SmashPad's Reviews
While I didn’t love Control Resonant, there’s a lot to like. The game features top-notch presentation. The visuals and sound design are both outstanding, and while I did experience some frame rate issues on a base PS5, they weren’t game-breaking. On top of that, learning about, using, and fighting with Dylan is an absolute joy, but unfortunately, immersion-breaking moments take that joy away all too often. It feels like a prestige, artisan-type game built to win all sorts of awards and achievements, and then you play it and wonder why it’s getting the attention it is.
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival might borrow heavily from some of the best horror games on the market, but it combines those familiar ideas into something that is still enjoyable from beginning to end. It doesn't reinvent survival horror, and some of its individual systems have absolutely been done better elsewhere, but as an adaptation of Hellraiser, it understands exactly what fans are going to want to see.
Order of the Sinking Star is a remarkable puzzle game on a scope and scale I haven't seen in the many years I've been playing puzzle games, and it may be too big for its own good, with plenty of positives and negatives to consider.
Third Shift put together an amazing package that includes a touching story with characters I genuinely cared about, alongside a heartfelt message about life and love, and the best part was that it never overstayed its welcome. At four hours, Forever Ago is a game I'd recommend to anyone, whether they're in a loving relationship, going through some hardship, or just need something different to play. This is cozy gaming at its best.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is uncommonly good in a number of categories. It has a raw yet polished racing feel and sense of speed, bringing racing back to the Star Wars universe in a big way and iterating on how it all functions in ways that encourage player expression and experimentation. Most importantly, I've just been having so much damn fun, smiling ear to ear each race and growling in frustration when I come up short.
Gears of War: E-Day injects new life into the franchise and sets a new tone moving forward. It captured the spirit of the original Gears of War with putting just enough of a new spin on things. It’s definitely a highlight of the series. A perfect reload, indeed.
Overall, I enjoyed the nearly 13 hours it took to reach the first ending of End of Abyss. However, those hours were marred by glitches: trophies failing to unlock (including the normal ending and final boss achievements), doors locking me out of resources needed for upgrades, and more. The game clearly needs more polish. After a few updates, End of Abyss will be a fantastic experience that definitely deserves your attention.
When working as intended, Minecraft Dungeons II runs smoothly and plays far better than the first game. The environments are beautiful and thoughtfully designed, and new mechanics to deliver a deeper story were very welcome. However, the grand finale was anticlimactic, the new enchantment system feels like it discourages build experimentation, the titular dungeons are completely optional, and a glaring oversight in the artifact cooldown system flies in the face of the faster-paced combat Mojang was going for.
Something We Made created one of the best, most worthwhile experiences of the year that's a salve for the soul and a wonderfully complete endeavor that doesn't overstay or lack the substance required to feel satisfied by the end. I loved every second of this game, and I won't forget it any time soon.
It should come as no surprise, but this is easily the best way to experience one of the greatest games ever made. With the unexpected but welcome Songs of the Past expansion dropping next year and The Witcher IV on the horizon, I implore newcomers and returning fans alike to remember why The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has earned its enduring legacy.
Ace Combat 8, as a whole, is a lot of “two steps forward, one step back.”
On one hand, SiN Reloaded is absolutely a game of its time, remaster or not. On the other hand, it still fits neatly in the current pantheon of retro-attuned games making comebacks or blazing their own trails as homages to history. It's an easy sell for anyone wanting to explore the annals of first-person shooters not named DOOM or Quake, a below-the-surface treat that did a lot right, and for most of what it missed, Nightdive gave it a second chance.
If you’re fond of 3D platformers, you’ll likely find a lot to whet your appetite here, as OSome Studio has done a terrific job with the game, regardless of if you’re a fan of the franchise.
Given that the game is a direct continuation and has you explore most of the same areas, the fact that its gameplay systems keep things fresh makes it all the more impressive, and that goes without saying the game is roughly one and a half times bigger than the last one. At the end of the day, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a remake of what many consider the best game in the Trails series. Of course it's amazing.
If you can put up with some poor combat and areas overstuffed with repetitive enemies, The Sinking City 2 is well worth fighting against the tide in the end. I enjoyed the story and the exploration, and the areas are honestly close to being as good as its inspiration. It needs some balancing, and it’s downright questionable that an entire DLC featuring an entire new area came out near launch, but I’m very glad I got to play this one.
Mexican Ninja is fun — fun enough to buy and spend a weekend on debaucherous violence, cultural humor, and ninja heroics. It’s a scrappy indie game that certainly could have been better, but defiantly and confidently stands among peers offering things they cannot. It’s respectable if nothing else. Genre purists will vibe with it, as this would have killed in the 90s with its irreverent tone, but if you’re expecting the next Absolum, this is the wrong juego for you, hermano.
The story is passable, but the action is capable of nice heights, especially with pals on your side or diving into the unpredictable lottery of public matchmaking. It’s hard to beat the intensity of hearing the ping of your motion sensor that precedes mowing down aliens with a smartgun or pulse rifle, and the game provides candy of that sort and more to indulge in. Genre fans who are more forgiving of prominent flaws will have a good time with it. More critical players may want to wait for some title updates to roll through.
Where Geppy-X falls short is its actual gameplay. If you want a shooter that does anything above average or remarkable from a gameplay standpoint, this isn't the game for you.
I do wish that plot details in Orbitals were a little more obvious from a storytelling perspective, but the amount of fun you’ll have in this short six-hour sci-fi adventure hardly makes you think about any of that. Orbitals is just a good time to spend with a friend, and that’s all you should really want from it.
Some bugs, a couple of crashes, weak boss battles, and other strange design choices hold Mortal Shell II back from being the masterpiece I hoped it’d be, but Cold Symmetry has more than proven itself as a small-but-mighty team that knows how to deliver the action RPG goods.