Cubed3's Reviews
If you have ever been turned off Metroidvanias for their tendency to prove too confusing or challenging, or pined for a larger focus on plot, Iconoclasts is the answer. By relegating the heavy exploration side of the popular genre in favour of driving a captivating narrative and characters to the forefront, Joakim Sandberg has crafted a 2D adventure that comes out as one of the most entertaining of the year, and certainly in the genre as a whole. Don't sleep on this.
Dead Cells surpasses expectations regarding gameplay and destroys the developmental cap for pixel art games. It not only reinvents a genre that has seen little diversity in the last decade, it does so in a way that encourages everyone to invest time to improve and progress. The balance between permanent upgrades and complete wipe-out upon death is perfect, as it will never feel too discouraging to reset due to the optimism that the next run will see a further dive into the world.
Overcooked 2 is more of a second helping than a brand new concoction, but that's not to be sniffed at. It features more dynamic levels, with better scope, a wide array of new restaurant themes, recipes and chef costumes, not to mention another very meaty story mode. The real evolution, however, comes in simply addressing the biggest failing of the original - its lack of online multiplayer. This addition expands things significantly in terms of its longevity, allowing friends and strangers to gather when a local session isn't on the cards. Moreover, it enables lone cooks to experience the true core experience, specifically, the unique brand of chaos that comes with running a kitchen co-operatively. Overcooked 2 is a fantastic combination of excellent music and vibrant visuals, with gameplay that is as addictive as it is dizzying. While it's not a huge leap beyond the original menu, it brings plenty to the table.
Earthlock isn't going to go down as an essential JRPG, especially on the PlayStation 4 where RPGs aren't exactly uncommon, but it will go down as a charming, respectable title that pays tribute to the PSone era of the genre without forgetting to carve an identity of its own.
Xenon Valkyrie+ is by no means a bad game, just one that needed a little bit more time in development to better polish the gameplay.
Masters of Anima is a great indie title that could have been incredible had it had some more work put in the story to break it away from cliché fantasy stories seen so often.
Zombie-shooter Crimson Earth might not be a part of the worst videogames ever made (that honour belongs to the thousands of sex-themed Steam titles), but it's definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel to find its place amongst them, mainly because its developer didn't even bother to complete it.
Q.U.B.E. 2 is an interesting puzzler with tight mechanics that do a great job at challenging gamers, especially later on. It consistently introduces new elements that add a new aspect of strategy, and these elements cohesively build on top of each other, making for some delightfully satisfying and varied levels. It's a shame that the first half of the game is a bit of a slog, but even then this is still a very solid puzzler that any fan of this genre should consider.
Suicide Guy is a game where the purpose is to kill yourself, and while this could actually offer a disturbingly entertaining time, the end result is nothing but a simplistic physics puzzler of no importance.
Assetto Corsa: Ultimate Edition is an impressive display of technology. With a powerful graphical engine, the large assortment of vehicles sitting at the 178 figure provides plenty of racing variation. With each car feeling very different to each other, patience and paying attention to every little turn, while seeing how the car handles, is the ultimate decider between winning or losing a race. Unlike other racing titles, which have a low barrier-to-entry for newcomers for their more general sense of play, Assetto Corsa is made by professionals, for professionals who truly appreciate the display of the vehicles, while paying great respect to the tracks and the challenge ahead.
Conan Exiles seems to always be flirting with a good idea, before dropping that and doubling down on being terrible. There is a lot of promise when the game starts out, and between the intense mood and solid survival mechanics, it seems like there might actually be a good time in store. However, in the sixty or seventy hours that follow, disappointment slowly builds until the whole adventure ends with a pitiful thud. The combat is dreadfully boring, and there are so many bad ideas that work against its core survival mechanic that it is a wonder the game stays interesting as long as it does. Destined to be exiled to the bargain bin, Conan Exiles is worth little more than a passing glance, and only for the hardcore survival genre enthusiasts.
Hours of Darkness is a solid DLC entry for an already great title. It certainly presents a diverse style of stealth oriented gameplay, alongside a different setting to the main story. Seeing the background context of a previously acknowledged Far Cry 5 NPC is also a neat bonus. However, there are issues with the lack of content and having just one main objective in a relatively straight and linear path means that the realistic timeframe of a play-through is going to be somewhere in the region of one to three hours depending on how incentivised the player is to complete side objectives and collect items.
Co-op alien-blasting shooter, Earthfall, is a decent clone of Left 4 Dead... and that's the problem with it, as it should be much, much more than that. Simply put, the foundation is great, but the structure on top of it is not worth the rent.
With City of the Shroud, the premise is far better than the execution. The five different sides of the story is by far one of the best parts but is buried far too often in meaningless fetch quests and mediocre writing. The combat system would be better served if it was turn-based and deeper, as spamming is simply far more effective and not particularly fun.
The original Hand of Fate had a Vita port planned, which sadly never came to fruition. Hand of Fate 2 on Nintendo Switch shows just how good that port could have been. It's so absurdly addictive and utterly unique. It improves on the original in every way and is a truly unique experience. It takes elements of so many different types of games and mashes them together; a process that usually results in a metaphorical goopy mess, but here it's somehow turned into gold.
Really, there's not much else to say here. Aces of the Luftwaffe: Squadron tries to go its own way in a crowded genre, but it fails to light that proverbial fire. Surviving a constant barrage of enemy fire is supposed to be thrilling, but it's just not the case here. Even during the most intense shoot-outs, some will find it hard to stay awake. All in all, this shmup is tough to connect with, let alone enjoy.
Forgotton Anne is a unique and strikingly cinematic experience, which makes a valiant attempt to unify the finesse of anime films with interactive gameplay.
As bad as Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn is, it could always be worse.
Sledgehammer has done a pretty good job of bolstering up a title that launched with considerably less content than its predecessors, and the recent introduction of yet another new class, the shield-carrying 'Cavalry,' is testament to this. Hop onto any online match now and it will look like half the team is carrying car doors around with them for protection. Is this exercise in shark jumping historically accurate? Nope... but then who plays Call of Duty expecting an authentic experience, eh? As for Call of Duty: WWII - United Front: DLC Pack 3, it's hardly going to set the gaming world alight, but it does exactly what it sets out to do, with both 'Operation Supercharge' and 'Monte Cassino' being particularly strong highlights.
Within the VR community, a mech title is something that is regularly touted as being something that could bring the best out of the platform. On the evidence of Archangel: Hellfire, this is certainly the case. The production values in the single-player campaign do a fine job of rivalling Skydance Interactive's movie arm, and the graphical fidelity and scale is impressive. However, the multiplayer expansion adds a real shot in the arm and provides the potential for a community to spring up and really enjoy this unique experience together.