SmashPad's Reviews
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.
Under the Island is presented as a cozy version of that style of action adventure game, which doesn’t really result in the sort of game that comes to mind as a cozy game. It’s more like a Zelda game that isn’t super aggressive to challenge your skills and has a lot of variety to its dungeons to subvert your expectations.
It's hard not to recommend ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard, so of course I will. The puzzles are satisfying, I felt immense satisfaction working within (and out of) its boundaries, and now I feel like I could apply to be in Mensa. The places it goes, literally and figuratively, are things I haven't seen done in a game like this before.
Escape From Ever After is a game that not only stays true to its roots, but flourishes in its pursuit to take its inspiration and run with it in its own direction. The story is as wonderful as it is scarily relevant, and is complimented by a fun cast of characters and visually interesting storybook worlds to traverse through. If you’ve been looking for a game that evokes the same enjoyment of a classic Paper Mario game, look no further than this one.
Romeo is a Dead Man doesn’t hit all the notes it hoped to hit. When the action is on high, it’s thrilling, but its heavy-handed outlandishness and muddled graphics detract from it. That’s not to say what Grasshopper Manufacture crafted is bad in any way, as it is an endearing love letter to sci-fi and one of the most out-there titles on the market. It’s more so that it feels like the studio could do more to fine tune things, but didn’t get to.
Code Vein II remains a big piece of the puzzle in a world littered with puzzling Soulslike at the moment. Usually, a second entry into a series like this one does something that would surprise fans (in a good way), but I fail to see that happening for Code Vein II.
It’s unfortunate that most people reading this have already made up their minds about Highguard, some through playing it themselves, others dismissing it outright due to a number of factors, and the few that just aren’t into this kind of game and are reasonable about it. If you are reading this and there’s a spark of curiosity in you about it, dive in.
4PGP’s appeal depends on how much of a purist you are about your arcade racing, because while it gets the aesthetic elements down flawlessly, and despite the genuine credibility that comes with bringing people like Sasaki and Kawamura along, it ultimately comes off more as a solo console player’s idea of what an arcade racing game is like, rather than what an actual arcade racing game is at the core. It’s 2026 and we can’t be too choosy, and if you’re not too hung up on the arcade design elements, this is a very easy game to recommend.