Cubed3's Reviews
Xenoraid may well be in a well-worn genre set in an overused scenario, but it features several welcome departures from the current state of the genre that have been implemented to a high level of technical excellence and design, delivering a very enjoyable game that becomes more enjoyable the more it is played. It is definitely one that can get its hooks into you. The genre and setting might put some off, but this is recommended to fans of the genre who are perhaps becoming a bit jaded, and to those who haven't yet tried this type of game and are looking for an interesting introduction to old-school space shooting.
Duke Grabowski, Mighty Swashbuckler starts off in the shadow of games it has clearly been inspired by, not quite living up to their high standards. However, it quickly shakes this off thanks to the abundance of charm exuding from every pore helping to alleviate the issue, leaving gamers with an excellent -albeit bite-sized - pirate-filled point-and-click romp that fans of the genre will lap up with joy. Roll on episode two…
Developer League of Geeks has succeeded in crafting a solid board game experience in video game form, albeit one that lacks environment diversity and player company. Armello ticks all the right boxes for a keen strategist, and whilst not being the group gathering experience some might hope for, does give a tightly woven system and narrative that is satisfying to conquer.
This may be a bit harsh, but, at the end of the day, positives in favour of Anno 2205 are hard to come by, while shortcomings are abundant. Everything about it feels like a sleazy, cheap, cash-in title made by a company seeking to wring the final few coins out of a franchise it doesn't care about than a legitimate attempt at a game. It feels like the developers simply slapped on some pretty graphics in the hopes of fooling people, marked the price up to off-set the lack of an online shop, then kicked it out the door to sucker people into paying far more than they would have otherwise for such a boring and underwhelming title.
Poly Bridge is another typical example of these titles that don't really have any issues, but, at the same time, don't really have anything else to give but casual fun for a few minutes per day… and that's mainly through its Sandbox mode, where one can freely experiment with level creation.
Boring as it is strange, ugly as it is atmospheric, and with a storyline that is simply a mess although it has some nice ideas going for it, Cyber City 2157: The Visual Novel is not a good, or, at least, comprehensible read. While the concepts it delves in are intriguing, the final outcome is a heavily flawed written piece of pseudo-intellectual science fiction.
F1 2016 is not perfect. Those who believe that are either too happy from the fact that this is a breath of fresh air after F1 2015, or because they've watched too many videos involving pit stop girls. Anyhow, the few improvements are very good, and the few existing flaws (especially the subpar AI), will not be enough to stop most virtual drivers' imaginary champagne showers… pit stop girls included.
Oh, how great it would be if this had been thought out a little better. Unfortunately, the concept of mixing multiple genres into one is not enough to make the end result fun. The main reason why Champions of Anteria failed in doing so is probably because, although it offers city building, campaign map strategy, and tactical ARPG gameplay, it does it without adding any spices to make the dish tastier, and thus, worthy of seconds.
Anyone who doesn't enjoy Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness clearly needs to get their Hue checked. The story is enthralling and compelling, with enough routes and flags to warrant replays. It manages to add more depth to the characters and universe, which were already well developed, and is a better accompaniment to the superb first season of the anime than the movie or second season. There have been some phenomenal Visual Novels over the years, games like Steins;Gate, Danganronpa and the Zero Escape series, so there's no higher praise than to say this is easily on par with those gems.
The straight-from-gamebook-to-board-game and from-board-game-to-video-game style that The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is flawlessly going for makes this as niche as an RPG can get, and thus, isn't for everyone. Those who can turn on their imagination, "get into" this treacherous world, and actually do some mental role-playing in a role-playing game (gasp!), however, are in for quite the delicious treat.
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs is mixed parts good and bad. On one hand, it shows great concepts in its desire to blend visual novels with turn-based strategy RPGs, while also managing to sport genuinely good writing. On the other hand, it spreads itself too thin between both parts, feeling like two betas to two separate games.
Hitman: Episode 5 - Colorado is the most straightforward level so far, meaning that one can't get too creative here; it's just sneak, disguise, observe, kill, sneak, disguise, observe, kill. That being said, it's a darn good episode. Being a military base, danger is everywhere, the tension is stronger, and the difficulty higher. Most importantly, however, it's not the same thing all over again. It's a unique level that manages to stand out from the rest, and mostly in a good way.
Like many ARPGs, Titan Quest is repetitive, and yet, strangely addictive… until its gargantuan levels, hundreds of boring fights, and unexciting skills bore you to death - and, the great (in concept) dual class system can't save this. Now, although the developer could patch this up a lot better, the main fault goes to the core material, because this anniversary edition will surely please those who loved the original, and that's always a good thing. As for the rest of you… tread cautiously.
Why is Doom better than Wolfenstein 3D? Because the action feels better, faster, more dynamic, less constricting. Why is Wolfenstein 3D better than Merger 3D, which was obviously inspired by it? Because, while identical in terms of gameplay, "Wolfie" actually had a team of capable game designers behind it.
Fractured Space boldly goes in a new direction for MOBA games by taking it to space and doing away with such key elements as item buying or killing smaller enemies to level up. It goes against the grain to focus entirely on pure PvP. The problem is that the PvP never feels satisfying, controlling the ships is clunky, battles are chaotic in a bad way, and the lack of strategy or predictability kills a large element of the genre.
Even being for those in the target audience, Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is an annoying, frustrating, and even enraging experience.
Oceanhorn is short, easy, lacking in much extra to do after completing the main adventure, and has just one too many faults that hold it back from reaching the heights of the series that has inspired it so heavily. Despite that, it is worth checking out for any Legend of Zelda fan, and could at least function as a stop-gap that might just help pass the time whilst waiting for the next top-down entry starring Link.
Dripping with a rich atmosphere, The Bunker brings FMV back in a big way. Its intriguing story setup, the setting, and plot twist provide an unforgettable experience. While it's not hugely interactive, it is hugely enjoyable, and well worth a look from people who like horror, BBC programmes, and the tasty spices of a period drama. Stellar work from a team that will hopefully want to make more games in a similar style!
Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena is a thoroughly solid fighter with some great twists on the formula, but it's hamstrung by an unbalanced roster. The lack of a player-base also hurts its long-term appeal. After seeing each character's storyline to the end, there isn't much else to do, aside from practicing for fights that may never happen. Still, if 2D fighter fans are willing to look past these issues, then there's a really decent title to be had.
RIVE is, without a doubt, one of the finer action games released this year. It strikes the right balance between focused, but also playful. The player will be thrust into a constant variety of intense scenarios, all more difficult than the last, but only rarely will they even think, "That was a little unfair." There are plenty of ways to approach each situation, and there's room to experiment with weapons or exploit the enemy AI. The difficulty is well balanced, and the campaign is fluff free. Even the water section is good, and those hardly ever work in video games.