Latest Previews
October2016
Hands On Does PlayStation VR Really Have Tracking Issues?
Dreaded drift
In some ways, it's a shame that the PlayStation VR embargo had to lift. We'd encountered problems with the headset prior to this week's verdicts, which we outlined in our review: the resolution of the screen, the number of cables, and the flawed nature of the PlayStation Move controllers. But we hadn't encountered any tracking issues...
Hands On Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered Is Far More Than Its Title Suggests
Shock and awe
What is a "remaster"? The moniker implies an older game that has been updated to adequately match the technological standards of the present day in numerous ways, such as with polished assets, minor alterations to gameplay, and so forth. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Twilight Princess HD are excellent examples, but what...
Hands On Dragon Quest Builders Is One of the Most Addictive Games of 2016
Can't stop the block
We can't stop playing Dragon Quest Builders on PlayStation 4 - it's as simple as that. The delightful little adventure is capable of sucking away hours upon hours of your time thanks to its initial accessibility, and once you're hooked, it's difficult not to just keep digging deeper and deeper, expanding your town and taking...
Hands On Playing Non-VR PS4 Games on PlayStation VR
Putting the Cinematic Mode through its paces
Without any shadow of a doubt, the biggest question we received after publishing our PlayStation VR review this week pertained to Cinematic Mode, the feature which allows you to play non-virtual reality games inside the headset on a simulated cinema screen. But what features can you use in this mode –...
Hands On Playing Our Own Way in Dishonored 2 on PS4
Corvo, blimey?
It's been 15 years since the events of Dishonored, and we've left the city of Dunwall behind for the vast streets of Karnaca. Emily is now banished, removed from her throne by a powerful outsider, and it's our job to set things right as we're thrust back into Arkane's intricate level design, malfunctioning moral compass, and exquisite...
Hands On Looking Through the Viewfinder of Outlast 2's PS4 Demo
Found footage
Well this is a pleasant surprise! We'd forgotten how much we enjoyed the original Outlast, but playing this hastily released demo for its sequel has brought all of those good memories flowing back. This sampler – deployed today on the European PlayStation Store – is set in a dingy rural village, where clearly there's some kind of...
September2016
Hands On Battlezone's PlayStation VR Co-Op Is Brilliant Fun
Cockpit moshpit
What more is there to say about Battlezone right now? The forthcoming PlayStation VR launch title is absolutely a must-own, but you already knew that when we previewed it earlier in the year. This week we were invited back up to Rebellion to feast our eyes on the final build, and our opinion hasn't really changed: the Oxford-based...
Hands On Little Nightmares Is a Spooky PS4 Surprise
Sweet dreams
You wouldn't expect a puzzle platformer to be one of the pleasanter surprises at EGX 2016. Perhaps the booth should have been a better indication; Little Nightmares wasn't stuffed away in the corner of the convention, but instead commanded centre stage, with an elaborate labyrinth-like setup involving towering drawers and dressed-up...
Hands On Is Dragon Quest Builders Spades Better than Minecraft?
Dig dug
Minecraft's an interesting phenomenon. Its wide-spread impact is not under question, but old-fogeys like this very author struggle to derive much entertainment from its free-form format. Dragon Quest Builders aims to bring the best of both worlds, then – it's got the creative opportunities of Mojang's masterpiece, but also the quest-based...
Hands On Could Horizon: Zero Dawn Be Sony's Next Big Blockbuster?
Aloy, saveloy
The best thing about PlayStation is that it's reinvented itself time and time again. Sony's original console was defined by Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, but a contractual blunder meant that both series went multiformat. Sony had to reinvent itself, and we saw the introduction of Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper. Now on its...
Hands On Sonic Mania on PS4 Runs Rings Around Recent Entries
Super Sonic
Let's face it: aside from Sonic Generations, the Blue Blur's had a pretty iffy history on PlayStation consoles. The hog's starred in a couple of decent Wii titles – and he's even enjoyed a handful of decent handheld outings – but the character's struggled to live up to his iconic legacy on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and now...
