GameBlast

Despite having had a greater evolution than its predecessors, once again EA releases a game that could have been a major update from the previous year, raising again the question about the annual release of such a title. The few changes in game modes do not justify the upgrade for those who play the predecessor title, mainly due to the hefty price. So, wait a few months until the value drops to play with the updated squad.

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Lost Judgment is a competently interesting game. With a very intriguing story that pokes (not always successfully) many of the wounds of modern Japanese society, it manages to solve most of the first title's issues while simultaneously bringing new things, these with their own and unprecedented problems. Furthermore, it is a product of technical excellence and with the sublime quality so characteristic of the Ryu Ga Gotoku studio. It's not a masterpiece, it's just that it still carries a lot of style and identity — always in the shadow of the main series, but making an effort to get away from it — and, most importantly, it's incredibly fun.

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Death Stranding: Director's Cut guarantees an even more epic adventure in a definitive version that offers new gameplay features and takes full advantage of PS5, especially for those embarking on the experience for the first time. If you've already finished the campaign on PS4, I don't recommend purchasing the upgrade. If you didn't finish the story and will continue in this version, I suggest starting from the beginning to take advantage of everything the director's version has to offer in the form it should be presented.

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BPM: Bullets Per Minute is practically one of those “love it or leave it” games. Its peculiarities include: charming visuals; good, but demanding gameplay; original mechanics, but needing tweaking and polishing. If the player is agile and skillful enough, and has some luck during runs, then this will be an amazing title. Otherwise, its poorly optimized elements will make the experience punishing and uninteresting.

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Unconventional and even slower paced than most games we see out there, Lake is a great choice for those who feel anguished about the decisions they made for their own lives and who are looking for reflections that can somehow appease indecisions. It is also suitable for anyone who likes to enjoy a beautiful view along the road and casual conversations with different people.

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Metallic Child is a game with dynamic, fun and extremely challenging action. The roguelike elements greatly enhance the title, making each playthrough unique. Besides that, the story is an emotional affair and fulfills its role to entice the player and guide them through the adventure. However, the lack of weapon variety goes against the title's diversity, and this is what I consider its main issue. Despite that, this is an excellent game, filled with action, charm and fun. With a few fixes, it has everything to become even better.

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Even though it's a release of a single title, G-Darius HD can be more attractive than the rest of Taito's space-marine franchise compilations. This game received a treatment that would have been welcome in the other classic entries in the saga and it's really good to see this classic once again in the spotlight.

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The Last Friend presents itself as a very fun title and has a balanced challenge. Planning your dog team is a fun activity, as is building combos with Alpha. However, the feeling is that the game lacks a bit of body. Augmenting the post-game with more stages and/or missions would help extend the lifespan and encourage the player to create more dog combinations. Although some issues need to be fixed, it is an excellent option for tower defense fans.

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Rogue Lords is a roguelike that stands out with its unique ideas. Matches feature a good mix of activities and the battle has many strategic nuances and possibilities. The most notable element is Devil Mode, which allows the alteration of multiple game aspects, such as enemies' life points and the result of events. Demon powers may seem like cheats, but its good implementation makes it a valuable asset that must be used wisely to achieve victory. Despite its creativity, the game still has some issues that need to be fixed, such as the unbalanced difficulty, really long matches, and the feeling of repetition. At least, its elaborated gothic ambience and excellent voice-acting help minimize the issues. In the end, Rogue Lords is a great representative of its genre and has everything to become even better after a few patches.

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Within its proposal, Aeon Drive delivers a game far above average. It's short for anyone looking for a brief distraction and long enough for anyone interested in collecting and exploring everything. As it tends to be a difficult and repetitive game, the dynamic gameplay and different path options in each stage help make it less tiring. Because it has a short campaign, its longevity depends on the player's interest in setting time records and collecting extras. Even with its problems and limitations, it is an excellent option for fans of the genre.

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Ember Lab showed enormous competence with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, the first game in its history. A beautiful plot that transports us to a whole new world and a game with challenges and activities that will please everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they can bring in the future, whether in the form of a sequel or even a new narrative.

