Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a new success for the Team Ninja guys. With some minor adjustments regarding the structure of side missions and the narrative framework (and if we want to be picky, a few technical shortcomings), the latest work from these talented developers could have even earned the label of masterpiece. Referring back to the opening statement, if six years ago, with Nioh, Team Ninja began its maturation journey, today, with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, they have brought it to completion. And we hope that the long-awaited masterpiece crowning their revival will come with the upcoming Rise of the Ronin—they certainly have everything it takes. But that’s another story...
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Clive 'N' Wrench is a more than decent title, but it could have been much more. The excellent control system and the good variety of gameplay situations manage to balance out the overall lack of polish in the product, which could still lead to some mild frustration, as well as its excessive ease, which seems to stem from choices we frankly don't understand. Despite everything, as nostalgic and romantic as we are, Clive 'N' Wrench still deserves a chance.
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Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is an excellent 2D action platformer, with delightful pixel art and a soundtrack that’s always on point. The surprising (a carefully chosen adjective) variety on offer and the excellent balance of difficulty and gameplay situations make it a title that everyone should try, including those who might not be fond of "wild and irreverent, distinctly Japanese games."
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Forspoken was a very difficult title to evaluate. The action-RPG from Luminous Productions is graced with an excellent, functional, and most importantly, fun core gameplay. Unfortunately, this gem is placed within an open world that feels structurally outdated, filled with "filler" activities that are not very engaging. The greatest strength of Forspoken lies in its ability to remain enjoyable even within such an ideally boring structure. For these reasons, and keeping in mind all the previously mentioned criticisms, including those related to the narrative, our recommendation is still to follow the White Rabbit into its hole.
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Clunky Hero is a title that finds its greatest strength in its bold identity. Despite a derivative and flawed play structure, Chaosmonger Studio's title is solid and thoughtfully designed, satisfying and challenging. Admittedly, in some cases even due to the artifice related to the aforementioned approximation, but that's okay. To whom do we recommend it? Everyone, even those who are not fans of the genre, because of the competitive price at which it is sold and the charisma with which the product is imbued.
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Children of Silentown is a precise, solid, timely graphic adventure that manages to keep the player glued to the screen thanks to the unsettling atmosphere that the developers have managed to recreate. This is also and above all thanks to the title's audio-visual department, which is undoubtedly the crown jewel of the production. It’s just a shame about the narrative structure, which, despite its excellent premise, fails to resonate with the player due to a too-random twist in the final stages of the adventure.
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Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is undoubtedly one of the best collections ever produced, primarily due to its nature as a historical and cultural compendium of those years. The omissions, which are not due to negligence but rather to licensing agreements and/or copyright issues, although they slightly affect the encyclopedic nature of the collection, do not diminish an admirable work carried out with passion. Digital Eclipse deserves praise, especially for their efforts in preserving the materials used, and we can only recommend the collection to all video game enthusiasts.
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Sable surprised us. Its dreamlike, at times auteur-like atmosphere captivated us, and the skillful blend of various game elements ironically trapped us in what is a completely free and customizable experience. Sable rejects all the overly inflated tropes of the more "open" titles of the moment, such as constant markers and indicators, with great mastery. The indie market reaffirms itself once again as a furnace of undisputed gems. Thankfully, more and more creatives are choosing to wear this brave mask. As video game players, we can only be grateful.
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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are extremely difficult titles to evaluate. We are faced with a production that has evident issues, especially concerning world-building and technical aspects, yet it manages to captivate the player in a mesmerizing vortex, despite all its gameplay limitations, thanks to the immense sense of freedom provided by its open world. Had they been released 20 years ago, our reception would have certainly been much more positive. In 2022, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are "only" a haphazard realization of a dream for a generation of thirty-something kids who deserved more, but who, all things considered, can still feel somewhat satisfied.
