SEGA Game Reviews
Review Football Manager Classic 2014 (PlayStation Vita)
Mid-league manager
That there is a Silver Trophy in Football Manager Classic 2014 that rewards you for participating in 30 consecutive seasons – or a couple of hundred hours of play – will be no surprise to fans of the franchise, many of which will have been glued to their computers for the past decade or so. This is a series that’s universe...
Review Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f (PlayStation Vita)
Square, square, swipe, swipe, meow
Most music games sell based on the popularity of the licensed songs in their roster and gimmicky plastic peripherals. But what about a title where the majority of the gaming marketplace may not even recognise the songs, let alone understand the lyrics? Enter Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f – a rather unique...
Review Aliens: Colonial Marines (PlayStation 3)
Game over, man
If you’re even remotely plugged into the online gaming ‘ether’, then you’ll be fully aware of the controversy surrounding Aliens: Colonial Marines. Infamously stuck in development hell for several years, the shooter was supposedly passed from pillar to post behind the scenes, and it really shows. One of the first things that...
Review The Cave (PlayStation 3)
Cavern club
The first adventure game ever to be released was a text title created by computer programmer and caver enthusiast, William Crowther. It's fitting, then, that Double Fine’s latest bid to revive the forgotten genre is also set in a cave. But this is not Crowther’s 1976 exploration game – it's a modern experience, complete with Ron...
Review Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PlayStation 3)
Smiles prower
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed starts to make sense the moment that you reach the excellent Afterburner stage. Sumo Digital’s slick sequel initially introduces itself as yet another Mario Kart derivative – but it eventually blossoms into so much more. By fusing the best of Hydro Thunder, SkyDrift, and over two decades’...
Review Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (PlayStation Vita)
Tasty treat
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz almost represents a return to form for this troubled series. Returning to the original's simplicity, it recaptures a lot of the charm and magic from when the series first rolled into our hearts over 11 years ago. Indeed, its sickeningly cutesy aesthetic is as delightful now as it's ever been. But this is...
Review Sonic Adventure 2 (PlayStation 3)
Shadow runner
Ever since the release of Crazy Taxi on the PlayStation Network, people have been asking SEGA to port the extremely popular Sonic Adventure 2 to PS3. Originally released in 2001, the game was not only one of the showcase titles for the Dreamcast hardware, but also an extremely innovative experience. Later the title would be ported to...
Review NiGHTS into Dreams (PlayStation 3)
Love the NiGHT life
While SEGA’s offerings in recent years have been a varied assortment of peaks and valleys, there was a time when there was no disputing their quality. During the Saturn era Sonic Team put out several innovative games that defied genre conventions and immediately captured the hearts of the SEGA faithful. NiGHTS into Dreams has...
Review Jet Set Radio (PlayStation 3)
Get your skates on
It’s genuinely hard to believe that Jet Set Radio is 12 years old. To look at the game now, you’d swear blind it was a modern release; the gloriously inventive cel-shaded visuals (well, they were innovative back in 2000, anyway) still possesses an alluring quality, and the quirky soundtrack is virtually assured to get the toes...
Review London 2012 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (PlayStation 3)
Gold standard?
Like so many sports, London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (phew) is a game of two halves. Boasting an impressive tally of 45 events, the official Olympic tie-in doesn't disappoint in the content department. But while a decent proportion of its offering strives for sporting glory, the remainder of the package...
Review Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown (PlayStation 3)
King of the ring
Virtua Fighter is the Beck of the gaming world. Adored by critics and shouted about by its fans, but virtually inaccessible to newcomers. It's never reached a wide audience like Street Fighter or Tekken, but now Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown has dropped the cost of entry to just £9.99/$14.99 there is no excuse for fight fans not...
Review Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 (PlayStation 3)
Blue streak
The backlash against Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I must have hit SEGA hard. Here was a game everyone said they wanted — a high-definition return to Sonic's 2D roots, and while it was a decent game on its own merit it didn't feel like a true continuation of those classic 16-bit adventures. It was almost like an athlete coming out of...
Review House of the Dead 4 (PlayStation 3)
Kill 'em again!
Years ago, gamers' weekends weren't filled with online multiplayer binge sessions. Instead, they filled local arcades with a pocketful of quarters, ready to show off their skills and hopefully land a top score on a cabinet for bragging rights. One series that made its name in these arcades is SEGA's zombie-infested light gun shooter,...
Review Yakuza: Dead Souls (PlayStation 3)
Dead light district
The Yakuza series is well known for its self-serious plots and goofy side stories, but Yakuza: Dead Souls aims to elevate things to the next level. Introducing zombies may seem like an act of desperation to fill a creative void, but it’s quite the contrary, as the developer experiments with placing some of its most well-liked...
Review Binary Domain (PlayStation 3)
Binary dismemberment
Global warming has flooded Earth, killing millions. With human manpower severely diminished, the mass production of robotic workers went into full force to assist with rebuilding the devastation around the world. Governmental powers crippled in the wake of the disaster, laws and regulations weren’t properly enforced: in Binary...
