Latest Reviews
Review The Witch and the Hundred Knight (PlayStation 3)
Swamp thing
Nippon Ichi Software has a reputation for the absurd and strange, and while The Witch and the Hundred Knight initially seems poised to continue that trend successfully, the game’s humour soon turns dark and indignant – and its minor flaws begin to stack. Make no mistake, there’s a solid action RPG hidden beneath this title’s...
Review BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (PlayStation 3)
Burn bright, burn blue
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is the latest game by Japanese developer Arc System Works. It’s the third title in the 2D fighting series BlazBlue, and takes place after the events of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. The release was originally conceived as an arcade game, which deployed in late 2012. It then received a PlayStation 3...
Review Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (PlayStation 4)
Generation X-treme
"What's the deal with Dynasty Warriors?" is a question that's echoed every now and then across the gaming sphere. To say that it's a divisive property is an understatement – this is a franchise that's in possession of a rabidly loyal core fanbase, while each new instalment receives wildly varying review scores that range from...
Never felt better
This review has been a long time coming. Originally released on the Xbox 360 many moons ago, Fez is one of an increasingly large group of indie games that have managed to crack the collective consciousness. However, for all its critical acclaim, the retro inspired romp is only now making its way onto Sony systems. But was this...
Review Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f (PlayStation Vita)
Square, square, swipe, swipe, meow
Most music games sell based on the popularity of the licensed songs in their roster and gimmicky plastic peripherals. But what about a title where the majority of the gaming marketplace may not even recognise the songs, let alone understand the lyrics? Enter Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f – a rather unique...
Review MXGP: The Official Motocross Game (PlayStation 3)
Rev bull
There’s something strangely appealing about the way in which Italian outfit Milestone constructs a single player campaign. The developer’s previous forays into the World Rally Championship and Moto GP have all lacked polish, but have had a certain je ne sais quoi in spite of their presentational shortcomings. MXGP: The Official...
Review Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster (PlayStation Vita)
Love is eternal
After playing Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster, it's hard to believe that both games are now over ten years old. Back on the PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy X was something of a revolution not just for Square Enix's popular series, but for Japanese RPGs in general. It was filled with voice acting, paved a route for more linear gameplay...
Review TowerFall Ascension (PlayStation 4)
Who needs titans?
Remember the good old days of gathering your friends together on the couch for an intense multiplayer session? Indie outfit Matt Makes Games – a one-man development team comprised of Matt Thorson – has created a 2D action multiplayer title named TowerFall Ascension, where players practice the art of archery. This is actually an...
Review Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (PlayStation Vita)
Han-held
Sporting a name that's almost as ridiculous as its core gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition consists of both Dynasty Warriors 8, which released on the PlayStation 3 last summer, and the Xtreme Legends expansion, which can also be purchased separately as a standalone title on Sony's ageing console. The latter...
Review Deception IV: Blood Ties (PlayStation Vita)
Showing some skin
Did you ever watch Home Alone and ask yourself whether it’d be more entertaining with giant, bloody traps and massive buildings? Deception IV: Blood Ties is just like that, only instead of the main character being a lucky little albino kid whose parents hate him, you play as Satan’s daughter, a young woman who has a horrible...
Review Awesomenauts Assemble! (PlayStation 4)
It's rude to double-dip
If you only tend to focus on the big titles released for Sony’s parallelogram-shaped machine, then you may have missed out on some of the memorable indie experiences deployed over the past few months. One such game is Ronimo Games' recently re-visited Awesomenauts Assemble!, a next-gen version of the 2012 multiplayer online...
Review Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (PlayStation 3)
Dead and Alive
Ryu Hayabusa – gaming icon and goody two-shoes – is a little bit too awesome, don’t you think? He’s worked his way through some of the hardest games on the market, hardly breaking a sweat. He’s faced all sorts of fiendish enemies and has come through mostly unscathed. But not anymore – Yaiba Kamikaze, a psychopath ninja,...
Review Luftrausers (PlayStation 3)
Don't mention the war
Dutch developer Vlambeer is known for creating deceptively simple arcade titles that have a worrying tendency to burrow deep under your skin and take hold of your every waking thought. Its latest venture, Luftrausers, sees you seated in the cockpit of a World War II fighter plane, attempting to take out a boundless barrage of...
Review Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PlayStation 4)
Kept us waiting
Hideo Kojima is one of the most talented and respected developers of all time. The patriarch of the Metal Gear franchise has led us on one Hell of a crazy ride over the course of the last year or so, that saw just as many twists, turns, and red herrings as the plots of the very games that he’s famous for. The end result of this...
Review SteamWorld Dig (PlayStation 4)
The crud, the slab, and the clunky
Putting you into the shoes of a quirky little mining robot and plopping you into a tiny town with three other eccentric automatons, SteamWorld Dig feels like it's been built using parts that will be familiar to anyone who's played the likes of Terraria or Spelunky. But while you'll be mining precious minerals and...
