Culture of Gaming
HomepageCulture of Gaming's Reviews
The feeling of tension and anxiety and fear of what might lurk around the corner are hallmarks of the horror genre. But eventually those feelings will fade when you realize the monster is usually behind you, and it’s the story that needs to do the heavy lifting. Dollhouse hits that point early and often because of its repetitive gameplay. The true enjoyment from Dollhouse is found not in its empty environments or repetitive tasks, but in slowly piecing together the history of the characters in the story. But it doesn’t change the fact that by the end, I just wanted it to be over. This is one movie that you shouldn’t rush to the theater to see.
We really wanted to enjoy Below. We wanted a gripping indie game to suck us in and get us lost in its world, but overall all we gained from this was a headache and a loss of breath from sighing in discontent. If you like hard games just because of a challenge, give it a try. If you want a worthwhile experience though, you might want to look somewhere else.
YouTubers Life OMG! Edition is a cute little game that peers into the hectic nature of running a “U-Tube” channel while running your own life. Unfortunately, the monotonous gameplay leaves what could have been “simple but fun” as “simple and grindy”.
Roundguard is a likeable game, nothing that will keep you enthralled for long, however. I think it would be more suited to be played on a Switch or a phone. I played Roundguard on a PS4. Thus, I feel I must judge it as a PS4 title. Roundguard is a good game if you want a game to play for an hour to run through and pass the time. However, it offers little more beyond that. The core idea that Roundguard has is decent, it just needs to be expanded upon. If you want to play Roundguard, I suggest picking it up for Switch or on your Phone instead. I reviewed Roundguard on the April 14th, 2020, over two weeks after its initial release on the PS4 on March 25th, 2020. If you’d like to check our more reviews from us at Culture of Gaming, feel free to check out the review section of our website. If you’d like to read even more reviews from a variety of outlets, feel free to check out Open Critic, a brilliant website to gain information on games!
Neon City Riders is a title that, on the surface, seems content to settle into the indie niche of 80s aesthetic. However, beyond that veneer is a game that carries ambitions that aim to set itself apart from its contemporaries. These ambitions don’t always pan out — and I occasionally came across some glaring flaws in its gameplay, UI, and optimization. One can’t help but wonder if more time in the oven would have resulted in a more cohesive product?
Doughlings: Arcade is a fun, albeit repetitive experience that’s saving grace is its level creator. Arcade fans and block breaker fans will definitely enjoy this game. It’s a simple, humorous adventure with enough to content to justify its low price. But beware the game’s flaws before deciding to pick it up.
In my time playing Zombotron I experienced some really high ups, but also very annoying downs. I really love the aesthetic this game is going for and I think the gameplay is really fun once you give it time and become acclimated to it. The first run through the spaceship is really fun. I enjoyed getting more comfortable with the weapons I had and progressing through the rooms filled with a combination of aliens and zombies was a blast. Once I hit that first boss though, I instantly stopped having fun with the game and it honestly went downhill from there. The experience with the bosses really soured any goodwill I had towards this game. Without them, it’s not bad. I just cannot overlook how aggravating the experience with them is.
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is not a very good game. The story and characters are rather uninspired, and it fails to properly parody the fantasy genre, by falling victim to just as many of its tropes. The dialogue is average at best, and leaves a lot of humorous lines hanging to no applause. The game play kills any possible enjoyment one would get from the story. And for a $29.99 price tag, I would suggest avoiding this title. The same publishing team also ported Sphinx to the Switch recently, and that would be a better use of your money.
Mainlining offers little but a frustrating experience on the Nintendo Switch. It’s all too clear how the PC version would be superior in every single regard, while also costing five dollars less there. From broken mechanics, poor keyboard functionality, and no indication of what you’re supposed to be doing, Mainlining is a game that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. If the idea does at all intrigue you, look into the original PC version. It’s likely that even a basic laptop could run the game, and with the amount of typing needed and window jumping required, a keyboard and mouse are practically a must for a decent experience.
Despite the potential that Fade to Silence has, there is no denying that this is a bad game. It suffers from poor game play, poor development, lack of polishing, a useless narrative, unbalanced difficulty, a lack of focus, outrageous levels of repetition, the problems with this game just go on and on. However, this doesn’t change one thing. I had a ton of fun with this game. The $49.99 price tag is really steep for the quality of the game you’re getting. But for a second, imagine that really god awful movie, that you love to death because of how fun that movie was to watch. That was Fade to Silence for me.
For every slightly redeeming feature AeternoBlade II showcases, such as the interesting boss and world design, the game does ten things terribly wrong that makes experiencing those interesting nuggets nigh impossible . At every turn I prayed something would stand out. I wanted to meet a new character I liked, fight a boss that really took me, or even hear a song that would move me. None of those things happened. Instead, I had the realization that I was playing a bad game that wasn’t going to get better. And sure enough, it never did.
Supermash will inevitably go down in the annals of gaming history as wasted potential. It presents itself with a can’t miss the concept, but manages to miss on all accounts.
Do not get this game. You will regret the purchase near instantly. The game is broken, unpolished, cluttered, and just not fun. RIOT: Civil Unrest will inevitably be a free game of the month at some point. Pick it up then if you want, try it and let me know if you runs the same for you. But other than that, I just wouldn’t touch this game. If you found a small, gold nugget in here, or you just want to see if it’s as bad as I say, then feel free to pick it up. But be warned. This game made me want to throw a riot in frustration.