Smash Jump's Reviews
There are plenty of new moves, and the Team-Up mechanic adds a new layer to the competitive spirit of the genre. The lack of modes may be bothersome, but the game is still fun to play nonetheless. It’s obvious that a particular hero shooter inspires a lot of the game, but Marvel Rivals proves that is able to stand tall, even taller on its own.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a masterclass in faithfully adapting and elevating a beloved franchise. The title impresses with its first-person exploration and immersion, set pieces, level design, storytelling, and presentation. However, enemy AI inconsistencies, the lack of manual saves, and occasional performance mishaps leave just a few dents into this otherwise engrossing experience. While X may not usually mark the spot, MachineGames and Bethesda have struck gold here in what is one of the very best titles of 2024. I daresay the Great Circle may be an action adventure classic in the making.
Fear the Spotlight is a chillingly fun playthrough that is perfect for those craving a late-night spooky romp that can be finished in about five hours. The ominous and cryptic plot that unfolds had me hooked from start to finish. Just when you think it ends, it doubles down with an additional and equally scary campaign with Amy to shake things up. While the easy difficulty and slightly repeated gameplay are noticeable, it is never frustrating, nor does it detract from the eerie experience.
As someone who never played the original releases, the clunky controls have little precision, and the lack of quality-of-life features is clear, but overall, the game is still an eye-opening odyssey through the twisted hellscape of Nosgoth. Dismemberment and other animations are well done, and many cool gameplay elements really shine with this new coat of paint.
Overall, Rage of the Dragons NEO is an interesting and unique game in many ways. That said, however, the lack of content combined with the game's price makes it a hard recommendation. The characters and the gameplay are cool, but they aren’t enough to justify the value of the game. Now, if you are a fan of old NEO-GEO fighting games like King of Fighters, this game might be right up your alley. If you can find this game on sale, it’s worth checking out.
While some parts of the game still need a bit of time in the oven, I can see myself coming back to the Zone.
The Veilguard is a new entry into an old series. A series that honestly has struggled to find its identity. Fans looking for this game to remind them of Origins will be sad when they play this. But make no mistake, this is a really good, fun game. I enjoyed the heck out of my experience here. And there is a lot of content in this game as well. The Veilguard is jam-packed with content, side quests, story, and lore drops galore. Sincerely, I think there is something for everyone in this game.
Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town delivers a good cozy experience of Japanese culture and rural life wrapped in a hand-drawn anime-like presentation and highly accessible and simple collect-a-thon mechanics. However, gameplay complexity and variety leave more to be desired, while the title suffers from some awkward animations due to its fixed camera perspective.
Crypt Custodian, ultimately, is a charming adventure meant to relax rather than stress and which tried to help the player along rather than hinder their progress.
Voidwrought has solid gameplay mechanics and combat feels satisfying. However, the items and collectibles are overused and it is not made clear what objects actually do, and how they will affect gameplay. It generally has the protagonist adventuring alone, but when he does meet an NPC,the dialogue is so abstract that you my as well need a translation guide just for this game.
Finding Frankie has potential of being a fantastic IP with a polished and unique concept, but its lackluster broad story and jaunted controls hold it back from being a fantastic game through and through.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake is an absolute marvel. It’s ability to remain faithful to just about everything about the original whilst also feeling fresh and exciting is astounding.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a return to form for the franchise and deserves a spot among the best Call of Duty titles. BO6 is a complete top-to-bottom Call of Duty package, featuring an explosive campaign, a fun and frantic multiplayer and Zombies mode, the most dynamic gunplay and movement yet, and an all-around outstanding presentation.
There’s something for everyone in this game. Even if you don’t like the randomness of regular Mario Party, you can always try out the Kooplathon or Rhythm Kitchen. The variety of modes combined with the mixture of old and new mini-games and boards makes this one of, if not the best, Mario Party ever made.
Filled to the brim with fun references and teaser moments for Control 2, Lake House is the perfect experience for Remedy fans.
It mimics the films really well, and adds elements to the story that work perfectly within it, such as Alex having asthma and incorporating that into the gameplay and narrative. As a well-versed survival horror player, I found the game to be a bit simple for my taste, however I would recommend this to anyone trying out survival horror for the first time.
Overall, Sparking Zero lives up to its hype as a thrilling addition to the Dragon Ball franchise, with room for improvement through future updates and potential DLC.
The story was good, but not excellent. Exploration definitely had a few wins, but still felt largely empty and did not reward players enough. Loot system is still flawed and the added content clearly did not include a whole lot of new weapons. Mainly these are reskinned versions of weapons already introduced to us.
Thank Goodness You’re Here is a crazy, hilarious but short game that perfectly encapsulates the strange inhabitants of Britain. Whilst it may not be for everyone, and it’s definitely a bit short for the price it’s asking for, its writing, jokes and charm make this a hilarious, unique game that takes you on such a bizarre journey through good ol’ England.
Echoes of Wisdom is a top-down Zelda adventure rich in character where the player must use echoes creatively to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. While the lack of combat may be a disadvantage and handicap to some, to others it allows more creative and interesting tactics to be used, and the lack of focus on combat may have encouraged the developers to create a rich, detailed overworld with numerous side quests.