Tag: Previews - Page 4
Hands On Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Is Mass Effect in Comic Book Clothing
Kree whiz
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t just wear its Mass Effect influences on its sleeve: it prances them about like Chris Pratt in the opening exchanges of the franchise’s first movie. The similarities to BioWare’s space-faring soap opera are so plentiful that they’re almost impossible to ignore, but following the success of...
First Impressions Farming Simulator 22 Is AAA Agriculture on PS5, PS4
Old MacDonald would be impressed
Farming Simulator has exploded in popularity since the latter PlayStation 3 days. Once a scrappy, niche line of agricultural releases, this series now commands its very own convention and competitive esports tournament. Giants Software’s latest instalment, Farming Simulator 22, reflects that influx in interest: it...
Hands On Jett: The Far Shore Is at Its Best Without Baddies on PS5
Expect some turbulence
Amid all the highly exciting games revealed alongside the PlayStation 5, it'd be easy to forget smaller titles, such as Jett: The Far Shore. The sci-fi action adventure game has always looked very intriguing in trailers, but until now, precisely how it plays has been something of a mystery. Fortunately, we've played it on PS5...
Hands On Riders Republic Is Obnoxious But Awesome on PS5
Totally rad
Opening the map in the PlayStation 5 version of open world extreme sports outing Riders Republic is a mesmerising moment. You’ll see hundreds – perhaps even thousands – of player icons, swarming down mountains in a synchronised fashion. Building on the foundations of Steep, this is a connected sandbox where every player exists in...
Hands On Life Finds a Way in Jurassic World Evolution 2 on PS5, PS4
John Hammond would certainly be proud
If you’re an old-school PlayStation fan, then Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis probably holds a special place in your heart. The park builder launched in 2003 and was a huge hit on PS2, offering a simulation experience set within the universe of Steven Spielberg’s legendary film franchise. It took nearly 15...
First Impressions Rebooted Saints Row Has a New Look, But It's Still Saints Row Under the Hood
Don't mess with the Saints
The new Saints Row game has just been announced, and as you may already know, it's a complete reboot. Different characters, a different setting — the lot. But despite this rebirth, the gameplay that we've seen suggests that this is still Saints Row, in all of its goofy glory. Now, we're not talking Saints Row IV here —...
Hands On GTA Online Meets Mario Kart in Crazy Kart Krash Adversary Mode
Just Peachy
A big part of GTA Online’s enduring appeal is just how versatile it is. Some of the Best Jobs in the game include Slasher, a Dead by Daylight rip-off, all the way through to Overtime Rumble, which is basically Monkey Target with sports cars. Rockstar must have been paying attention to recent virtual cosplayers who rocked up to the LS...
Hands On Lock-On Magazine Is a Love-Letter to the World of PlayStation
Shame it's now sold out
Print media is dead. It's a fact which has been clear for some time, at least in the realm of video games. The internet has rendered the majority of magazines irrelevant, because print can never hope to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the games industry, nor can it be expected to challenge a media which is capable of...
Hands On Back 4 Blood Wears Its Inspiration with Pride
Counter Strike x Left 4 Dead x Cards
Back 4 Blood could be a video game adaptation of the classic Avengers: Age of Ultron quote: "Fine, I'll do it myself." With countless villains failing to put an end to the superhero task force, Thanos takes it upon himself to show them how it's done. And after a long list of Left 4 Dead clones fell short of...
First Impressions Rustler on PS5, PS4 Is Old-School GTA in Medieval Times
Horsin' around
Rockstar is in a league of its own when it comes to modern open world games, but its back catalogue of isometric Grand Theft Auto games remains iconic for players of a certain age. This author grew up playing Grand Theft Auto: London at a friend’s house on the PS1, and while it was borderline impossible, it brings back fond...
Hands On Arcadegeddon Shows Serious Potential in Early Access on PS5
'geddon a bad rap
Arcadegeddon was announced during Sony's last State of Play broadcast, but we get the feeling that a lot of people already forgot it exists. This third person shooter is a brand new IP developed and published by Illfonic, and it's available right now on PlayStation 5 in early access. It would be all too easy to write it off; a game...
Hands On Streets of Rage 4 DLC Packs a Punch with New Characters and Modes
Mr. X Nightmare is a dream
In many ways, Mr. X Nightmare is the best kind of DLC. Streets of Rage 4 is already a very fun beat-'em-up, but this add-on pack just makes it even better with its various additions to the experience. If you're a fan of the game, this is a no-brainer — especially as it's at such a low price point. We've had a look...
