News - 2020, Week 53
Sunday3rd Jan 2021
Poll Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Games for January 2021?
Plus or minus?
Ah, the start of a brand new year, and we all know what that means: another 12 months of bitter PlayStation Plus disappointment! Just kidding — we're cynical, but we're not that cynical. Anyway, January's PS Plus games have been announced, and as always, we want to know what you think. In case you missed the reveal, subscribers are...
Game of the Year Best PS5, PS4 RPG of 2020
Stat attack
We love RPGs. You love RPGs. Everyone loves a good RPG, and 2020 just so happened to be a fantastic year for them. No matter whether they were rereleases packed full of new content or brand new experiences that took established franchises in new directions, there really was something for everyone. However, we simply have to work out what...
Interview How PS5 Stunner Season Explores the Fate of the World from a Bicycle Seat
Tour de world
Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards really shone the spotlight on a number of wonderful looking indie games last month, proving how independent studios can put out just as good a work as AAA developers. Season, from Canadian team Scavengers Studio, is one example of that. The title wowed Push Square Towers with a stunning art style and an...
Saturday2nd Jan 2021
News PS Plus Free January 2021 PS5, PS4 Games Announced
Happy new year
January 2021's PlayStation Plus games have been revealed, kicking off a brand new year for Sony's subscription service. As has become the norm, users are getting one PS5 title alongside two PS4 games. For starters, Maneater is January's PS5 title. The human-eating shark simulator is also on PS4, but this is specifically the...
Game of the Year Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
As voted by you
Okay, we've all had our say here on Push Square — now it's your turn. Our Game of the Year coverage is about done, but we can't forget about our lovely readers. Let's go through what you guys and gals think are 2020's best PlayStation games. As we do every year, we presented you lot with a poll in order to determine your favourite...
Game of the Year Best PSVR Game of 2020
Headset highlights
Let's be honest with ourselves: 2020 has not been the best year for PlayStation VR. As Sony shifted its focus towards marketing the PlayStation 5, the Japanese giant's virtual reality headset received little love from first-party studios. Developers outside of Sony still had many multi-platform launches to boast of, but at this...
News Hitman 3 Is on Top of the World in New Gameplay Footage
Will you Dubai it?
Feast your eyes on the first five minutes from Hitman 3’s new Dubai mission, which kickstarts a new season of assassination from Danish developer IO Interactive. While there’s no time for any bloodshed in this brief clip, the studio is able to show off its engine, as Agent 47 infiltrates a skyscraper in the Middle-Eastern...
Soapbox Kentucky Route Zero Was a Game Made Specifically For Me
And I will never be able to thank Cardboard Computer enough
Editor's Note: This article contains some spoilers for Kentucky Route Zero's story. The music slowly falls away. The camera pulls out. Let me just wipe my face. Are those tears? The horses have been buried and the funeral is over. While this may not have been the closing moment of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 357
New year hangover
Nope, we definitely didn't forget about the latest episode of WAYP as the new year rolls around. No siree! This article most certainly was not hastily put together to ensure our incredibly hot streak continues. Anyway, after hundreds upon hundreds of issues, you definitely know the drill by now. What games are you playing in order...
Friday1st Jan 2021
Game of the Year #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
Naughty Gods
Throughout the entirety of the PlayStation 4 generation, there was one consistency that propelled the console to rising head and shoulders above its competition. The quality of Sony's first-party output is tough to match these days, with early highlights like Bloodborne and Ratchet & Clank paving the way for genre-defining titles to...
Game of the Year Best PS5, PS4 Indie Game of 2020
Independent marvels
The PlayStation 4 saw out its final year with some seriously heavy hitters from first-party studios, and then Sony's PlayStation 5 kickstarted a new generation with another batch of massive titles. Great stuff from the AAA scene, but it's always worth taking stock of what independent developers are putting out alongside those...
Round Up All Our Game of the Year Winners
All of the winners
And that just about concludes our Game of the Year coverage, although we’ve still got your community results to share tomorrow. Just in case you were too busy scoffing down mince pies and turkey sandwiches to read our coverage – no offence taken – then we’re going to round up our top ten countdown below. Word is this...
Game of the Year Robert's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
Royalty
Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PS5 and PS4 titles of 2020. Today, it's the turn of deputy editor Robert Ramsey. 5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV: It's crazy to think that the first Cold Steel game released just last year...
