PS3 Game Reviews
Review Battlefield 3 (PlayStation 3)
Field of dreams
Battlefield 3's single player campaign checks all the required boxes, but fails to better the offerings of its competitors. Multiplayer is where the game finds its purpose, offering a raw experience that's both technically outstanding and masterfully balanced. EA promised the world during the build-ip to Battlefield 3's release. It...
Review Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PlayStation 3)
Not very revelatory
Considering its subtitle, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is disappointingly light in this regard. While Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood managed to shatter our pre-conceptions last year, Revelations is the third series title in as many years, and it's starting to show. The mechanics that once felt new and interesting are...
Review Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PlayStation 3)
Brothers to the end
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood picks up moments after the end of Assassin's Creed II. Remember that ending? Bizarre artifacts, weird mystical people and strange prophecies. Brotherhood begins as Ezio leaves the Colosseum with the Apple Of Eden — a bizarre, powerful relic — in hand. If Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is your...
Review 3D Dot Game Heroes (PlayStation 3)
A wink to the past
As the age-old tale of a youngster who defeated the evil Dark King Onyx slips into legend, tourist numbers begin to drop in the quaint land of the Dotnia Kingdom. The economy needs a boost, and the King of the land has an idea that'll bring people flocking to the once bustling greens of Dotnia. The once sprite-based landscape will...
Review Enslaved: Odyssey To The West (PlayStation 3)
Monkey magic
Loosely based on the traditional Chinese novel Journey To The West, Enslaved dictates the tale of Trip and Monkey as they traverse a dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Set some 150 years after the Earth's collapse, human life has all but been eradicated. The overgrown, dilapidated skyline of New York city greets the couple's arrival in...
Review L.A. Noire (PlayStation 3)
Case closed
L.A. Noire is our favourite type of game, but it won't appeal to everybody. Those looking promisingly at the Rockstar logo on the game's cover should know that this is not a Grand Theft Auto-esque affair. While it supports the open world structure and narrative driven campaign of Rockstar's traditional adventures, this is a much more...
Review Red Dead Redemption (PlayStation 3)
Cowboys are back in town
Red Dead Redemption is Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West. We told ourselves over and over that opening the review in this way was a cop-out, but it's undeniable - Red Dead Redemption is Grand Theft Auto in the Wild-West. In many ways, however, it's also much more. Red Dead Redemption marries the detail of Grand Theft Auto IV...
Review ModNation Racers (PlayStation 3)
Drive, create, share
ModNation Racers takes everything that is good about Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise and rids itself of the bad. It then put the remains into a bowl and mixes in one-third LittleBigPlanet and two-thirds fun. This is a kart racer done the Play, Create, Share way, a genre Sony's single-handedly brought to the forefront of the...
Review Catherine (PlayStation 3)
Heartbreaker
Catherine is a unique proposition that frustrates partially because of its potential. Cumbersome gameplay design, a hokey save system and a rotten narrative twist detract from the intelligent storyline that's at the centre of its premise. The game's originality makes it worthwhile, but expect it to try your patience. With the budgets of...
Review God of War Collection: Volume II (PlayStation 3)
Fit for a god
Existing fans will lap up the technical proficiency of God of War Collection: Volume II, but those new to Ready At Dawn's work will also find a thoughtful empathy towards the franchise's anti-hero, Kratos, contextualising some of the aggression found later in the series. For our money, Ghost of Sparta is the best game in the series...
Review Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PlayStation 3)
Drake's delightful
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception realises what we dreamed video games would one day become. "All men dream: but not equally." Nathan Drake utters T.E. Lawrence's poignant phrase as the curtain raises on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Like others, we dared to dream. For 20 years we longed for a cinematic interactive...
Review Vanquish (PlayStation 3)
Rocket fuelled
As Japan tries to tune its output towards Western tastes, many traditionalists, like ourselves, are worrying that the classic style of Japanese gameplay is prone to change. We've enough Western developed third- and first-person shooters to play — the last thing we need is for the Japanese to try their hand at a game of...
Review God of War III (PlayStation 3)
God of awe
It’s no surprise that God of War III should end up representing PlayStation at its very finest. The previous entries in the mythological series achieved things seemingly impossible on the PlayStation 2, and God of War III extends on that prowess. From the rip-roaring spectacle of the opening 60 minutes right through to the ultra-stylish...
Review Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PlayStation 3)
King of thieves
The follow-up to Naughty Dog's often overlooked cinematic gem Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves plots the path of Nathan Drake once again as he follows the trail of Marco Polo and a legendary gem known as the Cintamani stone. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees some growth to the game's cast, with both Elena and...
Review SoulCalibur V (PlayStation 3)
You'd sell your soul for this game
Even though fighting games are enjoying a new renaissance of popularity — a "second coming," if you will — updating a popular franchise still carries a healthy amount of risk. Change too much and risk alienating your loyal fanbase; change too little and you're mid-90s Capcom, famous for pseudo-sequels...
