Cubed3's Reviews
The game is solid. It's not going to be legendary in any aspect, and has a few problems such as broken abilities, but is enjoyable all-around and nice to play. Effort was put in and it pays off in the form of actually feeling like its own unique title instead of just another rip-off even if the occasional flashback to fighting aliens happens.
XCOM 2 improves many aspects over the original, as well as adding some much needed atmosphere through its uphill battle narrative. In many ways, this has much more balance between classes, and weapon customisation is a notable difference, and as players really come to know their soldiers they are potentially sending to death. However, a decrease in many already sparse elements, such as no UFO interception and bare minimum base management, makes the romp through approachable to many but leaves the hardcore types unlikely to want to work beyond the finish line once, and will likely not leave a legacy like the originals did.
Once again, Zen Studios has successfully delivered another exciting and interesting new pinball title. By playing on the Ant-Man's ability of being able to shrink down in size, this newest table mimics that to an extent that could never be replicated on a real life pinball machine. Hank Pym and Scott Lang help bring the table and the characters to life, and unlike previous games, the dialogue never seems to run dry here. The cooler colour scheme does help to see things clearly, especially in fast motion, and the visuals do not clash with each other once the multi-ball hits. For fans of the franchise or newcomers alike, Zen Pinball 2: Ant-Man is a must-have for the ever-growing pinball collection.
Peter Moorhead's creation looks and - besides the lacklustre voice-acting - sounds good, but, in terms of plot, it's terrible; and not just because it's not handled well, but because it doesn't even exist! Murder pretends that it explores the boundaries of morality, free will, conscience, and, perception, when, in reality, it's nothing but a highly self-important product that throws these topics out of the window.
Megadimension Neptunia VII is a continuation of a series without much change, which in this case weighs it down. Each game fundamentally is too similar to every other one to the point where when a new one comes out, there is only so much to look at in new ways, and previous flaws can only be forgiven for so long. In a game that relies very heavily on humour, it sacrifices much in the way of narrative and ultimately the source material for the comedy elements has worn too thin.
Dinocide shows an incredible amount of promise at the beginning, but it simply does nothing with the ideas it presents. It meanders around aimlessly, never accomplishing a thing, and seems to exist solely to torment those who want an accurate NES platforming experience. This prehistoric nightmare just can't deliver on that.
The good? A big world to explore, a vast arsenal of skills, perfect controls, and numerous, adrenalin-pumping bullet hell-esque boss fights. The bad? First, compared to its rivals, the platforming "puzzles" are pretty simplistic, instead of thought-provoking, and, second, the otherwise fantastic boss encounters feel very similar challenge-wise, instead of each one twisting the knife deeper and deeper. Flaws aside, Rabi-Ribi is a cute time sink that will surely please Metroidvania fans - as long as they can stomach the big pile of rabbit manure that this has for a plot.
Death by Game Show has a lot of style, and is a pretty fun take on the tower defence formula. Learning and understanding its new rules, offers a lot of early challenge and enjoyment while teaching everything in a non-obtrusive manner. The problems come in that many things carry over from level to level with no way to get many of the necessary items back if they are lost, which makes some levels truly impossible to beat when the protagonist gets overran. However, as long as the buildings are not lost many levels are simply ploughed over. This extreme divergence is the most pressing issue of an overall decent title.
The primary issue with The Age of Decadence is that it feels as if all its problems could be fixed with one simple patch, but weren't. Giving a bit more detail in the quest journal? Would help a lot but not available. Mini-map? Nope. A bit more colour along with some more definition? Sorry. Clothes that don't restrict AP so that streaking wouldn't be the requirement for high-AP combat? Not an option. In its current state it's unpolished at best, but has some potential; potential that, sadly, seems like it has been denied. It shouldn't be avoided, however, as it would be average and, potentially, even enjoyable with these issues ironed out - but it currently feels more of a bore to play, with little to keep interest from tediously running back and forth because it couldn't be bothered to mention where an NPC might be.
Without a doubt, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. is just as solid an RPG adventure as its predecessors, avoiding the pit that Partners in Time fell into with its multi-character approach. Paper Mario slots into this new romp perfectly well, although there are times where the 'Paper' world is not exploited as much as fans may have wanted. Nevertheless, the laughs are still there, as are the innovative 'Bros.' moves for battles, more than making up for the incessant mandatory 'Toad Hunt' mini-games included. This may not be Mario & Luigi at its best, but it still rises high above the recent Paper Mario entries and will keep fans of the series entertained until the end of the impressively lengthy adventure.
