Retro Reviews
Review Batman: Arkham Origins (PlayStation 3)
Flatman
Over the course of two games, the Batman: Arkham franchise has solidified itself as one of the most critically acclaimed properties of this generation. Both instalments have proven that with a lot of love for the source material, licensed titles don't have to be horribly rushed, soulless productions – but without developer Rocksteady at...
Review Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (PlayStation 3)
Nautical but nice
There’s more treasure to plunder in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag than in an entire sunken Spanish fleet. Ubisoft’s seafaring sequel represents another colossal endeavour for the ambitious organisation, leaving you free to sail the colourful Caribbean Sea in search of fame, fortune, and more grog than an honest mariner...
Review F1 2013 (PlayStation 3)
Pedal to the Vettel
After an exciting first half to the 2012 season, last year’s Formula One World Championship trudged towards an inevitable third title for Sebastian Vettel, continuing his and Red Bull’s dominance of the sport. The 2013 season was, however, supposed to be more competitive; with stable technical regulations, it was said that...
Review Superfrog HD (PlayStation 3)
Princely or wince-worthy?
Superfrog HD is the remake of an Amiga classic from 1993 and was made by the trusted people at Team 17, who are famous for the Worms series. The narrative is not really groundbreaking, but it tells the sweet love story of a prince and a princess. As with all magical kingdoms, though, fate has something else in mind for the...
Review The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 - Faith (PlayStation 3)
Little red riding in the hood
Fresh off the incredible success of the first season of its The Walking Dead adaptation, Telltale Games is now faced with the almost insurmountable task of trying to match the lofty heights of Lee and Clem’s walker-dodging misadventures. In order to attempt this feat, it's adopted the Fables comic franchise as the...
Review Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (PlayStation 3)
Explosive penguins, dood!
Strategy RPGs aren't usually known for their humour. Sure, Fire Emblem: Awakening inspired the odd chuckle, but for the most part, devising grid-based battlefield attacks is serious business. Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness on the other hand is chaotic, nonsensical, and absolutely mad – and we mean that in the most...
Review Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion (PlayStation 3)
Peg your nose
Orcs are almost the fantasy genre equivalent of Nazis. They often make up the bulk of an evil army, and represent the dumb grunts that you have to wade through in order to reach your goal. But sometimes we're allowed to play as them. In the The Elder Scrolls series, for example, they're a playable race, while in the ridiculously named...
Review FIFA 14 (PlayStation 3)
Keeping pace
Now comfortable and confident with its position right at the very top of the football gaming league, FIFA remains a solid and reliable choice this year. But with Pro Evolution Soccer slowly but surely closing the gap between itself and EA's consistent franchise, does FIFA 14 do enough to secure its lead? The short answer is yes –...
Review The Guided Fate Paradox (PlayStation 3)
Fate fighter
The Guided Fate Paradox starts incredibly slowly. Tutorials hold your hand for the first hour, with only a mere sliver of actual gameplay putting in an appearance. Even when it's over, there's still more to learn, although these intricacies are thankfully taught through a staggered approach over time. This initial phase is also thick...
Review PES 2014: Pro Evolution Soccer (PlayStation 3)
Putting the Evolution back in PES
Improved physicality has been the goal of many sports titles of late, and while progress has been slow, PES 2014: Pro Evolution Soccer has managed just that this year. It's this attribute and the overall impact on the beautiful game that has produced one of the best entries in Konami's series in quite some time, and...
Review Skydive: Proximity Flight (PlayStation 3)
Don't try this at home
What happened to extreme sports games? They were more popular than Mountain Dew towards the end of the PSone era, but the genre seemed to fizzle out faster than a ska band’s fanbase. Overexposure certainly contributed to Kelly Slater and crew’s sudden crash in popularity, but with only a half-hearted Tony Hawk to compete...
Review Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (PlayStation 3)
Total eclipse of the heart
When Square and Disney's unlikely collaboration first graced our screens back in 2002, Kingdom Hearts was commended for its fantastic visuals, jaw-dropping cut-scenes, and wonderful animations – all of which still hold up relatively well on the PlayStation 2 today. It must be said, then, that giving the first Kingdom...
Review Atomic Ninjas (PlayStation 3)
Ninja'd
After a guard accidentally nods off over a big red button that rains nuclear fire down on the Earth's citizens, the world as we know it is destroyed. However, in true comic book fashion, Atomic Ninjas' titular characters aren't obliterated by the blast – instead, they're strengthened, sporting increased agility and near invulnerability...
Review Dragon's Crown (PlayStation 3)
Picture perfect
Atlus has forged something of a rocky relationship with European gamers. It's hard to remember a time when its titles haven't been delayed for seemingly ridiculous periods before making the journey overseas – but thankfully, the Japanese publisher has somehow managed to deliver quality games over and over again. Developer...
Review Beyond: Two Souls (PlayStation 3)
Soul searcher
Beyond: Two Souls is a game that you should play. It may not immediately endear itself to everyone, but Quantic Dream’s ambitious excursion into the otherworld is an experience that deserves to be sampled at least once. This is a daring adventure that’s not afraid to delve into the aspects of life that the medium is often eager to...
