Diablo 4 manages to combine the best elements of the license. We're back to the simple but enjoyable gameplay we've come to expect from Diablo, combined for the first time with a well-thought-out, well-filled open world. The majority of players should find what they're looking for, with varied classes, a satisfying campaign, and top-level content worthy of the name while waiting for the seasons. They are accompanied by an atmosphere as dark as it is gripping, wrapped up in a AAA package of great quality on almost every level. A few details may disturb, such as the online mode, or the announced monetization, but this is probably the price to pay for a good game that should continue to enrich and refine itself over the years, if you're prepared to be patient.

Warhammer 40000: Boltgun is a nice retro FPS that takes elements from 1993's DOOM by making the fights more nervous and in a recent packaging, which makes it enjoyable to play. Nevertheless, you shouldn't ask too much of it, because basically, it's just about liquidating dozens of enemies in a succession of arenas. Only for the trigger-happy.

They did it! Six years after the kick in the pants that was Breath of the Wild, Nintendo is back with a second installment that will widen the gap with the competition in terms of open-world. If there are still many ways to improve and there are even a few small disappointments along the way, we are indeed in the presence of an exceptional title, with undeniable gameplay qualities and a total freedom of exploration, which is still far too rare in 2023. A masterpiece, quite simply.

Already made complicated by its niche Xbox exclusive aspect and high price despite access to Game Pass day1, Redfall and Arkane miss their opportunity to release a great game. This "most ambitious project" is also one of their least successful. FPS, RPG, single player, multiplayer, open world and other keywords, a little bit of everything for a lot of nothing and inconsistencies. This accumulation of good ideas and the few very good points of the game are ruined by the many problems (AI, optimization in particular) that tarnish it. A world, its exploration and bad guys nevertheless pleasant, with which we would have liked to get more involved and that the developers give it an even stronger identity.

Minecraft Legends is a good multiplayer RTS that we recommend to all those who want to discover the genre. Especially since the graphics are not bad if you like pixel art and the game is fluid. Accessible while offering some difficulty, it still takes a little time before fully appreciating this new spin-off which promises wild games with friends.

All in all, Dead Island 2 is an excellent surprise and a must-have for all the fans of the genre, that seems to us undeniable. And if, despite its rather minor problems, Dead Island 2 can lose credibility at first sight, there is no doubt that its important strong points will make you forget these small details as you progress in the game. The work done in many respects is colossal, and you feel it throughout the progression. A very good game that we highly recommend!

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor occupies a bit of the same niche as Hogwarts Legacy. It's a very attractive game for fans of the license, and it's good enough to appeal to a wider audience, but it doesn't excel in any area. While the graphics are far from state-of-the-art, the animations and art direction are very good. The combat is dynamic and satisfying, with swordplay styles adding a welcome touch of variety, but it's sometimes very poorly balanced, with incomprehensible spikes in difficulty. Its main flaw lies in its world, which is larger than before and had great potential, but was poorly realized. Progression is artificially blocked all the time, and its filling with elements, often without interest, makes exploration too often a source of frustration rather than wonder.

Even if it looks rather sober at first sight, Wartales is a rich and interesting game, with a neat content. Leading your mercenaries around the world, taking advantage of local opportunities in your own way, and fighting freely is addictive. There's also enough variety in exploration and encounters to keep you on your toes. The combat system is well thought out, with solid fundamentals and innovative elements. While a lot of effort has been put into making it accessible, it still rewards observation and experimentation, which may appeal to players who don't like to be held by the hand, but others may feel a little lost.

By trying too hard, Crime Boss fails on many points and it's a shame. It has indeed good ideas with its concept of crime management in strategic roguelite, and we want to believe in it, especially with such Hollywood stars accompanied by a neat soundtrack. Unfortunately, everything is only touched upon, and far too succinct. The actors themselves don't seem to feel really involved. If we add to this a technique that can be a bit slow and an old school gameplay, as well as a lack of rhythm and an exacerbated repetitiveness, we understand that Crime Boss has missed its chance. Only the character missions and the 6 mini-campaigns in cooperative mode stand out a bit.

