Graham Banas

Graham Banas

Contributor

Author Profile

For over a decade, Graham has been writing reviews for Push Square. In that period, he's encountered an innumerable amount of high-quality experiences, and yes, several duds. With an encyclopedic knowledge of games and studios, it should come as no surprise that he's comfortable playing any genre. However, when it comes time to write a review, you'll probably find that he gravitates towards music/rhythm games, and in more recent years, VR. If you let him talk about games long enough, he'll definitely let you know that his favorite game is Kentucky Route Zero.

Username
gbanas92
Articles
465 (248 reviews)
First Article
Tue 19th, November 2013
Avg. Review Score
6.8
Find Them On
LinkedIn • • Instagram
  • VR Title Transference Gets New Trailer and Release Window

    3

    E3 2018 VR Title Transference Gets New Trailer and Release Window

    Ubisoft's VR support continues

    Transference was a curiosity at Ubisoft's E3 2018 conference last year. There had been relatively little noise about the title since, but we have a much firmer idea of what to expect as Elijah Wood took to the stage to enlighten us on what to expect from the game coming from Ubisoft and his production company,...

  • New Metro: Exodus Trailer Brings Lots of Gameplay and a Release Date

    9

    E3 2018 New Metro: Exodus Trailer Brings Lots of Gameplay and a Release Date

    Don't expect that date to stay though

    4A Games gave the world its first glimpse of its newest game, Metro: Exodus, at Microsoft's E3 conference last year, so it was no surprise to see Artyom and his wonderfully bleak Russian wasteland grace the stage again. Rather than a more structured , guided demo, we instead got a variety of brief snippets of...

  • EA Surprise Releases Unravel Two Today

    8

    E3 2018 EA Surprise Releases Unravel Two Today

    Yarny's back right now

    The announcement of the first Unravel title at EA's E3 2015 show is one of the few bright spots in EA's often uneven shows. The game looked delightful at announce, and ultimately ended up being a rather good game, with wonderful visuals and an exceptional soundtrack. So it's very exciting to see EA greenlight a sequel from...

  • Best PS4 Music of May 2018

    24

    Feature Best PS4 Music of May 2018

    Play it again, Sam(my)

    April provided a rock solid month of music, so it's to be expectd that May would bring thigs back down to Earth a little bit. But instead game music in May was more just a continuation of the quality we've come to expect lately. The month actually had some incredible scores to pick from, including a pretty big Sony exclusive...

  • Gorogoa (PS4)

    23

    Review Gorogoa (PS4)

    Goro-go and buy this game

    Have you ever played one of those games where it became immediately apparent that you had something special on your hands? Something so good that it may well fundamentally change the manner in which you play and think about games? Well this is Gorogoa. And it just so happens to be one of those games. Publisher Annapurna...

  • Sinking Our Fangs into the Soundtrack of Vampyr with Composer Olivier Derivière

    6

    Interview Sinking Our Fangs into the Soundtrack of Vampyr with Composer Olivier Derivière

    Notes-feratu

    Recently we got the chance to have a chat with the composer of DONTNOD's promising-looking Vampyr, Olivier Derivière. We got to discuss the manner in which he approaches his compositions, the intertwining of game development alongside the music, and how his passion for video games birthed a phenomenal composer for the industry...

  • Best PS4 Music of April 2018

    5

    Feature Best PS4 Music of April 2018

    God of music

    Coming off March’s comparatively weak offerings for game music, April starts kicking things into overdrive. The charge is lead by a certain God that everyone can’t get off of their minds, as well as a smattering of other interesting titles. Let’s dive in! Owlboy: D-Pad studio’s long-incubating, gorgeous adventure title...

  • Squeaking About Moss' Soundtrack with Composer Jason Graves

    3

    Interview Squeaking About Moss' Soundtrack with Composer Jason Graves

    Quill-in-hand

    Recently we got the opportunity to chat with composer Jason Graves – likely best known for his work on the Dead Space series or The Order: 1886 – about his work on the recently released PlayStation VR title from Polyarc, Moss. We discussed how the game's score came to be, Graves' adulation for the player character...

  • Best PS4 Music of March 2018

    16

    Guide Best PS4 Music of March 2018

    Pluck the string

    The stars turn and a time presents itself. And with that comes more game music. March was a month bursting to the brim with titles from a variety of genres, from JRPGs to AAA first-person shooters to more unique titles like mandatory co-op experiences. There was a little for everyone in March. Among these titles were some really...

  • Best PS4 Music of January & February 2018

    4

    Guide Best PS4 Music of January & February 2018

    New year, new me, new music

    Now that the first two months of the year have passed, it’s time to start off the new round of music highlights. Officially, I waited until February had concluded so there’d be more notable game music to talk about. Unofficially, I completely forgot to do this last month. There were really only two soundtracks to talk...

  • Crossing Souls (PS4)

    12

    Review Crossing Souls (PS4)

    There is no game, only Zuul

    80s pop culture has been gaining momentum in a big way in recent years, between things like the mega popular Stranger Things and the ever-expanding – and much deserved – popularity of synthwave in the music scene. The decade was rich with shows, films, songs, and everything in between that people young...

