Cubed3's Reviews
Aside from some major crash bugs and a couple of other niggling faults, portable Disgaea is right at home on Switch.
Some aspects of NASCAR Heat 3 are well done. The challenge mode is absorbing and addictive, thanks to its quick-burst nature and the interesting context of the scenarios. The career mode, too, has been improved somewhat from last year's offering, although it's nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, these elements don't make up for the rest of it. The visuals are sub-par. The engine audio and the sound of the tyres squealing are some of the worst around. The physics, the collision detection, and the damage model are all terrible. Worst of all, the force feedback is so bad it performs like a Playstation 2 era driving game. This was the major issue with last year's iteration, so it's unacceptable that this hasn't been addressed. There was little point in adding new features like dirt racing, with these issues still present. Overall, NASCAR Heat 3 doesn't have its priorities in order.
At its best, Victor Vran is an addictive action RPG with a great sense of progression and a strong visual identity of its own. At its worst, Overkill Edition muddies up a solid foundation with poor sound mixing, an unintuitive UI, and a choppy frame-rate, coupled with slowdown.
Madden NFL 19 is a sublime example of what can be achieved with a sports title. The "Real Player Motions" generates that feeling of not 'controlling' players, but rather living as the players instead. Seeing how lifelike all the players are within a match, and how they communicate with each other before and during plays, and then watching them seamlessly get into the next play, is freakishly uncanny. Franchise Mode is a huge mode to undertake with a large enough scope to get lost in, whether as a player, a coach, or a team owner, while Madden Ultimate Challenge is a complete time-hog due to the addictive nature of collecting player cards to boost the team. Finally, Longshot: Homecoming continues the story of Colt and Devin, and while it offers a nice little detour, it does not offer a lot more to the experience.
The beauty of the world depicted within Candle: The Power of the Flame is immediately apparent, as it comes alive through striking design, superb musical direction, and memorable characters. Numerous design issues soon become apparent, yet regardless of this, dedicated fans of the adventure genre would be wise to give this one a look, albeit a cursory one as it requires patience and persistence.
From a pure mechanical point of view Lost on Mars is decent. It generally retains the fun of Far Cry 5 action in a different setting and story. The problem comes in the execution, with the previous originality and variety of missions and situations replaced by bland tower climbing and frustratingly repetitive boss fights. There is humour in Hurk and his tale and the AI 'ANNE' displays all the traits of a typically psychopathic computer system well. However, this humour only goes so far and can't assist in battling through the hours and hours of looped gameplay with weapon upgrades being the only meaningful reward for doing so. It is fair to say it hasn't been a vintage collection of expansion campaigns for Season Pass holders so far, with many arguably wanting more quality so far for Far Cry 5. Hopefully, the final one will make up for these disappointments.
Overall, this Forsaken expansion has made Destiny 2 a journey worth returning to. The daily grind feels a lot more manageable, with more chances to obtain end-game gear. There are some exciting new modes to dip into, and the new bounties system really encourages players to dig deep into the world. Destiny 2 is still an end-game grind, but with all the new and interesting ways to obtain your favourite gear, it's a much more rewarding experience than before.
What begins as an arduous system to control, in time becomes a pleasure upon first race win, and the hidden depth of VSR: Void Space Racing's frictionless competitive courses is fully revealed. Offering a unique take on the racing genre as a whole, the biggest stumbling block, aside from the steep learning curve, is how little of the game there actually is, track and vehicle-wise, even with the low price-tag in mind.
The nightmare that is Final Fantasy XV will continue as Square Enix patches and updates content to it while producing more pointless DLC episodes. Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD is not so bad since it cuts out so much of the agony that bogged it down. Is Pocket Edition HD worth it? Yes, it is since it tells the exact same story with greater efficiency. It is missing a lot of the finer qualities, like the fishing and the attention to detail, in exchange for a more focused story experience that lasts about 10 hours. The lack of scope, however, really does underline how weak Noctis' quest really is when all the car riding and fetch quests are cut. The meat of the story involves running a few errands and a few climaxes later on, with only a smidgen of character development.
There is some fun to be had with Coffin Dodgers, at least for a short period of time, but don't expect to put more than a couple of hours into the game without running out of things to do. There are better kart racers on Nintendo Switch, namely Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and for the price-tag it doesn't really offer much value.
