Cubed3's Reviews
Cities: Skylines - Snowfall is a rare expansion that manages to bring holiday cheer to a game that could have easily exposed it for a cheap cash-in if it wasn't done right. However, there is just enough added challenge and detail to the expansion that makes it a welcome addition to the core experience. It is by no means essential, but it adds some twinkle to the transport and some ho-ho-ho to the heating. Cities: Skylines - Snowfall is a perfect expansion to welcome in the Christmas season.
In a sense, 3Souls is amazing because it has the decency to be universally bad. There are no qualifiers that need to be added, no "Well, if someone enjoyed this other game, they might enjoy 3Souls." There is no one that will like this, and 3Souls is one of those rare games that is entirely devoid of any merit. It is a short, pointless, boring chore that doesn't have a single good idea from beginning to end. The only good thing is they waited so long to release the second and third episodes that hopefully everyone else out there forgot this existed and won't have to play it. This isn't a reason to dust off the old Wii U again. If anything, this is a reason to launch it through the window and never look back.
Unbox: Newbie's Adventure does have appealing factors, such as a breadth of challenges and large sprawling hubs; however, the game is somewhat let down by poor visuals coupled with frustrating platforming sections that can often go wrong by no fault of your own. Unbox has released in a year where mascot platformers have returned with a vengeance, and unfortunately cannot stand toe to toe with them.
Cat Quest is an ideal little RPG to introduce to youngsters, especially given the charming pun-filled script and plentiful kitties, but those jumps in difficulty can mean a helping hand may be required on more than a few occasions. Despite its looks, though, the older generation with a love for all things feline will find a lovely, if short, Zelda-like adventure worth giving a go.
Caveman Warriors is a cutesy-looking title that is devilishly difficult as a single-player experience. Though still fun to play through, the large wave of enemies can sometimes be a little insurmountable, while the boss fights can vary from easy to defeat to unfairly difficult. However, playing it in local multiplayer seems to be the way to go, as it is more fun to work together in a team and knock away the enemies. It retains the difficulty, though, as dying is for good - until a checkpoint is reached by the surviving members. Unfortunately, the game suffers due to the animation glitches and that dreadful boss glitch that centres on the Cavernator's second encounter. Despite this, Caveman Warriors is still a game that is worth checking out.
Seasoned card battlers and intrigued newcomers alike should be interested in Culdcept Revolt. Its complexity and customisability makes it one of the most replayable games in the 3DS' library, even just in single-player, while its accessible online play and well-crafted tutorial make it a perfect jumping-on point. More than just a card gaming simulator, there's plenty of care and attention poured into this; its wealth of cards and malleable multiplayer make it a genuinely viable alternative to traditional tabletop games.
There are so many big games these days, it's easy to forget the details of one even as recently as last gen, and L.A. Noire does a fantastic job in reminding just how good it is. The story is engaging, the investigations are fun, the world is deep and immersive, and the interrogations are truly unique. Even with the slight performance woes, the game is very impressive on Switch, especially in handheld mode. This, along with titles like Skyrim and DOOM, sets a promising precedent, and open the door to many other games well deserving of remasters that would be amazing to be able to play on handheld.
Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV has a few technical flaws, but at its core it is a very fun and lengthy fishing RPG. This VR game comes highly recommended to even those who did not like the original Final Fantasy XV thanks to its ease of play and in-depth character customization. Fans of the original titles will find much to appreciate here, like the frequent cameos of the cast and the ridiculous unlockable outfits. This is one for the few PSVR games that feels like a full game and not a tech demo with dumbed down gameplay. Even if this was not a VR game, on its own merits there is nothing like Monster of the Deep thanks to its delightfully weird hodgepodge of game ideas. This was a game nobody expected to be good, yet in spite of the odds, Square Enix really did deliver one of the more enjoyable VR games on the market.
