Cubed3's Reviews
Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation in 1998 was one of the most enjoyable survival-horror games ever released. The remake continues that tradition and improves on all the aspects that made it great and the result is what could be the best Resident Evil ever made. It may even be the best horror title ever made just going by the sheer level of craftsmanship and detail. Is it the scariest? It is scarier than the 1998 original, but on current platforms such as PlayStation 4 one would be hard-pressed to find anything that's even half of its calibre. This is one that keeps on giving; highly repayable and full of interesting ways to keep playing, even after completing two campaign variations.
Ultimately, this DLC accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It presents more variables to consider. This not only spices up the average play-through, it also allows for more flexibility in determining that perfect level of difficulty. Just be aware that the full breadth of features requires a significant time investment. It's the whole "you get out of it what you put into it" adage. The rival colonies can seem a bit trivial, especially if one is never put into a position where they might have to deal with them. Expecting the player to invest hundreds of hours and pursue the toughest scenarios might be asking a lot, but if they're really enjoying the base game, then Surviving Mars: Space Race is worth looking into.
Ironically, by trying to bring to light all the issues plaguing video games in recent times, Shadow of Loot Box is not an overall enjoyable game to play because, as the novelty wears off quickly. Luckily, this is a two-hour experience, so at least it ends quite quickly. The loot box enemies are funny at first; but they are bullet sponges that get quite annoying, especially as weapon-upgrades do little to destroy them quicker. While platform elements and open-world stages creep in, the control mechanics are still clunky enough to detract from the larger issues that Shadow of Loot Box tries to commentate on.
Ultimately, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a valued successor in the series and brings the franchise right back to its roots. Graphically, the game is stunning. It pops with glistening detail and lighting, and lots of delicate touches, such as the raindrops on the windows. This is matched by the bombastic sound quality which delivers pounding thrust and thundering cannons through the clouds. Whilst the campaign could be a touch longer, and it is regrettable that the VR mode is not yet present in the PC version, overall the package on offer here is well worth it for any flight combat fans.
Given this should not be played until after experiencing the full visual novel, 8-bit ADV Steins;Gate immediately finds itself in a difficult position, as it fails to enhance the original in any shape or form. This extremely condensed version of the story adds nothing of value, and only serves as a nostalgic method of revisiting the universe in a retro format...which still doesn't capture even a part of what makes the characters and its world so special. It's just as well this is a freebie with Steins;Gate Elite orders, because it would be hard to argue a case for parting money with for it. Whatever you do, don't play this before the visual novel. No one deserves to have the real adventure spoiled by this pointless, but harmless, retro abridged version of events.
In conclusion, Genesis Alpha One is a decent way to spend a weekend, but it will wear out its welcome not long afterwards. Building, upgrading, and defending a starship is compelling enough. There are also those times when a large-scale invasion generates some real excitement. However, a lot of time is going to be spent performing mundane tasks. Although this does an admirable job of streamlining most of them, boredom will eventually set in. Still, the unique premise might be reason enough to check it out.
Horizon Chase Turbo is chocked full of cars and tracks, and numerous variations on all of the above. Not only does the Brazilian developer Aquiris bring quantity, but it also brings impeccable quality. This high-level slew of content, finesse and masterful, fast-paced racing, perfectly captures the true essence of any racing title. Anyone looking for a racer on the Nintendo Switch, should automatically consider this without any hesitation.
Two things must be taken into account here. First, AT SUNDOWN: Shots in the Dark is extremely light on content. Secondly, and maybe, more importantly, it uses a stealth mechanic that enables hiding from plain sight (your sight included) by walking into the dark; a mechanic that will probably turn out to be quite divisive. Definitely try out a demo before a purchase.
Other than porting BlazBlue: Central Fiction to Nintendo's platform, this seems to be minimum effort on Arc System Works' part.
Made out to be something bigger than it is, The Nightmare fails to deliver once again in what is a recurring theme for Shadow of the Tomb Raider's download content. The Croft Manor sequence could and should have been something much more than it was, and the tomb is another short and simple challenge. There are always signs of something good in each of these DLCs, but none have added up to anything great yet.