The Walking - Dead Saints & Sinners: Chapter 2 - Retribution still shines with its physics engine and the interactions it allows, offering a nice immersion in its universe with a successful atmosphere. Apart from new interesting weapons and night exploration, it brings very few novelties and is much more directional, putting more action on the confrontations than on its story or its characters. It is still a very good game, but it looks more like a DLC than an original title. So newcomers should rather go to the first episode before playing it, especially since it doesn't help much to understand the context if you missed the beginning.

With this remake of Resident Evil 4, Capcom offers us the ultimate version of a title that marked the history of video games. As beautiful as it is good, this new vision of Shinji Mikami's classic erases the imperfections of the original by fixing its clumsy sequences and adding new ones, for a result of a flawless consistency. More rhythmic and pleasant to play than ever, it is simply everything we expect from a video game remake.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a lazy game, devoid of ambitions. It copies and superficially applies the Souls' recipe, in a way unworthy of the studio to which we owe Nioh. It is a generation or two behind graphically, and its poor gameplay, unbalanced on many levels, doesn't make you want to dwell on it. There are some interesting ideas in the package, but they were so under-exploited that they might as well not exist.

Company of Heroes 3 is the continuation of the second opus: a well-made, well-packaged and complete real-time strategy game. The active pause and the dynamic map are two novelties that refresh a formula that unfortunately has not changed deeply in ten years and does not bring any great upheaval in the small world of real-time strategy. Nevertheless, Company of Heroes 3 remains a refined strategy game, more accomplished than the previous opus, which we recommend to specialists of the genre.

Blood Bowl 3 should delight the ultra fans of the first hour of the license, or at least those whose team is part of the line-up of the game from its release. If you can get past the roster issue and the (potential) business model issue, then it's still a game that "does the job", without reinventing anything. The atmosphere is still great, beating up the opposing teams is still satisfying... Special mention to the menus and customizations which have really evolved since Blood Bowl 2.

With its theme based on a dystopian USSR at the cutting edge of world science, Atomic Heart offers us a rather exciting action-RPG title. Its universe and atmosphere are particularly successful, with a lively world and omnipresent humor, without ever really taking itself seriously. Efficient, the software is however quite classic in its FPS proposal, with far too many resources to pick up. But its gameplay, incorporating puzzles, and its spectacular graphics, combined with its universe and its delectable soundtrack, manage to keep us hooked throughout its not inconsiderable life span.

If we are obviously very happy to see this spin-off episode in Europe, it's hard not to see it as a step backwards for RGG Studios. The game is very well written and the city of Kyo is exotic, but the dated gameplay brings us back to the time of Yakuza Zero, while the efforts made to flesh it out are not enough to give a boost to the whole. Moreover, the wacky side missions and mini-games are far from being at their best in this episode, which is quite correct, but far below Yakuza Kiwami 2.

With 8 interesting destinies to follow, an HD-2D aesthetic more charming than ever and a divine OST, Octopath Traveler 2 has absolutely everything it needs in its bag to make old school Japanese RPG lovers have a good time. Beware, however, of this particular structure, character chapter by character chapter, which can still put you off, despite the developers' efforts to make the whole thing much more pleasant to play.

Wild Hearts doesn't just copy Monster Hunter, it also has plenty of good ideas, such as the changing environment and map installations. But the overall lack of polish and questionable balancing nevertheless proves to be unfortunate, and it still never manages to be as satisfying as its model. Whether it's the combat, the graphics, or the different systems of the game, the basics are there, but it's not quite accomplished enough to fully indulge in the pleasure of hunting big monsters.

If it doesn't revolutionize the VR experiences mixing exploration, combat and narration, Horizon Call of the Mountain offers one of the most beautiful executions of all the best VR games have brought in recent years. From its movements to its action phases, Firesprite's title knows how to make itself interesting: the fights are precise and demanding, the climbing phases are well done and the graphic quality is crazy for an experience on this support: what more could you ask for?

