Retro Reviews
Review LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable)
Material world
In many ways LittleBigPlanet PSP is a direct port of Media Molecule's PlayStation 3 monster. Visually, tonally and mechanically the games are close to identical; Studio Cambridge do an outstanding job of recreating Media Molecule's vision on a portable system. The single player campaign is new however, sending Sackboy (or Sackgirl) on...
Review Buzz!: Quiz World (PlayStation 3)
The third Buzz
title to hit the Playstation 3, Quiz World focuses on improving the familiar Buzz! gameplay by adding much more variety and upping the sense of big game show occasion. The game requires the Buzz! Buzzers to play, and can be enjoyed by up to four players locally. Online options allow you to once again create your own quizzes and play...
Review SingStar: Take That (PlayStation 3)
The price is right and the song selection is solid, thus Take That nuts will find it rather difficult to be displeased with SingStar: Take That
In all honesty, we could write this review with just a few words: Do you like Take That? Do you like karaoke? If yes then buy, buy, buy. See, we told you. But we're "professionals" so we best drag...
Review Football Manager Handheld 2010 (PlayStation Portable)
Football Manager Handheld 2010 is the best game of its kind
The updates on last year's game are minimal, but the core concept is still engaging if management is your cup of tea. Doing exactly what it says on the tin, Football Manager Handheld 2010 is a game where you manage football teams in the palm of your hand. On your PSP to be more precise...
Review Tekken 6 (PlayStation 3)
Continuing the outrageous story-arc of the Tekken franchise, Tekken 6 opens to a lengthy introduction reminding you all the events of the King Of Iron Fist tournament thus far
The drill remains pretty familiar in Tekken 6: corporations rule the world, with many clashing along their relevant paths. With the bad blood already flowing through the...
Review DJ Hero (PlayStation 3)
Covering the electro, hip-hop, pop and dance arm of Activision's massive "Hero" franchise, DJ Hero puts you behind the decks as a master DJ, cutting and scratching yourself between tracks to make interesting mash-ups
DJ Hero comes with a great controller, which represents the turntable and mixer of a real DJ's set-up. The turntable is topped with...
Review NBA 2K10 (PlayStation 3)
NBA 2K10 may be plagued by a choppy framerate and numerous bugs, but it still holds together to provide an explosive representation of basketball
The greatest strength in NBA 2K10's arsenal is the real upbeat, fast paced sense of occasion that NBA Live 2010 didn't deliver. NBA 2K10 is frenetic, and often break-neck. It's hardly realistic, but it's...
Review Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PlayStation Portable)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an enhanced port of the Nintendo DS game that debuted to critical acclaim earlier in the year
The plot is much more tongue-in-cheek than in the relatively dark Grand Theft Auto IV. You play Huang Lee, the son of murdered crime-lord looking to avenge the death of his father. Unfortunately, Huang's arrival sees him...
Review LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PlayStation Portable)
LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival may not be a full-on sequel, but it's still all-singing, all dancing fun
It's outrageously good value for money too. LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival is still as boisterous as you might expect. The dastardly BuiBui from the previous two games have returned and kidnapped the sleeping LocoRoco. If they can escape the hazardous...
Sent on a rich safari working for clients such as National Geographic, Afrika is a photography simulator in which you scope landscapes for the best possible wildlife photographs
You'll unlock varying equipment along the way, allowing you to take better photographs and learn new techniques. Afrika is a fairly large game, with plenty of environments...
Review Fairytale Fights (PlayStation 3)
In a twisted sub-universe, the heros and heroines of some of our most favourite fairytales aren't happy
Cue Fairytale Fights, a heavily violent take on the often sweet and innocent world of children's literature. Here, Little Red Riding Hood chops the limbs from lumberjacks and the heads off gingerbread men. Fairytale Fights is a bleak game set in a...
Review Mushroom Wars (PlayStation 3)
Everything about Mushroom Wars is minimalistic
The basic bubble menus, clean level design and easy to pick up controls make Mushroom Wars an RTS-lite. Unlike the punishing learning curve of most RTS games, Mushroom Wars is extremely easy to pick up. You can upgrade mushroom houses by hitting the L1 button, and distribute fungi-grunts between...
Review NBA Live 10 (PlayStation 3)
NBA Live 10 looks great and plays with refined vigour
It's not without its problems, but if basketball is your thing - there's plenty here to enjoy. Having somewhat lost its mojo in recent years, NBA Live 10 is a fairly big step forward for the franchise. Graphically the game has come a decent length, with player animation vastly improved, making...
Review Vempire (PSP Minis) (PlayStation Portable)
Simplistic in almost every-regard; Vempire is a bright and buoyant bout of match-four with a price-tag just 200-pence short of excellent
Switch the quadrant to match the squares. It's a mechanic popularised by Bejewelled and borrowed by Impressionware's victorian gothic themed PSP Minis debut. Vempire is certainly not deceiving to be any more than...
Review Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PlayStation 3)
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a queer beast
As a thoroughly realistic military shooter, it achieves everything it sets out to achieve. But next to the brash set-pieces of Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare, it feels sterile without the smoke and mirrors. Be assured though, if it's realism you seek, Operation Flashpoint will gratefully satisfy...
