PS3 Game Reviews
Review Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PlayStation 3)
No braaains
Set as a side story during the events of Resident Evil 2's Raccoon City outbreak, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City drops you in the heavy boots of an elite Umbrella commando squad. Your assignment: retrieve the G-Virus or, failing that, destroy all evidence of Umbrella's connection and remove any dangerous survivors — Leon S...
Review Binary Domain (PlayStation 3)
Binary dismemberment
Global warming has flooded Earth, killing millions. With human manpower severely diminished, the mass production of robotic workers went into full force to assist with rebuilding the devastation around the world. Governmental powers crippled in the wake of the disaster, laws and regulations weren’t properly enforced: in Binary...
Review FIFA Street (PlayStation 3)
Quality street
A lot has changed in the football genre since EA released FIFA Street 3 back in 2008. The mainline FIFA franchise has enjoyed an impressive transformation over the past five years and, consequentially, has knocked former champion Pro Evolution Soccer from the top of the league. It’s telling, then, that the latest FIFA Street comes...
Review Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge (PlayStation 3)
A challenge well met
Rugby union and video games traditionally do not get along well. For years, fans have been demanding a decent — even half-decent — game to come out, but are constantly disappointed. With only a handful of titles out there, egg chasers have had the option of either like it or lump it. Just when you thought this console...
Review Rugby World Cup 2011 (PlayStation 3)
A collapsed scrum
HB Studios is no stranger to rugby union, having created EA’s last-generation rugby titles, although these were merely decent at best. After a four-year hiatus the studio's returned to the field with its latest offering, the officially-licensed Rugby World Cup 2011. Given its previous experience with the previous console...
Review MLB 12 The Show (PlayStation 3)
Diamond pleaser
MLB the Show is known as a series dedicated to baseball accuracy and purity. It boasts identical replicas of the major league stadiums (even some minor league ones), players move fluidly and resemble their real life counterparts and sounds from fans heckling to the smack of the bat are captured perfectly. MLB The Show 12 still...
Review Twisted Metal (PlayStation 3)
Carnival of carnage
Twisted Metal doesn’t care much for first impressions: the game’s overarching heavy metal motif is about as dislikeable as the psychotic characters at the centre of its gratuitous plotline. But to dismiss Eat Sleep Play’s car combat reboot on the basis of first appearances would be a grave error, because beyond the...
Review Jak & Daxter Collection (PlayStation 3)
Jak of all trades
PlayStation 2 proved a haven for fans of platformers: Sony published no fewer than three outstanding platforming trilogies in Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper and Jak & Daxter. But while Insomniac’s already honoured Ratchet & Clank with a second PS3 trilogy of its own and Sly Cooper’s on the verge of a comeback courtesy...
Slip slidin' away
During its prolonged tutorial — which sees players leaping out of a plane before plummeting towards terra firma until all of the required actions have been performed — SSX is picture perfect. A seemingly endless and expertly crafted snowy mountain expanse stretches off into the horizon, the lighting is stunning to behold and...
Review Street Fighter X Tekken (PlayStation 3)
A cross to bear
Two of the biggest fighting franchises collide — wait, haven't we been here before? Over ten years ago SNK and Capcom crossed over to create a series of fighters that, however entertaining, ultimately failed to become more than the mere sum of their parts. Now Capcom's back in full-on synergy mode with Street Fighter X Tekken, but...
Review Smash 'N' Survive (PlayStation 3)
Smash and desist
Chances are, if you owned a PSOne in the nineties, you will at some time have been exposed to Destruction Derby, the main selling point of which was that violently smashing rivals' cars to pieces was actively encouraged and deemed a perfectly acceptable tactic in the rush for victory. Players understandably lapped it up and, despite...
Review Worms Ultimate Mayhem (PlayStation 3)
No backbone, but still solid
Unless you live under a rock like the franchise’s titular heroes, you know about Worms. Team 17’s long-running series starring surprisingly articulate worms shooting, blasting and blowing each other up with firepower that would frighten the world’s mightiest armies has always had a loyal fanbase despite few...
Review House of the Dead III (PlayStation 3)
Resurrected
Another one of SEGA’s classics stumbles its way onto the PSN with the zombie infested shooter House of the Dead III. With heavy roots in the arcade scene, the House of the Dead (HotD) series has been eating quarters worldwide as one of the most well-known on-rails light gun games in history. It doesn't get much simpler than HotD in...
Review Syndicate (PlayStation 3)
Hostile takeover
Developers of first-person shooters are starting to realise that they can’t simply mimic Call of Duty in order to score a hit. While lessons can certainly be learned from Activision’s multi-billion dollar military series, there’s a growing sense that the industry understands it needs to differentiate too. The Darkness II is a...
Review Asura's Wrath (PlayStation 3)
Asura, watch
His wife murdered, his daughter stolen, cast down from the heavens — Asura has a right to be more than a little wound up. Developer CyberConnect2 really grinds this demigod’s gears in its game-come-interactive movie, adequately providing impetus for his titular rage at every turn. Told over 12,500 years, Asura’s Wrath shows off...
