Cubed3's Reviews
Gurumin 3D comes at a low price at $14.99, which is very fair for this title. Fans will get their money's worth for sure, and while it may not be Falcom's best, it is still more interesting than other eShop titles available. This is a silly story with goofy characters that had some effort to flesh out their lives to make people care about them and the world. While it may not take much to hit bedrock with this shallow game, it does have heart, which is more than what most games have.
Filled with the series familiar and fun mechanics, The LEGO Movie Videogame is enjoyable for series fans, but ultimately doesn't live up to the fantastic games that have come before it, and once again goes to show that TT does its best work when left to craft original stories instead of adapting existing properties.
Rogue Stormers does an interesting genre mixing of platforming, run-and-gun, and RPG elements. On paper this seems like it could be pretty cool, however, it's all very slow given the genre, and there is not much really going on beyond crawling forward a little at a time and killing trash mobs running forward. There are perks, equipment, and other RPG trappings, but they are just filler that do not get around the main problem that this simply isn't that fun. Its style and ideas are interesting, but each level feels the same, and the very root of the entire system is not interesting enough to really encourage any desire to play for any length of time.
Now That's What I Call Sing 2 is very good at doing what it set out to do. It's a very fun and engaging karaoke experience but there comes a point where it needs more options. The accuracy of the game for sensing the voices is fantastic and there is potential for DLC songs that cover the older Now That's What I Call Music CDs. The variety of modes, challenges and the visual and audio quality of the videos is enough to make the game thoroughly recommendable as a party experience - just be wary that the music won't be to everyone's tastes.
In the end, Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man simply doesn't deliver the stunning shock that would make one cry out that it is a must-buy. That, however, makes it in no way a weak expansion either. In fact, this is more where expansions of this kind should be; which is to say a good thing which will be missed out on even though it does not shake the foundations of the core game's foundations.
On reflection, F1 2016 is a game that has enhanced itself significantly with this instalment. It accentuates the smaller details of the sport, but also makes a series of more wholesale changes, which makes the game seem more purposeful. The availability of proper lap analysis and telemetry data brings a proper purpose to practice sessions. It finally turns a too often pointless mode into the proactive, useable tool that it should be for improving driver performance. While it's not the perfect outing, it's a more serious and functional affair that will appeal to the purists two-fold. Codemasters has certainly learnt from DiRT Rally, which didn't deter less serious racing fans, but introduced the details to players in the right way. Although it is not quite perfect overall, it's an encouraging step in the right direction and still easily the most authentic F1 racing game ever made.
Root Letter was on the radar of every visual novel fan out there when it was announced to be getting a release in the West, but it does not live up to the hype. The story starts strong and then peters out into a mess and the writing is simply awful, the fun characters being the only real saving grace. The gameplay mechanics feel like shallow approximations of better titles, and, ultimately, this quickly becomes a considerable let-down.
Mordheim: City of the Damned is a tough game to get into at first. It is a daunting experience from the moment the game is turned on and the tutorials are attempted, but the mechanics are better off learned during the heat of battle. Trial and error will eventually get the ball rolling in terms of finally being able to win missions, but it does take a lot of losing early on to finally get into the swing of things. With not much of a story to keep newcomers interested, and its poorly laid out user interface, it is the rinse and repeat process of building a team of fighters and levelling them up across campaigns that is the real selling point. This is not a pick-up-and-play title, and it requires many hours of dedication before it starts to become a fun experience. Again, though, persistence is the key to cracking this beast of a game, and though it does deliver on its sense of accomplishment, it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get there.
The trouble with Valley is that it has to employ various design decisions in order for both the story and game to function. It wants to have adventurous aspects, but it also wants threats that players must combat. Being able to run fast and jump incredibly far is an awesome and satisfying experience, but it never grows to be anything more than that. The boss encounter towards the end is remarkable, yet also completely out of place. It's emblematic of a game that lacks a cohesive vision. A video game that involves superhuman exoskeleton suits, the ability to manipulate life, and takes place in and around a forgotten WW2 weapons research facility isn't something that can be neatly wrapped up in a five-hour long adventure. The music and graphics are quite excellent, though.
Quality always beats quantity… almost always, because Ashes of Ariandel is surprisingly short for the price tag that it currently comes with. Its desolate, frozen world is majestic, the challenge is high, the bosses are pretty neat, but it's only a small taste, when it could very well be a full meal. Hopefully, Dark Souls III's next (and final) DLC will be way more satisfying than this one.
