Cubed3's Reviews
It is easy to lose a lot of time in Portal Knights. The gameplay is really addictive and feels free, rewarding, and varied. It is, however, poorly balanced later on. It truly feels like the game at times artificially extends its own playtime, something that should not be required in an open world sandbox title, even if it has strong ARPG influences. The overall experience is so great, though, that it is easy to forgive it for that.
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs has great style and clear heart behind it. In many cases, though, it is an issue of seeing the forest for the trees, as great parts of the game are simply lost in minutia. The hard difficulty requires near-perfection, which begins a grinding mentality to what otherwise was a comedic adventure. Suddenly, every choice becomes do or die, as a few extra % points can make the difference in a battle. The difficulty itself is not the entire problem so much as the battle system is too much of a slog compared to the rest of the game.
Treyarch has clearly relished the opportunity to revisit and update these seminal undead moments and used Zombies Chronicles as a vehicle to deliver a solid piece of fan service. It's a highly polished yet thoroughly putrid package that, besides preserving the corpse rattling legacy of COD Zombies, also does a great job of providing a wide variety of differing locations to swiftly and repeatedly die in with a few friends (or strangers), thus making it an essential 'no brainer' for veterans and newcomers to the series alike.
This second DLC pack is, just like the first, just a tool to help players grind and farm for things a little easier than the first one allowed. However, whereas the previous pack only made marginally easier the things that could already be done in the base game, this one really does help things out by a lot for players looking to maximise the potential of their party, especially post-ending.
At the end of the day, Tangled Up in Blue is a completely unremarkable Telltale game. The most unique thing it does is to provide some verticality while exploring environments, thanks to Quill's rocket boots. There's potential for the series to turn into a fantastic, galaxy-hopping adventure with the Guardians; however, if this episode is what can be expected from the whole series, you're probably better off just watching the movies again.
Tokyo 42 is an engaging isometric game that is hurt tremendously by a mechanic that should have been a selling point. While the game plays fine, the need to constantly manage the camera ruins any sense of intensity that comes with a lot of the missions. Instead, it makes the player feel hopeless, as enemies barrel down on one side of them, and an unseeable escape remains hidden behind the gorgeous environment.
Rocking Pilot has the basics down, but it doesn't have much in the way of staying power. The potentially neat scoring system is held back by some baffling design decisions. The game never really has the chance to establish any sort of flow, due to control repeatedly being taken away from the player. Every minute there's another milestone reached or objective accomplished, and skills don't get nearly as tested as they should. Ultimately, this shmup, while fun, is a little too disjointed, shallow, and easy.
The game is inoffensive enough and certainly a value proposition to those nostalgic for a Lock's Quest remaster. Frustratingly, a commitment to PC centric controls could have given a far more pleasant play experience. However, there lies more insidious issues beneath the varnish of this remaster.
inFamous: First Light feels almost like two games in one. One game has some good ideas, but tends to be a little dull and uneven. However, completing that first game is required to make the most out of the excellent second one. When playing through the story, the great controls and superb mechanics mean very little, because there isn't enough resistance to put them to work. However, the Survival Arena is absolutely wonderful. Not only is it loaded with thrilling encounters and satisfying action, it demands the player's attention. They're going to notice every moment, grab hold of every opportunity, and do whatever it takes just to survive a little longer.
Admittedly, there is plenty of single-player content for motor racing enthusiasts to get stuck into here. However, there's no doubt that anyone who plays driving games with four wheels will probably impose a higher measure of quality on this experience. Far too many of the core gameplay elements let Valentino Rossi: The Game down, which results in something that can be enjoyed to an extent, but should also be viewed as a disappointment by anyone who sees the big picture. It's certainly not terrible, it's just that Milestone can do so much better - and has done in the past. While it's a regularly-cited criticism that they seem to pump out plenty of racing games with low average standards, particularly with all the Moto GP experience they already have under their belt, there was no good reason why this couldn't have been their best yet. That is, except for the fact that Ride 2 was on its way within four or five months. Most racing developers would have seen that as a scheduling conflict.
Oh...Sir!! The Insult Simulator is a great little party game that also manages to hold the attention of players who may be by themselves. Unfortunately, as one of the game's trophies puts it very plainly, there's not enough to justify playing the game for extended periods of time. This is definitely best enjoyed in short bursts, otherwise it runs stale alarmingly quick.
Like Bayonetta before it, Vanquish for the PC is, hands down, the best version yet, and maybe even better than Bayonetta in that regard, as the keyboard and mouse control support fits like a glove. As for its gameplay, it's definitely a title that will offer lots of fun to third-person shooter aficionados, as long as its short length and lack of replayability isn't much of an issue.
NEKOPARA Vol.3 is a perfect example of what's wrong with the modern anime and visual novel industry. Instead of offering fanservice as an extra bonus, it uses it as the main dish, and, as a result, will only appease those who are here just for that. Of course, like all fetish objects, reviews and scores don't really matter, so the rule is simply this: In love with nekos? Pay up and have fun. The rest of you can just forget it even exists.
A player would have to really love something rather ambiguous about BitMaster to actually persevere to its centre. It's nice that some sense of depth can be perceived in that regard, but the game could do a lot more in terms of incentivising this pursuit, since many of these additions seem arbitrary rather than purposeful. Instead it seems like the kind of title that will be consumed rather quickly, then put down just as quickly - and permanently.
Dynasty Feud has everything it needs to be one of the most original takes on the arena fighter genre yet, which makes it all the more disappointing when it somehow manages to drop the ball in nearly every regard. The roster is whimsical and each team of five is fleshed out with their own quirks, but the combat itself feels wholly unbalanced. A slight delay to characters' actions and a lack of fluid mobility makes battles stiff and unnatural, combined with too many stage hazards to count. Deciding exactly where the next combatant in the roster spawns after a death is simply too easy to take advantage of and too difficult to counter. There's a fantastic game hiding inside of Dynasty Feud, but it's going to take a lot of digging before it fully comes out.
If it weren't for some technical inconsistencies, such as the frame rate and the overly braindead platforming, Rime could be a perfect adventure game. There is so much love and care poured into it that can be seen and heard just by playing it, which makes it an extremely cathartic experience. It is not often that there is a video game that can result in such a positive emotional response and succeed as a legitimate fun video game, and for that, Tequila Works must be commended. Rime is every bit as good as the games that it was inspired by, and in some cases, it supersedes them.
Super Dungeon Bros functions, but gives way to repetitive dungeon layouts, poor enemy balancing, and less than interesting gameplay. Even with friends, it feels a bit watered down, like it wanted to meet the basic requirements of a dungeon crawler without upsetting any fans with risks. It's just too plain to be forgiven. In other words, sorry, bro, but this dungeon is a bit weak.
This is a slick package with excellent production values. The levels are enjoyable and highly replayable. It is unlikely that In Extremis will win over gamers who don't play this type of game, but fans are urged to give this one a try, which proves an excellent palette cleanser to those who have perhaps become a bit jaded with the genre.
Embers of Mirrim came out of nowhere to be one of the best platformers in any console generation. It will give the player the sense they can do things they never thought possible, and the feeling of self-satisfaction upon beating that boss, finally crossing that tricky section, or reaching a new area is so profound here, it's stunning. Even if you aren't a fan of platformers, this one is a must-try.
The Fledgling Warriors Pack, however, while not bad in any way, is perhaps a bit harder to recommend than the next one, but it is, of course, too early to say before said other pack is made available to the public. For players who wish for the easiest time to grind for items, money and experience very early on, then this is a good option, albeit a pricey one.