Cubed3's Reviews
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.
The Deer God gets points for trying to mix things up in two genres that are growing increasingly stale. It's a balancing act that the game manages to maintain, but much like the tightrope walker who never falls but is always flailing, the illusion is definitely broken. Perhaps if the formula was tweaked to make the experience a bit more fair and to have a lot more going on, The Deer God would be the game it clearly set out to be.
In short, there will never be another fighter quite like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The staggering roster has some notable flaws, but an admirable effort was made to provide something for everyone. The X-Factor sub-system could have used a bit more development time in order to iron out the issues. Even taking into account all of the frustrating nonsense that can occur, this game is still very impressive. The Xbox One port is really good, though there aren't enough additions to win over anyone who has played the previous version extensively. For everyone else, it's still a worthwhile pickup.
What starts off as a unique concept for a platformer doesn't stand up to extended play sessions, but those looking for a small arcade game with a lot of heart poured into it will find a lot to love here. Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D takes everything that was great about retro platformers and gives them a decidedly modern spin, and it works fantastically.
A stuttered start to this new story. None of the characters feel quite right for some reason, and the story is filled with developments that are telegraphed or predictable. Worse yet, the decisions are lacking any sort of grey area and instead seem to just be fuelling breaking the Guardians up in a later episode… Telltale has got its hands on a great licence and this first episode does not do it justice. Here's hoping it improves in subsequent parts.
Online play for up to 12 people, local multiplayer for up to eight players - this alone will make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a must for many. Throw in how it does not drop in quality in the slightest when in portable mode, and suddenly the old Mario Kart 8 from Wii U becomes even more enticing. With extra polish, all DLC content included, plus various tweaks to improve the experience, Nintendo has delivered the ultimate Mario Kart experience for all comers, new and old, alike.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a fine example of the Metroidvania sub-genre. Depth-wise, it does not quite reach the heights of Guacamelee or Strider, but it far surpasses the likes of Xeodrifter. Momodora's strengths lie in the action and its charm. This is a fairly bite-sized affair when compared to the competition, but it is a bite worth trying. With all the basics set in place for such a polished and well-crafted entry, hopefully Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight will get a successor that expands on such a strong foundation.