GameCloud's Reviews
The biggest question mark on NBA 2K19 is if the game can be separated from its economy? And the answer is no, definitely not. Your character can’t both look cool with baller swag and be good at the game unless you’re willing to put in hundreds of hours or spend a significant amount of money. However, can the game be enjoyed despite its economy? Absolutely. Despite the dire circumstances of 2K going all-in on VC, NBA 2K19 has seen a return to form for MyCareer mode as well as a solid showing across every single game mode. But when 50% of your game is heavily reliant upon a “pay-to-win” system, there is something fundamentally flawed about the product and message that you’re putting out to your players and potential audiences. I understand the need for video games to make money, but there are more ethical ways of doing so without ruining the experience along the way. Please buy NBA 2K19 because it’s a great game, but don’t give in to the pressure of the non-existent shiny gold coins – they’re just not worth it.
I applaud Bungie for taking risks with Forsaken, because most of them work well. Destiny 2 was in desperate need of new content, engaging content, content that would provide incentive to keep coming back. An expansion that would please hardcore players while still alluring new players into the ever satisfying trap of grinding for loot, and Forsaken is exactly that. It builds on everything that made the complete form of Destiny so great, and implements it into the sequel with new meaningful additions that feel innovative, entertaining, and rewarding. I’m extremely eager to see how they build on the Dreaming City and future content drops. If you’re a newcomer or a returning player who was turned off by the prominent casualisation in the first year of Destiny 2’s launch, there’s never been a better time to jump in.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 has all the workings of an excellent tactical RPG, pivoted by an interesting main cast and story, and supported by a refined version of the classic combat of the original game. With some extra benefits, like the change in thematic focus creating a refreshingly new storyline, the overall package is a powerful one. The final result is something that will appeal to the fans, but will still be able to capture a new player without confusion. I sincerely hope we'll see more from Valkyria Chronicles in the future as I believe there's still a lot to be explored here.
Forza Horizon 4 has impressed me in a lot of ways and disappointed me in some others. I can certainly see why previous entries are held so high in praise, but as an outsider to the genre, I don’t feel engaged enough to constantly come back to it as one of my go-to games. What I can see myself doing, however, is jumping on, driving around, completing a few races, and enjoying what the open world has to offer. It’s a beautifully realised racing experience that lacks in some areas but excels in most. It’s an entry into the genre that any fan can and should enjoy, while still being beginner friendly enough to open its doors to those who aren’t intimately familiar with its appeals. The fact it’s also included with Game Pass makes it a no-brainer to those subscribed and only further adds to the value of that service.
Star Control: Origins fails to capture the magic from its source material. The gameplay is dull, shallow and technically flawed, and it’s not like the story is super engaging either. There’s the occasional small-scale encounter that works well, but these alone aren’t enough to warrant a recommendation. I told one of my friends this afternoon to avoid buying the game, so “not recommended” seems about right. Hell, the fact I stopped playing after only 6 hours should give you an idea of how quickly this game loses its appeal. It’s a shame because I know how good space games can be, it’s just that this one didn’t quite cut it. One day, man, we’ll have a No Man’s Sky that doesn’t suck…
Insomniac Games are my favourite developers, Spider-Man is one of my favourite characters, and comparable games like InFamous and Arkham are among my favourites of all time. Even still, Marvel’s Spider-Man impressed me greatly. It’s not without its flaws, but swinging around, shooting webs and building up combos feels so good that they’re hard even to notice. Spider-Man’s story is exciting and hits hard at its biggest moments, while excellent writing, performances and presentation meet the high standards of the game’s magnificent mechanics. Marvel’s Spider-Man has great strengths on many fronts, and plenty of substance well worth swinging through.
At the face of it, the new Xenoblade Chronicles 2 standalone DLC, “Torna – The Golden Country,” is both an elaboration on the story for the fans and an entry point for newcomers, yet it is neither of these things in practice. While it’s still got all the fun of the original, albeit in a smaller package, it fails to add anything substantial for new or old. Ultimately, I would only recommend the experience if you’re in need of another Xenoblade kick, but even then I would steer you towards just considering playing New Game Plus on the original game.
While I just want to outright say that Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an excellent game, it’s honestly not the final message I took away from this series. The most striking take away for me has been the evolution of the character of Lara Croft, developing from a video game sex symbol in the ’90s to a legitimate heroine in the 2010s. While Lara is still sexy, it’s not her looks that define her character in a singular dimension. Her intelligence, strength and tenacity are all equal and make up the sum of her parts far more. I’m sad to say goodbye to Lara for now, but I’m also thankful for the experiences I’ve had playing these games. Lara has defined a generation of aspirational women, and I’m excited to see what awaits her in the future.
Super Mario Party is a wonderfully presented game packed full of excellent minigames; it’s just that the means to play them are disappointingly uncomplex. Mario Party mode is finally a step back to what fans have been yearning for, but the boards are small and straightforward. Partner Party, River Survival and Sound Stage are superb new additions, but having them limited to certain types of minigames means they get repetitive fairly quickly. Challenge Road is a great attempt at some single player stuff, but it feels a little undercooked too. Everything in Super Mario Party is good; it just consistently restricts itself in ways that keep it from being the great game it could have been.
