Cubed3's Reviews
Cosmic Snake 8473/3671 is a falling block puzzler that's unlike almost everything else out there. However, if willing to make time for it, players will discover that it's very addictive and enjoyable. The unique mechanics benefit heavily from the simplistic controls and varied pacing. Gamers essentially have all of the time in the world to figure out how everything works. The "sandbox" design allows for immense freedom in building the perfect cavern for leading monsters to their demise. Altogether, this is a fresh take on an established genre that will steal away dozens upon dozens of hours.
Cast of the Seven Godsends is not without its frustrating and/or unfair moments, but it manages to provide a rewarding feeling in small doses, when an obstacle is finally overcome with enough perseverance. However, the uninspiring visuals and a soundtrack that doesn't quite manage to do its job of reinforcing the hectic and sometimes heavy atmosphere, prevent it from truly landing its grip on gamers who will not be compelled to come back for more afterwards. Fans of Ghosts 'N Goblins-like titles may want to have a look at this, but wait perhaps for a sale to do so as, indeed, it lacks some replay value after finally seeing the ending.
Riptide GP: Renegade on Switch turns to be a faithful port of other home console versions of the same game, complete with the same qualities but also a slightly regrettable lack of two features that could have been possible: gyro/touchscreen controls, as well as support for local wireless or LAN multiplayer. It does add, however, an excellent implementation of single Joy-Con support, ensuring wonderful two-player sessions on the go in split-screen or simply allowing a player with few available controllers to invite friends to participate in the fun when playing in the comfort of their home.
Bundling together three tables based on three great games, all complete with great soundtracks and visuals properly licensed from their creators without funky alterations or replacements, the Bethesda Pinball pack is perhaps the best licensed package available in Pinball FX3 to this day, not just for the content represented, but also because of the great gameplay mechanics and systems being used here to enhance the pinball experience in unique, original ways.
With the build-up of two prior games to firmly provide a foundation, some truly dark and disturbing moments, emotional highs, strong character connections, and overall glimmer of hope, there is no doubt as to what the final score could be for Muv-Luv Alternative. To consider it anything less than wonderful is to short-sell it due to its powerful moments and well-written plot.
Vesta is the perfect... average game. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but there's also nothing special here, either. It's a simple action-puzzler, with simple tests of wit, and simple mechanics to deal with them.
Strictly as a videogame, Dark Souls Remastered is the fantastic original, but with a bunch of welcome updates. Purely as a remaster, however, it's disappointing, to say the least. This had the chance to offer the best 'Souls' title (Bloodborne excluded), while also adding improvements from newer instalments - instead, it's just a patch/visual upgrade, and a low effort one at that. Plus, the PC version is currently the buggiest one.
Gal*Gun 2 is a very shallow game that has a decent story underneath some braindead gameplay.
Wizard of Legend is one of those rare titles where it's easy to come back to it at any time. The game, for having so few bosses and levels, never begins to feel dull or repetitive. There's tons of variety in equipment and spell loadouts, and the dungeon changes enough each time that it never really starts to feel stale. It would be nice if there was a little more variety in the stages offered, but there are enough unique combinations that each adventure is always fresh and exciting.
oOo: Ascension is enjoyable enough for what it is. It sometimes has a bit of an identity crisis trying to figure out what it wants to accomplish with its design, but when it manages to intertwine its puzzle and precision elements, you will find some satisfying stages. These don't come that often, however, and the fact that there's no online leaderboard or any challenging optional objectives means there's barely any replay value, either. If pictures and trailers of the game pique interest levels, then you might get something out of the full product, but otherwise most won't lose much by skipping it.
The Nameless Chronicles was only a marginal improvement over Gate of Memories and both campaigns are not recommended at all.
Gameplay-wise, The Outlaw, The Drunk, & The Whore is not as unique as its quirky name would have you believe it to be, as it's just a simple, and only marginally enjoyable hack 'n' slasher - and not a flawless one at that, as fighting can also be annoying, due to the melee attack's short range and slow speed.
Kona VR falls under the rather unflattering title of Walking Simulator - a title that detracts from what each game has to offer. Kona VR tries to break out of this label by focusing on the survival elements, and it works. Mostly. The environment, atmosphere, and dread make Kona memorable and the new VR features make it even better.
There are not really enough good things to say about Psychonauts and most of them have already been said at this point. It's still an amazing platformer that married gameplay and storytelling better than any other title like it. It's a fantastic adventure that everyone should at some point play. With Psychonauts 2 on the distant horizon, though, there's never been a better time to get reacquainted with Tim Schafer's old masterpiece.
Rainbow Skies is not only uninspired, it feels almost like a cheap nostalgia cash-in for JRPG enthusiasts. The characters are generally annoying and mostly one-dimensional, and the writing is quite poor and riddled with syntax issues. The explorative nature of the game is something that players might be drawn to, but that's not enough to carry the significantly weaker portions of the game. The combat system is sort of cute in its simplicity, but it's not unique enough to keep players invested throughout all the annoying little quirks that fill up the majority of Rainbow Skies
If you want to get away with sticking a book on a console, it is pretty important to make the actual tale an intriguing one, and - better yet - add in some useful interactions. This all feels so empty, even when attempting to drive the conversation in certain directions. Mundane is the perfect word to describe Three Fourths Home, and its Extended Edition post-game story content is simply more of the same weak melodrama. There are so many alternatives out there vying for your attention; check them out instead.
Illusion: A Tale of the Mind is a marvel to look at and enjoy from a puzzle standpoint. However, it starts to bog itself down with a quirky storyline that carries the action along well enough to start with, but becomes increasingly convoluted and eventually downright boring, to the point where the ending will leave most sighing with relief, which is a massive shame as the core gameplay is very intriguing to start with, but is dragged down by an over-reliance on switch-hitting towards the end.
From the tight controls to the charming aesthetic, there's very little holding SpiritSphere DX back from being one of the best multiplayer titles on Nintendo Switch.
It will be hard to remain interested in Smoke and Sacrifice for more than a handful of hours. By then most will realise that what started as an emotive journey, ends up being an endless series of unbalanced crafting, unexciting exploration, and controller-breaking, clunky fighting.
In some ways, Siegecraft Commander works well for the VR medium; it introduces an apt and engaging control mechanism with the structure flinging. In addition, the control of the map and units and the touches of love in the UI all are positive things. The disappointing part is that the main gameplay on top of those things is just simply not anywhere near engaging or interesting enough to make for a great experience. Battles, whilst having a touch of strategic thought, more often than not descend into a boring slog of tower-defence mechanics. Similarly, the campaign is not interesting or lengthy enough to pull the rest of the game up to standard. It's not the cheapest VR strategy title on the market, either, and with multiplayer effectively dead, the chances of having a long-term relationship with Siegecraft Commander looks rather unlikely.