Latest Features
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 528
May this journey lead us starward
Another week has come to a premature conclusion, so it's time to discuss what we're playing this weekend. There's tons to choose from, so here's what's keeping us busy. Aaron Bayne: I'm on the final boss of Stellar Blade so the aim is to get through that. Hopefully with a bit more ease than the last couple of...
Poll Years Later, How Do You Feel About PlayStation's PC Strategy?
Mastering the master race
PlayStation has been porting its titles to PC for years now. The landscape has changed quite dramatically in the last decade or so, and companies like Sony have seen a need to expand their reach, even if it means sacrificing the more traditional concept of exclusive games. Even now, we're witnessing a significant shift in...
Hands On Stellar Blade Does PS5 New Game + the Right Way
A great reason to replay
Stellar Blade is a fantastic game that deserves your attention – but it actually got better after the review embargo lifted with the addition of New Game +. One of the only minor criticisms we had of the Shift Up title in our Stellar Blade PS5 review was that it felt like a game that deserved to be replayed, but during the...
Poll What Do You Think of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Ending?
Materia desires
Spoiler Warning: Naturally, this article contains major story spoilers for both the original Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It's been over two months since the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and so we think it's about time to try and discuss the game's ending. With Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Square Enix made it clear...
Talking Point Have Sony's Third-Party PS5 Deals Made Up for Its Lack of First-Party Games?
Deal or no deal
We can probably all agree that this current console generation has been a bit weird. Going by the data, the PS5 has been an obvious commercial success so far, but there's plenty of conversation surrounding the console's supposed lack of first-party blockbusters — true PS5 exclusives that really knock your socks off. What's become...
Poll Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Essential Games for May 2024?
Plus or minus?
Earlier this week, PlayStation confirmed May's PS Plus Essential update, and there are technically four games up for grabs. We say technically because one of them is an expansion in the form of Destiny 2: Lightfall. If you're looking to get into Bungie's live and ongoing shooter, then this could be the time, ahead of The Final Shape's...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 527
May day
It's been a couple of weeks since your humble host put together the week's WAYP, so it's finally time for yours truly to pull his weight. Without further ado, let's get into it. Aaron Bayne: It's a gaming buffet for me this weekend, which means I'll probably play next to none of them. Regardless though I'm relatively close to beating...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Stellar Blade?
Beginning to bel-Eve
Stellar Blade has been out for a week now, and so we're wondering what you think of this latest PS5 exclusive. South Korean developer Shift Up's first attempt at a console release, the blade-based action game was met with many a positive review score — and it seems to have pleased a lot of players, too. "Stellar Blade is a...
Feature Final Fantasy 16 Expansion Pass Review: Is It Worth Buying?
Final Fantasy 16's DLC offering reviewed
Final Fantasy 16 released on the 22nd June 2023, offering up an action-heavy RPG that greatly deviates from the more traditional blueprints of past Final Fantasy titles. Initially, Square Enix had no plans to expand the game with DLC, but several months after its launch, in September 2023, the publisher...
Guide Upcoming PS5 Games for May and June 2024
Dragon Ball! Elden Ring! SMTV!
On the hunt for some shiny new games for your PS5? Well, you're certainly in the right place! As always, we've been busy putting together a list of some particularly noteworthy physical releases headed to PlayStation 5 over the next few weeks, as well as a larger selection of games that could well be worth a look too...
Poll Are You Playing Sea of Thieves on PS5?
Raise the sails
The highly rated co-op adventure that is Sea of Thieves has arrived on PS5, marking developer Rare's first ever release on PlayStation platforms, if you can believe it. The game first launched for Xbox One and PC back in 2018, and it's been heavily updated over the years, to the point where it's managed to maintain a very healthy...
Talking Point What's Next for Xbox Games on PS5, PS4?
Phase one complete
Following yesterday's launch of Sea of Thieves on PS5, Microsoft has now delivered on its initial multi-platform promise to bring some of its exclusive Xbox experiences to new consoles. Having made the surprise announcement in February, the firm has brought Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and the aforementioned seafaring...
Preview Luna Abyss Is the Thrilling Bullet Hell Demonspawn of DOOM and Returnal
Bullet heaven
It feels like it's been a while since we've had an exciting new single-player FPS on PS5. Sure, there've been a few releases here and there, like last year's Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, but nothing has really had the same impact as when DOOM Eternal or Metro Exodus released. However, Luna Abyss could be that next game with its...
