Latest Reviews
Review Spelunky (PlayStation Vita)
Fortune and glory, kid
How far are you willing to go for the sake of a solid gold bar? Are you prepared to take a leap of faith over what could be a bottomless pit? Would you test your mettle against a horde of vicious snakes? Is the promise of that shiny metal enough to make you risk all of your progress so far? These are just some of the questions...
Review DuckTales: Remastered (PlayStation 3)
A-woo-hoo
The original DuckTales waddled onto the NES in 1989, and for over twenty years, it has been remembered fondly by those that played it. But it isn’t just the game that has lingered in the darkest recesses of a generation’s memories, as so too has the television show. From the infectious theme song to the original voice actors,...
Review Snowy: Treasure Hunter (PlayStation 3)
Snow laughing matter
Fresh off Beatshapers’ porting production line comes Snowy: Treasure Hunter, a title starring a polar bear with a passion for treasure thievery. But while Beatshapers' porting pedigree speaks for itself, are Snowy’s adventures really worth the £6.49 asking price? Presented from a side-on view, the goal of each level is to...
Review Dragon's Crown (PlayStation Vita)
Worthy of the crown
It wasn't long ago now that Vanillaware released Muramasa Rebirth for the PlayStation Vita, and showed us exactly what it's capable of doing with an OLED screen. In an apparent effort to prove that it isn't done yet, the developer’s second game has already landed on the handheld in the form of Dragon's Crown. Though it may...
Review The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (PlayStation 3)
Should've remained classified
Serving as a prequel of sorts to the long-running XCOM series, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified attempts to fuse the strategic elements of turn-based tactical alien zap-em-up XCOM: Enemy Unknown with a third-person shooter. Unfortunately, while there are glimmers of entertainment, the concept doesn't quite coalesce into a...
Review Killer Is Dead (PlayStation 3)
Crud on the moon
Killer Is Dead is unashamedly stupid. Executive producer Goichi Suda – better known by his nickname Suda51 – has made a living out of his bonkers plots and premises, but the latest product to drop off Grasshopper Manufacture’s production line takes the nonsense of No More Heroes and kits it out in a straitjacket. This is a...
Review One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 (PlayStation 3)
Pieces of eight
Last month saw the release of Dynasty Warriors 8, the latest instalment in the seemingly never-ending hack and slash series. This month, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 arrives on Western shores, bringing with it more vast, hectic battles to sink your bloodied weapon of choice into. You’d be forgiven for being worn out on Warriors...
Review Lost Planet 3 (PlayStation 3)
You know the drill
Lost Planet 3 is a far cry from its predecessor’s grind-heavy, co-op based campaign. It’s a linear adventure that’s driven by narrative, and the gameplay borrows elements from several different genres and other titles. It’s a game that plays it safe, and for that reason it feels inherently familiar. But that’s not...
Review Open Me (PlayStation Vita)
Box clever
There's finally a reason to dust off those augmented reality cards that came with your PlayStation Vita. While there have been an abundance of titles that support the laminated rectangles, Open Me's brain teasers really make digging them out a worthwhile endeavour. This is a fun, engaging, and quirky puzzle game that forces you to, ahem,...
Review Do Not Fall (PlayStation 3)
Free fallin'
Abiding to the rules of the title proves to be a bit of a challenge in Do Not Fall, but it's a task worth trying. Despite some minor repetition niggles, this puzzle platformer is a lot of fun – even if it does flirt ever so slightly with the bonkers side. The premise harks back to the days of yore, where video games possessed a...
Review Saints Row IV (PlayStation 3)
The boys are back in town
At one point in Saints Row IV, your character, the Boss, tells series veteran Shaundi that it’s been “one helluva ride”, perhaps inadvertently summarising developer Volition’s latest title. What started out as little more than a franchise looking to piggyback on the success of Grand Theft Auto has travelled an awful...
Review Time and Eternity (PlayStation 3)
Love will tear us apart
Naughty bubble-baths and tongue-in-cheek dirty jokes are often commonplace in the JRPG genre, but they don't typically accompany an array of mature issues, such as the death of a loved one and secrecy. This is because contrasting potty humour with a deep storyline rarely works, as it’s difficult to empathise with any...
Review The Smurfs 2: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Feeling blue
One may assume that the business of producing low-budget movie tie-ins died with the untimely self-destruction of THQ, but Ubisoft has boldly picked up the slack with The Smurfs 2: The Video Game, and, as is normally the case with these sorts of releases, the results aren't particularly positive. The evil Gargamel and his two...
Review Die! Die! Die! (PlayStation Vita)
Battles of the body
As you may suspect from the awkwardly dubbed Die! Die! Die!, your primary objective in this PlayStation Vita release is to kill everything that you come into contact with. However, what the name doesn't convey is that this isn't exactly an avenue for yet another murderous rampage. As it turns out, this is a Missile...
Review Spartacus Legends (PlayStation 3)
Are you not entertained?
Ubisoft’s first foray into the free-to-play market on consoles arrives in the form of Spartacus Legends, a one-on-one fighter that pits upgradable gladiators against each other both online and offline. It’s an historical premise that slots wonderfully into the genre, but does its freemium nature take away from the...
