September2023
Review Mortal Kombat 1 (PS5) - Good But Not a Flawless Victory
Baraka in the habit
Mortal Kombat 1 represents a new era for the fighting game series. However, it also marks the first time in a while that a new Mortal Kombat title has been released where worthy competitors have been present. Games like Guilty Gear Strive and Street Fighter 6 have raised the bar for fighting games significantly since Mortal...
February2023
Review Hogwarts Legacy (PS5) - A Harry Potter Dream Come True
Yer finally a wizard
For so many bookworms of the late 1990s to mid 2000s, Hogwarts Legacy is something of a dream game. After a long line of bang-average licensed titles, developer Avalanche Software is finally letting Potterheads realise their ambitions of attending Hogwarts, taking classes, and exploring the castle without restraint. It's a...
September2022
Review Injustice 2 (PS4) - Super Superhero Brawling for DC Fanatics
Loot boxes among us
Republished on Wednesday 28th September 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus Essential lineup. The original text follows. Injustice 2 may be one of the most impressive fighting game sequels in recent memory. Following the release of Injustice: Gods Among...
April2022
Review LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5) - The Best LEGO Game in Years, This Is
Plastic fantastic
TT Games released the original LEGO Star Wars in 2005, completely changing the studio's direction such was its popularity. Since then we've had countless brickified movie tie-ins, but a few years have passed since one of these family-friendly platformers has graced PlayStation. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is finally here to...
December2021
Review LEGO DC Super-Villains (PS4) - It's Good to Be Bad
The better of two evils
Republished on Wednesday, 1st December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December 2021's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. The latest in the long line of LEGO titles is indeed more of the same, but for all the right reasons. LEGO DC Super-Villains...
September2021
Review Mortal Kombat X (PS4) - Get Over Here and Play This Skull-Cracking Fighter
Blood is thicker than water
Republished on Wednesday 29th September 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Mortal Kombat X knows what it takes to keep you engaged. Cast your mind back to the early 90s, and series creator Ed Boon's garish...
Review Hitman 2 (PS4) - More Darkly Amusing Murder
Hit me baby one more time
Republished on Wednesday 1st September 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Poor Sierra Knox. She lived her life as a successful racing car driver, and along with her father was a powerful figure within...
October2020
Review Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Another Great Showcase for the Nemesis System
Shelobs me, Shelobs me not
Republished on Wednesday 28th October 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of November's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Middle-earth: Shadow of War takes the best parts of its predecessor and gives them room to breathe. It's a sequel that opts to expand...
August2019
Review Batman: Arkham Knight - Rocksteady Ends Its Trilogy on a High
Arkham night, night
Republished on Wednesday 28th August 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Branded as the apparent finale to London-based studio Rocksteady's gritty affair with the world's greatest detective, Batman: Arkham Knight...
April2019
Review Mortal Kombat 11 - Making One Fatal Mistake
Fatality
Mortal Kombat 11 sees the return of the nearly 27-year-old franchise, and likely for its last hurrah on this generation of consoles. NetherRealm’s latest is a solid kontender for the best PlayStation 4 beat-em-up, but its heart has been korrupted by a baffling progression system. Picking up after the events of 2015’s Mortal Kombat X,...
March2018
What a waste-land
Republished on Wednesday 28th March 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of April's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. With the recent cinematic success of Mad Max: Fury Road, there has never been a better time for a game based on Max Rockatansky's particular brand of...
Review Scribblenauts Showdown (PS4)
Sketchy
Perhaps surprisingly, Scribblenauts Showdown is the first title in the series to make its way to PlayStation. In a way, this is great news; Scribblenauts is a fun, creative franchise that encourages imaginative thinking, and it's always good to have more kid-friendly games on PlayStation 4. However, while Showdown retains the charm,...
November2017
Review LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PS4)
Loki alright
With Marvel releasing films almost weekly, it feels like the superhero craze of the last decade is starting to reach critical mass. The comic-book giant’s huge catalogue of heroes and villains seems inexhaustible, yet LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 puts them all to good work, using and dispatching them with the cold-heartedness of a Disney...
