July2022
Review Ape Escape (PS1) - Monkeying Around in 3D Platforming Pioneer Is Still a Blast
You're good
Video games went through a super exciting period in the late 90s. The introduction of a third dimension, championed by the PS1, presented a broad new challenge for designers. How can you comfortably control a character in 3D? It's widely recognised that Super Mario 64 pretty much nailed it first try, but there are other games from that...
Review Hot Shots Golf (PS1) - Utterly Iconic Arcade Golf
Our cup of tee
Japanese studio Clap Hanz may be the developer best associated with the Hot Shots Golf series, which is also known as Everybody’s Golf in Europe. However, it was Camelot Software Planning that teed off the original entry on PS1 back in 1997. That team – having helmed the Shining Force series for SEGA throughout early 90s under the...
January2018
Old-school platformer, new-school technology
Republished on Wednesday 31st January 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Way back in February of this year, millions of viewers around the world witnessed the reveal of...
September2017
Knack strikes back
It’s fair to say that Knack divided opinion upon its release alongside the PlayStation 4 in November 2013. Some concluded it to be an abomination that failed to live up to the promise of being a Crash Bandicoot successor, while others deemed it to be not so bad. Either way you look at it, it's now clear to see that the divisive...
October2016
Bot's your lot
The Playroom VR is a collection of asymmetrical multiplayer minigames that show off the PlayStation VR headset's capabilities in many different ways. It's free and comes with a total of five mini-games to enjoy with your pals: Cat and Mouse, Monster Escape, Wanted, Ghost House, and Robots Rescue. Let's break them all down...
October2014
Review Freedom Wars (PlayStation Vita)
Grind and punishment
Easily one of the PlayStation Vita's most anticipated titles, Freedom Wars plops you into a dystopian future that's full of typically stylish teens and giant mechanical beasts, and tasks you with whittling down a one million year sentence of service to your not-so-lovely community. For many owners of Sony's portable console, a...
October2013
Dry your eyes
Rain has the same ethereal quality as ICO. Much like Fumito Ueda’s masterpiece, this is a muted experience, orchestrated only by the sound of running water and composer Yugo Kanno’s twinkly score. It’s also a tale of boy meets girl, where two kindred spirits connect under the starlight of a sodden dream world. The parallels are...
September2013
Review Puppeteer (PlayStation 3)
Ahead of the game
Within minutes of starting Puppeteer, it's clear that it's an absolutely stunning game. The art style, the animation and the sheer amount of detail packed into each and every visual asset make the title a joy to behold. Trailers and screenshots simply don't do the product justice – this is something that you need to see in motion...
July2013
Review Tokyo Jungle Mobile (PlayStation Mobile)
Beast wars
You might be kidded into thinking that there'd be some modicum of peace on Earth if the human race, along with its wide range of squabbles and skirmishes, evaporated one day. The Tokyo Jungle series disagrees. After society collapses, humans go bye-bye and cities become overgrown concrete jungles, the conflicts of the animal kingdom rage...
June2011
Review Ape Escape (PlayStation 3)
Gorilla warfare
Sony's Ape Escape series has been a PlayStation staple since 1999, when it wowed the world with its dual-analogue control scheme. Now over a decade later it's trying another control scheme in Ape Escape, (known as PlayStation Move Ape Escape in North America) but is it an evolutionary step or a knuckle-dragging disaster? The original...
October2009
Review LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PlayStation Portable)
LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival may not be a full-on sequel, but it's still all-singing, all dancing fun
It's outrageously good value for money too. LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival is still as boisterous as you might expect. The dastardly BuiBui from the previous two games have returned and kidnapped the sleeping LocoRoco. If they can escape the hazardous...
March2009
Review Patapon 2 (PlayStation Portable)
Patapon is a rhythm game that combines elements of RPG and strategy with its beat-matching gameplay
You use the face buttons to create a beat, of which certain patterns control the angry-eyed Patapon warriors you oversee. On its surface, Patapon feels like basic rhythm game. But as you progress you'll find the game has a lot of depth which requires...
