Tag: Reviews - Page 13
Review Babylon's Fall (PS5) - This Limp, Confusing Service Game Has Nothing Going for It
Babylon's Fail
Let’s begin the review with a stark personal story. We promise this is 100 per cent true: we fell asleep playing Babylon’s Fall. Multiple times. Sat there in an office chair, DualSense in hand, fast asleep. That could almost be the end of the review, surely? A new game from Platinum of all people, patron saints of hardcore gaming...
Review WWE 2K22 (PS5) - A Return to Form for 2K's Wrestling Franchise
Head of the table
WWE 2K22 is a better game than WWE 2K20. There, that's the headline. For a variety of reasons 2K20 was released in such a disastrous state that we called it "a comedy horror title" in our review at the time. Surely taking stock of just how much the WWE license is worth to them, 2K and beleaguered developer Visual Concepts made the...
Mini Review Submerged: Hidden Depths (PS5) - Perfectly Fine Boaty Exploration
Keep Rowin' Rowin' Rowin' Rowin'
Submerged: Hidden Depths is a fine game. It's not fine as in a fine wine, nor is it fine like the little dog from the meme sat in his burning house saying, "This is fine." Submerged is fine fine. It's neither impressive nor offensive, never quite boring but almost certainly not exciting. There's nothing here that...
The end is nigh
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok is the biggest expansion in series history. Ubisoft's been feeding us that marketing bullet point for months, and having played it for ourselves, it's safe to say that the French publisher wasn't lying. It took us roughly 33 hours to complete everything that Dawn of Ragnarok has to offer,...
Mini Review A Musical Story (PS5) - A Charming Debut Rhythm Title with a Whole Lot of Heart
Movin' right along
A Musical Story is exactly what the title suggests. This debut release from French indie dev Glee-Cheese Studio depicts the journey of an upstart band on its way to perform at Pinewood. While it’s a rhythm game, things are presented with more of a visual novel flair, with individual chapters and vignettes inching you closer to...
Mini Review Shadow Warrior 3 (PS4) - A Very 2014 Shooter
Wang gang
Shadow Warrior 3 might be set in the demon-ravaged ruins of a futuristic Japan, but the game itself feels like a return to the early 2010s. Protagonist Lo Wang is constantly quipping, breaking the fourth wall and using his own name for dick jokes as he auditions to be the next Ryan Reynolds. There's parkour, grappling hooks, and an...
Review King of Fighters XV (PS5) - Rock Solid Brawler Is Better than XIV, But Still Struggles to Wow
Expectations met
There's a lot to like about King of Fighters XV if you're a fan of the genre. Deep, technical gameplay. A large and fairly interesting character roster. All-important rollback netcode, which allows for mostly smooth online matches. All of the ingredients are here, but the finished product still lacks a certain edge — the kind of...
Mini Review Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden (PS4) - Reshuffled RPG Is Largely the Same
Another round?
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a bit like playing a tabletop game with a slightly altered deck; there are some noticeable differences, but you're ultimately still playing the same thing. This follow-up to The Isle Dragon Roars is extremely similar for the most part — including its faults — but small gameplay changes and a...
Review Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) - The Real Driving Simulator Makes Its Grand Return
Back to basics
There are labours of love, and then there's Gran Turismo 7. From famed developer Polyphony Digital and series creator Kazunori Yamauchi, it's abundantly clear every single member of the studio has a passion for cars. In fact, we might even be selling them short. Gran Turismo 7 is a game born out of love. It's just as much about the...
Review Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (PS5) - Bungie's Loot Shooter Vaults Back into First Place
Goodnight Forsaken, Witch Queen awaken
How do you review a game that never ends? The latest expansion in the Destiny 2 cycle – The Witch Queen – arrives amidst typical controversy as the excellent Forsaken campaign is removed – excuse me, vaulted – to supposedly make room for it. We’ve got mixed feelings about the whole situation. On the...
Review Elden Ring (PS5) - By Far FromSoftware's Best Ever Game
A song of life and death
Elden Ring is a special, once in a generation type of game. You can feel it the moment you push open the set of double doors looking out onto the opening area of Limgrave and begin exploring the vast open world at your feet. It’s an astonishing feat, as Japanese developer FromSoftware adapts its wide but ultimately linear...
Review FAR: Changing Tides (PS5) - More of the Same Isn't Always Bad
For the tides, they are a-changin’
The first FAR title, FAR: Lone Sails, was a clever, gorgeous puzzle game about guiding a vehicle across an apocalyptic landscape. So, there was cause to rejoice when developer Okomotive announced it’d be helming a sequel, returning to the exciting world it had crafted. And the reward for that is a fresh new...