First Impressions Bloodying Our Blades in the For Honor PS4 Alpha
No guts, no glory
For Honor is a medieval melee-based action title that's set in a land totally ruined by a natural disaster - its people left to fight for their survival. This is where three warriors come across one pool of water, and although they could share it, a brawl ensues because of pure greed. These initial three fighters go on to form the...
First Impressions PS4 Pro Represents a Sizeable Step Forward
A new Horizon
Looking at Guerrilla's eye-wateringly pretty dinosaur destroying role-playing game Horizon: Zero Dawn on the PlayStation 4 Pro initially reveals the game that you have in your imagination; it's only when the upgraded version is observed back-to-back with its standard PS4 release that the stark contrast comes into alarming focus...
Hands On Destiny: Rise of Iron Seems Like Another Solid Expansion
Bringing the fire
We've sunk about 10 hours into Destiny: Rise of Iron, and in that time, we've completed the main set of story quests, tackled several side objectives, and jumped about ten light levels. We've perused some super cool looking armour, glanced at a few tempting exotics, killed more Splicers than we care to count, and spent minutes at a...
Hands On Trying to Solve a Mystery in Virginia
That game you like is going to come back in style
We recently spent some hands-on time with developer Variable State's upcoming game, Virginia. A first-person mystery title, Virginia sees players assume the role of FBI Agent Anne Tarver. As Tarver, the goal is to discover the whereabouts of a missing person: Lucas Fairfax. We had the chance to play...
Hands On PlayStation VR Continues to Impress in Epic Preview Session
Resident Evil! Batman VR! Farpoint! More!
We've been lucky enough to play PlayStation VR on several occasions now, and the novelty's yet to wear off. Granted, we haven't yet had to cope with cables, plugs, and calibration – a real-world headache that could significantly reduce the thrill of entering a virtual space – but we're yet to walk away...
August2016
Hands On How Does Fallout 4: Nuka World Run on PS4?
Please don't be another Far Harbor
If you were around for that whole saga with Far Harbor's horrible frame rate issues on PlayStation 4, then you'll know that we here at Push Square take technical performance quite seriously. Fallout 4's previous expansion ran terribly on Sony's console when it launched, constantly dipping below the 20...
Hands On Does PlayStation Now Stream Successfully to PC?
Power of the cloud
PlayStation Now's been misinterpreted by many. The cloud-streaming solution – often incorrectly labelled as Sony's answer to backward compatibility – is clearly an initiative in its infancy; the service that's available today represents the building blocks of a much bigger ambition, where PlayStation hardware is replaced by an...
Hands On AdVenture Capitalist May Be PS4's Most Annoyingly Addictive Game
Push square
It was only a matter of time before "clickers" started to infect the PlayStation 4, wasn't it? The popular genre – which is defined by its simple gameplay and constantly increasing numbers – is already a smash on computers and smartphones, and now AdVenture Capitalist is aiming to bring a little of the love to Sony's new-gen system...
Hands On No Man's Sky PS4 Is As Bemusing As It Is Beautiful
Spaced out
It doesn't get much bigger than No Man's Sky – quite literally. Hello Games, the humble British developer behind the likes of Joe Danger, caught the imagination with its retro sci-fi romp from the minute that it was announced – but many pondered whether the slender indie studio could possibly deliver. Three years later and the ten or...
Hands On Overwatch's Olympian PS4 Update Scores with Rocket League Mode
Blast ball
It was only a matter of time before Rocket League's herculean impact extended to other games, with Overwatch seemingly the first to "borrow" from Psyonix's sporting smash. Nintendo fans will probably expect mention of Blast Ball from Metroid Prime Federation Force, but seeing as that's not technically out for another couple of weeks, our...
