Latest Reviews
Review Secret Ponchos (PlayStation 4)
All hat, no cattle
Secret Ponchos is a Spaghetti Western-themed multiplayer game that, at the point of its arrival on the PlayStation 4, is also available to play through the Early Access programme on Steam. This is a little worrying, as for all intents and purposes, the PC version isn’t considered ‘finished’, but yet the console edition is...
Review Rollers of the Realm (PlayStation 4)
They see me rollin'
There are some unusual mash-ups of game genres out there that are either smashing successes or faltering failures. There are RPG third-person shooters like Mass Effect, hack-‘n’-slash action RPGs such as Darksiders II, and then there’s something like Destiny, an MMORPG open world first-person…well, you get the gist of...
Review Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (PlayStation 4)
Familiar faces, too many balls
Lara Croft is back, kicking butt across an isometric playground filled with demons and darkness, just like in The Guardian of Light. Fans of the original spin-off title will feel instantly at home exploring The Temple of Osiris, fighting off alligators in terrible wigs and solving “puzzles” that tend to involve...
Review Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom (PlayStation 3)
It's dangerous to go alone
WayForward has been toying with the Adventure Time property in games for a while now, and hasn’t quite managed to merge the show’s wacky personality with a compatible interactive experience up to this point. Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom finally gets the pairing right, and while it’s not without...
Review BlazeRush (PlayStation 3)
Blaze of glory
Missiles and bullets flying past cars; monster trucks and flying saucers whizzing down tracks; collisions, crashes, and that all-important final lap overtake – this is BlazeRush, a brand new PlayStation 3 racer from Russian developer Targem Games. This drive-‘em-up offers a short story about underground racing and your...
Review LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (PlayStation 4)
Bat to basics
The LEGO series has been on a roll lately, with multiple high scoring titles over the past 12 months or so. The question is: does LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham have what it takes to topple the others – or should it have simply stayed in the shadows? Contrary to LEGO game tradition, the story in this edition is fairly forgettable...
Review The Crew (PlayStation 4)
Thank you for driving dangerously
If you’ve ever fancied taking a coast-to-coast road trip across America, then you were probably excited by the announcement that Ubisoft's latest driving game The Crew was offering the chance to do just that. Even with its abbreviated version of the USA, the scale of its game world, coupled with the chance to tear...
Review Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice (PlayStation 4)
Game of the North
Telltale Games has been busy. The studio has already released episodes for three different series throughout 2014, and the premiere instalment of Game of Thrones marks the fourth and final one of the year. Deploying such a wealth of content – this is the company’s tenth outing in 12 months – could stretch any team thin, but...
Review Teslagrad (PlayStation 4)
Fatal attraction
Teslagrad’s opening scene is bold, beautiful, and utterly beguiling, cleverly drawing you into its world, without wasting a single second on needless exposition. Unfortunately – while certainly a lot of fun – the rest of the game fails to live up to the lofty precedent set by this prologue. It’s a shame, as hidden just below...
Review Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed (PlayStation 4)
Take off your pants and jacket
Welcome back to the land of the undead and undressed, where you are a modern day vampire roaming the streets of Akihabara, stripping others of their finest threads. Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed has been doing the rounds on Sony’s systems for a while now, finally arriving on the PlayStation 4 following a...
Review Speakeasy (PlayStation 4)
Don't lose your head
Speakeasy is what happens when you take a great idea, strip it of all but the very bare essentials necessary for it to work, and then release it at about ten times its worth and hope that people buy it based on the premise alone. If it were free-to-play, you’d feel ripped off. This game isn’t just bad, it’s insultingly...
Dan, Dan, you’re decomposing, man
Republished on Thursday, 4th December 2014: We're bringing this review back from the archives to celebrate the PSone's big 20th Anniversary this week. The original text follows. Originally published on Saturday, 19th October 2013: It can be a tough life being a PSone retro game. After all, you were fresh and...
The pig-eating caveboy gets a second chance
Republished on Wednesday, 3rd December 2014: We're bringing this review back from the archives to celebrate the PSone's big 20th Anniversary this week. The original text follows. Originally published on Monday, 12th November 2012: While many retro enthusiasts will grumble endlessly about how digital...
Review Crash Bandicoot (PSone)
Marsupial madness
At one time, Crash Bandicoot was the face of the PlayStation brand, but through licensing headaches and the creation of other characters, the spunky star hasn’t quite gone on to fill the role of Nintendo’s Mario or Microsoft’s Master Chief. However, the hero’s titular game remains a signature PlayStation classic that served...
Reflections in your rear-view mirror
Before Driver rolled onto the PSone in 1999, developer Reflections Interactive had already delivered two enjoyable driving experiences, in the form of the Destruction Derby games on Sony’s first console. With a physics engine that delivered a fun drive, and destructible vehicles that had debris flying off their...