There are legitimate moments of fun and almost a harkening back to major JRPG classics in Tokyo Xanadu eX+, but all too often the pacing detracts from being truly great. The battle system is excellent, with a single but significant flaw of fighting with only one character, despite the large crew acquired. The entire game would be better served immensely by being about half its length, as nothing truly gets kicking before it burns out on itself.
Rarely is a game like this passable, yet hints at such greatness that could have been.
Syberia 2 is an all-round success, improving upon the port of the original adventure in many ways. The core story may take a different slant to the previous one, and some puzzles may not live up to the high bar set in the first outing, but this is still a highly enjoyable journey throughout, with everything perfectly adapted for the Nintendo Switch setup, looking great in docked mode, but working even better when played in portable form using the touch screen. Kate Walker's third escapade cannot come to Switch soon enough!
Witty, charming, and full of personality, Chaos on Deponia is an incredibly endearing point and click adventure that will make audiences forget they have been playing with a controller the entire time. Moving with the analogue stick is incredibly fluid and cycling through hotspots with either the shoulder buttons or the right analogue is an inspired decision that completely negates the need for a mouse. Puzzle solving still feels natural and the new control scheme never gets in the way of the action. With a hilarious script, beautiful animation, and fantastic voice direction, Chaos on Deponia is as enjoyable in 2017 as it was in 2012.
Although WWE 2K18 brings a number of changes and improvements to the long-running series, its handling of the MyCareer mode is truly baffling. Whatever ambitious qualities it might have had are buried under a snore-inducing grind. Almost everything from boots to suplexes is locked away inside loot crates. If the player wants to craft their own wrestler and guide them to glory, they're better off sticking to create-a-superstar and participating in the WWE Universe. Otherwise, their avatar is going to be a poorly-dressed schmuck with a very limited set of abilities. Take this critic's advice, and just ignore MyCareer entirely. The other gameplay modes are where the entertainment is at.
Tequila Works has just about squeezed this beautiful game from other home consoles into the smaller form of Nintendo's Switch. Despite the chronic performance issues that are found throughout in this iteration, it all just about holds together well enough, and, thankfully, the core adventure shines through so brightly that gamers preferring to sample this on-the-go, whilst they are not getting the smoothest version, will be satisfied enough with the sacrifices made to make Rime work in the first place.
Odysseus Kosmos and his Robot Quest isn't the best it could be, but it lays down the foundation for a point and click adventure with a lot of heart and soul.
Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today doesn't try to reinvent the wheel or fix some of the genre's frequently occurring, yet small, flaws, but that's not a problem, as point-and-click adventures are mainly about the story and presentation. In that regard, this will surely offer a fun, and heavily dark, ride in the few hours that it will last. The only problem? It strongly feels as if it is missing its final chapter.
For anyone who's looking to experience Cities Skylines and doesn't have access to a PC, this is the version to purchase. It's a thoroughly enjoyable game that really captures the old-school simulator catharsis. It's very addictive and with promises of more patches and potential for more DLC, it's probably going to be the long term leader of the city building genre on consoles for a long time to come. Heartily recommended to all who are interested!
DreamBreak fails to offer much because it's just so dull. Sure, the controls are bad for the most part, but that's made up for by some enjoyable, yet again, mostly boring gameplay. It never aims to be much more than a typical adventure game, and fails to even get that right thanks to its myriad of issues. Due to that, it really can't be recommended to anyone other than genre diehards, and that cousin of yours you're trying to trick out of his birthday money. "Bet you can't beat this game without throwing the controller." Don't take that bet!
The timeless style of the visuals and jazzy music gives this a charm that is rarely achieved. Hopefully, this will pave the way for the superior de Blob 2's PS4 conversion.
Those who want their rhythm games to have a high level of challenge, a memorable soundtrack, and more variety in terms of gameplay, stay away from Super Beat Sports. Those who are content with something that's (relatively) cheap, casual-friendly, extremely cute, and fun despite a lack of depth, try out the demo, and if you like what you see (and hear), by all means, feel free to throw your money at it.