Final Fantasy XII is a good game that broke a lot of ground upon release, as an RPG, as a work of fantasy, and as a Final Fantasy entry. With that said, The Zodiac Age feels like a bare-minimum up-port, with little besides the textures being improved.
Lumines has always been a challenging game, and that hasn't changed in this remaster. Despite excluding some modes and tracks from later games in the series, rendering it not quite the supreme title it could have been, Lumines Remastered is a great package that will suit puzzle purists seeking an addictive title to reward skill and dedication.
When it comes to adventuring, exploring the unknown, and the raiding of tombs, this is some of the finest in the series. Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes Lara Croft to the most beautiful locations of the Peruvian jungles, rewarding players that search around with well-made and challenging tombs. For a change, it actually feels like you are a treasure hunter grappling and platforming through ancient ruins. Unfortunately, this is all offset by a forgettably weak and over-dramatic story, and simple combat sequences that do little to push creativity, underutilising what is otherwise a cool stealth and camouflage mechanic. In many respects, it is the best in the trilogy - but it is also so severely lacking in other areas that it just doesn't reach its full potential.
La-Mulana 2 doesn't reinvent compared to its predecessor, but it doesn't have to. The foundation left behind by the original La-Mulana is strong enough to justify a sequel that, on the whole, follows the same beats as the original. Exploration is deeply satisfying as Eg-Lana is one of the finest crafted worlds in a Metroidvania; puzzles require genuine use of critical thinking more than not; and, while the curve perhaps isn't as refined as in the original, the difficulty provides a consistent challenge from start to finish. La-Mulana 2 is more of the same, in the best way possible.
The main strength of The Gardens Between is the deeper meaning found within. It utilises a largely voiceless and textless narrative to great effect. Not only is this an impressive feat on its own, it showcases the brilliance of the medium. This game eschews tradition to draw players into a fascinating world. As they witness the memories shared by Arina and Frendt, they may find themselves recalling their own childhood. While those memories aren't always the kind one can look back on with fondness, their significance can't be understated or forgotten. They are what shape us.
Although METAL MAX Xeno offers an intriguing mix of tank-based and on-foot battles, its low-budget and adherence to JRPG traditions makes it feel like a relic of the bygone age. The characters are largely forgettable and sometimes embarrassing. Then there's the story, which is competently told and not much else. Still, for whatever it's worth, the journey is a pleasant one. The player's experience won't be bogged down by needlessly long load times or a mind-numbing user interface. This post-apocalyptic trek, much like any decent vacation, is designed to be relaxing and convenient.
PES is always such a hard game to review and a frustrating one to score. Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, despite the issues mentioned previously, is by no means a bad game. In fact, this is a very good game. It is probably the single best representation of the sport of football that someone has created in the videogame medium. It represents the beautiful flowing moves and the tough as nails tackles. It represents the skill and movement of a variety of different types of players. It makes it a challenge to score great goals past strong AI defenders and rewards putting time and dedication into developing teams and tactics. All of this is wonderful and just what a football title should be. The issue is that whilst people can appreciate this for a few years, standing still is not acceptable when charging full price for a new version every year. There are some glaring flaws that need real focus and attention in order to elevate PES back to the glory days as the king of football.
Red's Kingdom strives to combine simple rolling puzzles with the exploration part of a Zelda game... and it just doesn't manage to make the mix actually any fun, mainly because players will have to go through the chore of solving the same puzzles all over again... and more than once.
It feels really, really good playing Velocity 2X, whether you fly the teleporting spaceship, or run with the teleporting heroine - and all the while a pretty catchy set of tunes bop along. On the… not so bright side, though, the action can get a tad repetitive, and, somehow, this heavy focus on speed-running sort of damages what seems like the groundwork for a much more meatier experience.
Despite being functionally solid and enjoyable, Rigid Force Alpha's lack of identity is very apparent. Occasional cameos and background references are fine, but cloned enemies and bosses is going too far. The overly familiar environs and scenarios aren't going to excite genre veterans, either. While it may be difficult to create something that has never been seen before, it has to be easier to create something that isn't seen very often. At least when it comes to features, there isn't much to complain about. Alongside a slew of achievements for thrill-seekers is an arcade mode with a lot of replay value. Even if this shmup isn't as imaginative as it could be, at least its heart is in the right place.