August2019
Review Decay of Logos - An Action RPG for Those Who Love to Explore
Discover the truth behind this ruined realm
A burning village, a dark abomination harassing a noble looking elk, and a sword at your feet. These are the opening moments in Decay of Logos. No tutorial, no lengthy exposition of the world’s lore, just you and a sword. This opening is a sign of things to come. This is not a game that’s going to hold...
September2018
Review Little Dragons Café (PS4)
All fired up
Booting up Little Dragons Café for the first time, the first thing that strikes is how damn cute the whole thing is. From the adorable twins you choose between to play as to the quaint café itself complete with delightful miniature vegetable patch and impossibly sweet chickens running around, everything is designed to immediately tug...
May2018
Go-faster stripes
These days, arcade racers are few and far between, so it's refreshing to see one as bright-eyed and original as Trailblazers launching on PS4. Supergonk's unique racing game has looked promising from the start, with a core mechanic that separates it from its stablemates. With an emphasis on cooperation, and a surprising amount of...
July2017
King conga
A game about conga lines, what could possibly go wrong? Conga Master is a bit like Nokia 3210 favourite Snake with more fancy footwork and less Angel di Maria. This pixel art arcade title sees you attracting deserted dancers to your own personal party, as you attempt to maintain your mambo momentum all the way back out of the fire escape...
June2017
Don't stop the beat
The developers at PM Studios have had a long track record when creating exemplar rhythm games. As previous developers of the DJMAX series, one could say with Superbeat: Xonic it's created a spiritual successor to the rhythm franchise. What was originally a Japanese arcade-only experience has now become one of the most polished...
Review I Want to Be Human (PS4)
Don't let it be human
From the outset, I Want to Be Human presents itself as a rough-and-ready rebellious ride. A Blink-182-style pop-punk song proclaims “I want to be human” upon startup as the text on screen spasms back and forth, red and black covering the main menu. Developer Sinclair Strange’s first console release is a ride, alright...
November2016
Tunnel vision
Earth's Dawn is a 2D, loot-heavy brawler with a post-apocalyptic theme. It's got a lot in common with Vanillaware titles such as Dragon's Crown and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, except it's keen to ditch pretty fantasy settings and settle for a ruined grey world complete with a gigantic underground tunnel system that's teeming with...
July2016
Review Assault Suit Leynos (PS4)
Heavy metal
Originally released all the way back in 1990 on the SEGA Genesis, Assault Suit Leynos – or Target Earth as it was known in North America – is a 2D side-scrolling mecha shoot-'em-up that still holds up well today. Remade for the PlayStation 4, this new version comes with high definition visuals, a remixed soundtrack, and some slight...
May2016
Old school of magic
One thing that's evident from the outset of Gareth Noyce's isometric puzzler is the focus on nostalgia. Noyce is somewhat of an industry veteran working for a number of studios over the past 15 years, including the recently closed Lionhead, Geometry Wars creators Bizarre, and Realtime Worlds. Ostensibly an homage to isometric...
November2015
Chromatic chaos
Kromaia Ω is a chaotic, fast-paced, no-nonsense arcade shoot-'em-up that simply gives you a spacecraft, a playground full of things to make dead, and sets you on your way. There is a story behind all the action, but it's unobtrusive and doesn't appear to add much to the game - you can quite happily ignore it and continue shooting...
Robots in demise
It's the end of the world again, everyone – and no, we're not talking about a radioactive American wasteland. Poncho takes place in a world where the humans have been eliminated, leaving their now purposeless robot companions to fend for themselves. Enter the titular Poncho, presumably named after his fashion sense, to save the...
Review Superbeat: Xonic (PS Vita)
Gotta go fast
Those familiar with the DJ Max series back in the PlayStation Portable era will immediately recognise this rhythm game. Superbeat: Xonic is the newest addition to the rhythm game genre by developer Nurijoy. Rhythm games are no stranger to the PlayStation Vita, so how does this one fare? As with most music games, buttons get mapped to...
March2015
Review La-Mulana EX (PlayStation Vita)
Temple of Doom
Back in the good old days, a game wasn't even considered playable unless it was so hard that you could never actually see beyond the first few levels – that was just how we got our value for money. The late 1980s were a time when men were men – even when they were pre-pubescent or, God forbid, female – and chest hair, flat caps,...
May2013
Review Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut (PlayStation 3)
Sinner's software
Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut feels like a relic of the PlayStation 2 era, as if it was long forgotten and recently recovered from an old box within a developer's dusty archives. It's decidedly lo-fi, with a framerate that frequently sputters for dear life, regular pop-in, droning, repetitive sound effects, enemies that...
November2012
Review Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition (PlayStation 3)
Nice chopper
Famous for being one of the SEGA Dreamcast’s final releases, Under Defeat is a vertically-scrolling shooter which wears its old-school credentials as proudly as possible. Updated with high-definition visuals and boasting deluxe features to entice on-the-fence buyers into making a purchase, Under Defeat HD is a fantastic way to...
February2010
Review Half-Minute Hero (PlayStation Portable)
Half-Minute Hero is an innovative, self-referential, comic gem, that just so happens to double as one of the best Playstation Portable titles of all time
Yes, it really is that good. If we were to review Half-Minute Hero in one word, we'd probably write something like: buy. And really, that's all you need to say about Opus' latest PSP gem. It's a...
September2009
Review The King Of Fighters XII (PlayStation 3)
The classic fighting franchise returns with its core three vs three battle layout in tact
Every inch the retro fighter, King Of Fighters XII is designed with a combination of retro techniques and next-gen Playstation 3 technology; the game's sprites have each been individually drawn and animated, brimming with style and life via an HD setup. The...
