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Trackmania is not an exercise in superfine technique but it does not matter to be, because it seduces thanks to a gameplay as simple as effective and to the unbridled competition that prods every driver to always give his best.
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is an excellent role-playing game of classic style, absolutely unmissable for the veterans of the saga. Everyone else may find themselves overwhelmed by excessive references, compromising the experience.
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The idea of this exclusive Oculus stealth VR action is the intriguing and truly simulative ones - as it was in the sci-fi field for Lone Echo - capable of justifying the "only" tracing of the head and hands directly with the structure of the game and its environmental context, behind enemy lines with a military kajack equipped to advance and strike silently. If played on Rift S, the parallel design for Quest is all too evident, especially at a polygonal level, and clearly the variety of the action stops at some point, but the great atmosphere, the good level of challenge, the intelligent writing of the plot and a well thought out length (one night in real time, in substance) make Phantom Covert Ops a VR title however highly recommended.
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A Namco-centric collection of classics, which will be interesting exclusively to ex-Nintendo owners. Not exactly a mandatory buy for the others.
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Assetto Corsa Competizione on PS4 is a great game. It's not easy at all, but it's the perfect choice for those players who are looking for a game experience full of realism.
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The "rehydrated" version of Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is an all-round entertainment product for a younger audience, who can take the opportunity to learn about the franchise, or on the other hand consolidate it with an original and fun adventure to play. Also confirmed by my teenage double, who enjoyed playing it from start to finish.
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Skelattack is a challenging platform game, which does not forgive any error but at the same time leaves no room for frustration. Skully and Imber journey counts on beautiful graphics, plenty of action and an inspired soundtrack. Some game design errors, especially when dealing with enemies, can slightly flaw the experience, and the sections you play with Imber are probably too few to justify its presence, nevertheless the game is absolutely recommended if you love platform or 2D action games.
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The Hand of Glory overflows with ideas. Not all of them are spot on, but that's a risk you have to take when you want to do something that goes a little out of the classic schemes. The first impact is alienating because everything is not very homogeneous, from the graphics to the continuous change of register in the narration, but in the long run this strange alchemical formula works, thanks to a plot that turns towards decidedly unexpected territories and leaves the player with a giant cliffhanger, raising the hype for the second part of the game.
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Mimimi Games did it again! Desperados III is a love letter to a genre of a long forgotten past, beautifully crafted in every single detail. John Cooper and his friends are finally back in action, and let's hope are here to stay for a long time.
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The main problem of Beyond Blue is that, in the end, it doesn't do enough to fulfill its main task: to inspire curiosity about the beautiful Blue world of the ocean and make you want to watch all the documentaries of the same name.
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The Last of Us – Part II delivers exactly what you've been expecting: adult storytelling and perfectly balanced gameplay. This game will give you shivers down the spine for nearly 30 hours and something to remember long after its end.
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It is exciting to play a shooter, it is satisfying to play a strategy game. Doing both things at the same time, it is just glorious. Disintegration is extremely balanced for being the first take at this new genre, and it is very well polished, too. The worldbuilding is fascinating, the story is not too bad, but the writing of characters and dialogues is terrible. Luckily the game is just so good.
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The transposition of the Games Workshop miniature games fails to deliver a fun experience on all fronts.
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The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor confirms the excellent premises already seen with previous expansions of the game, expanding the experience without ever seeing a real end. Zenimax does not sincerely miss a shot, bringing home the umpteenth strike not without flaws, but the game remains a must buy in the library of fans of the franchise. The vampires acquire new interesting abilities on the rpg front, pity that the rework seems a little incomplete.
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As a remaster, this is as good as they can possibly get. As a game to be played in 2020, it still stands up pretty well, and its raw gameplay is so distant from today's standards that it feels like a breath of fresh air.
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Tour de France 2020 adds some new features, like a first-person view and the resistance management, but it is graphically old and too many problems cut off its wings.
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Song of Horror doesn't hide its sources of inspiration, the milestones of the survival horror genre. It finds some elegant ways to pay them homage, sometimes succeeding very well, especially with the creepy atmosphere and music, some other times slipping clumsily (like in the case of some of the puzzle design, way too cryptic).
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It's hard to say if What the Golf? is crazier or funnier. This game made by five guys from Denmark rebuild the concept of golf using cows, furniture and gravity in a bunch of mini-levels that never stop to amaze. I really can't remember a game leaving me in awe every 15 seconds, only thanks of the lovable absurdity of the ideas it introduces.
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51 Worldwide Games is an excellent collection that lives up to its name, which includes fifty-one games from all over the world: although most of them come from Europe or Asia, some of them are typical of Africa and South America. The latest Nintendo game proves to be an excellent pastime both for those who want to tackle each game alone, and for those who love to have fun in the company of friends and family.
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VirtuaVerse is a lot of things. It is a tribute to old school point&click adventures and, at the same time, a modern take on the genre. It is also an act of love to cyberpunk and his themes. But more than anything else, VirtuaVerse is a great adventure set in a detailed world built on a great pixel graphic, fantastic music and a suggestive atmosphere.
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