Latest Previews

July2013

June2013

May2013

April2013

  • Preview Thawing Lost Planet 3's Winter Wonderland

    Peyton the ice

    It’s a good thing that Lost Planet 3’s set to release at the tail end of the summer, because you won’t want to play the Spark Unlimited-developed prequel when it’s cold outside. The third-person shooter takes place a long time prior to the events of the first game, with the snowy setting of E.D.N. III still trapped in the...

  • Preview Doing Business with the Spirits in Sony's Twisted Soul Sacrifice

    An arm and a leg

    Soul Sacrifice, the nightmarish action title dreamed up by Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, has already gained one stellar review in Japan, giving the PlayStation Vita a prolonged shot in the arm in the process. With the imminent Western release just a few weeks away, Sony’s released a gigantic playable demo for the title in both...

  • Preview Finding Our Sea Legs with Resident Evil: Revelations on PS3

    High and dry

    Handheld to console ports are a common symptom of the end of a generation; an opportunity for publishers to squeeze a few final pennies out of an established install base while the bulk of its workforce quietly turns its attention to impending hardware. Much like MotorStorm: Arctic Edge and Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier before it,...

March2013

February2013

December2012

  • First Impressions LittleBigPlanet 2's Cross-Controller Expansion Actually Works

    Second screen

    LittleBigPlanet 2’s hotly anticipated cross-controller add-on launches later today in North America (tomorrow in Europe), and we’ve already been lucky enough to experience the content's first couple of stages. For those out of the loop, the $4.99/€4.99 expansion adds several new cross-controller levels to the PlayStation 3 game...

  • Preview On the Rob with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

    Back to the Cooper

    There’s more variety crammed into the opening chapter of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time than most games manage across an entire campaign. Within the first three hours of the PlayStation 3 sequel, you’ll have performed two heists, spent an afternoon fishing, and even completed a rhythm action mini-game in which an anthropomorphic...

November2012

  • Preview Committing the Combat of Remember Me to Memory

    Pressen matters

    Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to receive a behind the scenes presentation from DONTNOD Entertainment, where co-lead designer Philippe Moreau helped demonstrate the brawling and melee mechanics in Remember Me, its Capcom published third-person action-adventure. It was clear that Nilin, the acrobatic female protagonist, was...

October2012

  • Preview God of War: Ascension Is Familiar but Fantastic

    Monster mash

    Playing God of War: Ascension is a lot like riding a bike after a brief hiatus: for a few fleeting moments the gameplay feels foreign, but then everything clicks into place. Sony Santa Monica’s fourth outing in Greek mythology bashes you over the head with the many combos you’ve spent years perfecting, and then it invites you to...

  • Preview Sitting Behind the Wheel of GRID 2

    Test drive

    Ask any racing fan what their favourite gaming experience has been over the past five years, and there’s a good chance that Codemasters’ Race Driver: GRID will rank at the sharp end of their list. Since its release in 2008, GRID has developed something of a cult following, thanks in part to its strong racing heart and fine damage...

  • Preview Hitting Some Winners with Sports Champions 2

    Down the line

    The furore surrounding the introduction of new motion peripherals back in 2010 meant that the excellent Sports Champions got lost in the shuffle. Sony pushed the mini-game compilation as the first must-have title for the PlayStation Move, but post-release discussion almost always centred on the title’s technology rather than the game...

  • Preview Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Goes for the Throat

    Come out swingin'

    There are three things we’ve come to realise while writing this preview for the latest Metal Gear outing from Platinum Games. First, we still can't type "Revengeance" into a text document without hating ourselves – it's not a word, it isn't cool, it sounds dumb. Second, we’ve learned that we’re okay with Konami releasing a...

  • Preview Fumbling Through the Dark with The Unfinished Swan

    Blind man's buff

    It’s difficult to discuss The Unfinished Swan without drawing comparisons to Journey. Just like thatgamecompany, developer Giant Sparrow has been taken under the wing of first-party powerhouse Sony Santa Monica. Furthermore, it has signed a three game exclusivity deal with PlayStation. Indeed, the only noticeable difference...

  • Preview Wonderbook: Book of Spells Makes Reading Magical

    Muggle science

    The outrage and controversy caused by Wonderbook: Book of Spells’ elongated E3 showing has made it difficult to discuss the augmented reality experience objectively. And yet here we have one of the most unique and commercially viable casual gaming products Sony has produced since the Eye Toy. The Harry Potter spin-off doesn’t have...

