SmashPad's Reviews
I enjoyed the heck out of the gameplay, and somewhat importantly, it scratches the collecting itch. I want to keep playing, but I’ll probably do it on Steam because of the Switch's performance and skip the Apple Arcade subscription.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined succeeds at taking a big swing at modernizing a gargantuan classic, and asks how much can be trimmed while still retaining its identity. For players willing to embrace a tighter, more efficient version of the game, it succeeds beautifully. For those hoping for the sprawling, slow-burning adventure of the PSX or 3DS versions, some of that magic has been sacrificed. But regardless of which camp you’re in, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a thoughtful and fascinating take on one of the most divisive games in the series and one that is worthy of your time.
Every time I got to a base on the mountain where I could walk a little and set up camp, I'd take a look back at the distance and remember what it took to get up there. The fact that a video game can make me think all that really makes it special.
Seafrog is a delightful indie gem that has fun exploration, engaging movement controls, and a decent bit of challenge when it comes to nailing the perfect balance of movement style and speed. This game puts an interesting spin on the metroidvania genre with its skating controls, prioritizing movement tech over raw exploration.
While I enjoyed my time with Big Hops, it wasn’t the must-play I was expecting it to be. But there are plenty of elements in the game that really give Luckshot’s next platforming or puzzle project a lot of potential, provided they really focus on the fun of either side.
Trails Beyond the Horizon is a game that feels like it's setting up the foundation to pay off the fandom with a conclusion that's set to surprise people, for better or for worse. Five years ago, I likened Trails of Cold Steel IV to Avengers Endgame. Trails Beyond the Horizon might as well be Avengers Doomsday, and there's no telling what to expect when the sequel comes out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a jarring entry not only in the Black Ops series, but in Call of Duty as a whole. Despite a strong multiplayer experience, the sum of its parts just doesn’t add up.
Despite it’s unique look and feel, Skate Story isn’t one of those indies that’s gonna change the world. The game is fine, but once you get through the game’s nine sections in the six hours or so to do it, there isn’t much to have you go back except to start the game over again. I hate to have kept mentioning THPS and skate, but when this game started development, I doubt there was any sort of expectation that it would come out at a year where we got both, and that makes Skate Story a harder sell.
This remaster has commendable aspects, but it would have benefited from focusing on the original’s charm or a more suitable title in the series.
Silksong doesn’t just live up to its past. It grows beyond it on its own terms.
Octopath Traveler 0 has a lot to it. The “main” parts of the story, primarily the antagonists discussed here, are some of the best in the series and will keep people invested along with the Animal Crossing-like charm you get from restoring Wishvale, but once you get past it, it’s all really just… there, and getting to its real, yet satisfying ending will take some effort. The end result is a huge game that definitely boasts more value than its $50 asking price.
Whether you want something a little more fast paced than Mario Kart World or want something loaded with content to get your money’s worth out of the Switch 2, Kirby Air Riders is an excellent addition to any Switch 2 library.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is exactly the kind of fun you should expect from a Marvel video game no matter what era you're living in. Like I said in my review of TMNT: Shredder's Revenge three years ago, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a reminder that with the right approach, seemingly outdated genres can be more than relevant today. Tribute Games has done it again.
umines Arise is, to sum it up in a single word, brilliant. Its simple to learn mechanics make it easy to get started, but very difficult to stop once you do. It’s a sensory feast for three of the five senses, and I suspect that’s only because smell-o-vision and taste-o-tron never took off, or Enhance would find a way to incorporate those, too. I’ll be playing this game for many months to come. As it is, it’s the best version of Lumines, full stop.
ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter designed for people who have always been extraction-curious but too intimidated to dive in. It keeps the core appeal of the genre, the high stakes, the gut-check decisions at the edge of extraction, the stories you tell afterward, but wraps it in accessible progression, a hopeful (if fragile) world, and a surprisingly wholesome streak of player-driven cooperation.
R-Type Delta HD Boosted is a great game. It’s still the same brutal, unapologetic, and dark-as-hell shooter that came out back in the day. But now it’s here to torment you on your modern systems. It’s a landmark in the genre, and one that really does need to be experienced by anyone with a passing interest in shooters.
Now that every episode is available, it’s clear that AdHoc Studio’s hard work and dedication made Dispatch stand out in all the best ways possible. Dispatch is the result of learning from mistakes made in the genre, while doing just enough to make it special.
With robust content like more zones than I expected, tool upgrades, and the gradually unfolding stories from your neighbors, this game promises to keep many gamers happy this winter. I know I’m going to be playing and replaying this for a while.
The quality of a multiplayer game is more fluid than ever nowadays as time goes on. But at this point in time, Battlefield 6 is a pretty enjoyable game, and I hope it stays that way. However, I also hope EA doesn’t take its broadly positive reception so far as a sign that reaching the standard is as sufficient or desirable as raising it.
Goodnight Universe does have its captivating points and the story did leave a smile on my face when I rolled credits, but that was mostly because I was finally done. There just isn’t enough here to recommend it at this point of the year at the price its being offered for, even if you played it the way it’s meant to be played–on a PC with a webcam.