Tag: Platformer
Old-school platformer, new-school technology
Republished on Wednesday 31st January 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Way back in February of this year, millions of viewers around the world witnessed the reveal of...
Review BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 - Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (PlayStation Vita)
Marathon man
Commander Video must be the envy of every eight-bit gym attendee. The intrepid athlete at the heart of – wait for it – BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 – Future Legend of Rhythm Alien never seems to tire of jogging from left-to-right, making our Wendy’s weighted legs shudder at thought of such strenuous exercise. Still, with the...
Review Mutant Mudds Deluxe (PlayStation 3)
Don't jump over this one
Twenty years ago, we never would have guessed that today’s generation of consoles would embrace 8-bit side-scrolling platformers. With the release of titles like Terraria, however, this trend does not show any signs of slowing. As these games continue to grow in popularity, developers such as Renegade Kid are fusing the...
Review Putty Squad (PlayStation 4)
Killer Carrots and Crazy Cats
Back in the nineties, the eventually unreleased Amiga version of Putty Squad was praised by the press for its varied level shapes, consistent game logic, and “masterful” animation. Jump forward 15 years, and we no longer get excited by shapes (unless they’re naughty shapes and you’re a member of Reddit), or game...
Review Skylanders: Swap Force (PlayStation 4)
Sky's the limit
The main selling point of the Skylanders series has always been its ability to bring action figures to life. By placing physical toys on the bundled Portal of Power device, they instantly appear in the game with their own statistics, abilities, and personalities. Each character has its own experience, skills, and level properties...
Review Sound Shapes (PlayStation 4)
Bring the beat back
Sound Shapes wastes no time introducing you to its mechanics. As soon as you boot up the game, you’re greeted to a minimalistic environment, a turntable, and an adorable, sticky blob that you control. As you are prompted to jump to the next section of this tutorial stage, you see a coin-like object. Once you make contact with...
Review Tearaway (PlayStation Vita)
Royal mail
It's been over five years since LittleBigPlanet made a huge impact on the gaming scene – its 'Play, Create, Share' slogan paving the way for what was almost a new genre entirely. With developer Media Molecule's latest title Tearaway we find a smaller but much more focused adventure that's delightfully charming, accessible, and...
Review Contrast (PlayStation 4)
If it's broke, fix it
Contrast is the first game by indie developer Compulsion Games. It, along with Resogun, shares the distinction of being the one of the first free PlayStation Plus giveaways on the PlayStation 4. The title follows a young girl named Didi, who works to reunite her estranged parents with the help of her imaginary friend Dawn (the...
Review Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (PlayStation 3)
Nether say nether
Ratchet & Clank have been phoning it in harder than washed up talk show hosts on a regional radio station of late. Sony’s seasoned double-act seemed to stop trying after the franchise defining Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, with its more recent multiplayer-focused excursions stumbling harder than Captain Qwark in an IQ...
Review Superfrog HD (PlayStation 3)
Princely or wince-worthy?
Superfrog HD is the remake of an Amiga classic from 1993 and was made by the trusted people at Team 17, who are famous for the Worms series. The narrative is not really groundbreaking, but it tells the sweet love story of a prince and a princess. As with all magical kingdoms, though, fate has something else in mind for the...
Review Rayman Legends (PlayStation 3)
A symphony written in gameplay
With Rayman Origins setting a new standard for everyone's favourite French hero, and rubbing shoulders with the leaders in the platforming genre, Michel Ancel's long overdue sequel has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, Rayman Legends is a tremendously fun and brilliantly designed title that is the very definition of a...
Review Spelunky (PlayStation Vita)
Fortune and glory, kid
How far are you willing to go for the sake of a solid gold bar? Are you prepared to take a leap of faith over what could be a bottomless pit? Would you test your mettle against a horde of vicious snakes? Is the promise of that shiny metal enough to make you risk all of your progress so far? These are just some of the questions...
Review DuckTales: Remastered (PlayStation 3)
A-woo-hoo
The original DuckTales waddled onto the NES in 1989, and for over twenty years, it has been remembered fondly by those that played it. But it isn’t just the game that has lingered in the darkest recesses of a generation’s memories, as so too has the television show. From the infectious theme song to the original voice actors,...
Review Do Not Fall (PlayStation 3)
Free fallin'
Abiding to the rules of the title proves to be a bit of a challenge in Do Not Fall, but it's a task worth trying. Despite some minor repetition niggles, this puzzle platformer is a lot of fun – even if it does flirt ever so slightly with the bonkers side. The premise harks back to the days of yore, where video games possessed a...
Review The Smurfs 2: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Feeling blue
One may assume that the business of producing low-budget movie tie-ins died with the untimely self-destruction of THQ, but Ubisoft has boldly picked up the slack with The Smurfs 2: The Video Game, and, as is normally the case with these sorts of releases, the results aren't particularly positive. The evil Gargamel and his two...
Review Cloudberry Kingdom (PlayStation 3)
Hop, skip, and jetpack
Cloudberry Kingdom sounds a bit like one of those free-to-play cutesy-looking titles that you’d usually find on Facebook – probably having something to do with trading fruit to friends while maintaining a happy little kingdom full of poorly illustrated, smiling animals. Thankfully, hidden under the game’s somewhat...
Review Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PlayStation Vita)
Icky mouse
It’s ironic that the latest blockbuster starring Walt Disney’s most iconic cartoon creation is a bit of a Mickey Mouse affair. Last year’s PlayStation 3 release of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, the sequel to development juggernaut Warren Spector’s popular Nintendo Wii game, fell flat on its button nose due to shoddy...
Review Jak & Daxter Collection (PlayStation Vita)
Naughty Dog's legacy
When you think of the developer Naughty Dog, quality and genre-defining are certainly two terms that come to mind. But for many people the Uncharted series on the PS3 was their first experience of the developer, unaware of the legacy of titles on the previous home consoles with Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. The later of...
Review The HD Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character (PlayStation Vita)
"I'm spinning around, get out of my way"
The latest title to make the jump from PlayStation Minis to budget PlayStation Vita release, The HD Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character has a lot to live up to given its unusual and quirky name – but it doesn’t quite pull it off. In a hellish alternate universe where sea life has claimed the land,...
Review Thomas Was Alone (PlayStation 3)
It's hip to be square
Although 'simple and charming' is a worn-out phrase used to describe the numerous puzzle platformers on the PlayStation Network, there's no question that those three words suit Thomas Was Alone perfectly. Guiding geometric shapes through a gauntlet of hazards and obstacles is the order of the day, but while the cross-buy...
Review Guacamelee! (PlayStation 3)
Viva la lucha
Besides being a brilliant pun, Guacamelee! is a potent mix of platforming and brawling, wrapped-up in a cartoon-styled Mexico. The delightful Metroidvania-inspired adventure takes plenty of props from the greats that solidified the genre, but gracefully manages to maintain its own charm and personality, resulting in a digital download...
News Sony Unveils New Music Title Sound Shapes
From the maker of Everyday Shooter
The PS Blog has popped the lid on it's latest game for the NGP (or should we call it the Vita?), tentatively titled Sound Shapes. The game is from Jonathan Mak, maker of the popular PSN title Everyday Shooter, and will mix elements of the platforming and music/rhythm genres. Players create their own music by simply...
