Cubed3's Reviews
There is not a lot that can be said about N++. It has no actual story and has Spartan inoffensive vector graphics by design. All there is to do is to get as much gold as possible and beat the stage. It is great fun in short bursts, but after a hundred or two, it gets pretty old. The original freeware game is still widely available for those who are curious to get a taste of what to expect, which has all of its stages included in N++.
Aesthetics aside, there really aren't any games like Cuphead being made anymore. This kind of running and shooting platforming action game has nigh vanished from the gaming landscape. The closest modern example that casual observers may be aware of is maybe Metal Slug or the Mega Man games, because nobody has seen Contra since 2007. This used to be a popular genre, with such amazing titles as Turrican, Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy, which used to tap into a very primal part of our brain that is addicted to adrenaline. Thankfully, Cuphead is not style over substance. Controls are tight and responsive, and retries load up nice and fast, so time is never wasted. This is every great boss battle gaming has seen before and more, thanks to Studio MDHR's dazzling creativity and focus on creating a palpable sensation of accomplishment. There may not be many console exclusives on Xbox One these days, but Cuphead is a real standout, and is a must-own for everyone who loves fast action and crushing challenge. Come for the cool art and animation, but stay for the gameplay.
There's always fun in bopping crooks and knocking their soon-to-be-lifeless bodies every which way, and Deadbeat Heroes is a fine example as to why the concept is so appealing. The isometric perspective and emphasis on combos presents a unique vision. There's also a wide variety of baddies to keep encounters interesting. Local co-operative play is also available, so get a friend for additional fun. However, there will be moments where not everything clicks into place. They are not nearly enough to undermine the game, but they could create a tinge of uncertainty. Still, it's a title worth looking into, especially for fans of the atypical.
Deadbeat Heroes is… a brawler. There's really nothing more to say about it as, despite its effort to stand out with the use of its satirical approach to the Golden Age of comics, gameplay-wise it hasn't even tried to provide something more than some fast punching and dodging. Furthermore, it's currently super-buggy, strongly in need of some patching up to offer the option to change the keyboard/gamepad setting, and fix the poor performance and glitches/crashes.
Tour de France 2017 is a competent and exciting cycling game that may not be the most inviting to newcomers. While players more experienced may enjoy this right out of the gate, for those giving it their first try, expect to put some time in before it starts to be really fun. Most of the modes feel like they don't add very much to the basic Team mode, but what they do add manages to justify their existence. All in all, this is a fun title that fails to be inviting, but manages to be engaging once you're in deep enough.
The translation of history into a video game is one of the best parts of the game. The units, groups and terrain are all very accurate to Chinese history. While many of the elements look great on the surface, there simply isn't enough depth to any of the systems to feel like a true 4X. The largest failing is the combat system with a randomness that destroys strategy. It all feels rushed and unpolished. While there is something that could be great under it, it is not ready yet.
This almost out-Metroids Nintendo's venerable series - that is how good Image & Form's latest adventure is.
Batman: The Enemy Within: The Pact is Telltale at its best. A fluid, competent, charming story, mixed with smart integration of QTEs and action sequences, will leave the audience chomping at the bit for more. There are some moments that don't feel quite as tight, and will remind you that, yes, this is a game. Those moments don't detract from the fact that this is such a solid instalment that it may be some of Telltale's best work.
Compared to the rest of Batman's Telltale adventures, The Pact is simply the worst of the bunch. Instead of trying to tell a good story, it tries to cram up as many famous Batman villains as possible, but forgets to do anything of any worth with them.
Terroir could potentially be a fun experience, but it's a bit repetitive, a bit chore-ish, a bit lacking in depth, a bit unbalanced, and, most importantly, in serious need for a better tutorial, as it currently needs lots of work on the player's behalf in order to learn even the basics.
It's a shame that in trying to invoke so much nostalgia, instead Thimbleweed Park invokes frustration. A clumsy set of mechanics, humour that quickly runs dry, and a narrative line that splits and diverges in too many directions creates an obstructive experience. That is not to say that there isn't plenty to enjoy here. Fans of the genre will delight in the puzzling and will be able to easily forgive the game for all these tiny foibles.
Despite falling on the shorter side of indie titles, Expand manages to stand out as a fascinating take on puzzles and mazes. By relying on a mix of patient gameplay and non-stop movement, each puzzle requires as much thought as it does technical skill. Not every puzzle is a hit, with a few standing out as little more than frustrating, but the majority of the experience is very well done thanks in large part to the colour scheme and soundtrack.
Jettomero: Hero of the Universe is beautiful, sounds great, and controls very well. The story is engaging and the lead character is instantly loveable and well worth your time, putting an investment into getting to know it better. Unfortunately, that beauty hides the fact that planets don't change enough to be distinguishable from one another, and much of the gameplay is vapid. Definitely come to visit this enticing universe, yet just make sure expectations are correctly set first.
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is a pleasant surprise, actually. The fast-paced combat is a welcome change from the tedious encounter system from previous games, and the story strikes a good balance of cutesy and interesting. Unfortunately, the gameplay gets really repetitive as bosses and enemies get reused level after level, so it's hard to want to keep at it for long. The balancing is completely off, and there's not a lot of challenge past the first couple of dungeons. Still, the gameplay has its charms, and the solid writing makes this one of the first Neptunia titles casual RPG fans and devout Neptune addicts might both enjoy.
Mushroom Wars 2 isn't a groundbreaking RTS, and it won't be changing the genre in any major ways, but it does stand out as a particularly strong title that's more than worth investing a few hours into.
Fjong is a decent game wrapped in some weird design choices; namely, should this be on the PC, or on mobile devices. Regardless, it features decent controls that occasionally feel wonky, and not much beyond the main action to really do. Truth be told, fans of physics games should definitely give it a shot, but for everyone else, don't expect Fjong to change your mind.
Nidhogg 2 is a lot of fun when you're playing with other people, and not very much fun when playing in the single player mode. Graphically, some people may not find the game looks quite as hideous as others, but to those who do, know that you are not alone. Nidhogg 2 is, in short, a fun multiplayer release with some unnecessary components, and some lagging issues that sadly do it no favours.
Altogether, Fight'N Rage is a superb effort. Very few throwbacks are fit to hold a candle to the classics of yesteryear, but this one admirably stands alongside. Every subsystem and game mechanic works wonderfully. The three playable characters are incredibly diverse and fun to play, while still retaining a simplistic three-button control setup. The multiple difficulties represent a challenge that grows with the player's skill. Even on the hardest setting, enemy stats aren't boosted to absurd levels, making every battle a slog. The ambitious routing system works quite well, giving every playthrough something new to look forward to.
Kat may be a Layton but she's far from "the" Layton everyone knows and loves. Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy feels more like a pale imitation with glimpses of the greatness that has come before. There's a ton of potential here and the adventure is still enjoyable, but just falls short. It holds a lot of promise for the future, at least, and the story wraps up with plenty of questions unanswered. Level-5 is clearly ready to keep this story going; however, hopefully it is with something much better and more deserving of the series' lineage.
Destination Ares settles the age-old argument of whether it's worse to be shallow or overpriced by adopting both banes as a core part of its identity. What praise can be given to the premise of managing a crew and ship to their destination is better directed at the far superior FTL, which Ares lifts most of its ideas from. Even with an excellent base to build off of, however, just about every feature and gameplay element fails to capture the fun of managing a spaceship. The flavour text is mostly bland, making a dynamic choice is always accompanied by a grating minigame, and all sense of progression is surface level at best. In no way whatsoever is Destination Ares worth the price of admission. Price accordingly, or don't price at all.