4News.it's Reviews
Marvel's Midnight Suns is a genuine success story that obsequiously respects the reference material and puts deep, tactical gameplay on the plate in the Firaxis tradition. It is a major project for the development team, content-wise huge and bringing the gameplay experience closer to that of classic Western RPGs. Despite the openness to a wider audience, some aspects of the production could, however, discourage part of the audience such as the management of the dynamics inherent in the Abbey and a technical compartment that is not always flawless. A new certificate of excellence for the legendary development team, which proves that it still has many arrows in its bow.
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Cookie Cutter is a bloody, splashy metroidvania that makes aesthetic presentation, combative exhilaration, and narrative anxieties its trump cards. As a debut title, Subcult Joint's work knows how to distinguish itself, thanks to an overall care that is evidently over the top and a marked and clearly visible authorial trait. Ludically, however, Cherry's adventure is much more ordinary, but although fun is always assured, it often falls into youthful errors such as an all-too-spaced camera, a difficulty that is not always balanced and excessive chaos in some battles. Nevertheless, the path of revenge to make Garbanzos pay will be a very satisfying experience.
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Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is a gem. Calling it a reissue would be an understatement, almost offensive, given the many new features and improvements. An exceptional online component and a series of new mechanics perfectly integrated with the original game's framework make it the perfect fighting game for newcomers, while also being a treasure for those who want to dive deeper. It’s the grand finale of a monstrous 2023.
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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora does not deviate at all from Ubisoft's well-established “open world” formula and draws so much mostly from its other proprietary IP, Far Cry. However, Massive Entertainment has managed to capture and re-present the feeling of exploring a wonderful and vibrant alien world of lush fog-covered jungles, gigantic windblown plains and floating mountains in which you can run, jump and climb. At the same time, the generic storyline, poor enemy variety, simplistic combat system, and stale and repetitive quests make for a boring rest of the experience. Unless you are a big fan of Avatar and Far Cry, Frontiers of Pandora is a totally avoidable title; if you are really intrigued, we recommend waiting for a drastic price drop before buying it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
SteamWorld Build is yet another success for the intellectual property created by Image & Form. The sparkling liveliness of the series has brought us this time a curious hybrid of city building and dungeon crawling, elements that taken individually would not be particularly original, but that combined give rise to something peculiar. The presence of an ultimate goal to pursue and the need to cope with two different ludic realities make Build a decidedly interesting product, even net of a few too many levity and facilitation. Precisely in this sense, lovers of the aforementioned genres might be most critical of the production. For everyone else and for fans of the post-apocalyptic world of steam-powered robots, there will be bread for your teeth this time as well.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Football Manager 2024 is the usual and immense sports management that has delighted football fans for years. While waiting for the announced revolution next year, the current edition is confirmed as a chapter of mere transition: as always, there is no lack of content and the small changes are extremely precise and timely. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the series has arrived at the long-awaited moment of turning a new leaf. While we wait to find out what's cooking in the Sports Interactive studios, the 2024 edition will satisfy all aspiring coaches.
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KarmaZoo's unique approach to multiplayer games, emphasizing cooperation over competition, sets it apart in a market saturated with Battle Royale and other competitive game modes. Its charming pixel art style, combined with an undercurrent of kindness and positivity, creates a delightful experience. The game's long-term success, however, depends on the formation of a dedicated online community, which is always a daunting challenge for games of this type. As it stands, KarmaZoo is one of the most enjoyable multiplayer platformer experiences we have played in a while.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ghostrunner 2 is the pinnacle of first-person action-platformers. A title that not only perfects what was done in the first chapter but also manages to "go beyond." We are faced with a stunning game, but, if we may say so, elitist. For this reason, we can't recommend it to everyone indiscriminately. However, if you want to challenge yourself, with Ghostrunner 2 you’ll undoubtedly experience one of the most adrenaline-pumping and thrilling experiences of the year. And not only that.
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Persona 5 Tactica is yet another Atlus experiment, again playing with some of its most beloved characters by jumping this time into the world of strategy games. The end result is once again an excellent title, skillfully blending paradigms of the genre with the series' classic twist. Mature themes, thoughtful art direction and fun gameplay are the calling cards of the production, which nevertheless features a difficulty curve that is far too friendly to fans of tacticians, dialogues that are perhaps too verbose and a decurbed exploration. Despite the inexperience, therefore, P-Studio succeeds in the big score: Phantom Thieves wins again.
