Cubed3's Reviews
The intriguing and unique premise of Live A Live is a genuine hook for players from all walks of life. This game not only has a fantasy story worthy of a SNES era Square game but it also treads an extremely upto date line with it's cool turn based combat and choice/morality systems. Players will be blown away by the content on show in this awesome RPG and it cannot be recommended enough. A great game turned masterpiece with this fantastic remake!
'Mundane' is the word that perfectly describes this horizontal shooter. Hell Pages is way too basic in what it offers and isn't even that good at it. Simply put, the genre is choke full of alternatives, at the same, or even lower price, so there's no need to play this.
Golf With your Friends is a solid example of the phrase "It Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin." Focusing less on flashy visuals, and instead nailing a simple recreation of mini-golf, backed by accessible controls, and plenty of level and mode variety, results in a top gaming option for groups of Switch players.
One of the Nintendo Wii's definitive classics has finally made its way over to the Nintendo Switch. Bolstered by smooth 60fps gameplay and swift load times, No More Heroes is better than ever. Travis Touchdown's ascent to the #1 ranked assassin is as hilarious as it is sincerely gripping, and the core combat never lets up - offering an engaging challenge that follows a tight difficulty curve. Santa Destroy as an open world is uneventful, but it features design sensibilities that aren't seen nowadays while almost serving as a parody of its era (without ever feeling grating). From gameplay to story, No More Heroes is nothing short of marvellous.
Exploding Kittens for Nintendo Switch just is not worth it. It is boring to play alone and it's going to be difficult to find others willing to spend the money to play together. The real-life card game is an absolute hit, but this title for Nintendo Switch is an absolute flop.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a refreshing take on the musou genre, demanding a more strategic approach that earns it the "Fire Emblem" name. Fans of this world will find plenty to enjoy - as will those seeking a new and improved musou formula. The experience suffers from some pacing issues and can become repetitive, but on the whole it's well worth playing for those looking for a new take on the Three Houses lore - or those who simply want to experience a deft reinterpretation of the musou genre.
Paradoxically, Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is both too long and too short. The ingredients are there to make a surprisingly awesome game, such as a type of sphere grid, tons of different moves and equipment. However, in reality it is largely a button masher that needs far too much grind which artificially inflates the length. Overall, it was surprising how good it actually was, and there is hope they make a second one.
Dungeon Encounters is a very difficult game to fault for its premise. It has very specific goals and it achieves them, much to the chagrin of the player and it achieves its goals thoroughly. This is definitely not something for the average Square Enix fan and caters more towards gamers who enjoy the likes of The Dark Spire or very old dungeon crawlers. Expect to have to rely on imagining the adventure and the battles, because of how nothing is ever realised in text or visuals. This is a hard title to recommend to general audiences, but for those who are truly hardcore RPG maniacs, Dungeon Encounters might be worth exploring.
It is a shame that Autonauts has a notable bug that rapidly reduced enjoyment and led to a premature end of the game. The style and concept are well executed, allowing many approaches to completing progression goals that are so numerous completionists will be in heaven. Creating and replacing tools as they break is an acceptable part of the game, but constantly having to stop and start robots in their actions because of an inexplicable error loses the whole automated process that is central to Autonauts' functionality.
Underwhelming is what perfectly describes Flynn: Son of Crimson, whish is a shame, as the pixel art is top-notch (even if its forgettable) and there are no mechanical flaws to talk about. Sadly, this just isn't enjoyable, with the almost child-friendly difficulty and repetitive gameplay making it hard to remain invested throughout.
There are some routes and plotlines in Olympia Soiree that stand amongst the best Idea Factory! has put out, but the price for entry is just too high. There's some beautiful art showcased here, and some memorable moments, and each person in the audience will find a bachelor that fits them… but it's hard going. The deluge of exposition, and dragging slow start makes it a slog to get to these points. This combined with the overly edgy "bad endings" tarnishes the experience as a whole.