News Devil May Cry, Dragon's Dogma Director Teases New Project, but 'It's Still a Long Way Off'
The cycle continues
Veteran Capcom developer Hideaki Itsuno is at it again, teasing his next project on social media. Itsuno is best known as the director of both the Devil May Cry series and Dragon's Dogma, with the excellent Devil May Cry 5 being his most recent work. But now that Devil May Cry 5 is all wrapped up, what's next? Itsuno writes on...
Feature Happy New Year from the Push Square Team
We go again
Well, then – that’s the end of that. As much as we wished we could, we can’t imagine any of us will be forgetting 2020 in a hurry – it’s been an unfathomably bad year for every single one of us, and frankly we’re glad to see the back of it. The one shining light amid the 12 months of misery is that Sony absolutely smashed it,...
News Guilty Gear Strive Starts 2021 With a New Character Trailer
Anji Mito returns
Fan-wielding muscleman Anji Mito is back for Guilty Gear Strive having skipped a number of previous entries in the series. As with every returning character that's been announced for Strive so far, Anji's been given a great looking makeover — but he still seems to carry the same rhythm and flow that veteran players will...
Thursday31st Dec 2020
News Sony Reportedly Refunding Purchases of Maneater on PS5 Following PS Plus Announcement
Cash flow
In case you missed the news yesterday, Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus lineup for January 2021. In addition to PS4 games Greedfall and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PS5 owners can look forward to Maneater, a nautical open world action title about being a big bloody shark. That's good news on its own, but those who recently bought the...
Feature 12 PS5, PS4 Predictions for 2021
Fortune teller
How can you possibly predict the unpredictable? 2020 has, for every person on the planet, been the most bizarre year imaginable – and now, as we look forward to 2021, it’s almost impossible to imagine what the future holds. The show must go on, nevertheless, and our annual PlayStation predictions are part of the New Year ritual...
Game of the Year Best PS5, PS4 Story of 2020
More than a Telltale
For some, gameplay is the main tell of a quality video game. For others, story is king. A great narrative can be what pushes you through an otherwise dreary set of mechanics and systems, with the prospect of another plot twist on the horizon just enough to keep you going. And the best thing is that those very stories are only...
Game of the Year #2 - Final Fantasy VII Remake
Hello, Cloud
Yep, it finally happened: 2020 was the year that we actually got a remake of Final Fantasy VII. Well, part of one, at least. It may not cover the full story, but Final Fantasy VII Remake wears its love for the original game like a badge of honour. It's as much a homage to the classic Japanese role-playing game as it is a reimagining —...
Game of the Year Liam's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
Simping for Dina
Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles of 2020. Today, it's the turn of senior staff writer Liam Croft. 5. Astro's Playroom: Who would have thought that a PS5 pack-in title would end up being one...
Wednesday30th Dec 2020
Review GreedFall - Spiders on the Cusp of RPG Greatness
Smooth sailing
Republished on Wednesday 30th December, 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2021's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Spiders has been busy this generation. The French developer has released two role-playing titles up to this point: Bound by Flame in 2014, and The...
Mini Review Maneater (PS5) - Shiny Bits and Bobs Make for a Fin Time
Let’s fin-ish this
Republished on Wednesday 30th December, 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2021's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. One of a number of free next-gen upgrade titles being offered on Sony’s newest hardware, developer Tripwire has returned to its undersea all...
Rumour PS5 Ships 3.4 Million Units in First Four Weeks
Sony sets new hardware record
Sony’s been surprisingly coy when it comes to console sales numbers of the PlayStation 5, but we reckon that comes down to the fact that demand has vastly outpaced supply. Regardless, a report by Digitimes – citing “industry sources” – claims that the manufacturer shipped an eye-watering 3.4 million next-gen...
Review Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Sloppy Story, Fun Puzzle Platforming
Bigger? Check. Better?
Republished on Wednesday 30th December, 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2021's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Lara Croft makes one last attempt to prove to us she has what it takes to become the Tomb Raider she is destined to be. Taking a backseat as a...
News PS5, PS4 Survive Xmas PlayStation Network Onslaught
Stayin' online
A huge shout out is owed to the PlayStation Network engineers who kept us playing happily over the holidays. While it’s been a while since Sony’s servers faced any serious outages, it’s always worth remembering that for some unlucky technicians, Christmas is the most challenging period of the year. With new PlayStation 5...