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The Pale Reach is one more chance to spend some time among the perilous waters of DREDGE. The expansion offers a new biome, a mysterious predator, equipment to exploit and mysteries to solve... In short, everything we loved the Black Salt Games signed production for. Some may complain about a certain redundancy with the launch content or the presence of some mechanics that are not fully exploited. Or even the poor longevity of the DLC. However, we find very few reasons to criticize a work of this quality, offered at a decidedly honest price tag. Cover yourself well, the icy currents could be fatal.
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NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS is a complex title to analyze. It represents an encyclopedic production of Kishimoto's work, with one of the largest rosters seen in the fighting genre, plentiful content, and an obvious focus on fans. If it is compared to the previous chapters, however, it unfortunately inherits the same criticisms as its predecessor with an even more risque and drab story, further simplified gameplay, and an atavistic lack of novelty. Those who have never approached the series might see the latest CyberConnect2 effort as an interesting package. Paradoxically, however, fans of the leaf ninja in particular might be left with a bitter taste in their mouths.
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The Last Faith, echoing the subtitle of this review, is a derivative game, extremely derivative, but beautiful. Beautiful to play and beautiful to look at. In such a lately inflated genre it was certainly not easy to get noticed, all the more so by drawing heavily from one of the most idolized titles of recent years. Yet Kumi Souls Games succeeded with a square title, flawless in the core elements of our favorite media. A title that manages to stay in focus for the full 25 hours required for its 100% completion. Highly recommended.
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Teardown, needless to deny it, is a decidedly fascinating production. The ability to integrally shape the game world with one's actions is a concept that is the preserve of very few other titles. Tuxedo Labs thus marks, in this sense, a great milestone for independent productions by giving a rewarding and layered experimentation. At the same time, the more exquisitely playful components are not as captivating partly because of an immediacy that is not always ideal. The result is a title as entertaining as it is susceptible to quickly becoming boring depending on your answer to the question: how much do you like destruction?
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Jusant left us with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Don't Nod's work is a breath of fresh air with magnetic gameplay, fabulous art direction, and an equally splendid soundtrack. On the other, however, it shows obvious shortcomings in the final part, where there is a strong suspicion of an unfortunately rushed development. A real pity, because with the right timing and more homogeneity in the expansion of the game design we would be talking about a small masterpiece. As it is, however, Jusant remains a diamond in the rough, to be enjoyed even at the cost of a bittersweet taste arrived at the end credits.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Flashback 2 is an, at best, mediocre game. The narrative component, on paper even fascinating, has been trivialized by atrocious staging. And the gameplay component is even worse. A game not recommended for everyone, even (and perhaps more so) for fans of the first chapter.
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Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name once again confirms all the skills of the Ryu ga Gotoku Team, which is capable of delivering great titles at an astonishing pace and without quality drops. The return of Kazuma Kiryu as Agent Joryu constitutes an unmissable new chapter, at once memorable and poignant by virtue of a high-level script. Despite a below-average longevity for the saga (but still keeping you busy for at least twenty hours), the care put into each piece of content will delight any fan. A title to absolutely grab.
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Rather rarely do licensed titles based on cartoon IPs manage to push their conceptual boundaries and become something more. Fortunately, The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone is a pleasant exception. OSome Studio makes a fun, generous and lighthearted action platformer that is as suitable for the very young as it is for more seasoned players. Not all elements turn out to be flawless and some structural oversights exist, but one thing is certain: the Smurfs have found a very interesting road to travel, which hopefully can be further explored and expanded in the future.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With a little more effort, productive and economic, UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER - The Feast of the Wolves could have aspired to higher heights. In this state it is a decent game recommended only to fans of the robot created by Gō Nagai, who will love it despite the poverty of content. Those immune to nostalgia are advised to look elsewhere.
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Almost ten years after its illustrious predecessor, Croteam manages to outdo itself. The Talos Principle 2 is a wonderful adventure, elegantly blending intricate puzzles and philosophical themes. The resulting play experience is of great depth, taking players by the hand through the satisfaction of puzzle solving and reflection on big existential questions. A great little masterpiece of the genre, which perhaps precisely because of its peculiarities (and the absence of an Italian translation), may lose appeal to the general public. Trust us, however: the riddles of Prometheus are well worth the effort.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is not just the return of a great classic in JRPG history. Nor is it merely its definitive version, which revolutionizes the visual presentation and enriches the play system with great little finesses. Above all, the work done by Gemdrops is a true manifesto of what should be done to make a work-of-art remake that preserves the original spirit while embellishing and modernizing every single element. If you are a fan of the genre, you have no excuse not to play it. If you are not, well, it may be the right opportunity to get closer to this fantastic world.
Review in Italian | Read full review