TV Show Review Knuckles - Fun, Lighthearted Spin-Off Eases the Wait for Sonic 3
Victory
Despite some early bumps in the road, Sonic the Hedgehog's live action movie adaptations have been a big success. A third film is due to arrive at the tail end of 2024, and if it's anything like its predecessors, it'll not only boom at the box office, but it'll also be another entertaining all-ages flick the whole family can enjoy. We have...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 526
All hallowed Eve
There's a big, new, shiny PS5 exclusive on the scene, and we expect it'll be a popular pick this weekend. Yes, Stellar Blade is here, and it's well worth checking out if you're in the mood for some good old-fashioned monster-murking action. There's lots of other stuff to play, though, as our team shows with an eclectic mix of PS5...
Hands On Fallout 4 Next-Gen Runs Great on PS5, But Some Old Problems Persist
Fall in, Fallout
Ah, the Commonwealth. A great example of dense open world design, Fallout 4 still has its charms almost a full decade after its original release in 2015. We've spent a good ten hours or so with the game's freshly launched PS5 version, and we're here to report on our findings with regards to technical performance. For the record,...
Poll Are You Playing Stellar Blade?
Parry time
Stellar Blade, the latest PS5 exclusive, is out now on Sony's current-gen console. This is a big budget, out-and-out action game — something of a rarity these days — and it's been met with a slew of high scoring reviews. Needless to say, a lot of PlayStation fans have been waiting for this one. We called it a "stellar PS5 debut" for...
Random I Met My Favourite Korean Cheerleader Because of Eve and Stellar Blade
To Dahye for
As the only British baseball fan on Planet Earth, I had one simple mission when I first arrived in Taipei: to choose a local team to support. Taiwan is infatuated with America’s former favourite pastime, and it’s even dedicated a spot on its $1,000 note to a celebrating squad. After much deliberation, I settled on the Rakuten...
Video Does Fallout 4 Look Better on PS5?
The nuclear fallout has never looked smoother
Fallout 4 has just received its long-awaited PS5 upgrade amidst the fervour conjured up by the Amazon Prime TV show. We’ve endured a little radiation to check out whether this native PS5 port has been worth the wait, and the results are mixed depending on who you ask. You can check out our...
Poll Are You Playing Fallout 4's Next-Gen Version?
Have you seen my son?
First announced in 2022, the next-gen version of Fallout 4 is finally here — and it's no coincidence that its release roughly aligns with the arrival of Amazon's Fallout series. The post-apocalyptic property is once again a big deal — almost a decade after Fallout 4's original release — and so we want to know if you're...
Guide PlayStation Studios: All Sony First-Party Developers and What They're Working On
Every PlayStation exclusive project
What are all PlayStation Studios developers and what are they working on? In this PlayStation Studios guide, we’re going to list all of the Japanese giant’s subsidiary game makers, along with their current projects. We’ll be updating this article regularly, as new titles are announced. Note: We've focused...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 525
And chill
The release calendar for major PS5, PS4 titles is still a little dry at the moment, so if you're anything like our editorial team and range of freelancers, you'll be diving into indie hits, catching up on your backlog, or enjoying the Fallout TV show. Here's what's occupying our time this weekend. Aaron Bayne: Although I'm currently...
Poll Are You Playing Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide?
Making waves
The second and final expansion for Final Fantasy 16, titled The Rising Tide, is out now on PS5 — and if you can believe it, we're fast approaching the base game's first anniversary. But such a realisation has made us wonder... Are you returning to Final Fantasy 16 in order to play through this new DLC? Or could it be that the...
Preview Tails of Iron 2 Adds Monster Hunting, Undead Bats in Scaled Up Sequel
Fight fur survival
The original Tails of Iron was quietly a big success for developer Odd Bug Studio. The action RPG about a kingdom of rats has drawn in a lot of fans thanks to its sketch-like art style, deliberate combat, and explorable world. We suppose the fact it's narrated by Doug Cockle — voice of Geralt in The Witcher series — may have...
Video Is Fallout 76 Worth Playing in 2024?
