Cubed3's Reviews
The Division is a solid shooter, but there's nothing compelling about it, either in terms of story or gameplay. Those playing with others will likely have a lot more fun than those playing alone, although it's safe to say anyone who likes a decent shooter will probably want to check it out. Like Destiny, there's sure to be a dedicated following of players for whom the game simply clicks, and the endless grind is reason enough to keep coming back. For the rest, it will probably disappear to their shelves after a few months' time - unless Ubisoft comes up with some compelling post-launch content to keep them holding on.
Highly amusing throughout, with a heavy dose of fantastically dry British humour and plenty of loveable characters, Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet is a joy to play through from start to finish. Combined with cavalcade of smart puzzles that hardly ever get too frustrating, as well as gorgeous presentation values and very impressive voice acting, this is easily one of the most enjoyable adventures of 2016.
Despite its flaws in narrative presentation, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation is far and away the definitive experience for people who have fallen in love with the characters of the trilogy. It provides some new challenges for those more engaged in the strategy aspect of the series, but it doesn't have the fine tuning needed to set it apart in this regard. It brings to rest a lot of the questions raised in the storyline, but it asks its own questions, and these never really get resolved. While there may be DLC in the future to answer these, it still leaves behind a slight feeling of disappointment. Regardless, it's a worthy entry to the series, and one undoubtedly worth replaying time and time again, just to revisit old friends.
Want to experience the original bundle of cartoony wackiness known as Day of the Tentacle, as well as its upgraded, Remastered version? Well, look no further, because this is it. The best iteration of the classic gem of the genre, and a lesson in remasters. As for the question of who should get this, the rule is simple: adventure game haters, the exit door is on the right. The rest, please form a nice line over there and ready those wallets for some purchasing.
If it weren't for the utterly brilliant turn-based battle system, freely customisable characters through new and old job types, and the breadth of accessible options that enhance the RPG experience tenfold, Bravely Second would be held in lower esteem, since the narrative that tries too much to hit comical notes and lacks a core that sets itself apart from other role-playing storylines is disappointing. There are some clever ideas thrown in that try to improve on the original game's plot, along with a handful of entertaining characters in amongst the obnoxious ones, as well as great use of 3D, but End Layer should be played for its battle and job systems first and foremost, provided the original title was enjoyed.
Assault Android Cactus does what it sets out to do, which is provide a fun and frantic experience made enjoyable by the different playable characters and polished gameplay. Another benefit to the game is the sense of variation offered by the selectable androids' personalities and cartoonish art style; though the action may be familiar and, at times, repetitive, this is still a fun game.
Despite being incredibly hard and, at times, even frustrating, it's also incredibly fun.
For those who like the original game, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is like the ultra hard mode expansion to that. It's an extremely challenging experience that doesn't really build on its predecessor so much as it takes the difficulty of it up to eleven.
If it was only a matter of bug fixes, control adjusting, and overall rebalancing, the final judgment would be much more positive, because, when Blood Alloy: Reborn is at its best, it is truly magnificent, since it seamlessly blends rapid shooting, sword fighting, and platforming, with addictive and challenging high score-chasing - plus it looks and sounds fantastic. Sadly, the problems begin when one realises that there's not really much to do here, with pleasure soon giving way to boredom.
Senran Kagura Estival Versus is a tricky game to judge. While the Musou gameplay is fun and there's plenty of reason to return and play through with other characters, it gets repetitive. There's no real narrative to help carry the game either, since the story is simply terrible. The signature style and lewdness of the series is tricky, too, as it guarantees sales to its target audience but is likely going to alienate a few potential players. The bottom line is that it's a decent enough Musou title, filled with jiggly, half-naked Japanese schoolgirls tearing each others' clothes off. It's a game for those who live by the ancient Japanese philosophy of "tits are life, ass is hometown."
There's no reason to really explore outside of the main game, aside from Challenge mode. While the controls could use some fine tuning, this is a wildly creative title. Too often, being very creative means the end result is a mess, yet it can be said without doubt that this isn't a problem Cubixx HD ever suffers from. While casual puzzlers will definitely get turned off by the difficulty, those who like a good challenge will find a fun and deep idea here that is well worth exploring.
