Cubed3's Reviews
The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 might scratch that action RPG itch for anyone desperately craving more from the genre, but casual fans might struggle to find much lasting power in NIS' latest endeavour. Poorly written, with a horrendous story to gameplay ratio, it's hard not to see Hundred Knight 2 as more visual novel/button masher than action RPG.
On paper it sounds more interesting than it truly is As far as DLC goes, Hearts of Iron IV: Waking the Tiger is merely sufficient as it gives a variety of Asian countries to play. Like previous DLC, many of these countries are practically unplayable from a balance perspective, but ones like China provide a unique take. This expansion will do little for those who did not like the base game, but those in love with the game will like this.
This is a back-to-basics, side-scrolling puzzle effort that will draw people in with its addictive gameplay and cleverly-crafted stages, and then test even the most hardcore with its extra challenges later on. The balance is perfect, and gets the old grey matter working hard throughout, proving to be extremely inventive and charming, in equal measure. Toki Tori deserves to shine, and hopefully on Nintendo Switch it will now get the attention it deserves.
Instead of the traditional crossroads of visual novels, WILL: A Wonderful World lets you play with a bunch of separate stories by altering specific parts within them... and then doing so again to follow an alternative path. This intriguing mechanic isn't as good as it sounds, though, and the game is in some dire need for some additional artwork. At least the various plot threads are good enough to make this a pleasant recommendation for genre fans.
There are few games with as much personality as Kitty Powers' Love Life, and that alone makes it a truly interesting game to play for an hour or two. The problem is that it does not take too long until the game starts to feel repetitive and like work, and if there is one thing games should avoid it is for them to feel like actual work, even when simulating a profession. In the end, Kitty Powers' Love Life has a lot of personality, but needs to work out some quirks for this relationship to work out.
Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition is firstly and primarily a fantastic addition to the Final Fantasy catalogue. It addresses the critical faults of its predecessor and sets the franchise back up on the path to greatness. Memorable characters, exciting combat, and a risk taken with the change to the open world, show Square Enix as developers who have proven their credentials for delivering top-class RPG experiences. It just slightly feels that it was behind the curve here, which may be as a result of the long development time. There is the overriding feeling that the open world lags behind some of the competitors in the field alongside a story that has a number of issues that detract from it. With that said, the PC release has redressed many of the technical issues with that world and has given it a whole new lease of life that brings out the immense beauty of the world.
Castle of Heart is a pleasing concept at its core, but is held back only by a few minor annoyances in the gameplay department. The most original aspect - the hero being turned to stone and losing health progressively - ends up also being a hindrance at times, which gets almost frustrating after replaying through the same section multiple times. Overall, though, it feels good to play and is an all-round pleasant experience with production values so high that it's worthy of applause. It feels perhaps a bit too linear at times, when some environments could have probably benefited from being more open to exploration but, nevertheless, it is well worth checking out. Its price is a bit steep for the amount of content currently, but those who strive to complete it 100%, finding all the crystals, should get their money's worth.
While Shantae and the Pirate's Curse may fall on the simple side when it comes to Metroidvanias, its simplicity winds up being one of its biggest strengths.
Rad Rodgers is a love letter to games from an older time, and manages to succeed in delivering a violent and satisfying 2D shooting experience. Unfortunately, unpolished platforming and a short length keep it from being a must play, especially considering the plethora of alternatives out there. The humour may not be for everybody, but for gamers looking for a blast from the past, Rad Rodgers is a rollicking and violent nostalgia trip to a simpler time.
Little Triangle is a simple, yet gruelling, 2D platformer but the loose controls of the Joy-Con means that playing in handheld mode is probably not recommended.
The Long Reach just barely misses the mark thanks to a painfully tone deaf script full of juvenile dialogue and puzzles that rely on process of elimination as much as actual thought-work. The general aesthetic of the world is appealing, with just well-crafted sprites, and the atmosphere is appropriately oppressive, but the overall story feels bound together by a script that can't decide between humour and tension. When every character speaks the same way, alternating between sarcastic quips and actually moving the plot along, it makes for an exhausting experience. Along with repetitive dialogue trees, it's hard to immerse oneself into the narrative. The game is short enough and might be worth buying on sale, but it certainly shouldn't be purchased for full price.
Even for a Bullet-Hell, there's just too much going on at once. It's overwhelming, but not in a way that encourages players to try harder. Ultimately, it left this critic feeling a little cold.
Swim Out for Nintendo Switch certainly won't rock the world in terms of its originality; however, it is definitely good at doing what it does, which is to combine great, pick-up-and-play puzzle gameplay, along with a very relaxing, summer atmosphere that will keep gamers looking for some pleasing entertainment more than satisfied.
Much like a relic from a forgotten age, Assault Gunners HD Edition struggles to find its place in today's gaming landscape.
The premise and the varied paths one can play through in alternate World War IIs are by far the shining points of Hearts of Iron IV and encourage multiple replays; the problem comes from the very complicated and particularly number heavy aspect of everything. The complexity and slow speed of how things evolve take the fun down notches lower than it otherwise would deserve. Endless clicking through menus, and a glacial speed, ruin what could have been a pretty slick overall experience.
Having more small nations might seem good, but the reality is many of the nations are completely unplayable, short of some strict gambit or cheap AI tactic. The nations are too small, too irrelevant to matter and, as a result, the entire premise of this DLC is rendered negative. Sadly, Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory falls into the issues seen with other downloadable content from Paradox Interactive.
Bleed 2 is a master-class in how to design a sequel.
MotoGP 17 is a good motorcycle-racing game that does offer a deep managerial mode, which takes the cake for this recent offering. While it's really an expansion of the Rider mode, with the added focus on running the team, managing the riders and staff members, signing on sponsors, while upgrading the bikes performance and managing marketing campaigns, this is a robust mode that can easily steal plenty of hours. For those just after a pure racing experience, playing this on the hardest difficulty is a heck of a challenge, or jumping online and racing real-world drivers is the sure-way to go.
Hitting the right notes of the genre, Galactic Civilization III: Crusade is a fun play and there is always the feeling of wanting to have just one more turn. The main issue holding it back from being truly great is the mid/late game grind of simply far too much stuff happening that needs to be dealt with. It will be interesting to see if the next major update fixes these issues, but fans of the genre will more than likely still enjoy this classic.
Being given the ability to play some of the 'major minors' of World War II in Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor is a solid expansion of content for the original base game. It is not quite as good as it seems, though, as they all have to be played in the 1936 scenario to be viable at all. While not as entertaining as the main powers, it can offer replayability for those that in general that actually want to try a different path of history.