Latest Reviews
Review NBA 2K23 (PS5) - Not Even Microtransactions Can Ruin Revolutionary Franchise Mode
Find out what all the hoopla is about
NBA 2K23 is absolutely enormous. Look, we know that’s not necessarily what you expected to read: you thought we were going to tell you it’s another copy-and-paste basketball sim from 2K Sports – but this is so much more than a roster swap. The game has age-old issues when it comes to gated progression and...
Mini Review Wayward Strand (PS5) - A Short But Sweet Airborne Adventure
All aboard the airship
A floating hospital with a mystic grandma as a patient? Narrative adventure Wayward Strand offers this and many other mysterious tales to uncover as 15-year-old journalist Casey Beaumaris. Given three days to wander around and write your paper on the flying hospital's history, the game soothes you into the calm and mellow...
Review Disney Dreamlight Valley (PS5) - An Irresistibly Charming Life Sim
Your dreams come true?
You'd be forgiven for taking one look at Disney Dreamlight Valley and writing it off as a microtransaction-laden mobile port designed to occupy your attention in the bathroom. You're presented with a mashup of Disney properties in a cutesy life sim wrapper, and it's developed by a studio that historically has worked on mobile...
Review Train Sim World 3 (PS5) - Dovetail's Best Railway Simulation to Date
We choo-choo choose you
It’s been a year since Train Sim World 2 invited fledgling railway aficionados to master its Rush Hour scenarios on the PS5, making the sudden arrival of sequel Train Sim World 3 more unexpected than a London Northwestern cancellation. With crucial engine and user interface improvements, however, this is the best simulation...
Review F1 Manager 2022 (PS5) – Frontier's Management Sim Takes Pole Position
Stroll in the park
Let's get one thing clear: if you’re searching for a high-speed simulation racer that puts you toe-to-toe with Max Verstappen, F1 Manager 2022 isn’t for you. Marking the first entry in a new F1 Manager series, Frontier Developments takes a different approach from Codemasters’ F1 22, swapping the driver’s seat for the pit...
Mini Review LEGO Brawls (PS5) - An Embarrassing Multiplayer Outing for LEGO
Back in the LEGO bin it goes
For years, LEGO games have carried around a reputation for being quality, kid-friendly titles that can be enjoyed by players of all ages. From classics like LEGO Star Wars to the recent LEGO Builder's Journey, there's hardly a modern LEGO game you can call downright bad. That is, until LEGO Brawls released on consoles,...
Review Steelrising (PS5) - French Souls-Like Is Almost Great
Robotic revolution
After years of mediocre RPGs and second-rate detective titles, Spiders Studio finally began to realise its potential in 2019 with GreedFall. A genuinely good role-playing game with rich world building and solid combat, it was proof the French team had the capabilities to produce something special. Three years and a genre change...
Mini Review The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition (PS4) - New Improvements Can't Fix Everything
Back to work
The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition is aptly named, rising from the ashes of the original, short-lived version. While largely the same game you remember from 2016, this iteration ditches the free-to-play structure, introduces new features, and refreshes the experience in various other ways. Whether those changes are enough to make...
Review Madden NFL 23 (PS5) - EA Sports Settles for Another Safe Five Yard Gain
Thanks, coach
The story goes that John Madden refused to sign off on EA Sports’ original football sim until it put 22 players on the field. The rest, of course, is history – and the Madden NFL franchise has been striving for realism ever since. That ambition comes in the form of a few buzzwords this year, including the distinctly marketing-led...
Error error error error error!
A remaster complete with additional features, characters, and combat adjustments, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R remains an excellent adaptation of the popular anime and manga property at its core. The attention to detail is often outstanding, with the game referencing all kinds of interactions and events...
Mini Review Inscryption (PS5) - The Most Unique Game You Will Play All Year
Heart of the cards
Inscryption is one of those games where the less you know the better. A card battling roguelike on first impression, it's what happens outside those duels where the true magic lies. Daniel Mullins has crafted a deceiving title full of layers and surprises; pulling them back and learning how they tick is what makes Inscryption...
Review The Last of Us: Part I (PS5) - A Better, More Beautiful Remake of a Modern Classic
It wasn't for nothing
The Last of Us: Part I feels like how you remember Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed 2013 survival horror, which is both a blessing and a bit of a curse. In many ways, this PS5 re-release blurs the lines between remake and remaster, overhauling the original in almost all areas, without tinkering with what made it so great...
Review Granblue Fantasy Versus - Superbly Crafted Fighter Is a Joy to Play and Behold
Sky's the limit
Republished on Wednesday 31st August 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. A fighting game adaptation of the immensely popular mobile title, Granblue Fantasy Versus stands as yet another shining example of developer Arc...
Mini Review Toem (PS5) - Photography Puzzler Is a Picture Perfect Adventure
Say "cheese"
Republished on Wednesday 31st August 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Toem is an extremely refreshing experience. The scope of the game is rather small, but that's allowed developer Something We Made to double down on...
Review Need for Speed Heat - The Best NFS for Years, But That's Not Saying Much
Paradise lost
Republished on Wednesday 31st August 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Need for Speed Heat brings the franchise back from the brink of disaster, but it's only brought it back to being good again. The series has been on...
Shell of a good time
Following the fantastic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge released this past June, Digital Eclipse — developer of compilations like Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection — has teamed up with Konami to re-release its TMNT games based on the 1987 series. Cowabunga Collection collates 13 titles from the NES,...
