There are two parts to Q.U.B.E. Like most games, there's the story and then there's the gameplay.
The gameplay in Q. U. B. E. Director's Cut is actually quite good. You start the game in a weird space built out of cubes, with a pair of gloves that allows you to interact with a small amount of the world, namely colored bricks.
From this, the game is based on manipulating those bricks, traversing the levels, and exploring the world.
And that's what Q.U.B.E. does exceedingly well. I played this game back before the Director's Cut and remember one or two puzzles I had trouble with. This time around, I only had a single problem with a puzzle (an annoying puzzle, but it's also the last one in the game I believe). However, the puzzles are a highlight of the game and will make most fans of puzzle games or games where the goal is to merely traverse a level (like Portal) enjoy themselves.
On the other hand there's a story, and to be honest, that's where the game falls apart. The original Q.U.B.E. didn't have a story and I remember thinking "Man I'd love to have some reasoning for me to do this." Hell, I'm sure I suggested a portal-esque story.
Unfortunately, I got what I requested, and worse... well it's just bad. The story itself feels disjointed, as if it was placed in the middle of an already complete game (which it was) and sadly the game isn't better for it. The story tries to be this deep probing or even contemplative thing. But comes across as just manipulative and forgettable. Even the ending is just there. I like the puzzles, not the part where the game tries to talk to and interact with the player.
I actually wish there was a way to not play the story (I still have Q.U.B.E. so I can just play the old version). It's just not a good addition to the original game, luckily they have made it a free upgrade otherwise I would have been unable to recommend this version of the game.
However with that being said, the gameplay is above average, there are some time attack maps that you can play that are actually quite difficult, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had on the first playthrough of the game. Just don't expect an amazing story or even a game you can play through more than once. You'll spend a couple hours playing the game, and get a fun experience, but it's not going to blow any minds, and since it came out in the same year as Portal 2, it didn't win any awards. That all being said, it's still a solid experience and quite enjoyable for fans of the puzzle genre.
3.5