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Kukoos: Lost Pets is a very good 3D platformer that, thanks to a clever alternation of game situations and an intelligent and challenging level of difficulty, manages to entertain the gamer from start to finish. Although the price does not constitute an element of evaluation, the price tag of €29.99 (for both the digital and physical editions) is, in relation to the content offering, an additional incentive to purchase Petit Fabrik's title.
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New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is an acceptable remake, but with a few small adjustments, it could have become a little must-have for all gamers. A remake that remains in an unfortunate limbo. On one hand, the work done on the original game is commendable, but on the other, more could have been done. There isn’t even an Extra section with concept art or curiosities, for example. Most importantly, if the developers had offered more customization options for the experience, we’d be reviewing what, in a short time, could have become an unmissable cult classic. As it was released, however, we fear many gamers will be left disappointed by the title, and this is a real shame because, at its core, the game is very solid. In summary, "bello e impossibile", as said by an old italian song.
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Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising is a title we must recommend against to everyone. And we say this with great regret because the premise was excellent, and it could have been a much better game than the first one, as technically it could boast an enviable variety of gameplay, thanks to the many types of enemies and different side situations, many of which are truly original. But in its current state, it’s unpresentable, and we can’t pretend otherwise. Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising is not a bad game; it’s much worse—it’s a "broken" game.
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Asterix & Obelix XXXL: The Ram From Hibernia is a title that will succeed in satisfying its target audience, thanks to its playful simplicity and immediacy and the truly very successful audiovisual compartment. At the same time, however, if you are looking for a deeper game look elsewhere, Hibernia is not for you.
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The Entropy Centre is another gem from the indie market, a reality that is becoming increasingly essential for our favorite medium and especially for us gamers. A title developed with great care and passion, enjoyable to play from beginning to end, where even the "problematic" sections, the more action-oriented ones, still make sense within the overall game design.
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God of War Ragnarok is a serious candidate for game of the year. Sony Santa Monica's latest effort elevates what was the already “masterpiece” God of War of 2018 to full power, going out of its way to eliminate all its minor imperfections. And the result achieved is embellished by a mammoth amount of content and an out-of-parameter audio-visual compartment, especially thanks to the excellent art direction, despite the compromises of a totally old-gen-oriented development, which, however, we reiterate, never made us think that the game might have suffered some “cuts” precisely because of that choice. God of War Ragnarok, then, is the ultimate expression of a work that began a few years ago now with the chapter that arrived in our homes in 2018, as well as one of the best games of the year, and not only. Ultimately, God of War Ragnarok is a virtually unassailable title, dare we say almost perfect. It completely lives up to its name, “it's the end of the world.”
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Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is not a flawless title, it has a lot of rigidity on the combat system side, but it still manages to entertain thanks to the variety offered and the level design work truly beyond expectations. The guys at Acme Gamestudio definitely deserve our kudos, bravo!
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F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is proof that intelligent and passionate development can give the market (and us consumers) real gems. The guys at TiGames have taken the typical structure of the metroidvania genre in its purest essence and added a very deep and technical combat system that manages to make every encounter a pleasure to play. The result is excellent, there's no denying it.
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FIFA 23 is the culmination of a journey that only slightly improves a formula that, while functional, has been stale for too long. Still, it remains a recommended title for all virtual soccer fans, in the hope that next year, thanks to the announced re-branding, there may finally be a bursting revolution just as there was a full 14 years ago with the 2008 edition.
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Soulstice is an excellent exponent of the action genre that comes to the market at the right time. It may be the perfect “entry point” for newcomers to the genre and at the same time, despite the paradox highlighted in the review, a title that will be enjoyed immensely even by those more accustomed to this type of game.
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Pac-Man World Re-PAC not only graphically debunks a title with more than 20 years on its shoulders, but also removes all the archaic features associated with the era of its original release, giving us a much more modern, current, and generally enjoyable product. For these reasons, Pac-Man World Re-PAC is a title that we feel strongly recommend to everyone, both to the 30-somethings who have already played it at the time of its original release, and to newcomers who will thus be able to discover a small cult of the golden age of platformers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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