Review Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed (PS5) - We're Just Remaking Anything Now
Close Encounters of the Turd Kind
At some point during the billion hour long campaign for Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed — a remake of 2006's Destroy All Humans! 2 for PS2 — we began to wonder where it had all gone wrong. There we were, running around as a little alien shooting innocent passers-by with a gun that reduces them to skeletons and...
Mini Review I Was A Teenage Exocolonist (PS5) - Choose Your Own Adolescence
Teenage kicks
Your teenage years are undoubtedly some of the hardest years of your life. Raging hormones, school, navigating romance for the first time, aliens threatening to destroy your home and family… Now, imagine all of that in a timeloop that you're destined to repeat over and over, and you have I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. Growing up on...
Review SD Gundam Battle Alliance (PS5) - Addictive Action RPG Is an Absolute Treat for Fans
Breakout hit
Every now and then, a licensed anime title comes along that goes above and beyond your expectations. Not just an ode to the source material, but a finely crafted video game as well. That's SD Gundam Battle Alliance in a nutshell — an almost dangerously addictive action RPG that franchise fans will likely adore. Despite its cutesy,...
Review Pac-Man World Re-Pac (PS5) - Solid Update On a PS1 Platforming Classic
Aw shoot, here comes Pac-Man
Following on from last month's release of Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series, Bandai Namco has come back with an update of another one of its PS1 classics: 1999’s Pac-Man World. Sadly, unlike Klonoa, this is a remake of just the first game, rather than a remastered collection including the two PS2 sequels. Thankfully,...
Mini Review Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (PS5) - An Outdated Family Trivia Game
Back to school
Based on the long-running game show, HandyGames' adaptation of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? will have you or your friends wondering if you should have paid more attention in elementary school. Offering two modes — Exam mode and Study mode — the game is definitely more suited to local multiplayer. You can easily finish a...
Mini Review South of the Circle (PS5) - Antarctic Disaster Meets Cold War
Not every cloud
South of the Circle is the story of Peter, a scientist at the University of Cambridge. Set in the early 1960s, the game heavily references the social and cultural movements of the time. There is a deep-rooted fear of Russian spies and multiple references to the Cold War, and also an underlying gender equality focus to the story...
Review Dusk Diver 2 (PS5) - Fast-Paced Combat Almost Makes Up for Lacklustre Story
Time to dive back in
It’s been a long time since this particular reviewer was a student, but if memory serves it can definitely be a bit of a stressful time. Keeping up to date with your studies, holding down a part-time job, whilst also hanging out with friends can be surprisingly tricky. Now just imagine how much more difficult it must be if you...
Review Saints Row (PS5) - Seriously Dumb Fun Outweighs Dated Open World
The old dusty trail
Believe it or not, it's been nine whole years since Saints Row IV, and to be honest, not much has changed (minus the superpowers and alien invaders, obviously). The simply titled Saints Row is a reboot of the series, sporting an entirely new setting, new characters, and a fresh story — but the gameplay structure that the...
Mini Review Tinykin (PS5) - A Cute Adventure Bubbling with Charm
You'll float too
If you've an itch to play some Pikmin without borrowing your buddy’s Nintendo Switch, Tinykin is more than the right remedy to scratch it. Developer Splashteam combines eye-catching 2D art in a 3D environment, delivering a captivating fusion of Paper Mario and the aforementioned strategy series. Despite the game’s tiny nature,...
Review Soul Hackers 2 (PS5) - SMT on a Budget
Ringo star
Soul Hackers 2 is a lot like Shin Megami Tensei and its increasingly popular spin-off series Persona. It has the enjoyable turn-based combat, demons we've all come to know and love, and vast dungeons to explore. It also tells a fairly entertaining story complete with a spin on social links, character interactions, and hangout spots. The...
Mini Review Cursed to Golf (PS5) - A Fun, Hilarious Spin on the Roguelike
It’s all in the hips
In Cursed to Golf, you are a champion golfer mortally struck by lightning who tries to golf their way out of hell. It’s a great spin on the roguelike, as you have to clear 18 holes on a demonic series of courses or be doomed to a Sisyphean nightmare of putting greens. The game is laid out like a side-scrolling roguelike,...
Review We Are OFK (PS5) - An Interactive Story with Plenty of Peaks and Valleys
Sex, boba, rock and roll
Video games are a malleable medium. Some games are about conquering a challenge, full of inputs and interactivity, with a near limitless number of approaches for how to complete a challenge. Others still strip interactivity back to such a degree that they’re merely paying lip-service to the idea of being a video game,...
Review Rollerdrome (PS5) - Just As Good As Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Keep on rollin'
There's a moment in all 11 of Rollerdrome's levels where everything just clicks. Runs rewarding grades unfit for college graduation are the norm in the latest game from OlliOlli World developer Roll7, but practise makes perfect, and this futuristic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game knows how to make top marks feel good. The Birdman makes...
Mini Review Thymesia (PS5) – A Poor Take on the Souls-Like Formula
Are you ready to recall?
Thymesia is a Souls-like that sees you play as Corvus, a reincarnated warrior with amnesia. Though unsure of your standing in the world, you are guided by a spectral visage that tasks you with uncovering the secrets of "Vile Blood" and "Pure Blood". Trappings of Souls titles are aplenty, with things like lanterns serving as...
