Bandai Namco Game Reviews
Review One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows - You Too Can Defeat Any Enemy with the Press of a Button
One hit wonder
Starting life as a viral webcomic back in 2009, One Punch Man is a celebration and a send-up of superhero fiction. It’s creator, aptly named One, envisaged the story of a hero who was already the best. Tired of being able to defeat every enemy he faces with one punch, protagonist Saitama worries more about missing the supermarket...
Not so super, Saiyan
When Bandai Namco announced that it was going to be making a role-playing game that covers the entirety of Dragon Ball Z, fans seemed somewhat torn. On one hand, developer CyberConnect2 was going to be at the helm -- the studio behind the largely fantastic Naruto Storm titles. On the other, it's hard to get genuinely excited...
Review Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered - Level-5’s Masterpiece Is Tidier Than Ever
A whole ‘nother world. Beautiful, en’t it?
Oh, how we could fling superlatives to describe how utterly wonderful Ni no Kuni is. Forgive us, then, for choosing the word tidy. Yes, tidy is the right word to open our review of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered. Not just because this is clearly the tidiest edition of the game so far,...
Review RAD - Mutant Roguelike Madness in a Dystopian Future
The New Mutants
Combining addictive roguelike gameplay with a rocking 80s aesthetic and an assortment of flesh altering power-ups, RAD more than lives up to its name. Throwing you into a world clinging to life after not one, but two apocalypses, your character is tasked with purifying the desolate land. By locating respirator machines, you’ll...
Get in the sea
What the heck happened to One Piece: World Seeker? Was the developer short on time? Short on budget? Or was it just an awful idea to make an open world setting your one and only gimmick in 2019? We would genuinely love to know, because the game feels completely unfinished in almost every possible way. Even for the relatively low...
Review Jump Force - What the Hell Did They Do to Goku?
Go ahead and jump
We've played some ugly anime games in our time, but there's a special place in art style hell for Jump Force. What should be a grand celebration of all things Jump, this crossover fighter is loathsome in its portrayal of the awesome manga and anime heroes that make up its character roster. Jump Force opts for a "realistic" visual...
Review God Eater 3 - Fast and Fun Action That's Rough Around the Edges
Kick ash
God Eater 3 presents a monster-slaying jaunt through a post-apocalyptic world absolutely stuffed with storytelling cliches and over-the-top combat. Between its predictable plot and horribly outdated visuals, it's easy to look at this latest instalment and chalk it up as just another throwaway action role-playing title for the anime crowd,...
Review Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Explosive In-Flight Entertainment
Aced it
It's been a while since we last made a trip to Strangereal on PlayStation. The Ace Combat series has a long and relatively complicated history of releases scattered across a wide range of formats, resulting in a somewhat fragmented state. Fans largely agree, however, that the PlayStation 2 entries - 4, 5, and Zero - are the collective high...
Review Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition - Still One of the Very Best Tales Games
The star still shines
When the topic of classic Japanese role-playing games is brought up, people tend to focus on a set few titles. Final Fantasy VII will forever be etched into the history of the genre for obvious reasons -- as is the case with several other entries in Square Enix's beloved series -- and most would probably give nods to properties...
Review 11-11: Memories Retold - Inventive and Emotionally Charged with an All-Star Cast
Shooting for something different
11-11: Memories Retold has an interesting proposition: a war game where you shoot not with a gun, but the lens of a camera. In a world where World War 1 is often used as a playground for 360 no-scopes and kill counts, it’s refreshing to see a game that analyses the people tied to the situation in a respectful,...
Review My Hero One's Justice - A Solid Anime Brawler that Struggles to Stand Out
A Quirky kind of fighter
My Hero One’s Justice is the game adaptation of smash hit anime My Hero Academia. If you don’t know My Hero Academia then this probably isn’t the game for you, as My Hero One’s Justice launches its story mode partway through season 2 of the show, and runs to midway through season 3. You’re expected to come with...
Review Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum Session - A Rhythm Game That Marches to Its Own Beat
Finger drumming
The Taiko No Tatsujin series is largely exclusive to Japan, but every now and again, these colourful rhythm titles do head West. In the case of Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum Session, it's the first time the franchise has been brought over to Europe, making it the most widely available outing yet. However, this is still very much a niche...
Review SoulCalibur VI - The Best Since SoulCalibur II
Edge mastered
Republished on the 25th October, 2018: Now that we've spent time with the game's online modes, we've republished this review with our thoughts. SoulCalibur's had a rocky old road since the glory days of SoulCalibur II, a title still considered by many to be one of the best 3D fighting games ever made. SoulCalibur III, IV, and V...
Review Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition (PS4)
Master of Divinity
Divinity: Original Sin II is a fantastic role-playing game that strikes an almost perfect balance between dense, absorbing storytelling, and allowing you the freedom to shape the adventure as you wish. The journey through to the end credits will take you dozens of hours to complete, and during that time you’ll meet scores of...
