Cubed3's Reviews
Sports Interactive must be commended on doing a really excellent job in finessing not just the contents - old and new - but the UI, to a level where it's not only less taxing to navigate, but elevates the overall experience and enjoyment of the game. The developer has been able to intelligently and subtly guide players towards being more familiar with the choices at their disposal, embracing them with a mode-defined sense of control and expanding the depth of the game in their minds. Everything that made Football Manager great in last year's entry is not only still present, but has been polished to a high degree. Whilst many of the new incorporations may not be as ground-breaking as some might have hoped, they are welcomed additions and point to things to come. For now, Football Manager 2017 is quite simply the most in-depth and rewarding experience yet - and perhaps, worryingly, maybe even more addictive.
The ball that is given to the Caped Crusader in Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham initially looks the most interesting yet; however, he takes it… and does nothing with it. Once again, this feels more like "another day in the life of Bruce/Batman" rather than an epic superhero story, with an exciting beginning, a riveting middle, and a dramatic finale - which, after the mediocrity experienced so far, makes hoping for the latter to be any good quite hard.
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 is a pleasing improvement over the original. There are some welcome character additions, such as Turles and Zarbon, which flesh out some previously missing content, but it is a story, despite being set two years after the first game, that remains largely the same. However, the additions of some alternative battle conditions, such as having to search and protect the Dragon Balls, prevents every fight devolving into the same pattern. The PC version alleviates some issues with regards to the loading times, but then introduces others in the form of the sparse online community. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 is a good fighter, but could do with some further training to become the elite warrior it should be.
Although Gregory Stokes hasn't managed to get his racing team out of 9th place, he still recommends that anyone who has an interest in being a Motorsport Manager to give it shot. It's a career that can be tailormade to suit anyone. All that's necessary is the right mindset. Naturally, they can't expect immediate gratification. There's also the possibility that they'll struggle to make any real progress. It does deliver a different sort of excitement, though; one that can't be found blasting alien invaders, or trading blows with a martial arts master. In the end, this is a career that revolves around setting goals and achieving them, while attempting to exceed expectations. The choices other managers make will differ from Greg's, which is what makes the experience so personalised and fulfilling.
Unexciting battles are easy to stomach when the beauty of a title lies in its world building, and, thankfully, the drenched-in-evil universe of Tyranny is fantastic, both in the way it is structured and in how it handles the concept of morality. Unfortunately, its potential has been thrown from the tallest spire's window, and instead of becoming the magnificent masterpiece that it sometimes feels it is, it turns out to be a very rough diamond that reeks of rushed production.
Amnesia Collection is $30 and comes with two great survival horror games and one mediocre, short walking simulator. This is a pretty great compilation if only because The Dark Descent is one of the scariest games around these days, and is probably worth it alone for the asking price. A Machine for Pigs may be pretty horrible and disappointing, but come for The Dark Descent and bring a change of clean trousers.
Pokémon Sun and Moon come away feeling like a totally fresh experience for the series. After 20 years of memorable Pokémon experiences, Game Freak has brought out something that feels completely new, while still delivering on the core Pokémon experiences people crave. There's something for every kind of Pokémon fan here, whether they're looking to catch them all, or if they just want to be the very best. Pokémon Sun and Moon don't just feel like another entry in the long running series, they feel like an opportunity to let the series soar to new heights, and, boy, does it ever.
Headlander probably won't be the best "Metroidvania" everyone has ever played, but it is one of the most unique. Its overuse of door-based progression is unfortunate, but is more than made up for by a plethora of inventive scenarios. This is all backed by solid controls and combat mechanics, which is always appreciated. The visual and sound design is reason enough to convince players not to quit until they've finished the game. The way everything comes together makes for an unparalleled sci-fi experience.
Despite the cumbersome controls, weird unresolved stories, and confusing interface, The Silver Case provides a really intriguing and unique gaming experience that, once the mechanics are learned, is a joy to behold. Its enticing tale of murder, insanity, and more, really shines through via the interesting characters and beguiling narrative style. This remaster has brought the old cult classic to life and introduced Westerners to a real treat that looked like never coming to realisation. No visual novel library would be complete without The Silver Case in it.
The God Eater franchise is massive in Japan and it's easy to see why. Those looking for a more dynamic and story-driven hunting game may very well find exactly what they are looking for right here with Bandai Namco's God Eater: Resurrection. The flaws associated with its aged original release are more than made up for by the ground-up overhaul. This is without a doubt a fantastic and fun hunting series that hopefully spawns a lot more releases further into the future.
