Latest Reviews
Review Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (PlayStation 3)
In what reality is this considered fun?
Games based on TV licenses don't have a great track record, but there's always the potential for something enjoyable to come out of them. Now it's Family Guy's turn, with the franchise's first PlayStation 3 title, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse. Don't hold your breath for anything amazing, though. The...
Review Worms: Revolution (PlayStation 3)
Wriggle room
There's always been a charm to destroying unfortunate invertebrates with outrageous weapons. As such, when Worms: Revolution debuted as a downloadable title on the PlayStation Network, we jumped at the chance to take up arms. It turns out that the tongue-in-cheek strategy game remains a great way to waste time, but not necessarily for...
Review Planets Under Attack (PlayStation 3)
Space invading
Planets Under Attack is a space-warfare strategy game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Backed by cartoon visuals and comedic characters, the game attempts to mix accessibility with addictive, tactical gameplay. To an extent, Planets Under Attack succeeds in what it sets out to do. Its gameplay mechanics are easy to...
Review Chronovolt (PlayStation Vita)
Marble sadness
As part of the opening salvo for PlayStation Plus' expansion to the PlayStation Vita, Chronovolt received plenty of pre-release coverage. The lure of a modern take on the seminal Marble Madness, tailor-made from the ground up to show off the system's wealth of control schemes, was an attractive bait. Unfortunately, Chronovolt displays...
What a Piddy
The indie game market is saturated with 2D platformers. Ever since the runaway success of Braid, indie developers have been tripping over themselves to try and create the next big thing. Pid is the latest attempt – but does the puzzle platformer, from Swedish developer Might and Delight, add anything new to the medley? Thankfully,...
Review Far Cry 3 (PlayStation 3)
Insane in the membrane
Far Cry 3 will find you questioning your sanity, your loyalty, and your will to survive. This tropical adventure gone violent provides the perfect distraction for you to whittle away your winter nights with – and days, too. It offers an exhilarating journey that you'll struggle to put down, and will linger long in the memory...
Review Sine Mora (PlayStation Vita)
Without delay
The side-scrolling shooter genre, so prominent in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, gradually began its demise with the advent of 3D. The newfangled technology rendered the format passé, before refining its DNA into its spiritual successor, the first-person shooter. Those forerunners, however, tested lightning reflexes and memory skills,...
Review Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (PlayStation Vita)
Nine is a magic number
Taking place in the not-so-distant future, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward puts you in the role of Sigma, a young man who’s removed from his normal life and forced to take part in the ‘Nonary Game’ – a sick and twisted creation that ponders whether you're willing to betray in order to survive. Virtue’s Last...
Review Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (PlayStation 3)
Zurgo rush
Insomniac Games has never shied away from experimenting with its premium platforming franchise, but Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault represents the series’ biggest departure yet. Designed to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary, the downloadable mini-adventure blends the property’s traditional twitch-based gunplay with...
Review Jetpack Joyride (PlayStation Minis)
Fun size
You are Barry Steakfries: Nate Drake look-alike, coin collector, and experimental technology thief. Bored of his life in the ‘Secret Underground Laboratory’, Barry makes a one-way bid for freedom. He’s doomed of course, but don’t tell him. It’d break his heart. One of the few iPhone apps to make the jump to PlayStation Minis,...
Review Hitman: Absolution (PlayStation 3)
Murder most joyous
With a six year absence since Agent 47's last outing, it's not surprising to see that everybody's favourite murderer has gone through a few changes. And while series purists may lament the days of yore, Hitman: Absolution still steals the show with its unique stealth elements, freedom, and deadly satisfaction. Indeed, Hitman:...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PlayStation 3)
Future warfare
Following the incredible performance of Call of Duty: Black Ops was always going to be a challenge. One of the most popular games in the series, it pulled the story to interesting new places and built upon the ever-great multiplayer; arguably, Treyarch out-did Infinity Ward at its own game. Direct sequel Call of Duty: Black Ops 2...
Review Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PlayStation Vita)
Portable octane
Need for Speed: Most Wanted takes place in the beautiful city of Fairhaven where the most notorious street racers call home. As you attempt to make a name for yourself, you’ll have to climb your way up the list of most wanted drivers by earning speed points. To do this, you’ll have to prove that you have some serious chops behind...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified (PlayStation Vita)
Black mark
Has there ever been a more maligned handheld title prior to release than Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified? Reviewers (not all by any means), unabashed and damning in early preview criticism, seemed primed to deliver literary blows to the PlayStation Vita itself with the first-person shooter's release, yet gamers posting user reviews...
Review F1 Race Stars (PlayStation 3)
Worth the pit stop?
F1 Race Stars is a game that makes clever use of its license. It takes all of the sport's real-world teams and drivers, and slaps them into a colourful karting game. But while the title initially appears tailor made for children, it quickly transpires that there's a lot more to the arcade racer. It’s clear that Codemasters has...
