Latest Reviews
Dicey Dungeons (& Dragons)
Republished on Wednesday 26th January, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Just in time to gear us up for the 2022 launch of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, one of the best Borderlands expansions ever is back to dazzle...
Mini Review The Artful Escape (PS5) – A Visual Treat That's Light on Gameplay
This is button tap
When you first pick up Francis Vendetti’s acoustic guitar, you can tell you’re in store for something crazy. Approached by aliens to perform crazy cosmic rock concerts across the galaxy, The Artful Escape offers a visual feast of wild, cosmic insanity. Nervous about following in the footsteps of your uncle, a folk music icon,...
Review Rainbow Six: Extraction (PS5) – Limited Time Event Turned Middling Co-Op Shooter
Live die repeat
The Outbreak event in Rainbow Six: Siege all the way back in 2018 was a ton of fun. It presented the tactical shooter in a new light, offering something different to players that might have wanted a more fulfilling PvE experience than the tepid “terrorist hunt” offering in the base game. Ubisoft clearly felt there was enough...
Review Windjammers 2 (PS4) - Frisbee Flingin' Has Never Felt So Fun
Disc hockey
They just don’t make them like this anymore, do they? French outfit DotEmu is fast establishing itself as retro revival specialists, and Windjammers 2 is another immaculate effort from the Streets of Rage 4 studio. This game of Frisbee blends the best of Pong and Street Fighter to make for a white-knuckle reboot of Data East’s...
Mini Review RPGolf Legends (PS5) - Zelda Inspired Putter Is Bloated But No Bogey
Links
Proof that golf is fast establishing itself as a genre unto itself: RPGolf Legends’ portmanteau paints a pretty clear picture of what to expect. The latest entry in ArticNet’s genre blending brand, this is a 16-bit The Legend of Zelda-esque pixel art escapade that just so happens to sprinkle putts into its traditional adventure gameplay...
Review Deep Rock Galactic (PS5) - There's Gold in Them There Hostile Alien Caves
We dig it
Deep Rock Galactic is a clever concoction of moreish gaming staples that makes you wonder why it hasn't been done before. Each co-op excursion is some combination of shooting down waves of enemies and mining or searching for resources, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable, highly replayable experience. Playing as a group of up to four dwarves,...
Review Persona 5 Strikers (PS4) - A Must-Play for Fans of Persona 5
Honour among Phantom Thieves
Republished on Wednesday 29th December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Before we get started, let's make one thing clear: Persona 5 Strikers is a direct sequel to Persona 5. It is not the kind of action game...
Review DIRT 5 (PS5) - Raucous Arcade Racer Looks and Plays Best on Next-Gen
Mucking around
Republished on Wednesday 29th December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. We've already delivered our main verdict on DIRT 5 with the PlayStation 4 release, which you can read about through the link. However, Codemasters has...
Review DIRT 5 (PS4) - Rambunctious Off-Road Racer Returns with Plenty of Personality
Va va vroom
Republished on Wednesday 29th December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. The DIRT franchise has gone through a lot of change over the years. The second and third entries deviated from the pure rally experience, going big on...
You've got to have fate
Just like the game's fateless protagonist, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn exists against all odds. This is a brand new expansion to a game that first released ten years ago, from the same development team that brought us the remastered Re-Reckoning in 2020. It's an incredibly strange scenario, but hardcore...
Mini Review Among Us (PS5) - Social Deduction Sensation Is Best with Buddies
Sus'
Among Us is fashionably late to the PlayStation party. The game – which became a social sensation a couple of years back – has largely waned in popularity since exploding on streaming sites like Twitch, but with a price point less than a skinny latte and full crossplay compatibility, is there anything sus’ about this overdue port? Well,...
Mini Review Cricket 22: The Official Game of the Ashes - Not Bad But Won't Bowl You Over
A not-so sticky wicket
Ah, cricket. It’s a sport so steeped in tradition that when Australia and England come to blows, they compete not over silverware but a small urn. Cricket 22 has released just in time for the Ashes, and if Big Ant Studios was banking on an exciting series to drive sales for six, well, it’ll be scratching its head watching...
Mini Review Praey for the Gods (PS5) - A Commendable But Heavily Flawed Take on a Classic
A shadow of its inspiration
Praey for the Gods will no doubt look instantly familiar to PlayStation veterans. Developed by No Matter Studios, the team has always been open about the game's stark similarities to Shadow of the Colossus, one of Sony's most iconic games. It largely follows the same structure, tasking you with traversing a frozen...
You could be fine
When Terminator: Resistance first launched back in 2019, it was hard to ignore how much this glorified bit of fan-service was hampered by a lack of time and money. Sure, Teyon and Reef Entertainment had nailed the tone and atmosphere of the future war setting briefly glimpsed in Cameron’s movies, but it left a lot to be desired...
Mini Review Aeterna Noctis (PS5) - A Solid Yet Familiar Metroidvania
Nothing hollow about this
Right away, Aeterna Noctis feels familiar. With its grim, dirty visuals, melancholy music, and deadly enemies, the overall vibe of the game is remarkably similar to Hollow Knight. There’s a temptation to label Aeterna Noctis as an overly safe homage to its inspiration and call it a day, but thankfully there’s enough...
