PS4 Game Reviews
Chat crap get banged
You’ll need a strong stomach, but EA Sports UFC 3 simply feels good. Dana White’s snowballing brand of mixed martial arts is not known for pulling its punches, and the third instalment in EA Sports’ series hits similarly hard, with wince-inducing haymakers breaking noses like they’re breadsticks. Industry leading...
Usain Bolt's retirement plan
Movement is one of the toughest things to get right in virtual reality right now. It can work like a charm in some cases, transporting you to a world that you feel fully immersed in as you interact with the environment around you. Or, it can knock you off guard and send you searching for the nearest toilet. Sprint...
There is no game, only Zuul
80s pop culture has been gaining momentum in a big way in recent years, between things like the mega popular Stranger Things and the ever-expanding – and much deserved – popularity of synthwave in the music scene. The decade was rich with shows, films, songs, and everything in between that people young...
Review Dynasty Warriors 9 (PS4)
Big trouble in big China
Dynasty Warriors as a series hasn't changed much over the years. Sure it's had its playable character roster expanded significantly, and it's had the odd combat system overhaul here and there, but the core concept has always remained the same: it's one super overpowered Chinese warrior (you) versus entire armies that flood...
Review Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4)
Shut the hell up, kupo
There are few franchises in video gaming quite like Final Fantasy. After three decades, the series has spawned more iconic characters and cities than most other franchises could hope to achieve in twice as long. The appeal, therefore, of a game like Dissidia Final Fantasy NT should be self-explanatory: take a bunch of...
Review The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia (PS4)
Deadly
The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia is the first console adaptation of The Seven Deadly Sins anime. Published by Bandai Namco and developed by Natsume Atari, Knights of Britannia is a fighting game at its core which follows the plot of the hit anime. The game has two modes: Adventure Mode and Duel Mode, which pretty much do...
Notch bad
When it comes to local multiplayer games, the PlayStation 4 has become somewhat of a treasure trove. Whether it's the madcap co-op found in Overcooked or the fast-paced archery action of TowerFall Ascension, there's a wealth of excellent titles to fire up when you have company. Hoping to break into your multiplayer gaming rotation is...
Empty chamber
On paper, Out of Ammo sounds like a good idea – but any positive notions are squashed almost as quickly as the game can boot up. Out of Ammo is a blend of real-time strategy and first-person shooter. You take control of a squad from above and build your base, with the ability to switch and control any individual on the ground at...
Review Mutant Football League (PS4)
DeadZone
With the NFL season now over and attention turning to the impending Draft, you may be forgiven for feeling like there’s a big American Football-sized hole in your life. The good news is that Mutant Football League, a tongue-in-cheek arcade-leaning reincarnation of the old irreverent SEGA Genesis game of a similar name, has touched down...
Text-heavy metal
Tiny Metal is a military themed, turn-based, strategy game similar to Advance Wars. The game is broken up into levels, each one taking roughly 30 minutes, requiring you to clear the map of your foe’s military or conquer their headquarters to win. At the beginning of each level you’ll start with one or two units, foot soldiers...
Review Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] (PS4)
It was a dark and stormy Under Night In-Birth
The PS4 is well served with 2D fighting games, but that didn’t stop this latest incarnation of the weird and somewhat wonderful Under Night In-Birth universe getting spruced up a little and expanded a lot to make the jump to current-gen hardware. Here, then, is the most complete edition of the deep...
Wolves at the door
Fully Illustrated’s mud-soaked scrolling beat-'em-up hearkens back to a simpler time of high scores and roast chicken health pick-ups. It's a throwback to a beloved genre with a cartoon aesthetic and historical setting. It's not unique, but visceral action, a charming art style, and loving adherence to period lore sets this...
A heavenly kingdom?
Republished on Wednesday 31st January 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Grand Kingdom is a good looking turn-based battle-'em-up that sees you getting to pick and command a group of mercenaries in...
Tequila sunrise
Republished on Wednesday 31st January 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. The release of RiME is a huge relief: Tequila Works will be pleased it's finally got the game out the door, and players will be glad...
Old-school platformer, new-school technology
Republished on Wednesday 31st January 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Way back in February of this year, millions of viewers around the world witnessed the reveal of...
