Latest Reviews
Review Just Deal With It! - A Party Game without the Excitement
Bad hand
A theme in our reviews of the recent wave of PlayLink games has been whether a game is necessary. When PlayLink was revealed last year, it felt like something new: That’s You couldn’t have been made without smartphones, while other titles like Hidden Agenda at least attempted something interesting. Fast-forward to this year, though,...
Review Earth Defense Force 5 - Buggy in More Ways Than One
A real bugger by yourself
Earth Defense Force 5 is about as close as you can get to the definition of a guilty pleasure. It scoffs at the realism and deeper philosophical themes that are proliferating throughout modern video games as they become a more diverse and ubiquitous entertainment medium. EDF 5 unabashedly keeps both feet planted firmly in...
Review Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Legacy of the First Blade - Episode 1: Hunted - Off to a Good Start
To the point
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Legacy of the First Blade - Episode 1: Hunted (there's no way in heck we're writing that again) is the first chapter of downloadable content for Odyssey -- a game that's already fit to burst with... Everything. Fortunately, Hunted does enough to stand out as its own little slice of adventure, ensuring that it...
Review Arca's Path - PSVR's Next Must-Have Title
Marble madness
2018 has been a stellar year for PlayStation VR. After Sprint Vector kicked things off with a speedy locomotive system that had everyone at Push Square Towers working up a sweat, we’ve been treated to the likes of cutesy platformer Moss, horror fanatics were swept away with The Persistence, and those looking for a
Review YouTubers Life OMG - A Video Making Sim That's Fun But Flawed
Dislike
This was only a matter of time, right? There's a sim/tycoon game for more or less every profession in some form or another, so one focusing on the noble art of the YouTuber was a dead cert. YouTubers Life originally launched on PC a couple of years ago and, as you might expect, it became a pretty popular title on the video sharing platform...
Review Rayman - An 'Armless PSone Platforming Treat
Ray-manifestation of UbiArt
Even twenty years ago, any love felt towards PSone Rayman's luscious art style could quickly turn into hate due to its spikily relentless difficulty barrier, but a cathartic sense of satisfaction could also be found by perseverant gamers who endured to conquer all eighteen of its levels. As a December 1995 EU launch...
Review Battle Arena Toshinden - Significant But Not Special
Not quite a load of old Tosh-inden
"Play History. Make History." The marketing tagline for the 2018 release of the PlayStation Classic highlights an added attribute of the miniature console in the sense that all 20 games included may not actually be classic PSone games, yet even the less worthy inclusions provide gamers with a snapshot of playing...
Review Asterix & Obelix XXL 2: Mission: Las Vegum - Well Done But Well Expensive
Asterix and what now?
Nothing about Asterix & Obelix XXL2 seems attractive at all from an outsider’s perspective. It’s a remaster of the second game in a duo of licensed PlayStation 2 and PC games based on a series of French comics – and that’s not even getting into that complete mess of a name. Given how inaccessible it all seems from...
Review Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - Not a PS Classic, But Interesting Nonetheless
Back to basics
Believe it or not, but there was a time when the Tom Clancy game franchise that haemorrhaged titles in the 2000s was actually less popular than the legendary novelist himself. Even by the late 90s, only a handful of games based on his books had come out – most of them Hunt for the Red October submarine sims. That all changed in...
Review RIDE 3 - High-Octane Motorcycle Realism
Wheely quite something
If there’s one thing that RIDE 3 has in spades, it’s content. The sheer number of tracks and bikes to unlock, not to mention available modifications, is head spinning. Poor old motorcycle sim games seem to live in the shadow of their four wheeled brethren and are usually reserved for a more niche audience as a result. The...
Review Papers, Please (PS Vita)
Seal of approval
Republished on Wednesday 28th November 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Just what is Papers, Please? Four years on from ex-Naughty Dog developer Lucas Pope’s chilling debut, we’re still not sure this long-awaited...
Heart wrenching
Republished on Wednesday 28th November 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Iconoclasts is the brainchild of Swedish developer Joakim Sandberg. Working alone on the game for seven years, this is a real labour of love, and...
Drive club
Republished on Wednesday 28th November 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. It may look a helluva lot like MotorStorm, but Onrush is a completely different beast. The first multiformat project from the developer formerly known...
SOMAch to do, so little time
Republished on Wednesday 28th November 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Horror games should be scary – but this is easier said than done. Sure, there have been some very successful examples such as...
Review Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight - A Startling Reminder of How Much We Love Persona 3
Lotus juiced
Let's cut straight to the point: playing Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight has made us desperate for some kind of enhanced re-release of Persona 3 on PlayStation 4. The game's moody tone is brilliantly recreated in this dance-'em-up spin-off, and we'd absolutely love to revisit its blue-hued world in glorious high definition. Please don't...
Review Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight - Slick, Stylish, and Oh So Satisfying
Wake up, get down
If you've played Persona 5 then you'll already know that the Phantom Thieves have some sick moves, but they've been saving their best for Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. Yep, the disco spin-off craze that started with Vita title Persona 4 Dancing All Night has carried through to Atlus' latest mainline release, and so we're left to...
