The Games Machine

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective reconfirms itself as a gripping detective story, characterised by unique ideas and mechanics and populated by razor-sharp situations that will keep your attention until the end credits. After that you are unlikely to replay it, not least because of its linear structure, but while it lasts it remains a highly recommended experience, today as in 2010.

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Sonic Origins Plus is the best way to play 16-bit Sonic video games. Skill challenges, modes specifically designed for speedrunners, and the ability to play each level with all the series' main characters make this collection a must-have for Sonic fans, despite the quite high price. The museum, once all the entries have been unlocked, is a great source of information, and the platformer action is still able to entertain after thirty years. The Game Gear section is unlikely to spark interest, but the more the content, the higher the value.

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Pikmin 1+2 is a pleasant return to the past in 2023 necessary to further extend the lore around one of the most curious and interesting Nintendo franchises of recent years. Strong and powerful from a playful point of view, it is also satisfying from a technical point of view. Must have absolutely.

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Pikmin 1+2 is a pleasant return to the past in 2023 necessary to further extend the lore around one of the most curious and interesting Nintendo franchises of recent years. Strong and powerful from a playful point of view, it is also satisfying from a technical point of view. Must have absolutely.

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Decarnation is an incredible and well written video game, supported by an intelligent and always engaging and impactful storytelling. Furthermore, the play structure fascinates and surprises. Must have absolutely.

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Stasis: Bone Totem is a point-and-click graphic adventure that exploits the classic mechanics of the genre in a modern and appealing technical setting, although the game was made almost entirely by only two people. Its strength lies in its horror-tinged sci-fi atmospheres and in its narrative which presents interesting reflections on ethics and corporations. The writing style is verbose: this might be a limitation for some, but it is an indispensable ingredient in the creation of a world that winks at cosmic horror.

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Park Beyond comes with some intriguing ideas, some technical flaws, and some compromises to make. It's good at entertaining those who want to unleash their creativity by building the theme park they've always dreamed of and newbies to the genre, but those looking for a managerial soul to lose sleep over and their sanity might want deeper and more challenging gameplay.

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Final Fantasy XVI is a hard-to-judge beast, a divisive experiment that would have been more comfortable as a spin-off, rather than in the uncomfortable shoes of the last official chapter of a much-loved series. A passionate plot and a successful combat system keep the attention high for the approximately 30 hours necessary to finish the game, but unfortunately they are forced to divide the scene with rosewater "role-playing" mechanics and a sadly arid and artificial world, net of a commendable artistic direction. On the JRPG front we are facing a very controversial result, but overall a more than decent game.

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Aliens: Dark Descent does a great job at recreating the pseudo-horror atmosphere that has made the movies such a cult classic. Your marines are hardened and capable, but they are against a threat that is out of the ordinary; for this reason, avoiding unnecessary encounters is more often than not a good idea. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to control each individual soldier, however.

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Trepang2 does nothing to hide its true nature, which is to be a decent fps, very fun in the shooting phases, but poor in all the rest of the game package.

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A very special compilation, collecting the remakes of the two main stories of Layers of Fear, along with the DLCs of the first chapter (one of which previously unreleased) and a new adventure that acts as a glue to the whole. The Unreal Engine 5 gives us genuinely terrifying settings and atmospheres, and the "package" guarantees hours of thrills but also manages to arouse other emotions than simple fear.

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Diablo IV is only the first stage of a long journey and already a convincing ARPG that throws you into a dark open world from which it is increasingly difficult to detach thanks to addictive gameplay and deep customization of your alter ego. Those who dreamed of a work capable of rewriting history might be a little disappointed, but sometimes less is enough to be happy.

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Pixel Ripped 1978 lasts less than ten hours and isn't particularly memorable to play, yet the spot-on humour, the abundance of hilarious gimmicks and the feeling of being in Sunnyvale during those pioneering years manage to pack enough of a context to make the game appealing to anyone interested in Atari's history and in the mood for a few good laughs. Overall, it is a game that is greater than the sum of its parts.

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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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Intense, detailed and capable of telling a story that goes far beyond expectations, Dordogne is a story that strikes the soul, thanks to an excellent play system. Must have absolutely.

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Elegant and minimalist, Humanity is an excellent puzzle game. Its philosophy, effectively represented by the constant stream of humans to be led to safety, is supported by excellent technical realization and over-the-top design. Despite levels lasting dozens of minutes, the trials it subjects the player to are al-ways challenging and entertaining thanks to a number of solutions designed to enhance the player's ex-perience, such as the ability to repeat the scenario with given commands, speed up the passage of time, and actual video walkthroughs.

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A "radio" horror game in full 80s style. As a DJ you will have to follow the tracks of an elusive serial killer, trying to save his next potential victims and put together the pieces of an impossible puzzle. All while remaining seated at your console... or almost! Brilliant with some minor flaws and multiple endings to lengthen an otherwise poor longevity.

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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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Harmony: The Fall of Reverie ia a narrative videogame with an intense story. Even if the play structure is not original, it is still well blended into the context and works admirably. A must have if you are a fan of the Don't Nod stories.

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Slayers X is an FPS old school that engages and entertains from start to finish. His story, as simple as it is effective, offers a very detailed context. Furthermore, the gunplay, the approach and the various methods for dealing with enemies are the real spearhead of the work. Must have absolutely.

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