By diverting the story into a seemingly minor "cave escape" sequence, it surprisingly delivers plenty of emotions and ends up becoming quite an important episode in the scheme of things. The same old menial gameplay features here, though, with some uninspiring sequences to endure in order to get to the meaty parts of this character-driven story.

Looking at single aspects, SpellForce 3 is successful on all fronts, but this does not tell the whole story as on some level the game fails to come together cohesively. Building up RPG characters works largely well, but the RTS strategy sections leave a lot to be desired and the heroes simply melt into the background too much to be in any way meaningful. There is nothing 'wrong' with the game; it is just never an awesome experience.

Old Man's Journey is not as emotionally charged as its developer wants you to believe it is, but at least the landscapes that said old man will tread through are beautiful and fit like a glove with the vibe of each moment encountered. Unfortunately, what could be a nice and easy-going, if not a little forgettable, experience, turns into an hour and a half of boredom, due to the needless, and simplistic, puzzle-solving included.

Ubisoft's signature franchises continue to deliver on what the fans have come to expect and Far Cry 6 is no exception. A sprawling sandbox with tons to do and perfect escapism for a few hours… a few tens of hours. Fans of the series or Ubisoft's style, in general, will want to pick this one up, those who haven't ever clicked with them will find nothing new here to change their mind, with only a few changes that just do not push the boat out or move away from the formulaic. Most exciting though, is the upcoming DLC: a season pass that promises to give players a whole different experience. Stepping into the shoes of the villains of the previous games, starting with Vaas. Stay with us here at Cubed3, where we'll be covering it soon.

Another Code: Recollection recontextualises two of gaming's most obscure and heartfelt stories into a single cohesive whole, improving upon them in almost every way and providing a much wider audience with a chance to enjoy the adventure of Ashley Robbins. There are some rough edges here and there but the games are overwhelmingly a slow yet excellent journey that really ought to be experienced by everyone who can stomach the pacing. Melancholic, nostalgic adventures that come highly recommended!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is an ambitious and very worthy shooter on the Nintendo DS, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Gears of War meets Destiny… and the end result is mediocre. Take away the "coolness" of playing a gun totting superhero, and all you are left with is basically one more generic looter shooter, that doesn't manage to impress, neither with its repetitive gameplay, nor with its boring story and world building. Add to that a couple of technical and network issues, and you are in for a - pricey - treat.

Epic Mickey is pure magic and makes you realise what we're missing from today's society and why Walt Disney's cartoons were just so good.

It is a throwback and shows that gamers have not forgotten how fun it is to play games in the same room as others.

Few retro handheld fighting games hold up today, but SNK had already done a good job getting the gameplay of The King of Fighters functioning well on the Neo Geo Pocket Color, and SNK Gals' Fighters still proves fun for some casual bouts in this Nintendo Switch port. A lack of gameplay depth, inability to convert some moves to unused buttons, and confusion in how to unlock characters is a shame, but the additional options introduced, including the excellent multiplayer setup to allow for instant local fights on the go, really make this more enticing, and much more tempting given the price.

Absolutely filled to the brim with content, Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy! is a charming take on the Mystery Dungeon format. While it might not offer too much in the way of innovation, there is a refined quality to just about every aspect. From the Buddy System, to the wonderful integration of Final Fantasy's Job System, there's very little on display that doesn't ultimately come together. The difficulty's pacing might pose a problem to some, but Square Enix's latest interpretation of the Mystery Dungeon franchise is bound to be remembered as one of the series' highest points.

Those looking for a turned-based RPG, inspired by the golden oldies, are advised to look exactly where Earthlock took its inspiration from, as it's not very good at what it does. Some neat ideas have been included, but these can't make amends for a lack of an engaging plot, or fun battles.

The new UI is ugly as sin, and the animation added to the boss sprites is laughably out of place. The new background art is a mixed bag of some decent work and a couple examples of soulless imitation that fails to capture the intent of the original. All of this applies for those who are familiar with the original Romancing SaGa 3. For everyone else, this is an excellent RPG that has a lot of content and replayability. A vast cast of weirdos and miscreants to recruit, and shenanigans to get into await in this saga.

Watch a video of someone playing The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED], and you'll love it. The faux-retro, 2-bit colour palette has been used to paint a dark, grungy, and deeply atmospheric post-apocalyptic Earth, whose style will surely be appreciated by - very - old-school PC gamers. A great art style can never replace great game design, however. The visuals make it hard to understand what's going on, leading to even more trial-and-error that's already needed, not to mentions that the controls are a bit of a mess. There are things to like here, but the ride isn't usually that exciting.

There is no doubt that the Booster Course Pass is going to heralded as "must-have", but so far Wave 1 hasn't set the track on fire. The runaway winners of Wave 1 are the three courses featured from Mario Kart Tour, but that is not to say the other courses are bad, but are lacking in imagination compared to other retro-courses featured in the base game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The lack of anti-grav and some questionable graphical decisions also mount up to disappointment and it is interesting to see if Nintendo are going to address this with the remaining 40 courses. However, in the grand scheme of things it is great to have new courses to race on and is certainly thoroughly recommended for all Mario Kart fans.