Review GRID Legends (PS5) - A Solid Racer with a Lacklustre Narrative
Not quite legendary
GRID Legends finds itself in a bit of a tough spot. Launching a racing game in close proximity to any competition can be a bit dicey, but Codemaster’s latest entry in the GRID series is releasing just a mere week ahead of Polyphony’s much-anticipated Gran Turismo 7. Considering the near nine-year gap since the last properly...
Mini Review Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual (PSVR) - Middling Ideas Propped Up by a Great Script
All Max'd out
The first brand new Sam & Max game since 2010 sees the famed duo welcoming a new recruit: you. To make sure you’re up to snuff, Sam and Max put you through a series trials as you prove your worth to the freelance police. The trials wind up being a series of minigames at an abandoned amusement park and periodically, you get...
Review Martha Is Dead (PS5) - Censorship Is the Biggest Story in This Uneven Horror
The crazy world of Martha drown
Would people know about Martha Is Dead without its censorship debacle? You’ve probably heard by now that this game has been modified for its PlayStation release, common to a trend where PlayStation versions of various anime games tend to be cut and modified for sexual content. Martha Is Dead, though, has been edited...
Cauldron of Dreams
The Atelier games are a somewhat niche Japanese RPG series so it might surprise some to know that it's actually been around for 25 years, with 23 games in the main series and a heck of a lot of enhanced ports and side games. To celebrate this impressive achievement, developer Gust has decided to go back and continue the story of...
Review Team Sonic Racing (PS4) - It's Not Mario Kart, But It's Good Enough
There's no AiAi in Team
Republished on Wednesday, 23rd January, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of March 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Here's the thing: PlayStation 4 does not have many examples of good arcade racing games, let alone kart racers. The few exceptions are trying...
Review Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5) - Dark Future RPG Is Finally Ready to Rock
Play it again, Johnny
We called Cyberpunk 2077 "the single biggest disappointment of the generation" in our PlayStation 4 review. Harsh words, you might think, but it's easy to forget just how broken the long, long, long awaited role-playing game was at launch back in December 2020. Absolutely plagued with experience-breaking bugs and crippled by a...
Review Monark (PS5) - Tedious JRPG Grinds to a Halt
Shin Megami Tensigh
On the surface, Monark looks like any number of other Japanese role-playing games that star high schoolers like Persona, Trails of Cold Steel, or some Shin Megami Tensei titles. But Monark differentiates itself from that crowd by leaning into horror, with a slick gothy vibe throughout — it's a bit like Persona 3 going through a...
Fallen empires
After the disappointment of Dynasty Warriors 9 and its cardboard open world, we desperately wanted Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires to be good — to finally get Koei Tecmo's flaship franchise back on track. And while Empires is easily a better game than its predecessor, it still suffers from many of the issues that Dynasty Warriors 9...
Mini Review Edge of Eternity (PS5) – An Ambitious But Disjointed RPG
Down with the sickness
A war is raging on Heryon between an alien race and the native population, and from the opening moments of the game it’s obvious that things have not been going so well for the locals. Edge of Eternity’s protagonist, Daryon, is a young soldier who ends up deserting after his whole squadron is wiped out. He decides to...
Review Sifu (PS5) - Kung Fu Brawler Is Brutal But Brilliant
Be like water
We expected Sifu to be challenging — but we didn't think it would be this unforgiving. It's a classic tale of martial arts revenge told across several urban stages, each one boasting unique combat encounters and brutal bosses. If you thought that Sifu was going to be a pure kung fu power fantasy, you're in for a world of hurt. Sifu...
Mini Review Maglam Lord (PS4) - Rough Action RPG Saved By Dumb Sense of Humour
From Hell with love
Maglam Lord is a fish-out-of-water story in which you assume the role of a demon lord named, ahem, Killizerk. Stripped of your once great powers and pushed into a world where everything seems a bit too peaceful, you embark on a quest to restore your former glory. The only problem is that in order to retain what's left of your...
Review Dying Light 2 (PS5) - Good Sequel Hurt by Expectation
Mirror's undead
Sequels are a tricky thing to handle. Do you iterate slightly and deliver more of what fans loved the first time around, or reach for the stars with new ways to play and mechanics? Both approaches work, but Dying Light 2 finds itself in the strange situation where it was pitched as the latter but actually resembles the former...