Adventure Lamp isn't bad, it's just not adding anything of value to the genre. With wildly inconsistent difficulty, throwaway mechanics, and a lack of anything to lose, failure really doesn't feel personal. That's because it doesn't have enough payoff from overcoming its trials to really feel like you accomplished anything. That being said, it's still a fun game, and one that should not be overlooked. Just be careful where your expectations are set.
Here is a JRPG that knows what it sets out to do, and executes it in a fantastically fun way. The unique battle system, solid platforming, and interesting story should keep players going for the game's entire duration, even despite the grinding. The overall presentation takes a bit of getting used to, but it is genuinely good looking, if a little rough around at the edges, with great music and passable voice-acting. It's recommendable to Valkyrie Profile fans, though it differs from that series in many ways.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a hard game to judge, since newcomers to the series will be baffled and even bemused by the overly complex mechanics and the unnecessarily convoluted story that seems to refuse to focus on the interesting parts. That being said, though, Hollow Realization is a great instalment for long-term fans of the series, as it is filled with enough fan-service to keep them entertained for a long time, or at least until the inevitable next one in the line arrives.
Aragami is a fantastic display of being a ninja, with throwbacks to the gameplay mechanics of the Tenchu series. Incorporating the Shadow abilities that enable Aragami to teleport to a shadow, while also having the power to create his own shadows, makes this a fresh experience in the arts of stealth-combat. With thirteen open-world stages to traverse, this game is a time-sink in terms of longevity, with hidden scrolls that open up new pathways to advanced abilities. With an interesting art style that contrasts the ninja with everyone else, this is a story of two opposing sides of “Dark vs Light,” with the dark taking centre stage in terms of gameplay. Though it is light in the combat side of things, those looking for a pure stealth-based ninja game will find plenty here to enjoy and salivate over.
It's definitely more "continuation" than "sequel," with Trails of Cold Steel II following on from not only the story of the prequel, but also with the already accessible (by JRPG standards) battle mechanics and character customisation features, which prove to work well to add a little strategy to the proceedings. Despite some shortcomings, there is a lot to like here, especially for Persona fans who have become so familiar with the calendar-based narrative and party member bonding sessions that affect gameplay, with a mature storyline that doesn't stray too far from its anime roots, but strikes a perfect balance with its wonderful characters.
Although initially quite enjoyable and filled with aspects that fans of the series will enjoy, the repetitive nature of the game is an absolute killer. The fan service is enough to get players interested, but not enough to keep them satisfied. For those in the audience that just happen to be fans of both Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter, this may be enjoyable in the short term, but, ultimately, Final Fantasy Explorers feels like somewhat of a failed experiment.
Necropolis had a somewhat awful start, with a product that was repetitive, buggy, and very rough around the edges. The problem is that, even after its recent Brutal Edition release, many of its flaws still persist. Repetitiveness and monotony, unrewarding challenge, bugs and glitches, an unfair for soloists focus on co-operative play, and still no way to re-map the controls. Ultimately, this is simply not worth the price-tag.
XCOM 2 delivers an excellent port to the PS4. It has been cleverly designed to take advantage of a gamepad and this alleviates many potential concerns. Below this lays an experience that is unrivalled when it comes to strategy titles, particularly on console. The constant feeling of 'backs against the wall,' with scant resources and war decisions to be made, conveys a constant feeling of tension, which only serves to enhance the story of guerrilla resistance. Of course, with the permanent death mechanic, the tales of battle with much loved soldiers are rich for sharing between friends as a badge of honour and craft a memorable experience, living long after the game is finished—which, of course, is not a short one, by any means, providing the substantial difficulty is not a turn-off.
Like sports fans, those with a deep love for a realistic, virtual agriculture experience will have a blast with the next instalment of their favourite franchise, but that doesn't exclude Farming Simulator 17 from criticism. It's still a fun title (only for those into these, of course), but, besides a lack of polish here and there compared to the previous entry, you are only getting a marginally updated product - a few new crops to plant, new machinery to drive, and bacon - and no, bacon doesn't solve everything.
This is one of those games where there is almost an equal amount to love and hate, so depending on what people prioritise this could either be a great experience or a dreadfully dull one. The boss fights are incredible, the world feels alive, and there is something soothing to the exploration. At the same time, though, the exploration segments tend to carry on for too long and without much interesting happening along the way, so a lot of the game feels like padding. By the end, some players may be desperately trying to rush on through just to get to the next boss, because that is really the only part the game does exceptionally well. Jotun: Valhalla Edition might not be entirely heavenly, but there is certainly enough here to keep it away from damnation.