Cubed3's Reviews
This verdict is highly caveated. Short of the balance issues, and, of course, these massive game-breaking bugs, Endless Space 2 is actually really great. It hits many right notes of the 4X genre. It is fun and hours slip away. However, seeing games that are clearly not ready to be released getting shipped off, only to have massive fan complaints and hotfix after hotfix is a very bad trend in the industry. It is hard to recommend a game, no matter how fun it may be, when it can't be finished.
There's nothing truly bad about Bokida: Heartfelt Reunion, and it certainly has its looks going for it. Unfortunately, when it comes to design, gameplay, and story, everything either feels underdeveloped or inferior to similar titles. For a couple of hours of peaceful exploration, it may be worth looking into, but after putting it down, it's unlikely that you'll ever have a heartfelt reunion with it.
In most senses, then, Everspace is quite an audio-visual treat, as well just as an excellent arcade 3D space shooter. While it's not perfect, suffering from a lack of design variance in some ways, it should be admired for committing to a fragmented sector structure, which does ensure every play session is fluid and action-packed.
The only thing that makes Summer Lesson worthwhile is that first-time playthrough. The gorgeous setting and the fact that Hikari herself is just so cute and likeable is what holds this illusion together - definitely not the gameplay… if it can even be called that. This a game that is not recommended for importing, even despite the fact all menus are in English and all dialogue is subtitled, unless there is an interest in VR experiences, not games or life-sims. As a VR experience, it is okay; it does a fine job of creating the illusion of playing a life-sim, even if that illusion only lasts for an hour.
To put it bluntly, there's never been a better time to jump into this fantastic fighting game. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is the total package. The new story content is nice, but the changes and additions to the roster really bring everything together. All of the characters are deep, complex, and rewarding to learn. The competition tends to be fierce, if not entirely on another level, but there's never any reason to feel put off. This title provides all of the necessary resources to help newcomers make meaningful progress. In short, you don't want to miss out on one of the best fighting games of the year.
Ditching the series' ensemble cast in favour of a more personal family drama is one of the best decisions Koei Tecmo has made, and the key feature that elevates Spirit of Sanada to more than just a new entry in the Warriors franchise. The roster is still massive and everyone is playable during free mode, but the story locks down characters by the mission, personalizing the Sanada family over the course of roughly fifty years of Sengoku period history. Multi-stage battles emphasize just how war-torn the Sengoku era was, while offering a breath a fresh air to the traditional series stage format. The combat is as refined as ever and the focus on Masayuki and Yukimura makes for an incredibly intimate story. Spirit of Sanada is, plain and simple, one of best precedents Koei Tecmo has set.
Besides Some technical limitations, Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition offers the same experience as other modern home console versions do, with the added benefit of being both playable anywhere, anytime. This is the key deciding factor that should determine whether one should pick this version or not over others, as this lets you play and build the same world, both at home and on the go, without any major compromises. The Wii U offered that comfort already with off-TV mode whenever someone else would want to use the TV for something else, but the Switch does way with the limitations of being away from the system hooked to the TV since the system here is completely portable, and this the best version possible outside of the realm of PC.
As ecchi visual novels go, LoveKami: Divinity Stage doesn't really do anything that could help it stand out. It is good looking, but also unremarkable; it's light-heartedly sexy and titillating, but doesn't really cater to any particular fetish; and although well-written, it won't really win any awards. In other words: enter only if a big fan of the genre… or if the price drops.
While it's nice to see how far Suda 51 has come, only diehard adventure and Suda 51 fans will be able to appreciate this. The Silver Case hasn't aged well, and feels both clunky and underwhelming. This feels like a first attempt, and compared to many others, it's a novel one. Still, it's hard to appreciate the beauty of a mirror under all the dust, and The Silver Case is definitely a dusty one.
Has-Been Heroes delivers an excellent challenge for the player and provides the perfect blend of tension and enjoyment. The combat mechanic definitely manages to be both welcoming for newer players, while still providing scope for tactical and strategic decisions through the use of spells, combined with good lane placement. There is not a lot of focus given to creating an epic memorable quest, and sometimes luck plays too big a part in victory - but this is a minor quibble when the main entertainment comes from the gameplay, which is challenging, but rewarding, both in personal rewards and tangible unlockable rewards. For a fairly modest price there is an abundance of content on offer, and with the potential for portable play it is unsurprising a Nintendo Switch port was developed alongside the Steam release.
