Cubed3's Reviews
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 2: The Ties That Bind II keeps the course, delivering another quality storytelling experience with aplomb. Javi's story is a compelling one and fans can't help but clamour for closure and answers for what happened to Clem… and what happened to AJ. Plenty of pieces are in motion and this is building to be a very special story. If only Telltale could get this quality over to its other recent titles...
Overall, Sports Interactive has certainly achieved its goal of providing a streamlined version of the top tier game, with plenty of depth and a very accessible UI, which will make both veteran fans and those wanting to play in quick sessions, extremely happy with this very versatile package. Football Manager Touch 2017 is a very impressive achievement.
Shadow Heroes: Vengeance in Flames is a definite throwback to old games, which in itself is great, and there are some pleasing ideas included. When the game is on point, it can be fun watching the waves hit each other. The problems, though, are the user interface is simply too buggy, glitches are ever-present, and it is just too hard to do things that really need to be made much simpler. The lack of easily doing basic tasks, like selecting units, moving the camera, or buying items, grates too much with repeated play.
The feeling is all there and Moto Racer 4 does a lot right, but the crazy difficulty spike, and somewhat unpolished visuals drag it down to a degree. The best things about the original, like the sense of speed and the twitchy, responsive controls, are here and they do indeed bring the nostalgic PSone era feeling that this needed. With the help of a plentiful multiplayer option, and fun challenges, like the aforementioned slaloms, there is plenty on offer for those willing to take the plunge. It's a challenging romp that sets out with a single goal and definitely achieves it with a lot of gusto and its tongue firmly in its cheek.
Doom: Unto the Evil is an… okay DLC, with nothing really special to say about it. The things it offers are fine and all, but with a somewhat ridiculous price tag attached to it, especially since almost everything included feels more like mods than material created by a team of professionals.
INVERSUS is a powerful example of how to take one mechanic and give the player the power to explore it. It's at its best when two gamers are going after one another, but even the arcade experience is fantastic. There's limited space for exploration, and perhaps the most useful weapon could be a bit easier to use. Still, any fan of shooters or competitive games needs to give INVERSUS a shot, even if they try nothing else. It's clearly the best couch co-operative game of the year, and with arcade mode and online play available, there's still enough here to make this a classic.
Doom: Hell Followed is, once again, a small, yet quite nice, addition, but, at the same time, a bit disappointing. It's good, but, undoubtedly, not a must-have, and, more importantly, the price doesn't exactly feel right.
Bloodfall is another multiplayer DLC for Doom that is fine and all, but doesn't really try to offer either more or better material than the previous two. Even worse? The prices remain somewhat high, and will surely discourage most Doomers.
All of the praise that Dark Souls III receives is well deserved, because it gets most of everything right. However, it never strays from the established formula. This is something most gamers are willing to ignore, just because the formula is excellent. Although it's great that the Dark Souls series can retire on a high note, it's a shame that its crown has gone unchallenged. Hopefully that will change in the future. Videogame companies in competition with one another helps to bring out the best in them.
Ties That Bind Part II is a step up from the first episode in terms of writing quality, but the decision to actually split what is effectively the opening of the season into two feels thoughtless and, ultimately, pointless. There's nothing to be gained from dividing Ties That Bind in half, except for saving Telltale the effort of creating five complete chapters. It's a genuine shame, too, because when Part II is good, it's reminiscent of Telltale at its best. The episode isn't without other faults, as Telltale once again relies on pre-established characters that kill any sense of tension, but there's enough promise and potential to warrant A New Frontier not being written off quite yet.
The first paid DLC for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, DB Super Pack 1, is a considerable disappointment, but one that Xenoverse fans will be familiar with considering they experienced the same with the first title. Hopefully, the second DLC will pack a little more punch and, ideally, include Whis or Goku Black. At least, in the meantime, there is the new free DLC to enjoy.
