And thus concludes a gigantic week in the PlayStation Nation. There wasn't a whole lot of hot news this time – a juicy No Man's Sky rumour aside – but we made up for it with more reviews than you can possibly imagine. A busy week, then – and it's only going to busier.
Reviews
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below - 9/10
An incredibly enjoyable action RPG, Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is easily one of Omega Force's most polished productions, as it oozes charm that's amplified by fantastic presentation. Combat is accessible, satisfyingly punchy, and hides depth at higher levels of play, while there's plenty of content to keep you busy after you've seen the well paced story through. Even if you're not a fan of Warriors-style gameplay, we'd still heartily recommend Dragon Quest Heroes to anyone on the lookout for a joyous jaunt in a lovingly made fantasy world.
Tales of Zestiria - 8/10
Tales of Zestiria is an admirable addition to the legacy of the franchise, boasting a brilliant battle system and a very endearing cast of characters. While it does falter with a few of its fresh ideas, such as its somewhat sparse open areas and its overly complex skill management, it's not enough to detract too heavily from what is otherwise a grand adventure in an intriguing fantasy world. Get through the typically humdrum opening hours and you'll find an addictive RPG with a tale well worth telling.
Other Reviews
- LEGO Dimensions - 7/10
- Heroes of Loot - 8/10
- Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax - 6/10
- Bedlam: The Game - 4/10
- Super Meat Boy - 8/10
- Thief Town - 6/10
- Zombie Vikings - 6/10
- Toto Temple Deluxe - 7/10
- Spyro the Dragon - 8/10
- WRC 5 - 7/10
- Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1: The Order of the Stone - 6/10
- GEX - 6/10
Features
Guide: Tales of Zestiria Tips for First-Time Shepherds
Being the Shepherd is a tough job, but someone has to do it. Sorey's journey isn't an easy one, even if he is surrounded by powerful elemental beings, so we've cobbled together a few choice hints and tips for those of you that are just getting started. Tales of Zestiria isn't the toughest of games, but it can be a little overwhelming – especially during the early hours of your adventure. With any luck, this little guide will help you slip into the action a little more smoothly – after all, we wouldn't want you to be consumed by malevolence now would we?
Soapbox: Why Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 Is So Refreshing
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is a compilation of old games, but playing through it for review recently felt like a breath of fresh air. That's because I feel like we're currently gripped by open world fever, where practically every major release has a sandbox element of some kind. I'm not opposed to this type of gameplay style – the likes of Shenmue II and Burnout Paradise are among my favourite ever releases – but I am getting a bit tired of all of the traversal and padding that's become commonplace in titles of this type.
Other Features
- First Impressions: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Continues to Grow with a Sequel on PS4
- Out This Week: Dragon Quest Heroes, Minecraft: Story Mode, Wasteland 2
- Guide: How to Get Goo-d at Dragon Quest Heroes on PS4
- Push Share: What PS4 Screenshots Have You Been Sharing? - Issue 1
- Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 89
News
Rumour: Is Sony Preparing a Shock No Man's Sky Release?
No Man's Sky has been appearing on various mainstream television shows of late, which is curious considering that the game doesn't have a release date. However, there's some speculation that the title could release during Sony's big Paris Games Week press conference later in the month. The source of the speculation is shaky, but various components of this rumour do make logical sense.
Uncharted 4's Single Player DLC May Plot an Experimental Path
Truly great downloadable content doesn't come around very often, but The Last of Us: Left Behind is a rare example of an add-on pack that lived up to the legacy of the campaign that it was expanding. Having got the bug for single player expansions, Naughty Dog announced recently that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End would receive some post-release story content – and it may be just as experimental as its previous attempt.
Star Wars Battlefront Has a Really Steep PS4 Season Pass
It's time to put your hand blaster and lightsaber up on eBay, because you're going to need as many Druggats as you can lay your hands on to afford Star Wars Battlefront's obligatory Season Pass. Announced by EA Games overnight, the expensive add-on will set you back an eye watering £40/$50, and will grant you access to "new content that will take you to fresh locations across a galaxy far, far away". You'll also get an extra emote.
EA Games: Publishers Pushing PS4 Remasters Have Run Out of Ideas
Outspoken EA Games executive Peter Moore believe publishers pushing PlayStation 4 remasters have run out of ideas. In a frank exchange with IGN, the popular personality stressed that his company is more interested with moving forwards than looking backwards. You can probably scratch that Mass Effect Trilogy announcement off your wish list, then.
This PS4 Commercial Is Going to Sell a Lot of Consoles
Oh boy! Sony has uploaded its official Holiday 2015 commercial for North America – and it's a real humdinger. Based, unsurprisingly, upon Star Wars Battlefront, this advertisement not only serves up some bad ass special effects – but it also bangs the nostalgia drum hard. Given that we're mere weeks away from being submerged into Star Wars fever, we reckon that this is going to really hit the spot.
