Cubed3's Reviews
Kamiko costs about $4.99 and can be beaten in under an hour. Visually, it is nothing impressive or interesting... There are far better looking pixel art games out there on the Switch, such as Blaster Master Zero. The core mechanics aren't broken or anything, it is completely serviceable, but it just lacks anything of interest to make Kamiko worth any time at all.
All the time bending clichés could have easily applied to The Sexy Brutale, but instead of riding on the shoulders of other titles that have gone before it, this is a game that shows that a flashy mechanic is more than the sum of its parts. With a narrative that is driven by discovery and an overall theme that oozes style and panache, The Sexy Brutale takes the player through a streamlined and perfectly paced investigative adventure that is genuinely witty and profound.
The problems with Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 are manifold. Although some players might be able to stomach the long load times and poor framerate, it's unlikely they'll endure the countless bugs. The three regions that the game takes place in are sufficiently large. They're also filled with the appropriate amount of secrets and general busywork. Unfortunately, Georgia feels static and lifeless. Enemy troops don't have a purpose beyond shooting it out with the protagonist. While putting an end to these hapless goons is entertaining, it doesn't justify suffering through all of the other setbacks.
LEGO City Undercover is a fantastic addition to any LEGO fans' Steam library. It's a ball of endearing charm and comes with familiar gameplay that ought to keep people busy well past its monetary value. Co-operative play is a great addition to the game and it really helps to breathe life into the adventure, maybe even for those who played it through on Wii U already several years back. It's a thoroughly entertaining experience that is wholly recommendable.
Tangled Up in Blue is an excellent pilot that does a superb job in introducing each of the Guardians to new players, while remaining very faithful to their source material.
Prepare to become addicted once again as the mother of all time sinks is back and bigger than ever. Puyo Puyo Tetris is an absolute delight that will scratch that puzzling itch and plug the Tetrimino-shaped gap that's been left unfilled this generation so far. SEGA has competently engineered a mash-up that feels like the definitive version of not one but two timeless classics and packed enough variety into its plethora of modes to make it a somewhat essential purchase for both solo and social blockheads.
Mr. Shifty's shifting is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable combat mechanics ever conceived. Teleporting through offices, smashing furniture and enemies in a flurry of kicks and punches is a wonderful visual spectacle, as well as an adrenaline-fuelled treat. Allowing the story to take a back seat so the action leads the way certainly feels like the best move in this case, but there's certainly some room for a more thought-out and quirky narrative. Meanwhile, some frustrating checkpoints can make the more frustrating fights that bit more annoying.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII: Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack is a great release, both in terms of its base, but also when it comes to the expansion element, which is where all too often other games can go off the rails. They either don't offer enough change to be justified, or they change things too dramatically when it was neither necessary, nor called for. The Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack manages to find a nice spot in the middle. Any fan of the original would be remiss to overlook it, and any newcomers should pick it up with the base game for a fantastic experience.
The real issue for Expeditions: Viking is simply whether or not someone is a fan of this older style WRPG experience. This offers very little to stand out from the crowd in this regard and modern gamers may be put off by various UI issues, or the heavy stat dependence. However, for those who liked these kinds of games, it sticks true to the recipe and the different resolution of quests is interesting to see. Trying different builds or dialogue options gives the potential for replay. One of the major things currently weighing it down is the various issues outstanding, matters that seem like more rigorous testing was required or something that comments from players would fix in a future update. The potential for a pretty fun game is present, but at this stage is still at least a patch or two away from being great.
The wait was worth it for this puzzle mashup, as Puyo Puyo Tetris embodies everything great about its namesakes, and compliments the host hardware perfectly. Concerns arise about the lack of Japanese voice work as an option, but as an overall package of content and pure replayability there are few better crossovers than this one.
While Herald: An Interactive Period Drama has some incredibly annoying issues, it's still shaping up to be an interesting experience overall. With some of these rough edges filed down, this could be one of the most compelling visual novels around. Hopefully, the next two books take what this game excels at and makes them even better, with feedback from gamers taken on-board.
Fourtex Jugo works well enough, but that doesn't resolve its problems. Everything here runs the gambit between lifeless and annoying; there's no rhyme or reason to how the game functions, and nothing that does make sense is engaging. This seems all too happy to make the player feel stupid, and comes off like the arrogant jerk telling everyone how cool he is.
Night in the Woods is an expertly written story wrapped up in a 2D platform adventure blanket. Whilst not the epitome of actual gaming, it can still hold its own in the face of competition. What makes Infinite Fall's piece of entertainment so compelling, though, is definitely its charm and storytelling expertise, providing such an engrossing tale, complete with sublime audio-visual presentation, making this an essential purchase for those that love to be drawn completely into the world they are playing through.
Far too often developers pay "homage" by lifting elements from far better games and stripping them down to their shallowest parts. Unfortunately, Shock Tactics is no different than those vain attempts at cashing in on a much better franchise. Point Blank Games steals as much as they can from XCOM, but they neglect to snatch any of the charm and level design that made the series so popular. The enemy AI is horrendous, maps under designed, and missions range from easy to annoying, but never challenging. In a world where XCOM exists, there is little reason to give Shock Tactics the time of day.
Mantis Burn Racing is a fun racing game that throws out the simulation of modern driving titles, instead opting for the high speed, sand-kicking arcade racer. With nine cars ranging from light, medium, and heavy cars to choose from, players can compete against the AI or online to prove who is king of the racetrack. With a few different events to select from that vary in difficulty, and a host of tracks to race in, this is definitely one of the more enjoyable racers on PlayStation 4. While riddled with glitches and bugs, none is truly game breaking, and can be tolerated by those who are patient, although it is annoying having to constantly restart the game due to freezes and the like.
Travel the world, visit exotic distant lands, meet exciting and unusual people…and kill them. The Hitman: Season One edition has definitely been worth the wait for any hesitant stealth fans that were unwilling to buy into Square Enix's original episodic vision. Bolstered with enough additional content to keep even the most dedicated contract killer occupied for the foreseeable future, it boasts enough variables to enjoy an almost infinite replay value. Figuring out fresh and inventive new ways of delivering death to a bunch of evil wrongdoers never gets old (which ironically also applies to anybody unfortunate enough to find their name on Agent 47's to do list).
Usually when it comes to videogames, there are qualities that allow them to stand out, in a good or a bad way. One Dog Story doesn't quite have that distinction. For the most part, it's just a solidly built game. It does everything in its power to keep players occupied for several hours.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII: Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack is a mix of many small and elegant changes that ultimately helps the core game becoming the best it can be - the best sort of expansion in other words. On top of that, there is the new meaty prestige system that really helps shape the officer life into a much more entertaining experience than in the core game and could easily have been sold on its own. This makes it a mandatory expansion to own for both veterans and new players alike if they are looking for the best possible experience.
There's enough variety and challenge here to keep players engaged and coming back to VR Sports time and time again. The environments are simple but attractive, the controls are terrifically accurate, the hit detection is excellent, and the variety of skills to master is wide enough to appeal to a sizable audience. It's a great way to show off VR to others, as well as satiate your competitiveness through its leaderboards, all the while getting a bit of a workout and having some fun.
For anyone who has been interested in trying out an otome visual novel this is a perfect entry into the genre. There are tons of playthroughs to see the whole story, a wide range of characters to romance, and truly compelling tales waiting in this superb story. It's also a must-buy for the hardcore fans out there. For those who have invested numerous hours to see every romance, with endings both good and bad, this is the perfect accompaniment. It's a fresh breath of life that manages to tell new tales and even give further insight into beloved characters.