Cubed3's Reviews
Those who are interested in Sakura Swim Club will likely know already what it is and have their minds decently made up about if it should be purchased or not. As a visual novel it's flat and basic, but it does manage to avoid being frustrating and isn't really 'harmful' in any way for its audience. People not interested in this "genre" will be just fine skipping it, as it holds no desire to deviate from it.
Ironically, the thing that can initially be seen as Xenoblade Chronicles X's biggest weakness will eventually turn out to be its greatest strength. While all of the details and the massive world will frighten people off at first because of its sheer complexity and depth, once adapted, it will embrace them and become an addictive and beautiful experience offering hundreds of hours of wonderful game time. It might, actually, be worthy of the title of being the ultimate RPG game for RPG fans, mixing the dearest elements of both JRPGs and WRPGs into the same package.
For avid pinball players and Star Wars fans, The Force Awakens pack is a must for any table collection. The two tables featured in the pack represent all the wonder that Zen Studios has provided, and it has opened up a whole world of possibilities in what the team could deliver next. Help Rey, Finn, Poe and the Resistance, or crush planets under the might of the First Order. These two new tables are a must own, and should provide many more hours of fun and enjoyment, while providing the right amount of challenge for new and experienced pinball players.
VR needs something that can be enjoyed timelessly, something that can be picked up and played for 30 minutes or an hour each day and provides some kind of unique fun each time. VR Invaders succeeds at this, with gameplay that is timeless, going back to the fundamental roots of the medium, but unfortunately with the same flaws, too.
Final Fantasy VI is still good, but its primary purpose is to kick gamers in the pants about bringing emulation discussions to the forefront. In an age where classic games are easily playable on modern systems, a rerelease should really amaze with its changes and new features, but because emulation is tainted by tangentially related conversations about piracy, it's taboo to point out that a better version is widely available with very little effort. If this release is stacked against the emulation scene, it's an absolute joke that people are expected to pay money for this, but the overall sentiment from AAA publishers is that emulation doesn't exist. There are plenty of legitimate ways to enjoy this game without the long list of flaws that characterise this port, and it is advised to explore other avenues; Square Enix shouldn't be rewarded for releasing shoddy ports.
Dreamfall Chapters Book Three: Realms manages to blow the previous two chapters completely out of the water, upping the ante in the story stakes, building more of a connection between players and the characters within, whilst also introducing some highly engaging new puzzles across both new and familiar settings, fixing any of the niggling issues found in Book One: Reborn and Book Two: Rebels. This is what fans were waiting for - and it can only get better from this point onwards.
Dreamfall Chapters Book One: Reborn was a revelation, tickling every nostalgic bone in the body, as well as introducing gripping new story elements and a thoroughly well thought-out decision making system. Book Two: Rebels starts off strong, but peters out somewhat due to too much backtracking and tiresome fetch quests. With enough likeable characters, intrigue regarding the overarching tale, and the lure of seeing how decisions already made will continue to affect future proceedings, however, this latest Dreamfall Chapters edition is well worth grinding through before diving into Book Three: Realms for more juicy revelations.
Even after such a long wait, and with a hazy memory of the past titles, Dreamfall Chapters Book One: Reborn proves to be a major success, working just as well, in fact, as a standalone product thanks to the Story Recap option filling some blanks for newcomers and the writing being clever enough to not leave fresh faces bewildered. Smooth controls, stunning visuals, and fantastic audio direction all make for a special adventure, albeit one with one or two fetch-quests too many included. Conversation threads may prove too wordy for some, yet others that are eager to get lost in the lore, and learn more about the world they are stepping into, will be exhilarated. This is definitely not for those wanting to rush through to the end; taking the time to savour the overall excellence of the package is ideal - feel the love that has been poured into it, and get ready for Book Two: Rebels.
It's mindless and corny hack 'n' slash fun. It doesn't try to be much more, nor does it need to.
