Push Rewind PS4 PS3 Vita

It's been a quiet week on the site as we prepare our Game of the Year coverage, but one big story did hit the headlines over the past seven days: Hideo Kojima has formed a new studio and is partnering with PlayStation to develop his first post-Konami title. This is the last edition of Push Rewind until 2016, but don't worry, because we'll have plenty of content going live over the holidays for you to read and interact with.

Yakuza 5

Reviews

Yakuza 5 - 8/10

Yakuza 5 may no longer be dressed for the part, but like any respectable gangster, it has a good heart beating beneath its unkempt exterior. It's a fitting analogy for a game that's ultimately all about aging, so while time may have been tough on Kiryu and crew, this dense and occasionally oddball adventure still has plenty of strong stories to tell.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Jack the Ripper - 7/10

After the dreadful Dead Kings, Ubisoft has proven that it can make decent DLC with Assassin's Creed Syndicate's Jack the Ripper add-on pack. The new fear system is a novel addition here, while the whole campaign has a compelling, creepy vibe. The story missions are strong, and we appreciate the developer's decision to lead with an aging Evie Frye. If the expansion's titular serial killer famously came from hell, then this content is very much heaven sent.

Other Reviews

PlayStation 4 PS4

Features

Feature: PS4 Report Card - How Has Sony's Format Fared in 2015?

It's the end of term, and that means that its report card time. It's been two years since the PlayStation 4 launched, and the heady days of Jack Tretton's big E3 2013 beatdown are now a distant memory. But while Sony can attribute a chunk of its new-gen system's success to those pre-release pounces, has the manufacturer kept its foot on the gas in 2015? Following on from our successful article last year, we've decided to grade the platform's performance in a selection of categories. The question is: has it been up to scratch?

Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 98

No, we will not miss a week. Sorry about the delayed article, y'all – your humble host had some holiday plans today, so we're well aware that this is hours later than it should be. But love is certainly not over, as this author has scaled to the top of the esoteric brick puzzle named life and delivered you your regularly scheduled dose of WAYP. All is well in the world again.

Hideo Kojima PS4 PlayStation 4

News

Hideo Kojima Partners with PlayStation to Deliver Compelling New PS4 Exclusive

The reports were true: Hideo Kojima has formed a new studio and has partnered with PlayStation to deliver an "innovative gaming experience" as part of a new PlayStation 4 console exclusive. The Metal Gear Solid maker's new team is independent, but it looks like it will be working very closely with Sony during the creation of its first title. The platform holder is so excited that it uploaded a video to its YouTube channel to announce the news.

Sony: Our First-Party PS4 Lineup Looks Incredible Next Year

We can probably all agree that it's been a solid but unspectacular year for PlayStation 4 exclusives, with titles like Bloodborne, Tearaway Unfolded, and Until Dawn on offer. Fortunately, Sony's the first to admit that 2015 hasn't been its strongest year from a first-party perspective – but it's looking forward to wowing people with its roster of releases in 2016.

Other Noteworthy News

Video of the Week

Warm Your Kingdom Hearts with 5 Minutes of PS4 Footage

This author practically waited all day for the promised Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue [Bleurgh – Ed] footage to emerge, so it's no surprise that it was released while we went for a nap. Nevertheless, we're wide awake now – wielding our replica Keyblades at over five minutes of footage from the forthcoming PlayStation 4 games.