Retro Reviews
Review Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PlayStation 3)
Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands takes the PoP franchise back to its Playstation 2 heyday
Set some time after the events of the infamous Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time (and sometime before the not-so infamous Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within), this is a return to the franchise's glory. And when we say "return" we mean return. The...
Review Anarchy: Rush Hour (PlayStation 3)
Anarchy: Rush Hour tries hard to be the sum of one too many popular arcade racers, and as such loses a chunk of its own identity
But hidden beneath the game's meandering plot of stolen girlfriends and souped up supercars is a decent, if unoriginal, racing experience. And at £5/$8 a pop, it's hard to really deny the value in Gaijin Entertainment's...
Review Lost Planet 2 (PlayStation 3)
Capcom should be kicking themselves right now
Lost Planet 2 is a very good game, held back by some rudimentary and bizarre design choices. The game's essentially a four-player co-op shooter, in which you play as a series of factions in the varied and artistically interesting world of EDN-III. The game's narrative is revealed through the eyes of...
Review Iron Man 2: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Released just in time to coincide with the big budget summer movie of the same name, Iron Man 2 sees protagonist Tony Stark don his steel suit once more
This time he's alongside his companion War Machine, for a fight that picks up almost directly after the events of the original Iron Man. The story's fairly well told during missions and cut-scenes,...
Review Stellar Attack (PlayStation Minis)
Stellar Attack is the latest in a growing line of Minis to get its controls wrong
Which is a shame, because the actual gameplay's a clever puzzle based twist on classic arcade shooters. And the soundtrack's bangin'. Shall we deal with the bad first? There's a lot we like about Stellar Attack but there's one crippling problem that has hindered...
Review Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Wild West (PlayStation 3)
It's certainly a competent online third-person shooter, and the Western twist is strong enough to give the game some personality
Sadly, Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Wild West lacks the staying power that it'll need to maintain a fan-base post Red Dead Redemption. Wild west games lie fondly in our hearts. This is a statement from the same...
Review Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess (PlayStation Minis)
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess defines the Playstation Minis service in a way that no release before it has managed
The underlying gameplay is simplistic enough to fit the micro-game service's ethos, while the production values feel whole-heartedly Playstation. An important release. The build-up to Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess...
Review 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa (PlayStation 3)
The improvements to the actual gameplay may only be subtle, but improvements to the way information is presented and some good online implementation make 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa the best football game on the market
Until FIFA 11 comes out anyway. The stop-gap summer cash-in with a heart - for years people have questioned the relevance of...
Review After Burner Climax (PlayStation 3)
It's After Burner
Originally released in the arcades in 2006, After Burner Climax is the sequel (sort of) to the classic After Burner games of old. In simple - you fly an awesomely kitted out plane through interchanging zones blasting bad guys with rockets. The loose terrorist plot serves only as a means of justification as you fly ridiculously fast...
Review Freekscape: Escape From Hell (PlayStation Minis)
Freekscape: Escape From Hell is never particularly astounding, but the platforming action is solid and varied enough to keep you interested throughout the game's duration
Hell's not a nice place. Not even if you're a demon. Take little Freek - a friendly little demon who hates the company in Hell. He wants to chill with the nice dude's in Heaven...
Review Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (PlayStation 3)
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is the combination of last year's XBOX 360 "exclusive" downloadable content campaigns finally available on the Playstation 3
The episodes, The Lost & Damned and The Ballad Of Gay Tony, both offer complete campaigns from some of Grand Theft Auto IV's "blink and you'll miss them" cameo...
Review Hysteria Project (PlayStation Minis)
As an interactive experience, Hysteria Project is an interesting experiment
There's not really any gameplay worthy of discussion, so the product demands an open-mind. But with a price-tag no more expensive than a bottle of Dr. Pepper, those seeking something a little "different" might welcome the punt. Hysteria Project is a unique nod to...
Review Final Fight: Double Impact (PlayStation 3)
Final Fight: Double Impact's a loving re-release of the definitive late-80's arcade brawler Final Fight - with lesser known Magic Sword thrown in for good measure
Double Impact ups the nostalgia to eleven, bringing the shady streets of Metro City to the HD generation complete with grimy scan lines and the bulge of glass. This is classic arcade...
Review Age of Hammer Wars (PlayStation Minis)
There's a definite charm to Hammer Wars' industrious Verne-esque presentation, but any hint of satisfaction is killed dead by the game's innovative but heavily flawed control mechanics
Still, developers iSquared should be acknowledged for their attempt. After several minutes with British developer iSquared's Hammer Wars, there's yet another strong...
Review BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (PlayStation 3)
Developed by Guilty Gear's Arc System Works, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a fresh break for the company after countless re-releases of the fighting franchise they're best known for
It's a 2D beat 'em up, released on the backfoot of the genre's re-emergence, and it feels fresh. With a 12-character strong roster, each with their own unique fighting...
Review Namco Museum Essentials (PlayStation 3)
Namco Museum Essentials is a beautifully presented trip down memory lane that's worth an hour or so of anyone's time
Packing five classic Namco arcade titles (and one "new" game), it's hard to argue that Namco Museum Essentials goes below the call of duty for its sub-£10 price-tag. But some glorious presentation and procedural unlocks...
