Latest Reviews
Review Pinball Heroes: Complete (PlayStation Vita)
Flippin' heck
If there’s one area that the PlayStation Vita is not underrepresented, it’s the simulation pinball genre. While the fledgling handheld may have struggled to trigger the multiball on big blockbuster releases, the console already plays host to two flippin’ good bumper-based affairs in both Zen Pinball 2 and the Pinball Arcade. Sony...
Review Kung Fu Rabbit (PlayStation Vita)
Carrot-y chop
Adding to the slew of mobile-developed indie games that are finding their way onto Sony’s portable console, Kung Fu Rabbit brings basic yet addictive platforming to the table. It’s a title that won’t win any awards for originality, but its neat presentation and simple charm ensure that it’s a difficult game to put down. As you...
Review Hotline Miami (PlayStation Vita)
Do you like hurting other people?
Like the Hollywood classic Drive which provided a large helping of inspiration during development, Hotline Miami is a visceral assault on the senses which often leaves you breathless and sweaty-palmed, but also isn’t afraid to offer up moments of shocking frustration. Part action game, part puzzle title, part...
Review Arcania: The Complete Tale (PlayStation 3)
Arrow to the GPU
A great fantasy RPG should immerse you completely into its virtual world, making you truly believe in the mysterious realms around you. A great fantasy RPG should compel you to the point that you want to speak to every character in order to learn intricate secrets both pivotal and unrelated to the game's plot, and should encourage...
Review Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PlayStation Vita)
Icky mouse
It’s ironic that the latest blockbuster starring Walt Disney’s most iconic cartoon creation is a bit of a Mickey Mouse affair. Last year’s PlayStation 3 release of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, the sequel to development juggernaut Warren Spector’s popular Nintendo Wii game, fell flat on its button nose due to shoddy...
Review OMG HD Zombies! (PlayStation Vita)
Do you have the deadication?
After some zombie target practice as a PlayStation Minis title, the addictive OMG-Z is back as a full PlayStation Vita game, with Trophies, leaderboards, and a fresh lick of paint. OMG HD Zombies takes the original release's compelling mechanics, and gives them a good old polish, prompting you to venture deeper down the...
Review Dungeons & Dragons Chronicles of Mystara HD (PlayStation 3)
Towers above, casting a superior shadow over generic brawlers
Retro history teaches us that it must not be easy to create a fun and hugely replayable side-scrolling beat-'em-up. The genre is riddled with pitfalls, including repetitive gameplay, tedium and dull button-bashing controls. For every gem like Streets of Rage 2 there has been an abundance...
Review Jak & Daxter Collection (PlayStation Vita)
Naughty Dog's legacy
When you think of the developer Naughty Dog, quality and genre-defining are certainly two terms that come to mind. But for many people the Uncharted series on the PS3 was their first experience of the developer, unaware of the legacy of titles on the previous home consoles with Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. The later of...
Review Sacred Citadel (PlayStation 3)
Imitation is the sincerest form of splattery
A group of adventurers are attacked while relaxing in a tavern and must flee a town that has been set ablaze: does this sound familiar? Indeed, as the opening of Sacred Citadel mirrors the events of the first stage of Guardian Heroes, co-op brawler fans can look forward to a number of nods in reverence to...
Five years in the pit lane
The racing genre is divided between arcade and simulation fans. While other genres have fairly interchangeable skill sets, what works in an arcade racer will send you straight to the hospital in a racing sim; the no holds barred action of Need for Speed caters to the former, while Gran Turismo appeals to the latter. But...
Blown it
For a game named Fuse, the latest title from Insomniac Games does fittingly merge a plethora of ideas to create a satisfactory experience – but we're not sure that such meek praise was on the developer's agenda when it embarked on its first multiplatform project. This is a competent third-person shooter that ticks every box in the...
Review The HD Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character (PlayStation Vita)
"I'm spinning around, get out of my way"
The latest title to make the jump from PlayStation Minis to budget PlayStation Vita release, The HD Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character has a lot to live up to given its unusual and quirky name – but it doesn’t quite pull it off. In a hellish alternate universe where sea life has claimed the land,...
Review The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)
Fungal jungle
The Last of Us portrays a harrowing vision of the future that's frighteningly believable. Californian developer Naughty Dog has gone out of its way to breathe personality into every derelict room, corridor, and courtyard, eschewing the copy and paste formula of its counterparts, and delivering an experience that feels distressingly...
Review Remember Me (PlayStation 3)
Who are you again?
A game that has ironically slipped under the radar for many, Remember Me is something of a risk for Capcom, a brand new IP that borrows gameplay elements from numerous popular titles, and weaves them together within a futuristic world that’s perhaps not too far from our own reality. It’s a linear title that does things mostly...
Review Velocity Ultra (PlayStation Vita)
Starship super
One year ago, FuturLab's Velocity was released on the PlayStation Minis label and flew right into a meteor shower of praise. At a glance a vertical shoot 'em up, it excelled above this label, wonderfully welding smart puzzle elements to speedy, frantic laser-play. If you were foolish enough to ignore it when it was originally...