Review Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PlayStation 3)
!
After years of begging, Konami answered fan requests by repacking some of the most iconic Metal Gear Solid games for PS3. Even years after their original releases, the Metal Gear Solid series still has some of the most well written and deep storylines to date and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection allows the current generation of gamers to experience...
Review ICO & Shadow Of The Colossus Collection (PlayStation 3)
ICOnic
An impeccable, provocative and emotional affair, ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection makes a strong argument in favour of interactive art, and does so with such a matter of fact, effortless mentality that it's impossible not to fall in love with the experience. Despite being heralded as two of the finest games ever created, there's an...
Review Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3)
Lightning strike
Final Fantasy XIII is unmistakably a Final Fantasy game. It's set in a rich universe, with a cast of clashing personalities who ultimately unite to save the world. Nothing new there. Set in the outlandish futuristic universe of Cocoon, a host of gadding personalities are sewn together through crossing fates — they are branded the...
Review Zack Zero (PlayStation 3)
Short on new ideas but strong in execution
Zack Zero is a robust platformer that's let-down by a low-budget art aesthetic and some cheap presentation. It reinforces the idea that appearances can be deceptive; what initially presents itself as a low-budget Cartoon Network tie-in actually emerges as a robust platformer with some strong combat...
AMY is an ambitious idea squandered by poor execution
Unintuitive level design and unresponsive controls headline the game's problems, but it's the utterly reprehensible save and checkpoint system that damages AMY the most. Squint and you can see what developer VectorCell was trying to achieve with AMY. Survival horror has been a heavily...
Review Daytona USA (PlayStation 3)
Revving restoration
We should be able to pin-point the exact moment we first played Daytona USA, but we can't. Our memory is hazy and imprecise, sending us mixed messages. It was probably in Blackpool, in the corner of a grotty arcade, with stained 70s carpet beneath our feet. Or was it at home, in the cold confines of our games room, with the glow...
Review Cabela's Adventure Camp (PlayStation 3)
Cheaper than sending your little ones to camp
Each year, as school comes to an end, children across the world start getting excited. Not only is it a time of freedom, but for many it means that it’s almost time to go off to summer camp. Cabela’s Adventure Camp brings home many of the fun outdoor activities enjoyed at camp and with PlayStation...
Review Beat Hazard Ultra (PlayStation 3)
Beat Hazard Ultra never lives up to the promise of its potential, but it's still a decent twin-stick shooter
Twin-stick shooters are dime-a-dozen these days. Ever since Super Stardust HD kicked off a downloadable revolution on the PS3, we've spent a good chunk of our time testing out the latest analogue-controlled blaster to launch on the...
Review All Zombies Must Die (PlayStation 3)
A playful take on the dual joystick shooter
All Zombies Must Die augments some interesting RPG elements to distance itself from the throngs of similar experiences available on PlayStation 3. But while the game initially succeeds, the repetition of its samey mission structure sets in quickly — even when experienced in multiplayer. Borderlands...
Review Just Dance 3 (PlayStation 3)
Late to the party?
Now into its third main entry, Ubisoft’s Just Dance series has finally shimmied its way onto PlayStation 3 with Just Dance 3, albeit a couple of months later than Just Dance 3 on Wii and Just Dance 3 on Kinect. Does Ubisoft’s key title do enough to stand out amongst PlayStation Move’s already crowded dance game line-up?...
Review Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD (PlayStation 3)
Oddly compelling
Developer Just Add Water's done an outstanding job of making the XBOX original look and feel relevant on PlayStation 3, allowing the game's bizarre mix of stealth and shooting to stand up on its own. Some irritating voice acting and offensive difficulty spikes harm the game's appeal, but Stranger's Wrath HD is still a curiously...
Review Disney Universe (PlayStation 3)
When you wish upon a star
The team at Eurocom has done a fine job crafting a surprisingly engaging objective-based adventure with Disney Universe, lifting several ideas from the LEGO games of recent years while mixing in a smattering of fresh concepts and a hearty four-player option Developer Eurocom will always have a special place in the hearts of...
Review Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai (PlayStation 3)
Trekking into Uncharted territory
Since Move released last September, the Cabela’s team has brought two of its quirky hunting titles to the motion controller: Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 and Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012. Both surprised us with an entertaining story creatively crafted upon the quirky FPS/hunting gameplay style that...
Review Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (PlayStation 3)
Making waves?
The newest edition of the Rune Factory saga finally makes it's début on the PlayStation 3. Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny starts the story off without much explanation or details; all you know is somehow two friends, Aden and Sonja, have become trapped in the same body in an odd parallel world. With plenty of help from the friendly...
Review Wanted Corp (PlayStation 3)
Move over dual analogue controls
Swarms of mini-robots continue their attacks as two enormous cyborg monkeys furiously charge onto the screen, while two bounty hunters try to evade a robed wizard’s constant onslaught of deadly purple energy balls. The powerful walking mech is closing in; its massive destructive power will hopefully ensure...
