Cubed3's Reviews
One of the most famous Neo Geo shmups, Blazing Star fetches a pretty high price online these days for a full copy, so its inclusion at such a comparatively low price on a digital platform, on a system in which it is actually very playable (unlike the release on smart devices), both at home and on the go, is hard to miss out on for fans of the game itself in particular, or shmups in general, or even Neo Geo far and wide. Even those who already own a physical copy should not find it difficult to consider rebuying. Indeed, if anyone can afford a physical copy of this, then the small price of this digital rerelease, which comes complete with online leader boards for them to show off their skills for the world to see, should not prove too hard to swallow. It is a great classic that deserves to be experienced today just as much as back when it just came out, if not for history's sake, then for its intrinsic quality alone.
For anyone with a surplus of free time, Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku! is a fine way to exhaust it. The process of collecting gear and levelling up is familiar to action RPG fans, but this game introduces a number of ideas to keep things fresh. The Magic Circle system is very slick in how it offers a multitude of build varieties. New additions, like the option to take on quests, make exploration a little more rewarding. However, spending most of the adventure jogging through randomised dungeons does wear thin. This title's long-term value depends on how much its players enjoy the grind.
Fans of the Dragon Quest franchise will adore this game - and with good reason; it's packed with content tailored just for them. The story is enjoyable, the characters top notch, the music and art styles are amazing. If only the underlying aspects lived up to it. The gameplay gets repetitive and the enemy AI is horrible, the missions feel too short, and it's all too easy. That being said, there's still a very enjoyable experience here, but it could have been something so much more. It could have been something truly special.
Too bad this game was released in 2015. As-is it's just a stiff, broken, game with absolutely no reason to play it and many reasons to simply not play it. Its place is not in a game library but, rather, sautéed and served with spices as a side-dish.
Perception has very little going for it. It is well acted and has about three voice actors who do triple or even quadruple duty in some cases, and they all sound very believable. The sound design is strong and is the creepiest part of the entire game. There are many plot points that are hard to follow, since so much of the plot has to be found from notes picked up, or audio diaries. One plot point that is not made clear is that the story implies that Cassie might be psychic, but there really is not enough information to corroborate this completely, which is pretty much how every piece of story feels like. Every step of the way it just feels like there is something missing. Perception is a noble effort in its concept, but in practice this is one people should just close their eyes at.
DiRT 4 really does succeed in extrapolating new things from two different sides of the driving spectrum. The 'Your Stage' procedural track generator really does feel like a revelation, which will ensure that drivers remain on their toes even after clocking countless hours already. As stated, it's remarkable what this can do for drivers if they're willing to adapt and learn, and certainly helps to cultivate technical understanding and development. A more in-depth follow-up review on the PC version will be coming soon, but there's no doubt about it: DiRT 4 is one of the most exciting driving releases this year. A much-celebrated brand comes back with a bang.
Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is not much of an RPG. It is much closer to being a loud arcade action game that is best played with buddies online. As a successor to Diablo, it doesn't really work, but it is more than worthy to succeed Gauntlet Legends. The story in the core game is really inconsequential and generally cheaply presented, with heavily filtered stills, which is disappointing since the in-game character models look good enough. The action gets tedious after a while, and Victor will spend a lot of the game retracing his steps looking for missed loot or items. Victor Vran is only enjoyable in short bursts, and excessive play time will lead to zombification or slumber.
Drifting Lands is rare as a game these days in that it is actually fun and the hours slip by while grinding for better gear. Yes, considering this is a shoot 'em up, the gear aspect is the best part of it. While there are some repetitive issues that start to show themselves hours into the game, the entire package is so coherent as to be recommended. Fans of either shmups or RPGs will find a lot to their liking here, and the rare fan of both is highly encouraged to check it out.
The Town of Life gets credit for being willing to tackle a tough subject matter head on, and in such an honest way. It never concedes to being entertaining, so the player won't feel uncomfortable. It's a shame, then, that it's so difficult to follow the story and the few puzzles are so abstract. The real killing blows are the atrocious technical hiccups, though, and all of this mars a truly one-of-a-kind experience into a twisted shell of what it could have been.