  • The 10 Best PlayStation Soundtracks of 2017

    31

    Feature The 10 Best PlayStation Soundtracks of 2017

    Reelin’ in the year

    2017 was an absolute banner year for games: AAA games were firing on all cylinders, indies knocked it out of the park again and again, and there were more Game of the Year contenders than we care to count. Alongside many of these stellar games were absolutely phenomenal soundtracks, too. This year more than any other was the...

  • #4 - What Remains of Edith Finch

    28

    Game of the Year 2017 #4 - What Remains of Edith Finch

    This old house

    AAA games may have had a banner year, but there was a lot to love in the indie scene as well. Developer Giant Sparrow’s newest title, What Remains of Edith Finch, was the best of the bunch. The dev's first title since 2012’s incredible debut The Unfinished Swan, the title tells a terrific tale about a terrifically unlucky...

  • Graham's Personal Picks

    17

    Game of the Year 2017 Graham's Personal Picks

    A damn fine list

    As is becoming an annual tradition here at Push Square Towers, we’ve corralled our core group of staff writers and prodded them until they’ve told us what their favourite five games of the year are. With such a strong assortment to select from, added force was required in some instances. We threatened to steal Graham's...

  • FIFA 18's Tom Holkenborg on Scoring Soccer

    11

    Interview FIFA 18's Tom Holkenborg on Scoring Soccer

    A little more conversation

    Recently we got the chance to chat with composer Tom Holkenborg about his work on the soundtrack for the narrative portion of FIFA 18, as well as his extensive history working with EA, his love of soccer, and how to capture the appropriate sound for a given sequence. Tom has contributed to numerous EA titles, dating back a...

  • Best PS4 Music of November 2017

    4

    Guide Best PS4 Music of November 2017

    Calm before the storm

    The November issue of Push Play marks the last release before we close out the year by talking about the best scores of the year. It was also a bit of an underwhelming month. The most notable soundtracks were scores to games that have been around for a number of years and just saw re-releases like Skyrim VR, Star Ocean: The...

  • Far From Noise (PS4)

    16

    Review Far From Noise (PS4)

    Come on feel the (lack of) noise

    Have you ever wanted to experience the harrowing act of sitting in a car teetering on the edge of a cliff? And while hanging from that cliff, have you ever wanted to breathe deeply, calmly look at nature, and befriend a deer? These are all things that form the backdrop for George Batchelor’s visual novel, Far From...

  • Discussing the Music of Call of Duty: WWII with composer Wilbert Roget II

    5

    Interview Discussing the Music of Call of Duty: WWII with composer Wilbert Roget II

    Answering the call of music

    Recently, we got the chance to sit down and discuss the process behind composing the soundtrack for Call of Duty: WWII’s soundtrack, with its composer Wilbert Roget II, who's no stranger to working on games. We dove deep into some of the finer points of the score, and got a glimpse behind the curtain at his process and...

  • Best PS4 Music of October 2017

    3

    Guide Best PS4 Music of October 2017

    Push it to the limit

    As we start getting into the holiday season, the releases of big name games are ratcheting up as they do every year, which also means some major soundtracks are going to accompany these games. October offered a lot of quality music, most of it courtesy of the big budget stuff, but on any given month, if you dig deep enough, you...

  • Top of the PS4 Pops – Issue 6

    6

    Push Play Top of the PS4 Pops – Issue 6

    Rock 'n' roll

    Coming off such an extraordinary month for game music in August means September was a little underwhelming by comparison, but that doesn’t mean there was nothing worth paying attention to. Some big names released this past month, and brought some significant music with them. And some lesser known titles brought great music into the...

  • Yakking About Knack 2 with Composer Anthony Willis

    4

    Interview Yakking About Knack 2 with Composer Anthony Willis

    Knack is back, Jack

    Shortly before the release of Sony’s Knack 2 we got the chance to sit down with the game’s composer, Anthony Willis, and discuss with him some elements of his process for crafting the score for the latest in Sony’s platforming series. Anthony has previously worked on many film projects such as How to Train Your Dragon 2,...

  • Expand (PS4)

    3

    Review Expand (PS4)

    Rapid expansion

    Sometimes a game just doesn’t land regardless of its quality. Expand, an indie title from Chris Johnson and Chris Larkin, fits the bill. It hit Steam back in 2015 with relatively little fanfare, and the same seems to be happening again. This lack of buzz around the game says nothing of its quality, however, as it's actually rather...

  • Amnesia: Collection (PS4)

    16

    Review Amnesia: Collection (PS4)

    In the mouth of madness

    Republished on Wednesday 27th September 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Usually when people strike up a conversation about the best horror games ever made, you're going to hear someone bring up...

  • Ruiner (PS4)

    16

    Review Ruiner (PS4)

    Buy this game, puppy

    Ruiner marks the first title from Polish developer Reikon Games – and the latest release under Devolver Digital’s publishing initiative. The game fits comfortably alongside the other types of games that the label likes to put its name on, and this is one outing that stands out among an already impressive portfolio. At...