Latest Reviews
Mini Review Moving Out - PS4 Couch Co-Op at Its Most Literal
To me, to you
Moving Out successfully gamifies the otherwise highly stressful process of relocating. As employees of a somewhat questionable removal company, you and up to three other local players are tasked with shifting all the marked goods out of each building and into your truck as fast as possible. It's daft, easygoing fun. Levels start...
Review Trials of Mana - The Delightful Return of a Classic Action RPG
Back to your roots
Trials of Mana is a full 3D remake of Seiken Densetsu 3 -- a Square-developed action role-playing game that was never officially released outside of Japan until last year, when it was included in the Collection of Mana on Nintendo Switch. And while it clearly doesn't have the budget or manpower of something like Final Fantasy VII...
Mini Review Help Will Come Tomorrow - Survival Sim Best Left to the Cold
Frozen
With the independent scene continuing to thrive on PlayStation 4, perhaps the worst thing a smaller title can do is fail to make itself stand out from the ever-growing pack. Help Will Come Tomorrow has fallen victim to that -- a somewhat competent resource management simulator that doesn't do anything you haven't seen before. It's not a bad...
Mini Review My Friend Pedro - Stylish Action Stumbles on Rigid Design
Flash in the pan
My Friend Pedro has finally brought its zany 2D shooting gallery to PlayStation 4, and it's a strange beast. Ignoring the fact you play a character devout to a sentient and bloodthirsty banana, the game feels at odds with itself on quite a fundamental level. It's aiming to make the player feel like a John Wick, gun-fu master at all...
Mini Review Random Heroes: Gold Edition - A Side-Scroller with a Massive Cast
Not-so random really
For a game being sold on its eclectic cast of characters, Random Heroes: Gold Edition really doesn’t do anywhere near enough with its heroes. This is a 16-bit style side-scrolling shooter where you take control of, well, pretty much anyone. There’s a cyborg, a clown, a truck driver, a man in a suit… You pretty much get the...
Mini Review Super Destronaut: Land Wars - All Style, No Substance
Space invaders
Super Destronaut: Land Wars is developed by a team named Petite Games, and anyone who understands French should take that as an indicator of what to expect. This is probably the most simplistic first-person shooter you’ll find on the PlayStation 4, as you sprint around neon environments shooting gigantic Space Invaders-inspired...
Mini Review Rush Rover - Simple Roguelike Shooter Is Fun Timewaster
A kind of rush
You’ve already played a game like Rush Rover, but that doesn’t mean this little timewaster should be ignored. A dualstick roguelike, the shooter borrows liberally from various recent releases, delivering a wholly unoriginal yet generally well-executed experience. Playing as a mining machine, your role is to clean up randomly...
Review One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 - Carried By Fantastically Fun Characters
Sailing the 7/10 seas
We're big fans of the One Piece: Pirate Warriors games. We reckon One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is the best of the bunch, and we'd even go as far to say that it's one of the very best Warriors titles on PlayStation 4. Naturally then, we had high expectations for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, and while it doesn't quite do enough...
Mini Review Biped - Cute Co-Op Puzzle Platforming That's All Too Brief
Doing the robot
Biped gets its name from a duo of diminutive robots, sent to Earth in order to reactivate a series of beacons. You and another local player will guide these little guys through a series of stages, working together to overcome various obstacles as a pair. Co-op concepts don't get much more straightforward than this, but the game...
Mini Review Below - A Stunning But Disappointingly Empty Journey into the Depths
Finding beauty in negative spaces
While available on Xbox and PC for over a year, Capy’s latest title Below took its sweet time arriving on a Sony platform. Luckily, this extra time was taken to craft a whole new mode, and ultimately this ends up being the best version of the game you can play. The problem is, even in this form, the release leaves...
Review Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories - Incoherent Disaster Sim Fails on All Fronts
Disaster la vista, baby
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is an odd title, isn't it? Ostensibly, the game is about surviving a gargantuan earthquake, so that's the "Disaster Report" bit covered. But "Summer Memories"? It sounds more like the name of a sickly sweet K-Pop song than anything to do with cracked pavement or crumbling buildings. As it...
Review Final Fantasy VII Remake - The Long Awaited Reunion
Make or limit break
Well, here we are. The time has finally come for us to review Final Fantasy VII Remake, and it's surreal. We vividly remember the official announcement at Sony's E3 2015 press conference, and that trailer still gives us goosebumps. But now that we've actually played it, is this the remake of a stone cold role-playing classic that...
Mini Review Creature in the Well - A Unique, Stylish Spin on Arcade Action
Pinball hazard
Creature in the Well is a striking indie game in more ways than one. This action title makes a strong first impression with its dreamy music, beautiful art style, and smooth performance, but it holds your interest beyond that with an intriguing tale and some pretty interesting gameplay. A town is trapped in an everlasting sandstorm,...
Mini Review Operencia: The Stolen Sun - Old-School Dungeon Crawler with a Modern Feel
Praise the Sun
Zen Studios has crafted a delightful first-person dungeon crawler with Operencia: The Stolen Sun, giving strong nods to classic games such as Wizardry while also putting its own modern spin on things. This is a gorgeous looking game that places as much emphasis on its Central European folklore-inspired story as it does on exploring...
Review The Complex - Live Action Sci-Fi Story Should Have Stayed in Quarantine
Nano hell
Full-motion video, or FMV as it’s more commonly known, is enjoying a renaissance. Despite dying a premature death on early CD-based systems such as the SEGA CD and Panasonic 3DO, games like Erica and Late Shift have ushered a new era for live action, story-driven escapades. The Complex is the latest attempt from Wales Interactive, and...
