All told, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is more of the same core experience, complete with the best gameplay the series has ever seen. While it cuts out one of the base game's unique modes and features, follower quests are a fantastic addition for offline play. The story could use some better pacing, but the mission structure continues to be spread out very well with new and returning monsters becoming available at a relatively decent pace — aside from the post-game grind to the final monster. Regardless, Sunbreak is an astounding expansion and a must-have for any hunter for both Offline and Online play.

JRPGs do not get better than this. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is Nintendo's finest to date and a must-play for fans of the genre. The moving story, delightful characters and deep, thrilling gameplay loop set this apart as a title that transcends the sum of its parts. There's so much to see and do and such a powerful story to be told, and it's all perfectly pieced together to result in a title that impresses on every level.

This homage to classic survival horror manages to become boring long before the three hours that are required to reach the end. SENSEs: Midnight is a painfully slow, generic adventure game, that's a step back from Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story, which played better, looked better, and had a far stronger and creepier atmosphere. Oh, and be aware of the bugs - the bite more than supernatural apparitions.

As a brand-new mainline entry that follows the previous iteration after over five years, The King of Fighters XV feels a little "by the numbers" in a similar way to how Dead or Alive 6 didn't push on from DOA5. Everything is too familiar, too safe, and lacking those key elements that truly give the impression of the next proper game in the series. The 3D character models still look a bit out of place, the story mode is awful, and there isn't enough done to ease newcomers in. Solid online modes and a large roster, with the addition of cross-play to look forward to, mean there is plenty to like for series fans, though.

A conflicting compilation of Sonic games that does plenty right in remastering some of the blue hedgehog's classic Mega Drive hits, but lets everyone down with unnecessary money-grabbing DLC, while not offering anywhere near the amount of content that really should be here in terms of the Sonic series' vast history. Still with bugs to fix, time will tell if Sonic Origins becomes a respectable overall package, but it will suffice for the more casual fan after a bigger price drop.

Perhaps not as strong of a track selection as Wave 1, Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass is still very good, headlined by a completely brand-new track in Sky High Sundae and complemented well by Sydney Sprint and New York Minute. It is a bit of a wonder why the retro tracks haven't been given the anti-gravity love, especially as the retro tracks in the base game have it. Waluigi Pinball and Mushroom Gorge are all certainly fan favourites, but it is a shame that they weren't given a bit of reimagining in the same vein that Kalimari Desert received. Nonetheless, Mario Kart fans are grateful that new tracks are coming out for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and it is doubtful that many will have a bad thing to say about getting these courses added in.

Short, sweet, and essentially a Sega Mega Drive shoot 'em up developed for modern audiences, Sky Racket is a fantastic throwback to 16-bit gaming. Emphasising mechanical mastery and pattern memorisation, the core design is philosophically in-line with the era it's throwing back to - a sight for sore eyes, considering so many indies never take their inspiration beyond the surface level. The main campaign admittedly could have benefited from more stages, but optional challenges and multiplayer do add replay value. With a title as strong as Sky Racket opening its gameography, Double Dash Studios has a bright future ahead of it.

A very good bundle of some very good games, Shadowrun Trilogy packages together some of the best cyberpunk-meets-fantasy stories. While far from what can be considered classics, all three of the titles on offer are lots of fun nonetheless, as long as one can stomach the somewhat simplistic combat, and the tiny text that almost renders the Switch's portability useless.

While perhaps not deserving of the "Definitive Edition" moniker, the long overdue Steam edition of Warriors Orochi 3 has got everything a franchise fan needs. Characters, missions, modes, weapons, levels, costumes, crossovers, meaty story - it's all here, minus online play and a few pieces of minor DLC. Ignore its aged looks and this is some of the best hacking and slashing in the franchise, the likes of which only the licensed Legend of Zelda entries come close to.

Those looking for a "traditional" video game, with levels to beat, enemies to fight, and overall goals that must be achieved, should stay as far as possible from The Longest Day on Earth. This is more like a short movie, which just happens to ask for a little bit of interactivity. Sadly, it's painfully boring, and the "storytelling" fails to evoke whatever feelings it wanted to evoke.

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.

The intriguing and unique premise of Live A Live is a genuine hook for players from all walks of life. This game not only has a fantasy story worthy of a SNES era Square game but it also treads an extremely upto date line with it's cool turn based combat and choice/morality systems. Players will be blown away by the content on show in this awesome RPG and it cannot be recommended enough. A great game turned masterpiece with this fantastic remake!

'Mundane' is the word that perfectly describes this horizontal shooter. Hell Pages is way too basic in what it offers and isn't even that good at it. Simply put, the genre is choke full of alternatives, at the same, or even lower price, so there's no need to play this.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a refreshing take on the musou genre, demanding a more strategic approach that earns it the "Fire Emblem" name. Fans of this world will find plenty to enjoy - as will those seeking a new and improved musou formula. The experience suffers from some pacing issues and can become repetitive, but on the whole it's well worth playing for those looking for a new take on the Three Houses lore - or those who simply want to experience a deft reinterpretation of the musou genre.

One of the Nintendo Wii's definitive classics has finally made its way over to the Nintendo Switch. Bolstered by smooth 60fps gameplay and swift load times, No More Heroes is better than ever. Travis Touchdown's ascent to the #1 ranked assassin is as hilarious as it is sincerely gripping, and the core combat never lets up - offering an engaging challenge that follows a tight difficulty curve. Santa Destroy as an open world is uneventful, but it features design sensibilities that aren't seen nowadays while almost serving as a parody of its era (without ever feeling grating). From gameplay to story, No More Heroes is nothing short of marvellous.