Review Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PlayStation 3)
And one 4 all
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One does a great job of transforming Insomniac's slapstick shooter series into an enjoyable co-operative ride. Stunning presentation and accessible multiplayer implementation provide the game with an engaging campaign, though it is somewhat let down by disappointing combat and an uninspired final-third. As...
Review Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (PlayStation 3)
Tick tock
The conclusion of the Ratchet & Clank Future arc, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time focuses on Ratchet's continuing rescue mission of Clank and the dastardly deeds of antagonist Dr Nefarious. Building upon much familiarity from previous Ratchet & Clank games, A Crack In Time introduces numerous new mechanics including Clank's...
Review Gotham City Impostors (PlayStation 3)
Call of Batman: Gotham Warfare
Gotham City: the home of Batman, along with thousands of denizens who either look to the skies for the caped crusader when in need, or faithfully follow his crazed evil nemesis, the Joker. But there’s also the demented wannabes that will do anything to try and gain their 15 minutes of fame and Gotham City Impostors...
Review Grand Slam Tennis 2 (PlayStation 3)
Serving up a winner?
Grand Slam Tennis 2 has the daunting task of following up last year’s brace of solid tennis titles. Both Virtua Tennis 4 and Top Spin 4 hold a racquet-like grip on the two opposing formats of the tennis genre: Virtua Tennis with its slick arcade action and Top Spin with its challenging simulation focus. It’s unsurprising,...
Review Need For Speed: The Run (PlayStation 3)
Run down
Need For Speed: The Run is a brilliant idea, but the game's bogged down by some iffy technical issues and frustrating AI. There's a lot to like about The Run — it's well presented and technically impressive — but its quirks will prevent you from returning despite its excellent Autolog implementation and decent track design. The last...
Review Driver: San Francisco (PlayStation 3)
Dreamy
Driver: San Francisco is eccentric but brilliant, carving a slapstick narrative around its complex mechanics. The game's prominent gameplay feature, 'Shift', not only introduces a new way to play, but also opens a window into developer Reflections' creativity, offering objectives that are not only extremely enjoyable but also wilfully...
Review Rayman Origins (PlayStation 3)
Four limbs good, no limbs better
Rayman Origins is a delirious platformer packed with delicious visuals and scrumptious level design. The legless protagonist's latest adventure is the perfect antidote to the industry's frustrating obsession with gritty war games, prompting some of the most fun you'll find on PlayStation 3 this year. Games like...
Review Sonic Generations (PlayStation 3)
Cycle shattering
Sonic Generations is a fitting celebration of the blue blur's legacy. We imagine somewhere deep inside Sonic Team's Tokyo headquarters there's a whiteboard packed with diagrams, text and flowcharts. Written at the head of the whiteboard in bold, red marker pen are the words 'Breaking The Sonic Cycle'. Venture into any Sonic thread...
Review The Simpsons Arcade Game (PlayStation 3)
Excellent
The arcade scene of the early 90's was a great time for spare change. A handful of coins was more than money. In between laps of the roller rink and mouthfuls of pizza, any coinage you had left became tokens into another world, giving you one more shot at toppling your nemeses of choice, whether that be Shredder, Magneto or Mr. Burns. When...
Review Batman: Arkham Asylum (PlayStation 3)
Dark Knight chronicles
When the Joker escapes Arkham Asylum (again) and gives himself up without a fight, you'd be right to assume something's not quite right. Of course, this being the start of the game, your assumptions would be correct. The Joker tricks Batman inside Arkham Asylum of which he subsequently takes control. Cue one of Batman's most...
Review Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PlayStation 3)
Lightning strikes twice
We all know that the hugely popular Final Fantasy RPG series has had more than its fair share of games, but rarely do we witness direct sequels. As one of those rare games, Final Fantasy XIII-2 takes place directly after the events of Final Fantasy XIII; Lightning vanishes without a trace and only Serah can remember seeing...
Review The Darkness II (PlayStation 3)
Are you afraid of the dark?
We’ve all been in a situation where two hands are not enough: we pop pencils behind our ears and grip paper in our mouth, cursing through muffled breath about our awkward plight. Jackie Estacado, the protagonist of 2K’s The Darkness franchise, doesn’t have that problem. Armed with two standard anatomical limbs and a...
Heaven or hell?
An enchanting and minimal experience, Limbo is absolutely essential. Limbo's minimalism presents itself from the outset. The opening is bereft of button prompts and exposition, settling for a delightfully simplistic title screen and an opening in which our protagonist — a silhouette of a small boy with radiating white eyes —...
Review God of War Collection (PlayStation 3)
God of before
Love him or hate him, Kratos is an important part of the PlayStation brand. The vengeful antihero has starred in some of the platform’s very best titles, and the God of War Collection brings those classics back to life with startling clarity. Remastering PS2 favourites God of War and God of War II in beautiful high definition, the...
Review Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PlayStation 3)
A master of its craft
This title may feel familiar, but its similarity is hard to criticise when the core components are this good. A speculative campaign and a freshly balanced multiplayer component headline Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and while the visual engine is looking a bit tired, its penchant for addictive gunplay remains unmatched...
