May2023
Review Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop (PS5) - Bright and Breezy Sim Is Better Than Ever
Stop it
Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop is not the refined PS5 showcase you’re going to show to all your friends. Despite benefitting from a couple years of extra iteration, this expanded new-gen port is still scrappy, with buggy AI behaviour and an underlying sense that the game code is almost falling apart behind-the-scenes. That said, few series...
January2023
Review Firefighting Simulator: The Squad (PS5) - Scorching Sim Shines in Online Co-Op
Hot stuff
You fight a lot of things in video games: zombies, terrorists, and those oddly enthusiastic blue slime things from the Dragon Quest franchise. Fires, however, are not a particularly common foe. Sure, there was Konami’s Firefighter F.D.18 on the PS2 and even Burning Rangers on the SEGA Saturn, but it’s not as common theme as you’d...
September2021
Mini Review Bus Simulator 21 (PS4) - Zen Sim Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously
MAN, I feel like a bus driver
Bus Simulator 21, like its PlayStation 4 predecessor, straddles the line between authentic public transport management and tongue-in-cheek entertainment. While this vehicular sim set across two maps – the all-new American-inspired Angel Shores and an updated version of European backdrop Seaside Valley – demands you...
May2020
Mini Review Construction Simulator 3 - Cowboy Builders
Needs more work
Simulation games are a bit of a sore point on the PlayStation 4 at the minute, given the overwhelmingly negative reaction to May 2020’s free PS Plus games. Nevertheless, the genre has become a strong source of entertainment for workaholics, with Sony’s system playing host to dozens of virtual careers, including farming and...
September2019
Review Bus Simulator - Public Transport Shouldn't Be This Much Fun
On the buses
The simulator sub-genre has become something of a joke, and Bus Simulator seems to recognise that it’s part of the punchline. This cunningly self-aware public transport affair from StillAlive Studios straddles the line between silly and serious, blending arcade action with obsessive attention to detail. It plays a little bit like if...
