Retro News (Page 10)

  • Review Disney Universe (PlayStation 3)

    When you wish upon a star

    The team at Eurocom has done a fine job crafting a surprisingly engaging objective-based adventure with Disney Universe, lifting several ideas from the LEGO games of recent years while mixing in a smattering of fresh concepts and a hearty four-player option Developer Eurocom will always have a special place in the hearts of...

  • Review Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai (PlayStation 3)

    Trekking into Uncharted territory

    Since Move released last September, the Cabela’s team has brought two of its quirky hunting titles to the motion controller: Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 and Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012. Both surprised us with an entertaining story creatively crafted upon the quirky FPS/hunting gameplay style that...

  • Review Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (PlayStation 3)

    Making waves?

    The newest edition of the Rune Factory saga finally makes it's début on the PlayStation 3. Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny starts the story off without much explanation or details; all you know is somehow two friends, Aden and Sonja, have become trapped in the same body in an odd parallel world. With plenty of help from the friendly...

  • Review Wanted Corp (PlayStation 3)

    Move over dual analogue controls

    Swarms of mini-robots continue their attacks as two enormous cyborg monkeys furiously charge onto the screen, while two bounty hunters try to evade a robed wizard’s constant onslaught of deadly purple energy balls. The powerful walking mech is closing in; its massive destructive power will hopefully ensure...

  • Review Just Dance Kids 2 (PlayStation 3)

    Child's play

    Why should adults should get all the fun? Ubisoft’s Just Dance franchise has been selling like the X-Factor winner’s single at Christmas since its first days on Wii, becoming one of the system’s biggest third party sellers in the process. The series has now spread across multiple formats, and with the French publisher’s musical...

  • Review Orbit (PlayStation Minis)

    As with all of Laughing Jackal's releases, Orbit is easy to pick up but impossible to put down

    Laughing Jackal is the master of carrot dangling. Its previous PlayStation Mini — the gloriously stylish OMG-Z — hooked you into its underlying "one more go" philosophy by rewarding you with new upgrades at every opportunity. The British...

  • Review Move Fitness (PlayStation 3)

    Boxing clever?

    Swedish company Coldwood Interactive released The Fight: Lights Out back at the end of 2010 to mainly negative reviews, with many disappointed by the overall quality after seeing such massive potential in early previews, citing poor motion controls and a lack of variety as a couple of reasons for its downfall. A year later, Coldwood...

  • Review Happy Feet Two: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)

    Let's tap

    Packed with wholesome fun for all the family, Happy Feet Two: The Video Game proves to be far more than any old run-of-the-mill movie tie-in, offering thrills, spills, and more than a modicum of outright fun that may even appeal to the inner child of adults, not merely youngsters alone How often do truly great video games based on movies...

  • Review Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 2 (PlayStation 3)

    The edutainer

    French developer Lexis Numérique has gradually been building up a strong portfolio in recent years, seeing some particularly strong success with its series of children’s educational entertainment games Learning with the PooYoos on WiiWare. The cute and colourful baby animals have ventured into the world of Sony with moderately...

  • Review Winter Stars (PlayStation 3)

    Chilled out

    After a year of motion control, Sports Champions is still Move's best sports package by far: MotionSports Adrenaline was a wash-out, and After Hours Athletes is a compilation of PSN games, so that doesn't really count. Winter Stars doesn't quite topple Zindagi's launch title, but it comes closer than we'd expected. Winter Stars leads...

  • Review Heavy Fire: Afghanistan (PlayStation 3)

    A war that doesn’t break the budget

    Heavy Fire: Afghanistan puts you in the shoes of an soldier sent to the frontlines of modern day Afghanistan to rescue hostages held deep behind enemy lines. Taking part in this arcade light gun shooter you’ll travel by any means necessary to complete your objective: by foot, helicopter and even behind a...

  • Review Grease (PlayStation 3)

    The one you might want

    Grease Dance (or just Grease) has clearly been designed with parties in mind and, as the summer nights fade to make way for the festive season, it’s come at the right time. With a host of famous songs from the 1978 musical at its command, plus plenty of past experience developing music games of varying nature, developer...

  • Review Saints Row: The Third (PlayStation 3)

    Third time's the charm

    Saints Row: The Third distances itself from the seriousness of its competition, offering a sandbox that's as stupid as it is refined. There're so many things we wish we could say about Saints Row: The Third, but doing so would break the element of surprise. The latest entry in Volition's copycat sandbox series rips up the...