Star Wars Battlefront: Battle of Jakku was never supposed to be a major expansion pack and, therefore, it comes as no surprise that it doesn't make any effort to fix the problems of the original release. What it does add is simple: a new world divided between two maps and a new game mode, which, while not bad or anything, both suffer from the same problem of the original maps and game modes, in other words, how similar they all feel - but, hey, at least there's no price tag.
From the wail of a TIE Fighter and the humming of a lightsaber, to the plastic Stormtrooper crotches and Leia's crown braids, everything looks and sounds fantastic. Unfortunately, this wonderful level of detail and immersion offered in Star Wars Battlefront, comes to a screeching halt once it is realised that this is just a half-done, money-grabbing piece of style-over-substance, which is insanely entertaining in short bursts, yet lacks the required depth or amount of content that would make gamers keep coming back for more.
Darksiders II was not the blockbuster hit that many people - THQ included - expected it to be, and the primary reason is that something is just… off. As a result, its Deathinitive Edition had to work very hard to do better, but any chance for it succeeding was undermined by an inexcusable lack of stability in the final product.
Pokémon Picross succeeds flawlessly with its goal of making an easily accessible Picross title with additional appeal for people who are used to the puzzles. Optional stages and challenges are sure to keep veterans on their toes, while newcomers can be perfectly happy with the main puzzles that will keep their minds stimulated without being too difficult. Nintendo even succeeded to implement Pokémon into the game in a natural way, as more than just pictures. This, mixed with a fair roof on the optional purchases, makes Pokémon Picross a wonderful game to play, no matter the desired play style or former experience with the puzzles. It's a title that is recommended for everyone with a 3DS to try out!
What little Blood Bowl 2 does wrong is more a result of its unconventional mix-up than any technical shortcomings of the game. Combining sports and RPGs is a tricky thing at best, and while Blood Bowl 2 pulls it off well, to say the mix is perfect wouldn't be right. This is fun to play through and through, even if the audience might be limited.
It has been far too long since a futuristic racer arrived on consoles and Shin'en Multimedia has done a fantastic job bringing the genre to the Wii U's eShop. FAST Racing Neo isn't a great game merely because the genre is lacking, it actually stands out on its own merits as a fantastic racer and a must buy for anyone who has been waiting years for a new game from the F-Zero or WipEout mould.
République Episode 4: God's Acre may not quite hits the highest of highs set in Episode 2: Metamorphosis, but it does attempt to freshen up the core concept, as well as bring in some more puzzle elements, as well as heap on plenty of extra layers for those already engrossed in the story. Ditching the multiple guards approach for one where there is just a solitary big monster with lots of surrounding noise hazards was a risky move, but it has been pulled off very well indeed.
Tales of Zestiria, despite its pointless attempt to reinvent the wheel, holds its own very well and is a solid and enjoyable RPG. Some longtime fans may end up being disappointed due to the attempt to fix what wasn't broken, but it all ultimately fits together and works well enough. This might not be the King Arthur of the Tales series, but it's still at least present at the Round Table.
The harsh reality is that Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence rewards patience, but quite a lot of patience is required in order to make the most of what is a difficult game to recommend to others.
Tennis in the Face isn't an original idea, but that's not always a bad thing. It slowly becomes a matter of repeating the same basic tasks over and over, and largely similar room layouts, leading to a depressingly low amount of replayability. However, it's hardly going to stand out as a bad game, sometimes working very well, but often feeling like it's just short of working. It chooses to take a proven concept and make it work differently, and it ends up being both fun and frustrating pretty much simultaneously.
Halo 5: Guardians tries to be similar to a lot of popular features that other shooter games have, while managing to maintain its own franchise identity. The removal of load-outs, but, at the same time, adding the ability to aim down sights, is a very noticeable example. Farming Requisition Points is exciting, since pack loot is extremely varied, and in many cases, players will always have different unlocks thanks to this. The campaign is certainly not the strong point, but the multiplayer is another solid experience for FPS fans to play and enjoy until the next shooter or Halo game is available.