GameCloud's Reviews
Kirby Star Allies is cute, comfortable to play, and easy to get someone else involved in, but it's also totally forgettable. I thought perhaps it was just that I hadn't played a Kirby game for years or maybe it was better suited to younger audiences, so I got my son to join in for a second opinion. However, to be completely frank, it was only ever as fun as we made it, and this was especially disappointing for him as he's always placed Kirby on a pedestal. There are certainly some components of the game I can appreciate, but, overall, the experience feels hollow.
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom was a particular disappointment for me. While beautiful and with a combat system that carries significant potential, the game is undermined by a failure to balance the combat for sufficient threat. While this could have been resolved by the simple inclusion of a difficulty setting, the game also features many weak side features, from the town-building to the side quests. Fans of the original aren’t the only ones who may get some enjoyment from returning to the world of Ni No Kuni, but I suspect there will be others like me who will leave unsatisfied for their time spent.
With the outright lazy porting treatment and entirely token presence of DMC 2, it’s difficult to recommend the Devil May Cry HD Collection, especially at its current price. If you have a console from the previous generation, you can find the exact same experience at 720p for significantly cheaper. As for the games themselves, though, they still hold up for the most part, so if you’ve never played them before and are a fan of the hack and slash genre, you owe it to yourself to play the first and third. Just wait for a price drop first if you don’t have any other way to play them.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an enthralling RPG experience that deserves your full attention. It's not a perfect game, but neither was The Witcher 1 and look where CD Projekt Red are now. Not only is this a game worth playing today, but I also hold strong hopes that, with a little trust and support, Warhorse Studios can blossom into the next role-playing juggernaut.
Attack on Titan 2's concepts are sound, much like they were in the original, but it's difficult to recommend the sequel to anyone who already played the first or who isn't a fan of the anime. While the combat is undeniably enjoyable for the first few hours, it inevitably devolves into mindless repetition – and even if you can get past that, it's a slog to play through what feels like a copy and paste of the first game in order to get to anything new. Further disappointment comes from the addition of an original character who doesn't do anything to shake things up in these earlier sections of the game or add anything of significance to the overarching plot. If nothing else, A.O.T 2's a good way to experience the story of Attack on Titan, albeit with the absence of smaller details. If you haven't played the first game and are curious about how a video game adaptation of A.O.T could turn out, maybe try this to see if it's for you.
Into The Breach is a tour-de-force of tight design, an excellent execution of an idea, and a wonderful take on turn-based strategic combat. I have pretty much nothing bad to say about it. My only wish right now is that there was more of it, that its permutations would stretch on forever, that there’d be islands that I’d ever be able to conquer, more different Vek than I’d ever be able to fight, and more different bonus objectives than I’d ever see. But I understand, design-wise, why this could never be the case. I think Subset have achieved something pretty special here; I look forward to coming back to it in all my future timelines.
With new enemies, new careers and new missions to check out, Vermintide 2 is a fantastic sequel to an already phenomenal game. It’s not perfect, with a difficulty spike so sharp that scientists could study it to make better laser pointers, but it’s great once you get into it. With satisfying combat in a vivid imagining of the Warhammer End Times, VT2 is almost a no-brainer. The real no-brainer is our undying faith in Sigmar, which should never wane even in the face of bile trolls.
Moss is a lovely little game that applies VR in ways I’m excited to see develop. The simple platforming, puzzling and fighting aren’t anything fantastic on their own, but together in a precious little storybook world, and elevated by a VR perspective, they’re a delight. It’s a shame Moss feels a little cut short, but what remains is an endearing adventure that’s a joy to take part in. A healthy mix of interesting puzzles and satisfyingly, simple combat make Moss a stand out PSVR game and a beacon for the potential of third-person games in the virtual realm.
Bayonetta 2 is an all-round improvement on the-fun-but-flawed Bayonetta, which I guess is exactly what you’d want from a sequel. It’s visually sharper and technically smoother. It feels just slightly less seedy to participate in, and it has a more coherent (but still convoluted and far-reaching) story, with basically the same combat experience that was the boon of Bayonetta-the-first. Despite all this, in my heart of hearts, I can only tentatively give it the green light for this, a consumer review. It’s a bit like junk food: enjoyable moment to moment, but after nearly 30 hours of the franchise, I feel bloated and tired, with no desire to dive back in for a second go anytime soon. Maybe with some distance, I’ll feel differently.
Bayonetta is a distinctive, sometimes-fun hack 'n' slash game with a bonkers story and interesting visual aesthetics. The core fighting mechanics of the game are excellent, but they're let down by a suspect camera and some clunk choreographing. It's also padded out with many less-good filler sections and a lot of tedious cutscenes, and these are ultimately what's putting me off giving it a whole-hearted recommendation.
This isn’t a bad remake, per se. The game functions without crashing, and it’s a close approximation of what the original Secret of Mana had on offer. The problem is that in recreating the game, Square Enix forgot what the point of a remake is. Very little in this remake can have a serious claim to being “better” than the original, and in some cases, it’s arguably worse. Once the nostalgia wears off for returning players, your enjoyment with it will go downhill fairly quickly. It’s also hard to recommend to anyone that hasn’t played Secret of Mana before since there isn’t anything noteworthy you would get out of this version that you couldn’t experience in the original.