  • Review Tekken Hybrid (PlayStation 3)

    Fighters megamix

    Tekken Hybrid is a comprehensive slice of fan service. Comprising a remastered classic, a slight but stunning teaser and a watchable action flick, the compilation package is the perfect celebration of Namco's fighting classic. It's unlikely to appeal to everyone, but those that consider Heihachi and Kazuya household names will feel...

  • Review After Hours Athletes (PlayStation 3)

    Of balls and bullseyes

    Like Move Mind Benders before it, After Hours Athletes is a Blu-ray compilation of three previously PSN-only games, released in time for Christmas at a budget price. It sounds like a winning formula, but it's not quite up to the quality of its companion release. For one thing, unlike Move Mind Benders there is no new title...

  • Review Start the Party: Save the World (PlayStation 3)

    Save the cheerleader

    Start the Party was one of the original games announced for the PlayStation 3’s motion controller, launching alongside Move at the tail end of 2010. It was the first project from Supermassive Games, and while it wasn't particularly well-received it clearly sold well enough to warrant the team having another stab at a genre...

  • Review MotionSports Adrenaline (PlayStation 3)

    Better with Kinect?

    It was bound to happen sooner or later; games designed for Kinect would eventually be ported over to PlayStation Move. MotionSports Adrenaline is exactly this: an extreme sports compilation that’s obviously initially designed for Kinect and has received a port over to PS3 with Move support for multisystem release. But does a...

  • Review EyePet & Friends (PlayStation 3)

    Glitter tray

    EyePet’s first release in 2009 was an odd affair, a new approach to the virtual pet game that impressed in some areas but didn't quite come over as well as hoped in others, and 2010’s EyePet: Move Edition fixed many issues to become one of Move’s stronger first titles. A further year on and an all-new sequel reaches shelves, this...

  • Review Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest (PlayStation 3)

    Dem bones

    Zindagi Games’ Sports Champions was a highlight of PlayStation Move’s launch line-up last year, and it still remains one of the better demonstrations of the peripheral to date. Bringing together a variety of sports, including archery and — slightly less commonly seen these days — gladiatorial duels, the Californian developer...

  • Review Invizimals: The Lost Tribes (PlayStation Portable)

    Invizimals: The Lost Tribes is a fantastic idea squandered

    Frustrating technical issues, poor pacing and annoying difficulty spikes get in the way of what is ostensibly a great concept. Persevere and you will almost certainly find fun in the game's augmented reality technology, but it's hard to shake the feeling that The Lost Tribes could have been...

  • Review Family Game Night 4: The Game Show (PlayStation 3)

    Mind Boggle-ing

    For the fourth iteration of its Hasbro Family Game Night series, first popularised on Nintendo Wii, EA has become bored of board games. The latest entry instead focuses upon the real life game show, Family Game Night, which in itself is based on Hasbro’s best-selling games. Currently airing on American TV channel The Hub, Family...

  • Review Carnival Island (PlayStation 3)

    Fun fare

    Funfairs epitomise family fun, so it's no real surprise that carnival themed games have proved a huge hit on other motion controlled platforms. Carnival Island is Sony's attempt at capturing that audience for the PlayStation Move, and while it's not without its problems, it still offers a competent selection of enjoyable mini-games, fuelled...

  • Review inFAMOUS 2 (PlayStation 3)

    Lightning strikes twice

    Taking place immediately after inFAMOUS, Cole McGrath travels to New Marais in order to improve his skills to fight the Beast. As soon as Cole and Zeke arrive in town, disaster strikes throwing the player head on into the action to save the world from The Beast. The tale is full of highs and lows as Cole struggles to battle...

  • Review Toki Tori (PlayStation 3)

    Chick habit

    Two Tribes’ Toki Tori was originally hatched on Nintendo’s Game Boy Color in 2001, and since then has been found nesting on WiiWare, PC and Apple devices. A full-on sequel, Toki Tori 2, has recently been announced for numerous platforms, but in the meantime a HD remake of the original has landed on PlayStation Network. Toki Tori’s...

  • Review House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut (PlayStation 3)

    All guns blazing

    “As you well know Isaac, I enjoy pain,” lauds sinister antagonist, Papa Caesar, into a comically outdated mobile phone. “It’s like a good Chinese dinner you know, with the sweet and the sour.” Papa Caesar’s exceptionally idiotic analogy applies to House Of The Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut. This PlayStation Move...

