Latest Reviews
Review Avatar: The Game (PlayStation 3)
Even if you've lived under a rock for the past 12 months, you should at least have the slightest awareness of James Cameron's latest movie, Avatar
Billed as a visual showpiece, Avatar's cost an extortionate amount of money to make. Naturally, with every movie blockbuster cometh the video game; something that James Cameron was keen to talk (and talk)...
Review PixelJunk Shooter (PlayStation 3)
On the surface, PixelJunk Shooter looks like "just-another" dual-stick shooter
But, like the other games in the franchise, Shooter has a twist. In fact while initial impressions may lead you to believe you're going to get a dual-stick shooter, Q-Games' latest has more in common with adventure and puzzle-solving. Shooter is all about physics. And not...
Review Planet 51: The Game (PlayStation 3)
The problem with Planet 51: The Game is that, although it's not bad, it's just straight-up boring
Licensed game reviews usually start with the word "terrible." But Planet 51: The Game is not offensive enough to warrant the word "terrible." In fact, for what it does, it fares adequately. The problem is, when an entire game is as...
Review The Saboteur (PlayStation 3)
Despite being set during the second World War, The Saboteur is not a war game of the traditional sense
The World War II setting is merely window-dressing for the revenge story of Sean Devlin, a bitter Irish mechanic who has watched his friends fall in front of him. Sean Devlin is a potty-mouthed, chain smoking, bad-ass, who is able to carry The...
Review Echoes (PlayStation Minis)
Echoes is a deceptively simple, yet deviously difficult release, that will have you hooked for a few hours before you exhaust its lot
We really like Echoes. It's such a simple concept, that's been beautifully realised by developers Halfbrick. In essence, you control a hat and collect jewels. Well, that's what the perspective would have you believe...
Review Pinball Dreams (PlayStation Minis)
Pinball Dreams is exactly 3
2674% more awesome than the already excellent Pinball Fantasies. If you're already done fantasising over pinball, then perhaps it's time you started dreaming about it. This follow-up port of the classic Amiga pinball title, Pinball Dreams, is every inch as awesome as the 4/4 scoring Pinball Fantasies. In fact, we think...
Review Critter Crunch (PlayStation 3)
With bearded fluff-balls, rainbow-tinged vomit, and a parachuting professor; it's hard not to recommend Critter Crunch
Before we even jump into the gameplay, let us say right out of the gate that Critter Crunch is probably one of the most beautiful games on the Playstation Network. The hand-drawn sprites provide a wonderful cartoon aesthetic that...
The beauty of SAW is just how closely it sticks to the source material
Playing as Detective David Tapp, you're thrown into series anti-hero Jigsaw's "game" with little to no understanding of the events leading up to your capture. The game does an excellent job drip-feeding you information, as you navigate Jigsaw's warped world, escaping...
Review Gravity Crash (PlayStation 3)
Just Add Water's Gravity Crash is a retro-inspired dual-joystick shooter with a tinge of Sony's "Play Create Share" genre thrown in
The shooter includes a complete level editor, allowing you to create entire levels and share them online with other players. Gravity Crash takes a futuristic, neon spin on the retro-space shooters of old, setting you...
Review Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PlayStation Portable)
Jaked Up
After a short hiatus, the double-jumping Playstation powerhouses known as Jak & Daxter are back in full force with their eco-sage hottie friend Keira along for the journey. The world is low on eco, and is tearing itself apart as a result. Of course, as the platforming duo you'll have to double jump your way through the game's...
Review Assassin's Creed II (PlayStation 3)
It's quickly apparent playing Assassin's Creed II just how close the first game was to being exceptional
The core gameplay remains unchanged in ACII - you're still a parkour free-runner navigating an historical environment, assassinating historical figures that get in your way. That's the franchise's formula, and that's what was best about the first...
Review LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable)
Material world
In many ways LittleBigPlanet PSP is a direct port of Media Molecule's PlayStation 3 monster. Visually, tonally and mechanically the games are close to identical; Studio Cambridge do an outstanding job of recreating Media Molecule's vision on a portable system. The single player campaign is new however, sending Sackboy (or Sackgirl) on...
Review Buzz!: Quiz World (PlayStation 3)
The third Buzz
title to hit the Playstation 3, Quiz World focuses on improving the familiar Buzz! gameplay by adding much more variety and upping the sense of big game show occasion. The game requires the Buzz! Buzzers to play, and can be enjoyed by up to four players locally. Online options allow you to once again create your own quizzes and play...
Review SingStar: Take That (PlayStation 3)
The price is right and the song selection is solid, thus Take That nuts will find it rather difficult to be displeased with SingStar: Take That
In all honesty, we could write this review with just a few words: Do you like Take That? Do you like karaoke? If yes then buy, buy, buy. See, we told you. But we're "professionals" so we best drag...
Review Football Manager Handheld 2010 (PlayStation Portable)
Football Manager Handheld 2010 is the best game of its kind
The updates on last year's game are minimal, but the core concept is still engaging if management is your cup of tea. Doing exactly what it says on the tin, Football Manager Handheld 2010 is a game where you manage football teams in the palm of your hand. On your PSP to be more precise...