Review Pinball Heroes: PAIN (PlayStation Portable)
PAIN's Pinball Heroes table really doesn't stack up next to the quality of the rest of the package, with basic visuals and a lack of ideas
It's probably coincidence that PAIN's Pinball Heroes table is a bit rubbish - the PSN title it's based on is certainly not one of our favourites in the PushSquare office, so there's no real love lost here. When...
Review Pinball Heroes: High Velocity Bowling (PlayStation Portable)
Clever use of the bowling mechanic makes High Velocity Bowling's table one of the more interesting choices from Pinball Heroes' selection
High Velocity Bowling's Pinball Heroes table is based on the aesthetic of the PSN game of the same name. That means there's a faux mid-50's vibe to the cabinet's aesthetic, with a huge ten-pin bowling graphic...
Review Pinball Heroes: Uncharted Drake's Fortune (PlayStation Portable)
The Uncharted aesthetic is very pleasing, but the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Pinball Heroes table lacks the imagination of its counter-parts
Based on the huge Playstation 3 hit from Naughty Dog, the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Pinball Heroes table is a competent but simplistic experience. It's an aesthetically pleasing table, with the plane crash...
Review Just Cause 2 (PlayStation 3)
Honestly, who cares? The game's too badly written and voiced to give any sane player a semblance of interest
But that's kind of the point — Just Cause 2 is a sandbox where the crux of the experience depends on exploration and making your own fun. The B-movie type plot shoots for a James Bond under-cover agent style motive that attempts to justify...
Review Pinball Heroes: Everybody's Golf (PlayStation Portable)
Easily the best of the Pinball Heroes tables, the Everybody's Golf pinball cabinet is a delightful recreation of Clap Hanz's super-accessible golf franchise
Based on Clap Hanz's Playstation golf franchise, the Everbody's Golf table in Pinball Heroes is a loving recreation of some of the game's concepts. Working with the golf theme, the Everybody's...
Review Prison Break: The Conspiracy (PlayStation 3)
Fans of the American TV show will be right at home with Prison Break: The Conspiracy's storyline
It's based around the events of the first season, with Lincoln Burrows wrongly committed of a crime he didn't conduct. You play as Tom Paxton, an undercover agent sent by "the Company" into Fox River Penitentiary to keep an eye on Burrow's...
Review Wakeboarding HD (PlayStation 3)
Wakeboarding HD is exactly what it says it is: it's Wakeboarding in HD
Players will choose from a numerous list of events and take to the water in order to score ridiculous combos and meet a variety of objectives. For those unfamiliar, Wakeboarding is a sport in which you are placed on a board and pulled forward by a speedboat. The speed of the...
Review NormalTanks (PlayStation Minis)
It can take a while before you get a feel for NormalTanks' control setup, but once you do you'll find a solid, action-oriented old-school shooter with some great feeling weapons, plenty of variety and pretty visuals
The first thing we noticed about NormalTanks is the sense of impact you get from shooting an enemy. This game is from BeatShapers, the...
Review Mega Man 10 (PlayStation 3)
Few franchises can stand the test of time quite like Mega Man
Despite being the second NosCon Mega Man title to release on Playstation Network, Mega Man 10's retro-stylings and razor-sharp MIDIs are as engaging as they've ever been. Factor in the new "Easy" mode that makes the game actually beatable and you have an old-school package that...
Review Yakuza 3 (PlayStation 3)
Yakuza 3 once again focuses on the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, Kazuma Kiryu
The slow paced opening has Kazuma running an orphanage in Okinawa. However, a series of shootings and the overbearing polictical activity taking place in Tokyo sees Kazuma return to Kamurocho in search of a traitor within the Tojo Clan. Yakuza 3's main storyline will...
Review Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PlayStation 3)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is darker and more mature than its predecessor
That's not to say it's without its own unique brand of goofiness though; the Bad Company are as ridiculous as ever. The plot revolves around a Japanese secret weapon that dates back to World War II, something which is detailed in a moody flashback mission. Fast-forwarding back...
Review Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PlayStation 2)
Essentially a remake of the original game, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories puts you in the unfortunate shoes of Harry Mason - a father who's experienced a car-crash during a particularly heavy bout of severe weather
When he comes around, Harry realises his daughter Cheryl is nowhere to be seen, and thus enters the town of Silent Hill for...
Review Greed Corp (PlayStation 3)
It'll take a while before you feel comfortable playing Greed Corp, but once it clicks there's plenty of fun to be had, particularly in multiplayer
Greed Corp is essentially a strategy board-game based in the fantasy world of Mistbound. The game's main focus - aside from staples such as building and development - is sweet, sweet destruction, and some...
Review Switchball (PlayStation 3)
If you're itching for an HD version of Marble Madness, you'll probably be super stoked to play Switchball
For everyone else, this is something that'll divert your attention for the odd five minutes. Switchball's kind of an old game. It launched on XBOX Live Arcade a few years ago, and was probably pretty neat in those earlier days of the digital...