Despite a soft start through the first half of the adventure, the thoroughly impressive time-switching mechanic used for puzzles, as well as the engrossing story and stellar final run to the end credits, all help to make The Silent Age something very special indeed. Given how impressive the journey develops, it can only be hoped that more is on the way. The time-jumping aspect for puzzle solving is fantastic, but starts to wear thin slightly, at which point the developer, thankfully, eases off to a degree, and brings in more traditional style point-and-click adventuring that spices up matters considerably. The Silent Age has a good start, then has a really strong race to the finish line, and leaves with massive potential for the future.
Without a doubt, Planet Coaster is the definitive theme park simulator. The customisability is key; it's so in-depth and detailed that hours can be spent just crafting the scenery! With intuitive controls and expansive modes, the potential for time sinking is huge for both old-time fans of the genre and those who are willing to venture into this new territory. Polished visuals, as superb soundtrack, and immaculate systems in place, are just the icing on the top. Frontier has excelled itself in almost every way possible, making this not just an easy game to heartily recommend, but one that demands your attention.
The price of Death Ray Manta had already been placed at £1.99, and at the time of writing it is now on offer for a mere £0.59! It would be complete madness to overlook this even at that ~£2 mark, let alone its super bargain price now. Death Ray Manta SE is a must for anyone shmup fan out there, especially those that adored the Geometry Wars releases. This is high octane, nerve-racking fun, and truly exhilarating with each and every play - twin-stick shooting at its very best. To quote something a wise man once said, "Absolutely brilliant!"
Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- is one of these pieces of software that, although its level of quality is worthy of applause, as a product alone, is almost "offensive" towards consumers. To summarise, this is a great fighter… but approach only if you haven't spent any money on the previous instalment, since it's almost the same deal… Not to mention that half of its newly added roster is hidden behind a pretty high price tag.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 1: Ties That Bind Part 1 is more bizarre than anything. The soft reboot is disappointing, to say the least, but it isn't nearly as bad as it could have been, and Javi's fresh eyes give the episode some much needed excitement. The biggest thing Telltale needs to remedy going forward, though, is the balance between Javier and Clementine. They have a good dynamic overall, but they only seem to get in the way of each other's development instead of playing off one another and growing together. It's entirely possible Telltale is saving that for later episodes, but right now A New Frontier start off with a shaky opener that breaks down the illusory wall of choice more than ever and relies too much on the franchise's past good will to generate interest.
Flying Bunny is a humble game with a modest price. Depending on if anyone wants a Flappy-style game, they likely won't do better than this. It manages to hit all the marks to excel in its genre, and even has a robust amount of content. Really, the only thing holding it back is the flat, cold and cheap looking Flash-style graphics. This is a fun mobile game, but it is stuck on a PlayStation 4.
What an intriguing game! Soulless: Ray of Hope mixes all sorts of clever puzzles with some fine platform antics, keeping players on their toes in terms of the difficulty throughout. Sure, there are times where it may seem too tough to the point of having to almost memorise a certain pattern to progress past specific hazards, and the camera's slow movement does not always help matters at all, but there is so much charm here that simply cannot be overlooked, complemented by a gorgeous soundtrack full of emotion and a wonderful art approach. Ray of Hope impresses at every turn, taking a now well known formula and polishing it to reveal new beauty within.
Quest of Dungeons is what happens when a formula is refined, but largely left the way it is. It's not going to appease those who are sick of the same old, but it will make those who want something that is refined happy. It's clearly not for everyone, but for those who have already dropped hundreds of hours into other dungeons, this one is worth the visit, so definitely jump on in.
Hunting ghosts is taken to a new level as they copy the player upon being defeated, and the quick speed makes this a fun and frantic title, whether it is played alone or with friends. Between the arcade, challenge, and deathmatch modes, there is a lot to do for anyone looking for a simple and very enjoyable experience. The only drawbacks come from the lack of online play, but Extreme Exorcism is still great to play alone or with some friends.