SmashPad's Reviews
College Football 26 is just a better game than what we had last year so that you can play and enjoy it to your heart’s content.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 has the ability to keep fans busy for a long time only if SEGA is capable and willing to release more content for it over time. With them announcing the recent Infinity Castle Character Arc Pass along with a free update adding Muzan Kibutsuji as a playable VS Mode character, here’s hoping fans won’t have to hold their breath until the next film comes out.
Earthion is an excellent game for the Genesis. Even with the issues I had with it, I’m still going to keep playing it. I also will be picking up the cartridge release next year — it’s just that good of a game. If you like shooters, give Earthion a go on your favorite modern platform. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Time Flies not only shows that truly anything can become a video game, but that it’s important to take your time in life. Sure, we may have lifespans longer than that of a fly, but our time is still limited and we should continue to practice the art of enjoying life and everything it has to offer. Time Flies was able to wrap that message up in a fly-sized package, creating a brief but entertaining experience.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is, without a doubt, a fantastic game that modernizes the original formula without losing the soul of what the original games were. Dotemu is quickly becoming the go-to publisher for this kind of retro-modern fusion. If you are a veteran of the NES games, or you’re coming into this one fresh, you’ll be well served by what the game brings to the table.
I don’t see me putting it down anytime soon. The game’s vibes are exactly what I want right now. It’s happy, it’s cozy, it lets me be a hobbit for a while.
System Shock 2 is still a good game. Even after all these years, it still manages to be engaging and scary. But a lot can change in twenty-five years, gaming included, and when compared to games from that era that still hold up (like Deux Ex), it’s age is all the more obvious. I’m not saying you shouldn’t play it, but I am saying that the ancient interface will probably infuriate you along the way.
While Shadow Labyrinth may not end up being a part of some folks' Metroidvania Mt. Rushmores like Hollow Knight or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it stands strong in what it's trying to do despite its issues, and the Pac-Man mechanics lend themselves well to the genre. I'm eager to see how it evolves from here.
The unlikely addition of the best version of Street Fighter in years actually landing on a Nintendo console is a great aspect of the Switch 2 launch that genuinely elevates the system’s profile. With Virtua Fighter 5 REVO waiting in the wings with a yet-unannounced release date, and Soul Calibur II sitting there on the NSO GameCube app right from launch, Street Fighter 6 is the centerpiece of the best start a Nintendo console has ever had for fighting games.
Consider Tamagotchi Plaza an easy skip unless you or someone you know is the most hardcore of fans who can tell their Memetchis from their Kuchipatchis. Even then I don’t see them playing this game for more than a couple hours.
For all the enjoyment and cool information you can get playing this game for two hours, it’s absolutely worth more than the $10 you’ll pay at Starbucks or any fast food joint for whatever you want there. Should it have been a pack-in, especially after Nintendo “took the $30 hit” with the Mario Kart World bundle? Yes, probably, but after spending considerable time with it, I wouldn’t criticize anybody for spending $10 on Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour at all.
Clair Obscur came at the wrong place at the wrong time for me, and I wish I was a part of another timeline that allowed me to enjoy it more than I actually did. So for those who come after, if you’re someone that hasn’t made time for it yet, do make sure that there are no other distractions when you begin your expedition.
For everything that Ruffy and the Riverside tries to do, especially when compared to other 3D platformers, the game’s style and gameplay really stand out to give it a nice bit of charm. It’s got a fun and catchy soundtrack to boot. At the same time, if you’re not somebody who’s into solving puzzles and don’t really like looking around for items, Ruffy might not be your cup of tea.
After it’s all said and done, to a T is an easy recommendation. With its adorable art style, catchy soundtrack, interesting but weird story with amazing themes and lessons on bullying and individuality, to a T is cozy gaming at its finest and should not be overlooked among the dearth of amazing indie games released this year already.
From an unexpectedly profound plot to its familiar yet modern take on old-school game that both borrows from other greats in addition to bringing cool ideas, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is definitely easy to recommend to anyone who wants something different from top-down games. If Pocket Trap isn’t on your list of indie studios to watch now, it definitely should be.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a very enjoyable little game that’s easy to recommend for anybody looking for a quick and fun experience. Still, it suffers from the same issues the last game had — it could be considered too short due to the fact that there’s only one case to solve.
A lot of fans consider Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny to be the best game in the series, and while that may be the case, like Onimusha Warlords before it, it hasn’t aged well.
South of Midnight succeeds at shedding light on stories not often told and does it by offering unique perspectives, but this is also a situation where the game itself isn’t as interesting as its imposed experience.
despelote is a chill experience, and chill can mean a lot of things. It can be good, it can be bad, and it can be boring. There’ll be plenty of times in life you’ll be chilling with people you don’t know, doing things you don’t care about, but they’ll still be memorable. That’s exactly what despelote is.
What you are seeing is far more ambitious than it is letting on, so much so that I was left literally gobsmacked by what I experienced.