Retro Reviews
Review Auditorium HD (PlayStation 3)
Challenge the mind and please the senses
What started as a PC Flash game years back has now been translated into a full HD experience in the form of Auditorium HD. A captivating music puzzle game with fantastic auditory and visual style, the PC original has already won awards for its unique style, and arrives on PlayStation 3 with exclusive content...
More play than Create
Play, Create and Share are words that PlayStation fans have become very fond of in the last two years. Games like LittleBigPlanet and ModNation Racers both have gamers not only playing the games, but creating and sharing their own levels online with others across the world. EA has decided to get in on this trend with Create,...
Review Crazy Taxi (PlayStation 3)
Crazy Taxi's the perfect game to have sitting on your PlayStation 3's hard-drive
The initial pang of nostalgia more than makes up for the digital download's asking price, but it's the game's time-wasting potential that will keep you coming back for more. Crazy Taxi is a game that's so good we actually broke our original Dreamcast copy from playing...
Review DanceDanceRevolution (PlayStation 3)
Dance Dance for the world!
The granddaddy of all dance games is back as Konami's classic franchise makes its first appearance on the PlayStation 3. DanceDanceRevolution (DDR) is arguably the one game that proved that not all games needed to be played sitting down. If you aren't familiar with the DDR franchise, gameplay revolves around stepping on...
Review The Fight: Lights Out (PlayStation 3)
Get the low down on this beat down
If you're a hardcore gamer interested in the PlayStation Move, chances are that The Fight: Lights Out has been on your radar for quite some time. With a full-fledged online mode, dirty fighting moves and a gritty presentation, it is the very antithesis to Wii Sports boxing. While other motion-based fighting games...
Review Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (PlayStation 3)
Coming out of Criterion Games, our initial impressions of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit were tempered by it not being Burnout
We expected to jump into the game, hit ridiculous speeds and twist in and out of traffic with Burnout's trademark controller response. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is a lot heavier and slower than Burnout, and it wasn't until...
Review Who's That Flying?! (PlayStation Minis)
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
Who's That Flying? proves once again that Mediatonic are at the forefront of PlayStation Minis development. The game's fusion of different gameplay mechanics help to elevate the package beyond its simple "side-scroller" core. Lavish presentation and doses of genuinely comical self-referential humour compliment...
Review The Sly Collection (PlayStation 3)
Adventures of the Thievius Raccoonus
The Sly Cooper games for PlayStation 2 were incredible platforming game experiences in themselves, but here we have all three Sly Cooper games in one package remastered in beautiful high definition for the PlayStation 3. Move supported minigames and stereoscopic 3D support are icing on the cake for this must-have...
Review Get Fit with Mel B (PlayStation 3)
Spice up your life
When people think of gamers, they don't usually think “fitness.” Yet once motion gaming was introduced, a surge of exercise games began entering the market. Some, like Wii Fit, have been a huge success, causing companies like EA and Ubisoft to follow suit. Many of these titles are paired with a celebrity name to help set them...
Review Call Of Duty: Black Ops (PlayStation 3)
We go into every Call Of Duty with a degree of trepidation
By launch day the franchise's hype has usually got ahead of itself, giving the game impossible expectations to live up to. The Infinity Ward developed Modern Warfare 2 was greeted with so much rapture and excitement that when the game launched it felt like a let-down. The formula worked fine...
Review The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (PlayStation 3)
Son of Samwise
Aragorn's Quest is the first fruit from a decision by Warner Bros to acquire the rights from Electronic Arts and produce its own spin on games set in The Lord of the Rings universe. Originally developed by Headstrong Games with the Wii as its lead platform, but it was later converted to PS3 by TT Fusion. It's a third-person...
Review SingStar Dance (PlayStation 3)
Bust a Move
When you’ve been the leading karaoke title for the past six years, how do you keep the experience fresh? That’s the rather fortunate problem facing SingStar, and this year has seen two significant additions to the formula, first in the form of SingStar Guitar and now with SingStar Dance for PlayStation Move. Rather than hold a Move...
Review Blacklight: Tango Down (PlayStation 3)
Despite playing host to a pile of technical issues, Blacklight: Tango Down is actually a lot of fun and an interesting experiment
The PlayStation 3 version couldn't be launching at a worse time, but those looking for a cheap multiplayer shooter will be well served here. When we heard about Blacklight: Tango Down our scepticism quickly ran into...
Review James Bond 007: Blood Stone (PlayStation 3)
It's fitting that Blood Stone ends with a car chase
The game's developed by the criminally under-rated British studio Bizarre Creations. Y'know, the team behind the excellent XBOX exclusive franchise, Project Gotham Racing, and this year's PS3 combat-racer, Blur. Seeing as there is no James Bond movie this year, Blood Stone is a unique story penned...
Review Rapala Pro Bass Fishing (PlayStation 3)
Luring them in if only for a while
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing is like having an arcade machine in your living room. It may not have the appeal of current blockbuster titles on the market, but what it brings a fun, arcade-style fishing experience that is sure to please, whether you’re a fishing enthusiast or not. Starting up Rapala Pro Bass Fishing...
