August2017
Review Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto (PS4)
Bullet hell
Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto is the second downloadable character episode for Square Enix's action role-playing release. Filling in yet another gaping hole in the main game's story, the two-or-so-hour journey plops you in the snow-filled shoes of Prompto as he attempts to reunite with Noctis and the boys after ending up in a...
July2017
A hankering for Scorpio
Republished on Wednesday, 26th July 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of August 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Just Cause 3 can be best described as a catalyst for fun. The huge array of tools at your disposal, the sheer size of the...
Review Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
Absolute bangaa
Final Fantasy XII has aged very well indeed – and that's not something you can say about a lot of role-playing games that launched over ten years ago. Following on from the admirable remastered collection that is Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster, Square Enix has seen fit to rework one of the most divisive mainline Final Fantasy...
Black magic
The magic of an independent game is that one can come from pretty much nowhere and completely blow you away. Black The Fall, the debut game from developer Sand Sailor Studio that was successfully funded via Kickstarter back in 2014, is a perfect example of that. Pitched as a 2D puzzle platforming game, the title is actually so much more...
June2017
Review Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS4 / PS2)
The last hope?
You know you’re playing an older game when you’re forced to use the shoulder buttons to turn the camera. There’s no option to change it to the right analogue stick, either, presumably because that would have meant extra work. It’s a sure-fire sign that Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is just an emulated upscale of the...
May2017
Review Life Is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized (PS4)
Say goodbye to the Strangerhood
Republished on Wednesday, 31st May 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Well, the moment is finally here. After nine months and five episodes, the first season of DONTNOD's Life is Strange has...
April2017
Review Dragon Quest Heroes II (PS4)
Royal rumble
It's time to dust off those slime-smacking weapons, because Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force is back for another stab at Square Enix's beloved Dragon Quest franchise. Once again, the Japanese studio offers up a colourful action role-playing game stuffed with charm and content. And as is usually the case with an Omega Force sequel,...
Review Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (PS4)
The keyblade to your heart
Not much more can be said of the venerable role-playing series born of two media giants and now more talked about for its mythical third instalment (it's coming guys, it has to be). Over the course of the last few years, Square Enix has retooled and repackaged the entire Kingdom Hearts canon, bundling the games into HD...
March2017
Review Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus (PS4)
All muscle
Final Fantasy XV's first real slice of downloadable content, Episode Gladiolus details a part of the story from the main game that was left frustratingly vague. A decent way into the adventure, burly bodyguard Gladiolus - Gladio for short - up and leaves the party with little explanation. He comes back later brandishing a fresh scar on...
Review Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - A Criminal Past (PS4)
Playboy
The entirety of A Criminal Past is set in the Penthouse, a sophisticated, maximum security prison for augmented ne'er-do-wells. It's a perfect location for a Deus Ex playground: there are tons of restricted areas, guards, security cameras, and turrets all begging to be sneaked past, exploited, and eliminated. The DLC is set between Human...
Too good 2B true
We'll probably never write a harder review. NieR: Automata is an enigma: a game with such contempt for convention that we can't even talk about two-thirds of it without spoiling the surprises that await you. This is a game that defies all expectations, flourishing with frequent playthroughs and building to a crescendo that breaks...
Review A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV (PS4)
King Regis takes to the Streets of Rage
Final Fantasy XV is anything but straightforward, both in terms of its development and how it's been presented and released to the public. The Kingsglaive movie felt like a mandatory aspect of the main game – a separately packaged alternative to the traditional Final Fantasy opening sequence, and an...
January2017
Review Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (PS4)
A sight for Sora eyes
It's baffling to consider that a new Kingdom Hearts hasn't been released on consoles in over a decade. The series' sappy emotion, bizarre juxtaposition of characters, and overly convoluted story may drive many away, but there's a stirring magic and innocence to it all that has never waned on us. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final...