July2016
Hands On Free MMO Neverwinter Is Well Worth Playing on PS4
Roll the dice
A massively multiplayer online game based on the fiction of Dungeons & Dragons, Neverwinter is out now on PlayStation 4 - and it's totally free to download and play. At the time of writing, we've invested around 20 hours into the free-to-play foray, and we have to admit that it's actually quite difficult to put down. That may just...
Hands On Is King of Fighters XIV on PS4 Worthy of Its Royal Title?
Return of the king
Some of us here at Push Square are looking forward to King of Fighters XIV. Honest. Which is lucky, given that a playable demo landed on the PlayStation Store yesterday, giving us a chance to try out this somewhat divisive entry in the series – and we're happy to report that the title shows great promise. But first, let's...
Hands On Seeking the Light in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Saving the best for last
It's no secret that the Kingdom Hearts series has transformed into quite a meandering and occasionally confusing beast. After 2005's Kingdom Hearts II, the series spread itself across three additional platforms and continued telling side stories that expanded the lore, but never strictly progressed it any further than where...
June2016
Hands On Going Feral with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Another day, another co-op shooter
The Ghost Recon series is one that's never been known for its open world gameplay, but hey, why not jump on the bandwagon? Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands aims to bring a fully featured open world to the classic military shooter series, one that's touted by Ubisoft as being the largest open world to feature in...
Hands On Taking a Trip to the Dark Ages with For Honor on PS4
Look, Mom, no UbiTowers!
Ubisoft is one of those studios that seems to have been content for the past few years to churn out billions of decent but unexceptional sequels in big franchises like Just Dance, Assassin's Creed, and Far Cry. This is fine, but the studio has shown through games such as Child of Light and Grow Home that it's also fully...
First Impressions Resident Evil 7 on PS4 Aims to Finish What Silent Hills Started
Resi reanimated
It's fitting that Capcom would reveal the seventh instalment of its once great franchise alongside the much anticipated reveal of Hideo Kojima's latest project, because Resident Evil 7 seems to be a full realisation of what Kojima set out to do with Silent Hills. After years of inferior sequels, HD remasters, and some serious...
May2016
Hands On Fallout 4: Far Harbor's Frame Rate Is Unacceptable on PS4
Come on, Bethesda
What a disappointment this turned out to be. Fallout 4 is easily the best performing title that Bethesda has ever released on a PlayStation platform, but its first big expansion, Far Harbor, is in a real state right now. We're just a few hours into the highly anticipated add-on, and we're honestly finding it difficult to keep...
Hands On Feeling Our Way Through Blind on PlayStation VR
Who turned out the lights?
There were a pretty substantial number of games at PAX East that implemented virtual reality: some used the plethora of headsets for gimmicks, some to generate unique experiences, and some as a framing device for titles that would be less interesting if they were made in the traditional way. Italian dev Tiny Bull Studios'...
Hands On Rain World Conjures Up a Storm on PS4
Flash flooding
Adult Swim Games brought a bunch of the games that it is publishing to PAX East recently, but the one that stood out among the pack would definitely have to be Videocult's Rain World. Described as a survival platformer, Rain World definitely falls firmly on the ambitious end of the spectrum when it comes to the genre. We got some...
Hands On Dispatching Demons in DOOM on PS4
\m/
DOOM wastes no time setting out its stall. There a pentagram, a pistol, and one of Satan's soldiers. Pew, pew – off we go. Extremely late review copies mean that we've only just managed to get our hands on id Software's key card collecting sim – but does this unashamedly old-school FPS make a strong first impression? We're about three or so...
Hands On Outrunning a Giant in Fated: The Silent Oath on PlayStation VR
The end of days
There were a pretty large number of virtual reality games being shown off at PAX East. Some awesome things were being done with the headsets, but one of the games that we were most impressed with was Frima Studios' Fated: The Silent Oath. A narrative-focused VR game, Fated sees you assume the role of a mute man as he tries to...
