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
  • R.B.I. Baseball 15 (PlayStation 4)

    6

    Review R.B.I. Baseball 15 (PlayStation 4)

    Shutout

    R.B.I. Baseball is not a new series per se. The brand's legacy dates back all the way to a line of bat and ball titles that launched on SEGA platforms – among others – through the 80s and 90s. The last one released in 1995, until last year, when R.B.I. Baseball 14 brought the series back – albeit in underwhelming fashion. Spoilers:...

  • Game of Thrones: Episode 3 - The Sword in the Darkness (PlayStation 4)

    13

    Review Game of Thrones: Episode 3 - The Sword in the Darkness (PlayStation 4)

    The Watchers on the Wall

    Telltale seems to have slotted into a nice little groove with regards to its episodic release schedule of late. Game of Thrones: Episode 3 – The Sword in the Darkness marks its second outing of the month – a paltry one week later than the most recent instalment of Tales from the Borderlands. If this pace can be...

  • Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time (PlayStation 4)

    20

    Review Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time (PlayStation 4)

    Boyhood: The Game

    On the surface, DONTNOD's divisive Life Is Strange seems to have a lot in common with Richard Linklater's Boyhood in tone and feel. Sure, there's the heavy sci-fi underpinning and a city with plenty of dark secrets – in a Twin Peaks kind of way – but it retains the feel that the aforementioned flick captured by incorporating...

  • Slender: The Arrival (PlayStation 4)

    5

    Review Slender: The Arrival (PlayStation 4)

    Look who’s back

    Slender: The Arrival is a title that's been steadily seeing release across a variety of platforms for a while now – and the latest victim is the PlayStation 4. You may remember the game hitting the PlayStation 3 a few months ago, where it had its fair share of issues. If you need us to jog your memory, it was a really poor port...

  • Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 2 - Atlas Mugged (PlayStation 4)

    2

    Review Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 2 - Atlas Mugged (PlayStation 4)

    Cool story, bro

    It's taken an age for Telltale Games to release the second instalment in its Tales from the Borderlands series. The first episode deployed all the way back in December, and in the time since, it's released not one but two episodes in its other ongoing story, Game of Thrones. The question is: has the continuation of Rhys and Fiona's...

  • White Night (PlayStation 4)

    6

    Review White Night (PlayStation 4)

    Good night and good luck

    White Night, the debut title from OSome Studio, is a bit of an oddball. A monochromatic neo-noir horror adventure, the game is certainly more than capable of standing out from the crowd. Sadly, while it gets a heck of a lot of things right, it also has some issues that let it down. The title's colour palette is almost...

  • Limbo (PlayStation 4)

    5

    Review Limbo (PlayStation 4)

    Arachnophobia

    Playdead's critically acclaimed Limbo has been slowly creeping onto just about every platform on the planet since its original release in 2010. Now, a whopping five years after its inaugural outing, the experience has lurched its way onto the PlayStation 4. You play as an unnamed boy on the edge of Hell – the title is taken from the...

  • Apotheon (PlayStation 4)

    22

    Review Apotheon (PlayStation 4)

    Commence the Apotheonslaught

    Apotheon is the latest game from Capsized developer Alientrap, and also just happens to be the most recent in a long line of PlayStation 4 releases to debut as part of the Instant Game Collection. The quality of these freebies has been all over the board since launch, leading many to question the quality of this Greek...

  • Game of Thrones: Episode 2 - The Lost Lords (PlayStation 4)

    3

    Review Game of Thrones: Episode 2 - The Lost Lords (PlayStation 4)

    To ice we all return

    Game of Thrones: Episode 2 – The Lost Lords marks our second journey to Westeros courtesy of Telltale Games. Those of you with longer memories may recall that we thought that the season premiere was decent, if not outstanding – but fortunately this seems like a better indication of where the series is headed. Naturally, the...

  • Life Is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis (PlayStation 4)

    19

    Review Life Is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis (PlayStation 4)

    Go f*** yourselfie

    Life Is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis marks the latest release from French developer DONTNOD, the studio behind Remember Me. Being an episodic game, it marks a change of pace for the firm, and allows it to join the ranks of Telltale Games, who has essentially defined the model in its current guise. Series like this are extremely...

  • Grim Fandango Remastered (PlayStation 4)

    20

    Review Grim Fandango Remastered (PlayStation 4)

    Back from the dead

    We can hear the cries from a vocal minority already: "Oh, come on – another remaster? Enough is enough." In this case, though, we can probably all agree to make an exception. Grim Fandango is, by many, considered to be one of the greatest adventure games ever released, and while it didn't sell especially well at first attempt,...

  • Splice (PlayStation 4)

    4

    Review Splice (PlayStation 4)

    Splice 'n' dice

    Splice is an intriguingly intricate puzzle game from Cipher Prime Studios. Originally released in 2012 for PC and mobile platforms, this version marks the title's debut on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, with a Vita release possible somewhere down the line. The game tasks you with re-arranging cells – which look like really...