Review Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (PS4)
A pirate's life for me
Adventure Time has been a juggernaut series for Cartoon Network since debuting way back in 2010. Its 10-season run is about to come to an end, and over this span the escapades of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog have spawned six video game entries covering a wide variety of genres. The latest entry, Adventure Time: Pirates of...
Review New Gundam Breaker (PS4)
Gundamned
"More like New Gundam Broken" started out as a dumb joke that we slung around the Push Square office after spending just 20 minutes or so with this latest mech-'em-up from Bandai Namco, but here we are 20 hours later and nothing has changed. New Gundam Breaker is a disappointing wreck of a release, and yet another...
Review Dark Souls Remastered (PS4)
The master remastered
We don't need to remind you that Dark Souls is an excellent game, so we're not going to sit here and reel off everything you already know about it. We're just going to cut right to the chase and give you the information you're looking for. Blight Town is no longer, er, blighted by poor framerate issues. The whole...
Review Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time (PS4)
You’re a witch, Akko
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is a side-scrolling action RPG based on the hit anime series, which follows a young girl called Akko and her enrolment into the Luna Nova Witch Academy. Unfortunately Akko doesn’t really have much magical ability, but what she lacks in power she makes up for with an endearing passion,...
As cold as ice
The atmosphere and intrigue of Impact Winter's world are truly gripping, and developer Mojo Bones has sculpted an environment that's begging for an incredible gameplay experience to take place within it. This aura alone is enough to make this title engrossing for the first couple of hours, but unfortunately, the gameplay is not nearly...
Review Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4)
Fit for a king
At this point the PlayStation 4 is home to many quality role-playing games. From the serious tones of The Witcher 3 and the violence of Bloodborne to the eye-popping style of Persona 5 and the majesty of Horizon: Zero Dawn, there's something for just about everyone. However, very few titles can measure up to the sheer charm that's on...
Review Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (PS4)
It's all in the grind
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet trades in swords, axes, and spears for assault rifles, rocket launchers, and shotguns. Gone is the fantasy setting of previous Sword Art Online titles, replaced with the brown and grey wastelands of Gun Gale Online. At its core, Fatal Bullet is still a grind-heavy RPG, but it's wearing the mask of...
Review The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia (PS4)
Deadly
The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia is the first console adaptation of The Seven Deadly Sins anime. Published by Bandai Namco and developed by Natsume Atari, Knights of Britannia is a fighting game at its core which follows the plot of the hit anime. The game has two modes: Adventure Mode and Duel Mode, which pretty much do...
Review Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory (PS4)
Hacked up
Since 1999, the Digimon franchise has had a constant presence in the video game industry, with dozens of entries in all different genres. However, 2015’s Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth put the franchise back on the map, surprising both fans and newcomers to the series with how well crafted it was. Media Vision has returned to the series...
Ben not-quite-10
Ben 10 first hit television screens way back in 2005 and quickly became a smash hit for Cartoon Network, spawning three spin-off series, four movies, and eight games. It centres around Ben Tennyson, a boy who discovers a watch called the Omnitrix which allows him to turn into various aliens. The franchise had been dormant since...
Review .hack//G.U. Last Recode (PS4)
Hacker’s paradise
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since the .hack franchise began. It was a franchise with a really unique setting – you were put in the shoes of someone playing a fictional MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) called The World. As well as being able to play in The World, you could also log out...
G spotting
The feeling of satisfaction that you get when your beam rifle finally finds its mark and your opponent spirals into a ball of flame is the best part of Gundam Versus. After three minutes of desperately tense, twitchy movement and praying that your attacks connect, watching as the camera cuts away to an exploding mobile suit is the perfect...
Pick 'n' mix
You’d have to be Slightly Mad to go up against simulation racing juggernauts Gran Turismo Sport and Forza Motorsport 7 this holiday, but that’s the unfortunate position Project CARS 2 finds itself in. The sequel to the British studio’s somewhat uneven crowd-funded debut attempts to standout by increasing the number of motorsport...
Review One Piece: Unlimited World Red - Deluxe Edition (PS4)
A pirate's life for me
One Piece, for those who are unfamiliar, is an insanely popular manga and anime series that has been around for over 20 years now, and has received a slew of video games. The series focuses on Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirate crew as he strives to claim the title of Pirate King. One Piece: Unlimited World Red first...
Review Tekken 7: Ultimate Tekken Bowl (PS4)
Split opinion
Tekken 7's first downloadable content pack is here, and it comes in the form of Ultimate Tekken Bowl. Available as part of the game's season pass or separately as a standard add-on, it revives the series' Tekken Bowl mode, in which you're free to take to the lanes and knock down pins as your favourite characters. First thing's first:...
Back to the drawing board
Get Even is a first-person psychological horror game that showed quite a bit of promise pre-release, but the final version fails to capitalise on what it does differently and, in amalgamation with a number of other flaws, none of its potential is anywhere near realised. The title attempts to blend your typical shooter with...
