Cubed3's Reviews
A cracking little game with big bosses. The journey Jotun: Valhalla Edition takes players on is heartfelt and was clearly a labour of love. It's almost perfect. Just to reiterate, it's not much of a hack 'n slash. There isn't a lot of fighting outside of the boss battles, which really helps the fights to have even more weight. It's great, and without spoiling anything, it's one to experience.
Clustertruck is an endorphin rush. While some of the rules at play feel too erratic and the visuals aren't quite the most exciting thing in the world, it seems almost frugal complaining about it. It's not really the point. The point is you have stepped into a traffic jam turned maelstrom, and it's fun to mess around in it.
Whilst this episode is something of a let-down, it at least sets up enough plot points that could deliver quality episodes yet to be released. Oswald and his shadowy partners in the Children of Arkham have their big plan to unveil. The relationship between Bruce and Selina, between Bruce and Alfred, between Bruce and Harvey… everyone knows what's coming there! The next episode will hopefully pay off on many of the threads Telltale is setting up.
Mount & Blade: Warband is a very niche title that requires a great deal of time invested to actually get to the enjoyable parts. It's also filled with flaws that are hard to overlook, the graphics look horrendously dated, the combat controls are clunky, and there's so much repetition here that it will put off the majority of players. A certain subset of players will adore what Mount & Blade: Warband offers, but those that do will likely enjoy this more on PC.
Despite too much emphasis on the story to the point of feeling like a movie, Journey to Kreisia is a beautiful love letter to the JRPGs of old. If you're tired of riding the nostalgia train, there's nothing here to rope you back in—but there's plenty for those who want to explore the wonders of an old-school RPG.
Collide-a-Ball is mentally exciting, and a rare puzzle gem. It actually convinces the player they may have willed the puzzle solved, just by letting them experiment with the various options they have in front of them. Unfortunately, it's a cracked facade under cheap graphics and formulaic puzzles. Perhaps with a little shine and some added depth, there'd be something a bit more engaging here.
Players looking for a wholly original experience will not find it here. Syndrome doesn't do much to hide its influences. However, anyone that wants an excellent example of level design, some really scary enemies, and tension building, this should be a must-have. A few minor flaws aside, Syndrome is as much a love letter to the retro classics as it is to the modern ones. As for those modern titles, it can stand tall next to them as a survival horror juggernaut.
Disney Magical World 2 on Nintendo 3DS is a fantastic game aimed at a younger demographic who would appreciate the work put into bringing each of the worlds to life. There is no greater thrill than interacting with the characters from some of Disney's greatest properties, and assisting them in defeating the evil ghosts is an enticing prospect. Decorating their own house with furnishings while running a café, while crafting new costumes to wear and planting seeds to grow new crops in the Hundred Acre Wood are just some of the ways that the game can be played. With lots to do, and daily missions that are constantly changing, this is one game that is sure to be a favourite for quite some time.
DoDonPachi Resurrection is a thoroughly fascinating 2D shooter. Its various systems compound onto one another to create a unique and very addictive experience. However, it takes a long time just to make sense of everything, let alone make it work to the player's advantage. At any moment, there's just so much that can go wrong, and even the best strategies are undone by the tiniest movements. Getting the most out of this game's many flavours will take a seemingly endless number of retries. It's a vicious cycle, but some gamers wouldn't have it any other way.
This is easily the best Skylanders title to date, although Crash alone makes it that! There is some fantastically entertaining stages and solid gameplay, along with plenty of originality to keep the series fresh. It's always a risk with toys-to-life titles that it will rely too much on extra purchases, but that is not the case here, as Skylanders Imaginators contains enough content and replayability to make it feel value for money without having to resort to buying more toys. Hopefully, the adventure packs will prove to be just as good value.
Fundamentally, Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is playable, and diehard JRPG fans desperate for action will find something here. Given its spiritual successor status of a great game, it only serves to remind how much is missing here in any sort of comparison. The platforming is uninspired, the story descends into childish tropes rapidly, and the entire game crawls at a glacial pace of endless combat.