Hogwarts Legacy is so extensive and ambitious that sacrifices have been made. It's not perfect in its finishing touches, but that's not a penalty: it's indeed the game that all potterheads dreamed of, but it's also a too classic RPG for those who are not familiar with the Harry Potter universe. If the gameplay is not always interesting, the scenario hides some remarkable surprises and the work done on the conception of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade is quite impressive. Visiting these two emblematic places of the saga will amaze you and will take you a long time, to add to an already colossal life span.

It's been a long time since a game has conquered us like Hi-Fi Rush did. From the very beginning, Tango Gameworks' title grabbed us by the collar and never let us go until the end credits, and we're asking for more. From its original concept executed with a cheeky mastery to its setting filled with a fine and universal humor, this is a project of enthusiasts for enthusiasts, you can feel it and it obviously warms your heart. You were looking for the first essential of 2023? Well, here it is!

Forspoken barely avoids disaster thanks to its gameplay and its two main characters, two aspects that are not without their faults either. Its few good ideas simply don't manage to make up for its huge shortcomings: Luminous' title quickly gets bogged down in a rousing structure, which will take you through areas that are certainly huge, but empty of interest. The activities all look the same, the level design is very poor, as is the bestiary... In short, it is impossible for us to recommend it at full price.

Even if we are still a bit hungry and we were hoping for more novelties to stretch the story or simply more content and side missions, too few and quickly solved, Dead Space Remake remains a success overall. The total immersion provided from the beginning to the end thanks to the suppression of pauses and loadings, as well as the captivating atmosphere of the different areas of the Ishimura. We are in turn amazed, then terrified, but never bored, all the while crushing necromorphs in spades. A 2023 version of a respected and greatly improved classic, which will please those who played the original and surely even more the neophytes, who will discover this classic in this spectacular form, making it one of the best survival-horror of this generation.

Fire Emblem Engage is a very unbalanced title, on the one hand, it is very affordable for all players, and we loved the challenges it offers at high difficulty levels. But on the other hand, its story and characters made us roll our eyes all the time. Fortunately, the quality realization, at least for the Switch, makes up for it. Also, real efforts have been made to improve the gameplay, and the interface is well thought out. It's a real pleasure to play and watch the fights, which are always accompanied by good animations and music. This can be a great game, if you can ignore the bad parts of it, and focus on the tactical battles.

After a very nice first chapter, One Piece Odyssey gets bogged down in a tiring structure that multiplies the back and forth to excess, with numerous narrative cuts that chop up the rhythm of the adventure. The completely out-of-touch combat balancing finished convincing us that Bandai Namco's JRPG didn't have much interesting to offer, except for a few convincingly staged cutscenes. Nevertheless, it is a game that is just neat and addictive enough for hardcore fans of the cult manga to enjoy.

Need for Speed Unbound surprises with its graphic style inspired by street art. But the characters look really cheap. The cops are a bit too sticky, so the title offers an appreciable challenge with an efficient risk-reward concept, and a great soundtrack. We would have appreciated less limited winnings on the races to quickly buy real cars, as well as being able to play with a cockpit view, but that didn't stop us from enjoying driving, with the desire to go back each time.

The release of Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is excellent news for all the fans of what has become a full-fledged franchise, thanks to the phenomenal success of FFVII. But be careful, you have to know what you're getting into: if the remaster allows you to enjoy this prequel with a new visual comfort, the few adjustments made by the developers are not enough to hide the great age of a formula. For the endearing piece of history it offers, fans should be able to get past it, but it might be much more complicated for everyone else.

The Callisto Protocol is a title that will not disorient the connoisseurs of the genre with many features undeniably coming from Dead Space. Nevertheless, it remains in its own right with many innovative features. One thinks in particular of the infiltration phases that are reminiscent of The Last of Us and the combat system that is much more nervous than usual. Striking Distance Studios' latest game has a breathtaking technique that will be remembered, but suffers from a certain lack of creativity for its bestiary and the depth of the characters. Hopefully, the DLC will be able to improve the game's shortcomings. To let off steam and live a somewhat horrific experience, The Callisto Protocol remains a good survival.