Latest Reviews
Review Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (PlayStation Vita)
Tasty treat
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz almost represents a return to form for this troubled series. Returning to the original's simplicity, it recaptures a lot of the charm and magic from when the series first rolled into our hearts over 11 years ago. Indeed, its sickeningly cutesy aesthetic is as delightful now as it's ever been. But this is...
Review Dead or Alive 5 (PlayStation 3)
Looks can be deceiving
Dead or Alive 5 is nothing if not utter nonsense. Tecmo Koei has had seven years to stuff its flashy fighting series full of gibberish, and it’s delivered. Unfortunately, it’s forgotten to fully advance the combat systems at the heart of the experience along the way – and the sequel feels like a half-step as a result...
Review WRC 3: FIA World Rally Championship (PlayStation 3)
Third time lucky?
WRC 3: FIA World Rally Championship is certainly an improvement over last year's title. The presentation has been greatly enhanced, with the menus and audio more reminiscent of its contemporaries. Meanwhile, the in-game visuals show far more fidelity with improved detail and lighting. However, there're still some glaring issues...
Review 007 Legends (PlayStation 3)
The Spy Who Bored Me
With the new James Bond film Skyfall out next month, you might expect this year's 007 game to be all about the present — instead, Eurocom digs into the franchise's rich legacy, updating some of Bond's more memorable moments for the modern era. With the successful reimagining of GoldenEye, Eurocom proved that they know their...
Review Resident Evil 6 (PlayStation 3)
Go West
Most people would agree that Resident Evil: Code Veronica was the last truly scary title in Capcom’s survival-horror series. Ever since the closing credits rolled on that Dreamcast classic way back in 2000, the popular view is that the franchise has been gradually getting more Westernised, and slowly shedding the foundations of the genre...
Review Derrick the Deathfin (PlayStation 3)
Not-so-great white
It’s always unfortunate when a game shows a massive amount of promise and ultimately falls short, but in the case of Derrick the Deathfin it’s almost criminal. The game is stunningly beautiful and the amount of care that Different Tuna’s invested into development is evident from the start, but unfortunately the rest of the...
Review Joe Danger 2: The Movie (PlayStation 3)
Movie magic
Joe Danger is back, performing more death defying stunts with style and panache. This time, however, Joe has hit the big-time and has become a Hollywood stuntman. And with his new job comes new responsibilities; he's not just driving quad bikes and motorcycles anymore, instead he must master mine carts, snowmobiles, skis and even jet...
Review Retro City Rampage (PlayStation 3)
Copy right
In a generation where just about every game has some kind of serious story with complex characters, Retro City Rampage does a complete 180 and focuses on plain and simple goofy fun. The 8-bit styled game resembles the original Grand Theft Auto at first, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll also find it pays homage to a handful of...
Review Sonic Adventure 2 (PlayStation 3)
Shadow runner
Ever since the release of Crazy Taxi on the PlayStation Network, people have been asking SEGA to port the extremely popular Sonic Adventure 2 to PS3. Originally released in 2001, the game was not only one of the showcase titles for the Dreamcast hardware, but also an extremely innovative experience. Later the title would be ported to...
Review The Unfinished Swan (PlayStation 3)
Paint by slumber
The Unfinished Swan starts with a blank canvas and a single stirring idea. Blinded by grief following the untimely passing of his mother, protagonist Monroe finds himself locked in a fantasy world littered with problems that mirror his own. Feeling purposeless without the guidance of his guardian, the orphan is forced to deduce his...
Review Dishonored (PlayStation 3)
Rat race
Dishonored doesn’t have much time for modern video game conventions. Arkane Studios’ delectable steam-punk romp does away with unnecessary multiplayer components, multi-million dollar set-pieces and tutorial missions that last almost as long as the campaign itself. At times, its complete disregard for expected standards can be to its...
Review FIFA 13 (PlayStation 3)
Champions League
Compared to reality, FIFA 13 is pure; an uncompromised look at all the thrills that football entails, wrapped in a stylish package that wouldn't look out of place on television. Mercifully it remains focused on the core of football, free of the scandal that so often overshadows the sport presently. There are no faked injuries or...
Review NiGHTS into Dreams (PlayStation 3)
Love the NiGHT life
While SEGA’s offerings in recent years have been a varied assortment of peaks and valleys, there was a time when there was no disputing their quality. During the Saturn era Sonic Team put out several innovative games that defied genre conventions and immediately captured the hearts of the SEGA faithful. NiGHTS into Dreams has...
Review LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (PlayStation Vita)
The whole world in your hands
Sony is often criticised for shrinking its home console franchises down to handheld size – but, despite the best efforts of its detractors, that commentary doesn’t always hold weight. Sackboy’s maiden craftworld campaign may have been animated by the DualShock 3, but LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is one of those...
Review New Little King's Story (PlayStation Vita)
Watch the throne
Our little king is all grown up. After rising to power in Wii's Little King's Story, New Little King's Story sees King Corobo lose his kingdom during one heck of a party. After escaping with a small cadre of loyal subjects, Corobo must prove once more why he deserves to rule by rescuing lands and princesses alike from the clutches...
Review F1 2012 (PlayStation 3)
Go, go, go!