Review Persona 5 Royal - The Best JRPG on PS4 Just Got Even Better
Style is permanent
Persona 5 stole our hearts back in 2017. It was crowned Push Square's Game of the Year, and it remains one of the greatest role-playing titles available on PlayStation 4. It's impressive, then, that Persona 5 Royal makes the original pretty much redundant. This enhanced re-release is hands down the best way to experience the tale...
Mini Review Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy - A Wonderful Treasure from Star Wars' Glory Days
Jedi business
Coming hot off the heels of the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy is a surprisingly robust experience given its short development cycle. Stepping into the boots of Jaden Korr rather than the series’ usual protagonist Kyle Katarn makes for an interesting change of pace. You play as a student, learning...
Review MLB The Show 20 - The Biggest and Best Baseball Game on PS4
Ready for another chance?
The baseball season should be underway, but coronavirus is of course proving to be the biggest spoilsport of all time. Fortunately, you can always rely on Sony San Diego’s critically acclaimed MLB The Show series releasing like clockwork – but does this last ever PlayStation exclusive entry strike out or hit a home run?...
Review Resident Evil 3 - Competent Remake Feels Like a Misfire
Last escape
When Capcom claimed it would be making drastic, sweeping adjustments to its second remake in as many years, the Japanese developer most certainly wasn't kidding. Resident Evil 3 has used the PSone classic as inspiration rather than a rigid structure it largely needs to stick to, dramatically changing the narrative and even cutting some...
Mini Review Moons of Madness - A Lovecraftian Snooze Fest
Inter-smellar
Secret World Legends developer Funcom dives into the ready-made well of creativity of H.P Lovecraft in Moons of Madness, a single-player cosmic horror title using modern generic tropes. Unsurprisingly, it takes similar thematic and aesthetic cues to last year’s Conarium, though in its mission to become the cosmos’ answer to...
Mini Review Roundguard - Peggle and Dungeon Crawling Makes for Unusual But Potent Mix
Tough bouncers
Peggle is possibly one of gaming's biggest guilty pleasures; the simple joy of clearing dots and racking up points is an addictive and satisfying time-waster. This simple puzzle template has remained largely untouched, but Roundguard builds upon the fun with dungeon crawler and rogue-lite elements, and it's kind of genius. You select...
Review DiRT Rally 2.0 - The Lean Mean Rally Sim Makes a Triumphant Return
The long and winding road
Republished on Tuesday 24th March 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the leak of April's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Codemasters' DiRT franchise, which has roots in its historic Colin McRae series, has gone through a few changes. It's swerved between flashy,...
Review Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Nathan Drake's Swan Song Is Another Stunner
Greatness from small beginnings
Republished on Tuesday 24th March 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the leak of April's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will not redefine the gaming landscape like its predecessors, but Drake's latest adventure is undoubtedly his greatest...
Mini Review DOOM 64 - After More Than 20 Years, DOOM's Oft-Forgotten Third Instalment Packs a Punch
It's been 64 years
It’s easy to forget that DOOM 64 is not simply a port of the original DOOM to Nintendo 64, but a fully-fledged sequel that was developed Midway Games. It’s even easier to forget that this was actually a pretty impressive step forward. While aiming is still archaic – lateral aiming only – the level design represents a...
Mini Review Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure - A Fun Adaptation of Arkanoid
Beyond
Colin Moriarty has been one of the most prominent names in PlayStation fandom for over a decade now, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Lilymo Games’ alternate take on Arkanoid goes above and – ahem – beyond to squeeze in the heroes of the popular Sacred Symbols podcast. Accompanied by his co-host Chris Ray Gun, this arcade brick...
Review Paper Beast - Novel PSVR Experience Is Another World Worth Exploring
Paper view
The thing that's so great about virtual reality is that it opens up all new possibilities for video games. By putting you right into the world, PlayStation VR can provide experiences that a flat TV screen simply can't. It makes a game more tangible and believable when you can literally reach out and grab something, or throw a real punch...
Review My Hero One's Justice 2 - Disappointing Sequel Is Still Just an Average Arena Fighter
Less Plus Ultra, more Meh Ultra
My Hero One’s Justice 2 is the second fighting game based on My Hero Academia, arguably one of the most popular anime in the world. As its title suggests, My Hero One’s Justice 2 is the follow-up to 2018’s equally awkwardly titled My Hero One’s Justice -- and it's every bit as bland as its predecessor. My...
Review DOOM Eternal - The Best First-Person Shooter on PS4
Hell's Bells
After a dismal start to the year for new releases, id Software has issued the industry with the firmest kick up the arse imaginable. DOOM Eternal is absolutely incredible. In building off of a fantastic predecessor, the Texas-based studio has reached new heights as its equation of intense, fast-paced action and enjoyable exploration has...
Mini Review Hidden Through Time - Cute Hidden Object Game Is Harder Than It Looks
Find your way through history
Hidden Through Time is an ultra-simple game about finding objects and people in numerous busy scenes. If you've ever stared at the colourful pages of a Where's Waldo book, you'll feel right at home. The difference here is that you're not looking for just one specific character; each level gives you multiple things to...
Review Nioh 2 - Team Ninja Plays it Safe with Excellent, Action-Packed Sequel
Blood, sweat, and Yokai
As far as sequels go, Nioh 2 isn't the most revolutionary. Developer Team Ninja has built and iterated upon the strong foundations laid by a predecessor widely considered to be one of the best Dark Souls titles not made by From Software, but is that enough in today's world? The follow-up does introduce new mechanics, weapons,...