Mini Review Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
He's not the Masaya, he's a very Wor-ty boy
A distinctive art style can elevate a retro game into becoming engraved in our memories, for example many shoot-'em-up fans vividly remember the visual design of the Bydo Empire, with its biomechanical theme, and bosses like Dobkeratops as a defining part of R-Type. In 1991 magazines, like Issue 113 of...
Mini Review Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (PS4) - A Puzzlingly Great Spin-Off
For Shovelry!
If you’re hoping for a platformer like Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you won’t find it here. For Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, Yacht Club Games and VINE have created a falling block puzzle game with roguelite elements. Working as a sequel/spin-off, Shovel Knight’s been transported into the Pocket Dungeon after encountering a...
Mini Review Serious Sam 4 (PS5) - Mental Breakdown
Seriously disappointing
Serious Sam 4 almost immediately disappoints. That’s not to say it’s bad — it's another generally playable slice of carnage in the long-running series — but it’s also yet another prequel, a fifth game in which the villain, the tastefully named “Mental”, does not make an appearance. It's another shooter much like...
Mini Review Twelve Minutes (PS5) - Weird Twist Spoils an Otherwise Intriguing Story
Groundhog minutes
Twelve Minutes begins with you getting home to your shoebox-sized apartment after a long day’s work. Your wife has planned a lovely evening for the two of you, complete with romantic candles and your favourite dessert. After a small amount of pleasant chit-chat there’s a knock on the door; a police officer barges in and arrests...
Mini Review Heavenly Bodies (PS5) - Zero Gravity Adventure Frustrates as Much as It Entertains
Manned mission to madness
We shouldn't need to tell you how scary the dangers of things going wrong in zero-g are; the movie Gravity eloquently made that point already. Heavenly Bodies takes itself less seriously, but the peril of floating off into nothingness still looms over an otherwise goofy, intentionally awkward game. Playing alone or with...
Mini Review Chorus (PS5) - Stunning Space Exploration with Slick Combat
Sing it with me
If there's one thing developer Fishlabs knows well, it's space combat and exploration. Despite little previous experience with PlayStation hardware, its PS5 debut Chorus shares many similarities with its long-running mobile series Galaxy on Fire. As a result, Chorus is a confident first stab at a high profile release for the team,...
Mini Review Beyond a Steel Sky (PS5) - Classic Adventure Game Sequel Is Held Back by 3D Design
Union City limits
Beyond a Steel Sky is the long, long awaited sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky — the critically acclaimed 1994 point-and-click adventure game. This return to Union City — a towering metropolis surrounded by wasteland in a distant future — manages to recapture the wit and charm of its predecessor, but its move to 3D environments...
Review Solar Ash (PS5) - Fast, Fluid Platforming Makes for an Entertaining Ride
Rei of hope
When developer Heart Machine decided to venture into 3D for its follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter, it didn't just change the perspective. While the two titles share the same universe, Solar Ash is a very different game in many ways. Essentially, this is a fast-paced platformer that puts the emphasis on movement rather than combat. The end...
Review LEGO DC Super-Villains (PS4) - It's Good to Be Bad
The better of two evils
Republished on Wednesday, 1st December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December 2021's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. The latest in the long line of LEGO titles is indeed more of the same, but for all the right reasons. LEGO DC Super-Villains...
Review Mortal Shell (PS4) - A Souls-Like for Hardened Veterans
The Stone Roses
Republished on Wednesday, 1st December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December 2021's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. All forms of art take inspiration from that which came before, but those that do must reflect on those forms and develop upon them to stand...
Review Godfall (PS5) - Good Combat Means It's Not Godawful
Falling into mediocrity
Republished on Wednesday, 1st December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December 2021's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Since earning the title of the first-ever game to be announced for PlayStation 5 last year, it feels like Godfall has been stuck...
Mini Review Evil Genius 2: World Domination (PS5) - A Compelling, Cat-Stroking Tycoon Title
Excellent
Evil Genius 2: World Domination pairs traditional tycoon gameplay with tactics to create one of the more unique strategy titles on the market. As one of four cat-stroking wrong’uns, your task is to build an evil underground empire in a spy-fi thriller that, when executed effectively, will see the world bow to your reprehensible plans...
Mini Review Death's Door (PS5) - Indie Darling Is a Tightly Designed Joy
Open up
Death's Door released to rampant critical acclaim on other platforms earlier in the year, and it's easy to see why. This is a lovingly crafted isometric action-adventure, stacked with engaging exploration, tense action, and a wonderful atmosphere. It draws obvious inspiration from The Legend of Zelda as you journey across an interconnected...
Review Farming Simulator 22 (PS5) - Agricultural Effort Is Franchise's Biggest and Best Yet
Grow up
Despite its niche subject matter, Farming Simulator is a breakout brand that’s been growing [Hur-hur – Ed] in popularity with each instalment. Farming Simulator 22 represents the biggest release yet for German developer Giants Software: it’s self-published, packing more licensed content than ever before, and features crossplay between...
Review Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition (PS5) - A Stain on Rockstar's Record
Aw, sh*t
Where do we even begin with the GTA Trilogy? Recreating Rockstar’s trio of seminal sandboxes for contemporary consoles should have been a slamdunk, but it’s ended up with more criticism than Tommy Vercetti’s Hawaiian-inspired shirts. This is a compilation that succeeds solely on the strength of its core content, with developer Grove...