December2016
Go download this game
In an industry so focused on creating ever larger and more expansive experiences, there's something to be said about the power of focus. Lara Croft Go is a title that's not focused on wowing the player with a billion different features that create the illusion of depth, instead opting for a simplified, handcrafted feel that...
Shut up and drive
Final Fantasy XV is mostly a game about four guys driving around in a car. Sometimes, they get out and kill monsters. Other times, they don't want to drive at night and seek shelter around a nearby campfire, where they look over photographs and recall their journey so far. Lead character Noctis can be stubborn, moody, and lazy...
November2016
Review Hitman: Episode 6 - Hokkaido (PS4)
Peak
So, it's all over: seven months in the making, Hitman is finally finished and all episodes are released. From the heights of stunning Sapienza to the lows of crummy Colorado, it's certainly been a journey – but does Hokkaido end up being a fitting swansong to an excellent game or a bad note to end on? We say, wholeheartedly, the former...
October2016
Review World of Final Fantasy (PS4)
Stacked
Billed as an accessible spin-off based on Square Enix's beloved role-playing property, World of Final Fantasy is a colourful and buoyant game with an emphasis on collecting and battling monsters. Featuring critters and characters from past Final Fantasy titles, existing fans of the series will get more out of the experience, but the game's...
Review Dragon Quest Builders (PS4)
New kid on the block
As far as world-building block-'em-ups go, Dragon Quest Builders has to be the most charming example of the genre that we've played. Perhaps that's to be expected of the long running property – which, throughout its many incarnations, has always been a delight to experience – but the Dragon Quest skin lends itself...
Review Hitman: Episode 5 - Colorado (PS4)
ColoRad
It's safe to say that Hitman has been excellent so far, but despite the variety of locations, every mission has been similar in that they've all been set in largely public places. The latest level – set in a militia-held apricot farm in rural Colorado – takes the game in a different direction, focusing more on stealth than previous...
August2016
Review Hitman: Episode 4 - Bangkok (PS4)
Too many Kooks
Like milk and cookies, fish and chips, and a copy of Ride to Hell: Retribution and the nearest volcano, hotels and Hitman go together very well. There's something about the maze of rooms, the abundance of staff, and the classy yet clandestine nature of these establishments that always make good missions for Agent 47, and the episodic...
July2016
Snow and steady
There's a real demand for more traditional Japanese role-playing games these days - experiences that call back to a time when turn based battles ruled and world maps were explored via airship. I Am Setsuna attempts to recapture that magic of the classic RPG, channelling the spirit of older Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest titles. It's a...
Review Adventures of Mana (PS Vita)
Magic moment
If you're on the market for an old school action role-playing game that'll keep you reasonably entertained for a good few hours, you can't really go wrong with Adventures of Mana. Released on mobile devices earlier this year, it's a remake of Game Boy title Final Fantasy Adventure – or Mystic Quest as it was known in Europe. Despite...
June2016
Review Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (PS4)
Lacking integrity?
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness gets off to a bad start. Text-based tutorials greet you from the off, and you're quickly shuttled from one place to another with very little reasoning or context. Early on you'll realise that this game wants things to move quickly, and this only becomes clearer as you progress through the...
Review Hitman: Episode 3 - Marrakesh (PS4)
Don't Morocco the boat
The beauty, complexity, and atmospheric brilliance of Sapienza was always going to be a tough act to follow for IO Interactive, but the bustling Moroccan city of Marrakesh provides ample room for innovation in this month's new episode of Hitman. With crowded markets, labyrinthine streets, and plenty of interiors to explore,...
April2016
Review Hitman: Episode 2 - Sapienza (PS4)
Bellisimo
The quiet, picturesque Italian seafront town of Sapienza is a retiree's dream. Bathed in sun, the cobbled streets are full of cafés, trattorias, and street performers – not to mention the diamond blue sea, and the quaint old church that sits next to it. How strange, then, that for all its serenity, Sapienza works exceptionally well as...
