December2023

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February2018

  • Review Out of Ammo (PS4)

    Empty chamber

    On paper, Out of Ammo sounds like a good idea ­– but any positive notions are squashed almost as quickly as the game can boot up. Out of Ammo is a blend of real-time strategy and first-person shooter. You take control of a squad from above and build your base, with the ability to switch and control any individual on the ground at...

September2017

  • Review Pinball FX3 (PS4)

    Flip the light fantastic

    So, has Zen Studios finally settled on a name, then? Pinball FX3 is the successor to Zen Pinball 2, a game which itself was named Pinball FX2 on other platforms. The good news is that despite the adjusted moniker, you can import practically all of your tables from the previous version into this all-new release – although...

July2017

  • Review CastleStorm VR (PS4)

    Castle crashers

    Zen Studios must be contractually obliged to port CastleStorm to every viable platform, because it seems to get around like a king on a crusade. It’s a weird one because the game has never, in this author’s opinion, been all that exciting – but people must enjoy it otherwise it wouldn’t keep popping up like a bad smell...

  • Review Infinite Minigolf (PS4)

    Tiger W∞ds

    Infinite Minigolf may be a bad name, but it’s a potentially accurate one. Zen Studios’ follow-up to forgotten PlayStation 3 putt-‘em-up Planet Minigolf is packing some nifty cross-console features, meaning that its pool of user generated courses can be accessed regardless of your system of choice. This means that you could,...

December2016

  • Review Pinball FX2 VR (PS4)

    Flipping out for real

    You could never accuse developer Zen Studios of being particularly selective about which platforms its pinball titles appear on. Thus, the number of people who'll be surprised to hear Pinball FX2 has arrived on PlayStation VR will probably be close to zero, especially since it provides a rare opportunity to do something a bit...

January2015

October2014

  • Review CastleStorm: Definitive Edition (PlayStation 4)

    It's reigning Zen

    Blurring the line between tower defense and real-time strategy, CastleStorm proved a surprise hit when we reviewed it last year. This time, Zen Studios’ clever mash-up is back on the PlayStation 4, with all of its previous DLC and a few new surprises up its sleeve. But how does this version stack up against the game that we...

September2014

  • Review KickBeat: Special Edition (PlayStation 4)

    Kick it into touch

    KickBeat: Special Edition is the re-release of Zen Studios’ rhythm fighting game for the PlayStation 4. Now, you may be asking yourself what a rhythm fighting game actually is – or you may not be. Either way, picture a fusion of Mortal Kombat and DJ Hero, and you’ll more or less have the right idea. Sadly, this game sounds...

May2014

December2013

  • Review Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4)

    Zen out of ten?

    One of two pinball titles flipping onto the PlayStation 4 prior to Christmas is Zen Pinball 2, a game that previously graced both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. This next-gen version provides gamers with a chance to battle friends and strangers for the highest score on a range of tailor made tables, a number of which bear...

November2013

  • Review CastleStorm (PlayStation 3)

    Shocking, in a manner of speaking

    Building castles, slaying enemy troops, and launching farting sheep. CastleStorm is built around the idea of both building and destroying castles using a variety of customisable methods. You'll control a massive ballista, which you'll employ to send out a variety of troops, some awesome special attacks, and a...

September2013

  • Review KickBeat (PlayStation Vita)

    Fists of melody

    The concept of fusing fighting and rhythm games seems so obvious, as the act of combat already has a rhythmic feel to it. Timing is, of course, crucial to both pastimes, with complex moves requiring metronome-like precision, just like the beat of a song. KickBeat, then, is pretty much the perfect marriage of genres, and the Zen...

October2012

  • Review Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 3)

    Worth a tilt

    Zen Studios sure plays a mean pinball, from Nintendo DS' obscure Flipper Critters through to its Marvel-licenced efforts more recently. With the release of Zen Pinball 2, the developer hopes to unify its past work under one banner for the future. It's a term that's been flipped around a bit for a while, but Zen Pinball 2 is designed as...

December2010

  • Review Marvel Pinball (PlayStation 3)

    Marvel Pinball's visual effects and gameplay frills are supported by a strong physics core and generally good table design

    Zen Pinball was one of our most played PlayStation Network titles of 2009, so it was with some anticipation we got thrift of Zen Studios' impending Marvel Pinball — a stand-alone catalogue of four new Marvel themed tables...

September2010

  • Review Planet Minigolf (PlayStation 3)

    Miniature golf, Move style

    We've seen our share of minigolf releases of varying degrees of fun and price released on the assorted console download services offering gamers a few choices to make for their miniature golf fix. This obviously leads to the question of what exactly does Planet Minigolf offer up on PSN that sets it apart from the crowd,...

July2009

  • Review The Punisher: No Mercy (PlayStation 3)

    Set in the gritty universe of The Punisher, No Mercy is an arena based shooter built with the Unreal Engine

    The game is a multiplayer focused release, providing a single player story and co-op mode tied together with some comic-book style plot where the crux gameplay is still based around arena shoot-outs. There are a range of characters from The...

May2009

  • Review Zen Pinball (PlayStation 3)

    Zen Pinball is the latest digital take on the classic past-time, giving players a choice of four tables to compete in a range of different modes

    Each table varies in tone to the other; whether it be the automotive "V12" or the Honda advert inspired "Tesla". There's no standout here - each is as glorious as the last with DLC...