PS3, PS4 Reviews - Page 14

Cowboys are back in town

Red Dead Redemption is Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West. We told ourselves over and over that opening the review in this way was a cop-out, but it's undeniable - Red Dead Redemption is Grand Theft Auto in the Wild-West. In many ways, however, it's also much more. Red Dead Redemption marries the detail of Grand Theft Auto IV...

On-the-go karts

ModNation Racers PSP comes so close to its PlayStation 3 counterpart that it's impossible not to compare the two titles. Sadly, that's detrimental to ModNation Racers PSP because, for everything the game gets right, the drifting component feels 'off'. However, if you're able to overcome the issue you'll find a super deep kart-racer...

Drive, create, share

ModNation Racers takes everything that is good about Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise and rids itself of the bad. It then put the remains into a bowl and mixes in one-third LittleBigPlanet and two-thirds fun. This is a kart racer done the Play, Create, Share way, a genre Sony's single-handedly brought to the forefront of the...

Heartbreaker

Catherine is a unique proposition that frustrates partially because of its potential. Cumbersome gameplay design, a hokey save system and a rotten narrative twist detract from the intelligent storyline that's at the centre of its premise. The game's originality makes it worthwhile, but expect it to try your patience. With the budgets of...

Fit for a god

Existing fans will lap up the technical proficiency of God of War Collection: Volume II, but those new to Ready At Dawn's work will also find a thoughtful empathy towards the franchise's anti-hero, Kratos, contextualising some of the aggression found later in the series. For our money, Ghost of Sparta is the best game in the series...

Mini massacre

While we're huge fans of Kratos here in the Push Square office, not every PlayStation fan shares our affection. The spartan warrior's constant anger grates with many followers, so much so that they are unable to look past the character in order to enjoy the game. Despite slotting awkwardly between the first and second God of War...

Drake's delightful

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception realises what we dreamed video games would one day become. "All men dream: but not equally." Nathan Drake utters T.E. Lawrence's poignant phrase as the curtain raises on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Like others, we dared to dream. For 20 years we longed for a cinematic interactive...

Rocket fuelled

As Japan tries to tune its output towards Western tastes, many traditionalists, like ourselves, are worrying that the classic style of Japanese gameplay is prone to change. We've enough Western developed third- and first-person shooters to play — the last thing we need is for the Japanese to try their hand at a game of...

God of awe

It’s no surprise that God of War III should end up representing PlayStation at its very finest. The previous entries in the mythological series achieved things seemingly impossible on the PlayStation 2, and God of War III extends on that prowess. From the rip-roaring spectacle of the opening 60 minutes right through to the ultra-stylish...

King of thieves

The follow-up to Naughty Dog's often overlooked cinematic gem Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves plots the path of Nathan Drake once again as he follows the trail of Marco Polo and a legendary gem known as the Cintamani stone. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees some growth to the game's cast, with both Elena and...

You'd sell your soul for this game

Even though fighting games are enjoying a new renaissance of popularity — a "second coming," if you will — updating a popular franchise still carries a healthy amount of risk. Change too much and risk alienating your loyal fanbase; change too little and you're mid-90s Capcom, famous for pseudo-sequels...

!

After years of begging, Konami answered fan requests by repacking some of the most iconic Metal Gear Solid games for PS3. Even years after their original releases, the Metal Gear Solid series still has some of the most well written and deep storylines to date and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection allows the current generation of gamers to experience...

Amazement in a moment

The first few hours of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are a little muted — you're being eased into the experience and you're playing it on the PSP so, naturally, control issues are a concern. But slowly, the problems fade away. The plot picks up pace, the controls sink in, and the sheer ambition of the title grabs you by the...

ICOnic

An impeccable, provocative and emotional affair, ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection makes a strong argument in favour of interactive art, and does so with such a matter of fact, effortless mentality that it's impossible not to fall in love with the experience. Despite being heralded as two of the finest games ever created, there's an...

Lightning strike

Final Fantasy XIII is unmistakably a Final Fantasy game. It's set in a rich universe, with a cast of clashing personalities who ultimately unite to save the world. Nothing new there. Set in the outlandish futuristic universe of Cocoon, a host of gadding personalities are sewn together through crossing fates — they are branded the...

Short on new ideas but strong in execution

Zack Zero is a robust platformer that's let-down by a low-budget art aesthetic and some cheap presentation. It reinforces the idea that appearances can be deceptive; what initially presents itself as a low-budget Cartoon Network tie-in actually emerges as a robust platformer with some strong combat...

Looks like an amateur product, but has some decent gameplay mechanics within

As far as game titles go, Stick Man Rescue couldn't be closer to the point. This is a simple, basically styled, erm, rescue game, in which you save a group of helpless stick men. We told you it was a good name. Its reasonable level design and a moreish campaign elevate the...

AMY is an ambitious idea squandered by poor execution

Unintuitive level design and unresponsive controls headline the game's problems, but it's the utterly reprehensible save and checkpoint system that damages AMY the most. Squint and you can see what developer VectorCell was trying to achieve with AMY. Survival horror has been a heavily...

Revving restoration

We should be able to pin-point the exact moment we first played Daytona USA, but we can't. Our memory is hazy and imprecise, sending us mixed messages. It was probably in Blackpool, in the corner of a grotty arcade, with stained 70s carpet beneath our feet. Or was it at home, in the cold confines of our games room, with the glow...