Death end re;Quest is making its mark on Nintendo Switch with a fine balance of cute anime style graphics to temper the exceedingly malevolent and gruesome violence that truly is necessary for the plot. By the time the end game approaches a melancholic air descends because time is almost up for the beloved Shina and her sweet smile. Replayability is a must for completionists who want to encounter every clue in the game, and also for those who love the very screwed up universe in World Odyssey. Apart from occasional confusion on story progression, there are minimal negative aspects, with difficulty levels making lesser skilled players able to enjoy the intricately layered plot and higher skilled players able to sink their teeth into the complex battle mechanics.
There's plenty of deeply flawed RPGs from the late '90s/early '00s that actually people love despite their problems, to the point that it's almost a tradition of sorts. Arx Fatalis is one of those flawed pieces of software, which, like Morrowind, Gothic, and Fallout, has plenty of issues, but manages to be entertaining in its own special way. Having said that, it's probably one of the most problematic of the bunch. Try it out if a fan of the genre, if only to get a taste of its sweet, sweet atmosphere and strong immersion. Just be prepared to get a bit of bitter disappointment as well.
An intriguing plot coupled with a focus on questioning morality and who is truly an enemy, Akiba's Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed brings the original story to a new generation of gamers. Bugs, the lack of autosave which does seem a little odd for a remaster and some clunky game mechanics aside, there are easily over twenty hours of game time in the fairly realistic portrayal of Tokyo's Akihabara region. Replay value for those who played the original will vary depending on nostalgia feel, but a second playthrough is highly appealing for completionists and those who want to make different choices in their gameplay since supporting a faction does influence in the end story.
There is a simplicity to Deiland: Pocket Planet that may be too basic both in terms of how actions are done, and how little there is to explore on the tiny planet for some, but it is perfect as a before bed or generally relaxing game for others with easy to pick up game mechanics and clear objectives for each quest.
Rekt! High Octane Stunts is a very lightweight stunt game. The casual play style, and easy to grasp controls, make it a decent option for children. There is very little penalty for failure, and the package is dense with unlockable content. It is a humble, often boring, yet endearing title that is easy on the eyes. The most challenging quality within, is playing for long sessions. Rekt!'s style is only enjoyable in short bursts and anything more than two hours will make players enter an existential fugue state.
On one hand there are 4 great games in Sonic Origins, all are well cherished by Sonic fans, and are games that are considered some of the best in the Sonic franchise. Players might not even notice some of the glitches if they have never played Sonic, some long-time veterans might not even encounter them, but then on the other hand, these games, which have been out on the market for 25 years or more, cost a premium price with so many bugs and glitches present. Anniversary mode, Story mode and Mission mode will certainly be a refreshing change of pace for those that have completed these games dozens of times and it's fun while it lasts, but the package falls short by not including more than previous collections.
Capcom Fighting Collection presents a slightly bemusing package, given that half of the content is Darkstalkers and seven of these titles are in the two Capcom Arcade Stadium games. Cyberbots feels oddly out of place with its mecha-style gameplay, as does Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, but that's hardly a complaint; it just feels like the overall product could have been bolstered by more of Capcom's rich fighting game history, of which there is plenty to choose from. This is a great way to dive into the fan favourite Darkstalkers franchise, in particular, though, and seeing games previously exclusive to arcades, like Red Earth, make their way to consoles for the first time is a pleasure.
Little Nightmares II delivers a terrible experience. Terrible has retained the connotation of something bad, but it can also mean inspiring fear, dread, and awe. It's clear that's what Tarsier Studios was going for: an experience in delving through a terrible darkness. That experience is not terrifying, not scary, but creeping disquiet. An unsettling experience. Best of all though, that experience is memorable. Those who have the opportunity to experience this best version should do so. The world and its presentation are huge highlights, and this gives a shine of polish to enhance that. It's just a shame it clocks in at such a short runtime, and leaves so many questions left unanswered. Even heading back to see it all still offers a short playtime. The world of Little Nightmares deserves a third entry to explain it all, hopefully, one day it will get one.
Take away the frustrating tutorial and newcomers stand a chance of liking Farm Manager 2022, that is if they can get to grips with the, at times, illogical menu system whose navigation is critical to gameplay and can put up with the occasional ridiculously long loads. It is a real shame that it took such little time to turn a beloved simulation into a highly unenjoyable experience, not letting the game's positive aspects of running a farm and managing all aspects shine as bright as they should have.