In the high-speed world of Formula One, the slightest error can be the difference – quite literally – between life and death. Push the pedal to the metal for a tenth of a second too long and your race weekend could be over, as you end up hurtling off the track and – if you’re lucky – into a wall of tyres. This is why it’s of...
Review Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 3)
Worth a tilt
Zen Studios sure plays a mean pinball, from Nintendo DS' obscure Flipper Critters through to its Marvel-licenced efforts more recently. With the release of Zen Pinball 2, the developer hopes to unify its past work under one banner for the future. It's a term that's been flipped around a bit for a while, but Zen Pinball 2 is designed as...
Review Borderlands 2 (PlayStation 3)
Pandora's box
Borderlands 2 should ship with a health warning crudely emblazoned on its cover: “Warning, may cause the onset of severe obsessive compulsive disorder.” We’ve never been the most laidback individuals, but Gearbox’s latest Diablo-meets-Doom first-person shooter unearths the very worst in our compulsive natures. Only yesterday we...
Review Double Dragon: Neon (PlayStation 3)
Hurry Up, Broseph!
It isn’t often that you get to use the words “franchise”, “80s”, and “reboot” in the same sentence these days, without feeling a little bit like you’re constructing a joke and that the developer of the title in question is going to provide the punchline. In an era where popstars are turning up on Blu-ray and DVD in...
Review SunFlowers (PlayStation Vita)
Bright spark
The Game Atelier knows a thing or two about putting together a visually pleasing experience. The developer’s previous endeavour The Flying Hamster served up a kitschy twist on the classic bullet hell shooter. Armed with acorns as opposed to artillery, the agonisingly undervalued PlayStation Mini prompted an experience able to warm the...
Review Jet Set Radio (PlayStation 3)
Get your skates on
It’s genuinely hard to believe that Jet Set Radio is 12 years old. To look at the game now, you’d swear blind it was a modern release; the gloriously inventive cel-shaded visuals (well, they were innovative back in 2000, anyway) still possesses an alluring quality, and the quirky soundtrack is virtually assured to get the toes...
Review Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PlayStation 3)
Got the touch?
When it was first announced, 2010’s Transformers: War for Cybertron seemed about as appealing as a collision with a planet eating asteroid named Unicron. The High Moon Studios developed third-person shooter was revealed right around the cusp of Bayformers fever, and despite the Soundwave-esque sincerity of the developer’s...
Review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (PlayStation 3)
Drop-in, bail on it, or does Tony Hawk slam?
When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater first landed on PlayStation in 1999 it was welcomed with open arms and scabby knees by skateboarders, as the first video game to capture what it felt like to skate. Neversoft embraced skate culture so vehemently that a number of their team became skilled at riding a real...
Review JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD Ver. (PlayStation 3)
Stands, but doesn't deliver
“Bizarre” is definitely an accurate descriptor of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD Ver. Not only does it encapsulate the themes and design of the 2D fighter’s source material, it also sums up the decisions that went into the rerelease of the 1999 Dreamcast title. It’s a mixed bag with an eyebrow-raising price point...
Review Papo & Yo (PlayStation 3)
Waking the monster
On its face Papo & Yo is a tale of boy and monster, of frogs and fruits, but beneath its fantastical scenario lurks a subtle maturity that goes beyond the reach of many games. It's a story devised to mirror designer Vander Caballero's own struggles in a family that bore the burden of addiction, under an alcoholic patriarch,...
Review Retro/Grade (PlayStation 3)
Back to the Front
Take everything you know about playing video games and throw it out of the window, because everything about Retro/Grade is backwards. Literally. While developer 24 Caret Games calls it a shooter in reverse, at its core Retro/Grade is a rhythm game and a darn fine one at that. Innovative mechanics wrapped up snugly in an envelope...
Review Sleeping Dogs (PlayStation 3)
Triad and tested
For a product dubbed Sleeping Dogs, United Front Games’ debut open world adventure is decidedly grisly. The former True Crime follow-up – unceremoniously whacked by publisher Activision in 2011 – was resurrected by Square Enix earlier this year, promising much needed sustenance ahead of Grand Theft Auto’s as-of-yet undated...
Review Darksiders II (PlayStation 3)
Dawn of the Death
If your brother was imprisoned, accused of a crime that you're certain he didn't commit, you'd probably do everything within your power to clear his name and support his plight. Except most peoples' crimes don't involve invoking the apocalypse and extinguishing mankind from existence. And most people don't have the Grim Reaper for...
Review Spec Ops: The Line (PlayStation 3)
“Death toll – too many”
Imagine this: somewhere in the seemingly endless sands of Dubai, two innocent civilians are being held at gunpoint, along with an informant holding delicate information that you desperately need. But you’re not the only one in pursuit of this vital data, and the hostages’ lives are being bartered for it. Looking...
Review Sound Shapes (PlayStation Vita)
Don't stop the beat
Ever since we first played Sound Shapes last year, we've not been able to shake off the feeling that something special was inbound. And here it is. Sound Shapes is inventive, imaginative and creative. It melds music, visuals, simplistic gameplay and robust creation tools into a package that's exactly the sort of game that Vita...
