Alessio Palumbo's Reviews
Red Dead Redemption 2 may not be perfect, but its minor shortcomings are like tiny blemishes on a stunningly beautiful face. In a way, they only serve as a reminder of how this world isn't made for perfection. Every single aspect of the game will put you into the very shoes of an outlaw roaming America with his gang as they try to escape the law long enough to make the money needed to disappear for good. It's an epic, memorable and engrossing tale which also elevates the open world genre to new heights with the brand new interaction system, a cast of memorable characters and a ton of high-quality content to play for a long time.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a gameplay triumph, that's for sure. Kojima managed to marry the stealth/action elements of MGS with the open world setting in a way that no one could have predicted. While not perfect, this is a masterpiece that everyone should enjoy; let's just hope it's not the last we'll see of Snake.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty builds upon what was an already great game to deliver more fantastic storytelling (with a spy thriller theme, this time around), exciting combat, and very high-quality side content. The perk tree overhaul is a major improvement to progression, and additions like vehicle combat and the overhauled police system are very welcome, albeit not game-changing. If you've been holding out on Cyberpunk 2077 until now, you'll find a huge game with over 120 hours of quality content and an incredibly immersive game world to literally lose yourself in.
FIFA 16 reacted extremely well to the increasing challenge posed by Konami with PES. This year's edition fixes all the shortcomings of FIFA 15 while introducing more features and authenticity to the game; in short, FIFA 16 is still the king of football games, at least for another year.
Could it be better? Most certainly, as pointed out in the review. But Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is already great as it is, and you would be remiss to leave it hanging in physical (or digital) stores if you care the slightest bit about RPGs with a deep story, lots of choices and a cyberpunk setting.
Dishonored 2 is the best stealth action/adventure game on the market. It's filled with memorable characters and locations, not to mention empowered by superb art style and gameplay. No gamer should miss it, though if you intend to play on PC you might do well to wait for the update that's scheduled to bring a slew of performance improvements.
Blending powerful imagery, unrivaled visuals quality, an excellent combat system and a unique setting blending Norse mythology with mental illness, Ninja Theory fully delivers on their independent AAA pitch with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. This is one of those titles that, albeit not flawless, should be experienced by every gamer at some point.
Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch's best game yet and a great open world title capable of measuring to some of the biggest names in the genre. The excellent rendition of feudal Japan, along with its well-written characters and story, make Ghost of Tsushima stand out as the last must-have PlayStation 4 exclusive.
Horizon Forbidden West is a worthy sequel to Zero Dawn in every way, proving that Guerrilla is no one-hit wonder when it comes to the action RPG genre.
From a visual standpoint, the game succeeds in providing many different biomes to explore as the party treks across Northern Thedas, fulfilling BioWare's promise to bring players to more locations than ever before. The environments generally look great, while the characters are a bit more of a hit-and-miss in that some are almost photorealistic and others look more stylized. In that regard, more uniformity would have been ideal.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an excellent adventure/action game that features one of the best Indiana Jones stories, great level design that rewards exploration, and awesome ray traced visuals. This might just be the best game dedicated to Dr. Henry Walton we've ever seen.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection might not be that appealing for those who played the Uncharted trilogy on PlayStation 3, but for everyone else it's simply a must buy, particularly if you plan to get Uncharted 4 as well next year.
Avowed marks a significant step up for Obsidian compared to The Outer Worlds. The game retains the studio's signature excellent writing and narrative while improving the combat (especially the challenge level) and providing a lot of great content to go through. The visuals and performance are also praiseworthy. There are a few shortcomings, but if you're a fan of Western RPGs, you don't want to miss Avowed. It may have started as a spin-off, but it could go on to be the main series in Eora.
Fallout 4 is one of the best games I've played this year. It's not the best and not even the best RPG (which in this case is the same thing) due to some missteps detailed in the review, but this shouldn't deter you from an experience that will be worth it for any fans of the genre and setting. Moreover, this is just the beginning: we'll hear a lot more of Fallout 4 in the coming years thanks to DLCs and mods that will likely bring the game to a whole new level. The Commonwealth gates have just opened and few will be able to resist entering.
Until Dawn is definitely a nice surprise. Despite not being marketed as a huge exclusive like Uncharted or God of War, it's arguably the best one available on PlayStation 4 with the exception of Bloodborne; if you like horror/thriller movies and you don't mind Quick Time Events, you're definitely in for a treat.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider succeeds in giving Lara the character growth she needed and also brings the reboot trilogy to a satisfying closure. It does so mostly by refining the strong gameplay foundation set with the previous installments while delivering a great action/adventure experience in terms of storytelling and audiovisual spectacle.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands offers some new aspects of the series, with more of the classic, almost unbeatable gunplay and wild combat encounters. It is a vibrant, slightly disjointed world ripe for exploration and trouble. Although it misses a few marks, it's a spinoff series fans will enjoy and high fantasy fans will inevitably laugh or roll their eyes at.
Diablo IV is a return to form at a much needed time for Blizzard. It delivers incredibly fun hack and slash action combat, a greatly improved skill system, and a ton of things to do, not to mention the best story told in the franchise yet. It also looks awesome, sounds great, and runs well (except for rare instances of traversal stuttering).
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 feels like the perfect, albeit safe, evolution of the formula first introduced with the 2018 game. With a highly emotional story, much-improved traversal, great visuals and performance, and industry-leading accessibility, this sequel is very likely to win over most fans of the original. However, a bigger shake-up may be needed for the inevitable Spider-Man 3.
There's little doubt Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is Don't Nod's finest action game yet. I would also venture to say it's one of their best games, period, and it's also a great action RPG in its own right thanks to enjoyable combat, a big world with lots of content to explore and interesting stories to experience, and particularly for the amazing couple of lover protagonists.