Stefano Calzati


97 games reviewed
82.4 average score
84 median score
72.2% of games recommended
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Jan 22, 2024

An adorable cast that is impossible not to love, a lot of extras (including DLC) and a super-improved quality of life are further points in favor for this second Trilogy, dedicated above all to those who are discovering the series in recent years, but also recommended to those who want to relive these events after a long time. No objection, Your Honor!

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9 / 10.0 - A Highland Song
Dec 5, 2023

A Highland Song is yet another Inkle center. An adventure platformer capable of mixing the pleasure of trekking (beautifully rendered in 2D) with a delicate, enveloping and branched narrative like the paths that cross the highlands. An intimate story, the one that Moira constantly broods over to herself, but also a cultural cross-section of a land rich in myths, legends, traditions and history, embellished by very human characters, a little crazy, capable of becoming fun interlocutors with whom to have a chat after a long climb, resting and sheltering from the cold of the mountains. Suggestive, audiovisually inspired, playfully fluid and very centered. Now I really want to visit Scotland.

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9.5 / 10.0 - Cocoon
Oct 6, 2023

Instant classic, without mincing words. Cocoon is a magnetic, sneaky work, of those that you just do not know when to stop playing with it, so organic, fluid, stimulating, absolutely determined not to give brain breaks. A puzzle adventure that constantly seeks the new, the amazement, with the virtuous reuse of known design elements that, used with wisdom, support and allow the explosion of ideas of pure videogame genius. Shots of champions, which have often led me to relive the impact of Fez and the first, surprising indie masterpieces of the past decade. A special video game, one that is not easily forgotten and of which we will find the geniuses in many other titles in the years to come.

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Sep 18, 2023

Summing up, The Crew Motorfest makes variety its strong point and its postcard views a perfect setting to experience everything it has to offer. An open world a bit 'stripped of significant secondary activities, which however excels for atmosphere and works as a link between the playlists, the real strength of the production. Of course, not all driving systems have succeeded in the same way, but the possibility of changing elements and gameplay so suddenly allows you to always keep curiosity and the desire to race high, simply because apart from GTA, a completely different genre and mood, there are no other series that offer such a great variety of engines. Quantity, thus, also stops certain qualitative holes. What remains is the feeling of vacation, persistent and precious.

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7.7 / 10.0 - Ride 5
Aug 21, 2023

I have to be honest, 3 years after the fourth episode I would have expected a more evolved fifth chapter and, instead, net of a decidedly more centered and engaging career, the competition against AI suffers from illogical behaviors that the player is forced to manage manually, while technically there is no current-gen quality leap that could be expected, without the ballast of a cross-gen development. At its best is always Ride, an almost unique game in the panorama of simulation racing and therefore a reference point for those looking for this specific type of experience. But here there is potential that goes far beyond the improvements expressed in this chapter, closer to those of an annual series than a triennial one.

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Jul 12, 2023

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a great second season that makes the already beautiful Oxenfree feel like a pilot episode. An intense, exciting and playfully aware narrative adventure, capable of perfectly integrating gameplay with writing. Artistically remarkable, thematically profound, full of tense situations, where to make decisions and direct the fate of our protagonists, playing the part that seems most suitable to us, without the story ever lacking in coherence. If this is what Netflix wants to do with the video game, the future looks rosy for lovers of this genre (success permitting). Radio chills.

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8.8 / 10.0 - MotoGP 23
Jun 8, 2023

MotoGP 23 is the qualitative leap that the Milestone series needed. We are not talking about revolutions, it would be unrealistic to think so, but about consistent improvements in all the characteristic aspects of the title, from the simulation verve through an engaging career, from a high-profile technical sector to the physical and mental sensations of the race, where the AI exhibits new behaviors although some issues still persist

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8.5 / 10.0 - Swordship
Dec 20, 2022

Swordship is a great example of contemporary arcade. It does one thing, it does it well, and it's incredibly fulfilling, challenging, and exhilarating. Smugglers of the post-climate change future against corporations, pirates at the service of the least, always ready to take risks and with a great sense of entertainment. Great management of the risk / benefit component, precise controls, audiovisual remarkable, with each game over generating more sense of revenge than frustration. A truly remarkable work in its compactness.

