Cubed3's Reviews
Read Only Memories is a game that attempts to please and pander to a very specific audience, lacking in true diversification, and at the same time, provides a dull, and boring feel from start to finish. Visually, it takes a classic recognisable design, and makes it look as if created with software that could rival a default paint program. Being called a bigot is never entertaining, the basic procedure of pointing and clicking is executed painfully, the soundtrack, at times, is rather pleasing, but overall, this is a memory that no one will ever want to read. A finer example for those interested in a solid point-and-click adventure is Armikrog.
Anyone who is a fan of fumblecore style games will possibly get a kick out of Starwhal, but for those who care about tight controls or a single-player mode with some substance may want to steer clear from this stinky fish.
Star Wars Pinball: the Heroes Within is the best pack of DLC tables released so far. It features possibly the best tables yet in the Star Wars Pinball series, including some of the most stunningly looking ones too, but also offering more content for the same price than the previously released Balance of the Force pack. Granted there are not many packs to compare this one to, but it's clearly the kind of DLC that makes you wish these tables had been the main game right from the start, and that the base pack had been made DLC instead. Indeed, one must still purchase the base three tables on Wii U in order to experience these four new ones, bringing the overall price to experience these on Nintendo's console to higher than it would be on some other devices where it is possible to purchase tables one by one. That's not to say that the base Star Wars Pinball pack isn't worth purchasing anyway, as its original review will show. That one really impressed with its quality content and exploitation of the franchise for pinball purposes, back in 2013. This new pack builds on what was already a great piece of software for both Star Wars and pinball fans. This new pack is a must-have on the eShop as each table offers lots of fun, looks great, and sounds awesome.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon has a really rough start. It tries to set itself up for a grand adventure, but comes across as plodding and aggravating for the first several hours. While not an absolute deal breaker, it does make for a hard sell for those who aren't totally committed to the series. For fans of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, however, there's a bevy of new customisation options, new Pokémon to meet and recruit, and new challenges and dungeons to explore. It may not be quite the comeback some were expecting, but it shows that the series still knows its roots, and that there's still room to grow from here.
The time spent with Riptide GP2 is good, wholesome fun. The game is not incredibly impressive, but lends itself to heated competitions versus friends, or just a short bit of mindless play that requires very little of the player. Not a great choice for fans of the hardcore racing genre - it is, perhaps, a better choice for those out there with fond memories for Wave Race who would like to jump into some new aquatic races, perhaps even split-screen, for a new play on a nostalgic classic.
While not a narrative that would be found in a larger-scale RPG, the story is engaging enough to make keeping track of all the various factions and personalities not only worthwhile, but entertaining. By itself, the gameplay is enough to keep the action moving at an excellent pace, and the mission length is perfect for long grinds, or quick sessions on the go. The adjustable difficulty curve and "easy to learn, hard to master" combat makes it a great starting point for those just getting into turn-based strategy titles, and a point of mastery for genre veterans. Image & Form really showcases its ability to tackle new styles of play, and succeeds on nearly every level with SteamWorld Heist.
In regard to story and gameplay, Final Fantasy V is as great as it has ever been, but dealing with a supremely suboptimal port in order to enjoy the game requires extreme dedication to the series or a lack of a smartphone or tablet. Players who can't even borrow a mobile device for long enough to play Final Fantasy V are certainly encouraged to give this port a look, because it's not that Final Fantasy V is a bad game. This is a bad version of the game. Severe flaws resulting from a gross lack of optimisation severely hinder the experience; almost nothing was modified for the PC port. Although the mobile version is marginally more expensive, players are advised to play Final Fantasy V on the system for which it was optimised, rather than the system for which it was bastardised.
While there's no reason to choose Mega Man Legacy Collection over Mega Man Anniversary Collection, there is plenty of content here for anyone who can't easily enjoy the latter again, and the games themselves are as fantastic as they've ever been. The extraneous Challenges are nice additions, but they aren't appealing enough to carry Mega Man Legacy Collection.
On its own, Life is Feudal: Your Own is little more than an interesting experiment. The sort of game to pick up once or twice and then put down in favour of others. The reason is the sheer starting cliff that must be scaled to get anything of merit and value going even for a group of players. On the upside, when everything works together, it leads to an interesting and thriving community where even the non-combat jobs can be enjoyable. On the downside, there needs to be quite a few people around to make it work in the first place.
It's hard to think of any downsides to this DLC. For those that liked Invisible, Inc., this is simply more of it, and for squad-based strategy fans there's even more reason to get it now. The only group to whom this might not be too appealing, is the one that has thoroughly burned out on the original the first time. Contingency Plan is a solid package, but those that have seen everything that Invisible, Inc. had to offer, it's probably not going to be enough to make them come back.