(Vault) dwelling in the past
If, like us, you’ve been watching the new Fallout show on Amazon Prime, then you’ve likely turned to PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium to download or stream one of Bethesda’s iconic RPGs. For us, we skirted the mu
High tide
Final Fantasy 16 was one of our favourite games of 2023, and so we wanted to find out more about The Rising Tide — the title's second and final expansion — ahead of its release on the 18th April. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to land an interview with Takeo Kujiraoka — the veteran Square Enix dev who's actually the director of...
Interview Hangar 13 on TopSpin 2K25's Triumphant PS5 Return
A killer serve, 13 years in the making
TopSpin 2K25 is about to be served up on PS5, and after playing the game at a hands-on preview, it’s quietly become one of our most anticipated releases of the year. From top tennis talent to this long-dormant franchise getting the 2K treatment, there’s plenty of reason for us to be excited — but what...
Feature Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5 Games of 2024 So Far
As voted by you
The first quarter of 2024 has been crazy, especially if you're a fan of Japanese games. The release schedule has been pretty much non-stop since January, and so earlier in the week, we asked the Push Square community to vote on their favourite titles of the last four months. Over 1,000 votes were cast, and users had to choose just...
Poll Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for April 2024?
Plus or minus?
16 more games are heading to PS Plus through the Extra and Premium tiers this month, and as is often the case, there's quite a lot of variety on show. April's offering is headlined by not one, not two, but three brand new releases on PS5 and PS4: the incredibly highly rated Dave the Diver, the promising
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 524
Must be Fate
The release schedule is really slow right now, after a mad dash to the end of the fiscal year. It means this is a good opportunity to catch up on titles from your backlog, or revisit a favourite from yesteryear. Aaron Bayne: On top of my continued Ghost of Tsushima playthrough, I'm considering dipping back into Destiny 2 this weekend...
No horsing around
We've always been massive fans of Vanillaware here at Push Square. The talented Japanese developer has been crafting bangers for decades now, and its latest release, a gorgeous strategy RPG called Unicorn Overlord, is arguably one of its best games to date. So, when we were handed the opportunity to interview someone who's worked...
TV Show Review Fallout - RPG Series Marks Another TV Triumph
There and back again
TV shows based on and inspired by video games are good now, so the weight of expectation upon Fallout's shoulders is heavier than what it would have been even just a few years ago. HBO and PlayStation Productions proved with The Last of Us that using a game as your source material doesn't necessarily spell disaster, then the...
Talking Point What's Your Favourite PS5 Game of 2024 So Far?
It's been a wild few months
And just like that, the first quarter of 2024 is over. Done. Finished. But what a quarter it's been! The release schedule had us scrambling to review a crazy number of high profile titles, but now that we've emerged victorious, we'd like to take a moment to reflect on our favourite PS5 games of the year... so far. Now...
Video Our Favourite PS5 Games of 2024 So Far
It's been a crazy few months
At the behest of our lovely video producer Aaron, we've taken a quick look back at the year so far, and decided on which PS5 games have impressed us the most. Granted, it's only early April, but 2024's schedule has been manic. Tekken 8, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Persona 3 Reload, Dragon's...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 523
Ac!d test
Now everyone's hopefully over their Easter chocolate comas, it's time once again to play some flippin' video games. There are simply too many of them, and we all need to work together to conquer them all. Here's what's keeping us occupied this weekend. Aaron Bayne: After ripping my way through to Act 3 of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut...
Poll How Much Do You Care About 60fps on PS5?
Frame trapped
Ah, the great debate. Does 60 frames-per-second really make a difference? Well, yes, it objectively does, but do you personally care about having the option in current-gen games? That's what we're here to find out. Frame rates have long been a talking point when it comes to console gaming, but every now and then, the conversation...
Preview Sand Land Could Be a Surprise PS5 Hit, But the Grind Has to Be Good
Demonic influence
Sand Land, the open world adaptation of Akira Toriyama's standalone manga, has real potential. And honestly, that surprised us, because we had this game (perhaps unfairly) tagged as another somewhat underwhelming Bandai Namco tie-in. But now, having played through several hours of the adventure ourselves, we think this could be one...
Preview MechWarrior 5: Clans Wants to Make the Hardcore Series More Accessible Than Ever on PS5
Mech it happen
Targeting a PS5 release at some point this year, MechWarrior 5: Clans has a clear goal in mind: to expand its audience beyond the hardcore fans of this long-running series. Indeed, MechWarrior has always been a fairly demanding franchise — which has largely stuck to PC — but Clans is built to be the most accessible entry to date...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Dragon's Dogma 2?