Review Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PlayStation 3)
World at war
Picking up the epic arc of events in Infinity Ward's blockbuster Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the much-hyped continuation of the near-future storyline. Modern Warfare 2 crafts a darker, grittier plot than Call of Duty 4, but it's also less grounded. Set roughly ten years in the future, you'll play as...
Review Time Crisis: Razing Storm (PlayStation 3)
Running out of time
Practically from the moment Sony announced the PlayStation Move controller, so-called ‘hardcore’ gamers have been more than happy to brand it a device aimed at ‘casual’ players. It could be argued that they have a point – especially when you consider how closely some Move titles resemble undemanding Wii-standard...
Review Brunswick Pro Bowling (PlayStation 3)
This is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.
When it comes to simulating sports in video games, there is always a fine line for developers to tread between realism and accessibility. Hardcore fans of a given sport can criticise games that fail to live up to the real thing, while more casual players just want to be able to jump into an...
Review The Shoot (PlayStation 3)
Lights, Camera, Action!
The Shoot is that simplest of creatures: the arcade lightgun game. If you’ve played any on-rails shooter in the past 20 years you’ll think you know what to expect, but The Shoot makes enough subtle additions to be worth a look even for jaded shooter fans. Setting the scene with a brass James Bond-style theme, The...
No pain, no gain!
Televisions all across the globe have humans inflicting pain and injury upon each other every day. Martial arts, reality bloopers and viral videos fill the airwaves, and millions of viewers find enjoyment in this type of entertainment. The creative developers at Idol Minds know that some gamers crave the chance to inflict pain on...
Review Superstars V8 Racing (PlayStation 3)
Superstars V8 Racing is not Gran Turismo, but it's certainly not bad either
With a competent race model and some pretty graphical effects, it's certainly worth checking out while you wait for that other game. Racing games. What else is there to say? There are cars on a track and they go "vroom". Superstars V8 Racing is one of those games...
Review TV Superstars (PlayStation 3)
A real turn-off
TV Superstars is a minigame collection that hinges on the concept of being contestants on a range of reality TV shows, so it’s fitting that it ends up being a shallow and forgettable experience. It all starts off well: you use the PlayStation Eye camera to snap three photos for your contestants’ head, record a short sample and...
Review Fallout: New Vegas (PlayStation 3)
How do you possibly review a game like Fallout: New Vegas? Isn't it our promise as a publication to see all of a game before we deliver a verdict? In New Vegas' case, that's impossible
It really is — there is no way we could possibly see everything the game has to offer and still meet deadlines and cover other games. New Vegas is like a vacuum, it...
Review SingStar Guitar (PlayStation 3)
As far as we're concerned, SingStar's baseline presentation remains head-and-shoulders above the current crop of high profile competition
As such, if you like SingStar — and you've got a couple of Rock Band/Guitar Hero guitars lying around — you'll probably enjoy SingStar Guitar. Someone, somewhere is probably planning on writing an epistle...
Review DJ Hero 2 (PlayStation 3)
The sequel to last year's dance, hip-hop and pop rhythm alternative; DJ Hero garnered a following with the crowd yet to be lulled by Guitar Hero's heavy-rock focus - those searching for a video game equivalent of club culture
It both succeeded and failed — while the original DJ Hero's track-listing was a breath of fresh air, the game suffered from...
Review Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz (PlayStation 3)
Pretty fly
Buzz! has been around for what seems like ages; released in 2005, there have been no fewer than 18 releases in the Buzz! series in those short five years. Now the latest outing for the be-quiffed host arrives in the form of Buzz! The Ultimate Music Quiz, and it’s brought a few Move rounds with it. If you’ve never played a Buzz! game...
Review EyePet (PlayStation Portable)
Remember: a dog is not just for Christmas, but an Eye Pet is
If we were presented with Eye Pet PSP as a child on Christmas morning, we'd have been beyond delighted. The game's low on content, but the initial "wow" factor of watching a desk, table, car-backseat or garden transform into a variety of environments in which the Eye Pet can play...
Review John Daly's ProStroke Golf (PlayStation 3)
Daly goes about his business with gusto, but not necessarily flair
Arriving after the feature-packed and Move-supported Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, John Daly’s ProStroke Golf has a lot to live up to, but the Lion does an admirable job of facing up to the intimidating Tiger. Whilst Tiger was as slick and polished as you’d expect from a seasoned EA...
Review Costume Quest (PlayStation 3)
Costume Quest is the latest initiative from Tim Schafer's innovative Double Fine studio
Burned by the saleability of their retail releases, Double Fine's unique, quirky concepts feel right at home on the PlayStation Store. If Costume Quest is an experiment, then it definitely seems to have paid off. Double Fine's games will certainly meet much...
Review F1 2010 (PlayStation 3)
F1 2010 nails the most important aspect of the high-octane motorsport: thrill
The game's exhilarating race model and dynamic weather system make playing the title both exciting and terrifying. Some missteps in the career progression can lead to frustration, but the pure joy of racing makes up for the shortcomings. It's fair to say that Sony squeezed...
