D+PAD Magazine's Scores

  • Games
Select another publication »
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. Positive: 282 out of 571
  2. Mixed: 240 out of 571
  3. Negative: 49 out of 571
571 game reviews
view
per page
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Paper Mario: Sticker Star
    Super Paper Mario on the Wii showed that Nintendo is unafraid of experimenting with the franchise, and although Paper Mario: Sticker Star has a few minor missteps and a few missed opportunities (where is the sticker collection StreetPass mini-game?) it is still an adventure of considerable charm and intelligence and is hugely entertaining throughout. It also does more than most to vindicate the 3DS's now much maligned 3D screen, proving that – if used correctly– it still has the ability to wow. Its hero may be flat, but Paper Mario: Sticker Star will leave you feeling anything but.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    LittleBigPlanet Karting
    LittleBigPlanet Karting makes no bones about the fact that it's a kart racer with familiar series hooks thrown into the mix. The racing itself is fine, but as ever, you come to LittleBigPlanet to revel in the madness of its community creations – and this is a lure that still works a treat here.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed III
    Thus, as an Assassin's Creed game AC3 is the most ambitious yet the most refined yet; it is almost unmatched in density of content and unique in setting.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Halo 4
    You're getting a short yet solid single-player mode that demands a love for the 'combat evolved' formula – it's a first-person shooter that is linear to the core, though we hope to see this change in future instalments. The story could have used some tweaking, but fans will still find an enjoyable experience with challenging gameplay and vicious enemies.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Pokemon Dream Radar
    Don't buy unless you have Pokémon Black 2 or White 2, but if you do, it's a great addition to your arsenal.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Pokedex 3D Pro
    As a whole, Pokédex 3D Pro is a nice little device, however the biggest problem with it is the expense. At £13.49 (or $15), it's at least twice as much as it should be. This isn't a game, despite the quiz elements. It's a 3D viewer at best, and all the useful information is more accessible in Bulbapedia or Serebii or one of dozens of free (or cheap) Pokédex apps on mobile devices.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
    Despite all of the criticisms, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation isn't a complete disaster and if a portable slice of Assassin's Creed is what you a looking for then there is some enjoyment to be had. Even so, it remains a huge missed opportunity with its attempts to expand the horizons of the series nearly all fizzling out, not through any conceptual problems but through lacklustre and often glitchy delivery.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon
    Get beyond the cynical positioning of Forza Horizon and you'll find a racer that is, ironically, as efficient and refined as it's older, more mature, siblings. Whether it can build a community as effectively as the Motorsport games is unlikely, but Horizon, for all its familiarity and reluctance to experiment, is still a fine addition to the Xbox 360's roster.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fable: The Journey
    When the Kinect is sober enough to reveal the better parts of The Journey, magic can definitely happen. But even if Fable The Journey worked flawlessly, it wouldn't be the most exciting or daring game to ever come about. Sadly, even though the identifiable Fable charm found all over The Journey lends much-needed character to the proceedings, the Kinect's technical blemishes can too often account for more motion-related headaches than you might be willing to put up with.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sports Champions 2
    The five sports are well executed and there's plenty to keep you playing – from the core events, challenges, online scoreboards and multiplayer. In many ways it feels indicative of motion-controls reaching a maturity of sorts; sure, the carefree magic of its youth may be fading, but it still delivers a polished and satisfying, if slightly uninspiring selection of sporting goodness.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Borderlands 2
    In conclusion, Borderlands 2 is a significant improvement on the original; it sharpens up the narrative, the core game progression, the visual theme and many other fundamental aspects that needed adjustment.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dishonored
    It is a major accomplishment and for all its ambition it succeeds where it counts, by transporting you to a world and empowering you to do with it you wish, creating unscripted and unexpected moments that feel unique to you. It is at these times that it becomes more than just an enjoyable stealth action game, but something truly special.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Resident Evil 6
    Resident Evil 6 is crying out to be watched rather than played and it will gleefully punish you for daring to do so, in which case you might want to kick back and let someone else do all the hard work instead.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    ZEN Pinball 2
    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.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tekken Tag Tournament 2
    Don't let the innate familiarity here cloud the fact that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a technical tour de force, and by far the best entry in this illustrious series' history.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Mark of the Ninja
