Cubed3's Reviews
Gravity Badgers had the potential to be a really fun game; unfortunately it is not. The lacklustre presentation, repetitive levels, and boxy sound make it difficult to enjoy for very long. It may be a fun time-waster at first, but once the player realises that everything there is to be seen has been seen, the game quickly loses any interesting factors it had going for it. If a physics-based puzzle game in the same vein as Gravity Badgers is really sought after, look to mobile and get Angry Birds: Space, which Gravity Badgers draws heavily from.
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is a well put together piece of software with a great attention to little details, set in a universe of folklore and culture which is exotic enough in the video game industry to feel highly original, and with a huge deal of humour thrown into the mix for good measure. The tough to master yet easy to understand gameplay, coupled with the many challenges to overcome to fully complete everything do extend the play life into "decent" territory, as it is otherwise a rather short experience for those who will rush through it. Guacamelee! clearly takes a leaf out of a lot of different books in gaming, Metroid being the most obvious, but Castlevania, Megaman, and Zelda are also other clear sources of inspiration, yet it manages to blend it all into what is now its own thing. It sure bases a lot of its appeal on nostalgia for those other franchises and the crowd of references to them thrown all over the place, but this never overshadows its own intrinsic qualities, which are clever design, good production values, great writing and, most of all, a clear love for video games from its creators, which does transpire through their work. Guacamelee! STCE for the Wii U eShop is certainly not a perfect game - it has its couple of minor faults - but never are they detrimental to the overall experience, and this is still a must-have for any fan of the genre.
If it had much more of that fast-paced action instead of a plethora of tiresome fetch quests, it could have been a great and addictive title, but as it is, it simply falls flat and fails to realise its full potential.
Once those 100 levels have been conquered and the final Titan humbled, there's very little reason to fire the game up again other than the occasional mindless blast, which can be extended to infinity on account of the fact that the only thing left to spend all that amassed cash on is additional lives. It's also unfortunate that at this particular moment in time near enough every retro flavoured shooter that hits the market will inevitably get compared to Resogun, which has set the bar incredibly high.
[T]he fact that this delightful game is now readily available to even more players through Steam means they can be glossed over by the majority that haven't had the pleasure of playing Risky's Revenge before. If this is a taster of what to expect in Shantae's next two adventures, platform fans are in for a treat.
This isn't Super Toy Cars, this is Regular Cars That Drive Surrounded by Giant Teddybear Sculptures Sometimes. Which is fine, of course, if what is being looked for is a mostly generic party racing experience.
For around the same price as a large extra value meal at McDonald's, Armillo provides a much better value and also doesn't pile on the pounds. Great for those who want to keep that beach figure for the summer! Going back on track, this unique title about a fluffy space armadillo is definitely one of the hottest games on the Wii U eShop right now, technical issues aside. For those who love space, puzzles and armadillos, Armillo is the best possible title to match those needs. Although the game currently has frame-rate problems, Fuzzy Wuzzy Games has quickly acknowledged this and is already hard at work creating a fix.
Compared to the prices being asked for so many rehashes and mediocre titles today, £17.99 is nothing, so support New 'n' Tasty and Oddworld Inhabitants, and show them that Abe's Exoddus must be next on the remake list!
Wooden Sen'SeY is not the sum of its parts. Beautiful and polished looking visuals can only take a game so far until some of the questionable elements begin to niggle away at the core package. Neko's latest on Nintendo Wii U eShop shows promise at the start, but the padding, poor pacing, cheap deaths from lack of invincibility frames, and extended moments of boredom from a submarine level hold this game back. It falls short from being truly recommended, as opposed as a game that only the hardest core player would appreciate. Seeing more of what this development team can achieve would be interesting, seeing as how it clearly does know what it is doing for the most part.
For Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight is one heck of a game to start its new studio with, so here's hoping it can keep up this high level of quality and polish with future titles!
Combat could have been an improvement to really spice up the package, however the main point of the game comes through the questing and puzzle solving, and in this area Quest of Infamy shines with quests that will definitely get players thinking.
If nothing else, it serves to show just how far gaming has moved on since it first came out, yet it's pretty hard to shake the feeling that Square Enix has just dialled it in with this version, and in doing so, has squandered the opportunity of giving Final Fantasy III a much deserved 21st Century re-rub.
Helping to wash away the act of piracy that was One Piece: Romance Dawn and Unlimited Cruise SP, Unlimited World Red presents an elegantly realised universe full of colour and series charm, held together with fun fights and rewarding tasks. The repetition of said features, plus the lack of the Wii U's strengths being put to use is unfortunate, but dedicated One Piece fans and patient newcomers will find a lot to love.
The insane amount of content overall that Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition has to offer truly makes it a worthy purchase for any fan of Dynasty Warriors, and is a great place to start for anybody that is looking to get into the series for the first time. Those expecting something different to the usual Dynasty Warriors formula won't find it here, however. Fans who don't own the original Dynasty Warriors 8 should have an absolute blast with this, but it might not be worth buying for owners of the initial version, unless desperate to play the extra story of Lu Bu, as well as the other extras.
Despite following in Bastion's footsteps, Transistor doesn't quite manage to deliver as compelling and memorable an experience, even though it has clearly been crafted with such heartfelt intent. Whilst the premise is full of mystery and intrigue, during the course of the short story it never really draws players in as it would have many people believe after its promising start. A case of style over substance, but still a game that deserves the attention of those after something original and rather beautiful - only wait till it goes on sale first.
The story is simple-yet-charming and the characters are all very obvious in their roles but make them no less likeable. However, the lack of innovation in the controls department on a new console in an exclusive game, the lack of any online multiplayer longevity and noticeable frame-rate drops make this a tough one to justify buying at full price. Thankfully, now it isn't necessary to worry about that as, at time of writing, it is very easily found for a much lower price and, thus, well worth a play through.
Shovel Knight is, at the risk of repetition, brilliant, beautiful stuff. "Retro" may not be the right word to describe it. It is fun not because it evokes memories of 1989, but because it is self sufficiently excellent, here, today, in 2014. It rises to levels of technical and artistic achievement not often seen in the industry, and it has done so within a strict 8-bit structure. If Yacht Club can keep up this kind of quality and creativity, they have a long, productive future ahead of them. Here's hoping so, and here's hoping for more games as good as Shovel Knight.
It's not easy to score a game like Nether. Its half-finished state inevitably means that most of what it has to offer is not up to scratch…yet. A tentative four it is then, in the hope that Phosphor will put in the work and allow its game to reach its full potential. Until that point only the most dedicated survivalists should bother.
Starting off weak and getting not only worse, but extremely tiresome due to repetitive gameplay and some horrendously awkward controls, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark smacks of a cheap attempt to cash-in on the new movie release, not even properly linking to the feature film for those awaiting its release or tying various story threads together from the previous movie and game releases. The mess of a story definitely extends to being a mess of a game. It is simply cynical and bound to leave a bad taste in even the greatest of fans' mouths, this is undeserving of the Transformers name.
Sucker Punch has struck gold once again with Second Son, putting the PlayStation 4's power to good use and providing gamers with a rich, satisfying experience. Slow start and samey missions aside, the spectacle of the main character's arsenal alone is reason enough for new PS4 owners to put this at the top of their shopping list.