Soapbox PS5's Pad Has Made All Other Controllers Feel Ancient
Haptic feedback
At the time of writing this, I’m playing Cyberpunk 2077, and besides all its other issues – and there are lots of them – one thing that’s bothering me is its lack of DualSense support. Obviously this is a PlayStation 4 game so I never expected it to take advantage of the PlayStation 5 pad, but here me out here: it’s hard to...
News Sony Sends Employees Custom Commemorative PS5 Jackets
Drip feed
There’s snow beginning to appear on the ground, but Sony is keeping employees warm with custom PlayStation 5 jackets. It’s unclear exactly who it’s sending these limited edition coats to, but we’ve seen several Tweets about them now, including this one from Naughty Dog’s Senior QA Jan 'Gabby' Llanillo. Looks like these are...
Game of the Year Stephen's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
Dreaming big
Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PlayStation 5 and PS4 titles of 2020. Today, it's the turn of associate editor Stephen Tailby. 5. Bugsnax: I was smitten with Bugsnax from the moment I saw its announcement trailer back in the summer...
Game of the Year #3 - Ghost of Tsushima
A will unbroken
Developer Sucker Punch really went above and beyond with Ghost of Tsushima — a soaring samurai epic that sliced our expectations to pieces. This is an outstanding open world game, elevated by an excellent combat system and a distinct sense of style that classic Japanese cinema would be proud of. The story of Jin Sakai is a...
Tuesday29th Dec 2020
Game of the Year Sammy's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
Drama queen
Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PlayStation 5 and PS4 titles of 2020. Today, it's the turn of editor Sammy Barker. 5. Cyberpunk 2077: I’ve always appreciated The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the impact it had on the industry as a...
Game of the Year #4 - Demon's Souls
You have a heart of gold
Who better than Bluepoint to tackle one of the medium’s most sought-after remakes? Given the studio’s stellar track record, it was hard not to immediately expect greatness from its next big project. Despite those sky-high expectations, Demon’s Souls manages to not only be an extraordinary technical showcase and a...
Soapbox I Can't Keep Up with Service Games
Let it go
The way we play games is changing – or, at least, the way I play games is changing. Historically, I’ve always been a one-and-done player; from my collection of favourites, it’s only really the Shenmue saga that I’ve revisited multiple times. And, strangely, GUN – I’ve beaten the PlayStation 2 Western at least half-a-dozen times...
Monday28th Dec 2020
News dbrand Reveals Black PS5 Faceplates Because You Assholes Can Install Them
And they look great
Do you recall console customisation specialist dbrand’s brutally honest post about PlayStation 5 skins? For those of you who don’t recall, the outrageously candid company wrote on Reddit that it had intended to make lots of money from manufa
Game of the Year Jade's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
JRPG jamboree
Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles of 2020. Today, it's the turn of reviewer Jade Sayers. 5. Astro’s Playroom: The perfect game to see in the PS5 era with. Astro’s Playroom is exactly the...
Soapbox Did You Enjoy Astro's Playroom? Don't Skip Astro Bot Rescue Mission
PSVR platformer is top-notch
I remember, vividly, the review process for Astro Bot’s Rescue Mission. There were certain segments of the media, bound by embargo, who were bursting to talk about the PlayStation VR game. I actually recall one critic – I apologise, I can’t remember who – comparing the title on Twitter to Super Mario 64, in terms...
News UK Sales Charts: FIFA 21 Reclaims Top Spot, Cyberpunk 2077 in Eighth
Another 57% drop in sales
Assassin's Creed Valhalla couldn't continue its stint at the top of the UK sales charts as FIFA 21 takes first place for the week ending 26th December 2020. The top 10 list of the biggest physical sellers across the United Kingdom contains the usual suspects for the past seven days, with Ubisoft's Viking RPG slipping to...
Game of the Year #5 - Astro's Playroom
Astro-nomical
The PlayStation 5 wasn't short of stellar launch games, but we're not sure many expected a freebie pack-in title to be among the best. Believe it or not, Astro's Playroom is an absolute gem; the fact all PS5 owners get it for free means your next-gen journey starts with a bang. All this game needed to be was a decent example piece for...
Most Read
Mini Review Maneater (PS5) - Shiny Bits and Bobs Make for a Fin Time
News Sony Reportedly Refunding Purchases of Maneater on PS5 Following PS Plus...
Review Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Sloppy Story, Fun Puzzle Platforming
Game of the Year Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020