Graham Banas

Graham Banas

Contributor

Author Profile

For over a decade, Graham has been writing reviews for Push Square. In that period, he's encountered an innumerable amount of high-quality experiences, and yes, several duds. With an encyclopedic knowledge of games and studios, it should come as no surprise that he's comfortable playing any genre. However, when it comes time to write a review, you'll probably find that he gravitates towards music/rhythm games, and in more recent years, VR. If you let him talk about games long enough, he'll definitely let you know that his favorite game is Kentucky Route Zero.

Username
gbanas92
Articles
455 (238 reviews)
First Article
Tue 19th, November 2013
Avg. Review Score
6.8
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  • Night in the Woods (PS4)

    14

    Review Night in the Woods (PS4)

    Gregg Rulz Ok

    Night in the Woods, from developer Infinite Fall, is the newest in a line of successful Kickstarter stories. Funded back in late 2013, the game massively exceeded its initial goal, before finding its way into backers' – and consumers' – hands. It's an adventure game that sees you assume control of Mae, an anthropomorphic cat who...

  • #5 - Dishonored 2

    9

    Game of the Year 2016 #5 - Dishonored 2

    From out of the shadows

    Arkane Studios' first entry in the Dishonored series was one of the best games of the previous generation. The game introduced us to the "whale-punk" city of Dunwall and its highly-stylised, gorgeous environments. And then it served up a selection of brilliantly entertaining supernatural powers, removed the leash, and allowed...

  • Graham's Personal PlayStation Picks

    18

    Game of the Year 2016 Graham's Personal PlayStation Picks

    Inside and out

    It's time once again for the indomitable staff here at Push Square to share their own personal Game of the Year picks. Every year, we herd our writers together and force them to spill their opinions on their five favourite games of the last 12 months. Usually, this involves poking them with a stick until they come clean. Below, you'll...

  • The 10 Best PS4 Soundtracks of 2016

    15

    Feature The 10 Best PS4 Soundtracks of 2016

    Hitting the right notes

    Another year gone. Times flies, doesn't it? 2016 may have been, erm, less than stellar in a lot of respects, but the games industry was by no means one of the problems. Quality reigned supreme across so many titles it's hard to keep track. Not to be left behind, though, was the music from these games, which delivered some top...

  • What Remains Of Edith Finch Re-Emerges, This Time With Release Window

    7

    PSX 2016 What Remains Of Edith Finch Re-Emerges, This Time With Release Window

    A series of unfortunate events

    Whew, seeing a new trailer for Giant Sparrow's new title was actually quite a relief. The Unfinished Swan released back in 2012, and it's been plucking away at the follow-up What Remains of Edith Finch seemingly ever since. While there have been a few trailers, details have been scarce since the last one back in early...

  • Supergiant's Pyre Conjures Up a New Trailer

    5

    PSX 2016 Supergiant's Pyre Conjures Up a New Trailer

    When the stars align

    We first got our hands on Pyre, Supergiant's – creators of Bastion and Transistor – newest title a couple days after it was announced at PAX East earlier in the year. While the game was rather hard to describe on paper, it was absolutely breathtaking, as well as something that would lend itself really well to a multiplayer...

  • Ace Combat 7 Takes to The Skies With New Trailer

    4

    PSX 2016 Ace Combat 7 Takes to The Skies With New Trailer

    Soarin'

    We haven't heard much about Bamco's sky-high flight series in some time. After being announced at last year's PSX, details were scarce until Ace Combat 7 appeared on the list of playable games at Sony's end-of-year bash. Unfortunately while this trailer confirmed that Ace Combat 7 still exists, we didn't much past that. Barely a minute of...

  • The Thing About PS2 Horror The Thing

    27

    Push Scare The Thing About PS2 Horror The Thing

    Who goes there?

    Republished on Monday, 31st October 2016: We're bringing this article back from the archives to celebrate Hallowe'en today. The original text follows. Originally published on Thursday, 30th October 2014: Why do I love horror games? Well, I can tell you right now that the love didn't start with games – it started with films. More...

  • EVE: Gunjack (PS4)

    14

    Review EVE: Gunjack (PS4)

    Funjack

    One of the games that drew a lot of attention at the launch of PlayStation VR was EVE: Valkyrie. A space dog-fighting virtual reality game is an idea to excite just about anyone. But what you may not have known is that Crowd Control Productions – usually referred to as CCP – has actually releasing a second VR game at launch. This is...

  • Harmonix Music VR (PS4)

    3

    Review Harmonix Music VR (PS4)

    Off-beat?

    As part of the launch lineup for Sony's PlayStation VR headset, there are a wealth of games, alongside some less interactive experiences. In between each of these is Harmonix Music VR, which fits neither bracket. The package boasts several different types of experience for you to mess around with. All of them involve playing music and...

  • The Assembly (PS4)

    16

    Review The Assembly (PS4)

    Additional assembly required

    We knew going in that the promise of Sony's cheaper PlayStation VR headset meant that the graphical output was going to be inferior to that of its competition. Even with this knowledge, some of the titles have been shockingly unimpressive. It's easier to work around the headset's lower specs when using abstract art...

