Reviews

Sony Interactive Entertainment Game Reviews

  • Review The Sly Collection (PlayStation 3)

    Adventures of the Thievius Raccoonus

    The Sly Cooper games for PlayStation 2 were incredible platforming game experiences in themselves, but here we have all three Sly Cooper games in one package remastered in beautiful high definition for the PlayStation 3. Move supported minigames and stereoscopic 3D support are icing on the cake for this must-have...

  • Review SingStar Dance (PlayStation 3)

    Bust a Move

    When you’ve been the leading karaoke title for the past six years, how do you keep the experience fresh? That’s the rather fortunate problem facing SingStar, and this year has seen two significant additions to the formula, first in the form of SingStar Guitar and now with SingStar Dance for PlayStation Move. Rather than hold a Move...

  • Review The Shoot (PlayStation 3)

    Lights, Camera, Action!

    The Shoot is that simplest of creatures: the arcade lightgun game. If you’ve played any on-rails shooter in the past 20 years you’ll think you know what to expect, but The Shoot makes enough subtle additions to be worth a look even for jaded shooter fans. Setting the scene with a brass James Bond-style theme, The...

  • Review PAIN (PlayStation 3)

    No pain, no gain!

    Televisions all across the globe have humans inflicting pain and injury upon each other every day. Martial arts, reality bloopers and viral videos fill the airwaves, and millions of viewers find enjoyment in this type of entertainment. The creative developers at Idol Minds know that some gamers crave the chance to inflict pain on...

  • Review TV Superstars (PlayStation 3)

    A real turn-off

    TV Superstars is a minigame collection that hinges on the concept of being contestants on a range of reality TV shows, so it’s fitting that it ends up being a shallow and forgettable experience. It all starts off well: you use the PlayStation Eye camera to snap three photos for your contestants’ head, record a short sample and...

  • Review Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz (PlayStation 3)

    Pretty fly

    Buzz! has been around for what seems like ages; released in 2005, there have been no fewer than 18 releases in the Buzz! series in those short five years. Now the latest outing for the be-quiffed host arrives in the form of Buzz! The Ultimate Music Quiz, and it’s brought a few Move rounds with it. If you’ve never played a Buzz! game...

  • Review EyePet (PlayStation Portable)

    Remember: a dog is not just for Christmas, but an Eye Pet is

    If we were presented with Eye Pet PSP as a child on Christmas morning, we'd have been beyond delighted. The game's low on content, but the initial "wow" factor of watching a desk, table, car-backseat or garden transform into a variety of environments in which the Eye Pet can play...

  • Review High Velocity Bowling (PlayStation 3)

    Bowling for supremacy

    With the buzz for PlayStation Move now in full swing it is worth remembering that, through the technology incorporated in the SIXAXIS controller, the PS3 has had motion-sensing controller support since launch. The original version of SCE's High Velocity Bowling (HVB) was released a year later and it demonstrated one of the most...

  • Review MAG (PlayStation 3)

    The war has been raging and it’s time to Move in

    MAG is like a bottle of wine, getting better with age. An online-only game exclusively for the PlayStation 3 developed by Zipper Interactive, also known for its long-running PlayStation exclusive franchise SOCOM, MAG garnered a lot of hype before launch for its massive 256-player battles. Despite...

  • Review EyePet: Move Edition (PlayStation 3)

    An EyePet is for life, not just for hardware launches

    EyePet was originally released in Europe at the end of 2009, long before the arrival of PlayStation Move. Back then the game only required a PlayStation Eye, with everything controlled by your hands and a piece of plastic that you held up to the camera. It worked rather well for what it was, but...

  • Review Heavy Rain (PlayStation 3)

    Storming

    Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain arrived in early 2010 in a downpour of critical acclaim, its storytelling, graphical quality and sheer audacity a breath of fresh air. Now a free patch has added support for Sony's Move controller (with a disc release landing soon) and although the game's strengths still shine through, its niggling flaws are sadly...

  • Review Hustle Kings (PlayStation 3)

    This game's got balls

    Hustle Kings isn't anything new to those familiar with the PSN. Developed by VooFoo Studios, the game first saw release at the end of 2009 to much acclaim. With the launch of Move for the PS3, it's become common practice to see some older games get updated to support the Move controller and for Hustle Kings, it's the same...

  • Review Kung Fu Rider (PlayStation 3)

    Is the ticket worth the ride?

    On the surface, Kung Fu Rider comes off as a fun variation on the downhill racing formula, removing the boxcars or skateboards players might expect to ride and switching them out for office chairs and luggage. To make this premise even more wacky, the protagonists periodically perform kung fu moves while riding these...

  • Review Tumble (PlayStation 3)

    Let's get ready to Tuuumble!!!

    When Sony began its marketing blitz for the Playstation Move, the ads focused on how Move differentiates from the competition, namely Kinect and the Nintendo Wii. The Move campaign began with a commercial featuring Kevin Butler as the "VP of Realistic Movements" attempting to persuade the viewer the Move can do things...

  • Review Start the Party (PlayStation 3)

    We rock the party

    Start the Party is every core Move owner's worst nightmare: a minigame collection, full of casual, family-friendly gameplay. Although the usual issues that hold back the genre are all present and correct here, it's still not a bad title for families and those wanting a silly but enjoyable introduction to the controller. You won't...