Jackal Assault is a free standalone dogfight level that uses VR, and it is pretty fun while it lasts, which, sadly, is not very long. It may leave some feeling unsatisfied, but that might be because action games with fast paced space combat are not strongly represented on consoles. Jackal Assault gets the absolute core basics down and it is sad to see it end.
RPG turned-based combat, base management, a zombie apocalypse, survival horror premise, plus the typical randomisation that rogue-lites tend to offer. Sounds like a dream? Unfortunately, while Dead Age definitely shows promise, and is somewhat fun for a playthrough or two, it soon gets insanely repetitive, way too easy for the sub-genre it belongs to, and a bit too predictable for it to remain enjoyable in the long run.
Mafia III inhabits an interesting era in time rarely visited by video games, and, for the most part, it succeeds in spinning an engaging yarn involving some well-developed characters. Hanger 13 should be applauded for creating a highly detailed sandbox that maintains a gritty, authentic feel throughout, and that, most importantly, is a fun environment to kill both time and henchmen in. It's just a shame that the overall package is marred somewhat by the particularly dense enemy AI and its repetitive mission structure.
Cubed3 gives its old-school 'conglaturation' to Haydee Interactive. Not only because its first creation wasn't afraid to handle its sexiness at full force, but, mainly, because this is actually a great game. Those prejudiced against Haydee's tit… ular lead will lose the opportunity to experience a surprisingly fun indie action-adventure, with fantastic, yet simple, audio-visuals, an almost survival horror-like atmosphere, and a strong, unconventional (for modern gaming standards) attitude towards gameplay mechanics and challenge.
No surprises, no innovations, nothing new or worthy of mention here. With that being said, Episode 6 - Hokkaido generally offers one of the finest levels in Hitman, despite it being somewhat short and easy. These aren't its biggest sins, however. The worst thing about the title at hand is that it's supposed to be the grand finale, only there's nothing really "grand" about it.
BlazBlue: Central Fiction does everything a continuation should: change nearly nothing and simply expand on what has worked in the past. There are more characters and a very complex story, but this game is not any different than any of the past BlazBlue entries. This works in that a fan can come in and everything will feel completely familiar, but it is not so good in that there is nothing revolutionary short of the most convoluted story in a fighting game ever. Purely as a 2D fighter, it works on all accounts, and the diversity of characters should deliver a long time of entertainment.
To summarise, Kyurinaga's Revenge has aggressively bland level design, flawed mechanics, and the only purpose its few bosses serve is to put expensive HDTVs and controllers at risk. Although the backgrounds show some creativity and the combat mode is a serviceable distraction, they do little to stem the tide of misery that is this game.
A worthy purchase option for serious motorcycle fans, and a cautionary tale for curious onlookers, Ride 2 succeeds in establishing itself in the racing space, with authentic track and bike design, a vast array of play styles and options, and a key online support to boost longevity.
The thing about Civilization VI is that there is so much content, that a traditional review struggles to do it justice. The number of units on show, the diversity in buildings, the research tree, the choice over governmental direction and the bonus this gives; it is honestly a title that is best experienced first hand and delved into in the deepest possible way. It is definitely the most fulfilling and enjoyable Civilization to date, and with Firaxis tendency to add expansions and updates to their products, it can only get better from this point onward. Some irritating issues do exist, such as religion and some slight AI deficiencies, but these are minor complaints in a title that is so easy to get addicted to that it is scary. The strategy crown remains with Sid Meier, and it is hard to see any challengers conquering his empire in the near future.
Thanks to an excellently paced single-player campaign featuring little to no fluff, and a multiplayer that emphasises genuine strategy and smart play, Titanfall 2 manages to stand out as one of the better surprises of 2016. The campaign is a very enjoyable sci-fi character drama that is only elevated by its fun cast and equally fun story. A clear eye for level design keeps the single-player fresh, blending the FPS and platformer genres together to continually pump out memorable moments. Titanfall 2 fixes just about everything that went wrong with the original, featuring better map design that plays to the core mechanics, and greatly expands the once dull universe. There are still some issues with multiplayer mode variety, but Titanfall 2 is strong enough to overcome its shortcomings to be a great sequel, and an even greater game.