Mantis Burn Racing is a decent racing game, albeit rather lean on content. On the bright side, there are plans for a few major updates, which will include more tracks, vehicles, and a greatly expanded career mode. The controls are approachable for anyone with even a casual grasp of racing games. This makes it a good title for pick-up-and-play groups. Just hand someone a controller, and they're ready to go. Although, they might complain that there aren't any blue shells or flaming hoops to jump through. This is a pure arcade-style racer, which is kind of a lost art in this day and age.
Manual Samuel is a fun little diversion. The control scheme perfectly reflects the absurdity of the premise, and the various objectives keep the game from becoming redundant. Not everything clicks as much as it could, but it's endearing in its own way. This is also the kind of game that's probably at its best when played with friends. If there were more levels, better written characters, and funnier dialogue, this would be a much easier recommendation.
Everything about Blue Revolver is well done. It nails the most important aspects, while looking and sounding fantastic. There's enough depth to the various sub-systems to keep experts entertained, but at the same time it doesn't put off or condescend newcomers. Within minutes, anyone can understand how it all works. The levels are thrilling, the bosses are tough, and the variety of weapons offers many different ways to play. This is a superb pick-up for STG fans, and there is even a demo available on the official website for those that want to try before they buy. It's well worth checking out.
Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo is a well-made rally game that builds wisely and extensively on top of a rich heritage of rally games. While it ultimately fails to make up its mind about whether it's a sim or more of an arcade racer, which does hold it back in some senses, there's still no question that it's a highly worthwhile package. It's crammed with content and offers hours of driving joy without quite the same amount of grief one gets from a DiRT Rally or Assetto Corsa. Milestone has impressed massively with their latest rally offering, benefiting exponentially from the insight and presence of Sebastien Loeb. Let's hope there's a sequel!
Paper Mario: Color Splash is a complete joy aesthetically, looking and sounding fantastic, complemented by some very amusing script work. At its core, though, whilst attempting to mix things up as much as it can in order to keep the action fresh, its battle system grows tiresome very quickly, dragging the enjoyment factor down several notches. When tied in with its unnecessary - and awkward - reliance on the GamePad, it makes for somewhat of a rollercoaster ride, with fun elements followed by lots of frustrating experiences during the battling sections. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems should pick one route and stick with it: either go for straight-up platform action or make it the true RPG successor to the original Paper Mario and The Thousand Year Door that fans keep asking for. This current mish-mash of styles just drags down the series' reputation. For now, stick with the Mario & Luigi titles…
The phrase "all spark, no flare" fits like a glove for Quantum Break. It doesn't do anything wrong, but there's also nothing special about it. It looks cool, the time machine-induced apocalypse starts in a promising way, and some of the characters are quite interesting, but it doesn't take much time to realise that hidden behind the flashy shootouts, famous faces, and ambitious storytelling, is a boring and generic sci-fi tale that never really goes anywhere.
Bringing together the key players from recent Ace Attorney outings, whilst developing some of the newer characters to flesh out their stories for future entries, is a very difficult balancing act, yet with Spirit of Justice Capcom expertly navigates any pitfalls to deliver the most in-depth, enthralling episode of Phoenix Wright's adventures so far. It might, for better or worse, feel like Apollo Justice 2 to some, but the way the story unfolds over the five cases is magnificent and leaves players - new and old, alike - hungry for much more.
From a non-footballer, here is the verdict. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is a great football game and it deserves to get as much spotlight as the new FIFA. The unlicensed teams are hilariously close to puns, the customisation of players and the team management aspects are fantastic, if a little complex, and the pitch play is amazingly fun. With the multitude of modes and options available, it's worthy of this year's football game crown, and it's a must-have for those who like a bit of realism and meat to their sports games.
Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 6: A Portal to Mystery is certainly one of the better games in this fairly mediocre series; however, by the standards that we've came to expect from Telltale, it's nothing special. Fans of the YouTubers involved will absolutely love this episode and the references they make, but if you don't follow it, chances are a lot of the jokes will be missed.