  • Review Move Mind Benders (PlayStation 3)

    Grey matters

    In the year or so since PlayStation Move launched last year, some of the peripheral's best titles have hit PlayStation Store, and although the console's online connection rate is pretty high there's still a chance Move owners might have missed out on some cracking titles. That's why it's a good job Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has...

  • Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PlayStation 3)

    This sky's the limit

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most involving, engrossing and impressive games of the year, but unfortunate technical inconsistencies mean we can't guarantee whether your experience will be flawless or just plain flawed Skyrim's PS3 technical troubles are well documented, making this an extremely difficult game to...

  • Review Where Is My Heart? (PlayStation Minis)

    Where Is My Heart? is a deceptively intelligent PlayStation Mini, and by extension, one of the best experiences currently available on the platform

    As far as gameplay concepts go, Where Is My Heart? is agonisingly slight: a simple puzzle-platformer dressed in a pastel pixel art-style, accompanied by an ethereal chip-tune soundtrack. But once it...

  • Review Get Up and Dance (PlayStation 3)

    Follow the leader

    In the past 14 months we've had no fewer than 11 PlayStation Move dancing games, with Ubisoft's Just Dance 3 due to land in December. That swamped market — dancing games make up over 10% of Move's library — gives precious little room to breathe for each new arrival, so can Get Up and Dance make a name for itself? By now you're...

  • Review GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (PlayStation 3)

    Premium Bond?

    1998's GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo 64 was a watershed moment in first-person shooters, and is still held in the highest regard by thousands of gamers who hold every new Bond release up to that 64-bit benchmark. But just as the James Bond film series has moved on, so must its games, with Activision revisiting the original source material...

  • Review EyePet Adventures (PlayStation Portable)

    A deeper emphasis on exploration makes EyePet Adventures a much bigger package than its predecessor, but its underlying longevity comes from the "make your own fun" potential that the game's technology provides

    Last year when we reviewed EyePet PSP we explained how elated we'd be receiving the augmented reality experience for Christmas. Fast forward...

  • Review Hydrophobia Prophecy (PlayStation 3)

    One wet and wild ride

    Hydrophobia is defined as being an abnormal fear of water. What would a person’s worst nightmare be if they had this phobia? The thought of being on-board a massive boat as it slowly sinks into the ocean’s depths would likely be somewhere near the top of the list, which is exactly the reason why you’re thrown headfirst...

  • Review PixelJunk SideScroller (PlayStation 3)

    Arguably the purest PixelJunk experience since the brilliant Monsters, PixelJunk SideScroller is an enjoyable old-school shooter that's enhanced by some stunning visual design and great audio

    PixelJunk SideScroller is certainly a departure from recent entries in Q-Games' downloadable series. It drops a lot of the inventiveness from the free-flowing...

  • Review The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn (PlayStation 3)

    Worth investigating

    Hergé’s iconic investigator Tintin, his faithful pup Snowy and a slew of the Belgian series’ most important characters have just made the leap into a CG Hollywood extravaganza courtesy of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. As is the natural order of the entertainment world these days, the young journalist with a nose for a...

  • Review inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood (PlayStation 3)

    But... does it sparkle?

    The dark world Cole McGrath is trying to project just got a whole lot darker. inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood takes place during inFAMOUS 2 in the city of New Marais on a special night called Pyre Night, when the citizens celebrate the removal of the twisted and powerful vampire, Bloody Mary. With Bloody Mary reawakened with...

  • Review Everybody Dance (PlayStation 3)

    The real party starter

    The wait for a killer app PlayStation Move dancing game seems baffling at times: although Kinect launched with the excellent Dance Central from Harmonix, it took three years for the Wii to really ignite the trend with Ubisoft’s original Just Dance. Here we are, 14 months on since the peripheral first launched and ready to...

  • Review Dungeon Defenders (PlayStation 3)

    Well-built

    One of the castle’s gigantic wooden doors creaks open, revealing a swarm of primitively-armed goblins stomping together as part of one monstrous hive mind. On the other side of the hall march similarly stomping archers towards the same target, the Eternia crystals that form the lifeblood of the kingdom. A crash, and an over-sized ogre...

