the Pokémon ecosystem, one is almost tempted to say we got off easy. At least, for now.

Fly Punch Boom! it's a fun and colorful smash bros like. It has an excellent online mode, thanks to the large community, but the lack of longevity undermines the fun over a long period.

A great action Gundam game, penalized by instability during online matches and the lack of some modes that should have been implemented. Not only, but mostly for fans of the anime series.

I have to be honest, 3 years after the fourth episode I would have expected a more evolved fifth chapter and, instead, net of a decidedly more focused and engaging career, the competition against the AI suffers from illogical behaviors that the player is forced to manage manually, while technically you don't notice a leap in current-gen quality that could have been expected, without the ballast of a cross-gen development. At its best it is always Ride, an almost unique game in the panorama of simulation racing and therefore a point of reference for those looking for this specific type of experience. But there is potential here that goes far beyond the improvements expressed in this chapter, closer to those of an annual series than a triennial one.

Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten is an exciting and engaging JRPG, with an interesting and impactful story. More could have been done on the play system.

Despite some technical issues and a skimpy single player, Empires Apart is an enjoyable and well balanced old-style RTS. If you are in search of a competitive multiplayer game, look no further.

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.

LUNA The Shadow Dust is a magical point-and-click adventure with amazing hand-drawn backdrops and animations. Too bad the puzzles are trivial and the pacing is a bit messy.

An official version of Super Robot Wars on our PCs is a long-cherished dream, but it's not an experience for everyone. Certainly not for those expecting a deep and challenging strategy game, as almost the entire experience plays on fanservice. Not to mention a roster incapable of giving back the encyclopaedic feeling that an event like the 30th anniversary would require.

A tough game, full of good action but also with a lot of trial and error inside. If you are not afraid of going through exhausting boss battles, then do not hesitate.

A light and entertaining alternative to heavy-weight shooters like Raw Data and In Death, The Wizards gives the player great satisfaction in creating spells with their own hands, and that's simply amazing.

Made by a single developer, an industry rookie, FixFox really brings a good amount of ideas to the table. The main mechanics are quite simple, designed to be relaxing and reassuring. The outline, however, stands out for brilliant ideas and insights, which contribute to the creation of an intriguing context. Not everything is perfect, some aspect for example are a bit generic (music, especially) and some other may appear unclear at first glance. Its slow and somewhat repetitive pace might also bore more action-oriented players.

Dice Gambit is a turn-based tactical roguelike that combines combat on a hex grid with family management. Each member of the family belongs to a different class and can evolve with active and passive skills, but Stamina decreases with each mission, forcing constant turnover. Death is permanent, and the loss of a relative can jeopardize the lineage's expansion, forcing a balance between rest and deployments. Combat is good, with various combos to execute with dice, but the graphical representation of heroes and enemies in battle is less so, as they are rather anonymous.

Sadly, Humankind isn’t Amplitude Studios’ magnum opus. Its interesting concept of civilization mix-matching is constantly let down by an uncompetitive AI and all sorts of balancing issues.

MOTHERGUNSHIP is a strong step forward compared to Tower of Guns, with a very well made weapon creation system and an even more spectacular action core. Unfortunately we also found a certain repetitiveness in the game's structure, but fans of intense action and arcade taste will hardly be disappointed.

It's been a while since we lost our temper with a videogame. The peculiar control system and the physics that rule the movement of a snake are at the same time the good and the bad of Snake Pass. Despite its cheerful appearances and the good level design, the game is difficult, and not always in a good way.

Bum Simulator could have simply offered vulgarities with no real purpose, but instead include a quite demential but nevertheless interesting story to follow, and a good crafting system. The world to explore is small, the combat system isn't enough complex and technically it could be way better, but in the end the formula works.

Super Robot Wars Y is an ode to nostalgia and a passion for Japanese robots: every animated sequence, every opening credit, every battle is a small celebration of the cartoons that shaped our childhoods. The roster combines old and new series to please fans of all ages, while the overly simple strategic action almost becomes a pause between one breathtaking sequence and the next. Here too, the series shows the weight of tradition: few innovations, long dialogues, and a conservative approach that limits risk and surprise, keeping it prisoner to its formula. You have to know what you're getting into. Those who love Japanese robots and jump out of their seats at the sight of Tetsuya incinerating assorted monsters with gamma rays, screaming like a maniac, will find this an almost essential experience. Those who know the series inside out and are looking for freshness and boldness will inevitably be disappointed.

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos Remastered is a faithful re-release of the original 1997 3D platformer, with more user-friendly controls and slightly - just slightly - more modern graphics. The retro charm remains intact with levels full of secrets, funny enemies, and simple but rewarding gameplay. While not shining in technical innovation, it includes extra content such as the Crocipedia and the original game. A nostalgic remastered, more conservative than revolutionary, designed for historical and curious fans of digital vintage, proving that even lesser known video games can deserve a second chance.

Earth Defense Force 5 is yet another iteration of a series that embraces the repetitiveness of the action to make it its own main strength, thanks to an enviable amount of unlockable content and an immediate gameplay formula capable of entertaining for tens, if not hundreds of hours.

Head Over Heels Deluxe is the re-release, executed with some laziness since it is taken heavily from the Spectrum Next version, of a 1987 isometric classic renowned for innovative gameplay and platform-puzzle challenges. Players control two agents, Head and Heels, each with unique abilities, who must work together to defeat the Blacktooth Empire. This new version introduces an additional world, 32 collectibles and technical improvements while maintaining the difficulty of the original. While fidelity to the past is to be admired, some historical issues remain unchanged.

Katanaut is an action roguelite that focuses heavily on the katana: quick and brutal slashes deliver great impact, with the ability to reload your firearm only by striking in melee, creating an aggressive and satisfying gameplay cycle. Melee weapons are complemented by laser rifles, railguns, and grenade launchers that diversify the runs. The extensive perk and power-up system offers spectacular synergies, but some cooldowns are too short, making certain builds overly powerful. The experience is penalized by procedural generation, which offers linear corridors or empty areas, aggravated by enemy AI. Visually polished, it's fun but remains imperfect.

CyberConnect2 knows how to develop and port games, no question about that. It may not run at 60fps, but this pocket-sized version of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is still able to live up to its counterparts on other platforms. A pity that the last DLC was not included, considering it would have made the game even more appealing.

A roguelite with a simple but fun premise, although the peculiar control scheme doesn't exactly work in its favor.