PS4 Game Reviews
Scrapping the barrel
UK-based developer Ground Shatter's debut title comes in the form of SkyScrappers – a vertically-orientated brawler that sees two or more combatants fight their way up a crumbling tower and attempt to navigate all sorts of falling clutter as they do so. It's a fresh enough twist on the genre's often infamous auto-scrolling...
Review The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone (PS4)
A Witcher's work is thankfully never done
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone is downloadable content done right. After being supported for weeks after its initial launch with free bits and pieces, the open world role-playing game's first of two expansions is here, and it's absolutely essential for anyone who enjoyed Geralt of Rivia's main...
Linger in shadows
Manipulating light in games has, of course, been done before. There are many a puzzle in many a game that require you to angle beams of sunshine just right to unveil a secret, solve a puzzle, or to allow you to move on. One Upon Light is a game that takes these puzzles and turns them on their head; instead of using light to...
Review Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition (PS4)
Too close to home
Three Fourths Home is one of the most unique and special games that you can find on the PlayStation 4. The text-driven visual short story is one about family, about disability, and about a girl trying to find her way. It's not a time-sink by any means, but it is a title worth your attention. You'll play as Kelly Meyers, a...
Review Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1: The Order of the Stone (PS4)
Crafty devils
Minecraft: Story Mode is Telltale Games' newest series. While it currently has two other releases with unfinished seasons – Game of Thrones and Tales from the Borderlands – at least we know that one of them will be wrapping up very soon. So, the time seems ripe to begin a new episodic adventure. Unfortunately, the studio seems to...
Muddy good
The racing genre is still poorly represented on the PlayStation 4, with Evolution Studios' hardy DriveClub the only real option on the appliance outside of launch title Need for Speed: Rivals and Milestone's many motorcycle simulations. Polyphony Digital overlord Kazunori Yamauchi doesn't seem in any real hurry to reveal Gran Turismo 7...
Review Tales of Zestiria (PS4)
Lemon gel zest
Where to start with Tales of Zestiria? The latest lengthy Japanese role-playing release of a series that's been a staple of Namco's output for what seems like an age, it's the franchise's first PlayStation 4 foray. There's a clear ambition from the developer to make things bigger and to explore themes, concepts, and gameplay mechanics...
Review Toto Temple Deluxe (PS4)
Goat to catch ‘em all
Goats, eh? They get a bad press with their association with satanic rituals, being the head parts of man eating mythological Chimeras, and generally being the lesser loved when it comes to field sharing with the more cuddly and socially acceptable sheep. But thanks to Toto Temple Deluxe on the PlayStation 4 – building on...
Norse so bad
Zombie Vikings trades heavily on its character, and what's here shows a lot of heart and creativity – but it's mired by repetition, which means that while this brawler is charming enough to capture your attention, it's unlikely to hold onto it for long. A big part of its appeal is its aesthetic. Much like developer Zoink Games'...
This town ain't big enough for the four of us
Another day, another retro-styled, multiplayer-focused indie title. This time around, we have Glass Knuckle's Thief Town, a multiplayer stealth action game set in, as the developers jokingly put it, "a pixel-perfect rendition of the Wild West". The tongue is firmly wedged in cheek, then, which is fine by...
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube152k Watch on YouTube Meat your doom
You wouldn't believe how much we hated Super Meat Boy at first. We were quick to label this 2D platformer as being needlessly punishing and thought that it was frustrating not because it has devious level design, but because you have to work with flawed gameplay to win. However, we're glad that we stuck with it despite our negative,...
Unreal torn-ament
The biggest problem with Bedlam: The Game is that you'll wish that it was so much better. This is a razor-sharp commentary on the titles that many of you will have grown up with, all wrapped up in a fascinating plot that keeps you hanging on its every word. But while its genre hopping hijinks are well paired with laugh out loud...
Review Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below (PS4)
Prime slime
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is a name that we don't want to write more than once in this review. It's also the name of a very fun action role-playing game that sees the massively popular Japanese franchise step away from traditional turn-based battles and adopt a gameplay approach that's more akin to...
Brick in the wallet
LEGO has been a popular children's toy for many years, and we'll happily admit that we still play with it on the odd occasion because, ahem, we have younger relatives. Obvs. Anyway, it's no surprise that LEGO was transformed into a video game blockbuster [Like it! - Ed], using many major franchises to expand the plaything's reach...
I'll be Bach
Admit it, we've been through it: that one phase in our lives where we've picked up a guitar and even considered playing it. A couple of shaky renditions of Smoke on the Water later and it's been quickly discarded in favour of our next "thing" that for God's sake isn't just a phase, Mum. Most people have also picked up Guitar Hero or...
