Graham Banas

Graham Banas

Contributor

Author Profile

For over a decade, Graham has been writing reviews for Push Square. In that period, he's encountered an innumerable amount of high-quality experiences, and yes, several duds. With an encyclopedic knowledge of games and studios, it should come as no surprise that he's comfortable playing any genre. However, when it comes time to write a review, you'll probably find that he gravitates towards music/rhythm games, and in more recent years, VR. If you let him talk about games long enough, he'll definitely let you know that his favorite game is Kentucky Route Zero.

Username
gbanas92
Articles
455 (238 reviews)
First Article
Tue 19th, November 2013
Avg. Review Score
6.8
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  • Crossing Souls (PS4)

    12

    Review Crossing Souls (PS4)

    There is no game, only Zuul

    80s pop culture has been gaining momentum in a big way in recent years, between things like the mega popular Stranger Things and the ever-expanding – and much deserved – popularity of synthwave in the music scene. The decade was rich with shows, films, songs, and everything in between that people young...

  • The 10 Best PlayStation Soundtracks of 2017

    31

    Feature The 10 Best PlayStation Soundtracks of 2017

    Reelin’ in the year

    2017 was an absolute banner year for games: AAA games were firing on all cylinders, indies knocked it out of the park again and again, and there were more Game of the Year contenders than we care to count. Alongside many of these stellar games were absolutely phenomenal soundtracks, too. This year more than any other was the...

  • #4 - What Remains of Edith Finch

    29

    Game of the Year 2017 #4 - What Remains of Edith Finch

    This old house

    AAA games may have had a banner year, but there was a lot to love in the indie scene as well. Developer Giant Sparrow’s newest title, What Remains of Edith Finch, was the best of the bunch. The dev's first title since 2012’s incredible debut The Unfinished Swan, the title tells a terrific tale about a terrifically unlucky...

  • Graham's Personal Picks

    20

    Game of the Year 2017 Graham's Personal Picks

    A damn fine list

    As is becoming an annual tradition here at Push Square Towers, we’ve corralled our core group of staff writers and prodded them until they’ve told us what their favourite five games of the year are. With such a strong assortment to select from, added force was required in some instances. We threatened to steal Graham's...

  • FIFA 18's Tom Holkenborg on Scoring Soccer

    11

    Interview FIFA 18's Tom Holkenborg on Scoring Soccer

    A little more conversation

    Recently we got the chance to chat with composer Tom Holkenborg about his work on the soundtrack for the narrative portion of FIFA 18, as well as his extensive history working with EA, his love of soccer, and how to capture the appropriate sound for a given sequence. Tom has contributed to numerous EA titles, dating back a...

  • Best PS4 Music of November 2017

    4

    Guide Best PS4 Music of November 2017

    Calm before the storm

    The November issue of Push Play marks the last release before we close out the year by talking about the best scores of the year. It was also a bit of an underwhelming month. The most notable soundtracks were scores to games that have been around for a number of years and just saw re-releases like Skyrim VR, Star Ocean: The...

  • Far From Noise (PS4)

    16

    Review Far From Noise (PS4)

    Come on feel the (lack of) noise

    Have you ever wanted to experience the harrowing act of sitting in a car teetering on the edge of a cliff? And while hanging from that cliff, have you ever wanted to breathe deeply, calmly look at nature, and befriend a deer? These are all things that form the backdrop for George Batchelor’s visual novel, Far From...

  • Discussing the Music of Call of Duty: WWII with composer Wilbert Roget II

    5

    Interview Discussing the Music of Call of Duty: WWII with composer Wilbert Roget II

    Answering the call of music

    Recently, we got the chance to sit down and discuss the process behind composing the soundtrack for Call of Duty: WWII’s soundtrack, with its composer Wilbert Roget II, who's no stranger to working on games. We dove deep into some of the finer points of the score, and got a glimpse behind the curtain at his process and...

  • Best PS4 Music of October 2017

    4

    Guide Best PS4 Music of October 2017

    Push it to the limit

    As we start getting into the holiday season, the releases of big name games are ratcheting up as they do every year, which also means some major soundtracks are going to accompany these games. October offered a lot of quality music, most of it courtesy of the big budget stuff, but on any given month, if you dig deep enough, you...

  • Top of the PS4 Pops – Issue 6

    6

    Push Play Top of the PS4 Pops – Issue 6

    Rock 'n' roll

    Coming off such an extraordinary month for game music in August means September was a little underwhelming by comparison, but that doesn’t mean there was nothing worth paying attention to. Some big names released this past month, and brought some significant music with them. And some lesser known titles brought great music into the...

  • Yakking About Knack 2 with Composer Anthony Willis

    4

    Interview Yakking About Knack 2 with Composer Anthony Willis

    Knack is back, Jack

    Shortly before the release of Sony’s Knack 2 we got the chance to sit down with the game’s composer, Anthony Willis, and discuss with him some elements of his process for crafting the score for the latest in Sony’s platforming series. Anthony has previously worked on many film projects such as How to Train Your Dragon 2,...