Review BreakQuest: Extra Evolution (PlayStation Vita)
Another brick in the wall
The humble block breaker has been stuck in a rut ever since Arkanoid introduced weapons and allowed you to shoot down bricks with Moonraker-esque submachine guns. BreakQuest: Extra Evolution, an enhanced PlayStation Vita port of last year’s well-received PlayStation Mini, aims to smash that sorry spate of stagnation by...
Review Tales of Xillia (PlayStation 3)
A tale worth telling
You may be inclined to disregard Namco Bandai’s latest offering in the Tales series, but although it's the thirteenth main entry in the franchise (not including spin-offs), and bursting with strangely dressed teens with voluptuous hair-dos – as well a few girls who need to be told that strategically placed ribbons don't...
Review Tekken Revolution (PlayStation 3)
King of free-to-play fighters
The video game industry is changing faster than a Tekken character’s costume. The digital era has ushered a flurry of new distribution models for publishers to exploit, and that’s left major firms like Namco Bandai juggling dozens of ideas in the hope of happening upon a critical hit. Tekken Revolution, one of the...
Review Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (PlayStation 3)
Fairway to heaven
You’d need a heart more barren than a bothersome bunker to dislike Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (or Everybody’s Golf, as it’s known in Europe). Originally putted onto the PlayStation Vita, this PlayStation 3 port of the sugary sporting sim is every bit as sweet as its portable predecessor. Boasting a bevy of colourful...
Review Narco Terror (PlayStation 3)
Don't do drugs
Narco Terror is a cheesy 1980s action movie squeezed into a pseudo-isometric twin stick shooter, full to the brim with stupid one-liners, massive explosions, and drug peddlers with machetes. It’s a game that’s based on simply having dumb fun – but how long does it take for the novelty to wear off? As you may probably guess, the...
Review Cloudberry Kingdom (PlayStation 3)
Hop, skip, and jetpack
Cloudberry Kingdom sounds a bit like one of those free-to-play cutesy-looking titles that you’d usually find on Facebook – probably having something to do with trading fruit to friends while maintaining a happy little kingdom full of poorly illustrated, smiling animals. Thankfully, hidden under the game’s somewhat...
Review PixelJunk Monsters: Ultimate HD (PlayStation Vita)
Tiki-tastic
If you thought that you'd saved the Tiki tribe from the perilous monster hoards attacking your settlements, then think again. Waves of vicious beasts still roam the wilderness, and Tikiman still only has one defence. It's time to construct towers augmented with powerful weapons and once again protect your kin from being gobbled up in...
Review Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark (PlayStation 3)
Out of sight
Fresh from a successful period on the PC – with a name too crude to be published here – Curve Studios has transposed its undercover espionage excursion to the PlayStation 3 and Vita. However, while its title may be slightly less colourful, Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark retains the assets that made its computer counterpart great:...
Review Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (PlayStation 3)
Damn it all to Hell
Developers have a nasty habit of referring to their games as ‘old school’ when they know that they may not be very good by modern standards. Pitched as a nostalgic trip down memory lane, and designed to serve as both a remake and a sequel to 2004’s Painkiller, does Painkiller: Hell & Damnation dance with the devil or...
Review Total Recoil (PlayStation Vita)
Grind-o-rama
The way that an individual perceives video games as an endeavour, not just in regard to their favourite genre, but their attitude and approach to this fine pastime, determines their entire gaming experience. For example, ask a retro gamer which game they first think of when you mention Naughty Dog and they may answer Crash Bandicoot,...
Review Tokyo Jungle Mobile (PlayStation Mobile)
Beast wars
You might be kidded into thinking that there'd be some modicum of peace on Earth if the human race, along with its wide range of squabbles and skirmishes, evaporated one day. The Tokyo Jungle series disagrees. After society collapses, humans go bye-bye and cities become overgrown concrete jungles, the conflicts of the animal kingdom rage...
Review International Snooker (PlayStation Vita)
Match ball?
British developer Big Head Games racked up International Snooker on various other formats prior to this high-definition PlayStation Vita port, and generally to favourable reviews. So, given the handheld's repertoire of quality controls and processing power, does this enhanced version of the title build a big break, or sink the white on...
Review Dynasty Warriors 8 (PlayStation 3)
Xiahou done
There comes a time when you begin to ask yourself why you’re still playing a series of games that has somehow spawned eight main iterations and countless spin-offs while retelling the same old story over and over again. What could possibly be keeping your interest in a franchise that has done almost nothing but stick to its guns for...
Review Deadpool (PlayStation 3)
Chimichangas!
Juvenile quips, over-the-top gore, fourth wall breaking referential humour, and excursions into insanity all paint the picture of the perfect Deadpool game, and in some ways this is it. You'll laugh wholeheartedly at the jokes and ridiculous scenes, but despite the excellent realisation of the character, the highly repetitive and...
Review Strength of the Sword 3 (PlayStation 3)
One knight stand
The ambitious creation of the talented twosome at Ivent Games, Strength of the Sword 3 isn’t actually the third in a series, but rather a standalone title. Peculiar naming tactics aside, it does do a lot to impress despite its developer's diminutive size. As is often the way with budget fantasy titles, a hellish army is marching...