Hands On Media Molecule Flexes with Megapenguin Rehatched's Opening Levels in Dreams
Collaborative project's primer is fantastic
We'll openly admit to being a little late to the party on this, but we've just played Megapenguin Rehatched in Dreams and have to tell you about it. As we reported a couple of weeks ago, Megapenuin Rehatched is a collaborative project within Media Molecule's creation game. The idea is brilliant: the...
Hands On Samurai Warriors 5 Has the Potential to Be a Special Musou Game
Destiny intertwined
It's crazy to think that the last mainline instalment in the Samurai Warriors series — Samurai Warriors 4 — released almost seven years ago. There have been a few spinoff titles since, but after so long, it's clear that Koei Tecmo wanted to do something relatively new with the franchise. And so we have Samurai Warriors 5,...
Hands On The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Is a Victorian Spin on a Classic Formula
It's elementary
With The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, two entries in the series are finally being brought to the West. Capcom's courtroom visual novels are a real treat with their melodramatic legal battles, charming characters, and zany writing. While PlayStation users became acquainted with the franchise via the Phoenix Wright Trilogy, the...
Hands On OlliOlli World's Striking New Identity Sticks the Landing on PS5, PS4
Kickflippin' fab
Goodness, OlliOlli World is a delight. Yes, we know it’s a cliché, but when it comes to Roll7’s upcoming skateboarding sequel there’s no other word to describe it. It simply oozes personality, and based on our recent hands-on preview, the team are on track to deliver their best game to date. For the uninitiated, OlliOlli is...
Hands On Vibrant JRPG Tales of Arise Looks to Tantalise Newcomers and Franchise Fans Alike
We play Bandai Namco's latest RPG
It’s been several years since we’ve seen a mainline Tales game. After 2017’s Tales of Berseria, we now find Tales of Arise launching on 10th September 2021, commemorating the JRPG series' 35th anniversary. While Tales of Arise received a lengthy delay last year, it’s close to completion and in preparation,...
Hands On Forget the Chaos Memes, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Has Potential
Jack in
When the dreadfully named Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was revealed during Square Enix's E3 showcase, we didn't know what to think. Right out of the gate, it looked like the kind of grimdark, PS2 or early PS3-era action game that wore edginess like a badge of pride. Add the fact that main character Jack said the word "chaos"...
Hands On NEO: The World Ends With You Brings a Stylish Afterlife to PS4
Put a pin in it
A little-known but well-loved entry in Square Enix's JRPG pantheon, The World Ends With You is a unique experience with gorgeous art from Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuyo Nomura. The game looked at concepts like social media influence and memetic learning way before those things were as pervasive as they are today. Nomura's designs,...
First Impressions F1 2021 Shifts Up a Gear with New Story Mode, Two-Player Career, and More
Life in the pit lane
Codemasters has been making officially licensed Formula 1 games for many years now, and it's reached a point where petrolheads can purchase them with confidence. The team has gradually built up its simulation of the popular motorsport, tinkering with the formula each year to get players closer to feeling like they're a real part...
Hands On Knockout City Could Be Your New Favourite Multiplayer Game on PS4
It's a knockout?
To be honest, our time playing Knockout City in a recent review event hasn't changed our opinion much at all. After spending time previously with the beta, we came away quite impressed with what Velan Studios has made, and as the title launches on PlayStation 4, we find ourselves itching to play more. The game, an online multiplayer...
Hands On Mass Effect Legendary Edition Is a Massive Upgrade That Plays Better Than Ever
Good to see you, Commander
We've waited an entire console generation for BioWare to finally remaster the Mass Effect trilogy, but it looks as though our patience has been rewarded with a collection that goes above and beyond. Ideally, we would be bringing you a full review of Mass Effect Legendary Edition right now, but we simply haven't had it long...
Hands On Gravity Rush, Freedom Wars Fans Will Feel at Home in Scarlet Nexus on PS5, PS4
Other bother
The disbandment of Japan Studio hit PlayStation fans hard this year, but playing the first three hours of Scarlet Nexus this month left us reminiscing about Gravity Rush and Freedom Wars. Make no mistake, the Bandai Namco action role-playing release very much has its own identity – but if you find yourself yearning for the...
First Impressions Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Is an Eye-Popping Demonstration of PS5's Power
Sony shows us more of Insomniac Games' exclusive
You don’t need a preview for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, to be honest. That’s probably not what Sony expected us to write after inviting us to a glitzy COVID-free online event, but it’s our takeaway after watching over 30 minutes of unedited gameplay footage and listening to key creative...
First Impressions Biomutant Is an Open-Worlder with Style and Depth
Furry business
Putting out your first-ever game as a developer is always going to be a difficult task, but when the project generates as much excitement as Biomutant has in years past, that weight of expectation must take its toll sooner or later. Swedish studio X101 finds itself in that precarious position as we close in on the release of its...