Review Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition (PlayStation Vita)
Pocket ace
Virtua Tennis is no stranger to PlayStation platform launches. An iteration of SEGA’s arcade sports series accompanied the release of Sony’s previous handheld, as well as the PS3. But while Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition isn't a new entry into the franchise – it’s derived from last spring’s PS3 release – it’s a title...
Review House of the Dead III (PlayStation 3)
Resurrected
Another one of SEGA’s classics stumbles its way onto the PSN with the zombie infested shooter House of the Dead III. With heavy roots in the arcade scene, the House of the Dead (HotD) series has been eating quarters worldwide as one of the most well-known on-rails light gun games in history. It doesn't get much simpler than HotD in...
Review Sonic Generations (PlayStation 3)
Cycle shattering
Sonic Generations is a fitting celebration of the blue blur's legacy. We imagine somewhere deep inside Sonic Team's Tokyo headquarters there's a whiteboard packed with diagrams, text and flowcharts. Written at the head of the whiteboard in bold, red marker pen are the words 'Breaking The Sonic Cycle'. Venture into any Sonic thread...
Review Vanquish (PlayStation 3)
Rocket fuelled
As Japan tries to tune its output towards Western tastes, many traditionalists, like ourselves, are worrying that the classic style of Japanese gameplay is prone to change. We've enough Western developed third- and first-person shooters to play — the last thing we need is for the Japanese to try their hand at a game of...
Review Daytona USA (PlayStation 3)
Revving restoration
We should be able to pin-point the exact moment we first played Daytona USA, but we can't. Our memory is hazy and imprecise, sending us mixed messages. It was probably in Blackpool, in the corner of a grotty arcade, with stained 70s carpet beneath our feet. Or was it at home, in the cold confines of our games room, with the glow...
Review House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut (PlayStation 3)
All guns blazing
“As you well know Isaac, I enjoy pain,” lauds sinister antagonist, Papa Caesar, into a comically outdated mobile phone. “It’s like a good Chinese dinner you know, with the sweet and the sour.” Papa Caesar’s exceptionally idiotic analogy applies to House Of The Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut. This PlayStation Move...
Review SEGA Bass Fishing (PlayStation 3)
Dat bass!
Deriving from the old arcade classic, SEGA Bass Fishing isn’t a fishing simulator but SEGA’s arcade style, user-friendly take on bass fishing. There’s not a whole lot to this game other than trying to catch the biggest fish possible in a certain amount of time. In Arcade mode, the player will be sent to one of a few different...
Review Captain America: Super Soldier (PlayStation 3)
Captain America: Super Soldier might not bring many new ideas to the table, but it is an enjoyable third-person action game with an enjoyable emphasis exploration and satisfying combat
SEGA's clearly spent a lot of time playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Given the quality of SEGA's most recent Marvel movie...
Review SEGA Rally Online Arcade (PlayStation 3)
Because we can't all afford a Subaru WRX Sti
Remember seeing those giant car-like arcade machines lined up at your local arcade? If so, you've likely already played or witnessed this game in action. Taken from the extremely popular SEGA Rally series of arcade machines, SEGA Rally Online Arcade brings the thrill and action of arcade style racing to...
Review Virtua Tennis 4 (PlayStation 3)
Come out swinging
The PlayStation Move tennis grand slam final between 2K Sports' Top Spin 4 and SEGA's Virtua Tennis 4 is a match-up between two totally different play styles: whereas 2K offered a simulation fully playable with Move, SEGA has stayed true to its series' arcade roots by limiting the motion control to exhibition matches and minigames...
Review Yakuza 4 (PlayStation 3)
In the five years since the original Yakuza launched on PlayStation 2 the series has changed very little
Released just a year after the wonderful Yakuza 3, the only curve-ball Yakuza 4 throws is not running with Kazuma Kiryu as the game's primary protagonist, instead introducing three new playable characters. Yakuza 4 might be a structurally...
Review Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (PlayStation 3)
It's the game that everyone wanted, or at least thought they wanted
This is a Sonic The Hedgehog game designed in the classical mould that made the character an icon. There are no goofy sidekicks, no silly rock songs and most certainly no "dudebro" dialogue. The clue's in the title: it's Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Don't worry though, you...
Review Iron Man 2: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Released just in time to coincide with the big budget summer movie of the same name, Iron Man 2 sees protagonist Tony Stark don his steel suit once more
This time he's alongside his companion War Machine, for a fight that picks up almost directly after the events of the original Iron Man. The story's fairly well told during missions and cut-scenes,...
Review After Burner Climax (PlayStation 3)
It's After Burner
Originally released in the arcades in 2006, After Burner Climax is the sequel (sort of) to the classic After Burner games of old. In simple - you fly an awesomely kitted out plane through interchanging zones blasting bad guys with rockets. The loose terrorist plot serves only as a means of justification as you fly ridiculously fast...
Review Yakuza 3 (PlayStation 3)
Yakuza 3 once again focuses on the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, Kazuma Kiryu
The slow paced opening has Kazuma running an orphanage in Okinawa. However, a series of shootings and the overbearing polictical activity taking place in Tokyo sees Kazuma return to Kamurocho in search of a traitor within the Tojo Clan. Yakuza 3's main storyline will...