Mini Review Circuit Superstars (PS4) - These Circuits Are Well Worth Completing
Macro machines
At first glance, you may think that Circuit Superstars is nothing more than a more down to earth — er, down to asphalt — take on the classic Micro Machines. And you couldn't be, simultaneously, more/less right and/or wrong. Confused? So were we. Wired to play games like RC Pro-Am as arcadey, loose-feeling titles, we were surprised...
Fortune favours the old
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a damn good time. It bundles both Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy into one PlayStation 5 package, boasting new graphics modes, a complete lack of load times, and DualSense functionality. Both games are more than a few years old now, but as far as we're...
Review EA Sports UFC 4 (PS4) - A Strong Sequel That Knows What Players Want
Stand and bang
Republished on Wednesday 26th January, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. We suppose the biggest challenge that EA Sports has always faced with its line of officially branded UFC games is that players clearly prefer to box...
Review Planet Coaster: Console Edition (PS5) - A Thrilling Business Sim with Lots of Ways to Play
Ride it out
Republished on Wednesday 26th January, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. The business simulation genre is one that had us hooked to our PS1 during our formative years. Despite playing best on the PC, we lost hundreds of hours...
Dicey Dungeons (& Dragons)
Republished on Wednesday 26th January, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Just in time to gear us up for the 2022 launch of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, one of the best Borderlands expansions ever is back to dazzle...
Mini Review The Artful Escape (PS5) – A Visual Treat That's Light on Gameplay
This is button tap
When you first pick up Francis Vendetti’s acoustic guitar, you can tell you’re in store for something crazy. Approached by aliens to perform crazy cosmic rock concerts across the galaxy, The Artful Escape offers a visual feast of wild, cosmic insanity. Nervous about following in the footsteps of your uncle, a folk music icon,...
Review Windjammers 2 (PS4) - Frisbee Flingin' Has Never Felt So Fun
Disc hockey
They just don’t make them like this anymore, do they? French outfit DotEmu is fast establishing itself as retro revival specialists, and Windjammers 2 is another immaculate effort from the Streets of Rage 4 studio. This game of Frisbee blends the best of Pong and Street Fighter to make for a white-knuckle reboot of Data East’s...
Mini Review RPGolf Legends (PS5) - Zelda Inspired Putter Is Bloated But No Bogey
Links
Proof that golf is fast establishing itself as a genre unto itself: RPGolf Legends’ portmanteau paints a pretty clear picture of what to expect. The latest entry in ArticNet’s genre blending brand, this is a 16-bit The Legend of Zelda-esque pixel art escapade that just so happens to sprinkle putts into its traditional adventure gameplay...
Review Deep Rock Galactic (PS5) - There's Gold in Them There Hostile Alien Caves
We dig it
Deep Rock Galactic is a clever concoction of moreish gaming staples that makes you wonder why it hasn't been done before. Each co-op excursion is some combination of shooting down waves of enemies and mining or searching for resources, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable, highly replayable experience. Playing as a group of up to four dwarves,...
Review Persona 5 Strikers (PS4) - A Must-Play for Fans of Persona 5
Honour among Phantom Thieves
Republished on Wednesday 29th December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Before we get started, let's make one thing clear: Persona 5 Strikers is a direct sequel to Persona 5. It is not the kind of action game...
Review DIRT 5 (PS5) - Raucous Arcade Racer Looks and Plays Best on Next-Gen
Mucking around
Republished on Wednesday 29th December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. We've already delivered our main verdict on DIRT 5 with the PlayStation 4 release, which you can read about through the link. However, Codemasters has...
Review DIRT 5 (PS4) - Rambunctious Off-Road Racer Returns with Plenty of Personality
Va va vroom
Republished on Wednesday 29th December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2022's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. The DIRT franchise has gone through a lot of change over the years. The second and third entries deviated from the pure rally experience, going big on...
You've got to have fate
Just like the game's fateless protagonist, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn exists against all odds. This is a brand new expansion to a game that first released ten years ago, from the same development team that brought us the remastered Re-Reckoning in 2020. It's an incredibly strange scenario, but hardcore...
Mini Review Among Us (PS5) - Social Deduction Sensation Is Best with Buddies
Sus'
Among Us is fashionably late to the PlayStation party. The game – which became a social sensation a couple of years back – has largely waned in popularity since exploding on streaming sites like Twitch, but with a price point less than a skinny latte and full crossplay compatibility, is there anything sus’ about this overdue port? Well,...
