Bandai Namco Game Reviews
Rage against the Mishima
It's been five whole years since we last had a Tekken game on a PlayStation platform – not counting the free-to-play and hilariously unbalanced Tekken Revolution. As such, Tekken 7 finds itself in a slightly tricky spot. Expectations are high when it comes to the series' latest entry, and with other big-name beat-'em-ups...
Review Dark Souls III: The Ringed City (PS4)
At the world's end
The Ringed City is the end of many things. While it marks the final instalment of Dark Souls III's short run of downloadable content, it also marks the potential end for Dark Souls as we know and love it. Oh, and it also marks the end of the world. Found within endless fields of ash, The Ringed City plays host to an array of new...
Review Naruto Storm 4: Road to Boruto (PS4)
Daddy issues
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is comfortably one of the best anime based titles on the PlayStation 4, and now almost exactly a year after its original release, it's getting a pretty meaty expansion in the form of Naruto Storm 4: Road to Boruto. As the title suggests, this add-on features the exploits of Boruto, Naruto's...
Review Tales of Berseria (PS4)
Velvet not cut from the same cloth
You can always count on the Tales series to keep to its roots. While the latest Final Fantasy might have divided opinion with its more Westernised open world direction, Tales of Berseria is a far more typical Japanese role-playing game that continues – and develops, in some meaningful ways – the genre's...
Review Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4)
Full dive
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is the PlayStation 4's third Sword Art Online title, and it's the best one yet. Boasting an original story that takes place after the events of the various animes, Hollow Realization takes the property's cast of teenage gamers and throws them into an entirely new adventure. Fans of the franchise will...
Review Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel (PS4)
The weather outside is frightful
Enter The Painted World via the grovelling NPC at the Cleansing Chapel bonfire and you're plunged into a harsh and isolated environment, with vision-impairing snow and unfamiliar faces. Wolves hunt you down and axe-wielding warriors make the very earth beneath you quake. It seems like a tough environment where...
Review Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2 (PS4)
Make a wish
Dragon Ball XenoVerse certainly wasn't perfect, but for a mostly fresh take on the Dragon Ball license it got a lot of things right, and its direct sequel, Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2, isn't looking to shake things up. Instead, this is a brawler that takes the typical Japanese sequel route, in that it's happy to keep the fundamentals in...
Review God Eater 2: Rage Burst (PS4)
Bound by Blood
God Eater 2: Rage Burst opens with your stereotypical animated intro: it's got punchy Japanese rock, a nice sense of style, and it does a fine job of getting you pumped for some God eating action. Bandai Namco's latest export gives a good first impression, then, but you may struggle to maintain your enthusiasm as you begin to tear...
Review The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PlayStation 4)
Life's a witch, then she dies
Republished on Tuesday, 30th August, 2016: To coincide with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Game of the Year Edition, we're bringing this rather large review back from the Push Square archives. We've also included links to our reviews of the game's two expansions - which are included in the Game of the Year...
Review Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS-Force (PS Vita)
Full Bust
The PlayStation Vita has its first Gundam game here in the West, and unfortunately, it's not that great. A spin-off from Japan's super popular Gundam VS series, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS-Force is essentially a watered-down edition of the arcade action property with a focus on single player content. Directly comparing this portable...
Review JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven (PS4)
Stuck in purgatory
We can guarantee that almost every review of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven that you read will, at least once, mention that it's a better experience if you're a fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - a statement that seems bafflingly obvious. As the property's name suggests, the popular anime and manga series revels in the...
Maze runner
No, this isn't the 256th instalment in Namco's venerable arcade classic - the number in the title refers to the infamous glitch from the original Pac-Man. Level 256 was impossible to beat due to a jumble of letters and numbers on the right-hand side of the screen, blocking half the maze. It's this glitch, in fact, that you'll be trying...
Review The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine (PS4)
Thank you and goodnight
Blood and Wine could be boxed, sold as a sort-of-sequel to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and no one would really question it. Once again, CD Projekt Red has gone above and beyond expectations; this final expansion not only serves as a fitting end to Geralt's gigantic tale, but it also manages to pack in so much quality content...
Review One Piece: Burning Blood (PS4)
Let's burn rubber
As is the case with many manga and anime properties, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece – a hugely successful tale of super powered pirates – is a brilliant basis for a fighting game. Thanks to a massive cast of wacky characters, all of whom boast their own crazy combat abilities, a brawler such as One Piece: Burning Blood seems like a...
