Cubed3's Reviews
Sun Dogs has many flaws. The main one, however, is that this isn't a game - it's an unfinished, badly written sci-fi tale. Actually, it isn't even that! A tale has a beginning, middle, and end. This is just a series of semi-randomised, and very disjointed, pieces of Arthur C. Clark-esque text. Apologies to the late great futurist!
Collateral Thinking doesn't suffer from a lack of variety so much as it suffers from its excess. The goals in each level are constantly changing, and with only 30 seconds per level, it feels like a mad rush to get moving, which is counterintuitive to how the sticky controls dictate the pace of play. The levels sort of work when confined to one specific design, but the constant jumping between objectives is annoying at best and frustrating at worst.
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 feels like a game made for those who live in internet meme culture and who believe classic adventure games are the last great phase of video games. The heavy-handed approach at humour is at times hysterical and at others insufferable. Saved mostly by solid gameplay and puzzle mechanics, the biggest issue it faces is not knowing when to stop. Plodding on for hours and hours, the humour wears thin and its strengths are battered by exposure. Were this game to have been half the length it would hold potential for greatness, and that greatness is still there, just stretched thin over far too much canvas.
It's tough to be so critical on a game that was obviously a labour of passion for someone, but the nitty gritty is Red Goddess: Inner World is just not very fun. The art isn't bad; in fact, the bright and colourful nature of the game mixed with its simplicity of design could lead to it being enjoyable for children, but beyond the first hour or so, there is simply nothing happening that offers any real surprise or intrigue.
Layers of Fear: Inheritance will not edify those who found the base game didn't have enough action. However, it's a more honest horror experience. While the original tried to wow the audience with it's crazy hallucinations, Inheritance clearly just wants to remind you there's a person under there, suffering through them.
Wiping away the Star Ocean part off of Star Ocean : Integrity and Faithlessness, this is actually pretty decent. It's a standard fantasy RPG that tried out some new ideas, did well in some, faltered at others, but came out easily on the fun side. However, remembering what series this title is actually in, it feels more like the development crew tried to read off of the Tales' series homework notes, but didn't manage to fully copy them down. Their competence saves it from failure, but it feels like they were trying to copy from another series and didn't really try to give it the distinct Star Ocean feel it should have. Decent, enjoyable, but not a "true" Star Ocean.
Zero Time Dilemma is the weakest game in the trilogy, yet it's an unmissable piece of the puzzle that every Zero Escape fan needs to play. It isn't the satisfying conclusion hoped for, it has some uninteresting characters, and the pacing is off, but even with the unanswered questions, there is still a story here that warrants playing through, especially as it develops and wraps up the arcs of the familiar, better and more important characters in the overall narrative.
Naughty Dog spoiled us with The Last of Us. As such, it was always going to be a difficult task for Uncharted 4 to meet those standards, let alone exceed them. The unfortunate thing is that whilst it has improved on certain aspects over the previous Uncharted entries - namely stealth, a little more freedom, and a real sense of discovery in hunting down a long lost treasure - there are a few too many slip-ups with regards to plot and characters, with lacking combat and set pieces also contributing to the pitfalls. It is undeniably gorgeous to look at, and the fun is definitely there on multiple occasions, but it is missing that Uncharted charm that made the series so great in the first place.
Make no mistake, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force is a big step up, and its changes are good ones. Even if it will cost more upon release, should you seek to get involved with the original, this is the entry to do it with. However, the stitch-marks where things were added in after the finished game are quite clear and unhidden. On the whole, though, it is a welcome improvement over the base title.
The QTEs may be very lacklustre in Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadows, even compared to Telltale's earlier works, and the combat scenes need work, but there's plenty of opportunities to grow after this first episode. All in all, it's a solid and promising start that establishes a world via "show, don't tell," and sets up enough plot threads to keep players interested in what comes next.
Some of the content in Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Descent may or may not be the direct result of giving the work experience lad a bit too much sway when brainstorming for multiplayer locales, but credit where it's due, as it does add some much needed variety to the map rotation. While the selection is decent enough, Empire's vibrant splendour serves only to emphasise Cryogen's generic aesthetic, in the same way that Berserk's highly detailed, sprawling Nordic layout makes Rumble look fairly sterile in comparison. Fans of the shuffling undead will soak up every rotten second of the particularly strong 'Gorod Krovi' chapter, but it still remains a steep challenge for the lesser skilled zombie hunter who will likely never progress far enough to discover and enjoy its many secrets.
The series signature humour and gameplay fits perfectly with Star Wars, after all, it's what it was originally designed for! The new features add enough to keep this long-running franchise feeling fresh, the stages are short and fun, fitting perfectly to the handheld for pick up and put down gameplay. In conclusion: a great addition to TT Games' magnum opus.
It is incredibly difficult to find a fault with Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, and as it can probably be gauged by the length of this review, there is so much to do in this game.
Even from its early demo, it was apparent that Goetia was going to be something special, and it simply has not disappointed in its final build. Sure, there are a few typographical errors and unusual animations for carrying objects around Blackwood Manor that should have been tidied up, and some of the puzzles can be a bit too obtuse, but it can all be forgiven because of the mystique surrounding the whole adventure and overall high quality throughout. The development team had something special on its hands that caught people's imagination, and has now given birth to a very special project indeed. Goetia takes the point-and-click adventure mould and re-shapes it into something remarkably exciting and fresh.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate sticks to the roots of the rogue-like genre completely. It is no-nonsense, and gets to the action right away, and, from managing the depleting health, the random floors, and ever present death wipe-out, fans will feel right at home. It does not do anything new to soften the blow for players that are not familiar with the genre, and for that reason will only have a niche appeal. However, those that do enjoy all this will find it to be an above average romp which will give them many hours of enjoyment trying to beat it.
While Hard Reset Redux might not be a wildly innovative experience, it is that same sort of intense, fast moving fun that really defined the early-era FPS titles. The emphasis is on constant action and an extra shot of adrenaline right into the heart if the action starts to lapse for even a second. The difficulty, repetition, and adherence to old genre staples might dissuade certain individuals from the ride, and it certainly isn't one of the best shooters currently available on the market. Still, even with these shortcomings, it is all good fun and remains that way all the way to the end. It is the video game equivalent of the summer action blockbuster. Perhaps it is not the most cerebral or original experience, but occasionally, huge guns, explosions, and enormous hordes of monsters are all that is needed for a good time.
When it does manage to deliver a hard-hitting narrative, This Is the Police really delivers. All too frequently, however, it's hard to connect with Jack and the other faceless denizens of Freeburg. While the core gameplay does succeed at conveying the challenge of being a police chief in the midst of a collapsing personal world, it doesn't exactly pull off being fun, especially during the frequent, slower moments.
Compared to the previous fantastic Thieve's Guild, Dark Brotherhood feels like a misstep. There is an absolute ton of other new features alongside this DLC, but they're part of the new ESO 2.0 patch and can't be considered a part of the Dark Brotherhood DLC. That in mind, the DLC itself feels quite lacking. The zone is fantastic and the tone fitting, but the assassinations get repetitive, and the story is far too short.
The new skin it is given in this modern recreation is sure to enhance the experience, though, so if you're looking to relive this classic adventure, this is maybe the best version of it out today. Just be warned that it has aged mechanics that might affect the experience negatively if unprepared.
An enjoyable game that aims towards a very specific audience since the risqué elements could easily alienate plenty of players. This fact was proven with the delays to the release of the game in Japan, thanks to low pre-order numbers. At its core Uppers on PlayStation Vita is a fun throwback to a simpler time, but it gets very same-y after a few hours play, and the extended cast does little to expand the lifespan.