Hands On Thumper Provides a Reason to Jump into PlayStation VR
Like music to our eyes
Thumper was the first experience that we had with PlayStation VR at PAX East. And boy, what a first impression to make! In development for six years, the two-man team at Drool – Brian Gibson and Marc Flury, both former Harmonix devs – gave us some hands-on time with their VR rhythm game, and the experience was nothing...
April2016
Hands On Outlast 2 Scares Up Playable Demo at PAX East
Don't let the batteries run out
Horror game dev Red Barrels burst onto the console scene in 2014 with handheld camera horror game Outlast. For a first game, we were damn impressed with it. The subsequent expansion was equally impressive, and in the months that followed, the confirmation of a sequel made us downright giddy. So understandably, when...
Hands On Pyre Illuminates the Night Sky with Playable Demo at PAX East
Build that wall
After two massively successful releases, indie studio Supergiant Games has made quite the name for itself in the industry. Both of its titles – Bastion and Transistor – have been well received critically, and are some of the most beautiful games that we've ever seen. So when the dev announced just a few days before PAX East that...
Hands On Is Nioh on PS4 a Cut Above Its Competitors?
Soul searcher
A bizarre pre-release alpha demo for samurai Souls clone Nioh launched on the PlayStation 4 this week, and given that it's one of the rare releases that's piqued both Sammy and Ramsey's attention, we figured that we'd run a dual impressions article on the upcoming Koei Tecmo exclusive. Find out what we thought below. Sammy Barker,...
Hands On Reliving a Memorable War in Valkyria Chronicles Remastered on PS4
Well in, Welkin
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is a fine example of a game that'll always look bloody lovely because of its art style. When the original Valkyria Chronicles launched on the PlayStation 3 all the way back in 2008, it was a stunner, sporting wistful, superbly crafted watercolour-esque visuals. From start to finish the title was a joy...
First Impressions Furi Is a PS4 Indie You Shouldn't Ignore
Hell hath no Furi like a prisoner scorned
It's disappointing, but it's become a dirty word, "indie". Take a cursory glance at the PlayStation Blog or even this very website, and you'll find readers ragging on forays that have been developed on slimmer budgets than a Whopper meal. Curation plays a part in that: there's some real tosh on the...
First Impressions Reflecting on Our Time with Reflections
The mirror reflected
Have you ever really wanted to decide what colours to paint a house and then actually paint? Have you ever had a very strong desire to take the time to fix the plumbing for your kitchen sink in a digital world? Or maybe you just really wanted to go to a local pond and skip stones? All of these things and more can be your reality...
First Impressions RIGS Brings AAA Future Sports to PlayStation VR
Jumping through hoops
Following the colossal success of Rocket League, future sports are back in a big way. RIGS: Mechanized Combat League, the latest from Medievil and Killzone: Mercenary developer Guerrilla Cambridge, is in essence a mech-based deathmatch experience – but with a twist. Unlike other first-person shooters, your objective in this...
First Impressions Flapping Through the First Hours of Rocketbirds 2 for PS4, Vita
Cluck, cluck, goose
Rocketbirds 2: Evolution is set to release on PlayStation 4 and Vita on 26th April, and we've received the chance to test out what the game has to offer so far. Playing through the game's first chapter and a bit of Rescue Mission mode, here are our initial impressions. Taking place after the events of its predecessor, Hardboiled...
Hands On Uncharted 4 Is Bigger and Better Than Ever Before on PS4
Mad-agascar
Madagascar may be best known for its goofball cast of personified zoo animals, but some even bigger idiots are on their way to the enormous African island. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will find protagonist Nathan Drake and his familial allies Victor 'Goddamn' Sullivan and Sam Drake exploring the outback in search of missing pirate Henry...
Hands On Platinum Demo: Final Fantasy XV Is Well Worth the Free Download on PS4
An interesting glimpse into the game
Announced during the Uncovered: Final Fantsy XV event, Platinum Demo: Final Fantasy XV is yet more evidence that Square Enix likes to come up with terrible names. It's also a rather interesting glimpse into the inner workings of Final Fantasy XV, and provides a pleasant little adventure to boot. As far as free...