Hands On Why You Should Be Hyped for Returnal, the Next Great PS5 Exclusive
Helios abandoned
Returnal is easily the biggest game Housemarque has made to date. It's important to remember that the team behind this sci-fi shooter is relatively small, but the game is being positioned alongside other key PlayStation 5 software like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon's Souls. In some ways, it's an unfair equivalence,...
One more God rejected
We've been playing through the opening hours of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster, and we've got to say, it's quite nice to be back — despite the story opening on the end of the world and all that. You play as a high school student who, of course, is transformed into the power-hungry Demi-Fiend following the...
Hands On PS5's External Storage Feature Offers Speedy Solution to Launch Fears
Commitment issues aside
The PlayStation 5's internal SSD does not have anywhere near enough space to last hardcore gamers the entire generation — we all immediately recognised that the moment its storage capabilities were confirmed. Roughly 667GB of space is all Sony could muster up, which isn't even enough to house all of the system's launch...
Hands On Knockout City Is One Game You Shouldn't Dodge in 2021
A true underdog story
We'll be honest, expectations for Knockout City were fairly low as we booted up the recent open beta. This next game from the EA Originals program is an online multiplayer title from a small indie team, and we've seen enough of those come and go to be just a little wary. However, this dodgeball-inspired action game really...
Hands On Maybe Don't Buy Disco Elysium on PS5 at Launch
Update: Frame rate issues fixed, mostly
Update: Since the publication of this article, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut has taken a small patch that fixes many of the frame rate issues detailed below. Following a quick bit of testing, we have found there to still be dips here and there, but they're not nearly as egregious following the update. However,...
Hands On Touring London, Marseille, and the Alps During Lockdown in Train Sim World 2
Rail nice
Lockdown has been a desperately depressing period for everyone, with many of us barely venturing a few kilometres from our front door for the past 12 months. Being stuck inside for such long stretches of time has proved a strain on our mental health, but it’s also helped us to recognise and appreciate the escapism enabled by video games...
Meanwhile, in Night City
Cyberpunk 2077 update 1.2 is here. The long awaited patch is gigantic, promising to fix a veritable catalogue of stability issues, bugs, and other problems. But is it the update that finally transforms Cyberpunk 2077 into a game that doesn't crash every couple of hours on PlayStation consoles? We returned to Night City in...
Hands On Co-Op Puzzle Adventure It Takes Two Offers Outrageous Variety
Toy story
After the grounded reality of his co-op prison break game A Way Out, film director and game designer Josef Fares is returning to the bright fantasy of his studio’s debut game, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. It Takes Two follows May and Cody, soon-to-be divorcees who find themselves enchanted into dolls by their daughter. The distraught...
Hands On Incredibly Rough Outriders Demo Kills Our Hope for This Looter Shooter's Launch
Fade to black
Ever since its reveal at E3 2019, Outriders has struggled to leave a mark, but more recent gameplay videos have at least shown promise. As such, the announcement of a playable demo had us excited to finally go hands-on with this new looter shooter, to see whether it could offer something a bit different. But as it happens, our hope for...
Hands On Guilty Gear Strive Is Shaping Up to Be the Next Great Fighting Game
Let's rock
Boy are we impressed with Guilty Gear Strive. We sank hours and hours and hours into the game's open beta over the last weekend, and we were still itching to play more when it shut down midweek. In short, we haven't been this excited for a fighting game since... Tekken 7, maybe, and that turned out to be a banger as well. Now don't get...
First Impressions Stonefly Is the New Game from the Makers of Creature in the Well
Mechs, bugs, and rock n' roll
Flight School Studio has only been around for a few years, but it's already making a name for itself in the gaming space. Creature in the Well is a refreshingly unique action game with a beautiful art style and atmosphere — we'd highly encourage you to give it a look. But what is the team working on next? What comes...
First Impressions Returnal Is Blending Rogue-Lite Action with Immersive Storytelling
A house is not a home
We've all been waiting for Sony to give us a little more information about Returnal, the upcoming shooter from Housemarque. From what little has been publicly shown, it has the studio's signature style, but there's clearly more going on here. The team has arcade action down pat, and that's very much present, but it's mixing...
Hands On Roller Champions Shows Wheel Promise in PS4 Closed Beta
On a roll
Since its announcement, Roller Champions has had a clear concept. Like Rocket League, you can boil it down to just a few words; it's a sort-of blend of roller derby and basketball. You only need to play it for a minute to understand what it's trying to do, and from our experience, it has the potential to score big when it finally launches...
