Cubed3's Reviews
ChronoClock is a decently-written romantic visual novel, with a bit of decent comedy and drama thrown in for good measure, served along some decent audio-visuals. It's hard to recommend it to anyone but genre fans, though, as it doesn't really do anything to stand out from the crowd - despite the existence of a time-bending MacGuffin.
The detail to which you can customise the cities in here is astounding, and Mass Transit is not only adding more to the plethora of options already in Cities Skylines, but also tweaks some of the more frustrating elements, easing up the controls, and letting the player really get into the nitty-gritty of the road and traffic networking.
Far Cry New Dawn is a ridiculously well-polished and fun to play action game (AI issues aside), with an enjoyable if largely mundane story and villains
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal plays it safe with the series' established formula, which is ironic considering these titles are anything but safe. The series has always stuck to its roots and embraced the perverseness that in equal measures repels and attracts gamers, and this entry does little but remind the gaming world that these games exist. Aside from Burst Re:Newal being a ground-up remake, there's surprisingly few innovations to take the series into uncharted territory, but the combat is nevertheless enjoyable, and the story interesting enough to just about support the weaker points of the experience.
The quest in RemiLore: Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore is inconsequential, and the only reason why anyone would play this is to have a cute hack'n slash with the utter bare minimum of rogue elements. Bringing a friend along will help keep things interesting, but there is just not enough substance to keep most hooked. It is too easy, and one has to play very carelessly in order to feel the rush of walking that razor's edge that comes with the better rogue-likes.
Pumped BMX Pro is a fun BMX platformer - when it wants to be. But, on the Xbox version anyway, the right-stick for tricks is a temperamental control that only sometimes performs the tricks, despite being held in the correct direction. Plus, the "pump" system is extremely specific with when to use it, and Pumped BMX Pro takes no prisoners in miss-timed presses that will basically cause the rider to fail the stage. But once these kinks are worked out, this is definitely a BMX title worth checking out for those who don't want to invest in a heavy sim-based game, and opt for the more arcade-styled versions instead.
Never mind the fact that Thea: The Awakening can frequently feel like a needlessly complicated 4X stategy/survival rogue-like/card battler. If that was its only issue, this would be an easy recommendation. Regrettably, the inconvenience that is its user interface mars what could be something really awesome.
Perhaps it will get better, but whether the audience is still there when it does is questionable. Cool flying mechanics can only keep the interest of the masses for so long.
Observer could have been more. It has style and exceptional art direction, a creative premise but flaccid and unimaginative gameplay. Maybe this comes with the territory when it comes to walking-sims or first-person adventure games, but there really is no excuse for the lack of imagination because much older games have found ways to keep things fresh while adventuring. There is very little attention to detail when it comes to interaction and player-choice. Observer should have been like playing a pacifist run on the original Deus Ex.
Quite simply, Metro Exodus is the perfect way to round off this trilogy, and a testament to the powerful evolution that a gaming franchise can make. The open world offers a whole new perspective from which to enjoy Artom's tale. Whilst there are some niggly issues with AI, and maybe an overuse of bespoke animations, the fact remains that it is hard to think of a better example of how to design a single-player survival adventure. Visually stunning and packed with audio detail, this is something that should be experienced by any PC gamer.
While the journey is more important than the destination, the fact NAIRI lacks a traditional conclusion - leaving many arcs and themes in a resolution limbo - hurts the narrative considerably. Considering just how much the story focuses on Nairi as a character, a cliff-hanger ending that places emphasis on plot comes off structurally inappropriate at best. That said, the script, atmosphere, and puzzles all warrant at least one playthrough. Tower of Shirin might fall much flatter than it needed to thanks to a poorly realised ending, but NAIRI, as a whole, is a charming point-and-click with plenty of heart.
While a bit short on the replayability side, and with visuals that look good, but not as good as they would do so with the use of a VR headset, Battlezone: Gold Edition is a fun tank arena shooter, with a surprisingly strong strategic mindset. Just be sure to enjoy this with a bunch of other players, as solo play might get way too boring, way too soon.