March2016
First Impressions Battlezone on PlayStation VR Will Blow Your Mind
Tank you very much
Holy moly, virtual reality is truly mind blowing stuff. We were recently invited out to legendary developer Rebellion's headquarters to get some eyes-on time with Battlezone on PlayStation VR – and we've talked about little else since. This is only phase one for the fledging medium's return to the mainstream, and already it's...
First Impressions Sniper Elite 4 on PS4 Seems On Target Yet Again
Murder in the Mediterranean
For many, Rebellion's successful Sniper Elite series is a gaming guilty pleasure. Seasoned soldier Karl Fairburne has been busting balls since the heady days of the PlayStation 2, and now finds himself slinking into battle for a fourth time. Continuing the property's theme of depicting unexpected but engaging World War II...
Hands On The Division's a Clinical But Compelling PS4 Shooter
Empire elated?
Hit making is really, really hard. Pop stars like Katy Perry and Justin Bieber may very well have raw talent, but it's down to their respective record labels to extract that in order to turn them into superstars. And it takes a team of incredibly intelligent people – writers, stylists, producers, engineers, choreographers,...
Hands On PS4's No Man's Sky Is Gorgeous, Ginormous, and Potentially Great
Thirty minutes in Hello Games' galaxy
Like all of the best brainiacs, the friendly folks at Hello Games are utterly insane. There's a mad glimmer in studio co-founder Sean Murray's eye as he explains that he's no longer able to see textured terrain in No Man's Sky without the mathematics shaping it. The amiable programmer – appearing endearingly...
February2016
First Impressions Hitman PS4 Brings the Franchise Back to Its Golden Years
Our thoughts from the beta
It's safe to say that a lot of people were feeling quite nervous about the annoyingly named Hitman. Its episodic release schedule worried many people, and tensions were high after the disappointing Hitman: Absolution – would Square Enix mess up again? After playing the beta for many hours, however, it seems that there's...
First Impressions Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Is an Addictive Monster Raising RPG
Gotta hatch 'em all
We've spent around five hours with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth on PlayStation 4, and we're tempted to say that we're already addicted. Admittedly, the game's first hour or so is a bit humdrum as you're shown the ropes of cyberspace and introduced to several main characters, but it wasn't long before we were hatching digimon eggs,...
January2016
First Impressions The Division Shows Promise on PS4, But There Are Worries
Our thoughts after five hours with the beta
Every time that we have something good to say about Tom Clancy's The Division, there's a 'but' at the end of the statement. Maybe we're just miserable gits, or perhaps we're just wary of Ubisoft's ability to con us into thinking something's really good when deep down, it's actually pretty unremarkable...
Hands On Does Homefront PS4's Co-Op Represent a Revolution?
Derelict teamwork
This game has a past that is not one of secrecy but of an incredibly rocky and public road to completion. Homefront: The Revolution has been tossed between developers like an expensive game of hot potato but it's somehow found light at the end of the tunnel with a release window finally locked in. In fact, it's so close that we...
First Impressions Is Arslan: The Warriors of Legend Princely on PS4?
King me
We've had our eye on Arslan: The Warriors of Legend for quite some time, and that's mostly because Omega Force – the developer behind almost every Warriors-esque game under the sun – has a solid track record when it comes to merging already existing properties with its trademark hack and slash action. The likes of Dynasty Warriors:...
December2015
Hands On Destiny's Sparrow Racing Is Fun for About an Hour
The Bungie jump effect
When Sparrow racing was announced at Sony's PlayStation Experience 2015 press conference, we won't deny that we were hyped. Ever since climbing aboard our Sparrow for the first time in Destiny, we've always wished for some sort of racing system – if only to see how it would work out. As it happens, the Sparrow Racing League,...
First Impressions Taking Cover in Uncharted 4's Multiplayer Beta on PS4
Irresistible relic?
