The Games Machine

Mina the Hollower has the charm of video games that aren't afraid to demand something from the player: attention, memory, curiosity, and a certain tolerance for defeat.

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Space Haven is a deep and unforgiving space colony sim in which you begin with four survivors and a handful of resources, tasked with building a self-sustaining interstellar colony piece by piece. Its gameplay weaves together crew management, production, power distribution, oxygen systems, research, combat, and rescue missions into a complex experience that rewards careful planning and nerves of steel. The excellent pixel art is paired with a somewhat rigid progression that veteran players may find predictable, but that's a trait shared by many of the genre's defining classics.

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R-Type Dimensions III faithfully recreates the brutal charm of R-Type III: The Third Lightning with revamped HD visuals, remastered audio, and modern features like co-op play. While the graphical overhaul is impressive, the core gameplay remains heavily rooted in early '90s shooter design, complete with punishing trial-and-error mechanics. Nostalgic players may appreciate its historical authenticity, but newcomers could find it frustratingly archaic despite the added accessibility options.

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Complexity is both the greatest strength and the main limitation of Terra Invicta. The depth of the relationships between factions and nations makes the early stages of every game a fascinating geopolitical web, while the phases involving confrontations with alien factions feel a bit anticlimactic. Without being off-putting, Terra Invicta organizes the vast amount of information needed to master the game into cards and screens, leaving it up to the player to make the connections. Stimulating, but also challenging.

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LumenTale is proof that being passionate about a series of videogames does not mean that you have to blindly follow in its footsteps: the combat system is able to cleverly mix elements from both Pokémon and Final Fantasy, while genuinely feeling like its own thing. What more could you ask for?

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Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II expands on its predecessor's formula by introducing two different campaigns and different approaches between the Adeptus Mechanicus and Necrons. It's not a revolution in tactical games and could improve on several aspects, but those who loved the first game will love it.

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Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a delightful game. True to the tradition of Yoshi games, it introduces a new concept per level, but its unconventional approach to platforming allows you to explore each one thoroughly; in fact, experimenting with each one is essential for progress. The literary theme isn't just a gimmick, it shapes every single aspect of the game: everything functions and looks like it's in a book-or rather, like the pages of an ancient bestiary of fantastical creatures into which a host of talented people have poured abundant creativity and imagination.

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For Dead Spies adopts the classic structure of narrative adventure games—multiple dialogue options, locations to visit, and items to retrieve—and grafts it onto a surprisingly deep RPG system, featuring psychological stats, customizable builds, perks, and dice rolls that can radically alter the course of events.

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The addition of "Arkham-style" gameplay has given the LEGO titles the boost they were missing. LEGO Batma: Legacy of the Dark Knight is undoubtedly one of the best titles in this multifaceted saga, which has now been running for 30 years. It's a fresh and entertaining game that masterfully blends accessibility with variety, creating a Batman multiverse full of surprises. Once again, it's a shame that there's no online option for co-op mode, which TT Games continues to exclude from its games.

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Ultimately, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance – SEGA Villain Level is a DLC that delivers on its promises… but stops short of making its mark.

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The Cthulhu mythos resonates in Call of the Elder Gods, which closely follows the gameplay of its predecessor, Call of the Sea, but offers a more solid structure and an equally intriguing storyline. Some gameplay elements could have been better utilized to give this sequel more personality; nevertheless, fans of the genre and those who enjoyed the controversial first installment of the series are sure to appreciate it.

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Black Jacket transforms blackjack into a surprisingly deep roguelite deckbuilder, where reaching 21 is just the starting point.

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Based on a simple premise, Nitro Gen Omega's combat is genuinely very entertaining and well thought out, and the fun animations are a nice added value. Unfortunately, grindy progession, a barebones open world, unexciting characters, and a perplexing system for switching mechas end up dragging the entire game down.

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While Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes does a great job at recreating the atmosphere of the 2004 series, repetition between runs tends to settle in relatively quickly, as unlocking more perks and ship armaments doesn't really do much to provide greater variety.

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A new installment in the Dark Pictures series that attempts to stay true to its roots while simultaneously distancing itself from them by offering something new. Mission accomplished? Not exactly.

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Vampire Crawlers attempts to recreate the feeling of playing Vampire Survivors through a turn-based dungeon crawler and roguelite deckbuilder hybrid. The experiment is largely successful, although the pacing suffers from a mid-game that relies too heavily on farming, and as it stands, replayability is very low. The situation could improve with the previously announced updates, but what these new features will bring remains to be seen.

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Over-the-top violence? Check. Iconic memes from the original series? Check. A solid battle system that cleverly borrows the best ideas around to deliver something uniquely its own? Double check. Honestly, there are very few reasons not to jump on board.

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MotoGP 26 is a solid and conservative entry. It could probably have been more daring and explored some ideas in greater depth, but the in-game feedback is spot on, as is the content management between the campaign and supporting activities.

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Sol Cesto is a roguelike that turns probability into pure gameplay: you choose a row, but the outcome is random, with percentages shifting every turn. What starts as a simple system gradually deepens through modifiers, abilities, and items that let you bend the odds in your favor, resulting in surprising strategic depth. Its main drawback is a slow progression and a heavy reliance on randomness, which can make runs frustrating even with strong builds. Still, it stands out as an original and clever experience within the dungeon crawler landscape.

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Saros is a confirmation of the talent and skill of the team at Housemarque, delivering a highly accessible action roguelite that is by no means easy. Both the aesthetic and narrative aspects are outstanding, and the game places the pure gameplay experience at the center of everything-dynamic and incredibly fun. A game that comes close to perfection.

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