SmashPad's Reviews
If you even have a slight interest in RPG’s, Persona 5 is easily a recommended must-have. At over 100 hours, you’re definitely getting a whole lot of game, but everything from the production value to the battle system and even its painfully relevant story about the devolution of the human race make Persona 5 a staple of this gaming generation and more than justifies the series as the king of JRPG’s.
Bigger multiplayer games may be on the way, but Super Bomberman R will still give you plenty of reasons to gather around the TV – or perhaps even just the Switch itself – for a long time to come.
Everything else, however, is of the quality you would expect of a Mass Effect game. The writing and characters are amazing. The combat is extremely enjoyable, the graphics are gorgeous, and the plot is gripping.
The game being hard isn’t what brings it down. We all love a good challenge. It’s the fact that so many factors go into the actual gameplay, and it simply isn’t worth the effort. It’s stressful for no reason, and it’s unfortunate because of how much I enjoy different “out there” ideas.
I don’t know how they did it and how they continue to do it, but Telltale has done a heck of a job keeping this story engaging despite the fact that there really isn’t even much to do in this episode. For the most part, the episode is littered with dialog and all it’s really doing is shaping Javi’s character.
The greatest thing about Old-Time Hockey is just how well-suited it is for whatever you might want to do outside of the usual EA Sports NHL fare – V7 Entertainment leaves it to EA to do what EA does best, while tailoring its own offering to everyone else.
Far too often it feels like you’re doing the same type of mission over and over, and this becomes more apparent when you’re playing single player but not so much online. You can see how massive Bolivia is when you stand on a high mountaintop but have to wonder why so much of it is the same.
Snipperclips: Cut it out, together! is a very good puzzle game on the Switch's eShop that is a perfect showcase of the easy local co-op capabilities of the Switch's core design. That said, the lack of content and replay value makes it necessary that we get some DLC or Nintendo greenlights a sequel promptly to keep the party going for a bit longer. For now, the game's style will make it stand out on the Switch during this launch period as a title to get while we wait for more Switch games to be released.
There was a point while playing through Horizon: Zero Dawn where I questioned how much longer I needed to be at social events because, you know, time in Aloy’s shoes. Or, rather, I skipped out on events entirely so I can play the game. Other times, it was that “well, I could do just one more quest…” feeling. Early on, that’s how I knew this game was worth it. It sucks you in for all the right reasons but won’t overly dominate your life like some other games can (I didn’t cancel that many plans, thank you).
Eiji Aonuma has finally outdone Shigeru Miyamoto, and if I were Aonuma I’d just retire considering the success Breath of the Wild will undoubtedly have. It isn’t without its blemishes, but simply put, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece that can easily be considered the new defining entry in Nintendo’s beloved series.
$10 for what’s essentially the best attempt at reviving what could’ve been a heavily revered franchise is an easy price to pay, especially if you’re a Switch owner looking for something else other than Zelda to play as there’s definitely some enjoyment to be had with Blaster Master Zero.
Final Fantasy XV was a game I truly enjoyed and is something I’d love to talk about with other gamers, but again, the only way I can recommend it is if you’re willing to invest the time in its non-video game lore.
Despite its blemishes, For Honor definitely boasts the most visceral multiplayer experience we’ve seen in a long time as its set to be a trailblazer in the realm of competitive gaming if Ubisoft wants it to be.
Pokémon Sun and Moon are giant steps forward from a series that might’ve been getting stale, and it’s hard to remember a time when the series was this engaging and enjoyable.
As someone that doesn’t really mind a short game, I have to admit that I was a bit dismayed by not only its length, but the fact that there really wasn’t any combat involved. At $10 to $15, it would be easier to recommend.
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.