September2012

  • Preview Resident Evil 6

    Gore blimey

    Over the course of the last few years, the Resident Evil series has been content to rest on its laurels, with some suggesting that it would only take one truly exciting survival horror title to come along and cast the once groundbreaking series into the annals of history. Each new title from the franchise has been presented with shiny...

July2012

April2012

  • Preview Dishonored Could Be PS3's Darkest Adventure Yet

    Killing in the name

    We didn't know much about Dishonored, Arkane Studios’ new game, until its first promotional trailer landed a week ago, sending the cyber-masses into feverish speculation. A few things about its concept and storyline could be gleaned from the teaser film: players will assume the role of Corvo, an Imperial bodyguard accused of...

  • Preview Double Dragon Neon (PSN)

    Blast from the past or best left unearthed?

    If anyone stands a chance at a Double Dragon revival, the 2D maestros over at WayForward are the most likely to pull it off in a convincing way. Between beloved revivals of Contra and A Boy and His Blob under their belt, new takes on BloodRayne and Batman and side-scrolling classics like

  • Preview Sniper Elite V2 May Have PS3's Most Satisfying Kills

    Bang, you're dead

    As far as we’re concerned, sniper rifles have always been the most satisfying weapons in games. There’s something rewarding and morally profound about picking off an unsuspecting target from long-range distance, and the original Sniper Elite on PS2 captured that sentiment spectacularly. Since Rebellion’s original stealth...

  • Preview DiRT Showdown - Destruction Derby Returns

    Write off

    Given the affection PlayStation fans still have for Destruction Derby, it’s surprising no one’s attempted to recreate the smash-heavy vehicular formula on PS3. It may be late to the party, but DiRT Showdown is exactly that: a game that can’t be pitched without referencing Psygnosis’ 1995 hit, like its inspiration it’s hard to put...

  • Preview Dragon's Dogma - The Sleeper Hit of 2012?

    It's got scale

    You'd think there'd be more excitement for Dragon's Dogma. Headed by staff responsible for Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, and with interest in RPGs at an all-time high thanks to Skyrim, the upcoming action RPG has generated very little heat in the past year: the game's official Twitter account has around 700 followers, and if not...

  • First Impressions Spec Ops: The Line

    End of the line

    Spec Ops: The Line owes a lot to the Uncharted series — and not just because Nolan North lends his voice to the game’s gruff protagonist Captain Martin Walker. The combat – which takes place from a third-person perspective – is hugely derivative of Nathan Drake’s series, as you meander between conveniently placed vehicles...

  • First Impressions Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2

    Cycle shattered

    Well, it looks like SEGA got the abysmal message about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and actually did something about it. We're happy to report that, based on our time with two zones of the game at PAX East, the long-awaited Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 plays a lot closer to how our nostalgic hearts remember the series before...

February2012

  • First Impressions Twisted Metal

    Carnage

    Twisted Metal is an important brand for PlayStation veterans. Many will have fond memories of weekends spent with turbo-charged cars and homing missiles, settling disputes between friends and family. It’s a franchise that, like WipEout and Gran Turismo, is an important part of PlayStation’s iconography. And if a short hands-on with Eat...

January2012

  • First Impressions Escape Plan on PlayStation Vita

    When Sony debuted Escape Plan at GamesCom last year, we were so infatuated with the game's Tim Burton-esque artstyle that we failed to pay attention to its actual gameplay

    It was only when we attended a PlayStation Vita preview event at the tail-end of last year, that we really got a feel for the mechanics behind the Fun Bits Interactive developed...

  • First Impressions MotorStorm RC

    MicroStorm

    When you think MotorStorm you think big cars, off-road mayhem and more collisions than an engine can rev at. Peep in the direction of Evolution Studios’ PS Vita/PlayStation Network title, however, and something far different than expected can be found. Sure, there’s the occasional bump, and driving definitely takes place off-road...

  • First Impressions Welcome Park

    Let’s get it started

    Gaze upon the launch spread of PS Vita — WipEout 2048, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and those cheeky Little Deviants to name but a few — and it’s easy to overlook the system’s in-built software. Stop salivating over Nathan Drake for ten seconds, though, and flicking around Vita’s bubbly operating system uncovers a pile of...

