Gianluca Arena Avatar Image

Gianluca Arena


Favorite Games:

281 games reviewed
76.7 average score
79 median score
60.1% of games recommended
8.3 / 10.0 - Dredge
Apr 3, 2023

It's impossible not to get caught in Dredge's clutches: supernatural horror, dry and fascinating narrative and an intoxicating gameplay loop make Black Salt Games' first effort an indie to remember.

Review in Italian | Read full review

We would really like to see the crew at Falcom get a bigger budget to give full speed to this world, this characters and this combat system. Trails into Reverie is a tremendously solid JRPG and a worthy follow up to the Erebonian tetralogy. Just beware: you need to have played some of the previous titles to really appreciate the story.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.3 / 10.0 - Hearthstone: Titans
Sep 17, 2023

Titans is certainly the best Hearthstone expansion for some time now, not so much for the number of innovations introduced but, rather, for their weight in the game economy: the legendary minions that give the name to the expansion prove to be extremely powerful, but also add a strategic element to the matches, since they are helpless on the battlefield for at least three turns.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.3 / 10.0 - Dragon's Dogma 2
Mar 20, 2024

Dragon's Dogma 2 is a rare beast, and one we would gladly save from extinction, thanks to its unparalleled sense of freedom and discovery and fast paced combat system. It's a courageous game too, with divisive game design that not every player will appreciate. But believe us when we say the travel is well worth it.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.3 / 10.0 - Stellar Blade
Apr 24, 2024

It's much easier than we expected, and it lacks really fresh ideas, but Stellar Blade is a very solid first effort from korean team Shift Up and a bold new IP for the Playstation Studios, thanks to a fast and furious combat system and solid performances. We're sincerely eager to see in which direction the devs will go from here in the future.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Jun 9, 2020

What we have here is the whole Borderlands franchise up to the third installment for a fraction of their original price and with ports handled with great care. Don't miss it if you love looter shooters.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Feb 23, 2021

Just like with the recent Resident Evil remakes, Capcom nails it once again, and Sir Arthur gets the treatment he deserves after 35 years of service. This is as difficult as the player wants it to be, and so newcomers are welcome, and should not miss this gem of an action platformer.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0 - Live A Live
Jul 21, 2022

Live A Live is short and sweet, a surprisingly modern twist on JRPGs that Square and Nintendo luckily decided to bring back from the dead. it won't probably win any award for its narrative and surely there are far more vast and deep JRPGs out there, but this is nonetheless a very good choice for japanese role playing games lovers.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Apr 19, 2023

Artistic direction aside, Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp is a great remake, that shine a new light on two classic strategic games not forgotten by true fans. There's plenty of content here and a rock solid gameplay, so it's easy to recommend this package to both seasoned players and newcomers. We sincerely hope the F-Zero franchise is next in line now.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Nov 15, 2021

Football Manager 2022 marks a slow transition to a better game, and the third and final version next year promises to be even more exciting. This is is as good as always, but the new elements are less than we would have liked.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Nov 29, 2021

Danganronpa Decadence is an almost flawless collection for visual novel fans, containing three of the best games in the genre in one slick package. Ultimate Summer Camp is a weak addition, but you won't be mad at it for a long time.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Jun 21, 2022

Omega Force is really upping the ante with their latest licensed musou: Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes is a very solid and enjoyable musou-rts-rpg hybrid, and we liked it more than we anticipated we could.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0 - Tacoma
May 13, 2018

The PS4 version of Tacoma doesn't add anything new to the PC and Xbox One ones, and thus is still a compelling and emotional journey to the space that we strongly recommend you take.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Oct 9, 2017

Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen is good today as it was back in 2012, as it's still a unique take on the open world action rpg genre. We would have liked some new content and 60 fps, but at a bargain price, it's still recommended.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0 - I Am Setsuna
Mar 17, 2017

It's disappointing to see nothing new in the Switch version of I am Setsuna, but we're still talking about a very good JRPG and the only offering right now for all the Nintendo fans on their new console. A recommended choice if you didn't get to play it elsewhere.

Review in Italian | Read full review

More a continuation of the events of the first game than a proper sequel, Trails of Cold Steel II is "more of the same" done right, as the basic gameplay of the prequel didn't need changes. While a no brainer for veterans, this second chapter is not recommended for newcomers, who should pick up the first title to have an understanding of the world and characters.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Shadow Tactics is as good as it was some months ago on PC, with the added benefit that on both PS4 and Xbox One there are fewer worthy real time strategy games. We sincerely hope to see more of these games in the near future on consoles.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0 - Yakuza 0
Jan 19, 2017

It's easy to recommend Yakuza Zero to all fans of the series, as it tells a brilliant origin story that shows unseen sides of both the Kazuma and Majima personalities, and, at the same time, it's easy to dismiss this prequel as "another Yakuza game" for those whio never got to like the series. All in all, it's a solid and well written debut on PS4.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0 - Tyranny
Nov 11, 2016

It's hard not to recommend Tyranny to old school CRPG veterans, as its systems and gameplay mechanics are reminiscent both of the excellent Pillars of Eternity and the classics form the early 2000, but, at the same time, it sometimes seems as a lazy reskin of Obsidian's last efforts.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Jan 23, 2017

Tales of Berseria faces the struggle of being developed for both the old and the new generation of Sony platforms, and therefore is forced to stick to the beaten path. It still is a better game than Zestiria, overall, mostly thanks to its dark and gritty storyline and believable cast of protagonists. Let's just hope that the future of the Tales series will bring something new to the table.

Review in Italian | Read full review