Cubed3's Reviews
With its tight controls, solid mechanics, and fun scoring system, Tenta Shooter is an altogether pleasing addition to any shmup fan's library.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood has great level design that squanders its puzzles, beautiful artwork that wastes its characters, and gameplay that ranges from boring to being a bit broken. Truth be told, though, it does manage to pull you back in just as you were getting ready to leave. Sadly, it's unlikely anyone will have the patience to see it all the way through, as so much of the game is spent fighting the bad puzzle design and the atrocious platforming.
It is tough to recommend this DLC, especially at the price point it is offered at. Most of it simply feels tacked on, and the lack of a full overhaul of the advisors is a major missed opportunity. The "Humanoid" species pack lacks perhaps what would be most obvious: more human faces. Even beyond all this, though, the general feeling for it could best be summed up with: "Is this it?"
Perfectly accessible for friends and family to enjoy, yet also deep and challenge enough to give solo players great value for money.
8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Volume 1 is an enjoyable experience, but it feels more like an exhibit than anything else. While collection style games are always going to be a mixed bag, 8-Bit Adventure Anthology doesn't really have a weak spot so much as it has a dip with Uninvited. Fortunately, the whole package is one point-and-click fans would be downright silly to miss out on, though perhaps they'd be better off playing it somewhere else. The controls here suck a lot of the fun out of the experience, and if the games weren't as solid as they are, it would make this entire experience a lot less enjoyable.
Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut is as good as you heard it was. Thanks to a great wealth of content, not all of which is as exciting as others, it would be easy to get lost in the seemingly endless list of new levels and character unlocks, without feeling overwhelmed. Really, the game's biggest strength is how smart the puzzles are and how it balances a lot of content without feeling like there's too much. Unfortunately, some of that content feels underwhelming, almost like the game is ripping itself off.
Telltale's version of Guardians of the Galaxy may not have made the best first impression upon debut, but towards the end of the season the story had finally managed to get going in a positive way. While it may have been too little too late, the ramifications it has for a potential season two should be reason enough to get into this season. The decision-making was extremely one-sided and lacked any sense of moral urgency and quandaries. While it still suffers from the same clunky control scheme, the character development between each of the Guardians is a fascinating rollercoaster to experience. In addition, battling Thanos was a terrific way to open up the series. Moreover, the soundtrack greatly helps in setting the tone and furthering the adventure with its catchy tunes.
The Champions' Ballad is highly enjoyable and a reminder of just why this game has already won its first of what is bound to be many "Game of the Year" awards.
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.