PlayStation 5 – SmashPad

REVIEW – “ChainStaff” revels in visceral action on resplendent alien worlds, invoking classics while making its own footprint

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox One Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 07 Apr 2026

Have you ever wanted to play a 2D game like Contra or Mega Man, but with the ninja rope from Worms Armageddon? Developer Mommy’s Best Games have just want you need.

REVIEW – “People of Note” has its charms, but it also has plenty of issues to note

by Danreb Victorio | Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 07 Apr 2026

As a fan of animated musical feature films, People of Note immediately got my attention when it was first unveiled late last year. The fact that it was also a turn-based RPG sealed the deal that it was a game I needed, but as I went through its mostly charming 20-hour journey, I felt like I had more moments of frustration than enjoyment.

REVIEW – Good art and performances can’t save “Legacy of Kain: Ascendance” from persistent mediocrity and imbalance

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 06 Apr 2026

So here we are, on the dawn of the return of many people’s favorite suck ‘n’ slash franchise dating back 30 years ago and it’s… not looking good. Legacy of Kain: Ascendance has a lot in its way when it comes to enjoyment of this eternal gang war between the human Sarafans and vampires.

REVIEW – “Marvel MaXimum Collection” is a nostalgic collection that both hits and misses

by Leigh Lamb | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox One Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 06 Apr 2026

So Marvel MaXimum Collection is tough to review. In terms of price point and variation of games included, it’s solid. The collection includes six games with 13 variations spanning 8-bit systems (including handhelds), 1-bit systems, and the arcade. The collection…

[PAX East 2026] Hands-On: “Grave Seasons” has Cultivated a New and Fascinating Type of Farming Sim

by Michael Fertitta | PAX East PC PlayStation 5 Previews Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 02 Apr 2026

During PAX East, I was given the opportunity to sit down and play through a demo of Grave Seasons and talk with Emmett Nahil, the game’s Narrative Director. While the demo was a bit shorter than I would have liked, I absolutely came away with positive impressions of this title ahead of its August release. Grave Seasons takes the tried and true relationship building and farming elements of the genre and adds a new layer of narrative-driven complexity to keep players invested in the world around them.

[PAX East 2026] Hands-On: “Backyard Baseball” has the stuff for an epic comeback

by Danreb Victorio | Nintendo Switch PAX East PC PlayStation 5 Previews Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 30 Mar 2026

Backyard Baseball was easily one of the standouts at the PAX East 2026 convention floor.

REVIEW – “Fishbowl” is a cozy story of grief and growth during the pandemic

by Danreb Victorio | PC PlayStation 5 Reviews | 0 Comments | 30 Mar 2026

Fishbowl is a story about grief during a big life transition, and it just so happens to take place at a time when almost everybody was hoping things would go back to the way they were.

REVIEW – “MLB The Show 26” hits it out of the park with inclusivity

by Chris Selogy | Nintendo Switch PlayStation 5 Reviews Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 27 Mar 2026

I’ve been playing the MLB The Show series for nearly 20 years at this point–since they rebranded their MLB series to MLB The Show on the PS2. It’s been impressive to watch the series evolve into a top-tier licensed sports…

REVIEW – “Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection” won’t change OG Mega Man fans’ minds, but it’s a shining example of how to preserve DS games

by Kayla Merritt | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Reviews Xbox One Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 25 Mar 2026

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection serves as a blueprint for how developers can bring DS titles to modern systems. The collection, which comprises multiple versions of the three Mega Man Star Force games, is a unique time capsule of a very different type of Mega Man game that’s a bit of a continuation of the Battle Network series while also changing things up for the DS. It’s definitely a mixed bag and not for everyone, but there’s directions here that developers can take when rescuing their lost DS libraries and bringing them to current audiences.

REVIEW – “Virtua Fighter 5 REVO: World Stage” rises to the occasion

by Patrick Mifflin | Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 25 Mar 2026

Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown will go down as a “forever game” and a true icon of the end of the arcade era, but perhaps due to said end of the arcade era, Sega didn’t seem to care to follow up on it, leaving it as the main Virtua Fighter title throughout the entirety of the 2010s.

REVIEW – “DAMON and BABY” delights in fun, quirky, meaningful ways that make it a must-try

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam | 0 Comments | 22 Mar 2026

This whole game’s existence has been an exercise in expectation management. When Arc System Works and designer Daisuke Ishiwatari announced this game during the ArcSys Showcase in the middle of last year, people were expecting maybe a new Guilty Gear game, something Blazblue related, or just another cool-ass property that carried similar edge or oddball swagger of those games. Instead, we got DAMON and BABY with a bunch of RPG stuff.

REVIEW – More than a reboot, Milestone makes “Screamer” more satisfying than ever

by Filippo Dinolfo | PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 22 Mar 2026

In 1995, a small studio from Milan took a risk, trying to bring a fast, well-playing Ridge Racer-inspired game to the PC. Screamer was the result, and it launched a franchise that earned itself a loyal fanbase. The series evolved with the technology of the day, adopting early 3D acceleration to achieve a smooth framerate. It went from pure road racing to rally and off-road, looking poised to become something long-lived. But publisher Virgin Interactive fell on hard times; the IP was sold off, bounced between companies, and became entangled in red tape before going dormant for nearly two decades.

Category: PlayStation 5

REVIEW – “ChainStaff” revels in visceral action on resplendent alien worlds, invoking classics while making its own footprint

REVIEW – “People of Note” has its charms, but it also has plenty of issues to note

REVIEW – Good art and performances can’t save “Legacy of Kain: Ascendance” from persistent mediocrity and imbalance

REVIEW – “Marvel MaXimum Collection” is a nostalgic collection that both hits and misses

[PAX East 2026] Hands-On: “Grave Seasons” has Cultivated a New and Fascinating Type of Farming Sim

[PAX East 2026] Hands-On: “Backyard Baseball” has the stuff for an epic comeback

REVIEW – “Fishbowl” is a cozy story of grief and growth during the pandemic

REVIEW – “MLB The Show 26” hits it out of the park with inclusivity

REVIEW – “Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection” won’t change OG Mega Man fans’ minds, but it’s a shining example of how to preserve DS games

REVIEW – “Virtua Fighter 5 REVO: World Stage” rises to the occasion

REVIEW – “DAMON and BABY” delights in fun, quirky, meaningful ways that make it a must-try

REVIEW – More than a reboot, Milestone makes “Screamer” more satisfying than ever

Latest Podcasts