SmashPad's Reviews
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! bets big and differently on production and wins. The concepts and framing are what make it unique and enhance the game as a total package. The game itself is very fun and solid, but doesn’t advance the genre in terms of gameplay or mechanics, it’s just other stuff done very well. I’d stay here and talk with y’all more, but I can hear Federation police at my door for not giving this simulation a shining, perfect endorsement so that’s all from me. Go do your part!
At the end of the game, I felt immense satisfaction. With all but a couple trophies awarded (that I may go back for at some point) and a couple faults worth mentioning, it still felt complete and like something substantial was accomplished. It’s a wonderful playthrough that respects you, your time, money, hard drive space, and effort. This is yet another awesome indie that deserves support and all the praise it’s getting. Don’t delay – shoot today!
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a lovingly intrepid take on the series' conventions. There's a palpable whimsy to its character-driven moments and punchy, elephantine vigor to its action that rivals the greats. All series fans need to give this a go, even if you were repulsed from the spinoffs before.
I have a lot of problems with Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, but I still enjoyed certain aspects of it since it’s still a Fatal Frame game through and through. However, its reliance on cheap, arbitrary nonsense in regard to combat and its blatant padding and repetition were more irksome than I would have liked.
Towards the end of my journey with Planet of Lana II, I stayed curious as to what happens next. There's a lot more to discover here, and discoveries to be made. A short but sweet game like this often has players longing for more, but I can safely say that this one is worth every minute of your time.
Scott Pilgrim EX is a great game, and I like that it takes some chances to bring its foundations up a notch with the intention of making it even better than great, but it falls short of that because it also feels like the game rests on its own laurels as a great multiplayer beat-em-up. I hope the next Scott Pilgrim game doesn't settle for just being great because the potential to go beyond that is definitely there.
Even if you have never played a game in this franchise before, I urge you to give this a try, since it’s now more accessible. Between all the exploration, combat maneuvers, and Kain and Raziel’s stories, there’s a lot here to find fascinating.
Despite the controversy and the plethora of missing content, I still had a pretty great time during my nearly 40 hours with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Tides. It makes some unnecessary changes, that’s for sure, some of which are quite disappointing (including the needless retcons at the end that will have serious ramifications for Yakuza 4‘s story), but the combat’s so much better than the original’s that it’s hard for me to be too cross about it.
I don’t think it’s a controversial take to believe that Bomberman is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated mascots and characters in all of gaming. You rarely hear about him when people talk about the best franchises in the medium, even when talking about the classics, but Super Bomberman Collection really puts some respect on the franchise’s name.
City Hunter as a game didn't age well, it's completed in an hour or two, and one thorough (or even meandering in my case) playthrough yields almost all trophies. There's a clear gap between raw entertainment potential and monetary value expected for the experience, and it's disappointing when stacked against other similar ports from recent years.
Disney Afternoon Collection feels right at home on the Switch, especially given that these were all Nintendo games when they first came out. The addition of Bonkers and Goof Troop are nice bonuses, but only if you really love one of these particular games. The rest of these games, however, are still great and essential for fans of Disney and NES platformers.
Resident Evil Requiem is a reconciliation of the series’ roots with what it grew into, and the end result is the series as it exists today. Sometimes it’s a pure horror game, sometimes it’s a horror-themed action shooter. It never tries to be both at once, and I think that is for the better.
On one hand, I really enjoyed my time with this. On the other hand, I’m not sure if I’d be able to recommend this if it wasn’t a game based on one of my favorite anime. It’s definitely for the diehard fans that know the source material and have been keeping up with the series for years. If it weren’t for some of the balancing issues, I wouldn’t have minded some of the painful flaws. Sadly here, if you remove one issue, another two grow in its place.
I’m glad Xbox decided to port Avowed to the PS5. While the combat can be repetitive in parts, and there are some bugs here and there, the overall experience is stellar. Sidequests matter in a way I haven’t seen before, and the world is fascinating to explore with loot to find all over. The game rewards you to go above and beyond, and I recommend going at a slower pace, immersing yourself in the world of Eora.
Demon Tides is another example of how good tributes to older games can be, this time in the 3D action-adventure space. While the graphical fidelity is a little rough around the edges at times, the core game is a vibrant, sea-hopping adventure that I can’t get enough of. I absolutely love exploring every inch of the sea and bouncing my way through all kinds of platforming challenges. If you are someone that enjoys games like A Hat in Time or Bowser’s Fury, I can’t recommend this game enough.
It has some real issues as a whole, but I really enjoyed my time with God of War: Sons of Sparta. Mega Cat Studios did an admirable job translating the God of War experience into a Metroidvania. It’s nowhere near as fast-paced as any of its AAA entries, but I thought the story they told and the game’s end was a nice mix of what we’ve seen from the series in the past and the present day. That said, slow pacing and fluff really prevent this from being a wholehearted recommendation, especially with it’s $30 asking price when far superior titles can be had for much less.
It's not every day a game has such a profound emotional effect on me, and even less so with pixel art platformers. But Love Eternal is one of the weirdest games I've ever played, and in all the most complimentary ways.
Mario Tennis Fever, at its core, is a great game of tennis. Features this time around add a lot more to the core game than previous titles, and both the online and local multiplayer modes are pretty great. Unfortunately, the lack of quality content makes this hard to recommend to everyone.
"This edition of Rayman comes with limitations that will easily be noticed by someone who has played the games on their original platforms and knows what it’s like to journey through the platformer through different accessibility options. “Old is gold” only applies to experiences that are worthy of shining, but not all that glitters is gold."
This one’s an easy recommendation for any shooter fan, but not everyone will appreciate the (wacky) humor. That tells us how, even as a twisted niche, High of Life 2 succeeds at creating a memorable experience in a market that may crave more single-player adventures.