Go with the flow
Think about your favourite video games. Have you ever wondered why they’re your favourites? We’re sure that you can think of a sea of reasons, but we’d like to point out one that likely applies to each title on your mind: flow. The greatest adventures are typically the ones with brilliant ideas in every area wrapped in an...
For God's sake
A downloadable and retail title for the PlayStation 3 that’s currently only available in North America, Magus is a premium priced role-playing game that sees you step into the shoes of the aforementioned titular hero in his quest to become an all-powerful God. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. The release adopts a rather...
Review Dark Souls II (PlayStation 3)
Death imminent
As a cursed individual banished to Drangleic, it’s your goal to collect the requisite souls required to prevent yourself from becoming a hollow while learning about the mysteries that surround you. This may be a sequel to Dark Souls, but it exists very much in a realm of its own, and doesn’t rely too heavily on the series’...
Review The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 2 - A House Divided (PlayStation 3)
Next time on The Walking Dead
After a three month break designed to let our minds digest the events of the first episode of Telltale’s second season of The Walking Dead, it’s time to step into the small shoes of Clementine once again. As is customary for the series, we last left the pint-sized heroine after making a difficult decision between...
Tea leaf
Sneaking onto the PlayStation 4, developer Eidos Montreal’s reboot of Thief aims to put anti-hero Garrett back on the throne as the king of the stealth genre. It’s been ten years since the last game in the series, and in that time, undercover titles have undergone a few changes. Gone are the days of instant failures, as the gameplay...
Review Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3)
Three's a charm
Taking place 500 years after the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2, the latest instalment in Square Enix’s mega franchise begins with pink-haired protagonist Lightning being shaken from her crystal slumber by God Bhunivelze. The heroine’s task? To save humanity from an imbalance between life and chaos which has prevented people from...
Review The LEGO Movie Videogame (PlayStation 4)
Block buster
Traveller’s Tales’ familiar LEGO game formula has transformed many famous film franchises into enjoyable family games, with the recreation of iconic protagonists and comic book heroes waving an endearing spell in the direction of consumers around the world. It’s fitting, then, that the recently released flick based on the...
Review Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky (PlayStation 3)
Philosopher's groan
Once again focusing on the practice of alchemy and the need to complete countless jobs for the populace, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is the latest entry in developer Gust's long running series. It's full of the kind of mechanics, tropes, and characters that fans have come to expect – but does the tried...
Review Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition (PlayStation 4)
Super blood lust
Undead shooters are dime a dozen, and sadly the original Dead Nation did little to differentiate itself from the hordes of decaying flesh already pawing the PlayStation Store. With the release of the PlayStation 4, Finnish studio Housemarque has opted to shine its shaky flashlight on the isometric escapade for a second time – but...
Review Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (PlayStation 3)
Co-lette things lie
Tales of Symphonia is a classic JRPG from the GameCube era with a wide following, multiple (mostly Japanese) spin-offs, and now a well-deserved HD remaster. In addition to the underrated and underplayed gem, this new collection also contains the second game in the series, Dawn of the New World – although the primary reason for...
Review South Park: The Stick of Truth (PlayStation 3)
The Elder Trolls
Licensed video game adaptations are rarely the stuff of legend. Films are easily the worst offenders, as you could probably list the number of decent attempts on one hand – although television properties have played host to a selection of stinkers as well. As such, we were cautious when we first caught wind [Not that kind – Ed]...
Review Gunslugs (PlayStation Vita)
Bang, bang, bang for your buck
Gunslugs offers the promptest path to a dose of explosive Rambo-esque action on the PlayStation Store. When you first boot up this 2D side-scrolling shooter, you’ll be greeted to an electrifying arcade song and the image of an 8-bit inspired military agent decked out in a facemask. A dead ringer for famous cartoon...
Review Pac-Man Museum (PlayStation 3)
Pac's the way I like it
Whether you're a ghost-munching veteran or a total newcomer, there's no better way to experience the multiple old-school adventures of Bandai Namco's infamous yellow orb than Pac-Man Museum. Bringing together nine titles that span three different genres, it's difficult not to feel that you're getting plenty of nostalgic...
Review Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (PlayStation 3)
Bloody hell
With the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series, developer MercurySteam successfully rebooted Konami’s much loved series. Now, with the arrival of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on the PlayStation 3, the Spanish studio’s aiming to bring the series to a close, while at the same time attempting to fully deliver on the promise shown by the...
Review Rambo: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
It's over, Johnny
In an industry where fantastic, marketable games are cancelled all too often and publishers are desperate to make up for years of inflation, the most impressive thing about Rambo: The Video Game is that it exists at all. However, that probably has something to do with the fact that it cost about £30 to make. It’s not all bad...