  • Review Sports Champions (PlayStation 3)

    Will it make you want to Move?

    When Sony announced it was developing a motion controller for PlayStation 3, it certainly didn't shock anyone to see a collection of motion-controlled sports games to go along with it. While comparisons to Nintendo's Wii Remote and Wii Sports Resort are inevitable, it might be a bit more fair to compare it to the...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: Modnation Racers (PlayStation Portable)

    There are some neat tricks in Pinball Heroes' presentation of Modnation Racers, but in all the table is a little flat

    Perhaps the neatest part of the Modnation Racers Pinball Heroes table is its nod towards the formers creation aspect. Flipping the ball inside the Mod and Kart caverns changes the background of the table, with different designs...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: Fat Princess (PlayStation Portable)

    The Fat Princess table in Pinball Heroes depicts the chaos of a stalemate in its source material, but it leads to a busy and complicated experience

    One thing Pinball Heroes is good at is providing a pinball experience similar to the source material it's based on. The Fat Princess table carries over virtually every element you'd expect it to. Caught...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: Wipeout HD Fury (PlayStation Portable)

    Pinball Heroes' Wipeout HD table is probably the most accessible of the bunch and it also happens to look fantastic

    Wipeout HD is a game that's inherently pretty. Pinball Heroes' Wipeout table therefore, is similarly dreamy. Staying true to the source material, the Wipeout table in Pinball Heroes is all about large blocks of colour. Taking the...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: MotorStorm (PlayStation Portable)

    MotorStorm might be one of the more plain Pinball Heroes' tables, but some great artwork makes up for the limited number of on-screen objects

    Many of Pinball Heroes tables opt for complicated, detailed stages with numerous objects from their source material. The MotorStorm table is not like that. There's a truck placed in the mid-section of the...

  • Review PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap (PlayStation 3)

    By focusing on the underlying competitive nature of PixelJunk Racers, 2nd Lap is worthy add-on that will bring newcomers and veterans alike back to the PixelJunk franchise's roots

    Being an early PlayStation Network release, and the first in the PixelJunk franchise, a large proportion of the PlayStation 3's user-base are unlikely to have experienced...

  • Review Everybody's Tennis (PlayStation Portable)

    If you've ever wished for an old-school RPG where the battle system's replaced by smashes and strawberries and cream, then Everybody's Tennis will be a dream come true

    This is a fun (and surprisingly deep) sports game dressed in an uber-cutesy Japanese exterior. The Everybody's (or Hot Shots if you're an American type) franchise has always been...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: PAIN (PlayStation Portable)

    PAIN's Pinball Heroes table really doesn't stack up next to the quality of the rest of the package, with basic visuals and a lack of ideas

    It's probably coincidence that PAIN's Pinball Heroes table is a bit rubbish - the PSN title it's based on is certainly not one of our favourites in the PushSquare office, so there's no real love lost here. When...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: High Velocity Bowling (PlayStation Portable)

    Clever use of the bowling mechanic makes High Velocity Bowling's table one of the more interesting choices from Pinball Heroes' selection

    High Velocity Bowling's Pinball Heroes table is based on the aesthetic of the PSN game of the same name. That means there's a faux mid-50's vibe to the cabinet's aesthetic, with a huge ten-pin bowling graphic...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: Uncharted Drake's Fortune (PlayStation Portable)

    The Uncharted aesthetic is very pleasing, but the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Pinball Heroes table lacks the imagination of its counter-parts

    Based on the huge Playstation 3 hit from Naughty Dog, the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Pinball Heroes table is a competent but simplistic experience. It's an aesthetically pleasing table, with the plane crash...

  • Review Pinball Heroes: Everybody's Golf (PlayStation Portable)

    Easily the best of the Pinball Heroes tables, the Everybody's Golf pinball cabinet is a delightful recreation of Clap Hanz's super-accessible golf franchise

    Based on Clap Hanz's Playstation golf franchise, the Everbody's Golf table in Pinball Heroes is a loving recreation of some of the game's concepts. Working with the golf theme, the Everybody's...

  • Review SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 (PlayStation Portable)

    If you're looking for a multiplayer shooter on your Playstation Portable, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 is probably the best you're going to get

    It's a pretty staggering technical achievement, providing all the staples you'd expect from a standard console multiplayer shooter, on a system that fits inside your pocket. The campaign is fine, but it's the...

  • Review Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PlayStation Portable)

    Jaked Up

    After a short hiatus, the double-jumping Playstation powerhouses known as Jak & Daxter are back in full force with their eco-sage hottie friend Keira along for the journey. The world is low on eco, and is tearing itself apart as a result. Of course, as the platforming duo you'll have to double jump your way through the game's...

  • Review LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable)

    Material world

    In many ways LittleBigPlanet PSP is a direct port of Media Molecule's PlayStation 3 monster. Visually, tonally and mechanically the games are close to identical; Studio Cambridge do an outstanding job of recreating Media Molecule's vision on a portable system. The single player campaign is new however, sending Sackboy (or Sackgirl) on...

  • Review LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PlayStation Portable)

    LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival may not be a full-on sequel, but it's still all-singing, all dancing fun

    It's outrageously good value for money too. LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival is still as boisterous as you might expect. The dastardly BuiBui from the previous two games have returned and kidnapped the sleeping LocoRoco. If they can escape the hazardous...