Review Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PlayStation 3)
Once upon a time
Ditching the divisive Call of Juarez: The Cartel's modern-day setting, and sauntering into the Wild West once again, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a real return to form for Techland's underrated series. Boasting over-the-top arcade action, stripped back weapons of yore, and a Tarantino-inspired visual style, this downloadable...
Review Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk (PlayStation 3)
'My alchemy brings all the boys to the yard'
The Atelier franchise has been running for a long time – sixteen years to be exact. And in those sixteen years, developer Gust Corporation has produced fifteen entries in the main series and a further seven side games. With so many Atelier titles on offer, it's easy to completely dismiss Atelier Ayesha:...
Review Resident Evil: Revelations (PlayStation 3)
Float your boat
Resident Evil: Revelations’ seafaring setting may bob and weave like a luxury cruise liner should, but beyond the nautical accessories that dress the Queen Zenobia’s corridor walls, this is a game that feels much more familiar than its crafty subtitle would lead you to believe. A high definition port of last year’s Nintendo 3DS...
Review Terraria (PlayStation 3)
Building blocks
Terraria is a strange title. Its 2D world suggests simple fun when compared to the gritty realism that most games portray, while its quirky styling and audio lead to an often comedic atmosphere. Don’t be fooled by the aesthetics, though – this is a release that demands your time and effort if you want to get the most out of it...
Review Men's Room Mayhem (PlayStation Vita)
Spend a penny
The public toilet is a complex environment, bursting with unwritten rules and accepted traditions. While these standards are not governed by laws, only a brave person dare break them. Men’s Room Mayhem, a brand new PlayStation Vita pee ‘em up from Ripstone and Sawfly Studios, aims to tackle these complex issues in a comical arcade...
Review Star Trek: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Below par trek
If you're looking for an epic and exciting sci-fi setting filled with awful, often game breaking bugs – and you didn't already get your fill with Defiance – then Star Trek: The Video Game should be right up your alley. Not even the palpable hype from the impending movie, as well as the stellar cast, can save this generic action...
Review Metro: Last Light (PlayStation 3)
Going underground
Based on the novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro: Last Light is the sequel to 2010’s Metro 2033, and although the post-apocalyptic shooter never arrived at any Sony stations, its successor pulls out all of the stops to make up for lost time. Set in the metro systems of Mother Russia several decades after a nuclear apocalypse, Last...
Review Persona 4 Arena (PlayStation 3)
Velvet boom
Atlus has had to bear the brunt of much criticism from gamers due to its decision to region lock Persona 4 Arena, giving eager European fans no option but to wait a frankly preposterous length of time for the game to release. There’s no denying, however, the quality and brilliance of Arc System Works' take on the fantastic Japanese RPG...
Review Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode One - A Bump in the Night (PlayStation Vita)
Challenging puzzles that will defeet you
Although your adventure is only just beginning with this downloadable PlayStation Vita point and click puzzler, Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode One - A Bump in the Night's fiendish challenges will truly put you through your paces. The first instalment in the series is barely four hours long, yet...
Review Defiance (PlayStation 3)
Hell Bugs aren't the only bugs to worry about
Defiance is an ambitious cross-media experiment that aims to, ahem, defy expectations, and it gets awfully close to doing just that. A rich, expansive universe packed to the brim with lore creates a world that you'll want to explore and learn more about. However, questionable design choices, oodles of...
Review Nun Attack (PlayStation Vita)
Mother superior firepower
Much to Sony’s dismay, the PlayStation Vita has struggled since launch. There’s constant debate over what the handheld needs – does it need more AAA titles that really show off the hardware’s power, or does it just need more software in general? It’s a dilemma brought about by the vicious cycle of development...
Review Thomas Was Alone (PlayStation 3)
It's hip to be square
Although 'simple and charming' is a worn-out phrase used to describe the numerous puzzle platformers on the PlayStation Network, there's no question that those three words suit Thomas Was Alone perfectly. Guiding geometric shapes through a gauntlet of hazards and obstacles is the order of the day, but while the cross-buy...
Review Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut (PlayStation 3)
Sinner's software
Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut feels like a relic of the PlayStation 2 era, as if it was long forgotten and recently recovered from an old box within a developer's dusty archives. It's decidedly lo-fi, with a framerate that frequently sputters for dear life, regular pop-in, droning, repetitive sound effects, enemies that...
Review Farming Simulator (PlayStation Vita)
Separating the wheat from the chaff
There’s something oddly compelling about Farming Simulator. It’s certainly not the lure of cattle, as this handheld edition of Giants Software’s agricultural opus focuses its attention firmly on crops. It’s not the lush outdoor visuals either, as the title looks like it’s been dragged through a hedge...
Review The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (PlayStation 3)
No signs of life
Clearly intended to cash in on the overwhelming success of the TV show and the recent critical acclaim of Telltale Games’ excellent episodic adventure, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct doesn’t so much as explode out of the gate, but, perhaps appropriately, shamble. The ‘plot’ revolves around the TV show’s troublesome...
