Cubed3's Reviews
If you have managed to hold out on getting into Street Fighter V and were waiting for the best time to dive in, well done! Champion Edition is the version to pick up.
Honestly the biggest surprise in a long time. Such a crazy and un-family friendly concept pulled into an extremely fun game package with loads of laugh-out-loud moments, sharp visuals, and endearing characters. Definitely not one for the living room, but if you have a modicum of interest in what you've read here, then it's definitely a recommendation. A unique adventure that oozes with charm and always has a tongue in its cheek that's only let down by virtue of it being a remake that still shows its portable routes.
Despite the DLC gripes and the heavy downgrade in visuals for this Switch port, Samurai Shodown really stands out from the crowd, and it's great to see the revival of a popular series return in such a good way on the gameplay front. It takes weapons-based combat and creates a smart system out of it, putting players on edge, and provides moments of pure bliss when bare knuckle comebacks are made. The strong Japanese style only adds to the appeal. It really could have done with a more fleshed out story mode, though.
Stylish, methodical, and encouraging attacking gameplay, this latest Under Night In-Birth title is as exciting as always, and Switch owners that have yet to try the series out are in for a treat, with plenty of modes, a lengthy visual novel chronicle, online play, and a varied cast of characters. Despite the array of balance and move tweaks, though, this just isn't enough of an improvement over the previous title, with only one extra character being introduced. This is still a top anime fighter, though, and a good alternative to BlazBlue.
My Big Sister is the adventure genre at its simplest form. The solution to each "puzzle" is so evident that the only challenge here will be the struggle to stay awake. The horror-esque plot, and mature themes explored could help a lot, but they are handled in a manner that the average player will be left scratching his/her head about whether this is a dry comedy with some darkness thrown in, or a dark fantasy story coupled with some low-key humour.
If you don't like the price, wait for a discount. If you can't stomach a couple of problems on the technical side of things, the most serious of which being the bad netcode, wait for a patch. If you consider yourself a fun of fighting games, however, do get Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. It's a highly enjoyable title that will manage to please newcomers and veterans, and it has tons of content for those who aren't into the online aspect of it all. It's Street Fighter V as it always should be.
Rune Factory 4 Special is a near perfect farming and RPG title. The frustrating elements are outweighed by the gorgeous styled graphics, the immersiveness of the plot, and the sheer joy that comes from playing this remastered game. It raises high hopes for the upcoming fifth instalment in the series, and it can perhaps be considered a masterpiece.
Between 2033 and Last Light, Metro Redux is a must buy for fans of the genre, fans of the medium, and fans of good stories.
Between 2033 and Last Light, Metro Redux is a must buy for fans of the genre, fans of the medium, and fans of good stories.
Technical foibles aside, Darksiders Genesis provides yet another fresh take on everyone's favourite Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The isometric viewpoint is an interesting new direction, and one that isn't quite justified by the familiar hack 'n' slash action, but this is nevertheless a fun and well-designed experience that stays true to its roots despite its diminished scale. Fans of Darksiders will surely find a lot to enjoy here.
The words 'creepy' and 'moody' don't often come to mind when thinking about jigsaw puzzles, but that's the beauty of Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions. Puzzles often result in surreal imagery, and Nikita Sevalnev's soundtrack adds a chilling layer to the already ethereal atmosphere. With difficulty modes suited for both beginners and veterans of the jigsaw puzzle, Glass Masquerade 2 is a must play for anyone looking for more flavour in their puzzle games.
It may not be a terrific port, but Thronebreaker is a wildly addictive and relentlessly entertaining RPG-lite. The version of Gwent herein is the most fully realised to date, taking the core mechanics of previous versions and refining them into a malleable card game with endless potential. A beautifully written story and compelling characters make this a must-play for fans of The Witcher.
Short, sweet, and to the point, Lydia makes for a memorable and engaging hour of gameplay. Its story of abuse will prove uncomfortable, but a restrained hand ensures audiences never have to confront anything too visceral through gameplay. There isn't much in the way of replayability, but a well told story, plus an excellent visual style make Lydia a worthwhile play-through for anyone looking for something emotionally dense.
A charming and relaxing experience from start to finish, milk it for all its worth.
With the pedigree and ideas going into this, Phoenix Point should have been much, much better than it is. The cool ideas are overshadowed by ever-present bugs, glitches, and hiccups that constantly get in the way of the player. Even excusing these, the ideas and presentation come off as incredibly bland very soon into the adventure. Little customization, little options, and little reason to care about your soldiers or base, round out reasons this is in need of massive updates and overhauls if it is to be saved.
From a gameplay standpoint, Wide Ocean Big Jacket is an extremely simple game - with 'game' put between the biggest quote marks imaginable. As an experience, though, this is something else entirely. Turnfollow's tiny adventure is basically a funny, and occasionally very sweet, slice-of-life tale of four people enjoying themselves in the woods, while also dealing with some serious matters, but not in a very serious way. It's not a narrative-driven game. It is vacation in video game form - and only the good parts are included.
This is jam-packed with mini-games that can be enjoyed both against other players and alone, with enough content even for those with limited hand and/or arm mobility issues. It's the cutest party title known to mankind. This really is a game that everyone can find something to love: no compensation will be given for any arguments that multiplayer conjures up.
Too easy, too simple, and more often than not, too dull and slow, LUNA The Shadow Dust counts on its beautiful, fairy-tail, dreamy graphics, and soothing OST, a bit too much than it should. It's not a bad point-and-click adventure, sure, and those who can look past its heavy flaws will be entertained for about two to three hours, but if it weren't for its stunning hand-painted world, few would give it a second look.
Old lady Talma's melancholic tale of utter loneliness and inevitable end does provide some tasty breadcrumbs every now and then, but as a whole, this farm sim/narrative-driven title overstays its welcome, doesn't manage to be enjoyable, and ends up being a chore that just happens to include some pretty, and mildly coloured vistas, as well as a nice calm-and-then-ominous aura.
The heavy criticism towards Warcraft III: Reforged has nothing to do with the quality of the experience therein. This remains the wonderful real-time strategy that thousands of people have loved. The real problems begin when you take the changes of this remaster into consideration. The half-baked, unimpressive new engine and hit-or-miss design choices; the numerous bugs and network issues; and, finally, those mind-numbing, corporate-smelling decisions, like the fact that custom maps now belong to Blizzard, or how Reforged effectively ruins the original for those who don't even own the new game.