PS3 Game Reviews
Review de Blob 2 (PlayStation 3)
Pass with flying colours?
The first de Blob on Wii was a critical success and didn’t sell too badly either, shifting around a million copies for publisher THQ and proving Wii platformers didn’t need to feature a famous mascot to be successful. Now the series has gone multiplatform, with the PS3 version fully compatible with PlayStation Move and...
Review Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate Of Two Worlds (PlayStation 3)
Fighting games are back
That Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is a product in the first-place is a testament to the success of Street Fighter IV and its Super re-release. The Capcom developed comic-book crossover heads up a year that will also see Mortal Kombat rebooted, as well as a sequel to Tekken's greatest iteration, Tag Tournament, in some guise or...
Review Test Drive Unlimited 2 (PlayStation 3)
While Gran Turismo strives to recreate the perfect car model, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is all about imitating fantasy racing culture
It's built around indulgent escapism: expensive cars, snazzy haircuts, tropical islands and designer clothes. Whilst utterly materialistic, TDU2 is daftly addictive. Some players will balk at the game's peripheral...
Review Explodemon! (PlayStation 3)
Explodemon
's</a> dewy-eyed regard for the 16-bit era is charming, but not endearing enough to subsidise the game's predictable level design and mundane boss battles. It's a miracle we got to review Explodemon! at all. The game's status in development limbo has long been depicted by the platform-hopping drama that's surrounded it since its...
Review Stacking (PlayStation 3)
Stacking is the second downloadable title from Tim Schafer's creative power-house, DoubleFine
The last game, Costume Quest, launched around Hallowe'en to generally positive acclaim, providing a unique spin on the traditional turn-based RPG formula. Similarly to Costume Quest, Stacking works a charming concept into some traditional adventure game...
Review Mass Effect 2 (PlayStation 3)
Ultimately Mass Effect 2's obsessive attention to detail is its greatest strength
At times the game's intricate references to obscure fiction can be overbearing, but those that take the time to engross themselves in the world will be richly rewarded. The problem with late ports such as Mass Effect 2 is that they can fall foul to hype. Bioshock left...
Review Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 (PlayStation 3)
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 tries to appeal to two disparate audiences, and gets lost as a result
The core gameplay is still fun, if not as fluid as its predecessor, but ultimately it's the lavish production values and floor-pumping soundtrack that will keep you going. You could probably plot the beginning of the downloadable games scene's rise to...
Review Tales From Space: About A Blob (PlayStation 3)
Tales From Space: About A Blob is an enjoyable platformer with an emphasis on controller dexterity and clever puzzle design
It's an easy scenario to picture: developers Drinkbox Studios gathered around a large conference table laced with paper, pencils and plates of those round biscuits that aren't quite Custard Creams nor Jammie Dodgers. "How...
Review Super Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3)
Streets ahead
Make no bones about it - Super Street Fighter IV is essentially the same game that was released last year, only considerably beefed up. With several new characters, Super Street Fighter IV takes a step into "Vs" territory, with a roster of names practically bulging at the seams. Factor in a slew of new stages, a considerably...
Did you know that ATV stands for all-terrain vehicle? If nail'd is to be believed, thin-air is a form of terrain
As the title's improper spelling suggests, this is a game made by people who spent their youth listening to Papa Roach records and drawing tattoo designs on their food technology exercise books. nail'd is the very definition of the phrase...
Review Dead Space 2 (PlayStation 3)
Years after the conclusion to the original Dead Space, protagonist Isaac Clarke finds himself locked on the Sprawl -- a metropolis built upon one of Saturn's moons, Titan
Unable to recall the past three years of his life, Clarke finds himself suffering from distorted visions of his deceased girlfriend, Nicole. As the Sprawl finds itself subject to a...
Review Dead Space: Extraction (PlayStation 3)
Extracting fear and limbs
Humanity is sacred. Human beings are characterised by the emotions that flow within them, but yet humans are fragile beings. The line between life and death can be broken in an instant, and extract fear from deep within. Dead Space: Extraction finds a group of humans walking the fine line between life and death in deep...
Review Faery: Legends Of Avalon (PlayStation 3)
Faery: Legends Of Avalon is a well crafted turn-based RPG, dressed in a unique fairytale setting
While the game's lack of variety can lead to repetition, the engaging storyline and differing locales ensure you'll see Faery's adventure right through to its abrupt conclusion. We love fairytales. There's something magical about the way they turn...
Review Zumba Fitness (PlayStation 3)
You'll want to move - as far away as possible.
With the success of Wii Fit, we're beginning to see a steady increase in fitness-style game releases on the various consoles. With Move support rapidly growing in popularity among Playstation 3 owners, it was only a matter of time before the craze would hit the console and this time it's in the form of...
Review Modern Combat: Domination (PlayStation 3)
More bang fewer bucks
Question: how many times has a dinner been skipped or forgotten in favour of online shooting marathons on the PlayStation 3? Gameloft knows it’s happening daily, and with the price tag of a measly $7.99/£6.29, Modern Combat: Domination on PlayStation Network is as cheap as a skipped dinner, but is it worth going hungry? If...