Other Noteworthy News
- Firewatch Will Axe You to Look Out for It from 9th February on PS4
- Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Struts to PS4, Vita on 25th February in Japan
- Press X to Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th on PS4
- Furi Is a PS4 Beat-'Em-Up That You Really Need to See and Hear
- Yakuza 5 Feels the Heat in Mid-November on PS3
Video of the Week
Ratchet & Clank Could Be the Best Video Game Movie Ever
Ratchet & Clank looks so good in film form that it's hard to believe that it's taken this long for Sony to bring the platforming icons to the silver screen. This brand new trailer for the franchise's forthcoming flick has all of the ingredients that it needs to succeed: skittish jump cuts, on-the-nose gags, and a Galantis track. Alright, the narrator may sound like he's done the voice over for a million similar movies before, but this could be big.
Comments 5
I wasn't sure what to think of No Man's Sky intill you guys posted that Steven Colber interview. That completely sold me on the game. Now I can't wait for it to come out.
Wrapping up this week I just wanted to say something, because I've been pretty critical at some of PushSquare's articles of late. The last few weeks I have commented on some articles because these editorial pieces were written like fanmail to Sony or their 1st party devs, they felt like the staff was apologizing on Playstation's behalf and taking a clear stance where it wasn't really necessary or displayed some real naivety about a subject that in my opinion was due to the blue colored glasses that were on while writing.
I know the audience PushSquare attracts are PlayStation nuts like myself and I'm all about celebrating games, but I see PushSquare as a site that is "dedicated" to the PlayStation but not as a PlayStation "fan site". The line between both is really thin, but boy is it an important one! The main reason why I prefer a "dedicated" site instead of a console agnostic site is because of the fact I know the staff is just excited as I am about a console, but this excitement should never be blinding you.
If I take for instance your reviews, which I always hold in high regard, I want to know that the score that's given is based on the game's merits alone, not just because it happens to be the only exclusive to speak of these months. A fansite would score any exclusive high, just to prove to the world their console is very much alive and there's no need to look elsewhere, where a "console dedicated" site just rates the game for what they are.
I totally feel PushSquare is still on the right side of the line and my comments regarding some of the more "naive" pieces I read aren't to criticize you guys, but are comments to keep you guys sharp so you'll stay independent, critical, incorruptable and most of all celebrating the games we all get to play on our PS4 and Vita. The 9 you gave Dragon Quest Heroes and the review that accompanied it was the sole reason I bought the game for and it's such a great feeling to have a site you can trust to be objective while scoring a game and not considering platform circumstances. I just hope this will always stay this way, especially because it sometimes is just easier for a website that is fighting for every pageview to ignore some of the journalistic integrity and just give the people what they THINK they want.
Thanks for being PushSquare, I hope you'll never change!
@TheMightyPunram
That's the part where people "think that they know what they want", till the servers are down one day and it's all your fault for being such a fanboy. You can't fully love something/ someone without recognizing its/ her/ his flaws imo and I think my age might play a part here. I've been with PS for 20 years now and we've seen some bad times, but I even embrace those moments because I feel Sony can learn from them and when they don't, I see it as our duty as fans to call em out, not to let it slide.
This year for instance I wanna see a proper solution to the DDOS attacks; if we never have any, only on days the entire world is at home playing videogames, then it aren't DDOS attacks, then we're being lied to.
And maybe I've been close to the industry for too long and I'm just old and bitter, but I always liked the edgy side of PushSquare not afraid to crtitisize the brand we're all so fond off. The moment that goes away, not just the opinion pieces loose their (journalistic) value, but the news and reviews do too.
@Splat Well, it is still very much a rumour so don't get your hopes up too high - there is definite logic to it, though. We'll see...
@Boerewors Thanks for reading! It's a tough line being a single format site, like you say - I always like to think that our criticism of Sony's failings comes across better than other sites, though, because we actually care and want PlayStation to be the best that it can be.
@get2sammyb
In the long run that's the only right attitude! Fansites come and go every generation, dedicated sites are in it for the long haul. I've had a PS2 fansite myself, my brother had a GameCube site, we had incredible pageviews at the time. But the moment we tried entering the next gen with our site, things didn't work out; both the PS3 and the Wii weren't loved by our core audience and no one would want to read a PS3 article by the guy that's been praising PlayStation unconditionally for all those years.
For us it didn't matter cause we focussed on our platform agnostic game site more after that and it's pretty popular in SA to this date, but for PushSquare you just feel there's a bigger future up ahead, even when the inevitable "lean years" set in and people want something other than praise, praise, praise.
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