PS3 Reviews, PlayStation 3 Reviews

Below par trek

If you're looking for an epic and exciting sci-fi setting filled with awful, often game breaking bugs – and you didn't already get your fill with Defiance – then Star Trek: The Video Game should be right up your alley. Not even the palpable hype from the impending movie, as well as the stellar cast, can save this generic action...

Going underground

Based on the novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro: Last Light is the sequel to 2010’s Metro 2033, and although the post-apocalyptic shooter never arrived at any Sony stations, its successor pulls out all of the stops to make up for lost time. Set in the metro systems of Mother Russia several decades after a nuclear apocalypse, Last...

Velvet boom

Atlus has had to bear the brunt of much criticism from gamers due to its decision to region lock Persona 4 Arena, giving eager European fans no option but to wait a frankly preposterous length of time for the game to release. There’s no denying, however, the quality and brilliance of Arc System Works' take on the fantastic Japanese RPG...

Hell Bugs aren't the only bugs to worry about

Defiance is an ambitious cross-media experiment that aims to, ahem, defy expectations, and it gets awfully close to doing just that. A rich, expansive universe packed to the brim with lore creates a world that you'll want to explore and learn more about. However, questionable design choices, oodles of...

Sinner's software

Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut feels like a relic of the PlayStation 2 era, as if it was long forgotten and recently recovered from an old box within a developer's dusty archives. It's decidedly lo-fi, with a framerate that frequently sputters for dear life, regular pop-in, droning, repetitive sound effects, enemies that...

No signs of life

Clearly intended to cash in on the overwhelming success of the TV show and the recent critical acclaim of Telltale Games’ excellent episodic adventure, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct doesn’t so much as explode out of the gate, but, perhaps appropriately, shamble. The ‘plot’ revolves around the TV show’s troublesome...

Top dogma

Dragon’s Dogma originally released last year, and although many praised Capcom for trying something new and exciting, the general consensus was that the game fell just short of greatness. Despite boasting a huge open world, an intriguing class system, and fantastic boss fights, the title faltered on the smaller things like awful menu...

Immortal Kombat

When it comes to the fighting game genre, you're often forced to select your preferred type. Are you a player of 2D or 3D titles? Tekken or Dead or Alive? Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat? Each series has its own unique identity, restricting its audience to a specific brand. As such, you'd expect Injustice: Gods Among Us, the latest...

"Is that your 'please punish me' face?"

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory is a hard-sell. It’s what reviewers like to call ‘a niche title’, meaning a game that the majority of PlayStation 3 owners will pick up and then swiftly put back down. Set in a land governed by gaming tech, it's the third instalment in the Neptunia JRPG series, a franchise...

Better off dead

Dead Island: Riptide brings you back to the unfortunate backdrop of the Banoi archipelago where 2011’s flawed Dead Island left off. The infection has spread to a neighbouring island, forcing the four survivors of the previous game and one newcomer (John, a rude ex-soldier) to try and make it through another tropical apocalypse. As...

On par

The threat of stagnation with annual sports titles is something that EA faces with a large chunk of its catalogue. This year's iteration of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 is no exception, delivering another enjoyable digital facsimile of golf, with just enough tweaks and additions to tempt truly committed fans into upgrading. For everyone else,...

Queen Elizabeth

Columbia doesn’t feel all that familiar at first. Zachary Hale Comstock’s secluded slice of Americana promptly presents itself as a sunbaked tapestry of carnival attractions and hallowed gardens; a blue skied paradise basking in the ideals of a prophet bold enough to secede from the sodom of the corruption lurking below, and set...

Crime traveller

It’s fairly obvious that newcomer Sanzaru Games has poured its heart and soul into Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. The long-awaited fourth instalment in PlayStation’s premier theft simulator is bursting with reverence for the franchise that Sucker Punch introduced over ten years ago, and that’s evident in every inch of the...

Uncharted territory

Lara Croft, one of the most iconic protagonists in gaming, has finally returned with a contemporary tale designed to reboot the Tomb Raider series. And it's a magnificent comeback. Crystal Dynamics' new take on the heroine mixes combat and exploration in a compelling fashion, resulting in one of the best action adventure titles...

Banishing demons

God of War: Ascension is the strange type of title that could only exist at the end of a console’s lifespan. The prequel to Sony Santa Monica’s savage Spartan series thrives on years of iteration, delivering the slickest entry in the series yet. But it’s also bankable, and as a non-numbered instalment in a long-running...

Game over, man

If you’re even remotely plugged into the online gaming ‘ether’, then you’ll be fully aware of the controversy surrounding Aliens: Colonial Marines. Infamously stuck in development hell for several years, the shooter was supposedly passed from pillar to post behind the scenes, and it really shows. One of the first things that...

Far more than pushing square

In many ways, Dynasty Warriors' long running Empires spin-off series is more refined than the set of original games that form their basis. Typically, they add in new characters, weapons, and stages, overhaul a few mechanics, and overlay everything with relatively simple strategy elements. Indeed, Empires games are known...

Not quite lightning in a bottle

The amalgamation of Platinum Games action and Hideo Kojima absurdity is realised with Metal Gear Rising: Revengence. The title's high octane, adrenaline-fuelled combat is complemented by a melodramatic narrative involving a band of unique and powerful warriors, fighting for ideals, honour, and the love of war...

Fist of the bore star

Sequels are generally a straight forward affair – or at least they have been this generation. Ideally, a sequel should remove or fix problems that plagued the first game, while adding new, polished content and improving core gameplay. With Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2, developer Koei’s job should have been a...