Review EA Sports Active 2 (PlayStation 3)
EA Sports Active 2 is a compelling substitute to the real gym, with a good variety of well designed exercises and some excellent progress tracking tools
The heart-rate monitor makes exercising both fascinating and visually beneficial, while the game's sturdy presentation ensures you are motivated whatever your current fitness level. We'd never feel...
Review Blue Toad Murder Files (PlayStation 3)
The Mystery of Whodunnit?
Little Riddle is a quaint British village full of eccentric folk, but everyday life in the village has been disrupted by a murder, and one that only a detective of the Blue Toad Agency can properly solve. Taking the role as the detective for the agency will bring about many thought provoking puzzles and intense mind-benders...
Review Tetris HD (PlayStation 3)
It's Tetris in the same blocktacular format you've been enjoying since the late 1980's
Tetrominoes fall from the heavens and it's your job to arrange them into solid lines. The PlayStation 3 version may introduce some new features such as 1080p visuals, 5.1 surround sound and exclusive multiplayer modes, but at its very core it is still the same old...
Review Eat Them! (PlayStation 3)
Eat Them
is essentially Rampage on the Dreamcast. The Fluffy Logic developed PlayStation Network title is a monster-themed smash 'em up inspired by Godzilla and Jet Set Radio. Occupying an outrageously attractive cel-shaded visual style, Eat Them! puts you inside a comic-book world where mad scientists create and control monsters at the expense of...
Review Top Darts (PlayStation 3)
Double top
You wait years for a darts game to come to PlayStation 3 with little success and then two turn up in the space of a month – such is the power of the PlayStation Move and its suitability for bringing the sport to life. While PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour was a good effort aimed at those who know their Phil Taylor from their...
Gameloft's new kid on the Blokus
More and more classic board games have been making their way into the PSN lately and now a digital version of the classic strategy game Blokus is available from Gameloft, the studio that brought the widely popular card game Uno to the PlayStation Store. The rules to Blokus are simple, but to master this block-laying...
Review echochrome ii (PlayStation 3)
Go to the light
Sony hasn't offered up a huge selection selection of puzzling Move games just yet, with Tumble being the major entry in the genre to date. While that game certainly was a blast, many Move owners have been left yearning for some similarly stellar, motion-infused brain teasers. Enter echochrome ii, Sony's direct sequel to their...
Review Marvel Pinball (PlayStation 3)
Marvel Pinball's visual effects and gameplay frills are supported by a strong physics core and generally good table design
Zen Pinball was one of our most played PlayStation Network titles of 2009, so it was with some anticipation we got thrift of Zen Studios' impending Marvel Pinball — a stand-alone catalogue of four new Marvel themed tables...
Review Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 (PlayStation 3)
Become the prey
Hunters around the world often talk about the “thrill of the hunt”, but Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 brings a whole new meaning to this saying. Seeking out a great spot to hunt and long waits for that perfect shot are nowhere to be found here, as instead hunters will be fighting for survival in the deep wilds of several...
Review Kung-Fu LIVE (PlayStation 3)
The technology behind Kung-Fu LIVE is incredible at times, transforming the PlayStation Eye into a competent full-body motion controller that literally puts you inside the game
The problem is that the same technology can also be fiddly, with a lengthy set-up process required to get the game working correctly. Even then, though the concept is novel,...
Review Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves (PlayStation 3)
Sackboy’s got the Moves
LittleBigPlanet released on PS3 over two years ago and instantly concreted itself as a landmark title for the system. Sackboy, the adorable stitched doll who is the main character, has become an icon for the PlayStation brand, and is about to partake on his second retail game release in LittleBigPlanet 2 in early 2011...
Review Tron Evolution (PlayStation 3)
Derezzed to kill
One of the biggest surprises about the story of a video game coding whiz transported into a computer's mainframe is that after 28 years there are still not many games set in the awesome Tron universe. It started well enough with Bally Midway's 1982 coin-op, but slowed down significantly until the PC's Tron 2.0 in 2003 and Discs of...
Review PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour (PlayStation 3)
Oche dokey
For what it's worth, PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour is the first darts game to hit the PS3, and comes fully equipped for PlayStation Move support - though DualShock 3 is also supported. With a host of licensed players, tournaments and sponsors it’s certainly not a half-hearted effort, but it falls just short of hitting the...
Review Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos (PlayStation 3)
Dead in the water
Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch has been a massive television success, spanning six seasons and still going strong. Fishermen risk life and limb to catch King and Ophelia crab off the coast of Alaska in the brutal Bering Sea, and the risk is worth it in massive pay-outs that can stretch to over $1,000 an hour. Fighting near...
Review Dead Nation (PlayStation 3)
Dead Nation creates an unbelievably tense atmosphere through frustrating methods
The game's dark, zombie-laden world is enhanced by an incredible lighting engine, but is hindered by a distant camera and an imprecise aiming mechanic. What's more, for as much tension as the game's sporadic checkpoints create, their limited nature concludes in...
