Cubed3's Reviews
Legend of the Skyfish is a good game that's hanging out with a bad crowd. Sure, there's the cute art style, the level design is mostly passable, and the gameplay itself does its job most of the time. It's like it knows what it wants to do, and it knows how to get there. Still, every once in a while, presumably on cold, rainy nights, it likes to play dress up. It's cosplay of choice being a much less enjoyable game.
It has its issues, like how annoyingly precise you have to be with your moves, or how it's sometimes hard to understand why you failed, leading to plenty of trial-and-error, and, yes, this is a niche title that won't appeal to just about anyone. Having said that, it's a very good interrogation sim, features a great noir art style, and is deeply immersive.
While there is a lack of guidance and some confusion about the story, Doraemon Story of Seasons is a beautiful game in a beautiful setting. Its relaxing music and easy gameplay make for a pleasant and calming game experience. It feels as though a lot of love has been poured into making this game, and little details like the seasons changing in the menu according to where in the game the player last saved makes it rather adorable. A wonderful title to relax with, over a longer period of time.
Those used to the genre will be thrilled by the challenge presented here, yet newcomers will easily become frustrated at the difficulty spikes, and the feeling that no real progression is being made. Thankfully, the great narration and story-driven sections between the gameplay will hold the interest of even the most uninitiated dungeon crawlers.
Ghost Games has delivered a great new addition to the Need for Speed franchise, with Heat certainly bringing the 'heat' with its relentless cop pursuits that play out against a beautifully-looking Palm City.
The amount of fun to be had traversing the excellently designed levels with almost telepathic control intuition would be more than enough to recommend this, but ARVORE has gone above and beyond to ensure this one sticks in the memory long after completion.
Without any of the technical issues that plagued it on other systems it got released on, Alien: Isolation was, and remains, one of the best survival horror games ever made.
[i]The Touryst[i] may sport minimalistic visual designs, but make no mistake, it truly is a technical showcase for the Nintendo Switch with all the effects it throws around at the same time, all at a locked 1080p60 while docked. Shin'en strikes again then, and the adventure itself is pleasing and gripping throughout. Its only shortcoming is that, in the hands of capable riddle solvers, it is on the short side of things and feels like it is over a bit too quickly.
A new hope is here, as Star Wars video games finally get the long-awaited return to form they deserve. The creators clearly care about the source material, and have produced a story and a setting that will hopefully continue being explored. There are some teething issues here, but there is much more promise. Respawn has created the first step on what could be a very bright future.
Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story is a mundane beat 'em up that's held aloft by a couple clever ideas. The combat is fun at first, but the doldrums set in long before completing the first of potentially many play-throughs. Some fights, particularly the finale, definitely could've used a few tweaks. Still, figuring out the fastest route to the end is really cool. It gives the adventure a tinge of replay-value. However, unless you "have" to play every game in the River City Ransom canon, then this won't catch your interest.
Endless grind, very slow progression, and an abysmal battle system, are the major knocks against what would otherwise be an average experience. The story itself is unique, but hardly goes into depth instead relying far more on shock-value of events occurring rather than actual meaning. Unfortunate, really, as the plot serves up a huge potential for some interesting questions, or dialogue - things that are completely missing.
Nostalgia and an 8-bit classic simply aren't worth the price of admission
One Night Stand is proof that Ratalaika can find talented developers and bring them to the masses. While this isn't some Triple-A juggernaut, for what it is, it's a great addition to the genre. If you like these kinds of titles, you owe it to yourself to see everything that One Night Stand has to offer. For such a short runtime, there's a lot to love here.
The main story feels shorter overall due to it being a less grindy affair than ever before, but storytelling benefits greatly from this, because the main game ends up being a more focused and packed experience.
If not a fan of the Macintosh/NES Shadowgate, this won't convince you otherwise, as it's the same, below average (yes, fellow nostalgic friend) game. Now, if a fan, or think that this is for you, and don't mind playing something with early '80s visuals, you are advised to play the original, which is somewhere out there on the web (and completely free), as the "improved" visuals of this remaster actually lack that special retro magic, and the few additions aren't worth the price of admission.
Dusk Diver struggles to make a memorable impact due to its story and gameplay failings. This is not helped by its technical issues. Nevertheless, despite its blandness, there is some charisma beneath the surface thanks to a memorable supporting cast and a clear sense of passion in its world's conception. It's difficult to recommend it, but for those who do give it a go, there is a noteworthy personality here that keeps things ticking.
Black Desert successfully ticks all the requisite boxes expected from an MMORPG, but it doesn't really push the envelope forward in any meaningful way.
Ultimately, WWE 2K20 is the same old story of good ideas and bad execution. Having both female and male main characters in the MyCareer story mode is great. When presented alongside the "Four Horsewomen" mode/documentary, it shows 2K's commitment towards inclusivity. However, this is frequently undone by a plethora of bugs and glitches. In just a short amount of play-time, you're guaranteed to run into any number of them. Even if you can inexplicably manage to look past these problems, you're treated to original content that's also pretty flawed. Wrestling fans deserve better.
Super Wiloo Demake is a game that begs the question: "who is this for? Children should avoid it, lest they be turned off to platformers forever. Platform enthusiasts should turn away for the same reason. So who does that leave, trophy hunters? Might want to pick up My Name is Mayo instead - at least it has some humour. This is some of the worst Ratalaika has put out there, and that's saying something.
Trailmakers is right on the cusp of being something great.