Review Grand Ages: Medieval (PS4)
Everybody wants to rule the world
Strategy games aren't normally associated with console gaming, instead favouring PC, Mac, and Linux as their platform of choice. This is why it's important for Grand Ages: Medieval to succeed: to bring the genre to a brand new audience. Developed by Gaming Minds Studio, the brains behind Port Royale 3 and Patrician...
Review Transformers: Devastation (PS4)
More than meets the eye
The Transformers license has certainly seen its fair share of solid games; from the PlayStation 2 title based upon the Armada series all the way through to High Moon's Cybertron releases, it's a property that's generally transcended the usual licensed game fodder. Now, the talented team over at Platinum Games has taken the...
On yer bike
Ah, the iconic BMX bike – made a cinematic icon in the '80s thanks to E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, BMX Bandits, and erm, well, let's just leave it there. Anyway, here's a game that loves the "art" of BMX riding and has been developed by actual "BMXers" – and having been a hit on mobile devices, it hops onto the PlayStation 4,...
Review Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul (PS4)
As straight as a shooting star
Despite its awkward name, Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul is a very straightforward and accessible PlayStation 4 fighter that's essentially an enhanced version of Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers, which released on the PlayStation 3 back in 2013. It's got more stages, more characters, a longer story, and a couple of extra...
Review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS4)
Sick
The Tony Hawk series has been around for over 15 years, and in that time introduced a new genre in gaming. The fluidity of pulling off crazy street and vert tricks, the stunning soundtracks, inventive levels, and rich mechanics made it a true standout franchise. However, like most series, the franchise started to lose steam, with developer...
Busting your bombs
If you've played Bomberman, whether it was Bomberman II on NES or Bomberman Touch on iOS, you've played Bombing Busters. This Bomberman clone won't seduce you with good looks, a catchy soundtrack, or an engaging story. In fact, Bombing Busters doesn't have much going for it at all. But it plays a lot like Bomberman, so at least...
Case dismissed
Overruled! is a frantic, diverse brawler in which yourself and three other players compete against each other in order to amass points, with the highest total winning the match. Your score is determined by your performance in a selection of objectives, as well through more conventional means, like attacking your opponents – but...
Review Samurai Warriors 4-II (PS4)
Blade running
Stuck in a strange realm somewhere between a sequel and an expansion, Samurai Warriors 4-II is, in many ways, a follow up to last year's superb Samurai Warriors 4 – but it's certainly not the inevitable Samurai Warriors 5. It borrows characters, stages, music, mechanics, voice acting, and even artwork from 2015's historical hack and...
Pace yourself
It's easy to say that with every year that passes, it gets harder and harder to review FIFA. EA Sports' annual licensed franchise loves nothing more than to stick to its guns, and with no real competition for its popularity crown, it's no surprise that this is the case. FIFA 15 was another solid, very enjoyable instalment in what's...
Review PES 2016: Pro Evolution Soccer (PS4)
(Un)license to thrill
Pro Evolution Soccer, supposedly Konami's last AAA series, has spent the best part of a decade trying to catch up with FIFA's success. EA's behemoth of a sports game consistently has more licenses, fans, and sales than PES could ever dream of, and the sad thing is that it'll probably stay that way for a long time to come. That...
Renegade skid
It's apparent that the PlayStation 4's 2015 gaming year will most notably be remembered for a handful of exemplary AAA open world games, but pulsating under the radar there has also been a fine array of pixel art 2D games released on the console this year. With examples like Shovel Knight and Super Time Force Ultra, this is partially...
The icemen cometh
When EA Canada said that NHL 14 would be skipping a next generation release so that it could concentrate on making NHL 15 the best that it could possibly be, no one really batted an eyelid. It sounded like a perfectly reasonable thing and for the most part it was accepted. That is, until NHL 15 released. Hockey's first foray onto...
Feline fine
Video games are like empathy generators. More than any other medium they allow us to feel what it might be like to be another type of person. Beyond Eyes is great example of this – a game which attempts to simulate the experience of being blind. But while it plays host to some fiendishly clever design, its slow pace and slightly...
Smash and grab
Fat City is a clever puzzle game with slim depth. The Hitman Go-esque pegged maps make for some interesting solving at first, and a variation of characters add some diversity – but power-ups and stale layouts make the difficulty and frankly, the fun, virtually nonexistent. You'll play as a Chris Knox, a man who has a particular set...
Review Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance (PS4)
Revenge is a dish best served on the PS4
In a genre that prides itself on balanced gameplay and character building, you can always count on the Disgaea franchise to be the outlier in the strategy role-playing realm with its ability to not take itself too seriously. If you've played previous instalments, you'll know that a wacky cast and...
