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Rise and Fall is an excellent expansion for Civilization VI, broadening the offering and adding a lot of irons in the fire: nine new leaders, eight civilizations, a general improvement of the experience, and a lot of new gameplay tweaks. The original game was a pretty good one, and with this new expansion it's just gotten better.
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In terms of settings, gameplay dynamics and sheer fascination, Subnautica is the best single-player survival game out there. It's full of bright discoveries, a great sci-fi experience, and at the same time a cruel and unforgiving survival horror. James Cameron would absolutely love it.
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The combat system of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is the natural evolution of what we played on PSP: exhilarating, impressive to see and fun to play, and it reminds us of how good is Team Ninja in developing action games. All we miss out on is everything else: few interesting game modes, cosmetic-only customisation options, and a truly messy online framework. Our honest advice? Wait and see how things will evolve in the near future.
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Nine Partchments could be a fun game if you can wander in its levels with a couple of friends (in no more than a couple of evenings). After that, the experience gets boring and repetitive, and you'll probably search for something else to play.
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The remake of Shadow of the Colossus is, hands down, a love letter to the timeless masterpiece of Fumito Ueda. It's not just some polish on our memories, it's a genuine and passionate tribute, made with serious commitment, dedication and respect, and the result is even better than the original.
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Nantucket tries to develop a sequel for Moby Dick by Melvill, but the ambition of Picaresque Studio clashes against a weird and not-so-fitting game formula. A little bit too repetitive, with an unbalanced difficulty curve, Nantucket is still a decent game, with some gameplay elements borrowed from board games and RPGs.
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It's hard to imagine another game capable of drawing our attention like this one. Monster Hunter World is huge, captivating, challenging and addictive, especially if played with a group of friends. Capcom has improved so many things over the original formula, it's almost impossible to keep track. Seriously, there's no better moment like now to begin your hunting career.
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Dragon Ball FighterZ manages to make every player happy: it's the kind of experience that's deep and challenging, yet at the same time affordable for newcomers. The combat system is a little too focused on the attack, and it's not possible to break combos, but Arc System Works made a remarkable work here, the perfect entry point for everyone who considered Street Fighter V or Guilty Gear too technical and complex.
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Lost Sphear is an honest and sincere tribute to the JRPG genre of the nineties: the storyline, the characters, and the art direction are all reminders of that era, with a combat system that's pretty engaging and not too hard to the player. Well, it's not the most original game ever released, but if you like the genre, you'll definitely find something worth your time.
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The Switch version of The Escapists 2 is the best way to experience the new title from Mouldy Toof Studios. The game is basically the same as the one already released on PC and console, but it better suits the idea of a "touch and go" approach. There are some small smudges here and there, but the online multiplayer is a real treat.
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Under the disguise of a traditional point and click adventure, The Red Strings Club shows us once again the ability of Decostructeam to use videogames to explore the human soul. The story is a pretty standard cyberpunk tale, but the "alcohol system" during conversations at the bar is amazing, and the moral choices are intriguing and demanding.
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Shu is not exactly a memorable experience, mostly because of its non-existent difficulty and derivative gameplay. Nonetheless, the game from Coatsink is perfect for touch and go moments, has a peculiar style and art, and a peaceful soundtrack.
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Rise of the Tomb Kings adds a good amount of new content to the original Total War: WARHAMMER II, including the fact that the new faction is playable in both the campaigns of the original game. Anyway, this DLC will probably be most appreciated by the fan of the expansion of the board game.
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Gorgoa is an elegant piece of art, but also a unique journey through a wonderful surreal world. Jason Roberts puts the player in his own lifetime puzzle, and finding a way out requires to look everything from a brand new fascinating perspective. Maybe the journey is too short, but it's definitely worth a ride.
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After the first, unforgettable chapter, the new Reigns: Her Majesty adds some intriguing gameplay dynamics and a really spot on political subtext. Extremely funny and immediate to play, both on PC and mobile.
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The game developed by Rain Games is basically the same, but this time a lot of the bugs of the other versions have been fixed, and that improved the overall experience. In addition, the Switch version is definitely more fitting to the core of the gameplay, best suited to a snatch and grab experience.
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Fallen Legion + is a controversial game: on the one hand the excellent aesthetics and the interesting plot make it very palatable, on the other hand the taste of lost opportunity is very present.
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Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince is a very good puzzle game, thanks to the original gameplay dynamics and an excellent level design that takes advantage of their possibilities. We'd have loved some more puzzles that could have highlighted the different characters, but in this case the prize is definitely right, for a well-done brain teaser (9.99 $ for both PC and Xbox versions).
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For the time being, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds won - pun intended - the battle royale of battle royales. This new "gold rush" spawned a good number of decent titles, but the one created by Brendan Greene if by far the best and funniest to play (even if there's still room for improvement).
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Pinball FX3 is an exceptional game for the lovers of the silver sphere, slowed down a bit on Switch by some problems that - I hope - are resolved as soon as possible.
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