    It's a testament to Mark of the Ninja from a design standpoint that even the most ardent skeptic of the stealth genre can find something to shout about here. It is slick, responsive and vastly rewarding - in other words, something worth shedding light on.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
    Watching the cute little characters cutting down cute little enemies, using familiar abilities and items, exploring old themes… It's done something I never thought possible. It's made me nostalgic for Final Fantasy games. Even Final Fantasy XIII. Again, I love the idea of the Final Fantasy saga, and this allows me to explore it and remember all the things that made it great, all while having a great rhythm game, to boot. There are enough unlockables to keep you going back for 'just one more song'.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
    As a flagship title for the PS Vita this latest LittleBigPlanet works beautifully, and with its hugely enjoyable story campaign, creative tools and community features there is huge incentive to keep playing. Most significantly, the breadth and variety of experiences it delivers serves as a reminder that LittleBigPlanet so much more than a simple platformer - it is a platform all of its own.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
    As a package, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron's lack of ambition is countered by an obvious fondness for the Transformers themselves and the amount of polish that has been lavished on its presentation and mechanics. Gamers looking for something new will find little here to draw them in, but as a celebration of Hasbro's iconic cast of characters there is much here to be recommended, and plenty for High Moon Studios to build on should it get another chance to work with the robots in disguise.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rock Band Blitz
    Its stripped-down approach recants the necessity of plastic contraptions to enjoy the series' extensive and vast soundtrack; and assuming your catalogue is butch enough, Blitz has more than enough staying power to maintain a headline slot.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Joe Danger 2: The Movie
    The result is a game which has universal appeal – a return to the brightly-coloured skill tests that anyone who grew up with earlier generations of console will remember fondly. What is more, the constant emphasis on learning and mastering the game's rules and then improving on scores and times makes Joe Danger 2 a perfect game to return to time and again.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
    Like all the Lego games, the build/collect/smash em up nature is still just as addictive and the design is both brilliant and awful in equal measures. It's heart-warming and fun, two things which most comic games (and indeed comics) lose out on when they ham-fistedly attempt to be 'mature'. It's a grind though, so I think I'll sit the next few Lego games out while I regain the stamina to go through it all again. And I will go through it again.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sleeping Dogs
    Just because a game lacks a multiplayer mode doesn't always mean that it's lacking. With good variety, solid character and world design, Sleeping Dogs offers a story that gamers haven't quite seen before, even if it does borrow liberally from other franchises. Unlike other titles, the game doesn't go all out and rely on the wacky or extreme to separate itself from the competition, instead choosing to present itself as a jack of all trades in a genre where no one knew it was needed.
    • 39 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock
    Otherwise The Eternity Clock is a buggy, forgettable game. Although this is the first in a proposed trilogy of new Doctor Who titles commissioned by BBC Worldwide, it feels as though it would have been better to focus the entire budget and creative ideas on just one, more refined game, than to release such an uninspired, tedious insult to the great Doctor's name.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Papo & Yo
    Though it may dip a little in the middle Papo & Yo finishes strongly, making good use of the game's evocative musical score and themes to create a resonant conclusion that may be a little on the nose, but still feels risky and experimental compared to the narrative tropes typically used by most games.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Hybrid
    In all, Hybrid may shy away from the full potential of its selling-point via lacklustre map design and unimaginative weapons, but as a complete game its mechanical innovations make it stand apart from the crowd. At the very least, this desire to innovate and bring to the foreground the action of the shooter while removing the movement makes it a unique experience within a crowded and tired genre.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dyad
    It will undoubtedly prove to be too much for some – whether it be too loud, too fast or just too out there; but should it sink its hooks in (pun intended), Dyad will foster obsession and with plenty of levels, Trophy challenges, a remix mode and the lure of online leaderboards, there is plenty of content here to feed the addiction.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Deadlight
    Full of unrealised potential, Deadlight is a passable game that's as bland as the cookie-cutter zombies it presents.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mighty Switch Force!
    Mighty Switch Force screws with your noodle while forcing you to try and speed through the levels to meet the ungodly fast 'par', always taunting you with your slowness.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Mutant Mudds
    There's a lot of depth for a downloadable title game, and Mutant Mudds contrasts strikingly with the first wave of DSiWare games, showing how the service is evolving.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »