PS3, PS4 Reviews - Page 3

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...

Rot gear

Guts, guns, and gasoline: it’s a match consummated in the underworld. At least it should be, but EXOR Studios’ matter-of-fact PlayStation Network racer Zombie Driver HD gets its wheels in a spin in some crucial areas. It results in a braindead isometric zombie slayer which sadly lacks the bite of its subject matter. You fill the...

Not worth the Monet

Sumi-e is a form of ‘ink wash painting’ popularised in Asia approximately 1,400 years ago. It’s a striking art form that aims to capture the soul of its subject rather than attempt photo-realism and has been used to great effect in videogames before, with Okami being a notable example. Developers are always looking for...

Undead good

Are you itching for a smart and interesting puzzle platformer? One with an undead theme and a hero faced with the challenge of rescuing a princess from his evil master? Then Dokuro's got you covered. Having witnessed the Dark Lord capture a beautiful blonde monarch, your envy and renewed moral standing compels you, a mere skeleton...

Crikey! This game is flippin' tidy, mun!

Nowadays, large-scale RPGs seem to be everywhere, and with such a rich choice of games available, it’s hard to discern the classics from the rabble. It can also be easy to exaggerate the quality of the very best in the genre, due to long development processes and the length of the adventures on offer. But...

Pocket producer

Beats Trellis may sound like the name of a hip rhythm action game, but it’s actually a barebones digital audio workstation. Designed by Sony Computer Entertainment’s research and development department, the digital download allows you to compose simple audio motifs on the move. It’s designed in the style of Ableton and Reason,...

Shock till you drop

With a title like Corpse Party: Book of Shadows, it’s immediately clear that you’re going to be in for a bumpy ride. The sequel continues the sadistic, horribly twisted atmosphere of the first game perfectly well – but it doesn’t bring much new to the table. It’s admittedly more of an expansion to the first game than a...

All outta gum?

It’s been a good 20 years since DOOM blasted its way onto the scene and laid the foundations for the rise of the first-person shooter. Some people may look back on its arrival with dismay given how stagnant the genre has become, but its legacy cannot be denied. Developer Green Hill Studios hopes to capitalise on that with its latest...

Cavern club

The first adventure game ever to be released was a text title created by computer programmer and caver enthusiast, William Crowther. It's fitting, then, that Double Fine’s latest bid to revive the forgotten genre is also set in a cave. But this is not Crowther’s 1976 exploration game – it's a modern experience, complete with Ron...

A new riff on an old classic

We don’t know about you, but we’ve always been hopeless at those pesky slider puzzles. Rather than try to solve our alphabetical one as a child, we decided to rearrange our understanding of the order of letters. It’s proved a nightmare in later life, we have to admit. Still, trust FuturLab – the developers of...

Phantom menace

The latest in Sony’s PlayStation Mobile initiative, Haunt the House: Terrortown sees you adopt the role of an ethereal being named Ghost and challenges you with the task of scaring people for, well, no apparent reason really. Ghost’s story begins in a clock tower that serves as the game's central hub. With the mysterious music,...

The great escape

Part of what makes escapeVektor so charming is how wonderfully simplistic it is. The title's Pac-Man-esque gameplay sees you navigating minimalistic mazes in order to open up an exit, all the while avoiding deadly traps that threaten to thwart your progress. It's a really basic idea, but despite its lack of complex mechanics, the...

Poker face

Uncharted: Fight for Fortune was always going to feel like a letdown compared to the epic adventure of Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Billed as a classic card game, the title lacks the explosive attraction of its parent franchise. But can the cheap and cheerful digital title succeed on its own merits, irrespective of the property that it's...

Ooze cruise

Panic! is a birds-eye 'stop-the-slime-from-consuming-the-townsfolk' puzzle game. As part of Sony's recently released PlayStation Mobile initiative, it is compatible with both the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation-certified mobile phones. The narrative relays that a deadly alien slime has attacked the Earth, and you, in your assumed...

Twitchy thumb syndrome

Fuel Tiracas is wonderfully compelling. You'll approach it with the intent of a quick five minute session, but will no doubt end up pouring the best part of an hour into it. And it's all because of the game's pesky leaderboards. You'll want, no, need to shave a few seconds off your personal best in order to climb the high...

Sword dance

A samurai swiping down monsters in time to a beat – why, it sounds just like a mini-game in Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven series. Samurai Beatdown's endless runner-style approach differs, however, as your noble warrior dashes through brightly coloured, detailed environments that benefit immensely from the PlayStation Vita's screen. Both...

Devil may care

You’ve got to feel for DmC: Devil May Cry developer Ninja Theory. Tasked with the challenge of rebooting Capcom’s classic combat series, the Cambridge-based developer has come under fire from franchise fans for its urban redressing of protagonist Dante. Armed with a top of the range faux hawk and a figure hugging sleeveless shirt,...

In the box seat

Super Crate Box is a dangerous game. Previously released on Flash, iOS, and Steam, it's a twitch platformer-cum-shooter that preys on compulsion. If you dare to open the box on a lazy day, don't expect to close it again for an hour. And developer Vlambeer knows it. You run about a single screen level trying to grab as many crates as...

Make mine milk

Well, our knowledge of the origins of milk has been put out to pasteurise. It turns out that it doesn't just come from mammals; it's also a resource that swirls around deep inside Earth, as precious as – but presumably twice as tasty as – oil. Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender has you descend deep below the sea to defend the brave...