Cubed3's Reviews
Redout could be a far better futuristic racer, with just a liiitle bit better controls, just a liiitle bit of variety, and just a liiitle bit of originality. It presents arms to the genre's big ones in a pretty decent way for an indie production… but it could do more than that.
Where does Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition sit on the visual novel scale? The answer is: perfectly in the middle. Enjoyable plot? Yes, but nothing to die for. Well-written? Sure, but also way too long. Has an innovative choice mechanic? Yes… but then again, no.
This is very good… when it's not annoying; it has fantastic pacing… when the fun doesn't take a backseat; battles and puzzles are quite enjoyable… when they are not boring. Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is the perfectly average video game. It does so many things great, but, as a whole, it just feels as if there's something missing.
While the opening sequences plays out quite forced, with Max awkwardly needing a reason to begin exploring, the game gets a lot better once it gets going. With no real gameplay required, this is, at the end of the day, a visual novel that works well at times, though some head scratching moments disrupts the flow of the game.
As cute and appealing as Plantera's presentation is, there's very little 'game' here. Instead, this is an idle game, a click game, one meant to be played between other tasks, and therefore one not well suited to the Wii U. There's still fun to be had, but only in short play sessions that will inevitably become shorter and shorter until, very quickly, there's nothing left to entice you back.
Though not without faults and a little too easy, Brut@l is still a fairly amusing game. It's fun exploring the dungeon while crushing its many denizens. The gear system is clever and works quite well. Anyone seeking a greater challenge should probably refrain from exploiting the special attacks and vampire curse potions. This rogue-like arguably won't go down as the classic that it's inspired by, but it isn't a bad way to pass the time.
Cayne is a fairly short adventure. However, it's also completely free, so anyone who can afford to spend the time should give it a look. The puzzles can be overly obtuse and annoying, but the game delivers in most other respects. The art direction is disturbingly good. It's memorable, perhaps a bit too memorable. One might find themselves suffering a sleepless night after witnessing everything that occurs in this game. That's a credit to the art direction. Although, one has to wonder how they came up with some of this stuff. Well… Some questions are probably better left unanswered.
Flywrench may be hard to explain, but it's not hard at all to recommend. The difficulty manages to be mostly fair and wildly satisfying. While it may take some getting used to, it would be a disservice to yourself not to at least try out this indie underground legend, now that it's finally coming to the mainstream.
Bear with Me: Episode 2 is a definite step in the right direction, with the world opening up more and a great selection of new characters and puzzles being introduced, accompanying the already impressive dark atmosphere. Sometimes it leans towards being slightly too easy, but there is more challenge than before, and it ends on the perfect cliff-hanger, ready for Episode 3. Hopefully the wait between episodes is not quite as long this time.
For such a story-heavy RPG, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force gives little incentive to invest in its rather unoriginal plot. It would be one thing if the story acted as an homage to the RPG narrative of yore, but it simply follows the tired "good god/bad god" routine without bringing anything new to the table. Battles themselves are too easy to take advantage of a potentially good battle system, and poor, underdesigned dungeons rip away any possible depth the gameplay could have had. Newcomers to the genre might be able find something to appreciate about Advent Dark Force despite its flaws, but diehard fans are hard-pressed to find much exciting about a port of an already unimpressive 2013 JRPG.
Sniper Elite 4 is a solid entry to the series that's stuck to its guns (pun intended) by not tampering with the formula laid out by its predecessor, but has instead built upon and improved everything that made it so great. Rebellion has delivered a true next gen sandbox shooter that looks fantastic, plays well and should keep fans of the long-distance kill entertained for some time to come.
It's almost shocking that Nioh turned out as well as it did. While Team Ninja is an exceptional talent, they took a pretty huge risk in crafting this game. It takes a lot effort to develop a polished 3D action game, let alone one that relies heavily on RPG elements such as levelling and equipment. Thankfully, they managed to put out a winner. Every single one of the game's multitude of sub-systems co-exists with one another in perfect harmony. There is a consistent feeling of joy thanks to the phenomenal combat and acquisition of sweet gear. Popping open a demon to see colour-coded weapons and armour pour out of its lifeless body like candy from a piñata is actually fun again.
On paper, Worlds of Magic: Planar Conquest looks like it could be interesting, and the character creation is actually pretty fun, but the game on the whole is a mess ruined by unnecessary complexity. Everything, from running towns, to figuring out which units are in an army, is weighed down by a messy interface. Battles, a core part of the experience, are simple and never fun. Despite drawing from a large collection of classic successful titles, this struggles with its own ideas, and does nothing but trip it up and never let the game hit any decent stride.
Aliens Go Home Run is a solid package and injects new life into the genre, presenting a unique and enjoyable game with elements of the bat and ball genre, while requiring bullet-dodging skills of 2D shooting games. There is enough variety as levels progress to keep the player motivated, and the score attack aspect and the custom level feature may keep the dedicated coming back once the last level is completed.
World End Economica Episode.03 is much like a rollercoaster to the moon. The time to get up there is ridiculously long, and it would not be surprising if some passengers fell asleep halfway through on their way up, but once at the top, it gains high speed and never slows down until the bitter end. It is powerful and impactful, and tackles heavy subjects wonderfully. It is the perfect conclusion to the trilogy for those who have read it this far, but is not going to convince those who did not like the previous instalments…
Rocketbirds 2 suffers from hit-or-miss presentation, with nice rock music in the background occasionally, but an awkward intro. The humour is insipid, focusing on 'funny voices' and tropes. The combat, while getting the basics of weapon types right, never amounts to more than 'shoot and dodge,' and dodging doesn't involve skill or focus. A dearth of enemies and banal platforming focusing solely on enemy manipulation to open doors and such doesn't help. This mediocre game won't entertain the pros, but serves as an okay intro to twin-stick shooters.
Virginia might appeal to those looking for a more artsy gaming experience, but in terms of actually being a game, it falls decidedly short. There is very little to do here, little to interact with, and even fewer things to experience. All of this is likely intentional and not necessarily bad on its own, as the game wants the focus to be on its story and storytelling. Unfortunately, though, it botches this as well, and the game fluctuates between being dull and confusing, with very little that is enjoyable in between. Some of the design choices appear to have been done to make the game artistically memorable, and on that front it succeeds, but overall, Virginia suffers because of it. Virginia may be for lovers, but Virginia isn't really for anyone.
In many ways, Plantera is an interesting idea. How about creating a more active clicker? It is the kind of game that has to be made to find the true appeal of something, and as such, it has a lot of value for the company, and maybe even the entire industry, to see what to avoid. The problem is, however, that it got released. This is a game that, during play test, should have got turned down and got reworked until it became a far more appealing package for its customer base. The lesson to be learned is to not sell unripe fruit.
While Nights of Azure shines from a production aspect, its shallow gameplay only holds back what could have been an otherwise compelling RPG. Casual fans of the genre might be able to forgive the almost tedious combat and Servan system, but hardcore action RPG enthusiasts are hard-pressed to find much to enjoy in terms of actual game and level design. Arnice'slimited moveset simply doesn't mesh well with the genre, forcing her to spam the same combos over and over again, with occasional Servan interruption. The cast and world are admirable and well done, but the actual playable portion is lacking the same level of quality and care the rest of the game got.
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book gets off to an odd start, with its initially confusing crafting sessions and an extremely open-ended story. It does get easier as materials become easier to obtain and as the world opens up, but it's more freeform than the standard JRPG. Still, it has one of the most unique and engaging crafting systems out there, and it's exhilarating coming up with new combinations of items. It's definitely got a unique flavour, but it's charming and addictive all the same.