Cubed3's Reviews
While it's certainly a disappointment Bioshock Infinite got ignored in the remastering department, 2K and Blind Squirrel Games more than make up for it with a collection that includes every single second of single-player content in Bioshock history. 1 and 2 have been excellently remastered, and the inclusion of director commentaries in the first Bioshock shed some welcome insight on an already fascinating franchise. The series didn't need any updating, but it is unquestionably a nice thing that Bioshock: The Collection improves on some already great first-person shooters.
Despite a simple UI and ultimately basic battle system Antagonist comes through largely on its storytelling. There's not a long epic taking place here so much as an enjoyable distraction that is fun while it lasts. The confusion the main character feels matches the player's experience, and as the story alternates between legitimate funny moments and darker disturbing ones, it becomes easy to look past the issues that hold it back. Those looking for a short romp that is both funny and entertaining are encouraged to check this one out.
With every passing month, the library of 2D fighters on Steam grows exponentially. It's a wonder how anyone can keep up with this veritable flood. Nevertheless, an unfortunate number of games slip through the cracks, never receiving the love and tenderness that they need. It's too soon to say whether Chaos Code - New Sign of Catastrophe - will keep players coming back, but by every metric, it deserves a lot of attention. The roster is filled with brilliant characters, both in terms of design and fighting style. The mechanics and various sub-systems are superbly executed. The learning curve is gradual, so newcomers don't feel like they're in over their head. Conversely, experts have a great many techniques to work their magic with. Altogether, this is one fighting game that shouldn't be missed.
Heaven Island Life is a VR environment rather than a game, with exploration through a physically flawed, sandy tropical game-world its only allure. It's an initially attractive looking place to spend some time, but soon proves to be highly shallow and immersion-breaking after only the merest slither of exploration.
Similar to the actual programming idea from whence this takes inspiration from, Human Resource Machine is "easy" to learn but, at the same time, quite hard to correctly apply the acquired knowledge. While this basically means that it can lead to some frequent hair-pulling, and although this is not an experience that will last for long, most puzzle fans are strongly advised to try out Tomorrow Corporation's latest release now it's on Nintendo Switch.
The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence is poignant and beautiful, although extremely short and linear. The growing friendship between two strangers separated by hundreds of miles in the early age of the phone is compelling, and the musical elements offer a unique flavour to the narrative. While quite short and not especially mechanically deep, it's still an emotional experience well worth the time it takes.
"Games as an art form" is still a touchy topic. Little Inferno, however, is very obviously more art than game - an experimental meta piece that is a commentary on the mindless time waster games and consumerism in general around games... and it's both interesting and well put together.
While Senran Kagura: Estival Versus has some content that will be repellent towards many potential consumers, the game is so honest about it that it would be unfair to hold it against them. Yes, this is a title that focuses mainly on Yuri fanservice, but it does it in a sometimes elegant and really nuanced way, offering some really solid gameplay and entertaining enough characters to keep the game entertaining, instead of just offering pure naughtiness.
Unholy Heights is a perfectly fine tower defense and management title, but it never manages to feel like an accomplishment. Instead, it feels like an experience the player participates in, like the game itself is garnering a lot of the glory due to being about setting things up and waiting. While it's nice to watch the slum hovel turn into a real swanky complex, and the battle system is just deep enough to feel manageable, the experience just feels a bit too out of control to be truly engaging.
DiRT Rally was already a great rally simulator, but the PSVR update enhances what was already there by making it that much more immersive and real. That it also makes the racing slightly easier due to depth perception, and that the entire game is compatible with VR and transitions so smoothly, is a testament to the care and attention by Codemasters to implement this technology.
It seems cramming five games into one has resulted in rather stripped back versions of each main sport when compared to Mario's previous standalone offerings. Most of the charm and range of options to extend the life outside of a few multiplayer sessions is absent, so Mario Sports Superstars ironically ends up as a pretty boring affair, despite the number of events to play. Fine for a few online bouts, especially if lamenting the lack of football or baseball main series games, but don't expect this to occupy the 3DS for long.
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is not the most innovative, nor is it the most challenging action-adventure, but it has plenty of heart. More importantly, it's finely-tuned and constructed in a manner that respects the player. There aren't any cheap hits, let alone cheap deaths, and progress is never halted by a poorly designed puzzle. Almost every aspect is balanced, and there's enough incentive to see and do as much as possible. All in all, this game is a quality throwback.
Four Last Things takes a really unique approach to its visual and audio presentation, relying solely on old paintings for backdrops and carefully crafted character animations, and public domain classic music to add even more class to this already classy point-and-click adventure. Those fearing that this is a case of 'style over substance,' though, should worry not as one-man-band Joe Richardson has delivered a witty and comical script, complete with some very smart logic conundrums for players to crack on their road to redemption.
Styx: Shards of Darkness sometimes feels like it's the purposely edgy teenager who doesn't want you to like it. It's, by all means, a game any stealth fan should try, but it's not going to grab and keep you coming back for more. Instead, it feels like wading through mud, and the payoff you're receiving is too small to really gloat about. There's potential here, but behind buggy AI, clumsy controls and a lead character who is more annoying than likable, it all feels for naught.
Whilst not a lot happens on-screen during tracks, the presentation is still lovely and vibrant, with colours and panels changing and shifting in time with the great range of music on offer. Although VOEZ doesn't really lend itself well to long periods of play, many of the tracks are short enough that it can be played in quick bursts now and then, perhaps unlocking the generic light-hearted visual novel in the process. Comfort is a point of contention, but the concept is so incredibly simple and appealing that just about anybody will be able to pick up and enjoy tapping away to these beats. A welcome addition to the genre and the Switch library.
While Touhou Genso Wanderer is not a game with wide mass appeal, it is exactly everything its fan base wants from a dungeon crawler.
Journey is a masterpiece, one that still holds up well years after it came out. It's indicative of the industry that there still doesn't feel like there's anything else like it. Many could call it the original walking simulator, but in reality, it was a game that proved that what we perceive as a game or not may be wildly wrong. It's hard to find an experience that can make being wrong so enjoyable.
Activision and Toys for Bob have once more delivered a highly entertaining adventure, filled with hidden goodies galore, and an amusing script, on top of an extremely solid platforming escapade. Newcomers may grow frustrated at the amount of content locked behind 'pay walls' ('toy' walls?) but the core story has enough meat to keep early Nintendo Switch adopters satiated; as for long-term fans with a large toy collection, this is superb.
There are exclusive titles on every console that epitomise the system; titles that are indelibly linked with that hardware through future generations. Adventures like The Last of Us, like Kingdom Hearts, like GoldenEye and Super Mario 64. Horizon: Zero Dawn stands worthily alongside these iconic releases. The story is enthralling, the open world is lush and inviting, the gameplay extremely addictive, and the sheer scale of it all is amazingly vast. Simply put, this is a phenomenal game.
The freedom imbued in the gargantuan and beautiful world of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands' Bolivia sure makes this a worthwhile purchase, but only if you plan to enjoy it with a couple of friends, and only if willing to put up with the standard issues of most sandbox titles, like repetition, repetition, and, most importantly, repetition.