October2017
Review The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game (PS4)
Brick breaker
The LEGO franchise has been a dominant presence in the video game realm for a while now, but only recently has it begun dipping its toes into movies. The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game combines both worlds, simultaneously debuting its ninja franchise on the big screen as well as the PlayStation 4. With well over a dozen games based on...
April2017
Review LEGO City Undercover (PS4)
Prison break
The LEGO games are famous for their humorous adaptations of popular movie properties and comic book characters, but in more recent times developers TT Games and TT Fusion have begun creating their own LEGO adventures. This year's LEGO Worlds saw the franchise's detailed take on Minecraft, and only a month later the distinguished brick's...
March2017
Brick it to the man
Upon its release in 2011, Minecraft drew plenty of comparisons to LEGO. It was like playing with everyone's favourite Danish export – no, not him – but virtually, and without the damage to your bank account. Hell, LEGO even made Minecraft sets, so you could play your favourite virtual LEGO game in real life with LEGO. So...
November2016
Review LEGO Harry Potter Collection (PS4)
You're a LEGO, 'Arry
The two LEGO Harry Potter games proved a fun romp through the story of the seven books and eight films back on the PlayStation 3, and now Traveller's Tales has ported the experience as a complete package to the PlayStation 4. Initially released as Years 1-4 and Years 5-7, the LEGO Harry Potter Collection pulls both games...
October2016
Review Batman: Return to Arkham (PS4)
Blockbuster
The Batman: Arkham series has housed some of the best superhero games of all time – Spider-Man 2 and perhaps Deadpool aside – so it's easy to see why Warner Bros and Rocksteady decided to return to Arkham with, er, Batman: Return to Arkham. Consisting of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City (along with all DLC), right off the bat it's hard...
Review Batman: Arkham VR (PS4)
Behind the mask
Rocksteady's never been shy depicting Batman as the mentally deranged individual that he so clearly is, and with the British studio back on development duties for this short virtual reality story, it's Bruce Wayne's busted psyche that once again takes centre stage. Batman: Arkham VR may only take you about an hour to see through, but...
July2016
Review LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PS4)
BB on board
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a return to the beloved galaxy which is always in constant conflict between good and evil. This time you will be retold the story of the most recent film, The Force Awakens, and you'll be following the new characters Finn, Rey, and Poe as they team up with the well-known resistance fighters from...
February2016
Review Dying Light: The Following (PS4)
Not that sort of buggy
Released a little over a year ago, Dying Light turned out to be a satisfyingly brutal zombie murder sim that eschewed a lot of what you expect from such titles. By making speed and evasion stronger weapons than any of the sharp objects that you acquired, when you were stuck at ground level you couldn't help but feel incredibly...
Review LEGO Marvel's Avengers (PS4)
The toy with the Thor in its side
Traveller's Tales has decided to return to the LEGO Marvel dimension for another outing with its popular superheroes – only this time it's focusing entirely on The Avengers. Taking the storylines and scripts straight from the movies The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron – and including smaller sections of...
October2015
Brick in the wallet
LEGO has been a popular children's toy for many years, and we'll happily admit that we still play with it on the odd occasion because, ahem, we have younger relatives. Obvs. Anyway, it's no surprise that LEGO was transformed into a video game blockbuster [Like it! - Ed], using many major franchises to expand the plaything's reach...
August2015
Review Gauntlet: Slayer Edition (PS4)
On target
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is the ultimate Gauntlet game. While it may not be perfect, it's a brilliant crescendo for a series that pioneered multiplayer dungeon crawling 30 years ago, staying true to the roots of the franchise, yet chopping, changing, and evolving into something so much more. Like many games of old, Gauntlet: Slayer...
July2015
Review LEGO Jurassic World (PS4)
LEGOsaurus
These days, if a brand finds itself considered pop-culture then there are two eventualities that are almost a certainty. Firstly, the inevitable onslaught of Funko Pop Vinyl figurines that casts every single character in cute and irritatingly adorable plastic models. Secondly, a LEGO game, incidentally involving irritatingly adorable...
