Cubed3's Reviews
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth: Book Two is more of the same as found in Book One, with the same beautifully drawn characters and locations. The voice acting continues to drive the emotional beats of the story, as Daedalic continues to sprawl through the huge novel and bring it down to a manageable and still enjoyable visual novel. While glitches, bugs, and some annoying open world areas ruin the flow of an otherwise intriguing story, this does well to set up what promises to be a satisfying Book Three, as all the character arcs and story threads get tied up in a satisfying conclusion.
Newbies and veterans to Starward Rogue alike are most certainly going to enjoy this brand new update, AuGMENTED. While the added content may well lead to many a sleepless night, which probably isn't a good thing, the enjoyability factor of Starward Rogue: AuGMENTED, random capitalisation and all, is well worth the sacrifice.
It's hard to believe that Aperion Cyberstorm has a story with characters and text to read. Most of the time players will likely be fighting the urge to skip every line of dialogue since the story is completely frivolous and separate to the gameplay. Why so many interruptions for dialogue in what is essentially a bullet-hell shoot 'em up? It is this kind of unintuitive and backwards decision-making that has led to Aperion Cyberstorm in the first place. This comes recommended to those with sleep disorders.
Rendering an adventure in pinball form is something that can't really be expected to play identically to the original, but it is surprisingly faithful, and that is as much of a commendable effort now as it was over three years ago when it first graced consoles. It is also a standalone table, so no other tables come attached, so it is maybe an even easier choice to make whether to pick it up or not.
While certainly charming and cleverly designed for its short length, Xeodrifter ultimately feels too disjointed for its own good. Separating the overworld into four, smaller maps is a good idea in theory, but the disconnect between stages takes away the interconnected feeling of exploration Metroidvanias thrive on. Bosses themselves are also a big letdown, especially since the weapon customisation would lend itself well to more varied foes. It's even difficult to recommend Xeodrifter as a beginner's Metroidvania since the early game is far harder than everything that comes after. It's endearing enough and can kill an easy three hours, but there are better Metroidvanias to choose from.
TorqueL is a tough sell, especially for those looking for an immediately rewarding or relaxing experience, but it's certainly worth the labour for anyone inclined to giving it a fair chance.
Never mind the extras, Nintendo-only goodies, or even the, somewhat lame, and Switch-only, optional touch controls. The only important thing is that this great hack 'n' slasher called Bayonetta can now be experienced everywhere, and with next to no sacrifices in terms of visual quality, making this the best console port of this title so far.
Bayonetta 2 remains a niche title that will annoy some and be loved by others. Some of its mechanics have been left untouched from the original game, and, most importantly, it's pretty much the same deal all over again... and yet, this remains one of the finest specimens of hack 'n' slash-y, brawling fun...now on its perfect home: Nintendo Switch.
Never mind the extras, Nintendo-only goodies, or even the, somewhat lame, and Switch-only, optional touch controls. The only important thing is that this great hack 'n' slasher called Bayonetta can now be experienced everywhere, and with next to no sacrifices in terms of visual quality. Bayonetta 2 remains a niche title that will annoy some and be loved by others. Some of its mechanics have been left untouched from the original game, and, most importantly, it's pretty much the same deal all over again... and yet, this remains one of the finest specimens of hack 'n' slash-y, brawling fun...now on its perfect home: Nintendo Switch.
As realistic, historically accurate, unrelenting, casual-unfriendly, open-word RPG games go, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is probably the best on offer right now. It's only worthy of the bronze medal, though, as it's very far from perfect, and the amount of flaws at hand mean that this is quite the dirty kind of bronze medal.
Koei Tecmo and Omega Force can neither be faulted for their resolve, nor their aspirations. The franchise has always had its cult audience but the Musou style has rarely broken into the mainstream outside of the big licenced spin-offs, like Hyrule Warriors[i]. [i]Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like an attempt to remedy that. Open World games are this generation's go-to genre and transforming the Story of Three Kingdoms has actually worked in many regards, but this feels like an early and flawed attempt at that bigger picture. Where it works best is in its classic elements, but the open world needs a lot of work. Perhaps by the time Dynasty Warriors 10 they will have learned from their mistakes.
Sadly, even paying the now reduced price for Bolt Riley, A Reggae Adventure - Chapter 1 after it exited Early Access status will be frustrating for many, not only due to its extremely short length, but because of the bugs still present, ropey animation, glitches with the resolution, weak user-interface design choices, and tiring puzzles included.
This is what an expansion for this series should look like - something that doesn't feel minor and can impact choices in many areas of the actual main game itself; even ones not directly related to it. While Crusader Kings II: Jade Dragon is certainly not quite as epic as other expansions in the series, there is no denying the positives it brings, either, making it well worth the investment for those that have been enjoying the Crusader Kings II experience so far.
Extremely well voiced, highly amusing for the majority of the adventure, complete with smart puzzles that mimic the best of the genre, and all for the grand price of…nothing! The Adventures of Nick and Willikins proves to be a highly entertaining piece of point and click adventuring goodness that definitely deserves a lot more attention, as well as an expanded sequel.
Challenging, creative, and endlessly endearing, Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition is the best take on the Metroidvania genre in years.
For the low cost of £7.99, this is a decent little addition to any Nintendo Switch owner's indie library, and perfect for a quick bash here and there. It captures the same simplistic addictiveness as Flappy Bird, but has the same flaws. It's repetitive and gets boring very quickly, so it's a real shame this new Nintendo Switch version of Star Ghost couldn't offer up new features.
Aegis Defenders is an average, run-of-the-mill indie game. It had some worthwhile goals, like hybrid tower defence and action gameplay mechanics with Lost Vikings character puzzles. The most interesting quality is that there is a two-player co-op mode, which changes the dynamic of the game drastically. The real shining moments are during the defending the target portions of the levels, since teamwork actually matters and doing these alone can be a bit much to manage. With a bit of polish and tighter balancing, this could have been a real darling. It is hard to say where the rest of the backer money went to… With more than double the requested goal acquired, the end result is a janky, yet mildly enjoyable, diversion that is fun for children.
It is definitely worth a buy for nothing else than enjoying an old school dungeon crawler within a unique style.
Altogether, this is good enough to stand alongside the titles that inspired it.
It is a solid experience faithful to the Dragon Quest franchise that suffers only from very minor gripes with the gameplay and comes highly recommended for anyone who sees in there something that tickles their fancy.