Knights of Pen and Paper II: Here Be Dragons is a rather repetitive and subpar turn-based RPG, which is being held back by its own design concepts. What may seem like an amusing idea of emulating classic Sunday night style Table Top role-playing, quickly turns out to be a let-down since the actual experience only works when it's genuine. The pen was not mightier than the sword in this case, and swords slice through paper, therefore, Knights made of pen and paper may not be the most viable option.
AIPD is in need of more substance, but what is on offer is a solid and fun experience, even if it does take a while to figure out what is going on (Hint: weapons overheat, which is strangely easy to overlook and may leave players wondering why their ship is bouncing all over the arena). It's pretty, has great music, and is fun to play; it's just that the amount of content on offer isn't staggering and can quickly lead to boredom. The boredom won't last, because players will feel an inexorable pull to play again, but small doses is the name of the game.
A world that makes Disneyland feel threatening in comparison, a cast of the most lifeless characters imaginable, a look that is as pretty as it is uninspiring, and a level of challenge that's insulting to the average adventure gamer. In other words: Order of the Thorne: The King's Challenge isn't just mediocre, but mediocre to the point of annoyance! Hopefully, Infamous Quests will not repeat the same mistakes with the next page of this fairytale, Fortress of Fire, and spices things up a bit.
Alphadia isn't exactly terrible, but it isn't doing itself any favours, either. The battle system never provides any meaningful challenge, and doesn't function differently enough to really strike a unique chord. The characters all feel extremely flat and one-dimensional, and there isn't a compelling reason to feel engaged in their quest. While the foundational elements are all here, ultimately, there are bound to be JRPGs that are more worth your time.
Frankly, nothing about Sayonara Umihara Kawase makes it a welcoming experience. The controls might be tight, but a platformer where the physics are a constant battle, and the levels restart so slowly, make for an extremely aggravating adventure. While the mechanics might make it work better at a puzzle platformer, this still demands cat-like reflexes so often that this simply isn't an option. As far as challenging platformers go, this definitely sets the bar high, but even the most devoted fan of the genre will have trouble looking past the glaring issues present here.
Klaus is a game that is simplistic and straightforward in its design and overall complexity, but that does not stop it from being a competent and well-made puzzle-platformer. The biggest strength of this title would have to be its sense of style offered by the writing for Klaus and K1, as well as the great, hand drawn visuals that creatively use mixtures of light, colours, and shadow in each level; combine that with the solid platforming and Klaus is certainly a title worth giving shot.
The real problem with this expansion is that the amount of content doesn't feel balanced. The Chinese campaign might have been fine, but it didn't even touch on the four prior civilizations and didn't feel like it expanded the world. The added civilization is great and it's nice to see the game grow after such dormancy, but it's also overpowered. The good more than outweighs the bad, however, and, with luck, the 'Age of' series will return in full-on glory!
Not a Hero does have a few major faults. Most notably, it can easily be blasted through in the space of two to three hours with very little effort, and it'll only take longer because of frustrating controls that lead the hero to slide to its death, either out of a window or into the barrel of a machine gun. That said, despite featuring one of the oddest stories ever seen, its witty dialogue combined with addictive gameplay makes it a fantastic game.
Sorcery! Parts 1 & 2 has a great story through and through, and the weight of the various choices and potential outcomes does, indeed, feel very heavy and involved. If nothing else, this will be worthwhile to play purely as a story. However, its short length is its real weak point, as the adventure will be over too soon, but at least there is the chance to try all of the various other paths to add some longevity.
The Balls of Glory pinball pack brings to life four of the top animated sitcoms, and they each contain a variety of unique mini-games that fans of the shows will enjoy. For pinball fans, these stages bring the right amount of challenge to the game, although, at times, it may feel unfair when a ball enters the outlane. Zen Studios has done an amazing job in bringing the TV shows to life in this bundle, but for maximum enjoyment, it does require knowledge of the shows that the tables are based on. While the layout isn't quite up to par with some of the other tables that Zen Pinball 2 has to offer, the Balls of Glory pack provides plenty more hours of enjoyment.