December2017
Review LocoRoco 2 Remastered (PS4)
MuiMui bueno
We considered ourselves lucky to have received the original LocoRoco on the PlayStation 4 earlier this year, so to also have its sequel is a wonderful thing. Japan Studio’s roll-em-up platformers are relentlessly joyful, and serve as perfect palate cleansers to play between holiday season behemoths. The second title takes the core of...
November2017
Crime scene investigation
So far, Sony’s new PlayLink initiative hasn’t amounted to anything more than a decent selection of casual party games. Both Knowledge Is Power and That’s You follow the Jackbox Party Pack formula of wrapping up trivia questions within a fun and humorous setting, while SingStar: Celebration allows editor Sammy Barker...
Review SingStar: Celebration (PS4)
Bum note
Another year, another karaoke game. After a disappointing debut PlayStation 4 instalment, Sony’s London Studio is back with SingStar: Celebration, another title in the publisher’s new lineup of PlayLink games. Available to play with microphones, a PlayStation Camera (remember those?), or the Singstar Mic mobile app, this year's edition...
Just dance
Republished on Wednesday 1st November 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of November's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. As demoscene veterans, it's no surprise to see Polish developer Plastic's latest obsess over visual effects. Bound is a ballerina-based...
October2017
Review No Heroes Allowed! VR (PS4)
Not bad, man
No Heroes Allowed! is one of those strange, first-party PlayStation properties that keeps getting new entries without anyone really batting an eyelid. Having started life on the PlayStation Portable, the irreverent What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? series has spawned all sorts of silly spin-offs – including a surprisingly...
Review Gran Turismo Sport (PS4)
U-turn
We’ve always taken Gran Turismo’s slogan, “the real driving simulator”, to be something of an underhand admission. Polyphony Digital’s simulation series may have repeatedly set standards in the physics department, but it’s never been much of a racer really – even if flinging a flat-tired Fiat Panda around the auburn Autumn Ring...
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...
August2017
Fore play
Few franchises last as long as Everybody’s Golf, but it’s celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The arcade sports series has been a staple on every single PlayStation platform to date, and its latest edition is by far its most ambitious yet. But after a protracted production cycle, has veteran developer Clap-Hanz managed to sink...
Review RIGS: Mechanized Combat League (PS4)
Big RIGS
Republished on Wednesday 30th August 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. It's got all of the ingredients needed for a title charge, but RIGS: Mechanized Combat League never quite escapes the doldrums of a...
Review inFAMOUS: Second Son (PlayStation 4)
Heart-shaped sandbox
Republished on Wednesday 30th August 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Sucker Punch’s primary superpower is its ability to craft compelling connections through the controller. inFAMOUS: Second Son...
Review Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4)
Bolly good
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is like a Greatest Hits album: short on surprises but a blast from start to finish. Naughty Dog’s greatest challenge with this standalone story was proving that its adventuring universe can survive without its wise-cracking protagonist – and it’s passed the test with flying colours. For as much joy as...
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...
Review Patapon Remastered (PS4)
Pata-pata-pata-pun
Patapon Remastered shares some of its DNA with two other re-released, obscure Japanese games from Sony. Like PaRappa the Rapper, its gameplay boils down to following the beat of the catchy music, and its cutesy vector art style is similar to LocoRoco. It does plenty to set itself apart, however, with a rhythm/strategy combination...
July2017
Oh you
One of the more surprising parts of Sony’s E3 2017 pre-show this year was the unveiling of That’s You via a gameplay trailer featuring everybody’s favourite President of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida. It seemed like a fun game, albeit a niche, gimmicky party title that couldn’t contend with the likes of...
June2017
Review Tokyo Jungle (PlayStation 3)
Primal rage
Republished on Wednesday, 28th June 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. In an industry which is seemingly obsessed with burly soldiers packing massive machine guns and other associated heavy ordinance, it’s...
Mourning woods
Republished on Wednesday, 28th June 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Until Dawn is much better than you may be expecting. The teen horror title – which was originally intended as a PlayStation Move...
May2017
Review LocoRoco Remastered (PS4)
Roll up, roll up
Whether we really needed a remaster of an 11-year-old Japanese PSP game is debatable, but we’re elated Sony decided to update one of the platform’s greatest hits nonetheless. LocoRoco Remastered brings the joyful 2D side-scroller (or side-roller, if you will) to a whole new audience, and the best news is that its still as fun...
April2017
Draw some
Drawn to Death plays like Twisted Metal, Quake, and Street Fighter all had a big violent orgy in Screech from Saved by the Bell's ring-bound high school jotter. This raucous online-only third-person shooter is bulging with so much personality that many won't be able to see beyond the d*ck jokes and crude art direction, but what lies behind...
Review PaRappa the Rapper Remastered (PS4)
Don't stop believin'
It's been two decades since PaRappa the Rapper first appeared on the original PlayStation in 1997. As one of the first rhythm games to make a dent in the public consciousness, the poetic puppy was instrumental in paving the way for the music-based games that would follow in his wake: Amplitude, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Hatsune...
March2017
Review Journey (PlayStation 3)
The road less travelled
Update (14th March, 2017): To celebrate the five year anniversary of Journey's release, we're bringing our original review back from the archives for one day only. A seminal moment in PlayStation history. Enjoy! Originally published (1st March, 2017): Journey is a seminal release; the kind of title that comes once in a...
January2017
Fur the players
The corest of core PlayStation fans caterwauled for more of Kat and crew, and Japan Studio has delivered in abundance: Gravity Rush 2 is a much, much bigger iteration of Keiichirō Toyama's physics defying favourite – and while it's still far from purr-fect, it's hard to deny that its heart is in the right place. This stylish...
December2016
Review The Last Guardian (PS4)
Animal magic
The Last Guardian doesn't much care for convention. Fumito Ueda's fantasy adventure may have taken the best part of a decade to deploy, but Team ICO's creative vision was never to blame. This bewilderingly brilliant yarn about a boy and a bird sticks so rigidly to a singular ideal that it's almost detrimental at times. And yet, it's...
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...
Review Super Stardust Ultra VR (PS4)
Super Starbust
Super Stardust is becoming a bit of a new PlayStation hardware tradition. Ever since the venerable Super Stardust HD, the Housemarque developed arcade shooter has appeared on every Sony system released – including the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, and now PlayStation VR. But is the concept strong enough to...
Eyes on the road
One day, the veterans of Evolution Studios will tell their great grandchildren the tale of DriveClub, and it'll make for entertaining listening. The first-party, selected as one of the teams to help launch the PlayStation 4, missed its deadline by a country mile – and then delivered a product that ultimately didn't work. But the...
