Retro Reviews
Review Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters (PlayStation 3)
The second cut is the deepest
Last year's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 saw Move support patched into the game post-release, and although the core game was solid, the Move controls were a letdown. Six months later, EA has brought the Tiger back out of the cage for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, but can it make up for last year's errors? Well, yes...
Swarm is a surprisingly sporadic puzzle-platformer that's let down by some frustrating progression requirements and unresponsive controls
The reality of Swarm is not what we expected. Basing our judgement on screenshots and artwork, we dived in expecting a slow-paced, Pikmin-esque strategy game. We were wrong, but not necessarily in a bad way. The...
Review Dance on Broadway (PlayStation 3)
Mamma mia
Dance on Broadway turned out to be quite a hit for Ubisoft when released on Wii a few years back: riding off the success of its insanely popular Just Dance series, the all-musical soundtrack had a niche all to itself that resulted in big sales for Ubisoft. Now the Move edition has entered stage left, but it barely passes the audition. The...
Review Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime (PlayStation 3)
Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime achieves exactly what it sets out to do, but the game is almost cynically unambitious
There's some fun to be had in multiplayer, but the game's biting repetition is evident online or off. "Great. The cemetery again?" points out our perceptive unnamed Ghostbuster. The statement's intended to draw comic relief...
Review Moon Diver (PlayStation 3)
Moon Diver is a surprisingly moreish button-bashing treat
Alone it lacks purpose, but hook up with three friends and the game starts to make sense. It's headache inducing, but a lot of fun. "Strider. It's like Strider!" our excited co-op partner decided to scream with joy down his Bluetooth headset. His enthusiasm is uplifting. We're...
Review Yakuza 4 (PlayStation 3)
In the five years since the original Yakuza launched on PlayStation 2 the series has changed very little
Released just a year after the wonderful Yakuza 3, the only curve-ball Yakuza 4 throws is not running with Kazuma Kiryu as the game's primary protagonist, instead introducing three new playable characters. Yakuza 4 might be a structurally...
Review WWE All Stars (PlayStation 3)
WWE All Stars gets a bit too technical for its own good, but the game's attractive art-style and over-the-top presentation still make for an appealing multiplayer grappling title
It's just a shame that some irritating technical issues get in the way of the fun. Playing through WWE All Stars taught us an interesting lesson about wresting: the...
Review Yoostar 2 (PlayStation 3)
An offer you can refuse
Acting and singing have a lot in common: plenty of people believe they do them brilliantly, and the speed with which celebrities flit between both disciplines would have you believe they’re easy. As anyone who’s listened to a loved one murder a beloved song at karaoke will tell you, singing is best left to the...
Review PlayStation Move Heroes (PlayStation 3)
Six PlayStation icons Move in together
For the first time in PlayStation's 15 year history, six of its most loved characters have come together to compete in intergalactic games. Featuring the witty wombat Ratchet and his trusty robot friend Clank, sneaky raccoon Sly and tech savvy Bentley, and finally the dark eco-powered Jak and his energy-packed...
Review MotorStorm Apocalypse (PlayStation 3)
Remember the first time you played Ridge Racer on the original PlayStation?
Your family and friends gathered around the television in anticipation of the content about to be streamed from the flashy grey box positioned prematurely on a make-shift table in front of the television. As the polygonal graphics popped onto the screen, the room was filled...
Review Crysis 2 (PlayStation 3)
We hated our first couple of hours with Crysis 2
Initially, the game assumes far too much from the player. It presents you with a catalogue of mechanics but never gives you a detailed explanation on how to use them. It also throws you in at the deep end from a narrative perspective, filling the screen with black-outs, explosions and plot-twists that...
Review Top Spin 4 (PlayStation 3)
Balls in your court
Motion controllers and tennis games have seemed the perfect match ever since Wii Sports put a plastic Remote in your hand and told you to be Roger Federer. Regrettably, since then, few titles — if any — have come close to matching Nintendo's pack-in when it comes to intuitive controls and the all-important fun factor: EA's...
Review Homefront (PlayStation 3)
As the first-person shooter genre shows no sign of dipping in popularity, THQ's Homefront promised more of the same with a new approach
Developed by Kaos Studios, Homefront's emotive story-telling and uncomfortable imagery give the title enough personality to separate it from its nearest peers, even if the game's core mechanics stay true to the...
Review MLB 11 The Show (PlayStation 3)
A home run
Truly, there are only two seasons: winter and baseball. Luckily, MLB 11 The Show's season is year-round. Widely regarded as one of the best sports series this gen, largely in part to San Diego Studios' ability to continuously improve each iteration by leaps and bounds – rather than simply providing an annual roster update – this...
Review The Undergarden (PlayStation 3)
The Undergarden tries hard to jump aboard the zen-gaming hype train, but ultimately settles for the soulless bandwagon
Imagine if PixelJunk Eden got steamy with thatgamecompany's flow and somehow managed to produce a throng of sprogs. One child would be good at sports, the other drawing. The third child would be the super-intelligent one, knowing...
