Features News - Page 18 of 24

It's hard to go back to racing games

It's a genre that's constantly evolving. While two-dimensional platformers and puzzle games remain fairly time-less — racing games evolve. It's funny, in fact, that I should return to the original PlayStation's Ridge Racer Type 4 just days after getting a hands-on with Sony's upcoming Gran Turismo 5. Despite there being little more than ten years difference..

"Take out the fat guy," our partner declares as we point a sub-machine gun out of an upstairs window

Just moments earlier we'd been knocking back coca-cola while perusing a copy of Playboy magazine. Such is the life of a gangster. There's a good sense of place in Mafia II. Almost meticulously so. Take for example the afore-mentioned Playboy magazine. It includes genuine, licensed photoshoots from..

Grip Games -- the developers behind the PlayStation Mini 5-In-1 Arcade Hits -- want you to name their cover girl, and they're giving away PlayStation Minis in reward for your creative juices

We've got five copies of 5-In-1 Arcade Hits to give away to the best five submissions. And you thought naming babies was hard... 5-In-1 Arcade Hits is a fun little Mini with a variety of content including pool,..

The moment I realised the true potential of PlayStation Home was when I visited the Sodium One game space

I urge anyone who's still got negative impressions of Sony's virtual world to visit Lockwood's meta-game space and pick-up the gear you need to access the full game. Sodium One is a complete experience tied into the PlayStation Home engine — there are multiple mini-games, a complete arena..

Gran Turismo 5 is gorgeous

Unbelievably so. Chances are, you already know. We're just here to remind you. When we saw the Toscana rally track in motion, we were stunned. Startled in fact. The game's silky smooth, running at an unwavering 60 frames per second. We watched on as day turned to night, and the blue sky was replaced by twinkling stars. It's still Gran Turismo; it's just prettier than ever..

We only got to check out one level from LittleBigPlanet 2, but the charmingly titled "Tower Of Woop" seemed like a good starting point for the cutesy platforming sequel

The level was a showcase for a couple of things: firstly the new graphics engine. LittleBigPlanet 2 looks cuter than ever, thanks in part to sharper colours and even more detailed textures. The "Tower Of Woop" also gave us..

Despite looking like the spiritual successor to zany PSone classic, Incredible Crisis, our hands-on time with the PlayStation Move's Kung Fu Rider revealed some irritating control quirks

We just couldn't get Kung Fu Rider to work. It took several attempts before we realised what the game wanted from us, and even then it didn't feel especially intuitive. You play as an office worker on the run from..

Guerrilla's done an incredible job

Somehow, they've managed to keep the polarizing sense of weight in Killzone 3, while still appeasing concerns that the previous game was too loose. Killzone 3 is a much tighter, much more responsive shooter — but it still has that key ingredient that makes the franchise so different to its peers. Oh, and it looks incredible too. Those near us during our hands-on..

The Fight: Lights Out surprised us

Having read many negative reports on Sony's PlayStation Move controlled brawler, we went in with no expectations at all. We came out of the demo quietly impressed. While the game had noticeable lag and input issues, there were moments when the gritty boxer felt genuinely satisfying. It's just a shame that the AI we encountered in our demo was as life-less as a..

Man, do we feel sorry for Black Rock Studio

With Split/Second they created a cinematic racing title with an interesting hook. Watching the environments crash around you was the game's selling point, in an overall package that didn't feel particularly well tuned. MotorStorm: Apocalypse is based on a similar concept, but is every inch more impressive; even in the pre-alpha state we tried it in..

Housemarque don't need a new title to prove that they're the masters of the PSN dual-joystick shooter

We've put more hours into Super Stardust HD than we care to imagine, so it was with lofty expectations we checked out the studio's latest zombie driven PSN endeavour - Dead Nation. The first thing you notice about the PSN download - due later this year - is how stunning the lighting looks. The..

Admittedly, Sports Champions has about as much charm as a limp sock

But having got hands-on time with the compilation's table tennis game, we're not sure it matters. That's because PlayStation Move works; this is not a device playing on empty promises and faked lifestyle commercials - it does what Sony have always said it will: track your movements 1:1. Sports Champions is Sony's attempt at..