Few things in life derive more pleasure than the following: sex, chocolate, matching with other players in the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer beta on the PlayStation 4. Despite being a rather cynical promotional ploy, Naughty Dog's server stress test is living up to its namesake, as you'll spend more time staring at...
Hands On Has Just Cause 3 on PS4 Blown Us Away?
Where does he get those wonderful toys?
The Just Cause series has always done insane spectacle better than anyone, but with Avalanche Studios having already gone pretty much as big as you can go in Rico Rodriguez's first two outings, how do you up the ante yet again? Based on the first few hours playing Just Cause 3 the answer appears to be: you...
November2015
First Impressions Need for Speed Fails to Hit First Gear on PS4
Sick
When you're forced to recycle old subtitles, you know that it's time that your brand got a reboot. EA Games' long running Need for Speed series has been securing podium finishes for almost as long as we can remember, but despite there being a movie in the interim, the publisher resisted the temptation to churn out a 2014 sequel to PlayStation 4...
Preview Just Cause 3 Blows Us Away on PS4
We can't wait to burn it to the ground
It feels good to welcome back Rico Rodriguez – a regime change specialist extraordinaire with a grapple, an attitude, and a huge arsenal of destructive possibilities which will be unleashed on the PlayStation 4 in December. Just Cause 3 is a game that we've have been anticipating ever since finishing 2010's...
October2015
First Impressions Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Continues to Grow with a Sequel on PS4
Green hill zone
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 focuses on expanding the original title, which was already such a great success. For those living under a rock, Garden Warfare is a third-person shooter where the plants and zombies from the popular mobile game go head-to-head in order to defend their homelands from each other. We gave the first...
First Impressions Forcing Our Way to the Front Line in Star Wars Battlefront on PS4
Everything is proceeding as foreseen
Fans of sci-fi video games have been waiting for a new Star Wars Battlefront ever since the outstanding previous instalment in the series, Battlefront 2, was released all the way back in 2005. For loyal followers of the franchise this previous title feels like it deployed "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far...
First Impressions Just Cause 3 Grapples for Glory on PS4
Scorpio strikes again
The sequel to popular open world action title Just Cause 2, creatively named Just Cause 3, brings Rico Rodriguez – codenamed Scorpio – to an entirely new fictional setting: the Mediterranean archipelago of Medici. The new map is the exact same size as the previous instalment's gigantic world, clocking in at a massive 400...
First Impressions Shadow of the Beast Is Bloody Brilliant on PS4
Stepping out of the shadows
One of the quieter demo stations that we saw this year at EGX was for the reboot of eighties gaming classic, Shadow of the Beast. Now, this wasn't much of a surprise, especially since its announcement a couple of years ago at Gamescom was met with a resounding "huh, never heard of it" from anyone under the age of...
September2015
First Impressions Dragon Quest Heroes PS4 Is a Monster Masher That Shows a Lot of Promise
It's looking goo-d
Square Enix has been somewhat adamant in proving that Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below isn't just another Warriors game. Developed by Omega Force - the Japanese studio behind just about every musou title in existence - this hack and slasher definitely bares similarities to Koei Tecmo's franchises and...
First Impressions Breaching the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Beta on PS4
Breaking down barriers
Here at Push Square we've been checking out the closed beta for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege on the PlayStation 4 – and boy has this game been kept under a rock since its first announcement at E3 last year. There's been a distinct lack of interest in the title since its reveal, but it finally appears to have found its feet...
First Impressions Ratchet & Clank PS4 Is a Pixar Movie Brought to Life
Lookin' nuts
Remember when Sony famously said that the PlayStation 2 would be capable of powering Toy Story-esque visuals in realtime? We've been waiting a long time for it to deliver on that statement. But with Ratchet & Clank on the PlayStation 4, developer Insomniac Games may have finally succeeded, as this is one of the most visually...
