Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
by Simon Larocca
Upcoming Titles
Page 3 of 3
What is coming out, and what is worth keeping sealed. Reviews of new releases written by people already thinking about the shelf: print runs, special editions and future classics.
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Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Life can be truly strange.
by Simon Larocca
Enotria: The Last Song
The last song. A title that is evocative in itself, words that conjure melancholy and a sense of closure with a strong narrative impact. And yet Enotria: The Last Song, an action video game with very evident soulslike connotations that will see the light on our gaming screens on September 19, 2024, marks the beginning of an adventure with an epic and highly intriguing flavor, which you will also be able to enjoy on PlayStation 5. Developed by Jyamma Games, a software house whose name should not mislead us, because behind it stand Italian professionals who founded the company initially as independents and who with Enotria are about to make the so-called big leap, after some mobile games and interesting products whose gameplay winks at the arcade world in an innovative way. Enotria: The Last Song takes us behind the scenes of the world seen as a vast theatrical performance (not just metaphorically) in which the actors remain trapped, imprisoned among the paper coils of the Canovaccio, the script where we usually find lines, dialogues, and gestures that actors must perform in order to step into the characters they portray: in this case, it is the evil hand that falls upon us, forcing us into a perpetual immobility that can only be defeated by our alter ego, the Maskless. These few lines of plot are enough to show us all the game’s potential and its powerful narrative force, rich in deep meanings and winking at modern society, with metaphorical references to the modern world we live in, which, for better or worse, holds us all in a prison without bars, but with screens and likes. Beyond the philosophical considerations, Enotria boldly presents itself as a breath of fresh air, an original and interesting setting, mysterious characters with an appealing design, and satisfying longevity. Unreal Engine 5 is in itself an added value for the development of open-world macro-levels (after all, that is what open world is: a huge setting fragmented into several procedurally unlockable zones), however, what is especially interesting, at least to this writer at the moment, is the presence of role-playing elements with which we will be able to customize the main character but also have repercussions on gameplay. In practice, guaranteeing variety and further incentive to play it. The transition from a distinctly indie product to an A-list title, an objective that Enotria openly sets for itself, is not without all those "gems" that necessarily have to be included: thus, there is a great variety of masks that the protagonist will be able to wear, thereby increasing the range of powers available to face the numerous, and varied, enemies he will encounter along his perilous path (the theatrical stage influence is getting the better of me)! The trailer we watched showcases a magnificent graphical presentation, packed with details that, I am sure, will make the difference when it comes to taking stock of the game. Gothic settings and crumbling castles set amid ruins with a decadent feel alternate with open arenas, with sand dancing beneath the boots of combatants engaged in particularly thunderous melee clashes, without losing that strategic component in the approach to duels, clearly in the RPG school, at least in Jyamma Games’ intentions. In short, Enotria: The Last Song rises on the horizon with the stature needed to elbow its way through the crowd, and the experience of promising Italian developers, capable of breathing something new into the spotlight of soulslike video games available on next-generation consoles, bodes well. Let us don the Mask and take to the stage, the show is about to begin.
by Simon Larocca
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, an unmissable remake
The flagship saga of the Kyoto-based company, dedicated to the most famous moustachioed, overalled plumber in the universe, is packed with chapters, spin-offs, special appearances in other titles, and a myriad of video games ranging from the sports genre to puzzle games, before returning forcefully to its first great love, the setting that made Mario an icon and the starting point for any gamer: platforming.
by Simon Larocca
Star Wars Outlaws
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… The most famous opening line in cinema history will accompany us on the new adventure set in the multifaceted universe of Guerre Stellari, a fantasy saga with science-fiction elements (and not the other way around).
by Simon Larocca
Fantasy Life, the Girl Who Steals Time
For those like me who have spent hours and hours racking their brains alongside Professor Layton in front of countless riddles and have kicked flaming balls through soccer goals on the fields of Inazuma Eleven, knowing that a new Level 5 title is on the way is what you might call a godsend.
by Simon Larocca
Still Wakes the Deep
The oldest and most powerful human emotion is Fear, and the oldest and most powerful fear is the fear of the Unknown.
by Simon Larocca
Top Spin 2K25
Forehand, backhand, point.
by Simon Larocca
Destiny 2 The Final Shape
The revolution brought by Destiny to the varied and somewhat over-saturated landscape of multiplayer shooters had a strong impact on gaming communities, made up of gamers but above all among developers themselves.
by Simon Larocca
SaGa Emerald Beyond
Long-time players like me associate the word Square with the legendary first incarnation of the role-playing game powerhouse, that Squaresoft that gave birth to masterpieces like Final Fantasy VII (the original, unique, and only one):
by Simon Larocca
Black Myth Wukong
The power of the literary legacy of a novel that marked an era and a nation can be such that it even echoes in modern new media: beyond the historical value of a work, characters and settings, if handled with care
by Simon Larocca
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2
The term crossmediality, now in vogue for decades across all pop culture and subculture, imposes very precise rules regarding the franchise’s setting and its evolution depending on the medium through which we users will experience it.
by Simon Larocca
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble
It takes more than the most charismatic protagonist, or the most polished gameplay, to turn a banal game into a gem on screen: what a title really needs to stand out is an idea.
by Simon Larocca
Senua’s Saga Hellblade II
Norse mythology has always fascinated video game developers, as evidenced by the multitude of titles that draw from the world of the ancient Vikings, their traditions, customs, or simply their settings.
by Simon Larocca
Little Nightmares 3
Conveying fear into a person's mind is not as simple as one might think. Whether it is a feeling or a primal instinct, experiencing it allows our body and mind to transcend their essence, short-circuiting any semblance of control.
by Simon Larocca
Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle
The crack of the whip breaks the silence in the hall, the Nazis recoil in fear, and He, the quintessential Eighties hero, stands among his enemies, dusty hat pulled low over his head, shirt unbuttoned and a rough, hard stare, the kind that promises trouble and thrills fans: Indiana Jones is about to return to our video game screens, and this time he intends to do it in style. After the glory days of the first historic trilogy, the one that managed to gather in just three films all the cornerstones of international pop culture, and the two faltering sequels (but not nearly as bad as some unfairly described them) with our adventuring archaeologist aging alongside the actor who has always portrayed him, Harrison Ford, the world of entertainment has enjoyed many video game adaptations across a variety of platforms.
by Simon Larocca
Rise of the Ronin
Japan is one of the few places in the world where you know you can set any kind of story, confident that it will almost certainly resonate with the audience. Whether it’s because of its historical and folkloric uniqueness, or because the Land of the Rising Sun has always known how to strike the most vibrant chords in gamers’ hearts, as well as in fans of cinema, anime, and TV series, the fact remains that no other nation like this can channel the imagination of developers and creatives so effectively. Perhaps Team Ninja, the versatile team of developers that brought Ninja Gaiden back to its former arcade glory and recently delighted us with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, thought it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to set their next game in one of the most critical historical periods of “modern” Japan, bringing back to the forefront the most emblematic figure of the land created by the gods Izanami and Izanagi: the Samurai.
by Simon Larocca
Stellar Blade
Shimmering blades and graceful movements, unwavering determination in her gaze and blind faith in her mission: this is how Eve presents herself to the public, the elegant and lethal protagonist of Stellar Blade, one of the most eagerly awaited titles for PlayStation 5...
by Simon Larocca