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The Plane Effect has a bad execution and can put the player away in a short time. The bizarre story is completely open to interpretation, but even so, it's difficult to make any analogy or metaphor of the surreal events, and several other games have made it much simpler. The technical part is also not pleasing and makes the experience far more frustrating and extensive than it should, forcing us to turn on Guided mode just to finish the game. I myself, who love games full of metaphors and which allow us to draw our own conclusions, forced myself to reach the end to witness something unsatisfactory.

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Astria Ascending is a JRPG of remarkable ideas and great visuals, but, unfortunately, its execution leaves much to be desired. The combat system that rewards exploiting enemies' weaknesses is promising, though the fact it's deeply unbalanced and the pattern repetition makes the battles frustrating. There are many options to customize and develop characters, nonetheless, a lot of grinding is necessary to make the most out of these resources. Orcanon's many activities and an elaborate minigame may satisfy eager players but it's a shame the plot, characters, dungeons and locales lack inspiration. At least, the universe has a really beautiful visual and quality music. In the end, its meager qualities aren't enough to save Astria Ascending.

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Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a nice remaster to celebrate 30 years of Sega's mascot. The choice to bring this title to new consoles was right, but its remaster has questionable flaws that show that the project deserved better treatment. While a new title does not arrive, Ultimate serves to soothe the hearts that wanted the return of the fastest blue hedgehog in games.

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Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is an RPG with a really engaging story. Based on Chinese legends, it offers a solid experience that proves the series value as an Oriental classic. Despite a few small issues, it's a title that any fan of the genre should have the chance to experience. Hopefully one day it'll be possible to also play the other games in the franchise in English and maybe even Portuguese.

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Eastward invites us to go on a unique and beautiful journey. The biggest highlight is the setting: the locations are fascinating and full of unusual and charismatic characters. The stunning pixel art look and attention to detail bring the world to life, making it very immersive. As an adventure, the game offers snippets of exploration punctuated by puzzles and combats in which we alternate between two protagonists to advance. The dungeons are nice, but the simplicity and repetition of the mechanics makes them uncomfortable after a while. The real focus is on narrative with numerous non-interactive scenes and a story full of mysteries. Unfortunately, the balance is not good, resulting in too many drawn-out moments and dialogues that barely develop the plot. Even so, Eastward manages to transport us to a peculiar universe with its exceptional setting. The game is far from perfect and may require insistence for some players, but it is still a unique and immersive experience to some extent.

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Even with a very competitive market, Super Animal Royale manages to bring interesting mechanics while maintaining the solid foundation of its genre. The game's visuals are beautiful and pleasant, combining perfectly with the simple and functional gameplay. It has some negative points, especially in terms of online connection, but the balance is quite positive.

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UNSIGHTED is an impressive and elaborate adventure through a devastated world. Exploring the city of Arcadia is exciting because of its immense map interconnected with various routes, puzzles and secrets, in a free progression that offers different approaches to overcoming challenges. Combat stands out with intense battles focused on precision, in which various weapons allow us to execute numerous strategies. Other than that, the title has a unique time-limit mechanic that brings tension and tough decisions to the adventure. This also serves as an incentive to play the story more than once, as it will hardly be possible to see everything in a single attempt. Finally, notable extra modes and good accessibility options are available. In the end, Unsighted is an unmissable adventure and a great debut for Studio Pixel Punk.

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UnMetal is, by far, one of the best games I had the pleasure of trying out in 2021: it's plenty of fun, it offers just the right challenge, and it has the best script that will ever be shown in a movie or TV series. A medal of honor for this true war hero.

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Steel Assault uses a 16-bit atmosphere to create a great arcade experience. The action is nonstop through the various stages, which impress with creative situations (such as using the zipline) and extravagant confrontations against bosses. Furthermore, the game captivates with its flawless pixel art look and synthesizer soundtrack, resulting in a pleasing contemporary interpretation of retro elements. The intention is to rescue the arcade sensation, which means an accentuated challenge. However, just like other arcade titles, the duration is short and without significant extras other than different difficulties. In the end, Steel Assault is a short action and platform adventure that's worth it.

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