Latest Reviews
Space ace
A call has been sent out to all commanders in the Pilot Federation for help. Apparently things have been getting a bit rowdy over in the Rakapila system, and they’re after some able pilots to come and hunt down any wanted ships in their system. The rewards are good, and with the credits you earn you’ll be able to buy some much needed...
Review Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today (PS4)
A crack in time
Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today is a post-apocalyptic point-and-click that may have slipped under your radar. Depicting the tale of an amnesiac named Michael, this weird and wonderful graphic adventure deals with the fallout of a global catastrophe named the Great Wave, which has left humans plagued by a pandemic that forces...
Review God Wars: Future Past (PS4)
God loves a trier
God Wars: Future Past is a strategy RPG developed by the makers of Natural Doctrine. Whereas Natural Doctrine attempted to do too many new and different things and ended up becoming overly complex, God Wars has taken a more traditional route and thanks to this, it definitely feels like a much more solid game. Events kick-off with...
Oh you
One of the more surprising parts of Sony’s E3 2017 pre-show this year was the unveiling of That’s You via a gameplay trailer featuring everybody’s favourite President of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida. It seemed like a fun game, albeit a niche, gimmicky party title that couldn’t contend with the likes of...
Review Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (PS4)
Crate out of ten
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is billed as a blast from the past when you boot it up, and it's not playing around. Vicarious Visions has done an outstanding job sprucing up Naughty Dog’s iconic 90s adventures, but don’t let the lick of paint deceive you: these are the exact same games that you enjoyed huddled in front of a...
Review Guardians of the Galaxy: Episode Two - Under Pressure (PS4)
Space Shoddity
The biggest problem with the first episode of Guardians of the Galaxy was that the whole thing felt like a pale imitation of the James Gunn movie of the same name. The game isn't set in the same continuity as the movie or any of the comics, and that strategy can be used to great effect as Telltale demonstrated with its Batman...
Review Valkyria Revolution (PS4)
Shite of the Valkyries
Valkyria Revolution is a spin-off to Valkyria Chronicles that eschews much of what made that game popular and fails to improve upon it in any way. The tactical combat of Chronicles has been radically revamped into an action role-playing game to disastrous effect, the story is hampered by a catalogue of issues, and on a...
Review Micro Machines: World Series (PS4)
How the tiny have fallen
It feels like Codemasters has been testing the water for a potential return of its much loved matchbox racing franchise. A few years ago we had Toybox Turbos on PlayStation 3, which was a Micro Machines game in all but name, and a fairly good one at that. More recently, a Micro Machines mobile game popped up, and...
Coming soon
Ancient Amuletor is a tower defence, virtual reality title in which you are tasked with protecting a bunch of crystals from an onslaught of enemies. You play from the perspective of a hero, with the ability to teleport from pillar to pillar, overlooking the various crystals that require defending. The game is level-based with each stage...
Fred the dead
There’s no question that if Arizona Sunshine controlled as well as the fantastic Farpoint, it’d be easy to recommend. Much like Impulse Gear’s sci-fi shooter, this sun-baked romp through post-apocalyptic America feels decidedly old-school – but the novelty of virtual reality more than makes up for its rudimentary encounters...
Don't stop the beat
The developers at PM Studios have had a long track record when creating exemplar rhythm games. As previous developers of the DJMAX series, one could say with Superbeat: Xonic it's created a spiritual successor to the rhythm franchise. What was originally a Japanese arcade-only experience has now become one of the most polished...
Review I Want to Be Human (PS4)
Don't let it be human
From the outset, I Want to Be Human presents itself as a rough-and-ready rebellious ride. A Blink-182-style pop-punk song proclaims “I want to be human” upon startup as the text on screen spasms back and forth, red and black covering the main menu. Developer Sinclair Strange’s first console release is a ride, alright...
Review Tokyo Jungle (PlayStation 3)
Primal rage
Republished on Wednesday, 28th June 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. In an industry which is seemingly obsessed with burly soldiers packing massive machine guns and other associated heavy ordinance, it’s...
Mourning woods
Republished on Wednesday, 28th June 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Until Dawn is much better than you may be expecting. The teen horror title – which was originally intended as a PlayStation Move...
Tee time
It’s been almost three years since The Golf Club bagged up its 9 iron and plotted a course for the user created links of the PlayStation 4. HB Studios’ simulation resembled a present day Tiger Woods: a little rough around the edges but still capable of magic. This sequel, then, aims to improve upon the handicap of its predecessor by...