Dead or Alive 6 isn't the Christ's-Second-Coming equivalent of fighting game sequels. This is mostly an upgraded version of Dead or Alive 5, and not exactly a heavily upgraded one. Having said that, even those few improvements manage to make this the best, and most visually appealing instalment so far - boobies, or no boobies.
Still one of the most captivating visual novels of all time, but Steins;Gate Elite might not be the absolute best way to experience this wonderful classic. The animated segments add a whole new dimension to the way the story is presented, and it is seamlessly pulled off to create a quite brilliant interactive anime of sorts, but the lower quality of the character designs compared to the gorgeous original artwork from the standard version takes a bit away from it all. Not enough to lose the impact and engagement this new interpretation delivers, and it is still a sure-as-heck must-buy for Switch owners that have no other means to play this title, but some players wishing to see the fuller endings and with superior art may want to opt for the PS Vita version if they can.
Black the Fall is... okay. Not the worst atmospheric puzzle-adventure out there, but also very far from the top steps of the podium. A strong, oppressive atmosphere can get you places, but a game of this kind still needs a good plot, and some gameplay mechanics that are more than decent.
The prospect of Disney parks and reality are two very different things. No-one thinks about the crowded places, the huge bills, or the huge waiting times. They think about the Disney magic. Kingdom Hearts is very much the same. There are some negative elements, paramount of which is the utterly incomprehensible story and the repetitive gameplay. However, like the parks, all those negative elements are soon forgotten when experiencing the game. Each of the Disney worlds completely captures the magic of the movies, plucking the heartstrings and embracing the nostalgia. This is exactly what fans of the series wanted and, best of all, somehow, someway, all the crazy plot threads are dragged together, kicking and screaming, into an utterly satisfying conclusion. The prospect of Kingdom Hearts III being the end of the road is a sad one. Sora's tale may be over, but there are so many other Disney worlds left to explore. The world needs a Moana level with Mau'i helping to take on a huge Tamatoa boss. Wreck it Ralph deserved its own levels, as did The Incredibles, and so many more. Here's hoping, one day, Kingdom Hearts will return.
DiRT Rally 2.0 does nothing but improve the reputation of the purest, modern rally series out there. Codemasters' flagship sequel retains the same uncompromising sense of difficulty and challenge as seen in the original, but achieves it with a new-found sense of finesse and variety. The expanded and evolved Rallycross experience offers something equally visceral, but in a more quick-fire format and with exciting contact-based racing. This is an excellent counter-weight to the more gruelling and linear experience found in Rally events, and it may serve as the better jumping-in point for lesser skilled players. Overall, Codemasters have outdone themselves with one of the greatest rally packages ever made. Whether it quite out-manoeuvres Richard Burns Rally where it counts, the physics and handling through the wheel, is a matter of opinion, but it certainty hits that mark. One thing is for sure, rally fans everywhere must play DiRT Rally 2.0!
This really feels like the end of Etrian Odyssey. The series has felt indelibly linked to the 3DS (and Nintendo DS before it) by way of the dual screen mechanics. That, combined with the wonderful send-off of a game here that revisits so many aspects and elements of previous entries in the series, feels like Etrian Odyssey Nexus really is a farewell. Atlus has already hinted at a future for the series, and if it can reach anything close to what has come before, it will be something truly special. While this entry is clearly made for long-time fans, and they will get the most out of it, this is also completely viable for people to enter right here and find a new series to get obsessed over. This is wonderfully old-school, in all the right ways, insanely addictive, and a perfect swan song.
InnerSpace is beautiful... and that's all there is to say about it, because, as much as exploration games go, there are far better alternatives out there - with none of them feeling as disorienting as this one.
Unless an avid fan of all things tied to the Neptunia series, there's little reason to try the borefest known as Megadimension Neptunia VIIR. Repetitive, with not much humour, and with a profound unwillingness to add something new, or at least fix past flaws, one can easily find a better JRPG fix.