Review StarDrone (PlayStation 3)
The joy of losing
The structure of failure in gaming isn't what it used to be. Limited lives and dwindling continues are dying out, instead making way for ever-replenishing health bars and multiple re-spawn points. Simply put, our video games are getting easier. While some titles certainly stray from this convention, for the most part, streamlined...
Review TNT Racers (PlayStation 3)
The very definition of pre-pub entertainment: TNT Racers is a fun, throw-back multiplayer party game with a vibrant art-style and some quirky power-ups
It's really hard to say "top-down racers" without referencing Micro-Machines, but Keen Games and DTP Entertainment's downloadable racer, TNT Racers, shares more in common with Mario Kart...
Review PixelJunk Shooter 2 (PlayStation 3)
PixelJunk Shooter 2's emphasis on frustrating combat encounters make it hard to appreciate the continuation of the franchise's excellent game design
They do say, "It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye." We very nearly lost a DualShock 3, and it wasn't a pretty sight we can assure you. It was all going so well until we hit the...
Review Killzone 3 (PlayStation 3)
Send them to Hel(ghan)
Eyes peeled wide open, and like breathing, you only blink when necessary. Your heart pounds in your chest at a million miles an hour while anxiety is released with each bead of sweat that protrudes the skin around the Move controller, with its calm faint glow in the peripheral vision. The building that once was shelter has...
Review Bulletstorm (PlayStation 3)
There's probably a rule written somewhere that states anyone named Grayson must act like a complete and utter dick
Bulletstorm's protagonist, Grayson Hunt, obliges with vigour by getting high off grog, selling out his friends, and chatting about the kind of nonsense you'd be embarrassed to hear in a school playground. Grayson's not the only...
Review de Blob 2 (PlayStation 3)
Pass with flying colours?
The first de Blob on Wii was a critical success and didn’t sell too badly either, shifting around a million copies for publisher THQ and proving Wii platformers didn’t need to feature a famous mascot to be successful. Now the series has gone multiplatform, with the PS3 version fully compatible with PlayStation Move and...
Review Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate Of Two Worlds (PlayStation 3)
Fighting games are back
That Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is a product in the first-place is a testament to the success of Street Fighter IV and its Super re-release. The Capcom developed comic-book crossover heads up a year that will also see Mortal Kombat rebooted, as well as a sequel to Tekken's greatest iteration, Tag Tournament, in some guise or...
Review Test Drive Unlimited 2 (PlayStation 3)
While Gran Turismo strives to recreate the perfect car model, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is all about imitating fantasy racing culture
It's built around indulgent escapism: expensive cars, snazzy haircuts, tropical islands and designer clothes. Whilst utterly materialistic, TDU2 is daftly addictive. Some players will balk at the game's peripheral...
Review Explodemon! (PlayStation 3)
Explodemon
's</a> dewy-eyed regard for the 16-bit era is charming, but not endearing enough to subsidise the game's predictable level design and mundane boss battles. It's a miracle we got to review Explodemon! at all. The game's status in development limbo has long been depicted by the platform-hopping drama that's surrounded it since its...
Review Stacking (PlayStation 3)
Stacking is the second downloadable title from Tim Schafer's creative power-house, DoubleFine
The last game, Costume Quest, launched around Hallowe'en to generally positive acclaim, providing a unique spin on the traditional turn-based RPG formula. Similarly to Costume Quest, Stacking works a charming concept into some traditional adventure game...
Review Mass Effect 2 (PlayStation 3)
Ultimately Mass Effect 2's obsessive attention to detail is its greatest strength
At times the game's intricate references to obscure fiction can be overbearing, but those that take the time to engross themselves in the world will be richly rewarded. The problem with late ports such as Mass Effect 2 is that they can fall foul to hype. Bioshock left...
Review VT Tennis (PlayStation Minis)
VT Tennis is a bit like an out-of-season bowl of strawberries
Tasteless, but a passable reminder of the summer. Contrary to quick glance deceptions, VT Tennis is not Virtua Tennis. We're sure developers Virtual Toys would love you to make the mistake though. That's not to say they haven't tried to create the illusion, mind. Minutes after opening VT...
Review Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 (PlayStation 3)
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 tries to appeal to two disparate audiences, and gets lost as a result
The core gameplay is still fun, if not as fluid as its predecessor, but ultimately it's the lavish production values and floor-pumping soundtrack that will keep you going. You could probably plot the beginning of the downloadable games scene's rise to...
Review Tales From Space: About A Blob (PlayStation 3)
Tales From Space: About A Blob is an enjoyable platformer with an emphasis on controller dexterity and clever puzzle design
It's an easy scenario to picture: developers Drinkbox Studios gathered around a large conference table laced with paper, pencils and plates of those round biscuits that aren't quite Custard Creams nor Jammie Dodgers. "How...
Review Super Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3)
Streets ahead
Make no bones about it - Super Street Fighter IV is essentially the same game that was released last year, only considerably beefed up. With several new characters, Super Street Fighter IV takes a step into "Vs" territory, with a roster of names practically bulging at the seams. Factor in a slew of new stages, a considerably...
