September2016
Review Destiny: Rise of Iron (PS4)
Can't teach a Young Wolf new tricks
Back near the end of last year, Destiny was in dire need of a revamp. The release had stagnated to a point where many players had simply stopped coming back to Bungie's sci-fi creation, with the game's first two expansions – The Dark Below and House of Wolves – doing little to reinvigorate the title or fix its...
July2016
Give up the ghost
The hubbub surrounding the new Ghostbusters movie has been so well documented that even the Internet-deprived people of North Korea have likely heard about it. The response to the first trailer for the 2016 reboot of the supernatural comedy franchise has been nothing short of vitriolic, to the point that it's one of the most hated...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Descent (PS4)
Decent
With the summer gaming drought beginning and an onslaught of new shooters coming out later this year, now is the perfect time for a good Call of Duty: Black Ops III DLC – for those who aren't sick of it yet, of course. Descent offers the usual four multiplayer maps and single Zombies level, and in spite of the familiarity, is the best DLC...
May2016
Review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan (PS4)
Shell shock
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that has had no shortage of video games over the past two and a half decades. Whether it be sidescrollers, platformers, or arcade-style beat-em-ups, the series has seen its fair share of tie-ins. However, when the franchise is mentioned, the most famous instalment brought up is TMNT: Turtles in...
April2016
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Eclipse (PS4)
Sins of the sun
With game releases picking up around this time of year, Call of Duty: Black Ops III DLC is a tough sell when you could be experiencing the whimsical magic of Ratchet & Clank or the masochistic beauty of Dark Souls III – and rightly so, considering that the strangely-named Eclipse isn't very special at all. The sun doesn't shine...
February2016
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Awakening (PS4)
Splish splash, havin' a bloodbath
With seemingly every game getting in on the Season Pass trend – up to and including LEGO Marvel's Avengers – it's becoming increasingly difficult to be excited by DLCs these days. Some games, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, have lovingly crafted expansions filled with content, while others games seem to suffer...
November2015
A marvel
Deadpool's PlayStation 4 port is a hard one to review, considering that it's just a straight port – no graphical update, no new modes, not even any new extras. At first glance, £30 for a game that launched a couple of years ago seems a bit steep. Luckily, this is a game that has aged well. On the PS4 we've had our share of bad ports –...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops III (PS4)
Juggernaut
Despite sales remaining strong, it's safe to say that Call of Duty has been in a bit of a slump as of late. Although Advanced Warfare was well received, there were some rough patches, and most CoD fans still shudder whenever they hear the word Ghosts. Now it's time for Treyarch to pick up the mantle, and boy has the studio done well with...
October2015
Raging for the machine
Guitar Hero Live is Activision's answer to Harmonix's Rock Band 4, and seems to be the complete polar opposite to it. While the new Rock Band allows you to use old instruments, Guitar Hero introduces a completely new one; where Rock Band 4 allows you to import old songs, Guitar Hero Live doesn't. The two rhythm games, despite...
Review Transformers: Devastation (PS4)
More than meets the eye
The Transformers license has certainly seen its fair share of solid games; from the PlayStation 2 title based upon the Armada series all the way through to High Moon's Cybertron releases, it's a property that's generally transcended the usual licensed game fodder. Now, the talented team over at Platinum Games has taken the...
Review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS4)
Sick
The Tony Hawk series has been around for over 15 years, and in that time introduced a new genre in gaming. The fluidity of pulling off crazy street and vert tricks, the stunning soundtracks, inventive levels, and rich mechanics made it a true standout franchise. However, like most series, the franchise started to lose steam, with developer...
September2015
Review Destiny: The Taken King (PS4)
New monarchy
It's been a rocky old road for Destiny, but it's finally found some smooth terrain with The Taken King – the title's biggest expansion to date. The new content marks the second year of Destiny's life, and with it comes the realisation that Bungie has taken a rather large step forward in crafting something special. It's undoubtedly...
June2015
Review Destiny: House of Wolves (PlayStation 4)
Pack mentality
Where The Dark Below seemed to stumble around in the, er, dark, Destiny's second so-called expansion, House of Wolves, clearly aims to right the wrongs of its predecessor. Alongside the shooter's most recent patches, the newest slice of downloadable content does its best to make meaningful, positive changes to the shooter's formula,...