See that mountain? You can climb it
Celeste is the latest effort from Matt Makes Games, the team responsible for one of PS4's best multiplayer games, TowerFall Ascension. The bow and arrow brawling is well loved, in part because of the responsive and satisfying movement. Doubling down on the strength of TowerFall's platforming, Celeste is all about...
Memory is reconstructive
It's one thing to make a game in the style of a classic 90s role-playing title, but it’s another thing entirely to make one that matches the heart and focus of those beloved titles of yesteryear. Lost Sphear marks Tokyo RPG Factory’s second attempt at rekindling a spark of the past as the developer continues to pump out...
Review Assassin's Creed Origins: The Hidden Ones (PS4)
Bayek for more
The Hidden Ones is a story-driven expansion to Assassin's Creed Origins, a game that seriously surprised us with how good it actually was when it launched last year. Origins' recreation of Egypt is so well crafted and gorgeous that we've struggled to stay away from the open world title, coming back to it each day in order to complete...
Review Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory (PS4)
Hacked up
Since 1999, the Digimon franchise has had a constant presence in the video game industry, with dozens of entries in all different genres. However, 2015’s Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth put the franchise back on the map, surprising both fans and newcomers to the series with how well crafted it was. Media Vision has returned to the series...
Review Monster Hunter: World (PS4)
A whole new world
Monster Hunter: World is a departure for the franchise – and we're not just talking the new location. This is the first main entry to launch away from Nintendo since 2006, when Monster Hunter 2 found its feet on the PlayStation 2. It's a bit of a leap going from the technologically limited platforms of Nintendo to the PlayStation...
Wendigo prophecy
Until Dawn’s breakout success has spawned all sorts of spin-offs, none really capturing the essence of the original teen slasher. The Inpatient continues this trend with a straight-faced, narrative-based PlayStation VR experience set in the 1950s. You play as a patient sectioned in Blackwood Sanatorium during its final days of...
Tell me sweet little lies
We often think about games in terms of their verbs – that is, what we do in them. For instance, in an Uncharted game we run, jump, dodge, shoot, take cover, drive, and climb. We’re often led to believe that the more diverse a game’s set of verbs - and therefore the bigger the list of things we can do - the better it...
Review Kerbal Space Program: Enhanced Edition (PS4)
Kerballsed up
Kerbal Space Program: Enhanced Edition is a game like no other on PlayStation 4, not only in terms of its space program-running gameplay, but also in terms of what’s going on under its deceptively cartoonish hood. A very impressive physics engine is stored in there, with every orbit calculated and every atmosphere rendered...
Review Beholder: Complete Edition (PS4)
Fight the system
In a city governed by a totalitarian state, you play as Carl, one of the government's trusted members who, together with his wife and two children, relocate to a new tenancy. By order of the state, you’ve been tasked with spying on tenants to ensure that they're following the letter of the law, and you must punish those who...
Debut voyage
Ever since its release in 2012, a multitude of indie developers have tried to emulate the experience provided by Journey. The likes of ABZÛ and AER: Memories of Old have come close to replicating what made the PlayStation 3 release so special, but then there are other imitators that miss the mark completely. InnerSpace, the debut title...
The empire strikes back
An old school Square role-playing game filled with funny looking sprites and turn based tactical battles, Romancing SaGa 2 introduces itself to a new generation on PlayStation 4 and Vita. Unlike Final Fantasy, Romancing SaGa was never able to find its footing here in the West, mainly because we didn't get a...
Time Crisis in VR
Playing through Mortal Blitz feels like going back in time, which is a strange feeling when you’re talking about a VR game – but it’s true. What we have here is effectively Time Crisis in virtual reality, which sounds like a match made in heaven and, we feel, is likely to be a fitting genre when implemented well. There’s...
Review Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4)
Divided we fall
Republished on Wednesday 27th December 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Like 2011's Deus Ex: Human Revolution, new-gen sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a jack of all trades, but a master of none...
Lost in space
Republished on Wednesday 27th December 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Overwatch in virtual reality is not a bad pitch on paper, but it's one that struggles in practice. StarBlood Arena has its heart in...
Review Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two - Episode 5: Above and Beyond (PS4)
Put to bed-rock
The finale to Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two is finally here, meaning you can now play the entire game from start-to-finish in one sitting. To be fair, this may help the series a great deal, as Season Two has really struggled to produce lengthy episodes that keep your interest. The finale is no different clocking in at around the...