There are some elements of Sadame that are done well, but they are completely overwhelmed by the fundamental aspects just being so poor. Monotonous combat, inconsistent difficulty levels, and terrible AI all make for a truly frustrating and disappointing experience. Rising Star have delivered some real gems in the past, but sadly, this isn't one of them. While briefly enjoyable in the short term, it's hard to find a reason to return.
Mega Man Legacy Collection is, at its core, a competent collection of six classic titles that every platforming fan - or, indeed, every gamer - should play at some point. However, it doesn't go much further than that. It's a shame that a character with such a lengthy history doesn't quite get that honoured in this package, and while it's a great jumping-on point for those unfamiliar with the Blue Bomber's origins, long-time fans will find little to celebrate here.
The term "slice-of-life" is no excuse for a lack of plot, a lack of well-developed characters, and a 50% lack of new graphics and tunes. That being said, NekoPara Vol. 2 is probably the best of the three titles so far (but only by a tiny margin), since it actually has a character that's somewhat likeable, because it's slightly more funny and less serious, and due to the fact that it has a more balanced length for what's offered.
Even if the experience is schizophrenic, The Elder Scrolls Online earned its award as the Best MMO of 2015: it's fun, engaging, and unique. It breaks free of so many conventional standards of the genre that orienting oneself anew is quite a challenge. It's well worth it to do so, though, because the plethora of quests, adventures, and journeys to be had - like with this new DLC, Thieves Guild - make its single-player cousin look almost quaint. This influx of new content, new abilities, and new areas are meant to revitalise, not reinvent, and they fit pretty well with what most people would expect of a typical MMO's content patches.
Kittens doing cute kitten stuff: funny? Yes. More than five hours of the same thing, though? Not really. Even for the low standards of the visual novel genre, NEKOPARA Vol. 1 is as far away from what a videogame is supposed to be as can be. The plot does not exist, for the simple fact that this is just an excuse to have virtual sex(?) with nekos - but without any sex scenes, unless willing to pay a bunch of money in order to patch this up and get to ogle at some anime coconuts.
Capcom has made a terrible mistake by releasing one of its flagship franchises at full price, but with half the content. Strange as it may seem, however, and even though Street Fighter V currently feels like an Early Access title, it is a worthy purchase because of three things. First, the Japanese developer is truly doing a great job at rapidly updating and fixing some of the stability problems; second, there won't be any need to spend money on any future updates, since all content (apart from some cosmetic elements) will be available for free; and, finally, the actual battles are very enjoyable - simplified without being simplistic, and, thus, catering to both casuals and pros alike.
It's hard to imagine exactly who the target audience of Gunscape would end up being. Given the messy nature of the controls and physics, it's hard to see FPS fans of any rank eager to hop on board. While the level creator does make building levels more accessible than the modding community of more polished shooters, these tools don't really make up for the lack of reward implicit in playing through the levels a player will build. For all its good ideas, solid level building, and robust variety, this ultimately fails to deliver on its core mechanics, and that alone makes it a really challenging sell.
Rough horse and camera behaviour, combined with a mostly empty Hyrule Field, aren't enough to bog down what's otherwise one of the best titles in the Zelda series - and arguably in gaming history. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD's story of the worlds of Light and Twilight and their citizens is presented in HD glory, with strong emotional threads running throughout to make sure players want to spend time with these characters and save the worlds, and expertly crafted dungeons and puzzles guide them along that path. Most will likely consider Ocarina of Time to be the high point of the series, but take away the nostalgia factor, hold these two up by their merits, and Twilight Princess gives Ocarina a run for its money, while HD improves upon that in almost every way.
The voice recognition control scheme is extremely engrossing...but only when it works, with the alternative being an aggravating contextual menu-based system that requires the mouse. The action can be fun…but it mostly feels so hand-holding and tedious that it's like working instead of playing. The only thing of value here is, undoubtedly, the story…but the whole adventure ends so fast that it's impossible to feel any connection to this otherwise well-thought-out sci-fi universe.