Mini Review Cricket 22: The Official Game of the Ashes - Not Bad But Won't Bowl You Over
A not-so sticky wicket
Ah, cricket. It’s a sport so steeped in tradition that when Australia and England come to blows, they compete not over silverware but a small urn. Cricket 22 has released just in time for the Ashes, and if Big Ant Studios was banking on an exciting series to drive sales for six, well, it’ll be scratching its head watching...
Mini Review Praey for the Gods (PS5) - A Commendable But Heavily Flawed Take on a Classic
A shadow of its inspiration
Praey for the Gods will no doubt look instantly familiar to PlayStation veterans. Developed by No Matter Studios, the team has always been open about the game's stark similarities to Shadow of the Colossus, one of Sony's most iconic games. It largely follows the same structure, tasking you with traversing a frozen...
You could be fine
When Terminator: Resistance first launched back in 2019, it was hard to ignore how much this glorified bit of fan-service was hampered by a lack of time and money. Sure, Teyon and Reef Entertainment had nailed the tone and atmosphere of the future war setting briefly glimpsed in Cameron’s movies, but it left a lot to be desired...
Mini Review Aeterna Noctis (PS5) - A Solid Yet Familiar Metroidvania
Nothing hollow about this
Right away, Aeterna Noctis feels familiar. With its grim, dirty visuals, melancholy music, and deadly enemies, the overall vibe of the game is remarkably similar to Hollow Knight. There’s a temptation to label Aeterna Noctis as an overly safe homage to its inspiration and call it a day, but thankfully there’s enough...
Mini Review Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
He's not the Masaya, he's a very Wor-ty boy
A distinctive art style can elevate a retro game into becoming engraved in our memories, for example many shoot-'em-up fans vividly remember the visual design of the Bydo Empire, with its biomechanical theme, and bosses like Dobkeratops as a defining part of R-Type. In 1991 magazines, like Issue 113 of...
Mini Review Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (PS4) - A Puzzlingly Great Spin-Off
For Shovelry!
If you’re hoping for a platformer like Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you won’t find it here. For Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, Yacht Club Games and VINE have created a falling block puzzle game with roguelite elements. Working as a sequel/spin-off, Shovel Knight’s been transported into the Pocket Dungeon after encountering a...
Mini Review Serious Sam 4 (PS5) - Mental Breakdown
Seriously disappointing
Serious Sam 4 almost immediately disappoints. That’s not to say it’s bad — it's another generally playable slice of carnage in the long-running series — but it’s also yet another prequel, a fifth game in which the villain, the tastefully named “Mental”, does not make an appearance. It's another shooter much like...
Mini Review Twelve Minutes (PS5) - Weird Twist Spoils an Otherwise Intriguing Story
Groundhog minutes
Twelve Minutes begins with you getting home to your shoebox-sized apartment after a long day’s work. Your wife has planned a lovely evening for the two of you, complete with romantic candles and your favourite dessert. After a small amount of pleasant chit-chat there’s a knock on the door; a police officer barges in and arrests...
Mini Review Heavenly Bodies (PS5) - Zero Gravity Adventure Frustrates as Much as It Entertains
Manned mission to madness
We shouldn't need to tell you how scary the dangers of things going wrong in zero-g are; the movie Gravity eloquently made that point already. Heavenly Bodies takes itself less seriously, but the peril of floating off into nothingness still looms over an otherwise goofy, intentionally awkward game. Playing alone or with...
Mini Review Chorus (PS5) - Stunning Space Exploration with Slick Combat
Sing it with me
If there's one thing developer Fishlabs knows well, it's space combat and exploration. Despite little previous experience with PlayStation hardware, its PS5 debut Chorus shares many similarities with its long-running mobile series Galaxy on Fire. As a result, Chorus is a confident first stab at a high profile release for the team,...
Mini Review Beyond a Steel Sky (PS5) - Classic Adventure Game Sequel Is Held Back by 3D Design
Union City limits
Beyond a Steel Sky is the long, long awaited sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky — the critically acclaimed 1994 point-and-click adventure game. This return to Union City — a towering metropolis surrounded by wasteland in a distant future — manages to recapture the wit and charm of its predecessor, but its move to 3D environments...
Review Solar Ash (PS5) - Fast, Fluid Platforming Makes for an Entertaining Ride
Rei of hope
When developer Heart Machine decided to venture into 3D for its follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter, it didn't just change the perspective. While the two titles share the same universe, Solar Ash is a very different game in many ways. Essentially, this is a fast-paced platformer that puts the emphasis on movement rather than combat. The end...