  • Thumper (PS4)

    23

    Review Thumper (PS4)

    Thumpin'

    Virtual reality is a new addition to Sony's gaming repertoire, and with it has arrived a glut of new experiences and games. In fact, PlayStation VR has secured an impressively robust launch lineup with upwards of 20 titles on day one. Sure, not all of them can be winners – but luckily, Thumper is. A rhythm game described by the two-man...

  • Virginia (PS4)

    17

    Review Virginia (PS4)

    Shoulda stayed home

    It always stings a little when you get your hopes up for a game and it disappoints you upon release. Sure, there are different tiers to this; for instance, it's hard to find a recent game that upset more people at launch than No Man's Sky. But often that initial letdown leads to hyperbole; there are titles that fall short of...

  • Trying to Solve a Mystery in Virginia

    11

    Hands On Trying to Solve a Mystery in Virginia

    That game you like is going to come back in style

    We recently spent some hands-on time with developer Variable State's upcoming game, Virginia. A first-person mystery title, Virginia sees players assume the role of FBI Agent Anne Tarver. As Tarver, the goal is to discover the whereabouts of a missing person: Lucas Fairfax. We had the chance to play...

  • Hyper Light Drifter (PS4)

    20

    Review Hyper Light Drifter (PS4)

    Hyper greatness

    Games are released all of the time – every week without fail, as a matter of fact. A very large percentage of these are either forgettable or downright terrible. Sure some are okay, but the real joy stems from discovering a game so good that it couldn't be called anything other than a masterpiece. Enter Heart Machine's Hyper Light...

  • Asemblance (PS4)

    5

    Review Asemblance (PS4)

    Why aren’t you helping?

    A cacophony greets your ears upon starting up Asemblance. Alarms blare somewhere in the distance as a synthetic voice asks you why you aren't helping, how you feel, and what you remember. The problem is, we don't remember anything. How could we? We just started. Nilo Studios' debut makes a rather striking first impression...

  • Stunning Rhythm Game Thumper Secures Release Date Alongside PlayStation VR

    4

    News Stunning Rhythm Game Thumper Secures Release Date Alongside PlayStation VR

    Drool-worthy

    Playstation VR's launch lineup just got a whole lot more exciting. Indie dev, Drool - comprised of a pair of former Harmonix employees - has announced that its incredible rhythm game, Thumper, will be launching alongside Sony's headset on the 13th October. We got to play the VR version of the game - there will also be a regular PS4...

  • Ballet Platformer Bound Secures Release Date

    4

    E3 2016 Ballet Platformer Bound Secures Release Date

    And it’ll be here soon

    E3 is usually a pretty huge event when it comes to showing off new games. But it's also a big day for telling people when they'll be able to get their hands on games, too. For instance, this year's E3 saw an absolute monster load of titles get release dates. Not everything was AAA, though. While Sony was busy knocking its...

  • Indie Beauty ABZÛ Secures Release Date

    2

    E3 2016 Indie Beauty ABZÛ Secures Release Date

    And it’s not far off

    While it didn't feature in Sony's killer E3 press conference, the gorgeous indie title, ABZU, from the art director of Journey, did release a trailer during the show. Aside from the unsurprisingly gorgeous visuals and music, the trailer brought with it something even greater: a launch date, and it's coming fairly soon - 2nd...

  • CD Projekt Red’s Gwent Game Is Real

    6

    E3 2016 CD Projekt Red’s Gwent Game Is Real

    The rumors were true

    Well, since the logo of an alleged standalone game for CD Projekt Red's immensely popular card game-within-a-game leaked early last week, we can't say we're terribly surpised by this announcement. The standalone Gwent game was announced during Microsoft's E3 2016 conference. It is slated to feature a full campaign, as well as...

  • EA Offers Update on New Star Wars PS4 Titles

    5

    E3 2016 EA Offers Update on New Star Wars PS4 Titles

    All in a galaxy far, far away

    A behind-the-scenes video was shown off by EA during its E3 2016 conference about its Star Wars games. The firm has a lot of developers working on games in the Star Wars Universe, including a few current games, like Star Wars Battlefront, so it only made sense that it'd provide an update. A brief glimpse of...

  • Minecraft: Story Mode Crafts Next Episode

    6

    News Minecraft: Story Mode Crafts Next Episode

    Sixth time the charm?

    Starting 7th June, you'll be able to download the sixth entry in Telltale Games' Minecraft: Story Mode series. With the title 'A Portal to Mystery', the game will look to continue the game's post-Witherstorm narrative arc. The episode sounds like it will continue the anthology-style of storytelling that the series is using as...

  • Feeling Our Way Through Blind on PlayStation VR

    3

    Hands On Feeling Our Way Through Blind on PlayStation VR

    Who turned out the lights?

    There were a pretty substantial number of games at PAX East that implemented virtual reality: some used the plethora of headsets for gimmicks, some to generate unique experiences, and some as a framing device for titles that would be less interesting if they were made in the traditional way. Italian dev Tiny Bull Studios'...

  • Staying Frosty in Zen Pinball: Aliens vs. Pinball on PS4

    3

    DLC Review Staying Frosty in Zen Pinball: Aliens vs. Pinball on PS4

    How could they cut the power, man? They’re animals

    Zen Pinball 2 has received special tables linked with pre-existing properties before now, but the three-pack dedicated to the Alien license – and recently released in celebration of Alien Day – is, in theory, one of the more interesting ones. In execution, however, it's more of a mixed bag...