Push Rewind

While it may seem like things are settling down here at Push Square towers, there’s actually a tidal wave of activity taking place behind the scenes, as we try to cram the Christmas period with as much content as possible ahead of time. There were a few bits and pieces on the homepage worthy of note this week, though, and we’ve embedded everything that you need to know down below.

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Reviews

The Crew - 6/10

Ivory Tower deserves a serious amount of credit for delivering an outstanding open world in The Crew, where every square mile feels expertly crafted. Taking a drive across its varied landscape with a posse of other players is a memorable experience, and while it takes a little time to level your cars to a point where they’re actually fun to drive, when you get there, you’ll happily spend hours exploring every town and back road, from New York to Los Angeles. It’s a real let down, then, that the rest of the package fails to come close to matching the same standard, with excessive AI rubber banding, inconsistent physics, and an unimaginative story all acting as dead weight.

Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice - 7/10

Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice is certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it hits nowhere near as hard as it maybe should have. Bits and pieces show promise for future episodes – particularly the conclusion – but all of the pieces are not yet in place. With more playable characters and an extra episode in this season, there’s definitely potential here – it’s just not been realised so far.

Other Reviews

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Features

Feature: Did PlayStation Plus Represent Value for Money in 2014?

In hindsight, we suppose that Sony’s strategy with PlayStation Plus was a little cunning. When the platform holder rolled out its subscription service several years ago, it was billed as an optional extra for PlayStation 3 owners – a mere means for members to secure a pocketful of freebies for a nominal fee. As the years passed, the quality of said giveaways improved, eventually representing such ridiculous value that no one batted an eyelid when Jack Tretton quietly confirmed that you’ll need to pay to play online with the PlayStation 4.

Soapbox: Destiny's Progression System Is Destroying the Game from the Inside

Despite launching only about three months ago, it feels like we've been discussing Destiny for an eternity. Bungie's sci-fi shooter divided opinion from the word go, and, whether it's because of heightened expectations or general trust in a proven developer, we're still ranting and raving about what's right and what's wrong with the blockbuster.

Other Features

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News

November NPD: PS4 Loses to Xbox One for the First Time in Eleven Months

Well, it’s the moment that we’ve all been waiting for: the PlayStation 4’s long-running sales winning streak in the United States has finally come to an end. Sony’s next-gen system had been on top every month of the year so far, but extremely low priced bundles from Microsoft have pushed the Xbox One ahead in November for the first time since December 2013. The word on the street, however, is that it was a photo finish, with the Japanese giant almost pulling a surprise victory out of the bag. [Update: Or perhaps not!]

Don't Have Destiny's First Expansion? Then You're Locked Out of Some Existing Content

There isn't much that gets this usually calm and collected associate editor riled up, but Bungie's latest move with Destiny's The Dark Below expansion pack – which released earlier today – has everyone in the Push Square office clambering for safety from this author's outrage.

Sony's Not Too Happy About All the 20th Anniversary Edition PS4s on eBay

Let's be frank: the 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 is probably one of the most attractive consoles of all time. However, in a slightly controversial move, Sony sold a swathe of the sleek systems for a scant £19.94 at a secret London location. Predictably, a number of enterprising fans have now listed their grey boxes on eBay at a much steeper price in order to turn a nice profit. As you'd expect, the Japanese giant isn't particularly chuffed with this outcome.

Weirdness: Alright, These PS4 Face Plates Are Ridiculously Rad

Sony may not have intended for the PlayStation 4’s hard drive cover to be customisable, but it’s cottoned onto the fact that people are using the removable face plate to personalise their platform, and has started to run its own line of custom concealers. However, while those are neat, these transparent ones from Cyber Gadget truly take the biscuit.

Are You PS4's Best Player? Sony Wants You to Prove It

You want to be the very best, right – like no one ever was? Well, now’s the time to prove yourself. Sony’s running a multiplayer contest here in the UK, with a series of challenges putting your proficiency with a DualShock 4 to the test. There are tons of prizes up for grabs, with brand new PlayStation TVs and PlayStation Plus subscriptions being given away every week, as well as a 55-inch LED TV should you score the top prize. As the garbled guy from Smash TV would exclaim: “Big prizes! I love it!”

Other Noteworthy News

Video of the Week

PS4 Console Exclusive Street Fighter V Lashes Out with Its First Live Gameplay Demo

Capcom Cup 2014 turned out to be a rather riveting affair, as Japanese contestant Momochi took the Street Fighter IV tournament crown after a stunning set of fights that saw him come all the way back from an initial defeat. But even when the action was over, the publisher was quick to harness the lingering excitement.