SmashPad's Reviews
Fans will be able to tell that NBA 2K17 has some issues that’ll annoy longtime fans of the series, but that doesn’t in any way deter it from being an awesome game of basketball.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is nothing more or less than solid. With a sequel coming up soon, we hope the game is better suited for those playing on a console than this one was. We just can’t recommend this for the full $15.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is every bit as awesome as the first. Not only is the sequel bigger, it hits closer to home on political issues such as social inequality, negligent leadership, and the hardships of an ongoing war.
So at the end of the day, is Madden NFL 17 worth the upgrade from last year’s solid entry? The gameplay received just the right amount of polish, Franchise Mode has gone through some long-awaited construction, and the presentation has been enhanced tenfold, so I’d say yes.
The callbacks to both Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei are both extremely subtle, but they work and it would be tough to fault anybody for calling Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE a worthy entry in the Persona series and it’s another fantastic addition to any struggling Wii U library.
There is absolutely no reason to turtle up the $50 for this game.
Overwatch is a tremendous joy to play and it shows that Blizzard just gets it.
The bottom line is it’s fun, the fantastic story caps the series off on its highest note, and it’s a technical marvel with a surprisingly enjoyable multiplayer mode. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the entire package.
If you’re expecting the fast-paced action of the previous episode, you’ll probably leave disappointed.
Star Fox Zero really could’ve been the best Star Fox in the series if Nintendo didn’t try to be so cute with it for the sake of innovation, and it’s thanks to these decisions that Nintendo will probably be saying goodbye to a lot of Star Fox fans.
Its shortcomings aside, there’s quite a bit of enjoyment to be had with Quantum Break, thanks to its combat system. Platforming and puzzle-solving are rough around the edges, but if Remedy intends on making this a series, there’s reason to look forward to its future. But for now, especially since it can be beaten in under 10 hours, the game is best experienced during a week’s rental.
If you played the original GameCube version, don’t be surprised if that feeling you had playing the original feels lost in the twilight.
The game is a feat of creative brilliance that should definitely be given a try by any gamer looking for a mellow, yet thought-provoking experience. Campo Santo has got a real winner here, and if Firewatch is any indication, it’s tough to contain any excitement over whatever the developer’s next project is.
Paper Jam isn’t a bad game, but it’s hardly a series highlight.
Trails of Cold Steel is a superb game best experienced by those who’ve already immersed themselves in Trails’ lore. So while the game is still enjoyable without playing Trails in the Sky, I’d still wholly recommend picking those games up and finishing them before moving on to this one. You don’t need to, but doing so makes this good game great, and it’s a more affordable method of knowing whether this is the series for you.
Rocket League is one of those rare sports games that serves both the casual and hardcore crowds really well in ways that we see out of games like NFL Blitz, NBA Jam, Tecmo Super Bowl, NHL 94, and others with the surprising thing here being that Rocket League isn’t based on an already established sport.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night is another good Persona 4 spin-off following the heels of the Arena fighting games and Persona Q that makes good on the story and style personality that you expect.
The sandbox nature of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is what makes it such a great game.
Velocity 2X does a fantastic job of building upon what made the original game so great by introducing a new new style of game and managing to integrate it into the game like it was a natural fit all along.
With the onslaught of dual-stick shooters on the last generation of consoles, it’s surprising that it has taken until now for this generation to get its first great shooter, but Crimsonland can take pride in being the premiere dual-stick shooter on the PS4.