Review FIFA 10 (PlayStation 3)
Fifa 10 is the latest update in EA Sports' popular Fifa franchise
One of the biggest titles in the world, Fifa 10 builds upon the excellent Fifa 09 which caused a paradigm shift in football games and actually ended up being the superior product when compared to the usual front runner Pro Evolution Soccer. Fifa 10 brings with it a number of new buzz...
Review Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam (PlayStation Minis)
Like a limited edition McDonalds meal, Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam is a novel one-off that's tantalising despite its inflated price tag and health concerns
The health concerns in Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam's case are not related to weight concerns, but instead hand cramps. Y'see, before we get started we want to clarify our biggest gripe with Cooking Jam...
Review Pinball Fantasies (PlayStation Minis)
Three questions: Do you like pinball? Do you own a PSP? Can you go without lunch to pay for the game? If you answered all yes to our little questionnaire, then you really should be asking yourself why you're not playing Pinball Fantasies right now
Pinball Fantasies is an old game. Commodore Amiga old actually. But who the hell cares when it still...
Review Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank (PlayStation 3)
Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank is a frantic, fast and pretty enjoyable 2D blaster; chances are you've seen it all before though
With the war against the Red Star Forces almost lost, there's just one last weapon on hand to save the day. The atomic tank, a mobile power-house that travels across flat terrain, is prepared to save the day, and you're piloting...
Review Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (PlayStation 3)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a totally overhauled version of Ninja Gaiden II that launched exclusively on the XBOX 360 last year
This upgraded port features enhanced visuals, reworked controls and new playable characters, as well as a complete online two-player co-operative mission mode. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 plots you in the shoes of the Ryu Hayabusa,...
Review Beaterator (PlayStation Portable)
Beaterator is a portable music studio developed by Rockstar Games (the Grand Theft Auto guys) in conjunction with hip-hop producer Timbaland
Despite the Timbaland branding, the game is suitable for all genres, with a lot of the samples and loops provided by Timbo suiting pop, rock, electro, garage and more. The "game" is divided into three...
Review Kahoots (PlayStation Minis)
Kahoots is a charming little game packed with personality
From the home-made graphics to the musical tutorials — it's all rather lovely. What do you get if you take Lemmings, add a dash of LittleBigPlanet, and season with Zoo Keeper to taste? No, it's not a joke; it's Kahoots — a charming PSP Mini from British development team HoneySlug. Kahoots...
Review Tetris (PlayStation Minis)
The classic Tetris gameplay remains in-tact in this no-nonsense reproduction of a fan favourite
Tetris has finally hit the PSP as part of Sony's new PSP Minis initiative. The gameplay remains largely unchanged, with the familiar host of block shapes vying for your line deleting attention through a host of increasingly tense levels. The game does a...
Review Gran Turismo (PlayStation Portable)
Polyphony Digital's world conquering Gran Turismo franchise finally makes its scaled appearance on the PSP with a mind numbing 800 cars and 35 tracks
Gran Turismo's world famous physics simulation returns, with a wide variety of cars and track types (dirt, snow, race track) to pit your wits against. There are a range of driving challenges to...
Review The King Of Fighters XII (PlayStation 3)
The classic fighting franchise returns with its core three vs three battle layout in tact
Every inch the retro fighter, King Of Fighters XII is designed with a combination of retro techniques and next-gen Playstation 3 technology; the game's sprites have each been individually drawn and animated, brimming with style and life via an HD setup. The...
Review Mini Ninjas (PlayStation 3)
Mini Ninjas reveals the tale of an evil samurai warlord who has caused an imbalance in the world
He must be stopped by the game's protagonist Hiro and the legion of failed samurai warriors he rescues on his path. Mini Ninjas is aimed mostly at children, but like all good children entertainment it has a depth of humour beneath the cuddly layer...
Review PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe (PlayStation Portable)
Playstation's premium tower-defence title; PixelJunk Monsters was a huge hit on the Playstation 3, cementing the PixelJunk franchise at the forefront of quirky downloadable titles for the Playstation Network
PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe does everything its Playstation 3 equivalent does, and more. By using resources to build and power-up a range of...
Serving as a means to make sense of a game where you play as a Wizard, Knight and Thief at the same time; the whimsical plot of Trine tracks the events of three contrasting personalities who have been fused together via the sorcery of a magical artifact
What ensues is a trip through a deserted kingdom, where the three must each use their unique...
Review MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PlayStation Portable)
Motorstorm is one of Sony's "new-breed" franchises, emerging as a Playstation 3 launch title
Evolution Studios' "not-quite-sim-not-quite-arcade-racer" makes its first foray onto other platforms with Motorstorm: Arctic Edge; an off-shoot of the lavish environments from PS3 sequel Pacific Rift. Arctic Edge, as the title suggests, is set atop...
Review Need For Speed Shift (PlayStation 3)
A change of direction for the stagnating Need For Speed franchise, Shift is the game's foray into Gran Turismo territory; a simulation racing with a competent physics engine and visceral cock-pit view
Need For Speed Shift plays host to a range of car manufacturers, race-tracks and events. The single-player campaign has you competing for...