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Dec 9, 2022

Need for Speed: Unbound is a particular work, capable of forcefully bringing back street culture, the contemporary one of generation Z, but unable to create new spaces of playful expression. Everything that revolves around the characters of the story and our avatar works like god, from the style chosen to describe them to the driving system, from the soundtrack to the special effects in graffiti style, in contrast with a Lakeshore that, despite its vibrant technical realization, remains an ordinary and almost anonymous city, a hub with some collectibles scattered around that acts as a glue to a rather lazy playful structure.

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7 / 10.0 - Somerville
Nov 23, 2022

A promising debut for Jumpship, with a perfect Game Pass title that can easily be finished in one evening but that would have deserved some extra polish. I want to believe.

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Oct 17, 2022

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is not just one of the best exclusives for Nintendo Switch, it is a game capable of evolving significantly compared to the previous chapter, reaching an absolute playful level. A hilarious, light-hearted, creative but also well-kept work, with an artisanal level design and constantly growing for the duration of the adventure, exactly like a combat system that is pure joy, tactically deep and at the same time hyper-dynamic, comic and at the complete disposal of the player's creativity.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Soulstice
Sep 20, 2022

Soulstice turned out to be a good stylish action game, with a solid combat system embellished with good ideas, able to tell its excellent protagonists, Briar and Lute, both through the battle and with the cutscenes. The story of Ilden's veil torn above the sky is intriguing, with beautiful twists and a well-studied mythology, it is therefore a pity that the setting is not able to sustain this charm, despite the very good basic technique, trapped in a artistic direction that is often too generic and redundant.

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8 / 10.0 - Islets
Sep 13, 2022

Islets is a compact, very nice metroidvania, full of ideas and adorable characters. A beautiful, hand-drawn world divided into six parts to be put together, rebuilt, setting off on an adventure that is as crazy as it is epic.

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Jul 7, 2022

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is like one of those delicious cream puffs, a single explosive mouthful with which you risk getting lost in a blissful glycemic trance.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Shredders
Mar 25, 2022

Shredders is a peculiar work full of contradictions. If its narrative, crazy, hilarious and embellished by the participation of some snow stars is as fresh as snow, his good gameplay (inspired by Steep) must clash with a disastrous technical performance. Still a game worth trying, especially on Game Pass.

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9 / 10.0 - Gran Turismo 7
Mar 2, 2022

Gran Turismo 7 brings the saga back to a balance between single player and multiplayer, with a rich, dense campaign with a relaxed but constant and satisfying progression. The control system is spectacular, enhanced by DualSense, while the lighting and attention to detail do justice to the potential of PlayStation 5. Pure automotive culture.

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Feb 17, 2022

The premises were there, the artistic direction is probably one of the most impactful and evocative seen in the 2D field in recent years, but GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is lost in the execution.

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9.5 / 10.0 - OlliOlli World
Feb 3, 2022

OlliOlli World is one of the best platformers of recent years, a spectacular interpretation of the skate genre and, in general, a very fun, serene game, as relaxing as it is competitive, as spiritual as it is consistent and muscular.

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Dec 21, 2021

Gear.Club Unlimited 2 Ultimate Edition has a good Career mode, with plenty of races and events and a little bit of story, but it is far from enough to rescue its incredibly sub-par gameplay, to the point that it is uncapable of conveying any emotion. And the game doesn't fare much better graphically, with poor textures and unstable frame rates. A pity, given the resume of the developer.

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7.7 / 10.0 - MXGP 2021
Dec 10, 2021

Milestone has the reins of motorcycle racing in hand, which it manages with enviable confidence, raising the level of the motocross sub-genre like never before but at the same time not being particularly interested in pushing the franchise in a new direction.

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