Sony's line-up has been exceedingly strong this year

In fact, it's probably the strongest the PlayStation 3 has ever had. It's been a banner year for the system, with games such as Heavy Rain and God Of War III all being massive success stories for the brand. It's telling of the industry's state that people should choose to criticise the line-up — MAG aside, there's not been a banner exclusive..

I want to play The Getaway

The initial set-up is fantastic; placing you in a red Rover 75 with a motley-crue of cockney shade-masters. "Who's the bird?" exclaims the appropriately named "Eyebrows", in his thick LDN tones. Across the road, a lady in a tight leather jacket sprints towards the passenger seat of the car. She flicks open the door and slams it behind her. "I..

This week wasn't supposed to be like this

I had a whole other series prepared for this week's There's No Place Like Home. I was going to do my best Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and make-over my Personal Space. But in my quest for fancy neon lamps, this happened [see photographic evidence above]. As I clicked the shutter of my PlayStation Home camera, I was photobombed. Allow me to relay; as part of my..

There's acres of difference between the PlayStation Move and Kinect platforms

Some bloggers might wish you to believe otherwise, as they compare every intricate difference between the platforms. But if E3 taught us one thing, it's that the platforms are distinctly unique. I see Kinect as a device to entice people into the XBOX platform. I don't see that with the Move. I see the Move as a device..

Kane & Lynch is a franchise that will long be marred by the controversy that took place outside of the product

The original game was a bit of a mess, with poor shooting mechanics taking centre stage in an interesting, but under-developed piece of fiction. Despite that, you'd be forgiven for thinking a sequel wasn't necessary — but developers IO Interactive have other ideas about their gritty..

If, like us, you were away on LocoRoco Island last week, you may have missed our specially compiled countdown of the office's most anticipated PlayStation games of this Holiday season

These are the games you're going to want to sell your kidney to buy. The games that we think should be on your pre-order list. Let's recap: Time Crisis: Razing Storm Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

How could we possibly have an anticipated list without mentioning Sackboy? LittleBigPlanet 2 is indeed our most anticipated game of Holiday 2010

While we're looking forward to all the games on this list, LittleBigPlanet 2 appears to be a step beyond everything else on offer. Despite being two years since the original LittleBigPlanet, the concept is no less ambitious. "Create your own..

What could we possibly have left to say about Gran Turismo 5? The franchise is an institution among car lovers, and the wait has been long, hard and tiring

But the definitive racing simulator is finally upon us, packing a feature-set that's out of this world. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the game's ridiculously beefed-up roster. When it launches, Gran Turismo 5 will have over 1,000 cars..

When you tell us that Criterion are making an arcade racing game, you don't really need to give us any more information

We're sold at that point. Hey, guess what? Criterion are making an arcade racing game. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit takes the franchise all the way back to its roots. Do you remember the original game on the 3DO? ("Wanna go home and cry to your Mummy?"). Yeah, Need For..

Ask anyone to list their favourite PlayStation Portable games of all time and chances are God Of War: Chains Of Olympus will be up there

The Ready At Dawn developed PSP hack-and-slash title was a technical masterpiece. Taking the formula from the home console versions of God Of War, Chains Of Olympus down-sized the action without losing anything in translation. It was a stunning achievement. Ready..

How predictable

Another Call Of Duty game. Fantastic, right? Well, yes, apparently. We didn't think Call Of Duty Black Ops would ever make this list either, but everything we've seen of the game over the past 12-months has truly stunned us. For a while now we've been discussing how the fallout from Infinity Ward might affect the team from Treyarch — and their whole attitude with this game strikes..

Table tennis

That's all we want. That's all we've ever wanted. Well to be honest, that's not strictly true. A good motion controlled tennis game is truly what we've always wanted. But for now, table tennis will do. Yes, we know you can play it on the Wii, but Sports Champions looks to take those Wii Sports Resort concepts an elevate them to an even higher depth of accuracy. Sports Champions is the..