D+PAD Magazine's Scores

  • Games
For 571 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 36% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 60% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 72
Highest review score: 100 The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
Lowest review score: 20 The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 49 out of 571
571 game reviews
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It’s rather difficult to fault the game on any conceivable level, but one minor criticism is that the game-length-to-game-price ratio is a bit uneven.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Insomniac have a gift – the ability to forge games of such a high quality – and to ask them to stop would be a crime against gaming humanity.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Q-Games' quirky tower defence title is as competent as it is colourful, and the heap of additional content supplied in the PSP version makes it worthy of the deluxe title. Issues with frustration and repetition aside, the quick and accessible nature of the gameplay makes it a vital addition to the PSP's catalogue.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ultimately the game feels like a risk, an antithesis of much of what gaming currently aspires to be, but it also uses the medium to its advantage, to tell a personal story in a new and innovative way. Hopefully it leads to more developers stepping out in a similar fashion, and together pushing the medium forward in equally interesting and unexpected ways.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Epic Yarn is a title for the player looking to be reminded what it's like to have the emotion of curiosity triggered by a videogame. A game cut from the finest Nintendo cloth.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The glorious visual style in which the world is rendered is a long way from the bloody realities of war, yet the game still manages to present a challenging and believable conflict. Underneath its polished (and undoubtedly quirky) presentation is a confidently delivered and engaging experience that doesn't hold itself a prisoner to convention. It's tempting to think that SEGA may very well have delivered a cult classic.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Bash Party isn’t a huge leap from the previous game, but then it really didn’t need to be.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Still, the fact remains that spending some time on stage with a virtual-Metallica can be a hugely invigorating experience, and fans of the band, or heavy metal in general, will quickly find their hands forming that most recognisable of gestures - the devil horns.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    EA has done a commendable job at listening to its community and giving them what they want by way of the included movie maker, style creator and integrated online store, crafting not only a well-rounded package that bests its predecessor in every area, but a game that is, much like its virtual stars, filled with charm and character.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Early quick-time events aside, this twelve hour adventure suffers so few missteps that it’s a genuine delight to play, even as the lead gets trampled into the seasoned pro we’ve come to know. Everyone take a bow… the first lady of gaming has returned.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    However, it is also hard to deny that Marvel Pinball is a wonderful homage to the Marvel Universe and the game of pinball itself, and if you have even the slightest interest in either, then there is a mountain of content here to recommend.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The simple fact is this is yet another high quality addition to a series that has rarely, if ever, disappointed, and is a rare example of a developer, franchise and games system working in near perfect synergy.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    I was surprised there would be a sequel to Pullblox, given the versatility of the game, but this one manages to be just as fun and different enough to be equally worthy of a purchase.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mortal Kombat is back and this time it's pulling no punches.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    As a whole, SFIII: 3rdS – OE is a celebration of a threequel that wasn't content to merely stand on the shoulders of the giant that preceded it and that in doing so delivered a fighting game that to this day feels incredibly vital.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    As a whole, SFIII: 3rdS – OE is a celebration of a threequel that wasn't content to merely stand on the shoulders of the giant that preceded it and that in doing so delivered a fighting game that to this day feels incredibly vital.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It has a ridiculously high replay ability factor, it's a game that is dressed in its proverbial Sunday best with regards to both aesthetic and technical ability, and it makes the age-old videogame designer headache of creating an experience that is "easy to pick up, hard to put down" look easy.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    All in all, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a polished and well considered sequel to the underrated original that's humorous, hugely playable and frothing with ideas.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's been years and Max Payne has aged both as a character and as a series. It's visually impressive and spins a compelling yarn, featuring a protagonist who walks the line of insanity yet remains likeable due to his inner humanity. That said, it goes to show that there's still only so much that can be done with a third-person shooting game set in the real world, becoming limited by the endless mobsters and hired guns. It's anything but perfect, but as what amounts to a gritty and playable action flick, Max Payne 3 could be just the ticket for those empty summer months.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    If you have tried Zen Pinball before and came away unimpressed, there is little here to warrant taking another look. If, however, you're a fan or just fancy giving a pinball videogame a try, then Zen Pinball 2 really is as good as it gets.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The best thing to do when you put on Dance Central 3 is to embrace shame, put your dignity aside and get dancing. Oh, and then there's the latest DLC, which includes Gangnam Style. You know you want to horsey dance. Oh yes you do.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The fact that it works as well as it does is a testament to this, and shows there might well be some life left in the MMO genre after all.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Splinter Cell Conviction may still demand patient planning but when a well-conceived scenario pays off and the air fills with the cries of frightened soldiers, the sense of empowerment becomes palpable – indeed outright addictive.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is as much a triumph of curation as it is a technical showcase; Ghibli and Level 5 have cherry-picked the very best elements from their own past and combined them with the best that the genre has to offer.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you’ve already been won over by last year’s instalment though, THQ and Yukes have delivered a solid sequel that serves a strong warning to any would-be competitors – two rounds are down and they have no intention of giving up the fight.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Regardless of whether Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light marks the future of the series or if is merely a side-project while the next full instalment is prepped and polished, it remains a remarkably successful experiment, and something of a bench-mark for downloadable gaming.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It is suitably complex mechanically to be challenging on a level beyond simply long fights with tough enemies, and tells a solid story reminiscent of the older Final Fantasy games from which it draws design elements.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It’s in desperate need of some more variation, but Dawn of War II is luscious, visceral and fast-paced.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sadly Guitar Hero is starting to succumb to its heritage of being Rock Band's old man, and slowly growing out of touch with the gaming generation. Guitar Hero: World Tour doesn't offer anything of any substance over Rock Band, especially with its less than stellar selection of tracks and a disturbing lack of atmosphere.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The astounding visuals and deeper deviations from a simple arcade game keep Pure fresh, and while it isn’t perfect, it'll certainly take you for an exhilarating ride.

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