March2023
Mini Review PowerWash Simulator: Midgar Special Pack (PS5) - Another Chill Crisis Chore
Clean up Shinra's dirty deeds
Now that PowerWash Simulator is out on basically everything, we're starting to get some really interesting DLC. With Square Enix Collective publishing the game, we've seen a pair of exciting crossovers so far. The first was with Tomb Raider, in which you wash the exterior of Lara's massive mansion. Next up is this, the...
February2023
Mini Review PowerWash Simulator (PS5) - Surprisingly Appealing, Deeply Satisfying
Good, clean fun
By now, you'll have made your mind up about PowerWash Simulator. It's been doing the rounds for a couple of years, winning hearts with its simple, inexplicably compelling gameplay. Yes, it's about blasting water at filthy buildings and objects. Yes, broadly it's quite repetitive and slow. Yes, you could get a power washer and hose...
August2020
Review Peaky Blinders: Mastermind - Strategy Spin-Off Falls Short
Feeling a bit peaky
We can't quite remember when we got distracted by something else and stopped watching Peaky Blinders. All we can say is that Scarecrow was in it, Bane wasn't, and the nice palaeontologist from Jurassic Park was a rotter. We'll have to go back to it one day. Anyway, tie-in video game Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a prequel to the...
June2019
Review Mini-Mech Mayhem - Silly Turn-Based Strategy from the Makers of Velocity
Go ahead, Mech my day
PlayStation VR really is a treasure trove of new ideas, and FuturLab’s latest is certainly just that. The developer of the excellent Velocity 2X has brought multiplayer turn-based strategy to the platform, and while it isn’t without its issues, it offers something wholly unique. Mini-Mech Mayhem begins with customising an...
July2017
Micro machines
Tiny Trax is one of those games that’s just really good, y’know? Velocity 2X developer FuturLab rarely ever disappoints, and its PlayStation VR debut is predictably spot-on. A vibrant Scalextric-style slot racer, this arcade delight places you inside 12 fantasy dioramas and hands you control of one of several miniature vehicles,...
September2014
Review Velocity 2X (PlayStation 4)
2Xcellent
Since the very beginning of video game history, developers have strived to give us new and exciting ways of blowing stuff up in space. Whether it’s deadly invaders from planets unknown or chunks of asteroids, it’s all been in preparation for Velocity 2X. Strap yourself in, grab yourself a glass of tang, attempt to figure out what the...
February2014
Review Surge Deluxe (PlayStation Vita)
Index addiction
There’s something deadly about the combination of addictive gameplay and online leaderboards. It’s something that we sampled in Rock Band, where grown men would blast out Hannah Montana songs in the hopes of nailing those few extra notes. Surge Deluxe is equally moreish, without ever serving as a gateway to twerking. As such, if...
May2013
Review Velocity Ultra (PlayStation Vita)
Starship super
One year ago, FuturLab's Velocity was released on the PlayStation Minis label and flew right into a meteor shower of praise. At a glance a vertical shoot 'em up, it excelled above this label, wonderfully welding smart puzzle elements to speedy, frantic laser-play. If you were foolish enough to ignore it when it was originally...
January2013
Review Beats Slider (PlayStation Mobile)
A new riff on an old classic
We don’t know about you, but we’ve always been hopeless at those pesky slider puzzles. Rather than try to solve our alphabetical one as a child, we decided to rearrange our understanding of the order of letters. It’s proved a nightmare in later life, we have to admit. Still, trust FuturLab – the developers of...
Review Fuel Tiracas (PlayStation Mobile)
Twitchy thumb syndrome
Fuel Tiracas is wonderfully compelling. You'll approach it with the intent of a quick five minute session, but will no doubt end up pouring the best part of an hour into it. And it's all because of the game's pesky leaderboards. You'll want, no, need to shave a few seconds off your personal best in order to climb the high...
May2012
Review Velocity (PlayStation Minis)
High flyer
Sometimes a game comes out of nowhere and completely blows you away. Coconut Dodge – the first Minis endeavour from Brighton-based studio FuturLab – had that impact upon almost everyone that tried it. Simple in premise, but deviously addictive, the arcade mini-game was a captivating affair that still holds our attention today. Its...
May2010
Review Coconut Dodge (PlayStation Minis)
Like its name, Coconut Dodge is simplistic as it gets: dodge the coconuts, collect the treasure
The key to its success, therefore, is its bold simplicity — after all, this is what Minis were made for, right? We have the utmost respect for Coconut Dodge's developers, FuturLab. Their website notes a torrid tale in which the recognised Flash studio...