  • Review El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron (PlayStation 3)

    God complex

    A confident and creatively crafted action adventure, El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron boasts one of the most striking and varied visual styles we've ever encountered. Its gameplay never quite reaches the dizzying heights of its artistic endeavour, but does a good enough job of contextualising the game's bizarre and intriguing...

  • Review Wipeout 2 (PlayStation 3)

    Wiped out

    There’s just nothing quite like watching people getting bashed in the face, unintentionally flipped in the air or taking a hit where the sun doesn’t shine. Some folks claim that laughter is the cure for a broken heart, but witnessing these types of antics can actually make you laugh until you hurt instead. ABC has harnessed this...

  • Review The Sims 3: Pets (PlayStation 3)

    The Sims 3: Pets does nothing to reinvent the social simulation series, but the inclusion of playable pets definitely adds a layer of complexity to the franchise's existing hallmarks

    The Sims has always sort of stressed us out. In real-life, time management isn't a particularly challenging task. You can box your life into a series of coloured...

  • Review Batman: Arkham City (PlayStation 3)

    Crisis city

    A gluttony of content; Batman: Arkham City takes everything that made its predecessor brilliant and improves upon it. It's really not hard to recall the period before Batman: Arkham Asylum released. At the time, the video game media was embroiled in a discussion about how the promising looking licenced title couldn't possibly turn out...

  • Review 1000 Tiny Claws (PlayStation Minis)

    1000 Tiny Claws doesn't quite live up to the expectations carved out by Mediatonic's previous releases, but it's still a worthy arena-combat title with a handsome visual style and some genuinely laugh-out-loud gags

    Given Mediatonic's previous PlayStation Minis titles involved chasing colossal monsters to the precipice of a monumental structure and...

  • Review Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken (PlayStation 3)

    Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is an intriguing action platformer that -- despite being laugh-out-loud funny at times -- carries an unusual, sombre tone throughout much of its presentation, resulting in a unique experience intertwined with some clever puzzle design and satisfying combat

    Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken has already won numerous...

  • Review FIFA 12 (PlayStation 3)

    The beautiful game

    Revamped mechanics enhance the authenticity of FIFA 12 and complement a range of new modes and features. It's a package that brims with care and attention, going the extra mile in almost every facet of its presentation. You only need to spend a few moments with FIFA 12 to understand just how much the developers love the sport it's...

  • Review WRC 2: FIA World Rally Championship (PlayStation 3)

    A functional experience, but never a particularly exciting one; WRC 2 manages to replicate the feel of participating in a real rally with its driving model, but somehow manages to squander all of the excitement through drab presentation and a lack of personality

    The thrill of slipping around corners at breakneck speed is hard to beat. But it's best...

  • Review Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 (PlayStation 3)

    Mistaken identity

    As the temperature starts to take its yearly dip and the vibrant colours of summer fade unto the pastels of the autumn, it can mean only one thing: it's hunting season. The time has finally arrived to polish up your rifle, unpack your camouflage and trek out into the wilderness to land that trophy buck. Coinciding with the opening...

  • Review Rochard (PlayStation 3)

    Rochard is an engaging puzzle platformer consisting of some quality mechanics and concise puzzle design

    The game's let down by an overemphasis on combat and cumbersome controls, but an endearing protagonist and charming visual style make up for its shortcomings. Mining engineer John Rochard doesn't have the best luck. Within the opening moments of...

  • Review SEGA Bass Fishing (PlayStation 3)

    Dat bass!

    Deriving from the old arcade classic, SEGA Bass Fishing isn’t a fishing simulator but SEGA’s arcade style, user-friendly take on bass fishing. There’s not a whole lot to this game other than trying to catch the biggest fish possible in a certain amount of time. In Arcade mode, the player will be sent to one of a few different...

  • Review NBA 2K12 (PlayStation 3)

    The legend returns

    Last year's NBA 2K11 was a sublime tribute to the league's greatest ever player, Michael Jordan, and one of the finest sports games ever created. This year's follow-up NBA 2K12 takes things a step further, bringing in 14 more legendary players and a host of new game modes. Whereas last year's effort was built around the famous...

  • Review Speedball 2 Evolution (PlayStation Minis)

    Speedball 2 Evolution offers an alternative to the increasingly realistic sporting experiences available elsewhere on the various PlayStation platforms, delivering a futuristic competitive game with a complimentary throw-back core

    It's just a shame that the actual gameplay itself is so over-complicated and unbalanced, even if it is impossibly...