Review Floor Kids - A Bit of a Stuck Record
Two left feet
When you think about gaming's history with breakdancing, only one game of note comes to mind -- B-Boy, a 12-year-old PS2 game. It's a bit of a shame, really, as this expressive form of dance slots rather nicely into the framework of a rhythm game. Floor Kids is the latest attempt to marry breaking with gaming, and it does so with some...
Review Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars - Another Helping of Spidey Goodness
War never changes
You probably know what to expect from Turf Wars, the second chapter in Marvel's Spider-Man's City That Never Sleeps expansion. As with The Heist, this DLC pack for Insomniac's immensely popular superhero action game sticks with the established formula, providing a good excuse to get back into the swing of things. Yes, it's more of...
Review Metal Gear Solid - An All-Time Classic
Liquid gold
You’ve just infiltrated a highly secure enemy base using only your cunning and the scant equipment that you happened to find on your way. After rendezvousing with your hostage, you’re showered with a stirring speech on the importance of global nuclear disarmament, as well as the horrific impact of an increasingly militarised world...
Review The Forest – Survival Horror in a Deep Dark Wood
Forest chomp
There’s something rather unsettling about the island peninsula you find yourself stranded on during the opening cutscene of The Forest. While the landscape is populated with lush plant life and bountiful rivers, people initially seem absent and an eerie silence hangs heavy in the air. Eric is seemingly the sole survivor of a...
Review Spyro: Reignited Trilogy - A Platforming Treasure Wonderfully Restored
A real gem
It's amazing how similar the paths of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have been. Both started things off with a trio of beloved platformers on PSone before they were handed to different developers, who made likeable but inferior adventures that ultimately led to the characters falling into obscurity. Both owned by Activision, the two...
Review 11-11: Memories Retold - Inventive and Emotionally Charged with an All-Star Cast
Shooting for something different
11-11: Memories Retold has an interesting proposition: a war game where you shoot not with a gun, but the lens of a camera. In a world where World War 1 is often used as a playground for 360 no-scopes and kill counts, it’s refreshing to see a game that analyses the people tied to the situation in a respectful,...
Review Melbits World - A Fun Little Puzzler for All
Melbits and Melbobs
The first thing you’ll notice about Melbits World, a new family game for the phone-based PlayLink series, is that it’s pretty. Very pretty. The sickly sweet, blocky Melbits themselves are cute, but the worlds that surround them are also eye-catching in a minimalist way. It’s certainly hard to think of a PlayLink game as...
Review Chimparty - Mario Party for Chumps
Monkeying about
Developed by NapNok Games, Chimparty is one of PlayLink’s first forays into the family game market, something it pulls off with mixed success. On first impressions, its art style is very endearing, with colourful characters and nicely-themed levels being easy on the eye. The fact that you can unlock items throughout the game for...
Review Knowledge Is Power: Decades - An Unnecessary But Functional Trivia Title
Decadent
We’re not sure if anyone needed it, but a new Knowledge Is Power game is here. Knowledge Is Power: Decades does exactly what it says on the tin, taking you through questions themed on the 80s through to the 2010s. That’s pretty much all there is to it, with Wish Studios not adding much to a game that was a solid addition to the...
Review Road Redemption - Road Rash Meets Roguelite for Rough and Ready Action
Rev Dead Redemption
To put it plainly, Road Redemption technically isn't that impressive. It's very rough around the edges, in more ways than one, and it isn't doing anything truly groundbreaking. However, it knows exactly what it is and who it's for. This self-awareness doesn't take away the weaker aspects of the game, but odds are you won't care...
Maxima-m Greatness
Square Enix celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Final Fantasy franchise way back in 2016 with the release of World of Final Fantasy. The game reconciled the spanning generations of the illustrious and wildly loved RPG series in this celebratory title that flaunted a Poké-esque twist on its typical battle mechanics. The cutesy...
Review Spyro the Dragon - The Classic Collectathon That Put Insomniac on the Map
Don't Gnorc it
While Insomniac Games has become one of PlayStation's most recognised developers, it cut its teeth with the little known PSone first-person shooter Disruptor, which launched in 1996. It was a DOOM clone among many others that populated the gaming landscape at the time, but there were aspects to it that made it stand out among the...
Review Tetris Effect - A Classic Puzzler Taken to Unprecedented New Levels
Once more with feeling
If only it was easy to put into words how Tetris Effect will make you feel. Unfortunately, there’s a reason we’re here writing reviews rather than best-sellers, but we’re going to give it our best shot. Much like Rez Infinite before it, there’s something melancholy and moving about Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s take on the...
Review Déraciné - PSVR's New Narrative Gold Standard
FromSoftware with love
Long before FromSoftware burst into the public consciousness with its Souls titles, it already had a large body of work to its name dating back decades. But after finding mainstream success with the likes of Bloodborne, its newest title Déraciné offers a glimpse to the past. And while this PlayStation VR foray is unlike...