  • Expand (PS4)

    3

    Review Expand (PS4)

    Rapid expansion

    Sometimes a game just doesn’t land regardless of its quality. Expand, an indie title from Chris Johnson and Chris Larkin, fits the bill. It hit Steam back in 2015 with relatively little fanfare, and the same seems to be happening again. This lack of buzz around the game says nothing of its quality, however, as it's actually rather...

  • Amnesia: Collection (PS4)

    16

    Review Amnesia: Collection (PS4)

    In the mouth of madness

    Republished on Wednesday 27th September 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Usually when people strike up a conversation about the best horror games ever made, you're going to hear someone bring up...

  • Ruiner (PS4)

    16

    Review Ruiner (PS4)

    Buy this game, puppy

    Ruiner marks the first title from Polish developer Reikon Games – and the latest release under Devolver Digital’s publishing initiative. The game fits comfortably alongside the other types of games that the label likes to put its name on, and this is one outing that stands out among an already impressive portfolio. At...

  • Radial-G: Racing Revolved (PS4)

    0

    Review Radial-G: Racing Revolved (PS4)

    Round and round

    Radial-G: Racing Revolved is a PlayStation VR zero-grav racer that quite literally revolves around a track. Most of the tracks consist of tubes, with you clinging to the outside, able to freely rotate around, trying to reach that next boost or power-up. It makes for a lot of fun, even if you want to just simply spin around the tube a...

  • Top of the PS4 Pops - Issue 5

    10

    Push Play Top of the PS4 Pops - Issue 5

    Swingin’ through the stars

    Another month of game releases brings with it another month’s worth of game soundtracks, and running through the releases of August provides a particularly strong lineup. So many intriguing indie titles released this month, including at least one title that could be in the conversation for one of the best game...

  • Redout: Lightspeed Edition (PS4)

    15

    Review Redout: Lightspeed Edition (PS4)

    Fast and furious

    The anti-gravity racing genre may not be as popular as it once was, but that doesn’t mean developers aren’t still creating games for the genre. WipEout Omega Collection recently launched on the PlayStation 4, and while it was a fairly impressive collection, the fact that it focused squarely on the past held it back in some...

  • The Lost Bear (PS4)

    7

    Review The Lost Bear (PS4)

    Grin and bear it

    Sony’s VR headset has had a reasonably consistent release schedule when it comes to new software. Some of these titles have been rather good, while some have been less than stellar. The Lost Bear is a new side-scrolling platformer by indie team The Odd Bug Studio, and it’s another of the smaller VR titles worth putting your...

  • Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition Announced by Annapurna

    5

    News Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition Announced by Annapurna

    Releasing in early 2018

    Annapurna Interactive already has a rather impressive portfolio of indie titles to its credit. After launching its first title – What Remains of Edith Finch, which we gave a perfect score – a few months ago, it lost no time in adding another notable title to its repertoire: Cardboard Computer's...

  • Observer (PS4)

    29

    Review Observer (PS4)

    Either a benefit or a hazard

    Bloober Team is a fascinating developer. The Polish outfit has released a couple of games this generation: its first, Basement Crawl, was so poorly received that it had to be remade, and was reborn as Brawl. Its follow-up to this was Layers of Fear, a Victorian-themed horror title about painting, and it remains one of...

  • The Long Dark (PS4)

    26

    Review The Long Dark (PS4)

    At wit's end

    When Steam introduced Early Access, it opened the flood gates for games like Rust, The Forest, and Hinterland’s The Long Dark. We’ve spent some time with each of these, and though they all have their merits, The Long Dark is the best of them.  The Long Dark has a bit of an odd distinction as being one of the only survival...

  • Top of the PS4 Pops - Issue 4

    10

    Push Play Top of the PS4 Pops - Issue 4

    Surfin’ on a sound wave

    This year’s slate of releases has been a dream. But alongside many of these phenomenal games have been equally phenomenal soundtracks. And to be frank, we’re starting to get scared about that “soundtracks of the year” list come December. Between Persona 5 a few months back, Pyre this month, and Undertale next month,...

  • Sundered (PS4)

    15

    Review Sundered (PS4)

    Torn asunder

    Sundered, the most recent release from Thunder Lotus Games – makers of Jotun – is another in a long line of successful Kickstarter ventures. While there have been some crowd-funded stinkers, others have been rousing successes, like the incredible Hyper Light Drifter. Sundered lands somewhere in the middle of those two as it does...

  • Pyre (PS4)

    34

    Review Pyre (PS4)

    Rites of Spring

    Supergiant Games has made its name as one of the most dependable indie teams. Its first two titles Bastion and Transistor are two of the best games released on digital storefronts, and excitement for its third venture Pyre has been high for some time. Most impressive is the fact that all three of the developer's titles are...