  • First Impressions WipEout 2048

    Wow-pEout

    PS Vita’s launch line-up is crammed full of quality, yet WipEout 2048 looks to rocket past many of its competitors right out of the gate. Set before the other games in the franchise, 2048 takes fans back to the start of the anti-gravity racing league and gives SCE Studio Liverpool ample opportunity to experiment with its high-speed baby...

  • First Impressions Gravity Rush

    Floaty

    The presence of Keiichiro Toyama, famous for his work on the Silent Hill and Siren franchises, is welcome in the launch window of PS Vita. Seemingly breaking away from his horror roots, Tomaya serves as creative director on Gravity Rush, a game that allows players to reject the rules of gravity itself in the palms of their hands. Kat awakes...

  • First Impressions Grand Slam Tennis 2

    The latest tennis contender

    The recent Grand Slam Tennis 2 demo on PlayStation Network supports PlayStation Move, so we got to grips with its motion controls to see how it shapes up. Ever since Sports Champions redefined motion controls with its table tennis mode, we’ve longed for a similarly accurate tennis game. Both Top Spin 4 and Virtua Tennis...

  • First Impressions Grand Slam Tennis 2 on PS3

    Skill based control has become a foundation of EA Sports' output this generation

    Tiger Woods, Skate and Fight Night have all experimented with right analogue stick inputs, bringing a new level of fidelity to traditionally arcadey experiences. Grand Slam Tennis 2 mimics EA Sports' ambition, bringing a new level of shot precision to the game of...

  • First Impressions Hustle Kings

    Hustle and flow

    Hustle Kings knows it’s up against a tough crowd. Like the similarly styled Top Darts, it’s vying for attention against Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 in the PlayStation Vita’s launch line-up. What chance does a pub game simulation have against such blockbuster names? At first glance, not a whole lot — but Hustle...

  • First Impressions Hustle Kings on PlayStation Vita

    Hustle Kings knows it's up against a tough crowd

    Like the similarly styled Top Darts, it's vying for attention against Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 in the PlayStation Vita's launch line-up. What chance does a pub game simulation have against such blockbuster names? At first glance, not a whole lot — but Hustle Kings has the last laugh...

  • First Impressions Reality Fighters

    Hard to beat?

    Novarama’s one of the few developers that’s actively pushed the potential of augmented reality. Alongside Sony Studio London, the Spanish developer has been instrumental in driving camera-based experiences on the PlayStation Portable — conjuring up the inspired, but flawed, Invizimals series. While the Pokémon-inspired franchise...

  • First Impressions Reality Fighters on PlayStation Vita

    Novarama's one of the few developers that's actively pushed the potential of augmented reality

    Alongside Sony Studio London, the Spanish developer has been instrumental in driving camera-based experiences on the PlayStation Portable — conjuring up the inspired, but flawed, Invizimals series. While the Pokemon inspired franchise has struggled to...

December2011

November2011

  • First Impressions Top Darts

    Double-top?

    Darts games never really worked until the advent of motion controls and touch screens. Tossing tungsten just never quite felt right with an analogue stick and buttons. Developers tried everything, from wobbly hands to ripping off Hot Shots Golf’s three-click aiming system, but nothing ever really replicated the actual act of playing...

  • First Impressions Top Darts on PlayStation Vita

    Darts games never really worked until the advent of motion controls and touch screens

    Tossing tungsten just never quite felt right with an analogue stick and buttons. Developers tried everything, from wobbly hands to ripping off Hot Shots Golf's three-click aiming system, but nothing ever really replicated the actual act of playing arrows until...

  • First Impressions Super Stardust Delta

    Blast from the future

    There’s no bigger advocate for the PlayStation Vita’s dual analogue sticks than Super Stardust Delta. Housemarque’s intergalactic shooter series has been a poster child for the PlayStation Network for years, and on PlayStation Vita it is no less important. The game offers a smattering of play options, divided between...

  • First Impressions Super Stardust Delta on PS Vita

    There's no bigger advocate for the PlayStation Vita's dual-analogue sticks than Super Stardust Delta

    Housemarque's intergalactic shooter series has been a poster child for the PlayStation Network for years, and on PlayStation Vita it is no less important. The game offers a smattering of play options, divided between traditional and modern controls...

October2011

September2011