Dry your eyes
Rain has the same ethereal quality as ICO. Much like Fumito Ueda’s masterpiece, this is a muted experience, orchestrated only by the sound of running water and composer Yugo Kanno’s twinkly score. It’s also a tale of boy meets girl, where two kindred spirits connect under the starlight of a sodden dream world. The parallels are...
Review Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut (PlayStation 3)
The only thing scarier than dying alone is surviving alone
Lone Survivor manages to concoct a tier of fear that many contemporary horror titles have been struggling to achieve. Through exceptional use of sound and visuals, this indie title creates a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere, and furthers its psychological minefield with compelling...
Review Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter HD (PlayStation 3)
Not-so-clever girl
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter HD harkens back to a time when games were simple and focused. Back in the day, the gameplay spoke for itself so there was little need for a narrative, and your overall goal was clear and simple: rescue the princess, shoot the demons, or in this case, hunt the dinosaurs. You play as a nameless hunter,...
Review Madden NFL 25 (PlayStation 3)
Touchdown
Ditching its typical naming pattern for something a little more celebratory, Madden NFL 25 marks the silver anniversary for EA Sports' massively popular American Football series. However, even though this is still a great game, it's not quite the commemoration that you may have wished for, offering plenty of tweaks and enhancements, but...
Review Elminage Original (PlayStation Portable)
Classic dungeon crawling
Elminage Original harks back to the early days of dungeon crawlers. It's an RPG that revels in simplicity, yet cloaks it in a shroud of ill-explained character classes and nonlinear progression. It very much looks and feels like its 80s and 90s ancestors, such as the Wizardry series and early Dragon Quests. It imitates the...
Review Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 3)
Three is a magic number
Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. These three personalities are at the very core of Grand Theft Auto V – one of the most anticipated games of this console generation. Everything that happens within the title revolves around the trio, from the gripping get-rich-quick heists that punctuate the story to the side activities that...
Review Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn (PlayStation 3)
Reborn to try
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a remake of the failed PC release of the same name, only this time, Square Enix has ported the title to the PlayStation 3. It’s a completely cross-platform game, where PC and PS3 players all reside on the same servers with the exact same content. Purchasing the game includes a 30 day subscription,...
Review Farming Simulator (PlayStation 3)
Under thresher
Much like life on the land, Farming Simulator will not be for everyone. The agricultural adventure’s plodding, methodical pace is a far cry from the high-octane antics that the majority of developers tend to plant on the PlayStation 3, and as such it will demand a very determined personality to reap anything from the experience at...
Review Diablo III (PlayStation 3)
The path to paradise begins in Hell
We've spent the past few days hacking and slashing through hordes of monstrosities, hoovering up loot, dazzling fellow adventurers with grandiose spells, instilling fear into the hearts of our enemies, and preventing Hell from consuming the world. Not literally, of course – we are referring to Blizzard...
Review Dragon Fantasy: Book II (PlayStation 3)
Less is more
A direct sequel to Dragon Fantasy: Book I, Dragon Fantasy: Book II continues the story of Ogden and his party. It's still full of cheeky humour, silly dialogue, and old school JRPG gameplay – but does it improve enough upon its predecessor? Developer Muteki Corporation could have easily stuck to what it had already created with the...
Review Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PlayStation 3)
Sibling Revelry
Renowned for developing first person shooters, it may surprise some to discover that Starbreeze Studios are behind this charming indie adventure. Whether they choose to continue developing titles like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is unclear, but they’ve certainly proven that they’re more than capable of expanding their scope...
Review Puppeteer (PlayStation 3)
Ahead of the game
Within minutes of starting Puppeteer, it's clear that it's an absolutely stunning game. The art style, the animation and the sheer amount of detail packed into each and every visual asset make the title a joy to behold. Trailers and screenshots simply don't do the product justice – this is something that you need to see in motion...
Review Disney Infinity (PlayStation 3)
It's a kind of magic
Let's start off by addressing the flying Dumbo in the room: Disney Infinity is not simply a Skylanders clone from the House of Mouse. It's pure, unadulterated Disney magic – and completely worth the arm, leg, and kidney that you're inevitably about to spend on it. Even before Pixar's seminal 1995 blockbuster Toy Story,...
Review Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (PlayStation 3)
Girls just wanna have fun
It’s been less than a year since we last went toe-to-toe with Team Ninja’s curious cleavage meets combat comeback Dead or Alive 5, and now – following a temporary detour on the PlayStation Vita – we’re strapping up our appendages and digging out our most inappropriate fighting gear again. As its name so...
Review Rayman Legends (PlayStation 3)
A symphony written in gameplay
With Rayman Origins setting a new standard for everyone's favourite French hero, and rubbing shoulders with the leaders in the platforming genre, Michel Ancel's long overdue sequel has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, Rayman Legends is a tremendously fun and brilliantly designed title that is the very definition of a...
