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
472 (251 reviews)
First Article
Tue 19th, November 2013
Avg. Review Score
6.8
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  • Here They Lie (PS4)

    12

    Review Here They Lie (PS4)

    And here they’ll stay

    When Sony set out to launch its own virtual reality headset, one of the most important things that it had to do is make sure that it had lots of games released alongside it. Through the years, the games industry has seen many a peripheral fail miserably due to a lack of support. To combat this, an impressively large launch...

  • Flipping Through the Yoku's Island Express Soundtrack with Jesse Harlin

    1

    Interview Flipping Through the Yoku's Island Express Soundtrack with Jesse Harlin

    Bouncing around

    Hearing Yoku's Island Express described paints an interesting picture. It sounds like a weird game. A really weird game. Just listen to reviewer John Cal McCormick desribe the title: " Yoku's Island Express is a 2D, open world, Metroidvania, pinball game starring a dung beetle postman dragged into a battle for the fate of...

  • MXGP Pro (PS4)

    18

    Review MXGP Pro (PS4)

    MXGP Con

    Milestone releases a large number of racing games every year. Some of them aren’t half bad, such as Gravel, while others, chiefly its motorcycle games, leave something to be desired. Unfortunately, MXGP Pro is one of the motorcycle games, and while this is nowhere near as bad as the absolute debacle that was MXGP 3, it’s a definite step...

  • Best PS4 Music of June 2018

    2

    Feature Best PS4 Music of June 2018

    Hit the high note

    There was a lot to love with May’s slate of game music, including a couple games we may well be discussing when the end of the year rolls around (Detroit!), but June was no slouch either. Another solid month of games brought with it a solid lineup of music! Unravel Two: When Unravel released in 2016, it ended up being a...

  • Lumines Remastered (PS4)

    15

    Review Lumines Remastered (PS4)

    Lumines beings are we

    Rhythm games have a long and storied history throughout gaming, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi is one of the most important creators tied to it, having created such masterpieces as Rez, Child of Eden, the upcoming – and incredible looking – Tetris Effect, and of course Lumines. So it’s cause for celebration that the...

  • Illusion: A Tale of the Mind (PS4)

    10

    Review Illusion: A Tale of the Mind (PS4)

    Lobotomy

    Some games, no matter how much work the devs put into them, just never come together. While some elements could be great, the overall experience just doesn’t click in any meaningful way. Illusion: A Tale of the Mind, from Canadian dev Frima, is a title that suffers from this. While its virtual reality title Fated: The Silent Oath is one...

  • Remedy Pulls Back the Curtain on Control

    16

    E3 2018 Remedy Pulls Back the Curtain on Control

    Assuming direct control

    Despite Sony stressing they'd be bringing only four games with them to E3 this year, it was generally accepted there'd be something more on display, even if it was just small. Not only did Sony show off a plethora of trailers during what was sort of an intermission for the people there in-person, there were some pretty big...

  • 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

    30

    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

    27

    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)

    15

    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...