Lost Sphear is an RPG that does its best to remind you of the classic genre titles that have preceded it, titles such as Chrono Trigger and the earlier Final Fantasy entries. Where this is obvious is in the overall tone and direction of the game, borrowing and reviving many old tropes and dusting off some familiar clichés. Where this fails though, is in the execution. When your company and the games it produces are focused on paying homage to the RPG greats of the last century, your new titles tend to lose a little of their own unique identity in service of “Remember this?” mechanics and nostalgic gameplay moments. I’d say if you didn’t have much else to do, Lost Sphear could probably occupy you for a little while, but there are many other titles I’d recommend, especially those classics, before I’d find myself willingly playing this one again.
There's no doubt that Civilization VI: Rise and Fall is a superior experience to the base game. Having said that, these mostly subtle changes add only a fine layer to the gameplay rather than overhauling the experience or providing a large amount of new content. It feels more like a major patch than an expansion, and the price tag feels a little steep for such minimal change. If you've decided not to try Civ VI in the past, this won't convert you. However, if you're a diehard, you'll probably want to suck it up and shell out for this wisp of fresh air in your Civ runs.
As a long-time fan of Monster Hunter, words can't express just how pleased I am with Monster Hunter: World. The move to current generation consoles does nothing but wonders for all the areas and monsters you'll encounter during your playthrough, and it's amazing just how well it's been positioned in terms of accessibility. It's an immense game filled with quality content, and one that's driven by an addictive and satisfying gameplay loop that never lets up. The narrative may not be anything to gawk at, but it's by no means terrible and is undoubtedly the best in the franchise. If you've ever wanted to give Monster Hunter a try, there's no better time to than now. Capcom has hit this one out of the park, and Monster Hunter: World deserves the monstrous amount of success it's been garnering.
While Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology offers a battle system unlike any others you’ve likely played, what is really on offer here is a well-told story with memorable characters. If you’re one to skip cutscenes or power through dialogue boxes, you’re going to miss a lot of what is charming about this game and be put off by battles that become less interesting as you progress. On the other hand, curious and patient players will find meaningful character dialogue voiced by a talented cast, succinct storytelling to keep your interest, and a world very different to ours to learn about.
I want to be clear that Dragon Ball FighterZ, at its core, is a great game that does so much right by Dragon Ball. At the best of times, this is essentially a perfect DB fighter. Outplaying an opponent in such a rapid, intense exchange is extremely rewarding and learning to best different techniques and approaches is a fulfilling process. It’s just a shame that these moments feel like as much work to reach as they do. If you want a basic, button mashing fighter that looks really cool, FighterZ is a great pick, but if you want a deep and engaging combat system, then prepare to dig through the former to get to the latter. An annoying lobby system and meandering story keep DBF from feeling like a wonderful package across the board, but the beautiful, faithful art and animation alone is worthy of much praise. Dragon Ball FighterZ is successful as a traditional fighting game in the world of Dragon Ball, even if it places more than a few hurdles in its own path.
Shadow of the Colossus is the gold standard of video game remakes for this generation, period. Bluepoint Games deserves all the credit for offering a remake worthy of the praise placed upon the original, and as such have given an entirely new audience license to experience one of video games most exceptional titles. Forget the cynical rhetoric around "cash grabs" and easy franchise milking with texture update "HD remasters." Instead, I hope this game becomes enshrined as a new sort of video game remake renaissance in which new and old audiences alike can experience classic titles as if they were brand new again. However you need to do it, make sure to get your hands on a copy of Shadow of the Colossus on PS4.
The Inpatient is a slow, unengaging walk through hallways with mechanical characters and irrelevant choices. It’s an incredibly disappointing execution of a nice idea that could have become so much more. When we have full games that operate successfully in VR, games that utilise the headset to inform mechanics, and games that present believable, engaging worlds, I can’t recommend The Inpatient.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm is undoubtedly a risk that Square Enix didn’t need to take. The original Life is Strange ended in a way that left fans expecting nothing more, so the prequel’s announcement came as quite a surprise. Thankfully, newcomers Deck Nine have created a mini-series that is not only respectful of the original but stands on its own as an essential prequel. The visuals may suffer from slight blemishes, and the uneven voice acting can be off-putting at times, but the game quickly makes up for this through its engaging characters, excellent pacing and great plot twists. It’s a no-brainer for fans of Life is Strange and an equally perfect starting point for newcomers.
In all honesty, I think the official release of PUBG should have been delayed further to iron out its most significant issues. Connection problems, lag, rubber-banding, and a rash of cheaters are the ingredients for an online game's death sentence if left unchecked. The devs have shown a fair amount of diligence in working on these issues post-release, however, and the future of the game could still be promising. At its core, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable experience, especially if you're playing with friends, and I think it could be the best example of a Battle Royale game to date. It just needs a bit more work and polish to get it far away from the Early Access state its currently in. If you are interested in trying PUBG, just do yourself the favour of getting on PC so you're not playing an interactive slideshow.