May2015
Review Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Ascendance (PlayStation 4)
Fastest food
You know that the world has really hit the skids when zombies take over a fast food restaurant, the last bastion of all that is good in our western society. The blank stares, the lust for blood, the senseless grunting – all of that is gone, replaced by hordes of the undead. In the latest slice of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC,...
March2015
Review Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Havoc (PlayStation 4)
Eating John Malkovich
If there's one thing that was missing from every previous Call of Duty DLC pack, it was the ability to play as that one guy from the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. Also, John Malkovich, whose performance as himself in Being John Malkovich was the part that he was born to play. Celebrity cameos aside, Havoc adds some of...
December2014
Review Destiny: The Dark Below (PlayStation 4)
We can see the bottom
It seems like you can't go a single day without seeing someone criticise Destiny. Bungie's shooter has been nothing if not divisive, but for all its flaws, many still enjoy scouring the same missions and maps in the hopes of buffing up their Guardian. If you're one of these players, then it goes without saying that this...
November2014
Review Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PlayStation 4)
Technologic
Set around 40 years from now, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare attempts to show us a world that's more reliant on technology than ever. It's a fictional period that has its roots in reality, and it's a premise that's relatively believable. While armies and private military corporations with access to walking tanks and hulking mech suits...
October2014
Review The Legend of Korra (PlayStation 4)
Elemental breakdown
For years, Avatar fans have been asking for a good game that represents a franchise with so much potential – but does The Legend of Korra live up to these expectations? For those not familiar with the animation of the same name, it's a television series that's the sequel to Avatar: the Last Airbender. In this world, some people...
Review Skylanders: Trap Team (PlayStation 4)
Money trap
Whether you’re a seven-year-old or a 30-year-old, there’s joy to be found in the Skylanders series. Whether it’s the cheesy humour and cute visuals, the simple puzzles and combat, the imaginative heroes and villains, or perhaps the detailed collectible figurines, this uber-popular property has you covered. And capturing your...
September2014
Review Destiny (PlayStation 4)
Guardians of the galaxy
Expectations breed negativity, and Destiny's long awaited launch has suffered for it. Despite making more money than we dare to imagine in its first 24 hours on the market, Bungie's latest project has attracted the ire of many players since its servers went live. After what feels like an eternity of hype and huge marketing...
June2014
Review Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (PlayStation 4)
Less than meets the eye
Even the emotionless Galvatron would be saddened to see a generation of teenagers brought up on Michael Bay’s visually offensive and canon destroying Transformers flicks. Fortunately for veterans, there’s been a shining light among the countless explosions and Megan Fox pouting that has sought to preserve the authenticity...
May2014
Review The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PlayStation 4)
Spider-meh
The Batman: Arkham series of games have a lot to answer for. On the one hand, they showed how to make a truly great superhero tie-in, while on the other, they’ve inspired what feels like an endless procession of imitators that borrow heavily from its formula but fail to deliver experiences of a similar quality. Swinging onto the...
Review Cabela's Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts (PlayStation 3)
Deer balls under a buck
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts is Activision’s most recent addition to its enormous catalogue of sponsored hunting games. This time, the firm’s adopted a more modern and lifelike approach to the controversial pastime, maintaining many of the aspects of a real-world hunt, but still wrapping it up in an accessible...
April2014
Review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (PlayStation 3)
Half shelled
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows – a game developed by Red Fly Studios and published by Activision – released in August last year on both Steam and the Xbox 360 to a largely atrocious reception. With the game taking around eight months to hit the PlayStation 3, then, one would expect (or at least hope) that the delay...
December2013
Review The Amazing Spider-Man (PlayStation Vita)
Not-so-amazing
Cast your minds back to 2012. You may remember seeing The Amazing Spider-Man reboot at the movies, and you may even recall playing Beenox’s anticipated PlayStation 3 tie-in on your beloved console – but you probably won’t remember booting it up on your PlayStation Vita. That’s because someone at publisher Activision forgot...