First Impressions How Well Does Assassin's Creed Syndicate Run on PS4?
London's not quite burning
After Assassin's Creed Unity launched in shameful condition on the PlayStation 4 last year, there's been much discussion over how 2015's follow up, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, will run on Sony's home console. After the beating that Unity took, you'd assume that Ubisoft would do its best to ensure that Syndicate performs...
First Impressions Reflecting on Mirror’s Edge Catalyst PS4
Smooth round the edges
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a reimagined story set before the events of the first title and has built upon the free running and combat system of the original to bring a totally fresh and more fluid experience. With upgraded visuals that look stunning on the next generation consoles and are especially sharp on the PlayStation 4,...
First Impressions Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Is PS4 Gold
Greatness from not-so small beginnings
You didn't think that Sony was going to treat its flagship franchise poorly, did you? A lot's been said and written about the PlayStation 4's exclusive lineup this Christmas, but Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is no slouch. The remastered compilation of Naughty Dog's iconic adventuring trilogy looks and...
First Impressions Destiny: The Taken King PS4 Marks a Clear Improvement
Taking us back
Year two of Destiny is well and truly under way with the release of The Taken King – the shooter's largest piece of downloadable content to date. We still struggle to call The Dark Below and House of Wolves 'expansions', but there's no denying that this newest add-on fits the bill. You'd expect this, of course, from an expensive...
August2015
First Impressions Is Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain on PS4 the Best Entry Yet?
Tactical espionage excellence
It's night in Afghanistan, as the soldier known as Big Boss surveys a Russian outpost from afar. Soldiers, searchlights, and machine gun emplacements pepper the settlement, making his mission to rescue a prisoner held there even more difficult. The question is: what approach should the legendary soldier take? Should he...
First Impressions Bashing Our Brainnns Against PS4's Zombie Vikings
Thor you should know a little more about this title
Arriving digitally next week is hack-'n'-slash adventure Zombie Vikings – unsurprisingly a game about undead vikings slicing their way through numerous enemies in a side-scrolling quest. We were lucky enough to play a short preview build prior to release to see how this comical adventure is...
First Impressions Call of Duty: Black Ops III Embraces the Past As It Focuses on the Future
Lean, mean, cybernetic machine
With Call of Duty being the most successful multiplayer shooter franchise in video game history, you would think that betas would've been the norm by now. Instead, each instalment has had infamous issues. Annoying perks such as Juggernaut in Modern Warfare, overpowered weapons like the FAMAS and AK74u in Black Ops,...
First Impressions Eyes-On with PS4's Virtual Reality Headset Project Morpheus
An early look at exclusives London Heist and RIGS
We've known about Project Morpheus – the PlayStation 4's proprietary virtual reality headset – for what feels like an eternity now, so we're definitely reaching that point where it's time for Sony to stop talking about the possibilities for the peripheral, and start proving why it's so important...
July2015
First Impressions Trading Blows in the Street Fighter V PS4 Beta
Execution, revolution, evolution
Street Fighter IV had a good run. Released in Japanese arcades in 2008 and home consoles in 2009, Capcom's flagship fighter received four paid iterations over six years, ended with a character roster of 44, and the Street Fighter finals of EVO 2015 were watched by very nearly a quarter of a million fans. This may...
June2015
First Impressions Our First 50 Hours With The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4
Taming Tamriel
That's right, we've played The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited for just a little over 50 hours now, so we thought that it was about time to get some impressions published. Being a massively multiplayer online game, it's safe to say that there's an absolute ton of things to see and do in ZeniMax Online Studios' huge adventure -...
First Impressions Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 Sure Is Fighting Fit
Alright on the Knight
Holy awkward release date, Batman – you contrary cowl connoisseur. There's probably a metaphor that Warner Bros was trying to convey to the games media when it dated Batman: Arkham Knight just days after E3 2015 – like, y'know how Bruce Wayne has to keep fighting to ensure that Gotham City's safe... Yeah, the public...