Is Just Dance 2016 going to win any awards? Maybe not. However, like many of its best tracks, sometimes people just want to kick back and have a little fun. There is a lot of fun to be had here in a very polished formula and with very inventive music videos. There is a greater expanded online and social presence in 2016's version, with the new Showtime video recording mode, as well as sending other players challenges. However when the experience comes alive and starts to get in the groove is with other people in real life. It is a throwback and shows that gamers have not forgotten how fun it is to play games in the same room as others.
Kyn is a game for people who want to hack, slash, and blast through hordes of monsters without totally turning off their brain. While it never quite reaches its full potential, it's still a very entertaining game and worth considering for any fans of the genre.
The Perils of Man has a great premise and the story will help to keep veteran point-and-click adventurers patient enough to see it out to the end, but with too much aimless wandering around, an overreliance on collecting everything, mixing stuff together and hoping for the best, and a very clunky inventory/item combination system, most others will get frustrated early on and give in. This is definitely a case of 'great concept, not so great execution.'
Avalanche Studio's creation doesn't care about the "are videogames art?" dispute, it doesn't give a dirty rodent's behind about realism, and it doesn't takes itself too serious. It's an unapologetic tribute to the best adolescent boy fantasy of all time, besides a gaming session with a young, black stockings-wearing Dolly Parton, which is none other than being a flying, bullet-eating cocktail of comic book superheroes, and all this with the sex appeal of a Mediterranean Nathan Drake. Sure, all this destruction and mayhem lacks the required depth and motivation inherent in other sandbox titles, and yes, it can all become extremely boring, but while this ultimately more of a somewhat flawed toy and not a "true" videogame, it's an extremely addictive and enjoyable one at that, nonetheless.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash should, quite frankly, not exist. It is an embarrassment with next to no content, absolutely no strategy involved, and feels like a blatant cash grab more than anything. Nintendo has gotten far too safe with the Mario IP if the developers felt that they could release a skeleton like this for $50. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is nothing more than a platform for selling amiibo and should not be purchased by any means.
Coming to terms with the concept of Typoman is surprisingly easy, but managing to switch the brain from simple platform mode, and all the instincts that go with the sometimes twitch-like gameplay, to conundrum solving in a split second, is tougher than it may sound. Brainseed Factory has pieced together a fantastically atmospheric ride, filled to the brim with engaging word-jumble brainteasers and supremely tight run-and-jump mechanics. Once that old grey matter kicks into gear, planning solutions ahead of time, so as to be able to focus more on the extremely accurate leaps and bounds required, will become second nature. There may well be the odd head-scratching moment, but the satisfaction of making eventual progress is pure elation. Similarly, whilst there are only three short chapters included in all, the numerous retries necessary during some of the more dastardly sections lengthens the adventure, and that sense of deep-seated pleasure when overcoming particular obstacles is remarkably gratifying. Enthralling, from start to finish.
Tomorrow Corporation has presented a clever satire with deep messages incorporated into both the story and gameplay, delivering a unique experience. The imitation of real CPUs is going to be a feature that will make programming enthusiasts crazy and puzzle veterans shake with excitement thanks to the challenge involved. However, due to some almost ridiculous difficulty spikes, Human Resource Machine will most likely not be played through to the end by anyone other than those in said groups, leaving more casual puzzle gamers behind. A smoother difficulty curve would have helped a lot to make this title shine brighter. Other than the steep difficulty, though, this is a memorable experience and a good starting point in learning how to program, starting with the basic code lines, allowing for deep gameplay.
When Clandestine works, it becomes wonderful. Two players working together to try and tackle a mission neither could handle on their own, trying to communicate in order to bolster teamwork; and it works more often than not. However, it struggles against some glaring flaws as well, such as the cumbersome controls, and the frequency of situations where one player will end up waiting around for the other to finish their bits. It's a good concept and core idea, and with a bit more polish, could be great.
There's a reason that Skylanders] has survived so long. Even without the Toys to Life aspect of the title, the game is addictive fun whether played alone or, even better, in co-operative mode with a friend. The new aspects added in this latest incarnation add a whole new dimension to the play and it is done very well indeed. The vehicle-based parts of the stages are great and all of the race-based aspects are a superb addition to an already established universe. Skylanders SuperChargers is the best in the series yet and proves that LEGO Dimensions and Disney Infinity still have a yardstick to reach.
Even though there's a steep learning curve that may turn many people off from venturing further into the world of Primal Carnage: Extinction, it is definitely worth breaking through that grind, because underneath is a great game with solid environments, and a fun gaming experience. Trekking through the jungles as a commando hunting large dinosaurs is a lot of fun, while hunting for prey from the skies above as a Pterodactyl is even more fun. While finding some matches may be annoying, once the online community grows even larger, this would be one franchise that won't go extinct.