  • 2014's Most Memorable PlayStation Music

    7

    Feature 2014's Most Memorable PlayStation Music

    Sounds good

    The music that we hear in games plays an integral part in our enjoyment of the experience. While this is by no means exclusive to the medium, the interactive nature of games means that the memories linked with certain musical cues can carry more potency than in other types of media. Last year was a hell of a year for game soundtracks,...

  • Super Mega Baseball (PlayStation 4)

    21

    Review Super Mega Baseball (PlayStation 4)

    Out of the park

    Super Mega Baseball marks the first release from Canadian developer Metalhead Software. Currently only available on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 as a cross-buy release, the $19.99 baseball title offers a marvellous distraction from the rigmarole of everyday life. As an arcade game, it's not going to put you in the Yankees...

  • Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice (PlayStation 4)

    9

    Review Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice (PlayStation 4)

    Game of the North

    Telltale Games has been busy. The studio has already released episodes for three different series throughout 2014, and the premiere instalment of Game of Thrones marks the fourth and final one of the year. Deploying such a wealth of content – this is the company’s tenth outing in 12 months – could stretch any team thin, but...

  • Thomas Was Alone (PlayStation 4)

    4

    Review Thomas Was Alone (PlayStation 4)

    Lonely loner on the lonely road

    Thomas Was Alone is the lovely little puzzle platformer by Mike Bithell, which was later ported by Curve Studios. While not a terribly long or challenging game, it released early last year on the PlayStation 3 and Vita, and was well received. In fact, it earned additional attention from us, landing a place in our Top...

  • Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 - Zer0 Sum (PlayStation 4)

    8

    Review Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 - Zer0 Sum (PlayStation 4)

    A hyper Hyperion hoot

    Tales from the Borderlands is the latest in a new line of Telltale Games titles, which will be followed by Game of Thrones in December. Unlike some of its more recent comic book spin-offs, this is the result of a direct collaboration with Gearbox, and takes place shortly after the events of Borderlands 2. Considering that the...

  • Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (PlayStation 4)

    13

    Review Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (PlayStation 4)

    Welcome to the Rhombus Room

    Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is the latest release in Bizarre Creations’ once Xbox exclusive twin stick shooter series. Starting life as a minigame in Project Gotham Racing 2, the untimely demise of the aforementioned British outfit means that startup Lucid Games has taken up the neon reins – and this also marks the...

  • Home (PlayStation 4)

    9

    Review Home (PlayStation 4)

    Home is where the heart is

    Home is the side-scrolling mystery from one-man indie developer Benjamin Rivers. It’s an intriguing title with some horror elements thrown in for good measure, as well as a ‘choose your own adventure’ narrative. You play as an unnamed man who awakens in a house with nothing but a flashlight. From there, it’s up to...

  • LittleBigPlanet 3's Stellar Soundtrack Is Already Winning Awards

    6

    Interview LittleBigPlanet 3's Stellar Soundtrack Is Already Winning Awards

    Prize bubble

    Sony’s last major release of the year, LittleBigPlanet 3, is a real gem, dragging Media Molecule’s do-it-yourself series into the future with a laundry list of tweaks and improvements. It’s already winning awards as well, as composer Winifred Phillips has received a Hollywood Music in Media Award for one of her contributions to...

  • Never Alone (PlayStation 4)

    11

    Review Never Alone (PlayStation 4)

    One if by land, two if by blizzard

    Never Alone (or Kisima Inŋitchuŋa in its native tongue) is a PlayStation 4 platformer by Upper One Games and E-Line Media. It’s an interactive re-telling of stories that come from the Alaskan indigenous peoples, the Iñupiaq. Some of the stories touched upon are The Blizzard Man, The Sky People, and Rolling...

  • The Wolf Among Us - A Telltale Games Series (PlayStation 4)

    11

    Review The Wolf Among Us - A Telltale Games Series (PlayStation 4)

    Huff ‘n’ puff

    The Wolf Among Us is the last of Telltale Games’ previously released titles to wind up on the PlayStation 4. When these next-gen ports were initially announced, many expected them to offer more stable editions of the famously buggy escapades available elsewhere. Sadly, both The Walking Dead: Season One, and, to a lesser extent,

  • The Unfinished Swan (PlayStation 4)

    26

    Review The Unfinished Swan (PlayStation 4)

    Placeholder strapline

    Back in 2012, when indie startup Giant Sparrow released The Unfinished Swan, we were bowled over by it, awarding it a rare 10/10 in our review. Understandably, we were subsequently ecstatic when Sony announced earlier in the year that it was bringing the curious campaign to the PlayStation 4 alongside fellow digital download...

  • Costume Quest 2 (PlayStation 4)

    12

    Review Costume Quest 2 (PlayStation 4)

    Trick or treat?

    Costume Quest 2 is the latest game from lauded developer Double Fine, and is actually the firm’s first full-blown sequel to boot. The title depicts the continuing adventures of twins Reynold and Wren, as they combat a time travelling delinquent dentist determined to destroy Hallowe’en and its teeth-decaying deeds. Much like the...