Revenant Saga is a good game, but that's about it. It makes such minor changes to the standard turn-based combat that they feel inconsequential. For diehard RPG fans, or even people looking for a game to satiate their love of the genre, this will do the trick just fine. However, they shouldn't expect to see too much they haven't already seen before.
As a game, this is, for the most part, your standard '90s LucasArts adventure: humour, great visuals, wacky solutions to puzzles, and all. It was never a golden classic, but it certainly deserves its place in history, albeit only for the most devoted of genre fans, since it is way too short and easy. As for the remaster at hand, it retains Double Fine's love for its past creations. Long story short: check it out.
Oozing charm, Slime-san manages to capture that retro platformer feel while simultaneously adding its own touches to the genre. The high speed, low risk design allows for Super Meat Boy levels of difficulty, where death is frequent, but seldom frustrating, and the countdown for when the worm's stomach acid will begin to rise adds a level of tension few platformers ever have. With an incredible soundtrack, stellar art design, and plenty of unlockables to wade through, Slime-san is easily one of the strongest platformers to come out this generation.
While Infinite Warfare probably has more than its fair share of detractors, it can't be denied that Infinity Ward has done a bang-up job with the DLC content to date, as well as fixing the majority of the issues that plagued it initially. Anybody still invested in the multiplayer component would be foolish to pass up on Continuum, as it provides an additional four maps to stalk, shoot and explode on, as well as yet another classic 'straight to VHS' Zombie extravaganza stacked with enough funk in its rotting trunk to keep the dead party bumping.
Virtual Rides 3 doesn't do anything majorly wrong, and it strikes the right tone in creating a realistic portrayal of a theme park or fairground. The issue is that sometimes a mere tone isn't enough and there has to be another few layers on top. The VR experience is on point generally, but the optimisation could use work, and there are a good few rough edges visually that could do with extra care. Additionally, there is not a great deal of content, with only the barebones existing; admittedly, though, genre enthusiasts possibly are not too concerned and appreciate the detail in ride operation. Ultimately, this is a perfectly reasonable budget title at a modest price, but doesn't reach beyond that.
As with the DLC before it, Mass Transit brings very little new to the table, feeling less like an expansion and more like a minor content injection. It's a little worse here than before, as this one doesn't even bring the heavy visual overhaul that After Dark or Snowfall had. Still, the buildings and scenarios present are well-made, welcome additions to a game already rich in content and endlessly fun to play, making Mass Transit another solid addition to the already fantastic Cities: Skylines—but one fans will likely find themselves waiting for a sale to pick up.
Seasons After Fall is a beautifully crafted adventure title that changes the gameplay mechanics of a traditional platformer with the use of the four seasons. The story is simple, although the ambiguity of it all works in its favour, as the mysteries slowly come to light. While a few flaws creep into the latter part of the adventure, and there is some repetitive exploration, this is a great title for fans of the puzzle-platforming genre looking for another way to pass a few hours.
Disgaea 5 Complete is a natural fit for the Switch, as the features that make it more accessible than older titles in the series are highlighted through the portability of the platform. While already an excellent SRPG in its own right, the DLC added into the core game both provides a definitive experience for series veterans, while also offering several slight handicaps to newer players. Disgaea 5 Complete's strategic depth and genre-savvy charms feel perfect at home or on the go, making it an excellent addition to any growing Switch library.
A lot of games have great concepts, which are then thoroughly wasted due to bad gameplay or other issues. The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile isn't one of them. This title delivers on the cyborgs, zombies, and decapitations - that much is true. More importantly, it is superbly designed and programmed. It flicks all of those "hell yeah" switches in the gamer's brain. Before long, they're completely enthralled by the bloody spectacle. Altogether, this is a worthy pickup for slash 'em up fans.
Unlike Deck13's predecessor, The Surge has personality of its own and introduces lots of new tricks, even if a couple of them are pointless. At its worst, the environments are samey, and the lack of variety of enemies are real noticeable flaws in what could have been a cult classic. The shockingly few boss fights are also a disappointment; since robots and cyborgs are so limitless in possibility for design, it is almost heart-breaking that The Surge is so restrained with what it does have. In spite of its shortcomings, this does come recommended from a user who has been intimate with these kinds of games since Demon's Souls. It gets a lot of things right, and does stand out, thanks to its atmosphere, lack of hand holding and, of course, the brutal action.