Review The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind (PS4)
Magic mushrooms
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited is stuffed with interesting places to visit, as you'd expect of such a gigantic massively multiplayer online world. From the frozen wastes of Skyrim to the harsh deserts of Hammerfell, you can't fault the game's environmental variety, but nothing quite equals the strange majesty of...
Back to the drawing board
Get Even is a first-person psychological horror game that showed quite a bit of promise pre-release, but the final version fails to capitalise on what it does differently and, in amalgamation with a number of other flaws, none of its potential is anywhere near realised. The title attempts to blend your typical shooter with...
Crash and burn
In 2014, Milestone – a dev with a very long history working with motorcycle games – launched a new series with MXGP: The Official Motocross Videogame. While it was an alright title, it didn’t exactly blow us away. Skip ahead to present day and Milestone has released the third entry in the series. During that time, has...
Death machine
Nex Machina reinforces Housemarque’s status as the undisputed king of the dual-joystick shooter. This collaboration with arcade veteran Eugene Jarvis (he of Defender and Smash TV fame) is a borderline perfect spin on the genre, as you take control of a futuristic space pilot pushing back against hordes of voxel-based robots. Your...
Review Dark Rose Valkyrie (PS4)
A thorny rose
Dark Rose Valkyrie is the latest Japanese role-playing game presented to us by developer Compile Heart and publisher Idea Factory. It’s set in an alternate version of 1929 Japan where Black Garnet, a meteorite, has hit the Earth and caused a virus that transforms the public into deadly creatures called Chimera. The protagonist,...
Review The Town of Light (PS4)
Old haunt
It is perfectly clear, right from the pre-game warning screen, that this is a game that won’t be pulling any punches. The Town of Light tells the tragic tale of a teenage girl, Renée, suffering mental illness inside the walls of an early twentieth century Italian asylum, and while the characters are fictional, everything else is based...
Riding DiRTy
DiRT Rally was a real breath of fresh air when it released on the PlayStation 4 last year. It was celebrated for its razor sharp focus on the sport, as well as its challenging and fulfilling gameplay. Codemasters stripped away the excess and released a lean, mean, and unashamedly hardcore rally game – and it was great. With DiRT...
Review Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS4 / PS2)
The last hope?
You know you’re playing an older game when you’re forced to use the shoulder buttons to turn the camera. There’s no option to change it to the right analogue stick, either, presumably because that would have meant extra work. It’s a sure-fire sign that Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is just an emulated upscale of the...
Review Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku! (PS4)
Katana and mouse
Cladun Returns: The Is Sengoku! is a fast and sometimes fun little dungeon crawler. The sprite-based title serves up stages that can each be completed in just a few minutes, and there are plenty of ways to enhance your character, resulting in a surprisingly rewarding experience. For quick stints of exploration and action you can't...
Review The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 5: From the Gallows (PS4)
Off with its head
The problem with episodic games is that you have to finish strong, otherwise you risk spoiling months of build-up and leaving a sour taste. Unfortunately, the finale to The Walking Dead’s third season is a big disappointment, and it’ll leave you pondering exactly what the point of this story was in the first place. With the...
Review The Caligula Effect (PS Vita)
μ got a friend in me
When a game features a story written by Persona veteran Tadashi Satomi it’s difficult not to get a bit hyped for it. The Caligula Effect is an ambitious sounding action role-playing game set in a high school with over 500 non-playable characters to befriend and a very unique battle system. Sadly, if you were hoping for a game...
Hacked off
Republished on Wednesday, 31st May 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Neon Chrome is a top-down, twin-stick shooter set entirely in what looks like the Shinra Building from Final Fantasy VII given a Blade...
Review Life Is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized (PS4)
Say goodbye to the Strangerhood
Republished on Wednesday, 31st May 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Well, the moment is finally here. After nine months and five episodes, the first season of DONTNOD's Life is Strange has...
Let the bodies hit the floor
Republished on Wednesday, 31st May 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. It's been a demanding shooter season so far. DICE hit rewind on history and gave us the uniformly proficient Battlefield 1 then...
Review Seasons After Fall (PS4)
The colours of the wind
It’s without a doubt that Focus Home Interactive's Seasons After Fall is a gorgeous game. It’s also easy to consider similarities when regarding the visual style to Ori and the Blind Forest, as its gorgeous pastels remind us of Moon Studios' masterpiece from 2015. However, Seasons After Fall is its own unique piece of...