Review PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PlayStation 3)
Celebrity deathmatch
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a lot like a box of chocolates that consists purely of almond-based treats. SuperBot Entertainment’s mascot mash-up cherry picks some of the sweetest moments from PlayStation lore and casts them inside a brawler so self-aware that you can’t help but smile while playing it. From the...
Review LittleBigPlanet Karting (PlayStation 3)
Stuck in the pit stop
Over the years, many developers have tried and failed to dethrone the Mario Kart series. This year, United Front Games has stepped up to the starting line, dishing out its very own blend of cardboard cut-out tracks and knitted karting chaos, all under the name of LittleBigPlanet Karting. However, despite high hopes, the...
Review XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PlayStation 3)
Martian orders
Sgt Brown, purposefully named after a personal friend and modelled to appear in much the same way, was a competent, proficient warrior out on the battlefield. In the face of unimaginable terror, combating his own nerves on an alien-infested Earth, without question, his fortitude and intensity remained true. Yet, it was his lack of...
Review Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition (PlayStation 3)
Nice chopper
Famous for being one of the SEGA Dreamcast’s final releases, Under Defeat is a vertically-scrolling shooter which wears its old-school credentials as proudly as possible. Updated with high-definition visuals and boasting deluxe features to entice on-the-fence buyers into making a purchase, Under Defeat HD is a fantastic way to...
Review Wonderbook: Book of Spells (PlayStation 3)
Muggle magic
In a generation where Sony’s casual content has aimlessly followed the lead, Wonderbook serves as a stark reminder of the platform holder’s chops when it comes to capturing the attention of the mainstream market. Advancing the company’s ongoing obsession with augmented reality, the exciting educational endeavour is an original...
Review Assassin's Creed III (PlayStation 3)
Talkin' 'bout a Revolution
The Assassin's Creed franchise has taken us to a lot of places – Jerusalem, Istanbul and much of Italy for some — but it's only in the fifth mainline entry and PS Vita spin-off Assassin's Creed III: Liberation that Ubisoft has ventured to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and breached North American shores. Neatly...
Review BreakQuest: Extra Evolution (PlayStation Minis)
Block bashing brilliance
Sprinkling innovation on top of what is ostensibly an Arkanoid clone is a tricky task, but developer Beatshapers has achieved it marvellously with the brilliant BreakQuest: Extra Evolution. Building on the original title from 2004, this PlayStation Mini lives up to its namesake by completely overhauling the block bashing...
Review Okami HD (PlayStation 3)
A game nearly fit for the Gods
In a time when sequels, prequels and HD remakes make up the majority of video game releases, we should start to ask ourselves: what really warrants a makeover? Okami is no stranger to the porting process, having been originally released for the PS2 in 2007, and then ported to the Wii in 2008 without even a major...
Review Ragnarok Odyssey (PlayStation Vita)
RPG oddity
After a great thunderous sound, the people of Rune Midgard find themselves under attack from mysterious creatures from the Millennium Peaks. It’s up to you and the residents of the kingdom to fight off these giants and survive. The story doesn't sound like much – primarily because it barely exists. Between missions, you’ll interact...
Review Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (PlayStation Vita)
Aveline in chains
You can’t fault Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation’s ambition. Ubisoft Sofia’s sprawling PlayStation Vita exclusive not only faithfully repurposes the free-roaming elimination escapades of its console counterparts, but through the corrupt recollections of mysterious protagonist Aveline de Grandpré it also attempts to imbue...
Review When Vikings Attack (PlayStation 3)
Rise against the tyranny of the Vikings
There's a pitfall to the design goal of simplicity: repetition. Many accessible titles tend to eschew this obstacle through minimalistic charm and a compelling set of mechanics. But while When Vikings Attack certainly boasts these values, and makes good use of them, its incessant repetition fails to abate...
Review Sports Champions 2 (PlayStation 3)
Smashing
The original Sports Champions may have been conceived as a direct response to the Wii Sports phenomenon, but beyond its surface accessibility it offered a subtlety that went missing on players looking for little more than a party game. Obfuscated by its shoddy art style and limited multiplayer options, the PlayStation Move launch title’s...
Review Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PlayStation Portable)
A fang-tastic introduction to Castlevania's finest instalments
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is one of those packages that sits awkwardly on the fence between remake and compilation. While the main attraction is the fully-fledged modern day remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood there are other prizes on offer which may take a player’s...
Review Smart As (PlayStation Vita)
Mind games
Smart As appeals to your egotistical side. The PlayStation Vita puzzler is rewarding, challenging, and supremely satisfying – but the game’s key ingredient is the way in which it provides real-time information on your achievements compared to other players. Whether it's your friends, co-workers, neighbours, or even strangers –...
Review Killzone HD (PlayStation 3)
Helghastly
Killzone HD almost never happened. Franchise creator Guerrilla Games had to search long and hard for the PlayStation 2 title’s original assets – eventually discovering them in a shoebox beneath the house of an IT technician. Even with the appropriate materials located, it spent many hours sorting through outdated source code and...