MXGP3 is a very nice racing title. There's plenty of content, but the best part is easily the fantastic handling. The physics are superb and have a nice sense of weight to them. The deformation and weather effects add the right amount of depth to keep each race interesting. There's also a bevy of options that make the racing approachable for any skill level. However, the mediocre to poor frame rate and long load times really weigh everything down. There are some nit-picks, but anyone willing to look past those, as well as the other issues, will find an enjoyable Motocross game.
Ignoring the graphical issues and the crashing, this is almost a return to form. The story gets back on track and is truly engaging, character development continues to excel, and the choices remain difficult. This is topped off with another superb cliff-hanger that delivers a sequence that will make players want to immediately go back and see the fallout from the other branching option, not to mention eager to get their hands on that final episode. If only it could be bug free...
This new season has had a bumpy ride, launching off from a promising start, but stuttering along the way. Despite all its issues, though, a great story has been told. It's just not within a great game. The technical issues have too huge an impact to ignore. There is even less actual playable game time than normal for a Telltale title, and even this finale ends up feeling a little disappointing. From the beginning, this felt like it would be Javi's complete story, and anything that came after would be around Clem again, but instead of wrapping up loose threads and delivering a complete start-to-end story, it feels like it's setting up a second season for Javi. There's far too much of this in today's media; writing with the sequel in mind instead of just telling a complete story.
Cave Story+ isn't just a good game in 2017; it's downright impressive.
All of it perhaps doesn't truly amount to enough for the price that is asked, but this is still better value for money than the previous three DLC packs. Now, all that remains is the upcoming package of exclusive playable characters from the Fire Emblem Cipher trading card game, to be made available at an as-of-yet undisclosed date.
Freedom Planet adds enough of its own stuff that it doesn't feel like a cheap knock-off, but rather a loving homage in the same "genre" of fast-paced platformers with loop-de-loops. While not revolutionary, clearly a lot of love went into its development, and anyone who has spent the last decade moaning about the state of hedgehogs should certainly check it out.
In short, Tekken 7 is a phenomenal fighting game, but it's not without issues. Players have hundreds if not thousands of exciting matches to look forward to. Grasping the complexities of movement and learning characters is an involved process that'll cause anyone to lose track of time. However, the developer continues to focus their energies on features that simply aren't worth the trouble. The Mishima Saga, with its cheap battles and dishwater dull story, is a relic from an era best left forgotten. The broken matchmaking is also a very serious issue, so hopefully it's addressed in short order. Still, this fighter is highly recommended.
Telltale's The Walking Dead still keeps to the same high standards of storytelling that it always has, with fantastic characters and truly compelling tales. That being said, the frustrating technical issues end up having a major impact on the final product.
What really lets Bridge Constructor down is that the main puzzle that holds up the game is just so interesting. Working out how to build the most effective bridge in the given circumstances can be a rewarding experience. However, with a lack of a tutorial and a control scheme that has been designed in mud, the game is clearly not at home on the PlayStation 4. It's too bulky and considered, whereas the game should be swift and agile. Bridge Constructor is suited to the nimble fingers on a phone, not the thoughtful and plodding console thumbs.
In its rush to amp up the drama, A New Frontier forgets to offer gameplay to compliment the story. Javi and Clem are balanced quite well now that they have a common enemy through Richmond, but most of the episode is spent taking a backseat to the plot. The first half is almost entirely on-rails, with the occasional dialogue choice acting as the only source of interaction, while the second half tries to add more in the way of combat through quicktime events. The Walking Dead has been a story driven franchise since season one, but it's always tried to balance cutscenes with puzzles and action until now. At the very least, the growing relationship between the two protagonists and Telltale's emphasis on moving the story forward set up a strong, if a bit plot heavy, fourth episode.
Whether or not these are worth the purchase should be entirely up to the player and stems from how much the main experience is already enjoyed by each individual, but even then, one thing is certain: they do prove to be on the pricey side, which means they require more careful consideration as a result.