SmashPad's Reviews
College Football 25 is a lot of fun to play from moment to moment, and so much else about this game seems hellbent to sour the experience because it feels like an unfinished game.
You won’t find a complete game changer with this overhaul, but you’ll have a chance to play the game with far better graphics and a much larger screen. For some, that just might be worth it enough. For others, at a $60 price tag, that might be a little too steep for a fairly straightforward adaptation.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! is undoubtedly one of the weirdest and most unique games I’ve ever played, and it’s also quite clear that it goes for the jugular with its humor, but it just didn’t work out like that for me. I can definitely see a lot of people enjoying the experience and enjoying the humor way more than I did, so I’ll understand if people think I’m being harsh.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is one of the biggest surprises and best games of the year.
For my first foray into Super Monkey Ball, I had an enjoyable time. It’s goofy but needs to be taken just seriously enough or else you’ll find yourself flying off the courses time and time again. There’s a great challenge to the later levels that keeps you really engaged. That said, it’s a pretty straightforward game, too, so with a $50 price tag, this may be more for the Super Monkey Ball fans.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak stands tall as one of the best games in the series and one of the best games of the year, despite the dearth of great JRPGs we've gotten this year.
I’ve wanted this game ever since I heard about it, and it seems like I waited forever, but it was absolutely worth the wait and I’m so glad I was able to play this game to its fullest extent. Polychroma Games made something special, and I believe they’ll be a studio to look out for.
Little Kitty, Big City is the very definition of a cozy game. It’s about being a cat doing cat things and finding your way home after eating all the yummy fish and making friends with all the animals in the city. If you’re set on getting all the fish and getting the cat home, the game shouldn’t take more than two hours to finish. If you want to do everything there is to do, it’ll probably be closer to five hours.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is simply stunning. It looks amazing on every platform, it features some of the best platforming I’ve played in any game, the combat is fun, and the story makes you feel. Even with all this, I think my favorite part about the game is that it’s short and sweet. I Platinum’d the game in about six hours, and I loved the vast majority of time I spent playing.
Polish issues notwithstanding, I had an amazing time with Princess Peach: Showtime, but it’s hard to recommend at the full price of $60. The levels are fun, Princess Peach’s transformations are amazing and I’ll be surprised if I don’t see a bunch of different kinds of Peach cosplay during convention season. Also, the game is much more enjoyable when you’re playing it with people watching–it’s one heck of a streaming game. But having loading issues that too frequently occur, taking you out of “the zone,” can lead to frustration and feeling like I didn’t get what I paid full price for.
It brings me back to a time where I bought games by judging it by its cover, and this really feels like a gem.
By no means a bad game, there are some design decisions that left me my scratching my head. With so many anticipated AAA titles coming in 2024, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden doesn’t stand out too well amongst the pack, but is a must-try when things slow down.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth still finds a way to stand out during a release window that includes other top-notch JRPGs including Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. If you were a fan of the Yakuza: Like a Dragon, you’ll find Infinite Wealth more engaging in pretty much every way, easily making it one of the best games of the year.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink features a really short story that you can finish in a few days, and the post-game could potentially keep people playing for a while especially when taking its superb combat system online. The lack of real depth and effort explaining the lore is a real problem though, so I’d be wary of that before committing to whatever investment you put into this one.
Despite the ridiculously simple puzzles, notable lack of any sort of challenge, and some clunky controls, Another Code: Recollection is a good way for Nintendo to start off 2024.
Super Mario RPG really gave characters like Princess Peach and Bowser some much needed depth, and we’ve seen it carry on in various games for generations, so if you haven’t experienced it yet — Super Mario RPG is definitely worth your time especially as we get closer to the highly anticipated remake of Thousand Year Door.
The charm that Jusant offers is a feeling I’d recommend to anybody looking for a chill change of pace that no other release during this period offers. The gameplay is as tight as it is soothing, you can’t die, and the game is a very reasonable five hours long depending on the amount of time you take to solve some of the game’s puzzles, but if there’s anything this game teaches yo
While I have my reservations about whether or not Super Mario Bros. Wonder represents the first big step for the series away from the “New” Super Mario Bros. iterations, this is easily the most fun I’ve had with a 2D Mario platformer since Super Mario Bros. 3 (a game I hold in higher regard than Super Mario World), undoubtedly making it not only of the best games of the year but one of the best games on the Switch.
The game doesn’t do anything jaw dropping, but the political story in addition to the way the game presents familiar content in new ways really makes Long Gone Days a title to give real consideration despite all the other gaming options available at this point of the year. In a time where RPGs are getting harder and harder to differentiate, this one does enough to make it well worth your time.
Whether you’re a returning Armored Core fan or this is your first time suiting up, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is must-play for those looking to test their skills.