Cubed3's Reviews
It's not clear why Code of Princess on 3DS was ever a cult hit; maybe because it was the only action RPG on the 3DS at the time? Organising a local multiplayer session ends up taking up more time than the time spent playing together since the core gameplay of Code of Princess EX is very shallow and very tedious. Battles just drag on for an eternity as heroes constantly wail on goons, making everyone who is playing feel only regret. What a waste of excellent character designs that they have to be used in such a milquetoast beat 'em up.
From its story, to its aesthetic, to its gameplay, War Tech Fighters feels like a traditional mecha anime brought to life.
Although conceptually sound with a fairly strong setting, This is the Police 2 struggles to say or do anything meaningful with its premise.
In terms of looks alone, One Piece: Burning Blood has great presentation, as it feels like it came right out of a manga. In terms of gameplay, though, it's just a decent, and relatively unpolished, fighter of no importance.
Madmind Studios has successfully created the definitive version of videogame Hell: humdrum, uninspiring gameplay, frustrating level design, stuttering frame-rates, soft locks and crashes galore, unpolished textures, ugly character modelling, sudden inexplicable deaths, and irritating glitches. It is a painful experience from beginning to end, with the only real highlight being the uninstall. An absolute stinker; Agony is most definitely Hell!
After so many bad outings in the series, Sonic's legacy was beginning to turn to dust. Many mistakes have been made in trying to emulate, yet evolve the 2D adventures of yesteryear, with failed projects, such as Sonic 4. Sonic Mania Plus, however, restores the series back to the gold standard. It will be revered for decades with the community who will no doubt set this as the benchmark for any future sequel to the series.
Is Another World a perfect adventure platformer? Who knows! It is, however, the best example of its kind and has served as a blueprint for any designer who has every considered to make a cinematic style game.
The only people that shouldn't play The Banner Saga 3 are those that haven't played the first two instalments yet. However, if you have been waiting until now, this is absolutely the time to get on-board The Banner Saga bandwagon. This is one of the best strategy games in years, with engrossing combat and a fantastic story. The difficulty is almost perfect, making the battles rewarding without being trivial and players may find themselves actively seeking out more fights. It is entertaining from top to bottom, and the only real negative is that the adventure has finally come to an end. This is the conclusion the saga has been waiting for, though, so if the saga had to finish, it could have hoped for no better way to do it.
For those worried about the simple gameplay and minimal graphical aesthetics will be pleased to know that Lumines Remastered holds up quite well on Nintendo Switch. While the graphics themselves are not as beautiful as they were over a decade ago, the coloured-blocks still delivers a certain charm that is compounded by the foot-tapping background music that keeps the experience alive. While Tetris purists may shirk at this block-matching alternative that messes with the formula a little, Lumines is worth a try. Whether it's high scores on the leaderboards, completing strategic challenges, or just filling the void for a couch-multiplayer title, Lumines Remastered has something for all lovers of arcade-type puzzle games.
In spite of all the odds against Yoko Taro's career, he has finally delivered a true masterpiece that finally delivers on all fronts, including gameplay. Environmental detail aesthetics lacking aside, Nier: Automata is an unbelievable game and one that just might make even the most stone cold hearted gamers well up into a weepy emotional mess. This is a landmark in storytelling that is one that embraces the fact it is a videogame and does not try to imitate film like the way most story-driven titles do. This is bold and weird without being pretentious, but most importantly it knows how to be a fun videogame thanks to master class action game design. While the extra DLC content is not terribly interesting and the enhancements for Xbox One X are just slight, Nier Automata: Become as Gods Edition stands as technically the best way to play it.
Overall, this is a great product with a low price tag and high replay value, and deserves attention. Some more bosses and maybe a mode where aliens are playable would really go a long way for the longevity, though. The lack of any character progression means if the gameplay alone is not enticing enough for some, replaying will not be a worthwhile experience. Earthfall could have taken a couple of notes from Killing Floor 2 in many aspects of prolonging gameplay via progression in a repetitive system, but what it strives for in the "Left 4 Dead" genre, it nails really well. It's exciting to see what the developer does next with content and updates.
There's literally not reason to try out Kingdom Come: Deliverance - From the Ashes. It's pretty weak DLC that, instead of breathing new life into the core game, just adds a short, and not that engaging (or rewarding), quest line.
A few steps above decent, and a few steps below very good, Episode 3: Ripples is another chapter of The Council that is enjoyable, but at the same time a bit disappointing, as it doesn't seem to know what its strengths are. On the bright side, the story finally decides to move a bit faster, making players eager for the next one in line.
Go Vacation is a medley of summer activities - whether it's tearing up the sand in an ATV or trying to get a horse to ascend a castle and desperately leap over a river, because you can.
Some minor technical limitations aside, gamers are in the presence of what is one of the most compelling JRPG stories the Nintendo Switch has seen, easily on par with Xenoblade Chronicles 2's and, admittedly for lack of competition at this level of polish, at time of writing anyway, the absolute and unquestionably best Action JRPG on the system.
Shelter Generations is a considerable disappointment. This whole package seemed filled with promise but each and every element is terribly flawed in its execution. Shelter 2 feels like an empty world, meaning it regularly begins to feel dull, and even when the world has enough content, there isn't enough development in the story or the core gameplay to keep things interesting. Paws improves things by adding a story, some puzzles to keep things interesting, and a whole bunch of charm. There are some lovely and genuinely moving moments. It's good, but just too short, and it's not enough to save this collection.
Bomb Chicken isn't going to be breaking any molds. What it does, countless others have done before, and better. That doesn't mean it isn't a ton of fun, though, if a little brief. It is an ideal new title for speed-runners to stream, and all-in-all a fun, addictive, crazy, little arcade experience. Based on this, Nitrome is one to watch; it certainly has a promising future ahead.
Although The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker does a decent enough job at building intrigue from act to act, its repetitive nature and random approach to the murder mystery format ultimately serve to diminish what could have been a highly enjoyable detective simulator. Not only do interrogations begin to lose their lustre rather quickly, with only a few standout patients maintaining their quality until the end, the killer being chosen at random at the start of each playthrough makes for an incohesive narrative that relies more on its gimmick than a genuine attention to the nuances of the mystery genre to pull off its story. To its credit, The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker does work far better than it should given how much the randomness holds it back, but it could have been significantly better with a more focused storyline.
A mixed bag of emotions and gameplay sum up Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. A lot in the way of graphical fidelity has been hacked away at in order to get this on Nintendo Switch, but it is quite clear those who are interested in this FPS know exactly what to expect on that front. Despite the obvious visual downgrade, coupled with the pacing and storyline issues, there is still a solid arcade game here that can sit alongside DOOM (or maybe the next shelf down).
Octopath Traveler is an extremely satisfying storytelling experience vastly different from other traditional JRPGs out there. The eight stories followed over the course of the game are all compelling in different ways, and each is engrossing in different ways. The combat is simple, yet nuanced, and building party compositions never stops being a fun exercise as the adventure presents each new challenge. The pacing does have some small missteps here and there, especially as the world opens up between each major act, but it's a tiny hurdle in an otherwise magnificent experience.