When Mega Man 11 was first announced, I was somewhat wary, especially considering it was to be a new addition to the original series. However, whatever concerns I might have had quickly melted after just a short period of time with the game, which is absolutely spot-on about how it carries the classic style of Mega Man games. It has a challenging, sometimes punishing platforming design that demands both quick reflexes and a helping of forethought. The double-gear system is a fresh new mechanic that enhances the original design as opposed to attempting to replace it. The overall presentation and artistic style of Mega Man 11 gives the impression of a Saturday morning breakfast cartoon, which actually fits perfectly as a progression of the classic Mega Man appearance. For old fans of the series or absolute newcomers, this game should be an enjoyable scratch for anyone with a platforming itch.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is the best example of traditional video game mechanics executed in VR yet, amplifying and broadening 3D platforming to a whole new platform. The fundamentals, while nothing too unique, are consistently strong, allowing for the great VR mechanics and interactions to be built upon them. The wonderful tone and feel of Astro Bot’s levels paired with their thoughtful design makes it a joy throughout. Rescue Mission is directly designed around VR, while being fully featured and very high-quality, making it one of the very best VR games yet and an excellent example of the possibilities of virtual reality.
Despite taking place in a marvellously detailed, humorous, and lively world, the story of The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is rather by-the-numbers, and a lot of the game’s design harkens back to the old games in the series in the worst, most rigid ways possible. Further to this, even after a few updates, the game is still fraught with technical issues, but it is slowly being patched, and inXile has a good track record for working on their games to improve them. And the good things that are still present in this game are excellent, like the fantastic writing, refreshing approach to puzzle designs, and beautiful music present throughout. The design could also be tweaked to remove the sting of a lot of the older design tropes that cause the most grief. As it stands, the game in its current state is rough as guts, but there’s a lot of room for improvement, and I’ve faith that it will improve. It will just take time.
While some things still need to be worked on to return WWE games to the golden age of the PS1/2 era, this is the best wrestling game that has been turned out over the last 5 years. 2K seems to have finally listened to the calls of fans and critics alike and have managed to make a successful overhaul of their series work in just a year. In closing my review of WWE 2K18 last year, I vowed I wouldn’t be trying another WWE game for a few years, but I just couldn’t help myself. And I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to renege on my promise because I got to witness what could be the rebirth of top-tier WWE gaming.
It’s true that there’s surprisingly little in the way of innovation in Soulcalibur VI, and I’m not one hundred percent on board with condoning a game that takes so few risks and perhaps feels several new characters short of a final product. Yet while this complaint still stands, I can mostly forgive it because, at its best, Soulcalibur VI is a giddy pile of fun. It’s fun because it’s a particularly well-tuned version of the same free-flowing slashy-kicky fest the series has always been, but now it’s also on PC. It’s fun because it has good online matchmaking options that actually seem to work. It’s fun because the character creator is ridiculous and good and excessive. It’s fun because it’s an intuitive fighting game that provides some self-improvement tools for the competitively-minded. I like it, basically, despite how it took me a while to be sure I was even playing a new title, and I hope it sticks around for a while.
The re-release of Luigi’s Mansion provides the perfect platform for fans who’re looking to re-engage with the series before the tentatively titled “Luigi’s Mansion 3” releases on the Nintendo Switch next year. It was also a fantastic throwback to the early 2000s for a 30-year-old kid who made the error of straying from the path of N, and I relished every second playing this GameCube classic and will continue to cherish the series as a Luigi diehard. All I can say is put your money where your mouth is, and back the guy in green!
The World Ends With You is a brilliant action RPG that is worth your time if you own a Switch. Despite the inherant flaws that come with its control scheme, it tells a compelling story with complex and well-developed characters that keep you engaged for hours on end. It’s a unique experience that deserves the praise it receives from so many, and it’s made even better through the capabilities of the Switch. If you’re a fan of the genre and can look past its minor shortcomings, I can’t recommend this title enough.
Aside from some admittedly minor gripes and the typically icky post-launch content malarkey, Black Ops IIII is an undeniably appealing multiplayer gaming package. Blackout is a faster and more dynamic battle royale mode than the reigning PUBG and Fortnite; the arena mode has changed in ways that encourage team play, and strategy and Zombies is still a joy, just with more customisation. Black Ops IIII is like your dad’s favourite brand of beer that finally brought out a bolder tasting summer brew; familiar, reliable and now interesting enough for you to accept that you will one day die. Or something.
While Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun failed to make the motion control experience capture the challenging appeal of the original arcade game, it’s not without merit. The colourful presentation and catchy set list are a joy to experience, and the tap controls are responsive if a little easy to master. It’s certainly nothing to shake a stick at, but fans of the genre may not find much for them here here, especially when the console already has some solid rhythm games available.
I immediately wanted to invite some friends around so I had an excuse to bring out Playgrounds 2. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also difficult to sustain lengthy sessions of play by yourself when there’s not much more than three different modes to cycle through. It’s a decent game that ultimately suffers from a lack of content, and for that, the game stumbles before the finish line, unfortunately. While I’d recommend giving it a look, especially if you loved NBA Jam back in the day, it’s also something you could sleep on for a while before giving it a shot.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a brilliant and beautiful game, but it’s also very clearly abandoned too many of its own time-tested mechanics in favour of ones from other games. The inclusion of narrative choices is nice and selectable genders was long overdue, but then so much of the game is spent on pointless side content that offers nothing to overall gameplay except to fill the unnecessarily oversized map or delay the story. It was encouraging when Ubisoft skipped a year to develop Origins, and I’m relieved the series is going to be taking another year off in 2019. While Odyssey isn’t a bad game by any stretch, I think a more extended break might be in order, to help the series rediscover its identity. Odysseus was lost for ten years before he finally found his way home. Maybe one day, Assassin’s Creed will too.