Golf With your Friends is a solid example of the phrase "It Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin." Focusing less on flashy visuals, and instead nailing a simple recreation of mini-golf, backed by accessible controls, and plenty of level and mode variety, results in a top gaming option for groups of Switch players.

Exploding Kittens for Nintendo Switch just is not worth it. It is boring to play alone and it's going to be difficult to find others willing to spend the money to play together. The real-life card game is an absolute hit, but this title for Nintendo Switch is an absolute flop.

Paradoxically, Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is both too long and too short. The ingredients are there to make a surprisingly awesome game, such as a type of sphere grid, tons of different moves and equipment. However, in reality it is largely a button masher that needs far too much grind which artificially inflates the length. Overall, it was surprising how good it actually was, and there is hope they make a second one.

Underwhelming is what perfectly describes Flynn: Son of Crimson, which is a shame, as the pixel art is top-notch (even if it's forgettable) and there are no mechanical flaws to talk about. Sadly, this just isn't enjoyable, with the almost child-friendly difficulty and repetitive gameplay making it hard to remain invested throughout.

Dungeon Encounters is a very difficult game to fault for its premise. It has very specific goals and it achieves them, much to the chagrin of the player and it achieves its goals thoroughly. This is definitely not something for the average Square Enix fan and caters more towards gamers who enjoy the likes of The Dark Spire or very old dungeon crawlers. Expect to have to rely on imagining the adventure and the battles, because of how nothing is ever realised in text or visuals. This is a hard title to recommend to general audiences, but for those who are truly hardcore RPG maniacs, Dungeon Encounters might be worth exploring.

It is a shame that Autonauts has a notable bug that rapidly reduced enjoyment and led to a premature end of the game. The style and concept are well executed, allowing many approaches to completing progression goals that are so numerous completionists will be in heaven. Creating and replacing tools as they break is an acceptable part of the game, but constantly having to stop and start robots in their actions because of an inexplicable error loses the whole automated process that is central to Autonauts' functionality.

There are some routes and plotlines in Olympia Soiree that stand amongst the best Idea Factory! has put out, but the price for entry is just too high. There's some beautiful art showcased here, and some memorable moments, and each person in the audience will find a bachelor that fits them… but it's hard going. The deluge of exposition, and dragging slow start makes it a slog to get to these points. This combined with the overly edgy "bad endings" tarnishes the experience as a whole.

Death end re;Quest is making its mark on Nintendo Switch with a fine balance of cute anime style graphics to temper the exceedingly malevolent and gruesome violence that truly is necessary for the plot. By the time the end game approaches a melancholic air descends because time is almost up for the beloved Shina and her sweet smile. Replayability is a must for completionists who want to encounter every clue in the game, and also for those who love the very screwed up universe in World Odyssey. Apart from occasional confusion on story progression, there are minimal negative aspects, with difficulty levels making lesser skilled players able to enjoy the intricately layered plot and higher skilled players able to sink their teeth into the complex battle mechanics.

There's plenty of deeply flawed RPGs from the late '90s/early '00s that actually people love despite their problems, to the point that it's almost a tradition of sorts. Arx Fatalis is one of those flawed pieces of software, which, like Morrowind, Gothic, and Fallout, has plenty of issues, but manages to be entertaining in its own special way. Having said that, it's probably one of the most problematic of the bunch. Try it out if a fan of the genre, if only to get a taste of its sweet, sweet atmosphere and strong immersion. Just be prepared to get a bit of bitter disappointment as well.

An intriguing plot coupled with a focus on questioning morality and who is truly an enemy, Akiba's Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed brings the original story to a new generation of gamers. Bugs, the lack of autosave which does seem a little odd for a remaster and some clunky game mechanics aside, there are easily over twenty hours of game time in the fairly realistic portrayal of Tokyo's Akihabara region. Replay value for those who played the original will vary depending on nostalgia feel, but a second playthrough is highly appealing for completionists and those who want to make different choices in their gameplay since supporting a faction does influence in the end story.

There is a simplicity to Deiland: Pocket Planet that may be too basic both in terms of how actions are done, and how little there is to explore on the tiny planet for some, but it is perfect as a before bed or generally relaxing game for others with easy to pick up game mechanics and clear objectives for each quest.

Rekt! High Octane Stunts is a very lightweight stunt game. The casual play style, and easy to grasp controls, make it a decent option for children. There is very little penalty for failure, and the package is dense with unlockable content. It is a humble, often boring, yet endearing title that is easy on the eyes. The most challenging quality within, is playing for long sessions. Rekt!'s style is only enjoyable in short bursts and anything more than two hours will make players enter an existential fugue state.

Capcom Fighting Collection presents a slightly bemusing package, given that half of the content is Darkstalkers and seven of these titles are in the two Capcom Arcade Stadium games. Cyberbots feels oddly out of place with its mecha-style gameplay, as does Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, but that's hardly a complaint; it just feels like the overall product could have been bolstered by more of Capcom's rich fighting game history, of which there is plenty to choose from. This is a great way to dive into the fan favourite Darkstalkers franchise, in particular, though, and seeing games previously exclusive to arcades, like Red Earth, make their way to consoles for the first time is a pleasure. Just beware the hefty price tag and lack of cross-platform online play.