Review Tekken 6 (PlayStation 3)
Continuing the outrageous story-arc of the Tekken franchise, Tekken 6 opens to a lengthy introduction reminding you all the events of the King Of Iron Fist tournament thus far
The drill remains pretty familiar in Tekken 6: corporations rule the world, with many clashing along their relevant paths. With the bad blood already flowing through the...
Review DJ Hero (PlayStation 3)
Covering the electro, hip-hop, pop and dance arm of Activision's massive "Hero" franchise, DJ Hero puts you behind the decks as a master DJ, cutting and scratching yourself between tracks to make interesting mash-ups
DJ Hero comes with a great controller, which represents the turntable and mixer of a real DJ's set-up. The turntable is topped with...
Review NBA 2K10 (PlayStation 3)
NBA 2K10 may be plagued by a choppy framerate and numerous bugs, but it still holds together to provide an explosive representation of basketball
The greatest strength in NBA 2K10's arsenal is the real upbeat, fast paced sense of occasion that NBA Live 2010 didn't deliver. NBA 2K10 is frenetic, and often break-neck. It's hardly realistic, but it's...
Review Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PlayStation Portable)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an enhanced port of the Nintendo DS game that debuted to critical acclaim earlier in the year
The plot is much more tongue-in-cheek than in the relatively dark Grand Theft Auto IV. You play Huang Lee, the son of murdered crime-lord looking to avenge the death of his father. Unfortunately, Huang's arrival sees him...
Review LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PlayStation Portable)
LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival may not be a full-on sequel, but it's still all-singing, all dancing fun
It's outrageously good value for money too. LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival is still as boisterous as you might expect. The dastardly BuiBui from the previous two games have returned and kidnapped the sleeping LocoRoco. If they can escape the hazardous...
Sent on a rich safari working for clients such as National Geographic, Afrika is a photography simulator in which you scope landscapes for the best possible wildlife photographs
You'll unlock varying equipment along the way, allowing you to take better photographs and learn new techniques. Afrika is a fairly large game, with plenty of environments...
Review Fairytale Fights (PlayStation 3)
In a twisted sub-universe, the heros and heroines of some of our most favourite fairytales aren't happy
Cue Fairytale Fights, a heavily violent take on the often sweet and innocent world of children's literature. Here, Little Red Riding Hood chops the limbs from lumberjacks and the heads off gingerbread men. Fairytale Fights is a bleak game set in a...
Review Mushroom Wars (PlayStation 3)
Everything about Mushroom Wars is minimalistic
The basic bubble menus, clean level design and easy to pick up controls make Mushroom Wars an RTS-lite. Unlike the punishing learning curve of most RTS games, Mushroom Wars is extremely easy to pick up. You can upgrade mushroom houses by hitting the L1 button, and distribute fungi-grunts between...
Review NBA Live 10 (PlayStation 3)
NBA Live 10 looks great and plays with refined vigour
It's not without its problems, but if basketball is your thing - there's plenty here to enjoy. Having somewhat lost its mojo in recent years, NBA Live 10 is a fairly big step forward for the franchise. Graphically the game has come a decent length, with player animation vastly improved, making...
Review Vempire (PSP Minis) (PlayStation Portable)
Simplistic in almost every-regard; Vempire is a bright and buoyant bout of match-four with a price-tag just 200-pence short of excellent
Switch the quadrant to match the squares. It's a mechanic popularised by Bejewelled and borrowed by Impressionware's victorian gothic themed PSP Minis debut. Vempire is certainly not deceiving to be any more than...
Review Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PlayStation 3)
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a queer beast
As a thoroughly realistic military shooter, it achieves everything it sets out to achieve. But next to the brash set-pieces of Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare, it feels sterile without the smoke and mirrors. Be assured though, if it's realism you seek, Operation Flashpoint will gratefully satisfy...
Review FIFA 10 (PlayStation 3)
Fifa 10 is the latest update in EA Sports' popular Fifa franchise
One of the biggest titles in the world, Fifa 10 builds upon the excellent Fifa 09 which caused a paradigm shift in football games and actually ended up being the superior product when compared to the usual front runner Pro Evolution Soccer. Fifa 10 brings with it a number of new buzz...
Review Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam (PlayStation Minis)
Like a limited edition McDonalds meal, Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam is a novel one-off that's tantalising despite its inflated price tag and health concerns
The health concerns in Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam's case are not related to weight concerns, but instead hand cramps. Y'see, before we get started we want to clarify our biggest gripe with Cooking Jam...
Review Pinball Fantasies (PlayStation Minis)
Three questions: Do you like pinball? Do you own a PSP? Can you go without lunch to pay for the game? If you answered all yes to our little questionnaire, then you really should be asking yourself why you're not playing Pinball Fantasies right now
Pinball Fantasies is an old game. Commodore Amiga old actually. But who the hell cares when it still...
Review Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank (PlayStation 3)
Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank is a frantic, fast and pretty enjoyable 2D blaster; chances are you've seen it all before though
With the war against the Red Star Forces almost lost, there's just one last weapon on hand to save the day. The atomic tank, a mobile power-house that travels across flat terrain, is prepared to save the day, and you're piloting...