Hands On God of War PS5 Update Makes for a Truly Godlike Experience
Improving a masterpiece
2018's God of War is excellent on PlayStation 4, and will always be remembered as one of the console's most important exclusives. But the game's latest update makes it feel like Kratos' axe-hurling adventure was always meant to be played on PlayStation 5. Offering an absolutely rock solid 60 frames-per-second at 4K...
Hands On Balan Wonderworld Is an Unusual PS5, PS4 Platformer That Doesn't Style It Out
Crimes of fashion
We're not entirely sure where to begin with Balan Wonderworld. Granted early access to the demo — available to all from tomorrow — we've been playing this somewhat mysterious title, and we're not wholly convinced. The demo itself is fairly large, but from our experience, we're not sold on this new concept from Yuji Naka. After...
Hands On Persona 5 Strikers Is a Streamlined Sequel That's Smashed Our Expectations
Never see it coming
We've said this before, but Persona 5 Strikers is not the game that a lot of people think it is. Yes, it's co-developed by Omega Force — the Koei Tecmo studio responsible for the Dynasty Warriors series and its many, many adaptations — but this isn't just some hack and slash spinoff. We've spent around ten hours playing...
Hands On Resident Evil Village's Maiden Demo Is Short But Sweet
Wolverine canon
The Resident Evil series loves to impress with demos — the pre-release drama surrounding Resident Evil 7: Biohazard's is perhaps the most famous example — and the upcoming Resident Evil Village is absolutely no different. Capcom has just dropped a taster of what's to come later this year onto the PlayStation Store, with the...
Hands On Hitman 3 with PSVR Is a Timely Reminder of the Technology's Potential
A new perspective
Isn’t it ironic that, in a year where we all could have benefited from escaping the real-world, PlayStation VR got lost in the shuffle a little bit? The excitement surrounding the PlayStation 5 was palpable, and it left very little bandwidth for Sony’s creaking but still very entertaining entry-level virtual reality headset...
Preview Persona 5 Strikers Is Much More than a Hack and Slash Spin-Off
Looking cool, Joker
Just like Persona 5, Persona 5 Strikers is a story-driven RPG. Despite what you may have heard, it is not a wall-to-wall action game similar to something like Dynasty Warriors. Just like Persona 5, it has exploration in both the real world and the realm of the mind. It has long stretches of dialogue, cutscenes, and character...
Hands On This Is How Cyberpunk 2077 Runs on PS5, PS4 Pro, and PS4
The good and the not so bad
We've spent around 12 hours with Cyberpunk 2077, playing it on both PS4 and PS5 (through backwards compatibility). Console performance has been a concern among players since the game's initial gameplay reveal, so we're going to try and break down just how well Cyberpunk runs on Sony's systems. Please keep in mind,...
Hands On Temtem Is Pokémon on PS5, More or Less
First impressions from early access
We'll start by saying that, yes, Temtem does borrow a lot from Pokémon. It's pretty hard to talk about Crema Games' early access adventure without bringing up the enormously successful Nintendo franchise, but we'll keep comparisons to a minimum. However, if you're a fan of the latter, this game is more or less...
Hands On Why You Should Be Using PS5 Remote Play More
It works well
Ah, good ol’ Remote Play, the oft-forgotten PlayStation 4 feature that’s perfect when you’re in a pinch. In the heady days of the Nintendo Wii U’s off-screen controller, Sony made a lot of noise about PlayStation 4’s ability to stream to a PS Vita. The handheld is long past its sell-by date these days, of course – even if...
Hands On Does PS5's 3D Audio Live Up to the Hype?
He's behind you
In the pre-release period, Sony put a huge emphasis on 3D audio alongside the DualSense when promoting the PlayStation 5. We’ve spoken at length about the next-gen console’s revolutionary new pad, and the kind of innovations it brings to titles like Astro’s Playroom and
Hands On Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Plays It Safe, Mostly
Everybody live for the war-go-round
It feels like we're at a point where the plethora of Activision studios working on the Call of Duty franchise would find it extremely difficult to put out a product that's anything less than solid. Gone are the days of Call of Duty: Ghosts. The world's biggest FPS has put out hit after hit for the latter half of...
Hands On Sackboy: A Big Adventure Is a Papercraft Marvel on PS5
LittleBigLovely
Geez, this PlayStation 5 launch lineup is getting ridiculous now. Like, we knew it was going to be good, but every single game we play seems to defy expectations. With whimsical platformer Sackboy: A Big Adventure, we were anticipating something light: a bright and breezy co-op romp to break up the bloodshed of Demon’s Souls. Well,...