SmashPad's Reviews
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.
If you are looking for a layered and nuanced game you can sink your time into and not feel like you’ve wasted a second, this is it.
Sea of Stars really feels like a special title and you shouldn’t miss it.
This gives me hope that maybe we will get a new main installment in the series sooner, rather than later, but as it is, Gaiden is a more than suitable re-introduction to a franchise that still has a fanbase, and can still attract new players.
Venba is a real joy to play with its awesome art style highlighting representation in Indian cuisine, along with a heartfelt story and amazing soundtrack to boot. Like any new food, you just have to try it.
The Trails series just might be the best modern and ongoing JRPG series around, and while it isn’t groundbreaking, Trails Into Reverie is yet another great entry to this series. The problem is the best thing about the series; it really only caters to its fans.
AEW: Fight Forever brings back the fun, pick up and play type of wrestling game that has fallen by the wayside over the years.
Harmony: Fall of Reverie is a beautiful title with a heck of a story, but the lack of any real action and its disjointed, but very promising decision system could definitely be a deterrent to a lot of people.
It’s a beautiful story about a girl who seems lost in her life who eventually finds there really is meaning, and it’s stuff a realization we can easily appreciate today.
Trails to Azure is an easy recommendation, even if it’s an old game for $50. You just need to have played everything else, which admittedly is quite the undertaking in its own right.