Cubed3's Reviews
Unique in more ways than one, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered should not be missed by any strategy fan, although is perhaps geared more towards those less experienced in the genre. The dark themes are contrasted through a slight anime-styled and humorous set of characters and gorgeous visuals that give off a comic book impression. It needs sticking with in order to reach the meat of the plot, because there is a decent story in there, even if a little predictable. An overreliance on luck and a gameplay design that goes against the nature of skilful strategy in order to achieve A ranks lets it down, but it is a title that is worth experiencing for its clever take on the SRPG formula.
Stellaris strikes the rare balance in the 4X space strategy genre of bringing enough new things to the table, while retaining what works from the past. An amazing amount of customisation in skills, traits, and abilities seamlessly flows into the background without ever bogging the game down. The single largest difference from others in the genre is a heavy focus of the early game and "eXploring," as you actually feel like you are leading a brave race into the empty space and the dangers there. All the subtle touches, decisions and excellent GUI make this a rare pleasure to play and an absolute recommendation to fans of the genre.
This is less of a video game and more like a slightly interactive screensaver for the Wii U. There is no strategy needed, no thought required, and no reason to play this. Skip it in favour of more entertaining paint related activities, like repainting an entire house, watching the paint dry, or drinking a gallon of it.
SpeedRunners is the very definition of couch co-op excitement. Getting together 3 other friends and racing around a track, with physics and controls this tight, is thoroughly enjoyable. While the art may be a miss, and some further explanation of the game would definitely help, this is a game that is definitely meant to be explored with other players. Get a group together, and get ready to take off, because SpeedRunners is doing anything but slowing down.
Langrisser Re:Incarnation - Tensei seems decent based on pictures or perhaps a short "on paper" explanation, but it quickly becomes apparent how rushed development must have been. Those who attempt to enjoy it will be stifled at multiple junctions with a slow, non-engaging story, strange-looking characters that can't be cared about, laughably bad graphics, and gameplay so simplistic that people will wonder why they wasted their money. Or, perhaps, will see the multitude of bad reviews, heed them, and save the cash.
In spite of having a quirky premise, Coffin Dodgers doesn't have much else to offer. The racing and vehicular combat work, but the overall product lacks refinement and polish. With unbalanced upgrades, a small selection of modes, with the open world option being a disposable choice, and graphics that are more in lieu with a mobile phone game than a PS4 title, this is a game that had strong potential to be good, but the end result, however, is a game riding with flat tyres and a jittery engine.
Absolutely fantastic! King's Quest Chapter 3 truly capitalises on its world and characters, with a fun and exciting script and the spectacle that was sorely lacking from Chapter 2. The world is vibrant, the characters are ludicrous, and the ending is heart-warming no matter which choices were made. Most of all, the overarching plot is starting to form, building intrigue for Chapters 4 and 5. Bring them on!
WWE 2K16 feels more like an expansion pack than a whole new release, but it's still a great package for anyone looking to experience WWE on the PC. The in-ring action has only really changed in terms of the reversal system, but it still does a good job of recreating the action seen in the real life show. There are still some match types missing from the free play mode, and the flagship Showcase mode, while, while it excellently represents Stone Cold Steve Austin's career, has been disappointingly reduced from five, to two different campaigns. Fans of the show or of the previous game are sure to find something to enjoy, yet it still doesn't have something that will recapture those who have already drifted away from the franchise.
Anyone with an amiibo should download this to try it out, especially if he or she enjoys puzzle games and/or Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars. Everything has been created with the same care that is found in other Nintendo titles and each of the abilities gives their collectible counterparts probably their best use yet. The mission to get gold trophies means that even the most hardened gamers will find a challenge, while those looking for a more relaxing time can complete each stage at their own pace. This makes it accessible to a range of people, as skill isn't an immediate barrier to enjoyment. The only real barrier is the cost of amiibo, but it could be enough to tip those who were interested in buying one over the edge. Anyone who already has a sizeable collection is sure to relish the extra content that is now available for no additional charge.
While it's certainly not 'bad', it's also not 'good', and is more like 'just there'. Our seas aren't that deep it seems, though not quite that shallow either.
It would be so easy to praise Stories: The Path of Destinies far more. So much of it is actually done right and is competent, from the great voice work and decent visuals to solid story and plethora of endings. The problem is that these multiple endings also offer little to no variation in regards to level variation, which quickly causes what would have been a fun and enjoyable story romp to, instead, having to start over in a "choose your own adventure" book from Page 1 every time an ending was reached. Even a bit more level variation would have easily driven this up the ranks, but, as it is, it just becomes a chore to play through. It is worth the play regardless, though. Just be ready to play through the same things a lot.
Level 22: Gary's Misadventures is an enjoyable new perspective of the stealth genre, with goofy personality and sense of humour, amusing and well-designed gameplay, and surprisingly great boss battles. Just the lack of a better closure leaves a few drops of bitterness in the mouth.
This is a fun, but relatively simple, Metroidvania - beginner-friendly, but a title that can easily satisfy a craving, especially if eager for a solid 2D platformer.
The first episode lacked that special something to elevate it to memorable status and comparable to the best Telltale has previously produced. At first, this second episode seems to suffer from the same flaws, but, thankfully, as the episode progresses and builds to its superb climax, it begins to turn that around. The Walking Dead: Michonne - Episode 2: Give No Shelter shows that Telltale may be able to salvage this series… now to see if it can pay off in the finale.
Whilst this ending somewhat redeems some of the flaws of the previous episodes, The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 3 - What We Deserve is not without issues. The short nature of the episode and the lack of playable sections, along with the limited impact the choices have on the ending, really drag it down. This is still definitely worth experiencing for fans of Telltale titles or The Walking Dead in general but, considering the pedigree and promise of the premise, this ultimately is a disappointment.
Difficulty is hard to review, and most of Kalimba's issues stem from poor balancing. Running into devious sections only to find the follow-ups to be almost rudimentary is jarring. Fortunately, the core mechanic is very enjoyable. While Kalimba could have spent more time under the microscope, the interesting mechanic and beautiful visuals should be enough to convince even the most dismissive PC gamer that there's much more to explore here, and, for that, Kalimba should be applauded.
Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 3: The Last Place You Look is a substantial improvement on the previous episode, and yet, it's still nothing to shout from the rooftops about, especially after taking a look at some of the masterpieces that TellTale has created in the past. This episode has helped get the story back on track, and was jam-packed with things to do, but almost felt like it was action for actions sake.
Telltale has clearly shown it understands the lore of Minecraft; however, that alone will not make you love the latest episode of Minecraft: Story Mode. A significant chunk of this episode was fairly dull and painfully slow, and the last 15-20 minutes were the main redeeming factor of this adventure. It'll be interesting to see how Episode 5 plays out, considering the events that happen in Episode 4.
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom doesn't particularly succeed at anything it puts its hand to. It isn't funny, with its generically off-colour humour and a bad sense of comedic timing. It's not particularly responsive, with stiff controls and awkward level design. It's repetitive, tedious, frustrating, and completely lacking in the elements that make for a good action game, or for a good comedy game. Between its crushing lack of self-awareness and bland gameplay, it's one circus that's even unfit for the sideshow.
Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code is a well-crafted title that highlights the best features of Japanese style arcade fighters. The simple, yet complex to master, systems keep the game rewarding. With the inclusion of online and offline VS modes, this stands out against other anime-style 2D fighters available through Steam and its lifespan is increased tenfold.