Ashes to ashes
Dark Souls II was a tremendous video game – so good in fact that we happily played through it twice thanks to a timely HD remaster – but for some Souls fans, something wasn't quite right. It lacked the focus of the sublime original it was argued, and when it came to finding a scapegoat, such critics didn't have to look far...
Review Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PS4)
Let's get digital
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is arguably the best Digimon game that's ever been localised here in the West. Although it's true that the property has never set the bar particularly high with its licensed titles, strip away the franchise's wrappings and Cyber Sleuth would still come with a hearty recommendation from us – especially...
Review Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (PS4)
Taken by storm
Supposedly the final game in the series, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 feels like a true labour of love from Japanese developer CyberConnect2 – a studio well known for its passion when creating titles based on existing properties. It's the end of an era for this 3D fighting franchise, then, but does this last hurrah bring...
Opposites Attractio
Attractio is a new first-person puzzle game from Mexican developer GameCoder Studios. For anyone with even a passing familiarity with the Portal series from Valve, you will likely feel right at home, as this title is very much in that same ballpark. However, unlike with Portal, we came away from this experience with a lot left to...
Review Sword Art Online: Lost Song (PS4)
Winging it
Something of a sequel to Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment, Sword Art Online: Lost Song carries on the legacy of the previous game, featuring returning characters and references to past events. Fans of the original Sword Art Online light novel or adapted anime will, of course, feel right at home, while those who enjoyed Hollow Fragment...
Review The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone (PS4)
A Witcher's work is thankfully never done
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone is downloadable content done right. After being supported for weeks after its initial launch with free bits and pieces, the open world role-playing game's first of two expansions is here, and it's absolutely essential for anyone who enjoyed Geralt of Rivia's main...
Review Tales of Zestiria (PS4)
Lemon gel zest
Where to start with Tales of Zestiria? The latest lengthy Japanese role-playing release of a series that's been a staple of Namco's output for what seems like an age, it's the franchise's first PlayStation 4 foray. There's a clear ambition from the developer to make things bigger and to explore themes, concepts, and gameplay mechanics...
Review Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul (PS4)
As straight as a shooting star
Despite its awkward name, Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul is a very straightforward and accessible PlayStation 4 fighter that's essentially an enhanced version of Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers, which released on the PlayStation 3 back in 2013. It's got more stages, more characters, a longer story, and a couple of extra...
Review One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 (PS Vita)
Size doesn't matter
You're almost spoiled for choice when it comes to Warriors games on the PlayStation Vita, since just about every slice of musou madness to release on home consoles over the last few years has ended up on Sony's diminutive device as well. Generally speaking, the handheld editions of these chaotic brawlers never quite live up to...
Review One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 (PS4)
Treasured company
We loved One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 on the PlayStation 3 like a captain loves his crew, so we've always had high hopes for its sequel, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. Like most of Omega Force's other musou titles, the third game in this licensed series has made the jump to the new generation, meaning that you can expect more...
Review Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment (PS4)
It's all in the game
Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment leaps from the small screen of the PlayStation Vita and onto the PlayStation 4 complete with online play. Its handheld roots make this role-playing game undeniably rough around the edges, but give it some time, and you'll uncover a satisfying, addictive adventure that sports some nice touches...
Review J-Stars Victory VS+ (PS Vita)
Star-crossed
J-Stars Victory VS+ is actually quite a snug fit on the PlayStation Vita. The bite-sized battles feel like they're just the right size for a quick spot of portable play, and the graphics arguably look crisper than they do on the big screen. This is the same game that you can get on the PlayStation 4, which we've already covered in more...
Monster mashed
If you think of cheesy old Japanese movies when someone mentions Godzilla, then Godzilla on the PlayStation 4 may be for you. It's steeped in references to the films which saw men smash up model cities in big rubber lizard suits, and heck, it even plays like one. The problem, though, is that if you don't have a hint of nostalgia for...
Review J-Stars Victory VS+ (PS4)
The Manga Carta
A brawler that takes some of manga and anime's biggest names and pits them against each other in what can only be described as explosive battles, J-Stars Victory VS+ is a welcome addition to the PlayStation 4's library for fans of Japan's numerous colourful creations. With a reasonably big character roster, plenty of fan service, and...
Review Project CARS (PlayStation 4)
The last tinker
Project CARS is not your average Sunday drive. Rather than attempt to tune the release to a common ideal, developer Slightly Mad Studios has instead served up a racing simulation that requires real effort if you intend to get the most out of it. Everything about the game – from the controls to the heads-up display – is malleable,...
Review Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PlayStation 4)
The Director's Cut
The release of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is timely. Bloodborne is currently thrilling PlayStation 4 owners all over the globe, yet like its distant relative Demon's S