Review Digimon All-Star Rumble (PlayStation 3)
Digivolve into average
Back in the 90s when Pokémon and Digimon fought for the money of the young, the digital creatures managed to win over many would-be monster trainers thanks to a decent television series, but flash forward two decades, and Digimon has long since past its prime, while Nintendo's catch-'em-up continues to dominate the handheld...
Review Thomas Was Alone (PlayStation 4)
Lonely loner on the lonely road
Thomas Was Alone is the lovely little puzzle platformer by Mike Bithell, which was later ported by Curve Studios. While not a terribly long or challenging game, it released early last year on the PlayStation 3 and Vita, and was well received. In fact, it earned additional attention from us, landing a place in our Top...
Review Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd (PlayStation 3)
Dancing queen
The musical maven of the digital world returns with the release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd – the second coming of the leading lady and her motley crew in SEGA’s fast-paced, rhythm series. Featuring even more music created through the character’s very own virtual vocals suite, does this sequel hit a high – or a bum...
Review Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX (PlayStation 3)
Sora sensational
Square Enix may not know how to do release dates, press conferences, or reasonable haircuts, but it's an expert at HD Collections. The firm's Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster was at least half a masterpiece, and the original Kingdom Hearts collection has become the only proper way to start the franchise. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX...
Review WWE 2K15 (PlayStation 4)
Three-Star Frog Splash
It’s been a month since we saw WWE 2K15’s last-gen offering – a game that we called “a kick in the teeth” – released on the PlayStation 3, but with updated visuals, an improved control scheme, and promising new game modes, is its PlayStation 4 big brother much better? Thankfully, the power of the next-gen hardware...
Review Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 - Zer0 Sum (PlayStation 4)
A hyper Hyperion hoot
Tales from the Borderlands is the latest in a new line of Telltale Games titles, which will be followed by Game of Thrones in December. Unlike some of its more recent comic book spin-offs, this is the result of a direct collaboration with Gearbox, and takes place shortly after the events of Borderlands 2. Considering that the...
Review Tennis in the Face (PlayStation 4)
You cannot be serious
Pete Pagassi is a tennis heavyweight with a drinking problem. The mulletted marvel is addicted to Explodz energy soda, which has put the brakes on his career. After a spell in rehab, the former Grand Slam champion decides to issue his revenge on the maniacal manufacturers of the syrupy squash, and so embarks on a tour of the...
Review Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (PlayStation 4)
Welcome to the Rhombus Room
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is the latest release in Bizarre Creations’ once Xbox exclusive twin stick shooter series. Starting life as a minigame in Project Gotham Racing 2, the untimely demise of the aforementioned British outfit means that startup Lucid Games has taken up the neon reins – and this also marks the...
Review Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 4)
It's Always Sunny in Los Santos
A return trip to Los Santos on the PlayStation 4 was inevitable, given Grand Theft Auto V's gigantic success on Sony's previous home console. An open world with real attitude, the game's sprawling American state is still its greatest achievement – it's full of life, it's incredibly dynamic, and it just feels like...
Review Don't Die, Mr. Robot! (PlayStation Vita)
Avoid droid
Once upon a time on a PlayStation Vita far, far away lived a fast-paced 2D puzzler named Don’t Die, Mr. Robot!. The little ‘bot looked around at all of the other arcade games on the PlayStation Network and couldn’t help but feel that he was different from the rest. With their polished visuals and flashy lighting effects, his...
Review Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX (PlayStation 4)
Save the last kittens
If you've been feline like some cat-based shooting shenanigans, Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX may be the purr-fect solution. This retro-inspired shoot-'em-up takes a fur-miliar core gameplay mechanic, and wraps a gleefully absurd premise around it – but should you pick up this shooter right meow, or is it totally paw-ful?...
Home is where the heart is
Home is the side-scrolling mystery from one-man indie developer Benjamin Rivers. It’s an intriguing title with some horror elements thrown in for good measure, as well as a ‘choose your own adventure’ narrative. You play as an unnamed man who awakens in a house with nothing but a flashlight. From there, it’s up to...
Review Blood of the Werewolf (PlayStation 3)
The wolf among us
Some people just don’t have any luck. As though transforming into a hairy, blood-thirsty bipedal wolf every month isn’t a tad inconvenient, then someone has to come and murder your husband, burn down your gothic home, and take your son. Thankfully, the only thing between you and him is a series of impractically designed...
Review Dragon Age: Inquisition (PlayStation 4)
Everybody expects the Inquisition
BioWare has had to endure a rocky road of late. Mass Effect 3 didn't sit well with everyone, and although there was a decent game at its core, Dragon Age II missed the mark almost entirely when it came to being a worthy successor to the great Dragon Age: Origins. As a result, a lot rests on Dragon Age: Inquisition's...
Review Far Cry 4 (PlayStation 4)
Take a walk on the wild side
Far Cry 3 managed to blend a near perfect mix of open world and first-person shooter, taking players to the darker side of a Pacific paradise, where many of the inhabitants were the definition of insane. For its sequel, there’s a definite feeling that Ubisoft took the view 'if it’s not broken, don’t fix it', so Far...
