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Gianluca Arena


Favorite Games:

281 games reviewed
76.7 average score
79 median score
60.1% of games recommended
Sep 15, 2020

13 Sentinels is an absolute must have for the visual novel lovers, and the hybridization with a RTS souls adds depth to a well written (and told) experience.

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Nov 4, 2021

Shin Megami Tensei successfully builds over the third entry in the franchise, upping the ante with a great combat system and more freedom to explore. One of the best JRPGs in the last few years and a great exclusive for the Nintendo Switch.

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8.7 / 10.0 - Persona 3 Reload
Jan 30, 2024

We disagree with the people at Atlus and their decision to leave Tartarus as it was, but nonetheless this is one of the best JRPGs of the modern era, and this remake makes it shine like it deserves. The one for this review was our fifth run in eighteen years and we still didn't feel any fatigue playing it. Let's just hope the devs will include Persona 3 FES and Portable content later down the road.

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8.7 / 10.0 - Unicorn Overlord
Mar 11, 2024

We cannot avoid praising the courage of a small team such as Vanillaware in creating a niche and bold title like this. We loved every minute of the 60 plus hours spent with Unicorn Overlord and we're already looking forward to Vanillaware next title.

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Nov 10, 2022

One of the two kings is back (the other one being Final Fantasy Tactics), and it is in a wonderful shape even eleven years after its last appearance. We're not 100% sure this is the best version of this classic, but it's a version no strategy fan should miss nonetheless.

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May 1, 2018

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is a must buy on Switch even more than it was on Wii U, thanks to smoother gameplay, flashier graphics and a fun new mode, that will allow everybody to enjoy this gem of a platformer. Let's hope Nintendo will bring some more Wii U masterpieces on its new console.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Owlboy
Feb 12, 2018

The Switch version of Owlboy is as good as the PC one, which means that we're in presence of a quasi-masterpiece: the ingredients are a touching story, a varied and funny gameplay and an outstanding presentation. if only it was a little shorter, it didn't have to reuse puzzles and ideas.

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Nov 30, 2016

Apocalypse marks an improvement in every way over Shin Megami Tensei IV, that already was one of the best JPRG available on the 3DS family of consoles. The user interface, the map, the companion system, the demon alignment are all welcome changes especially because they come on top of a fascinating setting and a gritty storyline.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Steins;Gate 0
Dec 11, 2016

Steins;Gate 0 has just one fault, which is that you need to play the first game in the series to fully appreciate the story, the character progression, the new twist on some of the protagonists. Apart from this, we're talking about one of the best script in recent memory, and a high quality visual novel for both Vita and Ps4 owners.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Puyo Puyo Tetris
Apr 25, 2017

Puyo Puyo Tetris on the Nintendo Switch is an absolute must buy for all the gamers who like puzzle game and/or great titles to play in local multiplayer. It is fast, colourful, fun and has a ton of different game modes, and really fits perfectly on Nintendo's new hardware.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Fire Emblem Echoes doesn't make a strong first impression, but keeps entangling the player fight after fight, for each hard-earned victory. It also brings to the table many ideas from the original title, and a slew of fresh air in a series that has seen four games in the last four years.

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Jun 6, 2017

Wipeout Omega Collection takes three forgotten titles to the attention of the vast PS4 public, adding 4K resolution, HDR support and steady 60 fps. Maybe this won't be enough for players that have already played Pure, Pulse and 2048, but all the rest of the racing game lovers out there should consider buying it.

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Sep 12, 2017

A lot could have gone wrong with this remake of Metroid II, since Mercury Steam's last work didn't impress and the franchise was dormant for far too long. Luckily, Samus Returns is a very good metroidvania and an honorable episode of one of the dearest Nintendo franchises.

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Sep 11, 2017

Ys VIII is on of the best episodes (if not the best) of the franchise created by Falcom. A frantic combat system, a huge map and an enjoyable exploration make it a great adventure, not to be missed by any PS4 role playing fan.

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Nov 9, 2017

New year, new Football Manager: this time the people at Sports Interactive added some great features in the scouting department, the medical centre and dynamics, but old problems like the frequency of injuries and the poor media simulation still linger. All considered, a very solid effort nonttheless.

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One of the best RPGs of the recent years finally lands on consoles, with a new (and mostly good) UI and both of the expansions bundled in, and, even after more than two years, can still be a very good choice for all the role playing games aficionados on both Ps4 and Xbox One.

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8.5 / 10.0 - SteamWorld Dig 2
Oct 1, 2017

Steamworld Dig 2 builds a solid metroidvania esplorative game upon the foundations laid by its predecessor. Better combat, better level design, better graphics and more in depth gameplay makes this one of the best indie titles available on Nintendo Switch.

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Nov 14, 2017

Even though a lot of content in Pokemon Ultrasun and Ultramoon has been recycled from the previous entries, there's still a lot of new things to see and new places to explore, and, more importantly, a great deal of fanservice that will delight long time aficionados of the franchise.

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Feb 18, 2018

We cannot recommend Perfect Chronology enough, to both newcomers, who will find an enjoyable and brilliant role playing game, and old fans of the franchise, who will find enough unreleased content to justify a second purchase. let's hope to see a sequel in a not too far away future.

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May 18, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II Deadfire plays it safem just like its predecessor, and it has a worst main storyline, but it compensates with a greater and richer world to explore, better friendly AI, a refined combat system and much better sidequests. in short, a must buy for fans of cRPGs.

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