Wulverblade might not be the most innovative of titles, but what it does it does really well. This is everything you ever loved about the beat 'em up genre, put into one stylized little package. It doesn't reinvent the genre, or even really add anything new, but at the same time it doesn't really need to. Fans of the genre will love what this has to offer though, and it might even manage to draw some newcomers in as well. With some slick and enjoyable combat and a unique, interesting visual aesthetic, it is hard to not be immediately drawn in by Wulverblade. It really is a great title, so grab a sword and start slashing your way through medieval Britain.
Those without the calmest of dispositions need not apply. HoPiKo is the type of game that can quite easily cost the lives of a few controllers, and on Switch that could get a little pricey for those who like to play in handheld mode. Few will enjoy this, but those that do, will bloody love it this punishing, maddening, insane, brutal, and brilliant pain in the behinds. Those looking to be truly challenged, buy this now.
Despite a fairly strong lead in from Thicker Than Water, Episode 5: From the Gallows is unable to craft a wholly satisfying conclusion to A New Frontier's story. In many respects, this finale is exemplary of Telltale at its absolute worst: uneven character focus, forced cameos, rushed pacing, meaningless choices, and uninspired plotting. Although A New Frontier comes out thematically cohesive, that means little when the final product found itself unable to fully develop its cast before the finale while also refusing to commit to either Javi or Clem as the protagonist. As From the Gallows comes to a close, it feels as it season three still had more story to tell.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is wasted potential. This is supposed to be the start of a trilogy, and hopefully the designers will learn from this mulligan and make something that has a bit more polish next time. Chris Darril's heart is in the right place, and he is proven to be a very capable game designer - the next effort just needs to be more carefully thought out and play-tested.
There are myriad good reasons why Marvel's Spider-Man is the best-selling and highest-rated Spider-Man title in years. While it has a few glaring flaws, they pale in comparison to all of the things the team at Insomniac got right. A well-acted, strong story serves as the backbone for an experience that just plain feels right for Spider-Man, and fans and newcomers alike won't be disappointed by this trip to the Spider-verse.
Cities: Skylines is one of, if not the premier city building sim on the market. The amount of detail it is able to cram into every facet of the experience can feel intimidating at first, but getting to know all of the features at their disposal will be both crucial and satisfying in the player's pursuit of the greatest city on Earth. Some performance issues place a damper on the experience, as does the absence of content available in other versions of the game. Regardless, for Switch owners wanting to get their fix of constructing their very own megalopolis would be hard pressed to find a better resource than this.
£3.99 might not sound like much, but it's still overpriced for what is a really boring bit of content, with a Challenge Tomb that isn't on par with some of the ones from the main adventure. It is over far too quickly, but the Time and Score Attacks and ability to tackle it through online co-op add some reasons to re-run.
Despite starting stronger than the previous DLC, getting right into the puzzling and platforming action, The Pillar doesn't really feel like a Challenge Tomb. It's more like a challenge leading up to a tomb, which is followed by some minor combat areas. Perhaps these additional missions really are going to be much smaller than many would have anticipated.
Chronus Arc is not a bad old-school RPG by any means, but after all the time since its original release, it now suffers from the comparison with other games from even the same developer that are already out on Switch.
Football Manager 2019 Touch is a fantastic package, that makes just enough incremental improvements to the UI, and the general flow and functionality of the experience, that fans who enjoyed and got plenty of mileage out of last year's edition, will be tempted to update. For newcomers to the series, there couldn't be a better time to jump in. The Touch series knows how to mediate the overwhelming nature of the experience, with a friendlier interface and some hand-holding that helps level out the initial complexity. With that said, the most avid of fans, who play the PC releases religiously, may find the spirit of this experience to be too watered-down. It really depends on whether they can tolerate the compromises, which have been made for the sake of functionality and accessibility, particularly with newcomers in mind. Overall, Football Manager 2019 Touch provides hundreds of hours of football strategy fun.