Misc. A Tiny Tale is a beautiful game with a charming cast of characters and lovingly crafted story. While it’s not as long or as in-depth gameplay-wise as some of its current contemporaries in the 3D platforming genre, it does not need to be. It just needs to be enjoyable and full of life, keeping players engaged through its many levels and objectives, and Misc. A Tiny Tale achieves this with flying colours. A must-play for platforming fans and those who enjoy emotional narratives.

Star Ocean: First Departure R is a remaster of a JRPG from another age that was remade from an older age. It mostly holds up and has all the '90s sensibilities and style that a many of fans of this genre have been missing for 20 years. It is too bad that the original Super Famicom Star Ocean could not be included with this for fans to enjoy and see the huge differences. It's a shame that it may become lost in time, but this remaster of the remake is still the story of Star Ocean. It was never the greatest, but it was always highly enjoyable, and did set the stage for the amazing sequel that one day may also get a conversion to current platforms. It is an unusual situation where a remake is influenced by its sequel.

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 is a solid collection that features some fantastic Neo-Geo titles (Metal Slug, Shock Troopers, Last Resort) as well as some not-so-fantastic ones.

From thrilling boss fights to elegant environments, coupled with a comprehensive control scheme and a well laid out progression system, Mulaka is a joy to play from start to finish. The unique art style, soundtrack, and the conscientious effort by the developer to stay as true to the source material of the Tarahumara means that the game is not only just immersive and fun to play, but also educational, as well. This is a must-own for those who love 3D action platformers, and even more so for those with a Nintendo Switch.

There are plenty of flaws, but they mostly come down to the ambition being a little too high, and the mechanics not quite fitting right. Yet… for all these flaws, this Kakarot manages to hype the fans in the audience like the source material has done for all the years. Key moments from the series are showcased absolutely perfectly. Just like how filler can be abided to see and experience the fan-favourite arcs, the missteps here can be forgiven. At least by the hardcore Dragon Ball fans. This is a series that deserves to continue, let CyberConnect2 perfect its creation. There are still the OG sagas to cover, along with the many movies, and even better, the recent stories of Super.

The various unique systems blend together quite nicely and help to take the traditional danmaku action in a slightly different direction. There are times, though, where this STG could have been a little more creative and really embraced the fact that it's a spin-off. Even with the unique barrier and stun mechanics, it feels a little too familiar. Still, that's not likely to bother someone who just wants a good challenge, because they will find plenty to test their skills on here.

Players should expect a slow start to Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge, but will begin to flow better after a couple of hours. Once the pacing picks up, the Star Wars atmosphere, tense gun fights and fun excursions offer an experience that fits PS VR2 like a glove. It's a great game and recommended to owners of the hardware.

Mighty Switch Force! 2 continues to provide a very refreshing side-scrolling experience on Nintendo 3DS. It's one of the most addictive platformers on the system, with tricky puzzles and high replayability.

Shin'en has truly outclassed not only all other WiiWare developers, but also itself with FAST: Racing League; a quintessential download title and an essential purchase for all Wii owners.

"A very decent clone of Fallout." That's at the same time the biggest compliment, as well as the strongest criticism for Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG. It is a labour of love that is almost as fun as the one it passionately pays homage to, and is thus easy to forgive its lack of fine-tuning. Unfortunately, it also lacks what made Interplay's gem the legend it is, which is, of course, the writing. You see, the key word in the phrase "a very decent clone of Fallout," is the word 'decent.' This otherwise entertaining piece of software is definitely that, but decent just won't do for most people.

These remakes are totally serviceable and a very good time for any Pokémon fan out there. There is however a nagging sense that more perhaps could have been done, especially for fully priced releases. The Pokémon franchise is big, the company behind these games makes millions off of these and yet there is a feeling time and time again that we're not getting the full AAA experience that such selling numbers should warrant, and this is seen very plainly in how technically dated these games look, even if artistically speaking they are still super cute. We are pleased with these remakes for sure, they're jolly good fun... but we're not impressed and this has to change in the future for the franchise!

Draugen is not bad, just disappointingly... mediocre-to-decent, when it could be so much more. The whole noir mystery narrated by an unreliable protagonist thing definitely manages to spark some interest, but this never really becomes the engrossing tale it wants to be. Forget the marvellously rendered Norwegian landscape, and the magical music that keeps it company. What lies underneath is just an okay-ish, walking simulator.

Rad Rodgers is a love letter to games from an older time, and manages to succeed in delivering a violent and satisfying 2D shooting experience. Unfortunately, unpolished platforming and a short length keep it from being a must play, especially considering the plethora of alternatives out there. The humour may not be for everybody, but for gamers looking for a blast from the past, Rad Rodgers is a rollicking and violent nostalgia trip to a simpler time.