Push Rewind

We’re not going to lie to you: it’s not been a banner week on Planet PlayStation. With much of the industry pre-occupied by either the summer weather or the World Cup, we’ve packed this edition of Push Rewind with more filler than a Pukka Pie. Still, as anyone that’s scoffed on one of the famous chip shop delicacies will testify, you can’t beat a nice beef and onion after a night on the tiles. Let’s get started.

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Reviews

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 5 - Cry Wolf - 9/10

The Wolf Among Us’ debut season has proven an absolutely top notch adaptation of a unique and fascinating comic book series. It’s a shame that the only real dampener on proceedings has been its consistent engine problems, so, while these have become less problematic as the events have progressed, we’re hoping that a move to the new generation of consoles will allow for more stable productions in the future. This is a big, bad adventure, and we think that it deserves to step out of The Walking Dead’s award winning shadow. However, we’d hurry up and play through the first series if we were you – or the Big Bad Wolf may just huff, puff, and blow your house down.

MouseCraft - 8/10

MouseCraft is an excellent addition to the puzzle genre, which successfully draws upon the strengths of several classics, while differentiating itself at the same time. A unique take on the ‘rat in a maze’ concept, this is entertaining on all three of Sony’s systems, and while it’s not exactly a visual showpiece, it’s charming enough to make you smile like when you’re saying the word ‘cheese’. In short, this is a fun little timewaster that you’re likely to enjoy more than you anticipate – even if you’re lactose intolerant.

Other Reviews

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Features

Talking Point: Are Publishers Taking Pre-Order Bonuses Too Far?

Pre-order bonuses used to be exactly that: pre-order bonuses. Retailers would compete over little knick-knacks such as t-shirts, keyrings, and action figures in order to secure your business, and you’d shop at the store that was giving away the specific goodie that you wanted. It was a largely harmless practice, with the inconsequential fluff rewarding those savvy enough to look around – without punishing those without the willpower or means to do so. However, this practice has gotten increasingly sinister over the past five or so years, with multiple permutations of virtually every PlayStation 4 product to pick from. So, is it time that we put our foot down?

Feature: The Strange and Sometimes Sordid World of PS4's Playroom

The Playroom wasn’t made for you. Fresh from the relative success of EyePet, ex-London Studio suit Nicholas Douchet was head hunted by Sony’s top dogs in Tokyo in order to extract the potential of its fledgling PlayStation 4 format and the DualShock 4. The augmented reality obsessed executive eventually concocted a toy box powered by the PlayStation Eye camera, allowing you to interact with a robot named Asobi in an overlaid virtual sci-fi world. It proved a success in subsequent public showings, with publications such as the very one that you’re reading describing it as an unexpectedly impressive use of the Japanese giant’s next-gen hardware. However, no one could have predicted the success that the software would ultimately enjoy.

Other Features

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News

Guide: How to Get into the Destiny Beta on PS4

So, interested in Destiny, are you? At this point, we suppose the better question is: who isn't interested? The game's alpha sent the PlayStation community into an uproar, and it's safe to say that we were thoroughly impressed, too.

Microsoft's Messaging Mishaps Prompted PS4 Boss to Re-Write E3 Script

Remember when Jack Tretton laid the figurative smackdown during Sony’s E3 press conference a couple of years ago? That wasn’t originally planned. Despite speculation at the time, Sony never intended to mirror Microsoft’s abhorrent Xbox One digital-rights management policies – but seeing the backlash pointed at its nearest competitor forced it to make its message crystal clear.

This Mortal Kombat X Fatality Is the Grossest Thing You'll See on PS4

One of the E3 announcements that caused a big bang was the latest instalment in NetherRealm Studios' long-running fighting franchise, Mortal Kombat X. However, while the fight to the death looked stunning in spite of its questionable backing track, it still may have seemed a little tame. And that's because Scorpion's fatality was censored for the biggest gaming event of the year.

Singing in the Rain! Here's How Inclement Weather Makes PS4 Exclusive DriveClub Even More Stunning

Judging by the frankly phenomenal progress that DriveClub has made over the past year or so, we reckon that more games would benefit from a meaty delay. In the slipstream of today’s hardware bundle announcement, developer Evolution Studios has released the first footage of its PlayStation 4 exclusive racer’s rain effects – and the results are nothing short of spectacular.

We're Not Saying It's Doomed, but These DOOM Comments Don't Inspire Much Confidence

Bethesda has admitted that it needs to prove itself with the impending PlayStation 4 version of legendary first-person shooter DOOM, informing fans that it shouldn’t expect the sequel to be awesome based on the property’s past pedigree alone. Speaking with MCV, spokesperson Pete Hines likened the situation to Wolfenstein, which has just made a comeback with the critically acclaimed The New Order.

Other Noteworthy News

Videos of the Week

Video: Watch As We Recap June's Best PlayStation Games

Ding dong, E3 is dead – and that means that order has been restored here at Push Square Towers. That’s right, as opposed to sitting staring intently at computer screens, we’re now all bickering over whether the Dynasty Warriors franchise is actually any good. It’s not, but it still bloomin’ made its way into our June Game of the Month shortlist. This editor smells shenanigans – or perhaps that’s the bins. They haven’t been emptied for a few days, y’see.

Video: Will David Hayter Star in PS4's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain After All?

Metal Gear Solid overlord Hideo Kojima loves a good ruse – and we reckon that he’s up to his old tricks again. David Hayter, otherwise known as the voice of Solid Snake and Big Boss, may have been rather publicly ‘replaced’ by 24 star Kiefer Sutherland in his familiar role, but is this just another Phantom Pain-esque troll from a developer that loves nothing more than seeing his fans squirm?