Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered is like the coin dilemma. On the one hand we have two video games that are real milestones of videogame entertainment, until now impossible to enjoy in an acceptable way. If the coin had fallen on this side, the Soul Reavers would have been condemned to oblivion. On the other hand, we have a remaster that limits itself to making only the changes essential to use on modern platforms: the bare essentials, the homework. In any case, heads or tails, the game is rigged and no one wins. I'd like to think that there might be a third option, a monumental secret hidden somewhere, but the truth is that we can only settle for this double remaster and hope that the series continues.
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Rogue Flight is a fast-paced and adrenaline-filled rail shooter. The plot and structure of the campaign are good, the latter with five difficulty levels to allow anyone to enjoy it, regardless of their skills. The only let downs is that the roguelite mode is only sketched out and that there is an exaggerated presence of visual effects that are too shiny and annoying.
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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a sequel that builds on the legacy of Relic Entertainment. It does so by offering an exciting campaign that perfectly conveys that feeling of perpetual war and all the "grimdark" typical of its setting. Even without ever reaching the depth typical of other games in the same genre, the combat system infuses all the physicality and brutality of the Astartes. The optimization is also good, despite some small flaws that can be easily solved with a round of patches. The only let down is the soundtrack, light years away from the epicness of the first game.
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Dystopika is a relaxing city builder without any of the ambitions typical of management video games. It's a pure sandbox game with which to unleash your creativity and build your dream cyberpunk megalopolis.
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The Final Shape is one of Destiny 2's best expansions and a worthy conclusion to the Light and Darkness saga. Lots of content, all beautifully crafted, including an outstanding campaign and exciting endgame activities, are matched by a new subclass and the introduction of some brand new enemies. The latter are not very inspired, to be honest, but in some specific situations they require changing approaches to confrontations to get the upper hand. All in all, a big yes for The Final Shape and for Bungie, which can thus redeem itself after the débâcle of Lightfall.
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F1 24 is a definite step backward for the Codemasters and Electronic Arts series. Many of the new features introduced in this new iteration are not only unconvincing, but in fact go to the detriment of a game formula that is admittedly old but at least works. With less content than last year and an outdated graphics compartment, the 2024 edition of the official Formula 1 video game is nothing more than a homework assignment. While waiting for a revolution that may never come, unfortunately this remains the only alternative for fans of the top motorsport championship.
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Astor: Blade of the Monolith is an action game with a nice combat system, but unfortunately it tends to repeat game situations a little too often during the approximately 15 hours needed to reach the end credits.
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Songs of Conquest is a turn-based strategy game that fits into the mold of Heroes of Might and Magic, trying to fill the void left by the latter, now missing from our screens for almost a decade. Despite a few flaws in the single-player campaign, Lavapotion's video game features a near-perfect balance of the four playable factions, all of which are well characterized, as well as a huge amount of content, including full support for community-made stuff.
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Animal Well is an atypical metroidvania that exploits many of the genre's tropes to give birth to something different, almost completely eliminating the entire action component to focus exclusively on the puzzles. The end result is a fascinating, mysterious and at times mesmerizing video game that does not end once the credits are rolling, since reaching the ending represents only a new beginning for Animal Well. As long as you really want to escape the well, of course, but why do it? It's so good down here.
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INDIKA's gameplay is at the service of its narrative, so as to tell an allegorical and satirical story about religious institutions and the power they have over people. It is a story that deals with existential themes in an often surreal way, taking advantage of a staging that thrives on contrasts and dissonances, managing to convey a message while always keeping the balance between the serious and the irreverent (and at times even blasphemous) irony.
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Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is still an excellent FPS today, almost thirty years after its first publication. The many improvements introduced by the developers, both on the graphics and gameplay side, manage to modernize the original to make it enjoyable both by the older ones and by those who have never had the opportunity to experience the adventures of Kyle Katarn.
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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does everything it has to do in the best possible way. Or rather, almost everything: unfortunately the plot is negligible and the characters have the same charisma as a puddle. Beyond this, however, the structure of the semi-open world is very complex, the combat system is much deeper than the average of the genre, and the platforming borders on excellence. A return in style for one of the most beloved franchises of all time.
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Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader treats the Games Workshop board game license with respect, granting the opportunity of fully immersing into a universe that fully meets the expectations of franchise's fans. Owlcat Games has crafted a role-playing video game that guarantees a fair amount of freedom of choice with concrete consequences both in the development of the plot and in the balance of power within the Koronus Expanse. It's a shame for the technical state it is in, otherwise we'd have a masterpiece in our hands.
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Shattered Heaven takes inspiration from Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, and does so without adding any particular innovations to the game formula. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if the end result is good. Besides, it manages to bring a mature narrative, including multifaceted characters and a well-written story. There are some flaws here and there, but all in all Leonardo Production's video game is well made.
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Assassin's Creed Mirage is not a remake of the first chapter of the series in disguise, as some might think, however the stated intention to pay homage to the origins of the series has been fully respected. With all that goes with it, for better or for worse. The more compact and not at all dispersive experience benefits not only the pace of play, but also that of the narration, which always manages to be focused on the figure of Basim. Unfortunately, many of the historical defects of the series remain, first of all the poor artificial intelligence of the enemies, while the structure of the main missions is all in all of a good level, with some small exceptions. A successful operation, however, the one carried out by Ubisoft Bordeaux.
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Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is an almost perfect comeback for the mecha series by FromSoftware. Despite some frankly incomprehensible slip-ups, like the presence of invisible walls and uninspired stealth missions, this is one of the most hectic and satisfying mecha action games, as it offers heart-pounding boss battles and an incredibly deep customization system.
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F1 23 improves and expands almost everything from the previous iteration of the series, from the driving model to the physics of the single-seaters, even the multiple game modes are now – finally – abundant.
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Despite a plot all too devoted to fanservice and an excessive amount of secondary content, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is still a solid action game with a satisfactory gameplay and a first class art direction.
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Wall World is a Dome Keeper clone, but it's a fundamentally bad one. Its progression system makes little to no sense, as the success of a run is almost exclusively linked to the acquisition of random upgrades. Ultimately, Wall World is a game that doesn't respect the players' time.
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Citizen Sleeper is a great mix of a narrative adventure and a tabletop game.
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