Rock the dragon
Dragon's Dogma 2 dropped to impressively high review scores last month, earning Capcom yet another hit with critics — but now that it's been out for a little while, we want to know what you think of this open world RPG. Indeed, player opinion seems to be a bit more divided, although we're well aware that some people have been...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Rise of the Ronin?
On the rise
Rise of the Ronin has been out for just over a week now, and so we want to know what you think of Team Ninja's open world action RPG. Published by Sony itself, this PS5 exclusive was met with somewhat divided reviews, and so currently sits at a 76 on Metacritic. User impressions have been more lenient overall, but it's still hard to...
Guide Upcoming PS5 Games for April and May 2024
Stellar Blade! Dragon Ball! System Shock!
On the hunt for some shiny new games for your PS5? Well, you're certainly in the right place! As always, we've been busy putting together a list of some particularly noteworthy physical releases headed to PlayStation 5 over the next few weeks, as well as a larger selection of games that could well be worth...
Poll Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Essential Games for April 2024?
Plus or minus?
April's PS Plus Essential games have been officially announced, and as per usual, we're looking at three titles spread across PS5 and PS4. At a glance, however, we're tempted to say that this is one of the weaker months in recent memory. We start with Immortals of Aveum. A decent game by almost all accounts, but this magical shooter...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 522
Happy Easter
We hope everyone had a Good Friday, but we're now into the weekend proper. There have been lots of big games lately, so we assume those are still very much front and centre, but then there's the Stellar Blade demo to keep you busy, too. Lots to play as usual — what will accompany your chocolate egg feast? Aaron Bayne: After being...
Poll Are You Playing the Stellar Blade Demo?
Live by the blade
Out now on PS5, the Stellar Blade demo offers up the first hour-and-a-bit of the Sony-published action title. As its April release date nears, it feels like anticipation for this flashy action game is at an all-time high — and first impressions have been positive pretty much across the board. "This feels like the type of game...
Hands On Dragon's Dogma 2 Update Improves Frame Rate on PS5 at the Cost of Ray Tracing
30fps option feels pointless, though
Dragon's Dogma 2 has been blessed with some notable improvements via its first post-launch update. With patch 1.050, Capcom has implemented several graphics settings on PS5, and we're happy to report that the open world RPG has taken a decent step in the right direction. To start with, let's go over the options...
Preview Stellar Blade Is the PS5 Exclusive Enthusiasts Have Been Praying For
Finally some good f*cking food
If you were raised on a diet of Japan Studio oddities and quirky PlayStation published exclusives, then Stellar Blade is the game you’ve been praying for. Developed by Korean studio Shift Up – the infamous outfit behind the wildly popular smartphone shooter NIKKE: Goddess of Victory – this single player PS5...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Unicorn Overlord?
Far from over(lord)
We're a bit late with this one, but we still want to know your thoughts on one of this month's best games. We are, of course, talking about Unicorn Overlord — the strategy RPG from Vanillaware. The title was always going to be somewhat niche in terms of appeal, but those who have played it will know how finely crafted an...
Talking Point How Do You Feel About the PS5 Pro?
Pro strats
Although it's yet to be officially announced, we all know that the PS5 Pro is real, and it's likely dropping later this year. A mid-gen upgrade on the PS5, Sony will probably position the refreshed console as another premium product — something that it's been doing throughout the generation so far, with stuff like PS Portal and the...
Poll Are You Playing Rise of the Ronin?
Rise up
The latest game from Nioh studio Team Ninja, Rise of the Ronin is a PS5 exclusive, complete with Sony's backing. While it does continue the developer's run of creating challenging action RPGs, Ronin is set within a sprawling open world — which is a first for the team. Critic reviews have been slightly mixed. In our own Rise of the Ronin...
Poll Are You Playing Dragon's Dogma 2?
Take heart
It's finally here. 12 years after the release of the original Dragon's Dogma, Capcom has launched Dragon's Dogma 2. A much larger sequel built with a budget that probably dwarfs its predecessor's, the action RPG has been met with incredibly positive reviews — but it's also taking a beating over poor technical performance and its...