SmashPad's Reviews
EA SPORTS FC 27 improves on the past. It is a better version of last year’s game, and I didn’t run into any issues finding games in the online modes.
Everything in Final Fantasy Resonance works and fits as it should. The best part is that this can be your first Final Fantasy game, and it'll be a great place to start. Resonance's characters are likable, and the battle system is easy to learn but has enough depth for min-maxers to enjoy. I'm really trying to think about things I don't like about the game, but I can’t. It doesn't get much better than that kind of praise.
Just Dance: Decades of Hits provides plenty of fun songs and choreography to get down to. Despite some camera placement issues and a few odd song picks, this year’s entry is a blast. It’s as much a treat for your eyes as for your exercising body, with the creative backgrounds. The sorting system also lets us dive into the music we want to dance to more quickly. I hope the next Just Dance continues this “decades” idea because it offers a more varied experience and shows the art form’s evolution.
While the puzzles were occasionally gratifying, the live-action cutscenes stuck with me most, as the game wears its love for film on its sleeve. Tenebris Somnia treats film with the respect it deserves and shows the toll it can take on one’s life when devoted to one's craft.
A roguelite focused on letting you transform into different monsters to fight through a dungeon could be very cool, but Stupid Never Dies is not that game.
I think Toy Story 3 Complete Edition is worth experiencing even for first-time players as long as they don’t set their expectations too high. It’s a very cute game, though it feels a bit light and has some less-than-stellar story missions. I just wish Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue had gotten an actual remaster too, since it also deserved it.
Thank You Bus Driver features a decent amount of content for what the game is, and I can't imagine the map holding most people's attention much longer anyway, but I still lean toward recommending the game. It can be aggravating, and the presentation can make focusing harder than it needs to be, but it is still a game that's as unique and interesting as it is funny. All of that makes it easier to overlook some of its design quirks, but it still depends on whether or not its brand of frustration speaks to you.
The Toy Story Retro Roundup is a fantastic collection for Disney and retro platforming fans. This was my first time playing Toy Story 2, and while it has a few kinks, like unpredictable movement, it is still a gripping game that had me playing from start to finish in almost one sitting. This is why game preservation matters: we can enjoy past experiences for the first time, relive them, and help future developers learn from gaming history.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a sequel-ass sequel in a great way. While not every decision is without question or critique, the bulk of them elevate the Boltgun canon and provide a streamlined, stylish way to experience 40K's incredibly dense and lore-heavy universe.
It’s almost mind-blowing to me to be sitting here, typing up my thoughts on a new Castlevania 2D game in 2026. I never would have called this series coming back. Or if it did, I would have expected Konami to try another big-scale 3D reboot. But seeing Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse on my hard drive and being able to play it makes it feel like one part of the gaming world is working as intended. This game feels incredibly good to play, and I’d recommend checking it out as soon as possible.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave isn’t just your typical strategy RPG. It feels like a playable Greco-Roman myth, one where the scope of the story somehow manages to keep getting bigger and bigger as you go, and surprises you at just about every turn. Things only hinted at in Three Houses now take center stage, and the franchise goes places it has never been and succeeds with flying colors.
Fast movement, fluid and gratifying combat, remarkably rewarding exploration, a surprisingly captivating story, and a world that is as bleak as it is beautiful make Valor Mortis one of this year’s must-plays.
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.