April2021
Review Returnal (PS5) - Housemarque's Deep, Dark Shooter Is a PS5 Must Have
Selene Die On
Returnal is a much, much bigger game than you think it is. For all the noise surrounding the game's price point, Housemarque has produced its largest, most ambitious project by a country mile. This isn't a small scale title with a premium cost; the studio has made something on a whole new level. There's an awful lot of game here, and...
August2017
Zero-G Suit Samus
In a weird kind of way, Matterfall is what Mighty No. 9 was supposed to be. Artistically, the Housemarque developed side-scroller couldn’t be different to Keiji Inafune’s cartoon Kickstarter, but the gameplay – which is designed around a dash mechanic, just like Mega Man’s ill-fated spiritual successor – has many...
June2017
Death machine
Nex Machina reinforces Housemarque’s status as the undisputed king of the dual-joystick shooter. This collaboration with arcade veteran Eugene Jarvis (he of Defender and Smash TV fame) is a borderline perfect spin on the genre, as you take control of a futuristic space pilot pushing back against hordes of voxel-based robots. Your...
April2016
"I like to keep this handy, for close encounters"
Housemarque is renowned for a couple of things: its consistently brilliant arcade titles with incredibly moreish gameplay, and its gloriously colourful visual effects. The Finnish developer's body of work is a kaleidoscopic tour-de-force, the games as vibrant as they are deceptively deep. It should...
February2015
Review Resogun: Defenders (PlayStation 4)
Offence is the best form of defence
Goodbye doesn't always have to be the saddest word – it can be explosive, too. Resogun: Defenders marks the last of the post-launch expansions for Housemarque's critically acclaimed PlayStation 4 shoot-'em-up, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it's something of a humdinger. Packing two brand new modes – Protector...
December2014
Review Resogun (PlayStation Vita)
Pocket rocket
Housemarque’s cylindrical shooter Resogun is still one of the major highlights in the PlayStation 4’s library. Its simplistic mechanics epitomise the very idea of pick-up-and-play, while its flashy visuals and smooth performance make it something of a showcase for Sony’s next-gen hardware. The title’s oft-requested PlayStation...
July2014
Review Resogun: Heroes (PlayStation 4)
Holding out for a hero
It’s a statement that’s rapidly approaching cliché territory, but Housemarque’s cylindrical shooter Resogun is still the PlayStation 4’s best game. That’s not a slight against the software library that Sony’s next-gen system has amassed over the past six months or so – although we’re sure that many would like...
April2014
Review Dead Nation (PlayStation Vita)
The portable dead
Dead Nation was announced for the PlayStation Vita at E3 last year, and then was promptly forgotten about. A port for the PlayStation 4 came and went, offering the ultimate version of the zombie-filled twin stick shooter for fans who wanted better graphics and all of the DLC. Finally, almost as an afterthought, Housemarque’s...
March2014
Review Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition (PlayStation 4)
Super blood lust
Undead shooters are dime a dozen, and sadly the original Dead Nation did little to differentiate itself from the hordes of decaying flesh already pawing the PlayStation Store. With the release of the PlayStation 4, Finnish studio Housemarque has opted to shine its shaky flashlight on the isometric escapade for a second time – but...
November2013
Review Resogun (PlayStation 4)
Scoring points
From the makers of the fantastic Super Stardust HD, Resogun offers a twist on classic twin-stick shooters by adopting a cylindrical field of play. The narrative is based upon an alien race called the Keepers, who are imprisoning humans. It’s your goal, then, to destroy any and everything that you see, while snatching up any...
Review Furmins (PlayStation Vita)
Fuzzy feeling
Furmins is likely to feel familiar. It's a mixture of Lemmings and Cut the Rope: a physics based puzzler that challenges you to construct a passage for the titular creatures to roll through, all while collecting sweets, avoiding death, and reaching the goal in a fast enough time to gain three stars. These stars can then be used to...
March2012
Review Super Stardust Delta (PlayStation Vita)
Shining star
Although the Stardust series began life as a simple Asteroids clone on the classic Amiga computers, it wasn't until the release of Super Stardust HD on PlayStation 3's download service that it began to garner worldwide recognition. Lauded for its intuitive play controls and vibrant visuals, the twin analogue stick shooter quickly became...
December2010
Review Dead Nation (PlayStation 3)
Dead Nation creates an unbelievably tense atmosphere through frustrating methods
The game's dark, zombie-laden world is enhanced by an incredible lighting engine, but is hindered by a distant camera and an imprecise aiming mechanic. What's more, for as much tension as the game's sporadic checkpoints create, their limited nature concludes in...
